must stay here."

"How, long?" queried Grace. "It will soon be late, and----"

"You have some chocolates; haven't you?" demanded Betty, quickly.

"Yes, but----"

"Then save them. We may be here for some time, but we are bound to be
taken off--sooner or later."

"And if it's later, and the cake of ice goes to pieces, no matter
whether we get out on it or not, what will happen?" Amy wanted to know.

"Well, the boat contains a lot of wood, and it will float for some
time--especially this cockpit part," said Betty. "Then, too, some one is
sure to see us when we get down a little further. Or the boys will miss
the ice boat, and, knowing that we have it out, they'll hunt for us.
Especially when they see the ice breaking up."

They were slowly floating down stream--slowly because of the number of
large and small cakes their own encountered. After the first alarm the
girls felt more at ease, especially Amy and Grace, for, in a large
measure, they had come to depend on Betty and Mollie. And these two
justified the confidence reposed in them.

Eagerly they all scanned the shore of the river, but they saw no one.

"I'd even be glad to see some of the Jallows!" exclaimed Grace, after a
bit. "They couldn't refuse to rescue us. Oh, I do hope papa will have no
further trouble with that man! If we could only help him to straighten
out the tangle!"

"We'll have to straighten out our own first," said Mollie, with a tense
smile. "Do you think we are getting nearer shore, Betty?"

Betty was about to reply, when, with a sharp report, a large piece broke
off their cake of ice. This left one of the runners on the forward
cross-piece close to the lapping water.

"Oh dear!" cried Amy. "If this keeps up----"

"Isn't that a man over there?" suddenly cried Betty, pointing toward
shore. "Yes, girls, it is. A man! Oh, shout to him! Call for help!"

The next instant there went echoing over the expanse of ice-strewn water
four young voices, uniting in a call for aid.

Fortunately the wind was right, and the man heard. He had been walking
along the river shore, and now, looking up and across, he saw the girls
in the ice boat in their perilous position. It needed but an instant for
him to sense the situation, and he acted promptly.

He waved his hand as a sign of encouragement, and his voice came faintly
to the girls, but they could not make out what he said. The man ran back
up the shore a little way.

"Where's he going?" asked Amy.