th his brow knit. At last he spoke.

"I cannot leave this place with the knowledge that he may have gone away
for some reason that we cannot grasp and will perhaps return here
by-and-by. It would be horrible for him to come and find that we had
gone."

"I should stay," said Johannes shortly. "Thank you, my man," said the
captain warmly; "and we shall stay, too. Of course you would not go,
Handscombe?"

"Impossible!" said the doctor quickly. "One minute, though," he
continued, looking upward toward the rugged face of the mountain, and
higher still to the snow and ice. "Do you think he has climbed up
yonder to pass the time till we overtook him?"

"Oh no!" cried the captain; "the time was too short. There, my mind is
made up."

The others looked at him; but he said no more till he had turned back to
the fire.

"Look here, my lads," he said; "make a meal as quickly as you can, and
then hurry on to the place where we landed. Of course you will keep a
sharp look-out for Mr Steve as you go, in case he may be on the road.
If you do not pass him, question the boat-keepers; and if they have not
seen him, you, Jakobsen, will come back to us here." The Norseman
nodded.

"I shall depend upon your making all the haste you can back to us,"
continued the captain. "We may want you to help explore the place
around; but I am in hopes that you will find him waiting by the boat."

Ten minutes later the men sprang up, harnessed themselves to the sledge
and prepared to start, only waiting for the captain to give the word,
"Go!"

Just then Watty sidled up to where the captain was standing.

"She'll chust let her stay?" said the boy insinuatingly.

"Stay? You stay, my lad? What for?"

"She thenks she can help find him."

"Why, what makes you think that?"

"Aw dinna ken," said the lad, shaking his head. "She only thenks she
can find him. She can climb and rin. Ye'll chust let her stay?"

"But you don't want to find him," cried the doctor. "You two were the
worst of friends."

"Freends? She woodna be freend, only chust acquaint; but she'd like to
find him, all the same."

"Stay," said the captain laconically. "You may be of use; but I'm
afraid that we can do nothing but wait."

Watty Links stepped back, giving himself a punch in his side, which
seemed to indicate that he was intensely gratified.

Then the word was given, the men tightened their track ropes, and went
off with the sledge and its heavy lo