up," said Abel gloomily, as he laid a hand on his bandaged
foot. "Give him what there is, and then let him lie down and die with
us. The golden dream is all over now. Look! the poor brute just
managed to struggle here. He's dying."

"No, settling down to sleep in the warm glow. Look how the water runs
from his coat."

"Dying," said Abel positively. And the poor brute's actions seemed to
prove that the last speaker was right, for he lay whining more and more
softly, blinking at the fire with his eyes half-closed, and a shiver
kept on running through him, while once when he tried to rise he uttered
a low moan and fell over on to his side.

"Is he dead, Dal?" said Abel hoarsely.

His cousin bent over the dog and laid his hand upon his throat, with the
result that there was a low growling snarl and the eyes opened to look
up, but only to close again, and the bushy tale tapped the floor a few
times.

"Knows he is with friends, poor fellow!" said Dallas. "But he did not
show much sense in coming to Starvation Hall."

"It was the fire that attracted him."

"Perhaps," said Dallas. "But I have a sort of fancy that we have met
before."

"What!" cried Abel, brightening up, "you don't think--"

"Yes, I do. Did you notice that the poor brute limped with one of his
hind-legs?"

"Yes, but--oh, impossible. A dog would not know you again like that.
You mean the one you saved from the ice."

"Yes, I do; but we shall see by daylight, such as it is. I say, though,
if we do get home again, you and I, after our experience of this Arctic
place, ought to volunteer for the next North Pole expedition."

Abel heaved a deep sigh.

"Look here, old fellow; you were brightening up, now you are going back
again. Let's go to bed and have a good long sleep in the warm. What
about the dog?"

"Yes, what about him?"

"I suppose we mustn't turn him out again on a night like this."

"Impossible."

"But you know what these brutes are. He'll be rousing up and eating our
candles and belts--anything he can get hold of; but I suppose we must
risk it."

The door now being rattled loudly by the tremendous wind, was once more
made secure, the blanket replaced, and then, after well making up the
fire with a couple of heavy logs, the weary pair were about to creep
into their skin sleeping-bags when they were startled into full
wakefulness again, for a fierce gust seemed to seize and shake the hut,
and then, as the wind went roar