th a few vigorous strokes he
was alongside it. It was a great slab of field ice, its flat upper
surface not more than six inches above water; and after a tremendous
struggle Dick not only got upon the slab himself but also contrived to
drag his companion up also. Their combined weight seemed to have very
little effect upon the stability of the mass, merely depressing the
adjacent edge perhaps a couple of inches; and, this fact ascertained,
Dick lost no time, but set to work upon the body of the insensible
American, pounding, rubbing, and rolling it with such vigour that not
only did he at length feel the chill departing from his own limbs but
also felt his companion stir and heard him groan.

"Feel better?" demanded Dick. Then, without waiting for a reply, he
added: "If you can only manage to get to your feet and walk about a bit,
we'll soon restore our circulation. Let me give you a lift."

"Wait," gasped the American. "Breast pocket--br-r-randy flask. Take
nip and give me one."

The brandy flask was found, and after applying it to the lips of its
owner, Dick took a mouthful himself before replacing the top. The
effect of the spirit upon their chilled bodies was almost miraculous, a
wave of warmth surged through them, and presently the American was on
his feet, and, with Dick's arm linked in his, was staggering to and fro
upon the surface of the ice. As the stiffness and cramp worked out of
their limbs they were able to increase their pace, until within a few
minutes they were trotting to and fro across the mass and feeling almost
warm once more.

Meanwhile, although the sounds of conflict and confusion aboard the
_Everest_ still floated to the pair, horribly suggesting the awful
scenes that were being enacted on her deck, the ship herself had settled
so deeply in the water that only the lights in the cabins of the
promenade deck and the clusters illuminating the boat deck now marked
her whereabouts, and it soon became apparent that the end was very near.
As a matter of fact it was even nearer than the occupants of the floe
imagined, for as with one accord they paused to glance at the ship in
response to an exceptionally strident outburst of sound, they beheld the
line of lights suddenly incline from the horizontal, saw the slope grow
steadily steeper, and then, as the great mass of the vessel's stern hove
up, an indistinct blur of deeper blackness on the darkness of the night,
the line of lights slid forwa