ll fast, till at last the point
of Melchior's axe appeared suddenly, and was as quickly withdrawn.

"How far was that from your face, boy?" whispered Melchior.

"Nearly a foot."

"Hah! that's well," cried the man; and the blows of the axe fell merrily
now, till a great piece of the impending snow was suddenly lifted out,
and the prisoner breathed freely as he gazed wildly up past the guide's
body at the glowing evening sky.

This piece removed, the guide's next effort was to clear the loose enow
crystals and chips of ice away from the prisoner's face, and to chip off
other pieces of the snow which had roofed him in. Then, getting himself
into a better position, he bent down and grasped the boy's hands.

"I just saw the head of your axe," he said. "There, keep heart of gold
in you, lad: you will soon be out now. I think if I place your axe
across for you to drag at, and I try too, we shall be able to draw you
right out. A minute's rest first, though. Now you can breathe. I am
breathless too."

"Where is Mr Dale?" panted Saxe; but there was no reply, and Saxe read
the worst in the barely seen face bent over him in the rough well-like
hole that had been cut so energetically.

A few minutes only were allowed to elapse, and then the guide took the
ice-axe to which Saxe still clung from the boy's hand to lay it aside.

"Now," he said, "close your eyes while I cut a couple of holes."

The boy obeyed, and tried hard not to wince as the hard chips flew and
struck him again and again in the face; while making the implement flash
as he struck with it energetically, Melchior cut deeply into the sides
of the hole, and just at a suitable distance for the object he had in
view.

This of course was to place Saxe's ice-axe across, with head and butt
resting in the two holes, and he had judged so accurately that the head
went in with not half an inch to spare after he had thrust in the butt
spike at the opposite side.

"Now," cried the guide, "take well hold of that, while I stoop down and
get my hands under your arms and locked across your breast. Then, as I
give the word, we must heave together."

He got himself into position as he spoke, but had to use the spike at
the end of his axe handle to form a place for his feet on either side.
Then, throwing down the axe, he planted his feet firmly, bent down
nearly double, clasped his hands round the boy, and after seeing that he
had a good grip of the ashen handle above