le, being out of the question, Rooney called a halt.

"Rest and food, friends," he said, "are essential to life."

"Huk!" was the brief reply.

Without wasting breath on another word, they untied their bundles,
spread their bearskins in the lee of a hummock, fed hastily but
heartily, rolled themselves in their simple bedding, and went to sleep.

During the night there occurred one of those sudden changes which are
common in Arctic lands at that season of the year. Snow ceased to fall,
the sky cleared, and the temperature rose until the air became quite
balmy. The ice of the floes eased off, narrow openings grew into lanes
and leads and wide pools, until water predominated, and the ice finally
resolved itself into innumerable islets. When Rooney was at last
awakened by a blaze of sunshine in his face, he found that the party
occupied a small cake of ice in the midst of a grand crystal
archipelago. Not a zephyr ruffled the sea, and the hills of Greenland
were visible, not more than six or eight miles distant, on their left
hand. What particular part of Greenland it was, of course they had no
means of knowing.

The sight was indeed such as might have filled human hearts with
admiration and joy, but neither joy nor admiration touched the hearts of
Red Rooney and his companions. So far from land, on a bit of ice scarce
large enough to sustain them, and melting rapidly away, exposed to the
vicissitudes of a changeful and stormy climate, without the means of
escape--the case seemed very desperate.

"The Great Spirit has forsaken us," said Angut gloomily, as he surveyed
the scene.

"That He has _not_," returned the sailor, "whatever may befall."

An exclamation from Arbalik drew attention to a particular part of the
horizon.

"A flat island," said Okiok, after a long earnest gaze; "but we cannot
reach it," he added in a low voice.

"You know not," said Angut. "The current sets that way, I think."

"A few minutes will show," said Rooney.

With almost trembling eagerness they watched the islet, and, as Rooney
had said, it soon became evident that the current was indeed carrying
their ice-raft slowly towards the spot.

"We can scarcely expect to drift right on to it," said Rooney, "and it
is apparently our last chance, so we shall have to take to the water
when near it. Can we all swim--eh?"

To this question some answered Yes and some No, while others shook their
heads as if uncertain on the point. But t