et a sharpened
stake he had prepared for this purpose.

"How fast do you think the ice is moving?" asked Ned.

"Oh, perhaps two or three feet a year." "Two or three feet a year?"
gasped Mr. Damon. "Why, Parker, my dear fellow, at that rate it will
be some time before the ice gets to New York."

"Oh, yes. I hardly expect it will reach there within two thousand
years, but my theory will be proved, just the same!"

"Humph!" exclaimed Abe Abercrombie, "I ain't goin' to worry any
more, if it's goin' t' take all that while. I reckoned, to hear him
talk, that it was goin' t' happen next summer."

"So did I," agreed Tom, but their remarks were lost on Mr. Parker
who was busy making observations. The young inventor and the others
walked about among the ice caves.

"Some of these caverns would be big enough to house the RED CLOUD in
case of another hail storm," observed Tom. "That one over there
would hold two craft the size of mine," and, in fact, probably three
could have gotten in if the opening had been somewhat enlarged, for
the ice cave to which our hero pointed was an immense one.

As the adventurers were walking about they were startled by a
terrific crashing sound. They started in alarm, for, off to their
left, the top of one of the ice caverns had crashed inward, the
blocks of frozen water crushing and grinding against one another.

"It's a good thing we weren't in there," remarked Tom, and he could
not repress a shudder, "There wouldn't have been much left of the
RED CLOUD if she had been inside."

It was a desolate place, in spite of the wild beauty of it, and
beautiful it was when the sun shone on the ice caves, making them
sparkle as if they were studded with diamonds. But it was cold and
cheerless, and there were no signs that human beings had ever been
there. Mr. Parker had completed the setting of his stake, and picked
out his landmarks, and was gravely making his "observations," and
jotting down some figures in a notebook.

"How fast is it moving, Parker?" called Mr. Damon.

"I can't tell yet," was the response. "It will require observations
extending over several days before I will know the rate."

"Then we might as well go on," suggested Tom. "There is nothing to
be gained from staying here, and I would like to get to the gold
valley. Abe says we are near it."

"Right over that ridge, I take it to be," replied the miner. "An' we
can't get there any too soon for me. Those Fogers may git their sh