ndia-rubber ice; how the final catastrophe had taken place, and how
helpless they all were in their present condition. The road could be
reached only by a wade of a hundred yards through two feet deep of ice
water--more in places--breaking the ice as an advance was made. It
would be an awful undertaking, the death almost of the little children,
and dangerous to all. What should they do? And the rascal's voice grew
full of trouble and apprehension. Fortunately for him, the teacher was
too far off to note the expression on his face.

The czar of winter did not wait long. He started off, and was over the
hill again and out of sight within the next three minutes, and it was
clear that he was going somewhere for assistance. Then some of the other
boys wanted to know what was to be done, and Billy looked at Jack
inquiringly.

"Well, on account of the fix we're in, what's going to happen next!"

Jack, somehow, did not seem undetermined. He answered promptly: "What is
going to happen is this: The teacher has gone over to Mapleson's for
help. He might as well have stayed in the schoolhouse. They can't drive
a wagon in here, and the ice is so thin, and is cracked so, they can't
even put planks out upon it. They can't help us in any way. What shall
we do? Why, we can't stay here all night and freeze. Somebody's got to
break a path to the shore, that's all, and then we've got to wade out,
and the sooner we do it the better."

The smaller children began to cry; the older boys growled; the big
girls shuddered; Billy grinned.

"There's no reason why everybody should get wet," broke out Jack,
suddenly. "Here! I'll break a way to the road myself, and carry one of
the youngsters. We'll see how it goes."

He caught up one of the little children and stepped off into the
ice-packed water. Ugh! but it was cold, and he set his teeth hard. He
floundered over to where the unbroken ice began, and then raising his
feet alternately above its edge, he crushed it downward. It was not
physically a great task for this strong fellow, but it was not a swift
one, and the water was deadly cold. His blood was chilling, but the
roadway was reached at last. He set the child down quickly, told it to
run to the schoolhouse and stand beside the stove, and then himself
began running up and down the road to get his blood in fuller
circulation. Into the water he plunged again and reached the Red
Revenger. "Here," he said, "each one of you big fellows carry s