, having long since passed
over a hill to the northward. Gus Schmidt had, however, noted the
direction with care. He had noted, too, that the runaway had taken a
somewhat curved course, and now he attempted to catch him by taking a
straight route for the same point.

For over an hour the chase kept up, and then, reaching the top of a
long hill, they saw, far to the northward, a dog sled moving to the
eastward.

"I dink I got him now!" cried Gus Schmidt, and once more he cracked his
long whip and again his team bounded forward. Quarter of an hour
passed and they drew closer to the other team, and then both the German
and Dick set up a cry of dismay.

It was not the sled on which Tom had run away. The dogs were different
and on the sled sat two men, strangers.

"Yes, we saw the sled you are after," said one of the men, when the
others had come up and put a question to him and his companion. "It
passed us, going like the wind and the driver yelling like a madman."

"And how was it headed?"

"About due North," answered the other man on the sled. And then he and
his companion moved forward again.

"I dink ve haf to go pack und look for der tracks," said Gus Schmidt.
"Too pad, dot vosn't our sled, ain't it?"

The team was turned back, and for the best part of half an hour they
looked for the missing trail. At last it was discovered, and once more
they moved rapidly forward, this time due North.

Fortunately there was little wind, otherwise Dick could not have stood
that long and wild ride. As it was, he felt chilled to the bone, and
his feet were like two lumps of ice. Gus Schmidt must have surmised
this, for presently he stopped the sled and motioned to the youth.

"Ve git off und rundt a leetle. It vos do us goot," he remarked, and
swung himself down on the icy snow. Dick followed, so stiff at first
that he could scarcely put one foot before the other. They set off on
a walk, the dogs pulling them, and gradually increased their speed to a
run.

Then Dick felt better.

All through the afternoon the chase kept up. They saw nothing of Tom.
But the track he had left was a plain one and to that they stuck
closely.

At last it grew so dark that they could see the track but indistinctly.
They had to reduce their speed to a walk for fear of turning off.

"He ought to be stopping for the night," said Dick.

"Such a feller might not sthop at all," answered the German. "He might
go on und on bis der t