across the valley. The
world of storm suddenly closed in upon them and narrowed down the
visible circle of desolation. Like hurrying troops of incalculable
units, the dots of frozen stuff went sweeping past in a blinding swarm.

The thing had become a blizzard. Jim halted his horse, convinced that
wisdom prompted them to turn their backs upon the fury and flee again
to Borealis, to await a calmer day for travelling. A fiercer buffeting
of wind puffed from the west, fiercely toothed with shot of snow. As
if in fear unnamable, a gaunt coyote suddenly appeared scurrying onward
before the hail and snow, and was quickly gone.

The horse shied violently out of the road. The girth of the saddle was
loosened. With a superhuman effort old Jim remained in his seat, but
he knew he must tighten the cinch. Dismounting, he permitted the horse
to face away from the gale. The pup came gladly to the shelter of the
miner's boots and clambered stiffly up on his leg, for a word of
companionship and comfort.

"All right," said Jim, giving him a pat on the head when the saddle was
once more secure in its place; "but I reckon we'll turn back homeward,
and I'll walk myself, for a spell, to warm me up. It may let up, and
if it does we can head for Fremont again without much loss of time."

With the bridle-rein over his shoulder, he led the horse back the way
they had come, his own head low on his breast, to avoid the particles
of snow that searched him out persistently.

They had not plodded homeward far when the miner presently discovered
they were floundering about in snow-covered brush. He quickly lifted
his head to look about. He could see for a distance of less than
twenty feet in any direction. Mountains, plain--the world of
white--had disappeared in the blinding onrush of snow and wind. A
chaos of driving particles comprised the universe. And by the token of
the brush underfoot they had wandered from the road. There had been no
attempt on the miner's part to follow any tracks they had left on their
westward course, for the gale and drift had obliterated every sign,
almost as soon as the horse's hoofs had ploughed them in the snow.

Believing that the narrow road across the desolation of the valley lay
to the right, he forged ahead in that direction. Soon they came upon
smoother walking, which he thought was an indication that the road they
sought was underfoot. It was not. He plodded onward for fifteen
minutes, h