to die when he
would not look on me with favour. Then I wanted to die when I thought I
should never possess him. Now it is enough that I am near him, that I
lay his fire, and cook his tea and caribou, that I follow his trail,
that I am ready when he needs me, that I can raise my eyes and see him
breaking the trail. For when I look up at him the sun breaks out, and
the snow shines, and there is a light under the trees. And when I think
of raising my eyes, and he not there, nor anywhere near, then my heart
freezes, Little Father, freezes with loneliness."

Abruptly she arose, casting aside the blanket and stretching her arms
rigid above her head. Then with equal abruptness she stooped, caught up
her bedding, spread it out, and lay down stolidly to rest, turning her
back to both the white men.

But Sam remained crouched by the fire until the morning hour of waking,
staring with troubled eyes.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Later in the morning Dick attempted some remark on the subject of the
girl's presence. At once Sam whirled on him with a gust of passion
utterly unlike his ordinary deliberate and even habit.

"Shut your damned mouth!" he fairly shouted.

Dick whistled in what he thought was a new enlightenment, and followed
literally the other's vigorous advice. Not a syllable did he utter for
an hour, by which time the sun had risen. Then he stopped and pointed to
a fresh trail converging into that they were following.

The prints of two pairs of snow-shoes joined; those of one returned.

Sam gasped. Dick looked ironical. The interpretation was plain without
the need of words. The Chippewa and the girl, although they had started
to the southeast, had made a long detour in order again to reach
Jingoss. These two pairs of snow-shoe tracks marked where they had
considered it safe again to strike into the old trail made by the
Chippewa in going and coming. The one track showed where Ah-tek had
pushed on to rejoin his friend; the other was that of the girl returning
for some reason the night before, perhaps to throw them off the scent.

"Looks as if they'd fooled you, and fooled you good," said Dick,
cheerfully.

For a single instant doubt drowned Sam's faith in his own insight and in
human nature.

"Dick," said he, quietly, "raise your eyes."

Not five rods farther on the trail the two had camped for the night.
Evidently Ah-tek had discovered his detour to have lasted out the day,
and, having satisfied himsel