CHAPTER XXII.
ON THE MAINLAND.
Jack Marcy and the remainder of the party soon joined Hugo, and the old boatswain surveyed the round heap that had been discovered with a critical eye.
“It is an ice hut, sure enough,” he said, quite excitedly, “but it is probably a long time since it was used. Let us get to work at it and see if it is habitable.”
They scraped off what ice and snow there was, and then Jack cut a block out of the side of the structure.
He crawled into the house and came out again with a pleased look on his face.
“We’ll sleep warm to-night,” he said.
“Why?” asked Will, eagerly.
“Whoever occupied the hut before left quite a lot of things behind. Creep in after me and see.”
The rest of the party did so, and found themselves in a hut much larger than the one they had built on the island.
Upon the floor was a rudely constructed lamp, such as is in common use among the Esquimaux.