With their broken sledges and their small dog teams, the party moved slowly forward, to where the _Ice King_ had been left along the coast. They did not expect to find the vessel fast in the ice, but hoped that Captain Williamson would be cruising near, on the lookout for them. "When we get to the coast, if the vessel is not in sight, we'll fire some signals," said Barwell Dawson. "The captain will be sure to answer them." Two days more passed, and they came to something of an open bay, dotted here and there with floating ice. At the sight, the boys set up a cheer: "The sea! The sea!" It was indeed the sea--or, rather, the upper entrance to Smith Sound. The party had traveled too far to the eastward, and had now to turn southward, skirting the coast. Here the going was very rough, and the very next morning one of the sledges went down in a crack of the ice, and was smashed completely. "Thank goodness we do not need it any longer," was Barwell Dawson's comment. What stores the sledge had contained were hauled up from the crack and loaded on the remaining turnouts. Another day passed, and now all kept on the lookout for a sign of the ship. But though they climbed to the top of a high hill, skirting the coast, no sign of a vessel was to be seen anywhere. Again they resumed their journey, and thus two days passed. Then Andy, who was in the lead with Olalola, set up a cry: "I see the hut and the storehouse!" He was right; they had at last arrived at the spot where they had embarked from the _Ice King_. The place was deserted, and they could easily see where the steamer had pushed through the floating ice, and made her way to the broad lead beyond. "We'll hoist our flag, and fire a signal," said Barwell Dawson, and without delay a pole was nailed to the top of the storehouse, and Old Glory was swung to the breeze. Then one of the shotguns was fired off three times in succession. All waited long for some answer to the reports, but none came. "He must have gone off for some reason or other," said Barwell Dawson. "All we can do is to wait for his return." "Perhaps the steamer was hit by an iceberg and sunk," suggested Professor Jeffer. "Let us hope no such calamity has befallen us," answered the explorer, gravely. It sobered all of the party a good deal to find themselves alone at the spot where they had so confidently thought to find the _Ice King_. They knew that there was great danger of a "squeeze" in the floating ice, and wondered what they should do if the craft had gone to the bottom of the polar sea. They might possibly get down to a point opposite Etah, but it would be a hard journey, and after it was made there was no telling if they could cross the water to that settlement. Three days went by, and the hearts of the party sank lower and lower. A few went out hunting, for the larder was again getting low. But for the most part all remained in the vicinity of the shore, awaiting eagerly some sign of the missing steamer.