But there was a chance of liberation, and all looked forward hopefully.
Camp was made on the river banks. Barney and Pomp improved the opportunity to try fishing.
There were delicious trout in the clear waters, and they rose readily to the fly.
They returned with a goodly mess, and it was an agreeable change from the stale food which they had been eating.
Down the river’s course the Scorcher went until patches of ice and snow began to appear.
Soon they crossed the belt and were in the ice region.
It became necessary now to don their fur suits and prepare for the chill winds. Frost formed on the pilot-house windows exceedingly thick.
The four seamen were ensconced in cramped quarters in the cabin, for they could not have existed outside. All preparations were made for a rough trip.
And this was what they had, as events will prove.
Soon they were in the heart of the fiord and upon the surface of the river.