One of the young women had evidently tried to escape. She had torn the outer tent covering and endeavoured to jump out, but had been caught at the entrance; the child, over whom she was bending with an imploring gesture, must have hampered her movements, and she had been run through the back and nailed to the ground with her baby. Stefan looked at her face and recognized his recent guest, Impynena, the wife of Aimurgin. "This is frightful! Let us escape!" they all exclaimed with one accord, filled with fear and horror. "Women and children too! There is not a living soul left!" "Who is it? What can----?" "Oh, don't ask!" Buza said, shaking his head. "I will tell you afterwards; let's go now!" "At once--in a wind like this and at night?" "What's to be done? At least it gives us a chance." They hastily descended. Buza kept his eyes fixed straight in front of him, and dropped them when obliged to turn his head in the direction from which he came. They halted under the rock for a moment, in order to feed the dogs. "Be sure to keep the wind on your left--always on your left--then wherever you go you will find land. There--round the coast by Pawal--is the easiest. We shall meet there, if only we can hold out till morning. But don't leave the sledge, or the storm will carry you and it away. And don't look behind you--Heaven defend it! For 'They' don't like it, and will come after you," he added significantly. Once more they plunged into the blizzard. Once more the snow encircled their feet like hissing adders, the smarting sensation began again, and they drew their breath with difficulty. To complete the misfortune, twilight set in with the gale. The evening glow rested lower and lower on the rocks, while dark clouds rose steadily from the "open sea," where the country lies whence "no one has ever come back." The tired dogs went unwillingly. Stefan was continually obliged to jump up and urge them on with his heavy ice-spear. When the evening glow had disappeared and the stars shone out, the gale, which seemed to have been only waiting for the signal, rose with such violence that, heedless of everything, the poor animals turned and ran before it. For a long way Stefan ploughed the snow with the sharp ice-spear, leaning his full weight against it, and hanging to the sledge, which rushed along, rocking and bumping. At last, when they lighted on softer ground, he succeeded in stopping it. The dogs lay down at once. Without letting the reins go out of his hand, he stood up and looked round. Before him rose a white, jagged ice-wall, and the light of the stars showed the clouds from the "open sea" hanging over it. The coast had disappeared somewhere, and on all sides the country was white and flat. "We have come a long way!... Józef, are you cold? How you are shivering! Get up; can you eat something?" "I am cold. Is it still far?" "I don't know; the wind carried us away. Can you get up?" Józef was silent and did not stir.