"Get the axe and some of the buckets," called Dick finally, as he, at the head of a shift, reached and located the spring. The water was, of course, covered with a thick armor of ice. Greg moved into position with the axe, striking fast and hard. Dave and Tom, with the snow shovels, moved back over the opened way, keeping it clear in defiance of the gale. As soon as Greg had the ice chopped away sufficiently, Dick, Dan and Harry began to carry water. There was a water barrel in the cabin.
"If we had filled this yesterday we wouldn't have had to work so hard to-day," half grumbled Dan.
"Well, we want to do something, don't we?" retorted Prescott. "What did we come out into the woods for? Just to sit around indoors and eat and sleep?"
With the utmost industry it took a long time for the youngsters to fill the water barrel.
"Now, we've enough for a week, anyway," remarked Dan, as he and Dick poured the last pailfuls into the barrel.
"Perhaps enough for forty eight hours, though we don't want to be too sure," replied Prescott. "We want water enough for cleanliness, for cooking and for drinking. That will be quite a lot, I guess."
The others now came in, for their outdoor exercise had taken up more than two hours of morning time.
"Wood, next, I suppose," remarked Tom, gazing regretfully at the already diminished pile of wood.
"No; there's wood enough to last until to-morrow; probably until the day after," Dave answered.
"But do any of you fellows see the storm stopping?" queried Dick.