"Will said we could take it whenever we wanted to," spoke Grace, as she arranged some fur rugs in the cockpit. "But are you sure you can run it, Mollie—or Betty?"
"It's simple," replied Betty noncommittally. "It will do no harm to try."
"And it's easy to stop," said Mollie. "Even if we forget to shut off the engine, by pushing down on this handle, the wheel will be raised, and won't cut into the ice. Then it will stop."
"Just as when you throw out the clutch on your auto," suggested Betty.
"Exactly. Come on girls. We'll go for a little run. There's nothing else to do in camp."
The week had been rather a monotonous one, for the weather had turned warm, and the ice was not in good condition for skating. It was almost too soft for the boat, and the boys had rather given it up. But the girls wanted to do something, and the auto ice craft offered them a chance.
They had visited a hunters' camp a few days before, and seen some novel sights, though game was not as plentiful as the hunters had wished.
"Well, if we're going—let's go!" cried Betty in a jolly voice, as she buttoned her sweater more closely about her, and saw that her cap fitted snugly.
"You must expect to get some speed out of it," returned Amy. "But remember you promised to go slow."
"We can't do much else—it's so soft," declared Mollie, digging the toe of her shoe into the surface of the ice.