ugh."

Wyllard turned and flung the tent, their sleeping bags, and the few
packages which had not fallen out off the sled, after which he hastily
opened one or two of them. His companions looked at them with
apprehension in their eyes until he spoke again.

"The provisions may last a week or so, if we cut down rations," he said.

He could not remember afterwards if anybody suggested it, and he
fancied that the same idea occurred to all of them at once, but in
another moment or two they set about undoing the traces from the sled,
and making them secure about their bodies. Then for half an hour they
made perilous attempt after attempt to recover the lost provisions, and
signally failed. The snow broke through continuously beneath the
foremost man, but it did not break away altogether, and they could not
tell what lay beneath it when they had drawn him out of the hole. When
it became evident that the attempt was useless they held a brief
council sitting on the sled.

"I guess we don't want to go back," said Charly. "It's quite likely
we've crossed a good many of these crevices, and the snow's getting
soft. Besides, Dampier will have hauled off and headed for the inlet
by now."

He spoke quietly, though his face was grim, and then pausing a moment
waved his hand. "It seems to me," he added, "we have got to fetch the
inlet while the provisions last."

"Exactly," said Wyllard. "Since the chart shows a river between us and
it, the sooner we start the better. If the thaw holds, the stream will
break up the ice on it."

The Indian, who made no suggestion, grunted what appeared to be
concurrence, and they silently set to work to reload the sled. That
done, they took up the traces and floundered on again into the
gathering dimness and a thin haze of driving snow. Darkness had fallen
when they made camp again, and sat, worn-out and aching in every limb,
about the sputtering lamp inside the little, straining tent. The meal
they made was a very frugal one, and they lay down in the darkness
after it, for half their store of oil had been left behind in the
crevice. They said very little, for the second disaster had almost
crushed the courage out of them, and it was very clear to all that it
would only be by a strenuous effort they could reach the inlet before
their provisions quite ran out. They slept, however, and rising in a
stinging frost next morning set out again on the weary march, but it
was slow travellin