he quicksilver was in a little
globule at the bottom.

"Yes, it's frozen solid," remarked Mr. Baxter. "You could use it for a
bullet if you wanted to. Mercury freezes at forty degrees below zero."

"Does alcohol ever freeze?" asked Jerry.

"It has been frozen, with artificial cold, at two hundred and three
degrees below zero, but we are not likely to reach that here. If it got
much colder than this I'd want to turn back. But I guess we're about at
the frostiest part of our trip."

Hot tea served to make the travelers more comfortable, but even the
effects of that wore off after a while.

"I can understand now, how those Russians can drink seventeen or
eighteen cups in succession," remarked Fred. "They have to do it almost
constantly to keep from getting frozen stiff."

"That's about it," admitted Mr. Baxter.

They were all glad when morning came, and they had a glimpse of the sun,
even if the golden ball was not so very heating. At any rate it was more
cheerful than the long night, with the mysterious Aurora Borealis
flashing in the sky.

To make sure of the route for that day's travel Mr. Baxter got out the
map, and he and Holfax examined it, before the dogs were hitched to the
sleds.

"I think we are really in the treasure district," said the old gold
hunter, as he looked at the copy of the tracing made by the German.
"Here is shown the end of the forest, and the great plain over which we
have to go to get to the waterfall. Well, boys, we will be there in a
day or two, now."

"That's good," remarked Fred. "I'll be glad to get back to warm, sunny
California again, where I can wear ordinary clothes."

Mr. Baxter was returning the map to the fur case in which he carried it.
On account of the heavy mittens he and all the adventurers had to wear,
his hands were not very certain in their movements. When he had replaced
the map in the case, he endeavored to slip the latter inside his fur
coat, where he had a pocket in which it was kept.

But his hand slipped, and the fur case, map and all fell to the
snow-covered ground. An instant later, one of the big hungry dogs,
doubtless thinking it was something to eat, rushed up and made a grab
for it, carrying it away in its strong jaws, and snapping and snarling
at its fellow brutes that tried to take away what they supposed was a
choice morsel of seal blubber.

"Catch him!" cried Mr. Baxter. "If he tears that case, and spoils the
map, we'll never find the treasure!