They continued to fling the huge chunks of snow on the flames until all that remained was a small fire several yards away from the hut entrance. “Might as well leave that for a campfire,” suggested Harry. “We want something to keep us warm and to see by.” “Phew! but I am warm enough just now!” exclaimed Boxy, wiping the smut and perspiration from his face. “That’s the hardest work I have done in some time.” “Be careful that you don’t catch cold,” warned Harry. “The wind cuts like a knife to-night.” “What time is it?” Jack consulted his watch. It was four o’clock in the morning. By a general vote the boys decided that no more sleep would be indulged in for that night. “We can’t rest in the hut anyway,” said Andy. “All is in disorder, and some of the blankets are wet.” “We will hang all the wet things around the campfire to dry,” said Jack. “And then we will see what we can do to repair damages.” “And in the future we’ll be careful how we build our fires,” added Boxy. “Not so close to the hut, please, Pickles, after this.” “Dat’s it!” cried the colored youth. “I dun reckon I’se ’sponsible fo’ dis muss,” he went on, soberly. “We ought all of us to have known better,” said Harry, frankly. “In the future we must either keep the fire farther off or else somebody must sit up and watch it.” The conflagration had destroyed the greater part of the snowhouse, and after the blankets had been hung up to dry, and the hut put in shape once more, they set to work to rebuild the tumbled-down walls. This was hard work, but it had to be done, so no one grumbled. By daylight the camp was once more in shape, and the only evidence left of the fire was a few charred sticks and the long icicles which hung from the top of the hut and the branches of the trees. “We can thank Providence for escaping with our lives,” remarked Jack, earnestly, as they sat down to a hastily-gotten breakfast. “If something hadn’t woke me up we might all of us been burnt to death while we slept.” “It was truly a fortunate escape!” returned Harry. “And one I shall never forget,” added Andy. “We are having enough adventures for one outing,” laughed Boxy. “I wonder what will happen next?” “Nothing much to-day, I imagine,” said Jack. “See, it is snowing again.” He was right. While they had been fighting the flames it had ceased, but now the white flakes began once more to drift downward, at first sparingly, but thick and fast by the time the morning meal was over. “This means a day in camp, I suppose,” grumbled Boxy. “My! when will it stop?” “When the clouds are empty,” laughed Harry. “Boxy, make the best of it, and be thankful we have enough to eat.” “We’ll set to work making traps,” suggested Jack. “Pickles, come on and give us a lesson.” They withdrew into the hut, leaving the fire to take care of itself. They brought several pine torches with them, and these, along with a sperm candle, made the interior of the place tolerably light.