1 82 THE CHILDREN OF THE COLD. 



The two boys, Ahwanak and Koo- 

 manah, had a great deal of work to do 

 about the camp, much of which has 

 already been described in former chapters. 

 They had been through some curious 

 adventures even before I met them. 



At one time, when he was about ten 

 years eld, Koomanah was walking, with 

 his little sister and brother, on the salt- 

 water ice that forms for two or three 

 miles wide along the shores of Hudson's 

 Bay, when they were greatly terrified to 

 find that the great field of ice on which 

 they were walking had separated from 

 the firm shore-ice, and was drifting out 

 to sea. A great lane of water which 

 lay between them and their homes was 

 every minute growing wider; and worse 

 than all, a storm was coming up, which 

 would make it still harder to escape. 



