“Will anybody have to stand watch?” asked Sam.

At this John Barrow shook his head.  “Don’t know as it’s necessary,” he said.  “Reckon we’re safe enough.  I’ll keep my gun handy, in case any animal prowls around.”

The boys laid down and were soon in the land of dreams.  Tom and Sam slept near the back wall, with Dick next, and the guide near the opening, which, however, was now completely closed by the blanket.  The fire was allowed to die down, for they did not dare to build it up, with such a wind blowing.

Nothing came to disturb them.  Once during the night Dick roused up and heard the distant howling of a wolf.  But the beast did not venture close to the shelter, and while waiting for its appearance the youth dropped asleep again.

By midnight the wind fell a little, and then it began to snow, and it was still snowing when John Barrow leaped up, pushed the blanket aside, and gazed out upon the river.

“Hullo, we’re in for it now!” he cried, and as the boys sat up, he added:  “Snowin’—­mighty hard, too.”

“I should say it was snowing hard!” cried Tom, as he, too, looked out.  “Why, you can’t see the trees on the other side, and they aren’t more than a hundred and fifty feet off.”

“This will make traveling bad,” said Dick soberly.  “It almost looks as if we were going to be snowed in.”

“Snowed in?” echoed Sam.  “Oh, don’t say that!”

The boys were somewhat stiff after their long skate of the day before, and it took them some minutes to pull themselves together.  Then the curtain was pushed aside, and the fire started up with some dry brushwood from the pile on which they had slept.  Soon breakfast was ready, and this warmed them up and put new life in them.

“No use to linger here,” announced the guide.  “It won’t git no better an’ it may git a heap sight worse.  I reckon the wind kept some o’ the spots on the river clear.  I know a good camping spot ten miles from here, and that will be just the place for us while you are huntin’ around fer that money.”

“Then let us make that camping spot by all means,” said Tom.  “We mustn’t let Baxter get first whack at the treasure.”

It was eight o’clock when they started once more on their journey.  The air was dull and heavy, and the snow came down in thick flakes, which presently shut out the landscape on all sides.  Fortunately the wind had died down entirely, so it was not near so cold as it had been.

“It would be easy enough, if we could stick to the river all the way,” remarked.  Tom to Sam, as they skated along as best they could.

“Can’t we?”

“Mr. Barrow says not.  About two miles from here are another falls and a set of rocky rapids, and we’ll have to walk around for a distance of nearly a mile through the woods.”

What Tom said was true, and the falls were reached less than an hour later.  The river was very narrow at this point and lined on both sides with rough rocks.  Climbing was difficult, and after crawling along for a few rods the boys halted in dismay.