"Perhaps he has a fire where we cannot see it," said the captain; "and it tells well for the coal that it burns with so little smoke. It will be capital for the engines." They trudged on, quite satisfied that they had not the other deer to drag as well, for the ground was very rugged, and Captain Marsham suggested to the doctor that if they had had the bear-skin the task would not have been much lighter. Still, every one was cheerful, and tugged heartily at his track rope; but there was no sign of the lad when they reached the foot of the coal cliff. CHAPTER THIRTY ONE. LOST. "Ahoy, there! Ahoy!" shouted the doctor again and again, startling the great owl from its eagle-like eerie and making the rocks echo the cry. But there was no response, and the party looked at each other for an explanation of the position. "He has not been here," said the captain, "and we must go back and search. How tiresome, when we are so weary!" "I wish you had not brought him," grumbled the doctor. "I say, isn't anybody going to make a fire?" "Look here, sir!" cried Jakobsen suddenly from where he stood by a big mass of rock. "Yes! what is it?" cried the captain; and he stepped toward the man, followed by the others, to where Jakobsen pointed down to a ring of stones, within which was a quantity of dry, heathery stuff with a number of weather-worn lumps of coal. "No mistake about his having been here," said the doctor, taking out a box of matches, which, to his astonishment, was snatched from his fingers by Watty, who dropped upon his knees, struck and shaded a match, applied it to the light stuff, which blazed up at once, and then began to fan it with his bonnet in one hand, as he kept on adding little bits of coal with the other. "She'll soon have a ferry pig fire," said Watty, "and she'd petter get ta steaks retty to frizzle. She can cook peautifully the noo." This was to Jakobsen, who nodded, drew his knife, and began to cut off a haunch from one of the deer, for Johannes was looking about uneasily. "See anything of him, my man?" said the captain. "No, sir. He must be gathering coal together to help the fire; but I've been down both these rifts, and he is not there." "It's very strange," said the captain uneasily. "So unlike him to rush off in that way." "He was thinking of our comfort, sir," said Johannes gravely; "and how good it would be for us to find a fire ready." "He must be about here somewhere," said the captain. "Shout, will you?" Johannes made the rocks echo again and again, but the only effect was the starting of the owl into flight till the cries and their echoes ceased, when it settled once more high up the mountain-side. There were several narrow, gully-like places within reach, up either of which the boy might have gone, and the question arose as to the reason for his so doing. "He would not have gone seeking for coal," said the doctor, "because there is plenty here."