There was nothing for it but to go
on. A moment's halt would have allowed the sledge to break through and
leave them struggling in the water. There was no time for remark. Each
man held his breath. Meetuck sent the heavy lash with a tremendous
crack over the backs of the whole team, but just as they neared the
solid floe, the left runner broke through. In a moment the men flung
themselves horizontally upon their breasts, and scrambled over the
smooth surface until they gained the white ice, while the sledge and the
dogs nearest to it were sinking. One vigorous pull, however, by dogs
and men together, dragged the sledge upon the solid floe, even before
the things in it had got wet.

"Safe!" cried Fred, as he hauled on the sledge rope to drag it farther
out of danger.

"So we are," replied O'Riley, breathing very hard, "and it's meself
thought to have had a wet skin at this minute. Come, West, lind a hand
to fix the dogs, will ye?"

A few minutes sufficed to put all to rights and enable them to start
afresh. Being now in the neighbourhood of dangerous ice, they advanced
with a little more caution; the possibility of seals being in the
neighbourhood also rendered them more circumspect. It was well that
they were on the alert, for a band of seals were soon after descried in
a pool of open water not far ahead, and one of them was lying on the
ice.

There were no hummocks, however, in the neighbourhood to enable them to
approach unseen; but the Esquimaux was prepared for such a contingency.
He had brought a small sledge, of about two feet in length by a foot and
a half in breadth, which he now unfastened from the large sledge, and
proceeded quietly to arrange it, to the surprise of his companions, who
had not the least idea what he was about to do, and watched his
proceedings with much interest.

"Is it to sail on the ice ye're goin', boy?" enquired O'Riley, at last,
when he saw Meetuck fix a couple of poles, about four feet long, into a
hole in the little sledge, like two masts, and upon these spread a piece
of canvas upwards of a yard square, with a small hole in the centre of
it. But Meetuck answered not. He fastened the canvas "sail" to a
cross-yard above and below. Then, placing a harpoon and coil of rope on
the sledge, and taking up his musket, he made signs to the party to keep
under the cover of a hummock, and, pushing the sledge before him,
advanced towards the seals in a stooping posture, so as t