“And I’m glad we’ve got these seals, and some tea and biscuits,” added Bobby.  “I’m famishing.  We’ll have to get back among the hummocks to find a drift for the igloo.  Our old igloo, I suppose, has been washed away before this.  Anyway, it’s too near the surf to be safe.”

“I’m afraid there’s no drift, except among the big hummocks on the other side, that’s big enough for an igloo” suggested Jimmy disconsolately, “and I think you’re right about it being too near open water out there to be safe, for if the ice breaks it’ll break there first.”

“Yes, but we may find something toward the center,” agreed Bobby, as he took up the whip and turned the dogs about.  “We’ve got to make some kind of shelter.”

And so they made their way back among the pressure hummocks, and, compelling the dogs to lie down, each with a snow knife began his search for a suitable snow drift upon which to build an igloo.

The fury of the storm increased with every moment.  It drifted past and around them in dense and stifling clouds and at times nearly choked them.  The wind shrieked and moaned among the hummocks.  In the distance they could hear the boom of the seas hammering upon the floe and threatening it with destruction, and now with growing frequency rising above the sound of shrieking wind and booming seas they were startled by the cannon-like report of smashing ice.

At last the flying snow become so dense there was danger they would lose the komatik and lose each other, and they came together again, groping their way blindly to the komatik, which was nearly hidden under the drift, and the sleeping dogs, which by this time were wholly invisible.

“The snow is too soft,” Bobby announced.  “I’ve tried it everywhere, and every block that I cut falls to pieces.”

“I couldn’t find any, either,” said Jimmy, “but we’ve got to do something.  We’ll perish without shelter.”

“I’m afraid there’s no use trying to build an igloo,” acknowledged Bobby, “though we needn’t perish if we can’t make one.  But I don’t want to give up yet.  Let’s try just a little longer, but we must keep as close to the komatik as we can, or we’ll get separated.”

“We can’t live through the night without an igloo!” Jimmy again declared, adding wistfully:  “I wonder if our old igloo isn’t all right yet, after all?  It sat a little back, you know, from the water.”

“It wouldn’t be safe,” Bobby protested.  “If it hasn’t gone already, it will soon in this blow, for the sea is eating away the ice floe on all sides.  Don’t worry, Jimmy.  We’ll make out, igloo or no igloo.  Look at the dogs.  They don’t have igloos ever.  But I’m weak with hunger.  I’ve got to eat a biscuit before I do another thing.”

Together they dug away the snow and found the food bag, and from it extracted some sea biscuits, and each cut for himself a thick piece of the boiled fat pork, frozen as hard as pork will freeze, but nevertheless very palatable to the famished young castaways.  And crouching close together under the lee of the komatik they munched in silence.