prospecting while the mountains
are all under snow. Come along in to supper now. You've fed the mules, I
suppose."

It was a snapping cold night that night, and about half-past eight I
went into the kitchen to look at the thermometer which hung outside the
door. As I came back, I happened to glance out of the west window, when,
to my surprise, I thought I saw a glimmer of light up by the pool.
Stepping quickly into the house again, I went to the front door and
looked out. Yes, there was a light up there!

"Father," I called out, "there's somebody up at the pool with a light."

My father sprang out of his chair. "Is there?" he cried. "Then it's
Yetmore, up to some of his tricks. Get into your coats, boys, and let's
go and see what he's about."

As we went out I took down the unlighted stable-lantern and carried it
with me in case we might need it, and shutting the door softly behind
me, ran after the others. We had not covered half the distance to the
pool, however, when the light up there suddenly went out, and a minute
later we heard the sound of galloping hoofs, muffled by the thin carpet
of snow, going off in the direction of Sulphide. Our visitor, whoever he
was, had departed.

"Well, come on, anyhow," said my father. "Let us see what he was doing."

As the thermometer was then standing at three degrees below zero, we
knew that the sheet of clear water we had left in the afternoon should
have been solidly frozen over again by this time. What was our surprise,
therefore, to find that such was not the case: there was only a thin
film of ice; it was but just beginning to form.

"That is easily explained," remarked my father. "The ice did form, but
some one has chopped it out and thrown it to one side there. See?"

"Yes," replied Joe, "and then he took the ice-hook, which I know I left
standing upright against the rocks, and poked up the ground ice. See,
there are several bits floating about, and I remember quite well that we
cleared out every one of them this afternoon. Didn't we, Phil?"

"Yes," said I, "I'm sure we did, because I remember that those two or
three bits that had no sand in them we threw into that corner instead of
pitching them into the water again. I suppose it's Yetmore, father."

"Oh, not a doubt of it. Did he leave any tracks?"

By the light of the lantern we searched about, and though there were no
tracks to be seen on the smooth ice, there were plenty in the snow below
the pool. They we