ly,--

"We can try, at least."

"Well said, Regnie," cried La Salle; "but look again yonder." He pointed
to a small lead of open water bounded with abrupt shores, which were
surrounded with rounded balls and water-worn fragments of ice. A berg,
losing its balance, fell with a loud splash, sank, and came to the
surface with a bound, covering the water with wet snow and the ruins of
the shattered pinnacles. "Can we also pass the heavy drags of the
drifted snow, the baffling resistance of floating sludge, and such
dangers as that?"

Turning, he descended under the lee of the shelter, where he was soon
followed by the rest.

"What spose we do, then?" asked Peter. "We stay this place to die of
cold and hunger?"

"Peter, I'm ashamed of you," said La Salle. "Die, do you say, when we
have food, shelter, fire, and covering? We must, indeed, stay here until
the winds and sea give us a better chance to escape to the shore.
Meanwhile let us try to make ourselves comfortable."

Accordingly the birds--six geese and eight brent--were divested of their
skins, which furnished patches of warm covering, of from two to four
square feet. The sinews of the legs were divided into threads, and,
using a small sail-needle which he carried to clean the tube of his gun,
La Salle proceeded to show Waring how to make a large robe, placing the
larger skins in the middle, and forming a border of the smaller ones.

Meanwhile Regnar had cleared the snow from a space about twelve feet
square in front of the door, and, with fragments of ice, cemented with
wet snow, formed a walled enclosure which kept off the wind; and Peter,
splitting two or three of the wooden decoys, soon built a fire, over
which a pair of geese, spitted on sticks, were narrowly watched and
sedulously turned, while La Salle made a cup of his carefully-treasured
coffee.

As they sat eating their rude meal, Regnar broke the silence; for it may
well be believed that no great hilarity pervaded the little party.

"As we not know how long we may be adrift, I think we better take
'count stock. See how much wood, provisions, powder, shot, everyting."

"You are right, Regnie; we will set to work at once. I can tell how much
food we have now. We have a little bread, coffee, sugar, and a tin of
sardines, which I think we had better reserve for possible emergencies,
also six candles, which we must not waste. I have a pound canister of
powder untouched, and nearly half a pound more in m