ly.

"He was here a minute ago--I saw him!" declared a student named Messmer.
"He must have gone down out of sight!"

"Be careful that somebody doesn't go down on top of him," cautioned
Roger.

He had hardly spoken when there came a cry from Messmer, and, looking in
his direction, the other boys were horrified to see him sink into the
snow up to his waist.

"Hi! hi! help me!" yelled Messmer. "Quick, something has me by the
foot!"

"Maybe it's Hally, at the bottom of the hole!" burst out Dave.

"Let us make a chain and haul him out," suggested Phil.

This suggestion was considered a good one, and in a twinkling a long
line was formed, the boys taking hold of each other's hands. Dave was at
one end of the line, and he approached Messmer with caution.

"Help me!" gasped Messmer. "Something is dragging me down!"

"Take hold of my hand," answered Dave. "Hold tight!"

Messmer did as requested, and then Dave gave the other boys the signal
to haul away.

"But be careful," he added. "Otherwise the line may break, and some more
of us will go in the hole."

The students hauled steadily and cautiously, and slowly but surely
Messmer came out of the snowy hole. As his feet came into view it was
seen that a pair of hands were clasped around one of his ankles.

"Tom Hally is there!" shouted Dave. "Be extra careful, or he may slip
back!"

He had hardly spoken when Messmer's foot came up with a jerk. The
unfortunate boy below had let go, being probably too exhausted to keep
hold.

"Oh, Dave, what shall we do?" gasped Roger. He stood next in the life
line.

"Make two lines!" cried Dave. "Here, you get hold of one of my feet, and
Messmer can get hold of the other. Now don't let go, whatever you do.
I'll go down after Hally."

"But the danger----" began Ben.

"We can't leave Hally to smother to death there, Ben. Now then, hold
tight," answered Dave.

The two lines were formed, each end boy holding tight to one of Dave's
ankles. Then Dave threw himself down in the snow and wormed his way to
the edge of the hole. Several feet below he saw one of Tom Hally's hands
sticking up, the fingers working convulsively. He made a clutch and got
a firm grip of the wrist.

"Haul away!" he called. "But be easy, or the edge of the hole may cave
in!"

Under Dave's directions the boys hauled away with care, and presently
poor Tom Hally came to the surface of the snow, and was dragged to a
safe spot. He was all but exhausted, and