istance further on. Follow me." And he started again, and there
was nothing to do but to fall in behind him.

John Barrow and Dick carried one sled, and Tom and Sam, the other. In
some places the cedars and brush were so thick that those in advance
pushed through only with extreme difficulty.

"Well, we haven't got the task of breaking the way," said Tom, as he and
Sam stopped to get their wind. "It's no fool job to break through this
thicket."

"We are going up a hill," returned Sam. "We must be getting away from
the river."

The guide and Dick had disappeared ahead, and, fearful of losing them,
the younger Rovers set off once more. Carrying the heavy sled up the
hill was, however, a great task, especially for Sam, and once at the top
they had to rest again.

"I believe it would have been just as easy to have kept to the river,"
declared Tom "See, there it is, to our left."

"It certainly doesn't look very rough down there," was his brother's
comment. "Gracious, but Dick and Mr. Barrow plow along like steam
engines!" he added. "I can't go so fast."

"We won't hurry, there is no need. The trail is plain enough," said Tom,
and so they rested fully quarter of an hour. Then they heard Dick
calling to them from a long distance ahead.

"All right; we're coming!" Tom called back. "Just please don't go so
awfully fast!"

"We are going to take the trail to the left!" Dick shouted back, but the
others did not catch the words.

Tom and Sam advanced now slower than ever, and when they reached a spot
where there was an opening to the right and another to the left, the
others were not only out of sight, but out of hearing as well. It had
now begun to snow more thickly than ever.

"Which way did they take?" questioned Sam, in perplexity.

"Reckon they went this way, Sam."

"It looks to me as if they went the other way. Here are some
footprints."

"Here are some footprints, too."

They came to a standstill, more perplexed than ever. Sure enough, there
were two sets of footprints, running almost at right angles to each
other.

"I guess we've hit somebody else's trail," said Sam. "Dick! Mr. Barrow!
Where are you?" he called out.

No answer came back, and then the two boys shouted in chorus. All
remained as silent as before.

"Well, this is a mess, to say the least," was Tom's comment. "How are
we to know which trail to follow?"

"I move we make a sure thing of it and get down to the river again," was
Sam's ans