to explore before he stopped and gave a
triumphant shout as he waved his hand. The others waved their hands in
answer, and turned to where he stood, with something in his grasp,
peering carefully around.

"His cap!" cried the captain. "What does that mean?"

The Norseman shook his head.

"The ground is hard as iron, sir," he said; "there is not an impression
anywhere. I've been looking for foot-marks."

"Surely he has not been attacked by wild beasts--bears!" cried Mr
Handscombe hoarsely.

"I thought of that, sir; but there is no sign."

They hailed again and again, but there was no reply save that given by
the echoes, and the captain grew more uneasy.

"Show me exactly where you found the cap," he said.

The Norseman trotted about fifty yards on beyond the entrance to the
ravine he had been set to search, and picked up a piece of slaty coal.

"Just here, sir," he said. "I put this where I found the cap."

"Then he must have gone on in that direction; he would not have come
back to go down there."

"No, sir."

"But why should he have dropped his cap?" said the doctor.

"He must have been running after something, sir."

"Or something must have been running after him," cried the doctor. "He
would not have gone any farther than this unless there was some reason."

"Of course not," said the captain testily; "but what reason could there
be?"

"Well, it seems to me that the best thing is to go back to the fire and
wait a few minutes," said the doctor, after standing thoughtful and
silent. "He is far more likely to come to us than we are to go to him.
It seems to be a mystery; but mysteries sometimes turn out very simple
things. What do you say?"

"I say that we'll have a good search down this gully, and see if by any
chance he has gone down here. You, Johannes, search along over our
morning's track straight away, and try and be back in half an hour at
the fire. We will meet you."

The Norseman went off without a word, and the captain and doctor, after
a glance in the direction of the fire to see that the others were
watching them, plunged into the gloomy, rugged gully, which looked as if
the mountain had been suddenly split apart, leaving at the bottom just
room for two men to pick their way along abreast, while the sides ran up
at once toward where the ice and snow never melted save on the surface,
to send a little water trickling down to form a tiny stream, which
wandered along among the ston