s filled them with
fear. In some way Tom had gotten one of the sleds with its dogs away
from the others and jumped aboard. With a crack of a whip he was off,
standing on the sled and yelling like a demon.

"Tom! Tom! Stop!" screamed Dick and Sam in unison. "Come back here!"

"I'm off for gold! Nuggets of gold!" yelled the one who was not right
in his mind. "Don't you dare to follow me! Off for gold! Gold!
Gold!" And then the sled with its rider passed out of hearing, the
dogs doing their best, urged on by the continued cracking of the long
whip.

"We must catch him!" said Dick. "Quick! before he gets out of sight
over some hill, or around some rocks!"

"He has der pest sled und der pest dogs!" groaned Gus Schmidt. "I said
ve must keep an eye on him, yah! Of he busts dot sled somepody got to
pay for him!"

"We'll pay, never fear," answered Sam. "But we must catch him! We
don't want him to get hurt."

"You come mit me," said the leader of the outfit, motioning to Dick.
"It ain't no use for all of us to go after him. De udders da stay
right here. Ludvig, you hear?"

"Yah," came from the other German, and he nodded his head.

In a few minutes Gus Schmidt had one of the other dog teams ready for
use. He was about to jump on the sled when he paused.

"Besser ve took somedings along," he suggested. "Somedings to eat und
to trink, hey? Und some plankets, yah?" and he commenced to haul over
the packs.

"Why, do you think the chase will be a long one?" asked Dick, anxiously.

"I can't vos tell dot. Mebbe him peen long. Dem vos schmart togs, I
tole you dot."

A pack containing food and blankets was hastily thrown together and
strapped to the sled. Then Dick was assigned a place and Gus Schmidt
hopped aboard.

"Of ve ton't got back tonight go on to Riss Rifer," he directed the
others.

"Good-by, Dick, and good luck!" called out Sam, and Jack Wumble waved
his hand.

"You take care of yourself, Sam," was the brother's parting caution.

The dog sleds had done some fairly fast traveling before, but the rate
of speed now set by Gus Schmidt almost took away Dick's breath. On and
on bounded the sled, the dogs yelping wildly at first, but then
settling down to a steady pace. Up one hill awl down another they
dashed, sending the loose snow flying in all directions. Soon the camp
was left out of sight, even the smoke gradually disappearing from view.

Tom and his outfit were nowhere to be seen