tion to which he
pointed. There appeared a range of snowy mountains far higher than any
icebergs. They were clear and well defined, and Andrew and Foubister
declared that they could not be, as some of the rest supposed, a bank of
clouds. They remained visible till the sun sunk beneath the horizon.
The discovery somewhat cheered their spirits, but still many days must
elapse before they could reach the shore, and even when there, no
inhabitants might be found to assist them, or food to enable them to
exist during the coming winter. Their present condition indeed was very
trying. The tents were on the sledges, and they had only sufficient
fuel in the boat to keep a fire alight for one night; while their
provisions, with the utmost economy, would last them but a fortnight or
three weeks at the furthest.

"If the cold goes on increasing, we shall be frozen to death before the
morning," exclaimed several of the men.

"Not so, mates," said Andrew. "I have seen the natives build a snow-hut
in the course of an hour, and have been as warm as I could wish within
it during the hardest frost. They call it an igloo, and they fashion it
much after the way the seals make their houses, so that it is well
suited to the climate. We may depend on that, as God himself taught the
seals. Now turn to and clear a space down to the ice, while the
carpenter and I saw out some blocks of snow." His companions followed
Andrew's directions; and while Foubister sawed out the blocks, which
were about three feet long, and half as wide, he placed them in a circle
on the space which had been cleared. He then put on another tier,
gradually sloping inwards till a dome was formed, and lastly the
keystone of the arch was dropped into its place. Archy, who was helping
Andrew, remained with him inside, and were thus completely walled in.
The carpenter, with his saw, then cut a hole to serve as a doorway, on
the lee side of the hut.

"We have yet got to form a bed and fire-places. Hand in more blocks,
mates," said Andrew.

With these he and Archy quickly built up a raised place on either side
of the hut, with a circular one in the centre. Some of the provisions,
with a portion of the fuel, and all the bedding and blankets, were then
brought inside, when Andrew stopped up the doorway with some blocks of
snow, which he had retained for the purpose.

"Now, mates," he said, "you will soon see that we can be warm enough,
but we must keep up as sm