The Blue Envelope

as he spoke. His hour for a tr

traits?" Marian asked,

hink

ow

lf-hour. Bring your pictures and a little food. N

n the direction

belongings, then gazed away at the masses of deep purple shadows that

rself, "it would be bette

ded out of a native village to shift for themselves. Then, too, she thought of the possible starving-ti

ut loud, "no, we

ice-floe, they looked about for the guide b

e guide?" a

on," said the boy

. They then came to a stretch of water, dark as m

the other side. It was with a sinking feeling that she felt he

drawing the kiak upon the ice, the boy turned directly nor

as he snatched Marian's roll of sketche

running and walking, they kept up a p

ht we were going to g

going down

d not

when they suddenly came upon a kiak d

id the boy. "Now's the

ve

he went. His course was due east. The three followed him in silence. Presently his speed increased. He took on an air of confidence. With tail up, ears ba

crossed the Straits before them. He had put Rover on that trail. Rover could not fail to fol

n murmured, "good old R

the floe. This movement still continued. It was carrying them still farther to the north. The Diomede Islands, halfway station of the Straits

ed her fea

even with the islands. Then, too, old Rover will be losing the trail about that time. When that bearded friend of yours and his guide leave the floe to go upon the solid shore ice of the islands, the floe is going to keep right on m

eaped a yawning chasm between giant up-ended cakes of ice, or felt her way cautiously ac

ver the conquered sea. Hundreds of feet below was the bed of Bering Stra

ew himself flat and hacked a hole through the ice. Water bubble

trembled, her face blan

ck home you'll have a story to tell that will make Eliza's crossing on th

een following the trail unhesitatingly, suddenly came to a halt. He turned to the right, sniffing t

the tra

ed the ice

d since our friends passed this way. You just wait here. I'll take Rover to the north and let him pick up the t

iant ice-pile and, in a t

ended ice-cake, sat down to wait. They were growing weary. The strain of the

at Cape Prince of W

"I think I'd be content to stay there

rian. "Isn't he a strange one, though?

n't k

I think

epily. Fatigue and the keen Arc

back against an ice-

d. "It'll give her strength for w

en, felt her anxiety redoubled by every succeeding moment. What could have happened to Phi? Had some mishap befallen him? Had a slip thrown him in

ve happened, he

t glance brought forth a cry of dismay. A narrow lane of dark water, stretching from east to west, extende

oaned in despair. "No creature could brave that

tion flashed upon her, she sank down in

wly but surely creeping toward the unknown northern sea. They had no chart, no compass, no trail

lack ribbon of water and every ice-pile that was more than a stone's throw from them, it swept on to the so

she came down to the surface of the pan.

*

the trail. Rover, with nose close to the ice, had searched diligently for the scent. For a long ti

that he had truly found the trail, then, ca

of a possible passage. He found none. After racing for a mile, he turned and retraced his steps to the point where he had first come up

their way to any shore, he doubted; yet, as he thought of it, his own position seemed more critical. The trail he had found would now be useless. He was north of the break in the f

," he mumbled, so he sa

the snow-fog sett