little old bit of Uncle Sam's treasure, and I'll take you
home; straight back to God's country."

He folded the bill carefully and stowed it in an inner pocket, next to
his heart.

If the missionary postmistress at Cape Prince of Wales, on Behring
Strait, had realized what homesick feelings she was going to stir up in
Johnny's heart by impressing her post office stamp on that bill before
she paid it to some Eskimo, perhaps she would not have stamped it, and
then again, perhaps she would.

A sudden jolt as they rumbled on to a sidetrack awoke the sergeant, who
seemed disposed to resume the conversation where he had left off.

"S'pose it's mighty dangerous tradin' on this side?"

"Uh-huh," Johnny grunted.

"S'pose it's a long way back to God's country this way?"

"Uh-huh."

"Lot of the boys mighty sick of soldiering over here. Lot of 'em 'ud try
it back to God's country 'f 'twasn't so far."

"Would, huh?" Johnny yawned.

"Ye-ah, and then the officers are mighty hard on the ones they
ketch--ketch desertin', I mean--officers are; when they ketch 'em, an'
they mostly do."

"Do what?" Johnny tried to yawn again.

"Ketch 'em! They're fierce at that."

There was a knowing grin on the sergeant's face, but no wink followed.
Johnny waited anxiously for the wink.

"But it's tough, now ain't it?" observed the sergeant. "We can't go home
and can't fight. What we here for, anyway?"

"Ye-ah," Johnny smiled hopefully.

"Expected to go home long ago, but no transportation, not before spring;
not even for them that's got discharges and papers to go home. It's
tough! You'd think a lot of 'em 'ud try goin' north to Alaska, wouldn't
you? Three days in God's country's worth three years in Leavenworth;
you'd think they'd try it. And they would, if 't'wasn't so far. Gad!
Three thousand miles! I'd admire the pluck of the fellow that dared."

This time the wink which Johnny had been so anxiously awaiting came; a
full, free and frank wink it was. He winked back, then settled down in
his corner to sleep.

A train rattled by. The "Reindeer Special" bumped back on the main track
and went crashing on its way. It screeched through little villages, half
buried in snow. It glided along between plains of whiteness. It rattled
between narrow hills, but Johnny was unconscious of it all. He was fast
asleep, storing up strength for the morrow, and the many wild to-morrows
which were to follow.

CHAPTER III

TREACHERY OUT OF T