ice-islands, amid the sweep of the angry waves.

But above them, huge, unbending, and majestic, towered a lofty pile,
shrouded in darkness, through which at times gleamed the weird white
outline of some snow-encrusted ledge.

"Are we under the lee of Amherst Island?" asked Regnar, in a voice which
all could hear.

La Salle's answer came below his breath, and only Regnar heard, or could
comprehend its meaning:--

"The dead are the defence of the living, and we are under the lee of
Deadman's Berg."

Safe from the rage of the elements, but cold, wet, and hungry, the
adventurers sought the shelter of their hut, which still stood unhurt;
but the fir branches of the floor were soaked with water, for a wave or
two had risen above the ledge of the door. After much difficulty, with
the aid of a candle, the Esquimaux lamp was lighted, and after much
sputtering, the six wicks diffused their cheering light and grateful
warmth through the hut. Then Peter, with his axe, cut a gutter through
the doorway, letting off the standing water, and in the course of an
hour the boughs were comparatively dry.

Taking from the boats the dry skins and coverlets, the party lay down to
rest, leaving Peter to keep watch lest they should again drift from
their haven, and be exposed to the pitiless seas. All took their spell
of duty; but the cheerless night passed without further incident, and
the day found them still under the shadow of the great berg. As the day
advanced, the storm swept the pack northward, and the party, ascending
the berg, saw, one by one, the isolated crags of the island chain of the
Magdalens loom at times through the driving scud, as they drove
northward. Six or eight miles away they saw the masts of a vessel deep
in the heart of the floe.

"When the storm is over and the pack opens, we must take our boat and
reach that sealer," said La Salle; and taking the range of her position,
the four sought their hut, and building a huge fire of all their
remaining wood, prepared all the cooked meat which they could carry,
filled the seal-membranes with oil, and awaited the lull of the storm
and the opening of the pack.

At sunset the storm had broken, the clouds began to disappear, and
through their rifts the stars glimmered, and the new moon shone palely
beautiful.

"We shall not pass the North Cape much before morning," said La Salle,
"and until then the pack will not open. When it does we are ready; so
sleep, and I will wa