Los Angeles herald., 1909-11-07
IA


meath. When one travels on rations de-
lay is dangerous. Each morning, drag
ging themselves out into the mael-
strom, they took sticks and poked into
the drifts for dogs. Each animal as
found was exhumed, given fish, and
became straightway reburied in the
whirling white that seethed down from
the mountains.
On the fifth, without warning, the
storm died, and the air stilled to per-
feet silence.
"These dog bad froze." said Pierre,
swearing earnestly as he harnessed. i
don't like eet much. They goin play
hout I'm 'fraid." He knelt and chewed
from between their toes the ice pellets
that had accumulated. A malamoot is
hard pressed to let his feet mass, and
this added to the mems uneasiness.
As they mounted the great divide,
mountains rolled away on every hand,
barren, desolate, marble white; always
the whiteness; always the listening
silence that oppressed like weight;
Myriads of creek valleys radiated be-
low in a bewildering maze OF twisting
seams.
''Those are the ASS Ears, 1 suppose
said Willard, gazing at two great fangs
that bit deep into the skyline. rs 1t
true that no man has ever reached
them?"
"Yes. The hinjun say that's Were
hall the storm come lIOIu, blSSduSS
wen the win blow troo the Ass Ear
look out Somebody goin' ketch 'ell."
Dogs feet wear quickly after freez-
ing, for crusted snow cuts like knife.
Spots of blood showed in their tracks,
growing more plentiful till every print
was a crimson stain. They llmped
pitifully on their raw pads, and occa-
sionally one whined At every stop
they sank in track, licking their lace
rated paws, rising only at the cost OF
much whipping.
On the second night, faint ana
starved, they reached the hut. Digging
away the drifts. they crawled inside to
find it half full of snow-snow which
had sifted through the crevices Pierre
CROPPED among the shadows and swore
excitedly.
Vocal effort of the simplest is ex-
hausting when spent with hunger, and
these were the first words he had
spoken for hours.
by gar! she's gone. Somebody stole
my grup!"
his stomach cried for food.
How far is it to the Crooked River
roadhouse?"
"One long day drive-forty mile"
1--WE must make it tomorrow or go
hungry, eh? Well, this isn't the first
a moldy dried salmon from their
precious store.
AS Willard removed his footgear he
groaned.
Watts the mattaire?"
II froze my foot two days ago-snow-
shoe strap too tight" He exhibited
heel, from which, in removing his inner
sock, the flesh and skin had come away.
That's all right" grinned Pierre.
"You got the beeg will lef yet 1t
take the heducate man for stan the
col, you know"
Willard gritted his teeth.
They awoke to the whine of gray
windstorm that swept the cutting snow
in the swirling clouds and made travel
Two days of hunger weigh heavy
when the cold weakens. and they grew
gaunt and fell away in their features.
I'm glad we've got aonther feed for
the dogs" remarked Willard. we
can't let them run hungry, even II
we do"
II t'ink she's be hall right tomor'
ventured Pierre. "Thees amt snow
JUS win; bimeby all blow hout Sacre!
I'll can eat huff for ole harmy."
For days 10th men had been cold,
and the sensation of complete warmth
had come to seem strange and un-
real, while their faces cracked where
the spots had been.
Willard felt himself on the verge of
collapse. He recalled his words about
strong men, gazing the while at
Pierre. The Canadian evinced suffer-
ing only in the haggard droop of eye