found that the window was not locked. The sash
went up with a surprising bang, and the next instant she was inside and
assisting Lucile to enter.

The place had a hollow sound. "Like an old, empty church," said Marian.

Lucile scratched a match. They were in a large room which was
absolutely empty. A hasty exploration of the three remaining rooms,
which were much smaller, revealed the same state of affairs.

"Now what," said Lucile, knitting her brows in deep thought, "do you
think of that?"

"Anyway, it's dry, and not too cold," said Marian.

"But it's empty, and I'm hungry. Say!" she exclaimed quickly, "you
bring in our things; I'll be back."

She bounded out of the window and hurried away toward the native
village, which lay silent in the moonlight.

Marian had succeeded in dragging their sleeping-bag and other
belongings through the window and was there waiting when Lucile called
from outside:

"Here, take this!"

"How heavy!" exclaimed Marian. And a moment later, upon receiving the
second object, "How cold!"

"The first," said Lucile, "is a flat, native seal-oil lamp. We can
burn our seal-oil in it. I have a handful of moss in my pocket to
string along the side for wick. It'll make it more cheery and it'll
seem warmer. The other," she went on, "is a frozen whitefish; found it
on one of the caches. Guess the natives won't miss it if they come
back."

"If they do. But where are they?" asked Marian in a puzzled tone of
voice.

"Dead, perhaps. Let's eat," she added abruptly, as Marian shivered.

"But, Lucile, we can't cook the fish."

"Don't have to. Frozen fish is good raw if it's frozen hard enough.
I've tried it before. You just shave it off thin like chipped dried
beef and gulp it right down before it tastes too fishy."

Marian did not think she would like it, but she found it not half bad.

When they had dined, and had sat by the yellow glow of their seal-oil
lamp for a time, they took a good long look at the moon as it shone out
over the shimmering whiteness of the sea.

"That," said Marian impressively, "is the same moon that is shining on
all our friends wherever they are to-night."

The thought gave them a deal of comfort.

When, in time, their sleeping-bag was spread out on the floor, and they
had snuggled comfortably down into its soft depths and were ready to go
off into the land of dreams, with their seal-oil lamp still flickering
in one corner, Marian said with a la