the thickest brown paper, and
nearly six feet across. That its power was great was evident from the
difficulty with which the two men held it. The end of the line was
fastened to the sledge.

"Now, boys, ease off line till it is taut, and then wait for the word,"
said Davy Butts, jumping on to the sledge. "Now! Let go!"

Away went the sledge over the hard snow at the rate of three miles an
hour, which soon increased to double that rate. Davy cheered and waved
his arms. The men gave one loud "hurrah" of surprise and delight, and
set off in mad pursuit. They were soon left behind. "Hold on, Davy!"
"Good-bye, Butts." "Look out, mind the ridge!"

The last warning was needful. The sledge was rushing furiously toward a
long ridge of ice which rose in a sharp slope to a height of three feet,
and descended on the other side to an equal depth, but without any
slope. Davy saw his danger, but he did not dare to put out foot or hand
to check his progress. Even if he had it would have been of no use. Up
the slope he went as a sea-gull skims over a wave; for one moment he was
in the air--the next, he came down with a crash that nearly dislocated
all his joints, and his teeth came together with a loud snap. (By good
fortune his tongue was not between them!) The sledge was a strong one,
and the thing was done so quickly and neatly that it did not upset. But
now a large and rugged hummock lay right before him. To go against that
would have been certain death, so Davy made up his mind at once, and
jumped off at the smoothest part of the floe he could find. The
lightened sledge sprang away like a rocket, and was brought up with a
sudden jerk by the hummock.

Of course the line broke, and the kite commenced to descend. It twirled
and circled violently round, and at last went crash into an ice-berg,
where it was broken to pieces!

"Not so bad for a beginning," said Mansell, as poor Davy came back,
looking very crest-fallen. "Now, Butts, come below. You have proved
that the thing will do. Mr Dicey, get yourself ready for a trip over
the ice. Let three men prepare to accompany you. I shall send you off
to-morrow."

Dicey, much surprised, went off to obey these orders; and Mansell, with
the assistance of Butts, fitted the second kite for the intended
journey. He made a rough guess at the strength of its pull, and loaded
the sledge accordingly. Two tail ropes were fastened to the last bar of
the sledge for the m