"The season advances, you see," he said, "and it's never very long at
the best. I had hoped we were done with this troublesome `sea of
ancient ice,' but it seems to turn up everywhere, and from past
experience we know that the crossing of it is slow work, as well as
hard. However, we mustn't lose heart. `Nebber say die,' as Butterface
is fond of remarking."

"Yis, Massa, nebber say die, but allers say `lib, to de top ob your
bent.' Dems my 'pinions w'en dey's wanted. Also `go a-hid.' Dat's a
grand sent'ment--was borned 'mong de Yankees, an' I stoled it w'en I
left ole Virginny."

"What says Chingatok?" asked the Captain of the Eskimo, who was still
seated with the sketch on his knees in profound meditation.

"Blackbeard has trouble before him," answered the uncompromising giant,
without removing his eyes from the paper. "There," he said, pointing to
the pack, "you have three days' hard work. After that three days' easy
and swift work. After that no more go on. Must come back."

"He speaks in riddles, Anders. What does he mean by the three days of
hard work coming to an end?"

"I mean," said Chingatok, "that the ice was loose when I came to this
island. It is now closed. The white men must toil, toil, toil--very
slow over the ice for three days, then they will come to smooth ice,
where the dogs may run for three days. Then they will come to another
island, like this one, on the far-off side of which there is no ice--
nothing but sea, sea, sea. Our kayaks are gone," continued the giant,
sadly, "we must come back and travel many days before we find things to
make new ones."

While he was speaking, Captain Vane's face brightened up.

"Are you sure of what you say, Chingatok?"

"Chingatok is sure," replied the Eskimo quietly.

"Then we'll conquer our difficulties after all. Come, boys, let's waste
no more time in idle talk, but harness the dogs, and be off at once."

Of course the party had to travel round the island, for there was
neither ice nor snow on it. When the other side was reached the real
difficulties of the journey were fully realised. During the whole of
that day and the next they were almost continuously engaged in dragging
the sledges over masses of ice, some of which rose to thirty feet above
the general level. If the reader will try to imagine a very small ant
or beetle dragging its property over a newly macadamised road, he will
have a faint conception of the nature of the wo