ience, however, and by the exercise of an
excessive degree of caution managed to scramble through the woods
tolerably well, emerging at last, along with his companions, on the
bleak margin of what appeared to be the frozen sea.

North River, at this place, is several miles broad, and the opposite
shore is so low that the snow causes it to appear but a slight
undulation of the frozen bed of the river. Indeed, it would not be
distinguishable at all, were it not for the willow bushes and dwarf
pines, whose tops, rising above the white garb of winter, indicate that
_terra firma_ lies below.

"What a cold, desolate-looking place!" said Hamilton, as the party stood
still to recover breath before taking their way over the plain to the
spot where the accountant's traps were set. "It looks much more like
the frozen sea than a river."

"It can scarcely be called a river at this place," remarked the
accountant, "seeing that the water hereabouts is brackish, and the tides
ebb and flow a good way up. In fact, this is the extreme mouth of North
River; and if you turn your eyes a little to the right, towards yonder
ice-hummock in the plain, you behold the frozen sea itself."

"Where are your traps set?" inquired Harry.

"Down in the hollow, behind yon point covered with brushwood."

"Oh, we shall soon get to them, then; come along," cried Harry.

Harry was mistaken, however. He had not yet learned by experience the
extreme difficulty of judging of distance in the uncertain light of
night--a difficulty that was increased by his ignorance of the locality,
and by the gleams of moonshine that shot through the driving clouds, and
threw confused, fantastic shadows over the plain. The point which he
had at first supposed was covered with low bushes, and about a hundred
yards off, proved to be clad in reality with large bushes and small
trees, and lay at a distance of two miles.

"I think you have been mistaken in supposing the point so near, Harry,"
said Hamilton, as he trudged on beside his friend.

"A fact evident to the naked eye," replied Harry. "How do your feet
stand it, eh? Beginning to lose bark yet?"

Hamilton did not feel quite sure. "I think," said he, softly, "that
there is a blister under the big toe of my left foot. It feels very
painful."

"If you feel at all _uncertain_ about it, you may rest assured that
there _is_ a blister. These things don't give much pain at first. I'm
sorry to tell you, my dear f