if they are after us."

They paused to listen. The only sound was the mournful howling of the
wind, and the occasional boom, like that of a cannon, as some immense
crack opened up in the ice about them.

"They haven't discovered that we are gone, or else they don't know which
way we took," said Mr. Baxter. "Come on, we must get farther away than
this."

"Where are we going?" inquired Fred. "We can't stand much exposure, in
this weather, and without food."

"I know it," replied Mr. Baxter. "I have hopes that we may chance upon
some settlement of friendly Indians, where we can not only get food and
shelter, but enlist their aid in capturing Callack."

"That sounds too good to be likely to happen," observed Jerry.
"Burr-r-r-r but it's cold."

"Don't think of it," advised his father. "Move a little faster, and get
your blood in good circulation. Then you'll feel warmer."

"I don't believe I've got any blood left in me," replied his son. "It
seems just like ice water."

They trudged on, not knowing and scarcely caring where they were going,
as long as it was away from Callack's camp. In fact they could see but a
short distance before them, and had to go it almost blind, for the
snowflakes were like a pall of frozen fog.

"Hark!" suddenly exclaimed Mr. Baxter, when they had been tramping
along about half an hour. "Isn't that shouting behind us?"

The boys listened. Faintly there sounded voices in pursuit.

"They're after us!" exclaimed Fred. "What shall we do? Shall we run, or
give fight?"

"We haven't any weapons, or we might stand them off," remarked Jerry.
"I'm almost willing to give up. We can't go on this way very far."

"I'd rather freeze to death out here than back in Callack's camp,"
observed Mr. Baxter grimly. "Let's go on, but we'll turn off to the
left."

He swung around and began to run, the boys following. The three
fugitives had not taken a dozen steps when suddenly Mr. Baxter, who was
in the lead, disappeared.

"Why--why----" began Fred, when he found himself slipping down, and an
instant later, Jerry also toppled into a big hole, that opened through
the snow right at their feet. The two boys brought up with a jolt, and
found themselves sprawled out beside Mr. Baxter. They had fallen down an
opening toward a sort of cave, the black mouth of which was directly in
front of them.

"Well, we came right down the chimney," observed Mr. Baxter. "This is a
lucky fall. We'll have a place to stay, an