“When we least expected it, we stumbled over the steps that led to the Summit House.  In a few moments we were at the door, but I was helpless.  The summit was completely buried, except at one end, where the wind had kept it clear.  John hastily examined the windows, only to find that every opening was securely covered with an iron shutter.  We were lost!  I heard John muttering to himself; then he slipped his fingers under the bottom of the shutter, braced his feet, and pulled with a superhuman strength—­the strength of a last hope.  With a creak the shutter gave at its fastenings, then bent in the middle, and slipped out.  He then knocked out the double window with his elbow and soon had me inside.

“We found candles in a jar, and there was a great wood stove in the room, but no fuel.  He didn’t hesitate, but went to the counter, removed the shelves from it, and, with a meat cleaver which lay on the table, he cut the shelves, and we soon had a fire.  We heard sounds outside, and realized that the something we had heard behind us on the snow was at the window.  We were conscious of a presence without being able to see it.  John went to the broken window and looked out, but he could see nothing.  Soon we heard stealthy steps back and forth on the flat roof above.  He barricaded the window, brought snow on the end of a board, and rubbed my face, feet, and legs with it, then wrapped me in tablecloths which he found in the cupboard.  Several times he brought a great armful of shelves from the storeroom and cut them up for the stove.

“As soon as the fire was started, Al lay down on the floor and fell into a heavy sleep.  We could not waken him, and it frightened us badly.  John began to cry, and I think if it had not been for the constant pacing back and forth of the strange animal on the roof we would all have given up.  Soon the first streaks of dawn began to show themselves, and with the light the pacing on the roof stopped.  John climbed up the tower steps and peered out just in time to see the animal jump from the roof and disappear.

“The house was fairly overrun with rats that scampered in every direction.  I thought I had seen rats, mountain rats, but I had never seen any like those.  They were so bold we were afraid to sleep, for they were large enough to be dangerous.

“When Al awoke he was very sick and weak.  John found a big tin box in the kitchen, and in it were coffee, grapenuts, and the remains of a ham.  He melted snow for water, and got us a little breakfast.  We were three pretty serious fellows, for we knew only too well how the folks at home would be worrying about us and how near we had come to freezing to death on that great mountain of snow and ice.