by foot, yard by yard, they made their way across the treacherous
tangle of ice-piles which was still in restless motion.

Now they had covered a quarter of the distance, now half, now
three-quarters. And now, with an exultant cry, Marian dragged her
half-unconscious companion upon the center of the deck.

"There's a cabin aft," she whispered, "a warm cabin. We'll soon be
there."

"Soon be there," Lucile echoed faintly.

The climbing of the long, slanting, slippery deck was a terrible
ordeal. More than once Marian despaired. At last they stood before
the door. She put a hand to the knob. A cry escaped her lips. The
cabin door was locked.

Dark despair gripped her heart. But only for an instant.

"Lucile, the key! The key we found in the cabin! Where is it?"

"The key--the key?" Lucile repeated dreamily.

"Oh, yes, the key. Why, that's not any good."

"Yes, it is! It is!"

"It's in my parka pocket."

The next moment Marian was prying the key from a frozen pocket, and the
next after that she was dragging Lucile into the cabin.

In one corner of the cabin stood a small oil-heater. Above it was a
match-box. With a cry of joy Marian found matches, lighted one, tried
the stove, found it filled with oil. A bright blaze rewarded her
efforts. There was heat, heat that would save her companion's life.

She next attacked the frozen garments. Using a knife where nothing
else would avail, she stripped the clothing away until at last she fell
to chafing the white and chilled limbs of the girl, who still struggled
bravely against the desire to sleep.

A half-hour later Lucile was sleeping naturally in a bunk against the
upper wall of the room. She was snuggled deep in the interior of a
mammoth deerskin sleeping-bag, while her garments were drying beside
the kerosene stove. Marian was drowsing half-asleep by the fire.

Suddenly, she was aroused by a voice. It was a man's voice. She was
startled.

"Please," the voice said, "may I come in? That's supposed to be my
cabin, don't you know? But I don't want to be piggish."

Marian stared wildly about her. For a second she was quite speechless.
Then she spoke:

"Wait--wait a minute; I'm coming out."

CHAPTER VII

THE BLUE ENVELOPE DISAPPEARS

When Marian heard the voice outside the cabin on the wreck, she
realized that a new problem, a whole set of new problems had arisen.
Here was a man. Who was he? Could he be the grizzled miner who