so they could not be seen. Ten
minutes, fifteen, and suddenly she caught her breath and fell down on
her knees beside Wapi, putting her arms about his gaunt shoulders. "Be
quiet," she whispered. "Be quiet."

Up out of the night came a dark and grotesque shadow. It paused below
the bridge, then it came on silently and passed almost without sound
toward the captain's quarters. It was Blake. Dolores' heart was choking
her. Her arms clutched Wapi, whispering for him to be quiet, to be
quiet. Blake disappeared, and she rose to her feet. She had come of
fighting stock. Peter was proud of that. "You slim wonderful little
thing!" he had said to her more than once. "You've a heart in that
pretty body of yours like the general's!" The general was her father,
and a fighter. She thought of Peter's words now, and the fighting blood
leaped through her veins. It was for Peter more than herself that she
was going to fight now.

She made Wapi understand that he must remain where he was. Then she
followed after Blake, followed until her ears were close to the door
behind which she could already hear Blake and Rydal talking.

Ten minutes later she returned to Wapi. Under her hood her face was as
white as the whitest star in the sky. She stood for many minutes close
to the dog, gathering her courage, marshaling her strength, preparing
herself to face Peter. He must not suspect until the last moment. She
thanked God that Wapi had caught the taint of Blake in the air, and she
was conscious of offering a prayer that God might help her and Peter.

Peter gave a cry of pleasure when the door opened and Dolores entered.
He saw Wapi crowding in, and laughed. "Pals already! I guess I needn't
have been afraid for you. What a giant of a dog!"

The instant she appeared, Dolores forced upon herself an appearance of
joyous excitement. She flung off her coat and ran to Peter, hugging his
head against her as she told him swiftly what they were going to do.
Fort Confidence was only one hundred and fifty miles away, and a
garrison of police and a doctor were there. Five days on a sledge! That
was all. And she had persuaded Blake, the trader, to help them. They
would start now, as soon as she got him ready and Blake came. She must
hurry. And she was wildly and gloriously happy, she told him. In a
little while they would be at least on the outer edge of this horrible
night, and he would be in a doctor's hands.

She was holding Peter's head so that he co