Trapped in Ice by Eric Walters

screamed at the top of his lungs.
    I watched him reappear on the ice below, slide across the ice and then skid to a stop. Cautiously I moved over to the edge of the cabin. There was a glistening slope of snow forming a hill from the edge of the cabin right down to the surface of the ice.
    â€œYou going to try?” Mr. Hadley asked.
    â€œI ... don’t know ... I’m not sure ... I once read a story about skiing in the Alps.”
    â€œIt’s important that we do more than read about it. Everybody has to get comfortable on skis. Once we start moving we won’t just be walking, but snow-shoeing and skiing as well.”
    â€œBut we won’t be going down hills like this ... just sliding along the ice ... right?” I asked, looking for an escape.
    â€œYour brother said ya’d be too scared to try it,” Jonnie laughed.
    â€œDid he?” I replied indignantly. “What does he know? Is there another set of skis?”
    â€œRight here,” Mr. Hadley replied.
    Jonnie brought them over and placed them by my feet. He used strips of rawhide to bind them to my mukluks.
    â€œLet me explain how it’s done,” Mr. Hadley said. “It’s not hard. Bend at the knees and if you think you’re going to fall ... just sit down on your behind.”
    I hobbled forward until the front ends of the skis were overhanging the edge of the slope. I really didn’t want to do this. I turned and looked back at Jonnie. I started to lose my balance and Jonnie grabbed me by the arm.
    â€œHelen, maybe ya shouldn’t be doin’ this ... I wouldn’t wanna see ya gettin’ yerself all banged up.”
    â€œI won’t,” I answered and hoped I was telling the truth. I pushed off. There was a rush of air and I felt my stomach rise up into my throat as I whizzed down the hill. In just seconds the slope flattened out and I slid across the ice until I came to rest right beside my brother. There were cheers from behind me and I stuck my tongue out at Michael. I turned around to take a bow and my feet got all caught up and I fell to the ice. This time even my brother joined in the cheering.

 
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    Chapter Thirteen
    â€œI  STILL DON’T see why it is necessary for us to be part of this trip,” Mother protested.
    â€œSorry, but it’s Cap’n’s orders, ma’am,” Jonnie apologized. “Does ya want me ta take the matter up with ’im?”
    â€œNo,” she answered immediately. “That won’t be necessary. The children would be disappointed if they couldn’t go, and I wouldn’t dream of letting them go without me.”
    Mother was half right; Michael was excited. I would have been quite content to simply remain aboard ship rather than take a trip across the ice. The only thing which made the trip seem possible to me was that we were going out with the Captain, Kataktovick and Jonnie. They would keep us safe I was sure ... almost sure.
    Our destination was an igloo a full day’s travel from the ship. It was stocked with food and fuel and we’d be taking along more supplies to cache in the igloo. I knew everybody else could have been more helpful than Mother and Michael and me, but the Captain wanted all of us to have some experience on the ice before we had to finally leave.
    There was often a team of dogs and men on the ice, going to and from the shelter or scouting even farther away. I still remember that terrible sense of dread when Captain Bartlett led the first team away, the sled loaded down with supplies.
    I couldn’t help but think of Mr. Stefansson and how he waved goodbye ... and never returned. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t wonder whether he’s alive or dead, and if he is alive why he didn’t come back to get us. There’s still a lot of anger amongst the men about Mr. Stefansson leaving. More than a few unkind words were directed his way until the Captain put a