r away, and La Salle had to
choose between committing himself to a fragment without rope or pole, to
be tossed about by the rising sea, or to wait until Regnar should reach
the floe, and return for him in the boat. He chose the latter, but soon
had the pleasure of seeing Regnar safely landed on the floe, from
whence, in almost less time than it takes to tell it, the three launched
their boat and paddled up to the place where La Salle awaited their
arrival, intently watching the performance of their improvised
life-boat.

He noted with pleasure that she drew little water, and that the light
paddles drove her through the short, toppling sea with considerable
speed, while her weather-boards prevented the shipping of any water.
Leaping aboard, they soon crossed the narrow lead, and running under the
lee of the ice-hills, drew their boat to the hut.

"If you have anything you want to be sure to keep, stow it in the boat,"
was La Salle's first order, as he saw the sea begin to dash across the
windward end of the floe, while, whining with fear, the young seals were
shoved and pushed, by the flippers of their dams, farther and farther up
on the higher ice, until, tamed by fear, they surrounded the little
hollow containing the hut.

Food, weapons, clothes, and ammunition were all deposited in the boat,
as well as her mast, sail, and paddles, while her painter, attached to
her sharp-pronged grapnel, lay coiled on her half-deck forward. All
that afternoon the wind and sea arose, until, amid the drenching rain,
they could hear around them the clamor of the terrified seals, the
continual crash of breaking ice, and the sough of the heavy sea, whose
spray drove over them in constantly increasing showers.

At last an occasional wave came into the lower part of the little
hollow, and all thought that the end was near.

"We must take to the boat," said Regnar.

But La Salle pointed to the ghostly crests of the surrounding seas; and
bowing his head upon his breast, Orloff signified to his friend that he
acknowledged the hopelessness of that resource. Just then a darker
blackness seemed to gather to windward, as a shriller blast whistled by
them; and as all awaited the increased fury of the elements which were
to end the unequal struggle, the wind seemed to abate, and the waves
sullenly retired from the surface of the floe. The rain still swept
fiercely upon the drenched wanderers, and on their lee they could still
note the crash of