art of
Alaska. There were scarcely any signs of habitation now, and the
snow and ice seemed so thick that even a long summer of sunshine
could hardly have melted it. The hours of daylight, too, were
growing less and less the farther north they went.

"Do you think you can pilot us right to the Snow Mountains, Abe?"
asked Tom, on the third day after the accident to Andy's airship.
"Let's get out the map, and have another look at it. We must be
getting near the place now. We'll look at the map."

The young inventor went to his stateroom where he kept the important
document in a small desk, and the others heard him rummaging around.
He muttered impatiently, and Ned heard his chum say: "I thought sure
I put it in here." Then ensued a further search, and presently Tom
came out, his face wearing rather a puzzled and worried look, and he
asked: "Say, Abe, I didn't give that map back to you; did I?"

"Nope," answered the miner. "I ain't seen it since just before th'
hail storm. We was lookin' at it then."

"That's when I remember it," went on Tom, "and I thought I put it in
my desk. I didn't, by any possible chance give it to you; did I,
Ned?"

"Me? No, I haven't seen it."

"That's funny," went on Tom. "I'll look once more. Maybe it got
under some papers."

They heard him rummaging again in his desk.

"Bless my bank-book!" cried Mr. Damon. "I hope nothing has happened
to that map. We can't find the valley of gold without it."

Tom came back again.

"I can't find it." he said, hopelessly.

Then ensued a frantic search. Every possible place in the airship
was looked into, but the precious map did not turn up.

"Perhaps the Fogers took it," suggested Mr. Parker, who had helped
in the hunt, in a dreamy sort of fashion.

"That's not possible," said Tom. "They haven't been near enough to
us since I saw the map last. No, the last time I had it was just
before the hail storm, and, in the excitement of repairing the ship,
I have mislaid it."

"Maybe it's back there in the big cave," suggested Ned.

"It's possible," admitted the young inventor. "Pshaw! It's very
careless of me!"

"If you think it's in the cave, we'd better go back there and have a
hunt for it," suggested Mr. Damon. "Otherwise we are on a wild-goose
chase."

"Don't go back!" exclaimed old Abe. "I think we can find th' valley
of gold without th' map, now that we have come this far. I sort of
remember th' marks on that parchment, an' we are in the ri