They had gone barely a dozen feet, and under foot, all the way back to the cabin door, the snow was still some two feet deep.
The distance from the door to the spring being some ninety feet, it was plain that more than an hour would be needed for digging the way to the spring.
"What's the use of all this trouble ?" shouted Greg.

"We can melt snow, anyway." "Snow water doesn't taste very good," objected Dave Darrin.
"Besides, we don't want to admit ourselves stumped by a little snow," urged Dick.

"Come on, fellows; we can make it if we have grit and industry enough.

Here goes!" With that Dick Prescott began to shovel harder than ever, so the two chums added their efforts.

Truth to tell, however, ere they had gone another six feet through the big drifts, their backs were aching.