They remained motionless, waiting for their fate, as the footsteps came nearer. At last they were able to distinguish the shaggy outline of a man in a fur coat.
"Who's there?" he called.
Both girls breathed a sigh of relief, as they heard the words in English. Surely they were safe now!
"Two girls—from a wrecked airplane.... Lost," replied Linda.
"Oh, can you give us shelter, please?" begged Louise.
The stranger came towards them, and they looked into the face of a middle-aged man, rough and hard, but civilized.
"Yes. You can come into my lodge.... This is a cold night to be lost in these northern woods."
"Dreadful!" shivered Louise. "We thought we were done for."
"What happened to your plane?"
"We sprung a leak in our gas tank. We had to jump, and it went up in flames."