his comrade and threw more wood on the fire as it began to flame up the circle of eyes drew farther back he glanced casually at the dogs he rubbed his eyes and looked at them more sharply then he crawled back into the blankets henry he said h henry the of the meat henry groaned as he passed from sleep to waking and demanded what s wrong now came the answer only there s seven of em again i just counted henry acknowledged receipt of the information with a that slid into a as he drifted back into sleep in the morning it was henry who awoke first and his companion out of bed daylight was yet three hours away though it was already six o clock and in the darkness henry went about preparing breakfast while bill rolled the blankets and made the ready for say henry he asked suddenly how many dogs did you say we had six wrong bill proclaimed triumphantly seven again henry no five one s gone the hell henry cried in wrath leaving the cooking to come and count the dogs you re right bill he concluded s gone an he went like once he got started couldn t ve seen m for smoke no chance at all henry concluded they swallowed m alive i bet he was as he went down their throats damn em white he always was a fool dog said bill but no fool dog ought to be fool enough to go off an commit suicide that way he looked over the remainder of the team with a eye that up instantly the traits of each animal i bet none of the others would do it i couldn t drive em away from the fire with a club bill agreed i always did think there was wrong with anyway and this was the of a dead dog on the trail � less scant than the of many another dog of many a man chapter n the she wolf eaten and the slim camp lashed to the the men turned their backs on the cheery fire and launched out into the darkness at once began to rise the cries that were fiercely sad � cries that called through the darkness and cold to one another and answered back conversation ceased daylight came at nine o clock at midday the sky to the south warmed to rose color and marked where the of the earth between the sun and the northern world but the swiftly faded the gray light of day that remained lasted until three o clock when it too faded and the pall of the night descended upon the lone and silent land as darkness came on the hunting cries to right and left and rear drew closer � so close that more than once they sent of fear through the toiling dogs throwing them into short lived at the conclusion of one such panic when he and henry had got the dogs back in the traces bill said i they d strike game an go away an leave us alone white they do get on the nerves horrible henry they spoke no more until camp was made henry was bending over and adding ice to the pot of beans when he was startled by the sound of a blow an exclamation from bill and a sharp cry of pain from among the dogs he straightened up in time to see a dim form disappearing across the snow into the shelter of the dark then he saw bill standing amid the dogs half triumphant half crest fallen in one hand a stout club in the other the tail and part of the body of a sun cured salmon it got half of it he announced but i got a at it the same d ye hear it what d it look like henry asked couldn t see but it had four legs an a mouth an hair an looked like any dog must be a tame wolf i reckon it s damned tame whatever it is in here at time an its of fish that night when supper was finished and they sat on the box and pulled at their pipes the circle of gleaming eyes drew in even closer than before i they d spring up a bunch of or an go away an leave us alone bill said thb she wolf henry with an that was not all sympathy and for a quarter of an hour they sat on in silence henry staring at the fire and bill at the circle of eyes that burned in the darkness just beyond the i we was into right now he began again shut up your an your v henry burst out angrily your stomach s sour that s what s you swallow a of an you ll up wonderful an be more pleasant company in the morning henry was aroused by that proceeded from the mouth of bill henry propped himself up on an elbow and looked to see his comrade standing among the dogs beside the fire his arms raised in his face distorted with passion henry called what s up now s gone came the answer no i tell you yes henry leaped out of the blankets and to the dogs he counted them with care and then joined his partner in cursing the powers of the wild that had robbed them of another dog was the strongest dog of the bunch bill pronounced finally white an he was no fool dog neither henry added and so was recorded the second in two days a gloomy breakfast was eaten and the four remaining dogs were to the the day was a repetition of the days that had gone before the men toiled without speech across the face of the frozen world the silence was unbroken save by the cries of their that unseen hung upon their rear 