Part 23 (2/2)

The weather was keen, the air was filled with floating rime, which shi+ar disconsolately on and on, his heart heavy with the tragedy and his thoughts filled with Bobby and the happy years of comradeshi+p that were ended, he did not feel or heed the cold or dazzling glitter of the snow, until in an to trouble hi

Presently, however, the long, wolf-like howl of dogs ca a point of land he discovered, directly ahead of hireat barren hill, the white buildings of the fort His dogs immediately broke into a run, and a few moments later he was safe at the post

The factor and the people were very hospitable and kind to Jireed that he had left nothing undone that he could have done The tragedy was, after all, an incident of life, and all in a day's work, and to some extent they reconciled him with himself, but they could not ease his sorrow

They would not perh at first he protested that he ht so much the sooner ease Skipper Ed's anxiety, so far as his own safety was concerned But the preceding twenty-four hours had tried his physical powers, and when he entered the heated post kitchen his eyes becas, which had not received their daily portion the previous evening, were ravenous, and when they were fed Ji upon the floor in the kitchen and slipped into it, and almost immediately fell into deep slumber

A mild attack of snow blindness held Jily disappointing Bright and early the following les to protect his eyes frolare, he set out for home, and only halted for a little at the cabin of Abrahahbor of Skipper Ed and Abel Zachariah, where he must needs stop for tea and bread, else Abraham would feel offended

It was near sunset when he arrived again at Abel Zachariah's They met him as they had met Skipper Ed, and welcomed him warmly, and when they heard his story of Bobby's disappearance they had no blaain that God had sent theain, and God knew best, for He was good And then Jierly on to the cabin hoood it looked that cold winter evening, and when he quietly pushed the door open and silently entered, and surprised Skipper Ed with his co, and when Skipper Ed clasped hiain for sparing his partner, Jimmy sank down in his chair and cried

CHAPTER XXVI

CAST AWAY ON THE ICE

It was one of Bobby's characteristics never to acknowledge hi as there see in hand He had set out to find a suitable drift and to build a snow house He was confident such a drift was to be found not far fro to Itigailit Island and back with loads of seals earlier in the day he had observed soood hard drifts which he believed to be in this locality, though he are that in the blinding snow he s a little on one side or the other of them So he felt assured that he and Jimmy had overlooked them in their previous search, and this time he was determined to find them

This it was, then--this dislike to feel himself beaten--rather than dire necessity, that had sent him on the final search And, too, the man who lives constantly in the wilderness never endures unnecessary hardshi+ps

He makes himself as comfortable as the conditions under which he lives will permit, and provides himself as many conveniences and comforts as possible under the circu himself with needless luxuries

Bobby had hinted to Jiht protect thes He had done this once during the winter, when he and Abel Zachariah were hunting together and were suddenly overtaken by a stor a night, and a last resort, and Bobby was therefore quite willing to endure prelirossed in his search he wandered much farther afield than he had intended, andto do And so it came about that presently, when his search was rewarded by a solid drift of hard-packed snow, and he shouted to Jis, no answer ca to locate himself, became quite confused and uncertain as to the direction in which Ji course, in and out a snow he could never see a dozen feet froain and listened intently, and again and again, but only the roar and boo of the wind gave answer

”Well, I've lost Jied to hi, ”and I'm lost myself, too! I don't know north frouesses in which direction the _komatik_ is! This is a pretty mess!”

Dusk was not far off, and there was no time to be lost, and without further parley or useless waste of breath and strength Bobby set bravely to ith his snow knife, as any wilderness dweller in similar case would have done, and in a little while had prepared for hirave-shaped cavern in the drift, with a stout roof of snow blocks, and when it was finished he crawled in and closed the entrance with a huge block

This eency shelter was, of course, not to be coloo_ he could scarcely have built in the face of the storm without assistance It was, however, much more comfortable than a burrow in the drift, such as Jiave him an opportunity to turn over and stretch his li space

”'Twould be fine, now, if I only had ,” he soliloquized, when he had at last composed hi I told his do, and he'll do it and be all right, and he's got his sleeping bag, too”

Bobby was not given to vain regrets and needless worry, as we have seen, but nevertheless he could not keep his mind from the possible fate of himself and Jimmy, and think as he would he could conceive of no possible means of their escape, save in the possibility of the floe cohts ran to Abel and Mrs Abel, and before he are of it he was crying bitterly

”If I'd only hurried on, as Skipper Ed told ! And there's Jimmy in the--in the fix too! And it was all my fault!”