course of ages, down the streams into
the gravel and sand."

"Ay, there must be plenty of it up yonder, my son," said Tregelly,
stepping out to shade his eyes and gaze upward towards the wilderness of
mountains to the north, probably never yet trodden by the foot of man.

"Then I say, as we have come so far, let's go on and find it," cried
Dallas; "and if we fail--well, it is only lying down at last to sleep!
No one will know, for our bones will never be found. I feel as if I
can't go back--and you, Bel?"

For answer Abel laid his hand upon his cousin's shoulder, and stood
gazing with him into the dimly seen, mysterious land, just as, high up,
one of the snowy summits suddenly grew bright and flashed in the feeble
sunshine which played upon it for a few minutes before the snow-clouds
closed in again.

And as if the one bright gleam had inspired him, Tregelly began to
whistle softly.

"Look here!" he cried, "never say pitch a thing up when there's a bit of
hope left. `To win or to die' is my motto!"

"And mine," cried Dallas, enthusiastically.

"And mine," said Abel, in a soft, low, dreamy voice.

"Then look here," said Tregelly; "we've got enough to give us all a
small ration for seven days, so let's load up one sledge and leave the
others. Then we can take it in turns and push right on up into the
mountains with nothing to hinder us. Snow don't make a bad shelter when
you've plenty of blankets, and there's nothing to fear now. Old
Redbeard never could have come up here; he must have gone off by one of
the side gulches, and got round and back to where he can rob some one
else."

"Yes; we must have passed him days ago," said Dallas.

"Very well, then, we can all sleep o' nights without keeping watch."

"And we can push on and on, just trying the rocks with the hammer here
and there wherever we find a place clear of ice."

"That's the way, my son, and who knows but what we may shoot a bear or
something else to keep us going for another week, eh?"

Abel nodded--he could not trust himself to speak; and then, with
determination plainly marked in their haggard faces, they set to work in
the shelter of the dwarfed pines around them, and packed one sledge with
all they felt to be necessary to take on this forlorn hope expedition,
and with it the last of their dwindling store of food.

"There," cried Dallas, pointing up the narrow gully, as they finished
their preparations, "how could we despair with such a