236 THE WORLD OF ICE.

Davie laughed as he went down on his hands and
knees, and creeping in at the mouth of one of the
tunnels, which barely permitted him to enter in that
position, disappeared.

Several of the party at the same time paid similar
visits to the other huts, but they all returned with
the same remark—* empty.” The interiors were be-
grimed with lamp-black and filth, and from their
appearance seemed to have been deserted only a, short
time before.

Buzzby, who formed one of the party, rubbed his
nose for some time in great perplexity, until he drew
from Davie Summers the remark that his proboscis
was red enough by nature and didn’t need rubbing.
“It’s odd,” he remarked; “they seems to ha’ bin
here for some time, and yit they’ve niver looked near
the ship but once. Wot’s become on ’em J don’t
know.”

“Don’t you?” said Davie in a tone of surprise ;
“now that zs odd. One would have thought that a
fellow who keeps his weather-eye so constantly open
should know everything.”

“Don’t chaff, boy, but lend a hand to undo the
sled-lashings. I see that Mr. Saunders is agoin’ to
anchor here for the night.”

The second mate, who had been taking a hasty
glance at the various huts of the village, selected two
of the largest as a lodging for his men, and having
divided them into two gangs, ordered them to turn in
and sleep as hard as possible.