The rebel managed to reach the top of the drift, which was nearly on a level with the roof of the hut, without sinking more than an inch or two into the snow; but when he braced himself preparatory to springing across the intervening wind-cleared space, the crust gave and down he went nearly up to the waist.  The more he struggled, the deeper he sank.  His flow of language was so persistent and abusive that even Bruin, on the other side of the hut, stood still to listen and wonder.  It was as much as Dorothy could do to keep from laughing heartily at the fellow’s discomfiture, but she restrained herself, as such a course might only drive him to some unpleasant and desperate measure.  She, however, thought it a pity that only one of them should be struggling in the drift.  She must drive the other into it also.  She therefore rose and called to the second villain, on whose evil face there was an unmistakable grin.  Like Bastien, and most of his kind, he had no objections to seeing his own friends suffer so long as he himself came by no harm.

“Ho, you there!” she cried in apparent indignation.  “Don’t you see your friend in the drift?  Why don’t you give him a hand out?  Are you afraid?”

But the second villain was too old a bird to be caught with chaff, and replied by putting his mitted hand to one side of his nose, at the same time closing his right eye.  He bore eloquent testimony to the universality of the great sign language.

“You are a coward!” she exclaimed, disgusted with the man, and at the failure of her little scheme.

“A nice comrade, you!  I wonder you ever had the spirit to rebel!”

This was too much for the rogue’s equanimity, and he launched into such a torrent of abuse that the girl was obliged to put her fingers in her ears.  He, however, went to the trouble of crawling over the snowdrift and picking up the gun which his worthy mate had dropped when he broke through the crust By this time the first villain had managed to extricate himself, and had moved into the clear space opposite the front door of the hut The eyes of the two were now fairly glowing with rage, and they prepared to storm the position.  One of them was in the act of giving a back to the other when.  Dorothy appeared on the scene with the sapling.

“Don’t be silly,” she cried.  “If you do anything of that sort I shall use the pole.  Go round to the back; there’s a barrel there, and if you can set it up on end against the wall, I’ll come down quietly.”

They looked up at her; they did not quite understand all she said, but the girl’s face seemed so innocent and unconcerned that they strode round the hut, still keeping their evil eyes upon Dorothy and her weapon of defence.  It must be confessed that Dorothy had some qualms of conscience in thus introducing them to Bruin, but her own life was perhaps at stake, and they had brought the introduction on themselves.  Still, they had a gun, and there were two of them, so it would be a case of a fair field and no favour.