"I'm getting winded!" he panted. "Boys, I guess we are lost in the snow." "That's true, Sam," said Frank. "The shore seems to be as far off as ever." "I told you that you were wrong," put in Tom. "If we had been walking toward shore we would be on land long ago." "I don't know but what Tom's view is correct," said Frank slowly, "Unless we've been moving in a crooked line, as Hans suggested," said the elder Rover. One and another of the little party gazed at his companions and then at the desolate scene around them. Yes, they were lost in the snowstorm, and what the end of the adventure would be they could not imagine. "Well, we can try Tom's course," said Dick, after another careful look around which is not saving much as the snow was coming down as thickly as ever. "I notice that it is getting dark," observed Frank, as they trudged on. "I wonder what time it is?" A watch was consulted and they learned to their chagrin that it was half-past four. "I vos gitting hungry," came from Hans. "Don't say a word!" cried Tom. "I could eat a doughnut a month old." "Don't speak about it," put in Dick dryly. "It will only make you feel more hungry." Darkness was coming on rapidly, and all of the boys were beginning to despair when suddenly Dick gave a shout of joy. "The shore, boys! The shore at last!" "Where?" came from all of the others. "Over to our left. Come on!" The others followed Dick willingly and in less than half a minute found themselves on solid earth once more, but at some point where the ground was little more than a stretch of flat meadow land. "Hurrah!" shouted Sam. "How good to be on land once more!" "Perhaps we might have been on land long ago if we had turned to the left," observed Frank. "We may have been skirting the shore for half the afternoon!" "Never mind, we are here at last so don't let's grumble," said Tom. "What's that ahead, a barn?" "Some kind of a building," answered Dick. "Let us go forward and investigate." They did so, and found a half tumbled down building, which had once been used for the storage of meadow hay and also as a boathouse. The door was gone and the window broken out, and the snow lay on the floor to the depth of an inch or more. But still it was more pleasant inside than out, for the wind was rising and the large flakes of snow had given place to fine hard particles which came swishing down like so much sharp salt, so Dick said. It cut into their faces and made them thankful that some shelter had been found, no matter how humble. It was too dark now to see anything, and sitting on some old hay in the most sheltered corner of the building the five boys held a consultation. "I move we stay here until morning," said Tom. "If we go out again we may be lost and frozen to death." "That is true," commented Frank. "But what will Captain Putnam say?" "He can't blame us for what has happened," said Dick. "We tried our best to get back."