e held it between
his stiffened fingers with difficulty. He knelt down beside Billy. The
keyhole was filled with snow. It took a long time--ten minutes--before
the key was fitted in and the lock clicked. He helped to tear off the
cuffs. Billy felt no sensation as bits of skin and flesh came "with
them. Brokaw gave him a hand, and assisted him to rise. For the first
time he spoke.

"Guess you've got me beat, Billy," he said.

"Where's the Indian's?"

He drew his revolver from its holster and tossed it in the snowdrift.
The shadow of a smile passed grimly over his face. Billy looked about
him. They had stopped where the frozen path of a smaller stream joined
the creek. He raised one of his stiffened arms and pointed to it.

"Follow that creek--four miles--and you'll come to Indian Joe's shack,"
he said.

"And a mile is just about our limit"

"Just about--your's," replied Billy. "I can't make another half. If we
had a fire--"

"IF--" wheezed Brokaw.

"If we had a fire," continued Billy. "We could warm ourselves, an' make
the Indian's shack easy, couldn't we?"

Brokaw did not answer. He had turned toward the creek when one of
Billy's pulseless hands fell heavily on his arm.

"Look here, Brokaw."

Brokaw turned. They looked into each other's eyes.

"I guess mebby you're a man, Brokaw," said Billy quietly. "You've done
what you thought was your duty. You've kept your word to th' law, an' I
believe you'll keep your word with me. If I say the word that'll save
us now will you go back to headquarters an' report me dead?" For a full
half minute their eyes did not waver.

Then Brokaw said:

"No."

Billy dropped his hand. It was Brokaw's hand that fell on his arm now.

"I can't do that," he said. "In ten years I ain't run out the white
flag once. It's something that ain't known in the service. There ain't
a coward in it, or a man who's afraid to die. But I'll play you square.
I'll wait until we're both on our feet, again, and then I'll give you
twenty-four hours the start of me."

Billy was smiling now. His hand reached out. Brokaw's met it, and the
two joined in a grip that their numb fingers scarcely felt.

"Do you know," said Billy softly, "there's been somethin' runnin' in my
head ever since we left the burning cabin. It's something my mother
taught me: 'Do unto others as you'd have others do unto you.' I'm a
d---- fool, ain't I? But I'm goin' to try the experiment, Brokaw, an'
see what comes of it. I c