an't you see we're freezing?"
He stood up in his carapace of stiffened clothes, shivering palsiedly.

"The truest thing ye ever said," cried George, and he swung his colts
into view. "It'll favour you and I'll keep my vow." He raised the
gun. The splashing of the distant dogs broke the silence. A native
knelt stiffly.

"George! George!" Captain had stumbled down among them and plucked
at his arm, peering dimly into his distorted face. "Great God, are
you a murderer? They'll be dead before we can save them."

"Save 'em ?" said George, while reason fought with his mania. "Whose
goin' to save 'em? He needs killin'. I'm hungry for his life."

"He's a man, George. They're both human, and they're dying in sight
of us. Give him a chance. Fight like a man."

As he spoke the fury fell away from the whaler and he became the
alert, strong man of the frontier, knowing the quick danger and
meeting it.

He bellowed at the natives and they fled backward before his voice,
storming the cache where lay the big skin canoes. They slid one down
and seizing paddles crushed the ice around it till it floated, then
supported by the prow, George stamped the ice into fragments ahead,
and they forced their way slowly along the channel he made. Soaked
to the armpits he smashed a trail through which they reached the
hummock where the others lay, too listless for action.

At the shore they bore the priest to their shelter while the guide
was snatched into a near-by hut. They hacked off his brittle clothes
and supported him to the bed. As he walked his feet clattered on the
board floor like the sound of wooden shoes. They were white and
solid, as were his hands.

"He's badly frozen," whispered Captain, "can we save him?" They
rubbed and thawed for hours, but the sluggish blood refused to flow
into the extremities and Captain felt that this man would die for
lack of amputation.

Through all the Russian was silent, gazing strangely at George.

"'Tis no use," finally said the big man, despairingly, "I've seen too
many of 'em; we've done our best."

He disappeared, and there sounded the jingle of harness as the dogs
were hitched. As he entered for the camp outfit Orloff spoke:

"George Brace, I've harmed you bitterly these many years, and you're
a good man to help me so. It's no use. We have both fought the Cold
Death, and know when to quit. I came here to kill you, but you will
go out across the mountains free, whil