t the lad was simply stupid with horror. He had not the least
idea in which direction lay the cabin or the storehouse, the upper or
the lower side of the ravine.

He was buried under a mighty snowdrift, that might collapse and stifle
him at any instant.

CHAPTER XI.

UNDER THE SNOWDRIFT.

Hamp knew that his only hope lay in a clear head and a courageous heart.
Already the air seemed to be more dense, and he felt a difficulty in
breathing.

"One thing certain," he reflected, "I've got about a ghost of a chance
of striking either the cabin or the storehouse. If I try to tunnel away
from here, there's no telling where I may land. I've got two
chances--either to stay here until Brick and Jerry come to rescue me, or
to get my bearings by hearing them shout."

The latter commended itself most favorably to Hamp. In spite of the risk
of an avalanche, he put his hands to his lips and uttered a piercing
yell.

No reply.

He waited, and tried again.

Now, to his delight, he heard a faint cry. He was not quick enough to
locate it, so he shouted once more.

A moment later the answering hail came, but, alas! he could not make
sure in what direction.

An agony of despair seized him, and he uttered cry after cry.

Fatal mistake! The loud noise loosened the quivering masses of snow.
Hamp felt the walls shake and heard the rustling glide. Throwing out his
arms, he fought his way upward through the descending avalanche. Though
twice beaten back, he gained an upright position. Had the snow been less
light and powdery, he must have been crushed to the ground.

He was now firmly on his feet, but in danger of suffocation. His head
was covered. The snow pressed against his mouth and nose. He gasped for
breath. He clutched and tore at the weight above him, swinging his arms
from side to side. Then the powdery masses slipped to right and left,
disclosing a funnel-shaped aperture, through which filtered a current of
cold air. Hamp uttered a cry of relief and made the opening larger. The
top of the drift was about two feet above his head. He saw the circular
patch of murky gray sky through the driving storm. He felt the icy
flakes dropping upon his cheeks, and heard the hoarse, deafening hum of
the wind. The youth was in no present danger, but otherwise his position
was not improved. He could not force a way onward through the drift, nor
could he get his head high eno