an
has come north to demand tribute for his government from the hunting
Chukches. They're rich in furs--mink, ermine, red, white, silver gray
and black fox. A man could carry a fortune in them on one sled. Yes,
sir! That's his business up here."

But then, the diamonds? Again Johnny seemed to have reached the end of a
blind alley in his thinking. Who could be so rash as to carry thousands
of dollars' worth of jewels on such a trip? And yet, he was not certain
the man had them now. He had seen them but once, and that in the
disguise shop.

Further thoughts were cut short by a head thrust in at the flap of the
igloo. It was Iyok-ok.

"Go soon," he smiled. "Mebby two hours."

"North?"

"Eh-eh" (yes), he answered, lapsing into Eskimo.

"All right."

The head disappeared.

"Well, anyway, my seal oil bath did some good," Johnny remarked to
himself. "It jarred the old fox out of his lair and started him on his
way."

He wondered a little about the Jap girl. Would she still travel with
them? These musings were cut short when he carried his bundle to the
deer sled. She was there to greet him with a broad smile. And so once
more they sped away over the tundra in the moonlight.

They had not gone five miles before Johnny had assured himself that once
more the Russian and his dog team had preceded them.

CHAPTER VI

"NOW I SHALL KILL YOU"

Johnny Thompson was at peace with the world. He was engaged in the most
delightful of all occupations, gathering gold. He had often dreamed of
gathering gold. He had dreamed, too, of finding money strewn upon the
street. But now, here he was, with one of these choice Russian knives,
picking away at clumps of frozen earth and picking up, as they fell out,
particles of gold. Some were tiny; many were large as a pea, and one had
been the size of a hickory nut. Now and again he straightened up to
swing a pick into the frozen gravel which lay within the circle of light
made by his pocket flashlight. After a few strokes he would throw down
the pick and begin breaking up the lumps. Every now and again, he would
lift the small sack into which the lumps were dropped. It grew heavier
every moment.

It was quite dark all about him; indeed, Johnny was nearly a hundred
feet straight into the heart of a cut bank, and, to start on this
straight ahead drift, he had been obliged to lower himself into a shaft
as into a well, a drop of fifteen feet or more. That the mine had other
drift