climb over the slippery edge. Tom snatched the
pistol from me with a cheer; he put the muzzle to the ear of one of the
wolves and fired, killing him on the spot. The last made an heroic
effort, and succeeded in climbing out on the farther side. We pulled
Tom's wolf ashore.

Then we sat, like two children, and shouted and howled for joy and
triumph. We took off our skates and pocketed them, and fastening the
straps around the necks of our wolves, we actually dragged them, with
many stoppages, to the half-way hut. Here I left Tom, whose ankle was
swollen to the size of a dumpling, and skated home as fast as I could
move, realising that our 'people' might be anxious if some one did not
come to tell the tale. I went on winged feet, so happy was I, and I
think if a pack of five thousand wolves had fled howling at my heels, I
should not have cared much.

I soon got back, and a relief party was at once sent in the ice-yacht to
fetch Tom away in triumph.

[Illustration: "As we cleared the water we could hear the wolves close
behind."]

[Illustration: The treasure at last.]

AFLOAT ON THE DOGGER BANK.

A Story of Adventure on the North Sea and in China.

(_Concluded from page 403._)

CHAPTER XXV.

'Now's our time to get the treasure,' Charlie said. 'The fighting is
nearly at an end, and the sailors won't want our help now.'

'Come along, then,' Fred answered; 'and I hope that we shall do better
this time than last.'

Much to their surprise they found that the gate was open.

'Chin Choo has fled,' Ping Wang declared, on seeing that the gate was
unprotected, and they heard later in the day that the rascally mandarin,
after making a very warlike speech to his countrymen, had sneaked out of
the town, and was on his way to Peking.

As Charlie, Fred, and Ping Wang entered Chin Choo's enclosure they were
more excited than ever they had been during the siege of Su-ching, or
the storming of Kwang-ngan; for they knew that in a few minutes they
would discover whether or not their journey to China had been a
fruitless one. Several of Chin Choo's servants, their pockets and arms
loaded with loot, hurried out at the back of the house as Charlie, Fred,
and Ping Wang approached it. They did not interfere with the thieves,
but the thought that they had, perhaps, already taken away the idol
occurred to each of them. They quickened their speed, and ran up the
verandah steps together.

'There is the idol!' Ping Wang excl