lmost at once part of the section on the lee side, which by good
chance happened to be the one next to the river, was lowered again that
the pilot might get a clear view. Then Roy opened Philip's bag of food.

[Illustration: "Don't shoot," he protested. "What's the use?"]

The aviators had both tea and water, but they drank only the latter and
made no attempt to use the heating apparatus.

At four o'clock the increasing snowfall was beginning to give the machine
some trouble, and yet it was plowing its way steadily through the air and
neither boy was more than apprehensive. Soon after this the snow ceased
suddenly and the wind rose as quickly.

"We're losing some of our extra cargo anyway," announced Roy, as the
first gusts tore some of the accumulated snow from the weighted planes.

"And we're losing some considerable gas," added Norman. "I hope we don't
have to buck this wind very long--it's coming dead ahead." It was just
then, the gloom merging into dark, that the alert Roy exclaimed:

"Look; a bunch o' deer!"

The car was crossing the snow-flecked river and flying low. Norman raised
himself and made out, in the edge of the timber below them, a group of
deer.

"Don't shoot," he protested. "What's the use?"

But his admonition was too late. Roy's twenty-two had already sounded.
However, nothing but a bullet was lost. When the monoplane had passed
swiftly on its way, the placid and apparently unmoved animals stood
gazing after the airship.

CHAPTER XIII

IN THE LAND OF CARIBOU, MOOSE AND MUSK OX

Within another hour, the first storm of the season had turned into a
blizzard. With the provisions they had on hand the boys would have made a
landing to get what protection they might from the blinding snow and the
now-piercing wind had they dared. They had not yet changed the landing
wheels of the monoplane for their novel snow runners and they realized
that a new start in the rapidly increasing snow was practically hopeless.

Working directly ahead into the gale had so reduced their speed that
Norman had adopted a series of long tacks. He did this in spite of the
fact that for miles at a time it took him from the river valley, which he
was now locating mainly by the wind eddies he had learned to know. There
was no use turning on the searchlight, as it merely gave them a little
longer view into the deep gray emptiness before them.

Thoroughly appreciating their danger, the boys also recognized that a