no howling gale disturbed their rest that night, and on the next morning, which was friday, the third day out, breakfast had been disposed of long before the hour of rising on the previous day. what had they for breakfast? hot and tender buckwheat cakes, with syrup made from maple sugar melted in a tin cup. the boiled ham and some crackers were put where they could be got at easily for luncheon.
the stowing of the loose goods in the boat took no longer than katy required to get the mess kit packed after breakfast. as the day was fine, and the ice, as far as they could see to the southward, whither their course lay, was smooth and free from snow, the sled was loaded with cut wood and rushes, ready for making a fire, and jim was appointed to drag it.
as they were leaving the cabin, after a last look to see that nothing had been forgotten, katy spoke up:
"why can't we take along some of this nice straw? it doesn't weigh anything to speak of."
"oh, we can't," says jim, crossly. "girls are always trying to do things they know nothing about."
"may's well begin to rough it now as any time; can't expect a cabin and a straw mattress every night," was tug's somewhat gruff remark as he went to the sledge.
"but," the girl persisted, rather piqued when she saw how her suggestion had been received, "it might be very nice to spread it on the floor of the tent. seems to me you might take it."
she was talking to aleck now, who, she knew by his face, opposed the plan; but he, seeing how much in earnest she was, went back, gathered up a big armful of the cleanest straw, and heaped it in the stern of the boat, while she brought a second bundle.
this matter settled, aleck and tug put their heads through the new harness, and were soon rushing along at a stirring pace, while katy skated behind, holding on to the stern of the boat to steady it; jim followed with his sled, and rex galloped here and there as suited him.
the ice for miles together had been swept clean by the wind, and was like a vast, glaring sheet of plate-glass. most of it was a deep, brilliant green. here and there would be stretches of milky ice, and now and then great rounded patches would suddenly meet them, which were black or deep brown, and at first frightened them by making them believe a patch of open water suddenly yawned in their path. but, when they examined closely, they could see that this black ice was two or three feet thick, like all the rest on the open lake.
they were never at any time more than a mile or so from the edge of the great marshes which bordered the low margin of the lake, and at noon they knew they had skated twelve miles, by reaching a certain island standing just in front of the reedy shallows.
thither they gladly turned for luncheon; skates were unbuckled, a big fire was built, the snow was cleared away, and the spare canvas spread down to sit upon, while katy prepared to warm up the extra supply of coffee she had made in the morning for this purpose.
not much talking had been done on the march; breath was too badly needed to be wasted in that way; but now "tongues were loosed," and a rattling conversation kept time with the crackle of the dead sticks on the fire.
"captain," said tug, "have you noticed how that ridge in the ice bends just ahead, and seems to stand across our course?"
"yes, i have, and i fear it will be troublesome to cross. jimkin, you're nimble; climb that cottonwood, and tell us what you can see."
"all right," said jim, and was quickly in the tree-top.
"it looks like a rough, broken ridge, stretching clear to shore. i guess we'll have to climb over it. i can't see any break."
"where do you think is the easiest place?"
"about straight ahead, where you see that highest point. right beside it is a kind o' low spot, i think."
"well, then," said the captain, "we'll aim for that. hurry up your lunch, katy, and let's be off."
half an hour later they arrived at the bad place.
"it must be a hummock," said katy, "such as i have read about in dr. kane's book—only not so large, i suppose. he says that the ice-sheet, or floe, gets cracked and separated a little; then the two floes will come together again with such force that they lap over one another, or else grind together, and burst up edgewise along the seam."
"that's just the way this is; but, hummock or no hummock, it must be crossed," said aleck.
"mebbe i could find a better place," suggested jim, "if i should go along a little way."
"well, try it, youngster. and, tug, suppose you take a scout in the other direction."
tug went off, but soon returned, reporting a worse instead of better appearance, and aleck, who had climbed over, came back to say that the ridge was about twenty-five yards wide.
"how does it look?" asked katy.
"why, it looks as though a lot of big cakes of ice had been piled up on edge, and then frozen into that rough shape, or lack of shape. i should say the ridge is ten feet high in the middle, and on the other side it is a straight jump down for about six feet. but it's worse everywhere else. we must take our skates off the first thing."
this done, they stood up, ready to drag the boat as near to the hummock as possible. but it was hard pulling, for the slope was pretty steep and rough.
"where's that jim, i wonder?" cried aleck. "i'll teach the youngster not to run off the minute any work is to be done. jim!"
but no boy answered the call, nor several others. tug stood up on the boat, and katy climbed to a high point of ice, but neither could see anything. then they all became alarmed, fearing he might have fallen into one of those holes that here and there are found in the thickest ice, and always stay open. it is an easy matter to skate into one, but a very hard one to get out again. it was the thought of this that made katy run in the direction whither jim had started, but her brother called her back.
"wait, katy. we'll put on our skates. probably the youngster's hiding, and i'll box his ears when i catch him. this is no time for fooling."
with quick, nervous fingers they fastened their straps, and then rushed down along the foot of the hummock as though on a race, tug carrying one of the drag-ropes. the tracks could be followed easily enough until they left the good ice and turned in towards the hummock, where they came to an end, which looked as though jim might have taken off his skates. here the boys hallooed, then climbed to the top of a great, upturned table of blue ice, and called again. but the most complete silence followed their words—such a silence as can never be known on land among the creaking trees or rustling grass; an absolute, painful stillness. not even an echo came back.
at this they were puzzled and frightened, and katy wanted to cry, but fought back her tears. they descended, and went slowly onward, now and then getting upon elevated points, and calling. at last they stopped, utterly at their wits' end where or how to search next, and katy's tears rolled down her cheeks unchecked.
"cheer up, sis," said aleck, and took her hand in his as they skated slowly onward; "cheer up! we'll try again on that big block ahead."
this block overlooked a broader part of the hummock, and wasn't far from land. they struggled over the jagged border, and hoisted katy upon it to see what she could see.
"nothing," was her report; "nothing but ice, and ice, and ice, and a gray edge of marsh. oh, jim! jim! where are you?"
"here—help me out."
each looked at the other in amazement, for the voice, though faint, seemed right beside them.
"here, down between the cakes—help me out."
the words came distinctly, and gave them a clew. katy peeped over the farther edge of the block, and there she saw the little fellow's face peering up at her out of the greenish light of a sort of pit into which he had fallen. two great cakes of ice had been thrown up side by side, leaving a space about two feet wide and ten feet deep between them. the blowing snow that filled most of the crevices of the hummock had here formed a bridge, which had let jim through when he stepped upon it, never suspecting the chasm it concealed.
"hurt?" asked tug.
"not a bit, but pretty well scared. i thought you fellows were never coming. i've been in here two hours."
"two hours! oho, that's good! twenty minutes would about fill the bill. you ain't tired so quick of a warm, snug place like that, are you?"
"just you try it, and see how you like its snugness. drop me an end of that rope, will you?"
"give him the rope's end, tug; he deserves it in another way, but we haven't time to-day. now, then—yo-heave-o!" and up came the lost member, not much the worse for his adventure.
then began the difficult work of crossing the hummock. in front of the boat lay a steep slope of glassy ice, and beyond and above that a series of steps and jagged points, forming about such a plateau as a big heap of building-stone would make, only here the fragments were larger.
all four, going to the top of the first slope, pulled the boat upward until the forward runners were just balanced on the crest. then a hook on one of the ropes came loose; four young people fell sprawling; and the boat dropped backward with a rush to the very bottom of the ridge, where it upset.
"now," said aleck, when they had set the boat upright again, and found nothing broken; "now let us take out all the loose stuff, and so lighten her as much as we can."
this was done.
"we three fellows," was the captain's next order, "will drag her up again, and katy must go behind with the boat-hook, and stick it into the ice behind the boat, to hold it, like a chock-block under a wagon wheel, whenever it shows any signs of slipping back. now, everybody be careful."
the steady pulling, with katy's pushing and guiding, got the front runners safely over the edge of the sloping side, and gave them a chance to rest. but when they tried to move it forward enough to bring the stern up, the boat couldn't be budged, because the ice in front was so full of ruts and ridges.
