led on her way, and five minutes
afterward, coming out of the cabin to feed the dogs, Smoke saw her
entering Amos Wentworth's cabin.

"Something rotten here, Shorty, something rotten," he said, shaking
his head ominously, as his partner came to the door to empty a pan of
dish-water.

"Sure," was the cheerful rejoinder. "An' you an' me'll be catchin' it
yet. You'll see."

"I don't mean the scurvy."

"Oh, sure, if you mean the divine steeress. She'd rob a corpse. She's
the hungriest-lookin' female I ever seen."

"Exercise has kept you and me in condition, Shorty. It's kept Wentworth
in condition. You see what lack of exercise has done for the rest. Now
it's up to us to prescribe exercise for these hospital wrecks. It will
be your job to see that they get it. I appoint you chief nurse."

"What? Me?" Shorty shouted. "I resign."

"No, you don't. I'll be able assistant, because it isn't going to be any
soft snap. We've got to make them hustle. First thing, they'll have
to bury their dead. The strongest for the burial squad; then the next
strongest on the firewood squad (they've been lying in their blankets
to save wood); and so on down the line. And spruce-tea. Mustn't forget
that. All the sour-doughs swear by it. These people have never even
heard of it."

"We sure got ourn cut out for us," Shorty grinned. "First thing we know
we'll be full of lead."

"And that's our first job," Smoke said. "Come on."

In the next hour, each of the twenty-odd cabins was raided. All
ammunition and every rifle, shotgun, and revolver was confiscated.

"Come on, you invalids," was Shorty's method. "Shootin'-irons--fork 'em
over. We need 'em."

"Who says so?" was the query at the first cabin.

"Two doctors from Dawson," was Shorty's answer. "An' what they say goes.
Come on. Shell out the ammunition, too."

"What do you want them for?"

"To stand off a war-party of canned beef comin' down the canyon. And I'm
givin' you fair warnin' of a spruce-tea invasion. Come across."

And this was only the beginning of the day. Men were persuaded, coaxed,
bullied or dragged by main strength from their bunks and forced to
dress. Smoke selected the mildest cases for the burial squad. Another
squad was told off to supply the wood by which the graves were burned
down into the frozen muck and gravel. Still another squad had to chop
firewood and impartially supply every cabin. Those who were too weak for
outdoor work were put to cleaning and scr