gathered some dry wood, heaped the black stuff upon
it, lighted it, and sat down to wait the issue. Wild hopes were
throbbing at his heart. He knew enough of the value of coal to
realize the importance of the discovery. If it should prove to
be coal, what a splendid thing it would be for Jack and for him!
How much they would be able to do for Mrs. French and for his
sister Irma! Amid his dreams a new face mingled, a face with
saucy brown eyes, but on that face he refused to allow himself
the rapture of looking. He dared not, at least not yet. Keenly
he watched the fire. Was it taking hold of the black lumps?
The flames were dying down. The wood had nearly burned itself out.
The black lumps were charred and dead, and with their dying died
his hopes.

He glanced out upon the ravine. Large soft flakes of snow were
falling lazily through the trees.

"I'll get my blankets and grub under cover, and get some more
wood for the night. It's going to be cold."

He heaped the remains of the wood he had gathered upon the fire,
and with great difficulty, for his foot was growing more and more
painful with every move, he set about gathering wood, of which
there was abundance near at hand, and making himself snug for the
night. He brought up a pail of water from the Creek, and tethered
his broncho where there was a bunch of grass at the bottom of the
ravine. Before he had finished these operations the ground was
white with snow, and the wind was beginning to sigh ominously
through the trees.

"Going to be a blizzard, sure," he said. "But let her blow. We're
all right in here. Hello! where are those dogs? After the wolves,
I'll be bound. They'll come back when they're ready."

With every moment the snow came down more thickly, and the wind
grew toward a gale.

"If it's going to be a storm, I'd better lay in some more wood."

At the cost of great pain and labour, he dragged within reach of
the cave a number of dead trees. He was disgusted to find his stock
of provisions rather low.

"I wish I'd eaten less," he grumbled. "If I'm in for a three days'
storm, and it looks like that, my grub will run out. I'll have a
cup of tea to-night and save the grub for to-morrow."

As he was busy with these preparations, a sudden darkness fell on
the valley. A strange sound like a muffled roaring came up the
ravine. In a single minute everything was blotted out before him.
There hung down before his eyes a white, whirling, blinding,
choki