," he answered. Several times on hearing
this Saunders declared it was useless to go on, and even Foubister once
proposed building a snow-hut as well as their blindness would allow
them, and then lying down within it to die.

"What! and let the poor lad who has still got his eyesight perish with
us?" exclaimed Andrew. "Shame on you, mate. I did not think to hear
such words come from your lips. No, no, while we have life its our duty
to go on, and if its God's will that we should die, let us die doing our
duty. If He pleases He can send us help and restore our eyesight, and
He has shown us pretty clearly that we must lean on Him and Him alone."

Thus rebuked, the honest carpenter did not allow another repining word
to escape him.

There was but little wind, and the air felt warm and pleasant. Reaching
a small iceberg they all sat down, placed by Archy on a ledge under its
shelter to rest. He unpacked their wallets, and helped them to their
food. By Andrew's direction, also with the carpenter's axe, he chopped
off a thin layer of ice from the berg. From this, when held up in the
direct rays of the sun, water dropped into their saucepan sufficiently
fast to quench the thirst from which they had before been suffering.
They were not aware that they might greatly have relieved the pain in
their eyes by bathing them with the cold water. Revived by their meal
they again proceeded as before, yet what could they expect at the end of
their day's journey? Could they hope to live through the night in an
ill-built snow-hut without fire, might it not too probably become their
tomb? Mile after mile was passed over, and still came the same answer
from Archy to their constant inquiries. Night was approaching,--Andrew
urged them to push on rather than stop, as long as they had strength to
move.

"If you wish, I will go on," said Archy, "or, I think, with your help I
could build a snow-hut and we could keep warm enough inside it without a
fire, I hope."

"No, no, on, on," said Andrew. "We will stop in time to build a hut
before dark." So on again they went.

Suddenly Andrew felt the rope by which he was led slacken, when Archy
cried out, "Stop, I see something dark moving ahead."

"What is it, what is it, boy?" exclaimed the three men together.

"It seems to me like a seal," answered Archy. "But no--I don't think a
seal would move in that way,--Hurrah! it is a man,--he has risen to his
feet,--he sees us,--he is com