poor fellow," said Will, rising to his feet.
"But the way he turned the tables on you and made you blush is the best
fun I have seen on the trip."

And so they indulged in light hearted conversation, music, reading,
painting, chess, etc., as they sped over the frozen seas, homeward
bound. Toward evening a strong north wind set in and the Professor
declared that they were heading straight for the mouth of the Mackenzie
River.

"In two or three days we shall be in the United States if this gale
continues," said the Professor. "We are traveling at tremendous
speed--nearly sixty miles an hour."

"I only hope that it continues, for I do not doubt that the friends have
long since given us up as dead," replied Dr. Jones. "We have been gone
now nearly four months, and have had no opportunity to communicate with
them since we left. What a glorious time it will be when we get back and
tell them how easily and comfortably we accomplished our object."

And so they enjoyed many an hour in anticipation of their reception by
friends who were mourning them as lost forever. And they were assured of
hearty expressions of admiration from a generous public. And the
Government would make proper acknowledgments.

"Doctor," said Fred in the evening after dinner, "I wish you would tell
us about the siege of Chattanooga, and Battle of Missionary Ridge and
Lookout Mountain."

"All right," returned the Doctor. "If agreeable to all, I don't mind
spinning a war yarn. Let me see; I left off at our entrance into
Chattanooga. Well, Bragg's army was sitting upon the surrounding hills
and mountains, watching us with eagle eyes. They cut off our lines of
communication and supplies, and we soon began to feel the pangs of
hunger. I saw stalwart men upon their hands and knees in the mud hunting
for grains of corn that had rattled from the army wagons into the road.
I saw horses in a battery adjoining my regiment gnaw nearly through
great oak trees in the torments of hunger. And when they were fed their
miserable pittance of corn, guards were necessary to keep the gaunt,
hungry men from stealing it from the perishing brutes.

"Desertions became exceedingly frequent; so much so that nearly every
roll-call noted one or more missing from each regiment. What with
sickness, deaths, and desertions, our ranks were becoming rapidly
decimated. A council of war was held. General Sheridan, commanding at
that time the 2nd division, 4th army corps, volunteered to