ver the jumbled mass of peaks and valleys and ridges that lay to the eastward. The first leg of the long snow trail, from Ten Bow to Dawson, had been covered over a well-travelled

oboggans, and 'Merican Joe nodded approval at Connie's selection of supplies. For from now on there would be no road houses and, for the most of the way, no trail. And their course would thread the roughest country on the whole continent. Therefore, the question of outfitting was a problem to be taken

conditions the trip might be made in twenty days, and he knew also that it might take fifty days. Therefore although the month was November, a very favourable month for hunting, and the country to be traversed was good game country, he did not figure his rifle for a single pound of meat. If

for food-it had been the same in the end. In the spring the men who buried them read the whole story of the wilderness tragedy in visiting their last few camps. Each day the distance between them shortened, here a dog was killed and eaten, here another, and another, until at the very last camp

ne half pounds of grub apiece for each of the thirty-five days, which was a full half pound more than was needed, and this, together with their outfit of sleeping bags,

describably rugged is the country surrounding it. Connie and 'Merican Joe, seated

d the boy. "About three hundred mi

k. Too mooch plenty snow-plenty win'. An' tonight, mor' comin'." He indicated the sky to

igh, bare canyons are rotten places to camp in a blizzard. If you camp in the middle of 'em you've got to tie yourself down or the wind migh

'le de dogs-an' I know w'en you buy de grub. But mos' I know w'en you pack de toboggan-

they get separated one dies of starvation, and the other freeze

lanced at the sky. "I ain' t'ink we mak' de timber tonight.

rt that from now on we'll quit camping at noon. We'll pu

e was as good as another to camp, and while the Indian busied him

Frank E.

faces. The storm increased in fury. The stinging particles changed to dry, powdery snow dust that whirled and eddied about them so thickly that Connie could not see the dogs from the rear of the toboggans. Covering their noses and mouths, the two bored on through the white smother-a slow moving, ghostly procession, with the snow powder matted thick into the hairy coats of the dogs and the clothing of the mushers. Not until darkness added to the impenetrability of the storm did 'Merican Joe halt. In the whirling blizzard, without protection of timber, one place was as good as another to camp, and while the Indian busied himself with the dogs Connie proceeded to dig a trench in the snow. This trench

bed, and the depth of the snow, together with the easing of the slope, permitted the use of both teams. No halt was made at noon and when they camped at dark they estimated they had made fifteen miles. Five days of fair cold weather followed and each

tains behind, and patches of timber appeared at frequent intervals along the banks of the stream. As the storm thickened they camped, setting up their tent in the shelter of a thicket, and in the morning they pushed on despite the storm. It was nearly noon when Connie call

ssed, the tops of the trees being visible between the gusts of whirling

Leloo, he ketch de man scent. He a

would any men b

we go in dere." He paused and pointed to the dog. "Bad mans in dere-Leloo, he know. B

em," Connie answered. "They ma

e timber. A short distance back from the edge they came upon a rude log cabin, glaringly the work of inexperienced builders. No

ce ceased suddenly, and 'Merican Joe sprang back from the doorway so swiftly that he knocked Connie into the snow. As

ust his head in at the doorway. "What's the matt

ou want grub y're out of luck. We ain't got none to spare-an' I got a rifle here that says you don't git none of it." Inv

re?" he asked. "And why

my partner ain't showed up to build none. I'm cr

s your p

in't got back yet." He noticed the snow clinging to Conni

Of course it's snowing-it's bee

s frosted so you can't see out. I bet he's lost. Go

know who you are, and I don't want to. What I can't figure is how you ever got this far. If nobody else had bothered to knock some common sense and decency into you it's a w

oin'?" wailed the

tend to my dogs,"

ok me some grub! I ain't ha

d Connie as he banged

rican Joe, when they

n some pretty raw chechakos, but never one like

e shrug. "S'pose we ain't got

we're men

k Injun dog," inter

can't go off and

Connie and the Indi

lained the man. "Hustle around now

od?" asked the boy,

cut it, sa

any ahead, nor

nough to cut a l

sought the room.

y partner cut the wood last.

," answered the boy dryly, as 'Merican Joe d

" said Connie. "I expect it had better be tended to." The man assented, and the boy turned back the cover

opined Connie. "H

the stick with my foot a

o learn a lot

ou goin' to cut firewood with

hol' de chunk wit' you ne

I ain't takin' no advise offen

"We're wasting time here, the days are short and if we're going to find your pa

. They're acrost the river up the first cr

ur mile!" exclaimed 'Merican

r with that? We've got eight ma

in' set mor' trap as dat every day I ain' t'ink

he fire goin' nights in case Tom don't show up, an' besides I ain't had no one t

ut up the tent when we come back-we

im. One of you stay here and tend the fire, an' cook

had a little more nerve and a whole lot less brass, there might be some

down skin pore when we got here, an' some of 'em die

he two watched him as he stood, facing a spruce-covered hill, his head moving slightly from side to side, as his delicate pointed nostrils quivered as if to pick up some elusive scent. "Go on, Leloo. Go git um!" urged 'Merican Joe, and the wolf-dog trotted into the spruce, followed by Connie

de moose. He ain' goin' carry dat hide far. She heavy. He ain' know nuttin' 'bo

Surely he wouldn't get lost

'en she snowin' bad, hondre steps from cabin. Me-I know. One git los' an

If he was lost he'd camp, and he's had p

ain' got sense 'nough to camp. He walk an' git

e," grinned Connie. "Let's separate and

anyone could possibly get lost here. Surely he would know enough to

rt dey don't know up a

he call of a human voice. Leloo heard it too, and with ears stiffly erect stood looking far out over the ridges. Raising

don't travel very fast. How could he p

hed a yell that seemed fairly to tear through the

unged straight down the opposite slope. At the bottom they paused again, and again the Indian sent his peculiar penetrating yell hurtling through the air. Again it was answered, but

ghos'. He git froze, an' hees ghos' run 'roun' de hills an' yell 'bout dat! Me-I'm gon'!" Abrup

uses-and if there are, I've got the medicine that will lick 'em! I brought

y's command, looked dubious. "I ain' h

nawus. I've got a hunch that fellow has dropped into a cave or som

d, the hair of his back bristling. Whatever the object of his attention, it seemed to lie beneath the outspreading branches of a large spruce. Connie peered beneath the branches w

comin'? Or be you goin' to leave me

ed Connie. "What's

! How kin I?

e stood at a respectful distance, his rifle at full cock. "Come on Joe!" the boy calle

in surprise. There lay the man closely wrapped in his moose ski

up," wailed the m

nately, he had left an air space but this had nearly sealed

hide and endeavoured to unroll it, but they might as we

a fire and thaw hi

ggested the Indian. "Kin

ifficulty by making a hole with his hand ax in a flap of the hide near the man's feet,

, they started for the cabin, keeping to the top of

the river the sides grew steeper, until they were confronted by a three hundred foot slope with an extremely steep pitch. This slope was sparsely timber

and clear, and daylight fou

Frank E.

ing and shot forward. The pole slipped from the snowy mittens of the two and, enveloped in a cloud of flying snow, the man in the frozen moose hide went shooting down the slope! Connie and 'Merican Joe barely saved themselves from following him, and, squatting low on their webs they watched in a fascination of horror as the flying body struck a tree trunk, shot sidewise

ack!" shuddered the boy.

lay back onder de tree an' froze an' starve, an' git choke to deat'

of the valley and hasten to the form wedged tightly between two upstanding bould

Connie, kneeling at the man's

harmed, Connie laughingly promised a smoother trail, and as he and the Indian pried him from between the rocks with a

All night the two tended the fire and listened to the petty bickering and quarrelling of the two helpless partners, the man in the bunk taunting the other with being a fool for wrapping up in a green moose hide, and being in turn called a fool for

he worse for his adventure, he uttered no word of thanks to his rescuers. In

" he asked, eying

dn't see any marten

d as the man devoured a huge breakfast without asking his rescuers to join him, he continued to mutter and growl about his lost

all night; looks like you could anyways cut a little wood an' help worsh these dishes! An', say, don't

eye he burst into a roar of laughter, while 'Merican Joe, who possessed neither Connie's self-restraint nor his sense of humour, launched into an unflatterin

pitched five miles down the river, and devoured

en-even in chechakos

grunted t

few more hours and he would have been dead-we come along and find him-and he not only don't offer us a meal, but accuses us of stealing his mar

now got to han'le um dey ain'

e've sure learned the differe