ere the vast and mysterious fields of ice and snow.
Far off he could hear the barking of the dogs, but this soon died out,
and then came utter silence--a silence that seemed to fairly weigh him
down. And now the snow started to come down harder than ever.

Had Dick Rover been less stout-hearted than he was he would have then
and there given up the hunt for his brother. But Dick had the stuff of
a real hero in him, and he went forward through the snow, bending low
to escape the wind and to keep his eyes on that slowly disappearing
trail.

Thus half an hour went by, and by that time, weighed down as he was by
his heavy clothing and heavy footwear, Dick was well-nigh exhausted.
He stopped to rest and to get his breath, and then, struck with a
sudden idea, let out that old familiar locomotive whistle of Putnam
Hall fame.

He waited for a few seconds and then whistled once more. Was he
mistaken, or did an answering whistle sound out? He could not tell.
He set his face grimly and trudged on.

At last he could see the trail no longer and then he realized the truth
of the terrible situation.

He was lost on this vast field of ice and snow!

And Tom, somewhere ahead, must be lost, too!

It was a thought to make the stoutest heart quake. But Dick did not
think of himself. He was thinking only of his brother. How could he
locate Tom and save him from the cold and from starvation?

"I've got to do it!" he told himself, over and over again. "I've got
to do it! I must! I must!"

On and on he plunged, and suddenly went sprawling over some object half
hidden in the falling snow. He felt around, and realized that he had
come upon the two packs that had been on the sled Tom had taken.

"If they fell off here maybe Tom fell off, too!" he told himself. And
then he commenced to search the vicinity carefully.

It was well that he did this, otherwise he might have missed poor Tom,
who lay in a slight hollow, partly covered with snow. The sled had hit
a rock and the poor youth had been flung out with great force, landing
on one shoulder and on his head.

"Tom! Tom! Are you alive? Answer me!" cried Dick, as he raised his
brother in his arms. But no reply came from Tom's lips. He was
unconscious.

With all the strength that remained to him, Dick carried his brother to
the spot where he had found the traps. Then he quickly undid the
bundles, to see if there was anything there he might use. He found a
tiny oil