day's travel, but he did not feel exhausted. The full moon was
rising at nine o'clock, and Philip rested for two hours, cooking and
eating his supper, and then resumed his journey, determined to make
sufficient progress before camping to enable him to reach the post by
the following noon. It was midnight when he put up his light tent, built
a fire, and went to sleep. He was up again at dawn. At two o'clock he
came into the clearing about Lac Bain. As he hurried to Breed's quarters
he wondered if Colonel Becker or Isobel had seen him from their window.
He had noticed that the curtain was up, and that a thin spiral of smoke
was rising from the clay chimney that descended to the fireplace in
their room.

He found Breed, the factor, poring over one of the ledgers which he and
Colonel Becker had examined. He started to his feet when he saw Philip.

"Where in the name of blazes have you been?" were his first words, as
he held out a hand. "I've been hunting the country over for you, and had
about come to the conclusion that you and Bucky Nome were dead."

"Hunting for me," said Philip. "What for?"

Breed shrugged his shoulders.

"The colonel an'--Miss Isobel," he said. "They wanted to see you so
bad that I had men out for three days after you'd gone looking for you.
Couldn't even find your trail. I'm curious to know what was up."

Philip laughed. He felt a tingling joy running through every vein in his
body. It was difficult for him to repress the trembling eagerness in
his voice, as he said: "Well, I'm here. I wonder if they want to see
me--now."

"Suppose they do," replied Breed, slowly lighting his pipe. "But you've
hung off too long. They're gone."

"Gone?" Philip stared at the factor.

"Gone?" he demanded again.

"Left this morning--for Churchill," affirmed Breed. "Two sledges, two
Indians, the colonel and Miss Isobel."

For a few moments Philip stood in silence, staring straight out through
the one window of the room with his back to the factor.

"Did they leave any word for me?" he asked.

"No."

"Then--I must follow them!" He spoke the words more to himself than to
Breed. The factor regarded him in undisguised astonishment and Philip,
turning toward him, hastened to add: "I can't tell you why. Breed--but
it's necessary that I overtake them as soon as possible. I don't want to
lose a day--not an hour. Can you lend me a team and a driver?"

"I've got a scrub team," said Breed, "but there isn't another m