asions.

"You must understand," he said to his men, "that to leave the ship is a
supreme measure, to which we must have recourse only at the last
extremity. All our efforts ought to be directed toward saving the
'Alaska.' Deprived of her, our situation will be a very precarious one
on the ice. It is only in case of our vessel becoming uninhabitable that
we must desert it. In any case such a movement should be made in an
orderly manner to avoid disasters. I therefore expect that you will
return quietly to your supper, and leave to your superior officers the
task of determining what is best to do!"

The firmness with which he spoke had the effect of reassuring the most
timid, and they all descended again. Erik then called Mr. Hersebom and
asked him to untie his good dog Kaas, and follow him without making any
noise.

"We will go on the field of ice," he said, "and seek for the fugitives
and make them return to their duty, which will be better for them than
wandering about."

The poor devils were huddled together on the ice, ashamed of their
escapade, and at the first summons were only too glad to take the path
toward the "Alaska."

Erik and Mr. Hersebom having seen them safely on board, walked as far as
their depot of provisions, thinking that another sailor might have taken
refuge there. They went all around it but saw no one.

"I have been asking myself the last few moments," said Erik, "if it
would not be better to prevent another panic by landing part of the
crew?"

"It might be better perhaps," answered the fisherman. "But would not the
men who remained on board feel jealous and become demoralized by this
measure?"

"That is true," said Erik. "It would be wiser to occupy them up to the
last moment in struggling against the tempest, and it is in fact the
only chance we have of saving the ship. But since we are on the ice we
may as well take advantage of it, and explore it a little. I confess all
these crackings and detonations inspire me with some doubt as to its
solidity!"

Erik and his adopted father had not gone more than three hundred feet
from their depot of provisions before they were stopped short by a
gigantic crevasse which lay open at their feet. To cross it would have
required long poles, with which they had neglected to supply themselves.
They were therefore compelled to walk beside it obliquely toward the
west, in order to see how far it reached.

They found that this crevasse extended for a