"It's half-past eleven," spoke Harry, glancing at his watch. "There's
a nice little cove where we can be out of the wind, and where we can
build a fire," he went on, pointing ahead.

"That's what we'll do!" cried Bert, steering toward it. "Now you girls
will have a chance to show what sort of cooks you are."

"Humph! There's nothing to cook but chocolate!" said Nan. "Any one
could make that."

They had brought with them the chocolate all ready to heat in a pot,
and soon it was set over a fire of sticks which the boys had made on
shore, scraping away the snow from the ground. Nan and Dorothy got out
the packages of sandwiches and cake, and soon a merry little party was
seated on the ice-boat, eating the good things.

The meal was soon over and then the young people got ready to resume
their trip. Nan and Dorothy wanted to skate a bit, but Bert looking up
at the sky, said:

"I don't think it will be safe. It looks as though it were going to
storm soon, and we don't want to be caught in it. It isn't far to Snow
Lodge now, and once we are there let it snow as much as it likes. But
if it comes down before we get there we'll have hard work to keep on
in the ice-boat. Even a little snow on the ice will clog the runners."

So the skating idea was given up, and soon they were under way in the
ice-boat again. The clouds grew darker, and there were a few
scattering flakes of snow.