*

His soul--that of a true explorer--revolted, not at the thought of
death, but that his and Alden's courageously won discovery of a
majestic mountain range towering high over a polar region marked
"unexplored" on the maps would now never be made public.

Leaning forward against the merciless icy blast he painfully picked
his way over a treacherous ice ridge, to be faintly encouraged by the
fact that the towerlike hummock of ice marking the position of the
plane now lay but a few hundred yards ahead.

Bitterly he cursed that demon of ill-fortune who had sent the blinding
snow storm which had forced down the plane ten long days ago at the
very beginning of its triumphant return flight to the base at Cape
Richards. Since that hour the storm gods had emptied the vials of
their wrath upon the luckless explorers. Day after day, cyclonic winds
made all thought of a take-off suicidal in the extreme. Three days
ago the last of their food had given out, and, he mused, starvation is
an ill companion for despair.

Slip, slide and fall! On he fought until the final barrier was reached
and he stood staring hopelessly down into a small natural amphitheater
which sheltered the great monoplane. The ship was still there, its
engine snugged in a canvas shroud and with the soft, dry snow banked
up high in the lee of its silver gray fuselage. Numbly, like a man in
the grip of a painful coma, Nelson shielded his face with a furry hand
to scan the surrounding terrain. "Hell!" The door block of the igloo
they had built was still snowed up; Alden was not there!

"He's not back," he muttered, while his body swayed beneath the gale
which smote him with fierce, unseen fists. "Poor devil, I hope he
hasn't lost the way."

All the bitterness of undeserved defeat stung his soul as he started
down the incline into the hollow.

* * * * *

Suddenly he paused. The rifle flew into the ready position and his
chilled thumb drew back the hammer. "What's this?" On the snow at his
feet was a bright, scarlet splash, dreadfully distinct against the
white background. While his dazed brain struggled to register what his
eyes saw, he looked to the right and left and discovered several more
of the hideous spots. Then an object that gleamed dully in the polar
twilight attracted his attention. He lumbered forward, stooped stiffly
and caught up a long, half round strip of bronze.

"What? Why? Oh--I'm crazy. I'm seeing th