der an
overhanging rock gave a good camp that night. Next day the bad weather
resumed, but, anxious to push on they faced it, guided chiefly by the
wind. It was northwest, and as long as they felt this fierce, burning
cold mercilessly gnawing on their hapless tender right cheek bones, they
knew they were keeping their proper main course.

They were glad indeed to rest at dusk and thaw their frozen faces. Next
day at dawn they were off; at first it was calm, but the surging of the
snow waves soon began again, and the air was filled with the spray of
their lashing till it was hard to see fifty yards in any direction. They
were making very bad time. The fourth day should have brought them to
Ogdensburg, but they were still far off; how far they could only guess,
for they had not come across a house or a settler.

Chapter 69. Ogdensburg

The same blizzard was raging on the next day when Skookum gave
unequivocal sign talk that he smelled something.

It is always well to find out what stirs your dog. Quonab looked hard at
Skookum. That sagacious mongrel was sniffing vigorously, up in the air,
not on the ground; his mane was not bristling, and the patch of dark
hair that every gray or yellow dog has at the base of his tail, was not
lifted.

"He smells smoke," was the Indian's quick diagnosis. Rolf pointed Up the
wind and made the sign-talk query. Quonab nodded.

It was their obvious duty to find out who was their smoky neighbour.
They were now not so far from the St. Lawrence; there was a small chance
of the smoke being from a party of the enemy; there was a large chance
of it being from friends; and the largest chance was that it came from
some settler's cabin where they could get necessary guidance.

They turned aside. The wind now, instead of on the right cheek, was
square in their faces. Rolf went forward increasing his pace till he was
as far ahead as was possible without being out of sight. After a mile
their way led downward, the timber was thicker, the wind less, and the
air no more befogged with flying snow. Rolf came to a long, deep trench
that wound among the trees; the snow at the bottom of it was very hard.
This was what he expected; the trail muffled under new, soft snow, but
still a fresh trail and leading to the camp that Skookum had winded.

He turned and made the sign for them to halt and wait. Then strode
cautiously along the winding guide line.

In twenty minutes the indications of a settlemen