the first hole su su smiled and her eyes were yet softer again she felt the soft hands at her throat he was good to look upon and the belt was indeed small made for a smaller man but what did it matter she could make many but the blood she asked urged on by a hope new born and growing the blood is it � are they heads ay the son of they must be very fresh else would the blood be frozen ay it is not cold and they be fresh quite fresh oh her face was warm and bright � and for me ay for thee he took hold of a comer of the hide it open and rolled the heads out before her three he whispered savagely nay four at least but she sat there they lay � the soft the old face of grinning at her with his lifted upper lip and lastly his up to its old trick drooped on his girlish cheek in a suggestive wink there they lay the flashing upon and playing over them and from each of them a circle the snow to scarlet by the fire the white crust gave way beneath the head of which rolled over like a thing alive spun around and came to rest at her feet but she did not move too sat motionless his eyes upon her once in the forest an pine dropped its load of snow and the echoes down the but neither stirred i o the son of the short day had been fast and darkness was round the camp when white trotted up toward the fire he paused to but not being driven back came closer his nose shot swiftly to the side nostrils a tremble and rising along the and straight and true he followed the sudden scent to his master s head he it at first and licked the forehead with his red tongue then he sat abruptly down pointed his nose up at the first faint star and raised the long wolf howl this brought su su to herself she glanced across at who had the russian knife and was watching her intently his face was firm and set and in it she read the law slipping back the hood of her she her neck and rose to her feet there she paused and took a long look about her at the forest at the faint stars in the sky at the camp at the snow shoes in the snow � a last long comprehensive look at life a light breeze stirred her hair from the side and for the space of one deep breath she turned her head and followed it around until she met it full faced then she thought of her children ever to be and she walked over to and said i am ready the death of the death of blood for bloody rank for rank � code ear now the death of � i i the speaker ceased or rather suspended utterance and gazed upon me with an eye of understanding i held the bottle between our eyes and the fire indicated with my thumb the depth of the draught and it over to him for was he not the many tales had he told me and long had i waited for this to speak of the things concerning for he of all men living knew these things best he back his head with a that slid swiftly into a and the shadow of a man s monstrous beneath a huge bottle wavered and danced on the frown of the cliff at our backs released his lips from the glass with a caressing and glanced up into the ghostly vault of the sky where played the wan white light of the summer it be strange he said cold like water and hot i the death of like fire to the it strength and from the it away strength it old men young and young men old to the man who is weary it him to get up go onward and to the man it him into sleep my brother was possessed of the heart of a rabbit yet did he drink of it and forthwith four of his enemies my father was like a great wolf showing his teeth to all men yet did he drink of it and was shot through the back running swiftly away it be most strange it is three star and a better than what they poison their with down there i answered sweeping my hand as it were over the yawning chasm of blackness and down to where the beach fires far below � tiny of flame which gave proportion and reality to the night sighed and shook his head wherefore i am here with thee and here he embraced the bottle and me in a look which told more than speech of his thirst nay i said the bottle in between my knees speak now of of the three star we will hold speech hereafter there be plenty and i am not wearied he the death of pleaded but the feel of it on my lips and i will speak great words of and his last days from the it away strength i and to the man un weary it him into sleep thou art wise he rejoined without anger and like all of thy brothers thou art wise waking or sleeping the three star be with thee yet never have i known thee to drink or and the while you gather to you the gold that hides in our mountains and the fish that swim in our seas and and the brothers of dig the gold for thee and net the fish and are glad to be made glad when out of thy wisdom thou it fit that the three star should wet our lips i was minded to hear of i said 