he beast did not venture
close to the shelter, and while waiting for its appearance the youth
dropped asleep again.

By midnight the wind fell a little, and then it began to snow, and it
was still snowing when John Barrow leaped up, pushed the blanket aside,
and gazed out upon the river.

"Hullo, we're in for it now!" he cried, and as the boys sat up, he
added: "Snowin'--mighty hard, too."

"I should say it was snowing hard!" cried Tom, as he, too, looked out.
"Why, you can't see the trees on the other side, and they aren't more
than a hundred and fifty feet off."

"This will make traveling bad," said Dick soberly. "It almost looks as
if we were going to be snowed in."

"Snowed in?" echoed Sam. "Oh, don't say that!"

The boys were somewhat stiff after their long skate of the day before,
and it took them some minutes to pull themselves together. Then the
curtain was pushed aside, and the fire started up with some dry
brushwood from the pile on which they had slept. Soon breakfast was
ready, and this warmed them up and put new life in them.

"No use to linger here," announced the guide. "It won't git no better
an' it may git a heap sight worse. I reckon the wind kept some o' the
spots on the river clear. I know a good camping spot ten miles from
here, and that will be just the place for us while you are huntin'
around fer that money."

"Then let us make that camping spot by all means," said Tom. "We mustn't
let Baxter get first whack at the treasure."

It was eight o'clock when they started once more on their journey. The
air was dull and heavy, and the snow came down in thick flakes, which
presently shut out the landscape on all sides. Fortunately the wind had
died down entirely, so it was not near so cold as it had been.

"It would be easy enough, if we could stick to the river all the way,"
remarked. Tom to Sam, as they skated along as best they could.

"Can't we?"

"Mr. Barrow says not. About two miles from here are another falls and a
set of rocky rapids, and we'll have to walk around for a distance of
nearly a mile through the woods."

What Tom said was true, and the falls were reached less than an hour
later. The river was very narrow at this point and lined on both sides
with rough rocks. Climbing was difficult, and after crawling along for a
few rods the boys halted in dismay.

"We're up against it now," groaned Dick

"Don't be discouraged lads!" came from the guide. "It isn't so bad a
short d