"Nonsense! You're thinking of an avalanche!" declared Mollie. "Betty means that the cakes of ice will all jam together pretty soon, when the river narrows, and we can walk ashore as nicely as you please, hauling the ice boat after us." "Why can't we go ashore in that?" asked Amy, her face brightening. "Because it will be so--humpy!" explained Betty. "We could not run the auto ice boat over the bumps. But really it might be worse; I'm not fooling." Their situation was indeed peculiarly fortunate considering what had happened. The warm weather had softened the ice, and the melting of much snow had caused the river to rise. This had had the effect of cracking the covering of ice, and it had broken up. The ice boat got on a certain large section that split off and went floating down stream. "Well, let's get out and see what we can do," proposed Mollie, as she left her place near the motor. "Don't you dare leave this boat!" commanded Betty, a bit sternly. "Why not?" asked Mollie, curiously. "I'll tell you why. Though the cake we are on seems solid, there may be cracks in it, and it might separate if we stepped out on it. You see our weight would come in a comparatively small space, whereas in the boat it is distributed over a large surface." "My? Where did you learn that?" asked Mollie, admiringly. "In our physics class. It's true, too. We must stay here." "How, long?" queried Grace. "It will soon be late, and----" "You have some chocolates; haven't you?" demanded Betty, quickly. "Yes, but----" "Then save them. We may be here for some time, but we are bound to be taken off--sooner or later." "And if it's later, and the cake of ice goes to pieces, no matter whether we get out on it or not, what will happen?" Amy wanted to know. "Well, the boat contains a lot of wood, and it will float for some time--especially this cockpit part," said Betty. "Then, too, some one is sure to see us when we get down a little further. Or the boys will miss the ice boat, and, knowing that we have it out, they'll hunt for us. Especially when they see the ice breaking up." They were slowly floating down stream--slowly because of the number of large and small cakes their own encountered. After the first alarm the girls felt more at ease, especially Amy and Grace, for, in a large measure, they had come to depend on Betty and Mollie. And these two justified the confidence reposed in them. Eagerly they all scanned the shore of the river, but they saw no one. "I'd even be glad to see some of the Jallows!" exclaimed Grace, after a bit. "They couldn't refuse to rescue us. Oh, I do hope papa will have no further trouble with that man! If we could only help him to straighten out the tangle!" "We'll have to straighten out our own first," said Mollie, with a tense smile. "Do you think we are getting nearer shore, Betty?"