They found the tall boy busily engaged in brushing the snow off his clothes.
"Are you hurt, Hacky?" inquired Dick, anxiously.
"If my arm doesn't turn black and blue, I'm mistaken," growled John. "I got about eighty-seven jolts on the back of my neck, forty on the shoulders, and nearly broke my leg, besides. You fellows all right? That's good. What dunces we were to stand on such a bank. Anyway, I found out something."
"What's that?"
"Don't you see there's a little creek close here? And it goes in our direction, too—eh, Somers?"
"You're right," returned Bob, with a glance in the direction indicated. "Skating will be good for a change."
The rest of the boys now came up and were delighted to see that their friends were safe and sound.
"I move that we have something to eat," said Dave.
His proposition met with general favor, and three of the boys went after the sleds. In due course, they returned, and did full justice to the lunch which Silas Riggs had put up. It was rather cold fare, but all decided that it was better to push on as fast as possible.
"Somebody may be using that house 'Old' Silas spoke about," said Nat; "and, in that case, we'll have to build a camp."