n he reached out and tried to
pull the outside shutter along in its own grooves.

"Stuck with a bit of ice," Dave reported. "Harry, just bring the
kettle."

Darrin then poured some of the boiling water upon the sill, where the
shutter stuck. At his next effort the shutter moved. Dave closed it and
pegged it so securely that no trick from the outside could loosen that
shutter.

This was done in turn to all the other windows. Feeling secure now, the
Grammar School boys found themselves drowsy. Between them they fixed up
the fire. Then blankets were spread in six bunks, after which the tired
youngsters undressed and crawled in under the bedding.

Silence and slumber reigned in that cosy log cabin in the center of the
forest that was in the grip of one of the biggest blizzards in years.

CHAPTER XI

SIX BOYS AND ANOTHER IN COLD STORAGE

When the chatter had ceased and the fellows were all dropping off to
sleep, the interior of the tight old log cabin was still aglow from the
light of the fire. That light was so bright that, one after another, the
boys turned over, their faces to the wall.

And then no sound was heard, save the weird howling of the wind outside,
with an occasional sputter as a stray gust of snow swept down the broad
chimney to the roaring fire. Every Grammar School boy, as he dropped off
to sleep, knew that a big blizzard was still in progress.

"I wonder if I'll sleep a wink, for thinking of Mr. Fits, and what he may
try to do to us in the night," thought Dan Dalzell, while his lids fell
heavily. "If I do sleep, it will be to wake every little while with a
start. Well, so much the better. If I wake often I'm likely to hear the
scoundrel if he starts anything around here--when he--thinks--we're--so
drowsy that we're dead to the world--and--_gullup_!"

That last exclamation was a snore. Dan was conscious of waking once,
though at what time he did not know. He noted that the fire seemed to
have burned very low, and that it was almost wholly dark within the
cabin. Then he dozed. When he awoke once more he could see no glow
whatever from the fire. The lantern that had been left lighted had
flickered out. Dan felt oppressed by a sense of something awesome.

"What on earth can the time be?" Dan wondered, now quite wide awake and
just slightly uneasy. As he peered about through the dark he made out
what looked very much like a narrow ray of daylight through a crack in
one of the closed shutters