them. I'll just fire some signal shots."

"That's the stuff!" cried Jack, and Andy proceeded to discharge his
rifle.

The report the gun made in that quiet place was tremendous, and the
effect was curious, for, there being no air in the ordinary acceptance
of the word, there was no echo. It was as if one had hit two shingles
together. Merely a loud, sharp sound, and then an utter silence, the
vibrations being swallowed up instantly.

"Do you think they can hear that?" asked Andy.

"It sounds loud enough," answered Jack. "Shoot some more," which the
old hunter did. They wandered on still farther, firing at intervals all
that day, but there came no answering report or calls to direct them to
the projectile. They climbed once more to the tops of towering peaks,
but there they found their range of vision limited by peaks still
higher, while there were great valleys, in one of which, whether near
or far they could not tell, they knew, the _Annihilator_ was hidden.

They had almost lost track of time now, and they did not know how far
they had wandered. They had sought out lonely caves to sleep in when
they were so weary they could go no farther, and they had sat about on
bleak rocks shivering, and had eaten their scanty meals--shivering
because in spite of their fur garments they were cold, as they did not
eat enough to keep their blood properly circulating. They could not
when they did not have the food to eat!

Andy used up all but a few of his cartridges in firing signals, but to