the dog, and
happily found that the ice-wall at the spot was slightly concave.

Another moment and the stupendous mass fell with an indescribable crash,
which was prolonged into sounds that bore quaint resemblance to the
smashing up of gigantic crockery, as the shivered atoms shot far away
over the frozen plain. But the chief heard nothing of this save the
first great crash, for the avalanche, although it passed harmlessly over
his head, had buried him in what seemed to him a living tomb.

The chamber in which he and his dog were thus enclosed was of course
absolutely dark--a darkness that might be felt; and the man would have
been more than human if he had not experienced a sinking of the heart as
he contemplated his awful position. Once again arose in his mind the
question, Does the Maker of all care nothing about such things? The
feeling deepened in him that such could not be true,--that the
All-Father must certainly care _more_ for His children than ordinary
fathers for theirs, and with that thought came also the old feeling, "I
will trust Him." The poor dog, too, had the consolation of trust, for
it rubbed its head against its master with a touch that implied implicit
belief in his power to deal effectively with any difficulty whatever.

Feeling his way carefully round the walls of his prison, the Indian
ascertained that it was not much more than about twelve feet long by
three or four broad. On one side was the comparatively smooth wall of
the berg, but for the hollow in which he would have been crushed; in
front was the rugged heap of confused masses which had thoroughly closed
him in. There was no outlet anywhere; he felt assured of that after
three careful examinations of the chamber, and how many thousand tons of
ice lay between him and liberty of course he could not guess.

There was only one course open to him now, and that was to cut his way
out with his hatchet. Before beginning to act he unstrapped his bundle
and sat down to eat, having previously relieved Attim of his load and
given him some food. Everything he did had to be done by feeling, for
he could not see his hand even when held only an inch from his face.

Then he set to work. It was difficult at first, for he had to strike
out at random, sometimes hitting a lump of ice unexpectedly, sometimes
just tipping it, and occasionally missing it altogether, when the axe
would swing round behind him, to the great danger of Attim, who insisted