e.

"Look out for the overflow! She froze since dark," Crowley cautioned.
"We're liable to go through."

On all sides it cracked alarmingly, while they felt it sag beneath their
feet. It is bad in the dark to ride the ice of an overflow, for one may
crash through ankle-deep to the solid body beneath or plunge to his
armpits.

They skated over the yielding surface toward safety till, without
warning, Crowley smashed in half-way to his hips. He fell forward
bodily, and the ice let him through till he rolled in the water. Buck
skimmed over more lightly, and, when they had reached the solid footing,
helped him wring out his garments. Straightway the cloth whitened under
the frost and crackled when they resumed their march, but there was no
time for fires, and by vigorous action he could keep the cold from
striking in.

They had threaded up into the region where spring was further advanced,
and within half an hour encountered another overflow. Climbing the steep
bank, they wallowed through thickets waist-deep in snow. Beneath the
crust, which cut knifelike, it was wet and soggy, so they emerged
saturated. Then debouching on to the glare ice the boy had a nasty fall,
for he slipped, and his loose-hung pack flung him suddenly. Nothing is
more wicked than a pack on smooth ice. The surface had frozen
glass-smooth, and constant difficulty beset their progress. Their
slick-soled footgear refused to grip it, so that often they fell, always
awkwardly, occasionally crushing through into the icy water beneath.

Without warning Buck found that he was very tired. He also found that
his pack had grown soggy and quadrupled in weight, tugging sullenly at
his aching shoulders.

As daylight showed they slipped harness and, hurriedly gathering twigs,
boiled a pot of tea. They took time to prepare nothing else, yet even
though the kettle sang speedily, as they drank from around the bend
below came voices. Crowley straightened with a curse and, snatching his
pack, fled up the stream, followed by his companion. They ran till
Buck's knees failed him. Thereupon the former removed a portion of the
youngster's burden, adding it to his own, and they hurried on for hours,
till they fell exhausted upon a dry moss hummock. Here they exchanged
footgear, as Buck now found his feet were paining him acutely, owing to
the tightness of his rubber boots. They proved too small for Crowley as
well, and in a few hours his feet were likewise ruined.

Noon