- Fog and the others cross the Great Lakes in an ice-boat. But, during the trip, Tico is taken ill, forcing the travellers to seek shelter in a log cabin until he has recovered.
- Wesson says he has just learned that Fog is stranded in Chicago as a result of a snowstorm and will be unable to leave for several days. Hearing this, Sullivan is convinced Fog has lost the wager, and he and his cronies drink a toast to the £20,000 they believe they have won. But Ralph tells Lord Guinness that Fog can still find a way to complete his journey on time.
In Chicago, the snow is continuing unabated. Fog, unable to wait until the weather has cleared sufficiently for trains to start running again, decides he and his companions will have to find a way to get to Buffalo and catch a train there. Since Chicago and Buffalo border Lake Michigan and Lake Erie respectively, he plans to take advantage of the fact that the Great Lakes are currently frozen and can be crossed by sled. The travellers make their way to Lake Michigan, where they see one of the locals (a lynx) sailing an ice boat. Fog tells the lynx that he needs transport to Buffalo and offers to pay $1000 for the ice boat. The lynx agrees, saying the money will enable him to replace the house he lost in the Great Fire which devastated Chicago the previous year. Meanwhile, Transfer steals a sled from a local boy.
Fog and his companions begin their journey across the Great Lakes. But after several hours, Romy notices that something is wrong with Tico and tells Fog. Realising Tico has been affected by the cold, Fog tells Rigodon they will have to find shelter as quickly as possible; otherwise, Tico will die. Fortunately, as they sail through a blizzard, Fog sees a log cabin up ahead. The travellers stop outside the cabin and alert the kindly female rabbit who lives there.
Inside the cabin, the travellers and the rabbit set to work warming Tico up. Despite their efforts, however, he collapses and becomes seriously ill. Later, as he, Romy and Rigodon keep watch over Tico, Fog says they should have stayed in Chicago rather than endanger Tico's life by exposing him to the freezing weather and vows not to resume his journey until Tico has recovered, even if the delay costs him the wager. Tico, delirious, then calls out, asking for his sun clock, and Rigodon (who has been keeping the sun clock safe) hands it to him. At this point, Dix and Bully go out into the corridor, where Dix tearfully comments on how brave Tico was for not complaining about the cold. It looks as though Tico may not survive, but Dix resolves that he and Bully should face the prospect of losing him with stiff upper lips.
By the next day, the blizzard is over. Transfer arrives outside the cabin to find the ice boat Fog and the others were using, but is caught by the rabbit, who says she could tell he was a thief as soon as she saw him and gives him a severe beating. Dazed, Transfer staggers back to the sled he stole.
Inside, meanwhile, Tico has come to his senses and is presently ready to travel again. Resuming their interrupted journey, Fog and the others are in high spirits as they sail across the snowy landscape. Presently, they reach Niagara Falls, which they must cross if they are to reach their destination. Using the ice boat as a regular boat, and with Rigodon, Dix and Bully fighting the current, Fog and his companions make it to the far shore, whereas Transfer's attempt to cross the Falls ends with him being caught in the current and swept over the edge. As Rigodon and the detectives fight to get their breath back, Fog reminds them that the travellers have a train to catch and urges them to press on.
Fog and his party reach Buffalo just in time to board the train to New York; luckily for them, this particular train is not scheduled to make any stops along the way. But there is still the question of whether they will be able to catch the China, the ship on which they plan to sail to England. Fog asks the conductor (a beaver) if they will make it to New York on time. The conductor says he doesn't have any information about the China, but adds that a lot of ships have put off departing until their captains are sure the worst of the storm has passed.
When the travellers arrive in New York, they take a coach to the dock. But on reaching the dock, they see the China already pulling out to sea. And there are no more ships scheduled to sail to England from New York for another week.
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