inte aux Tremble.

"He's been working there all fall," explained their informant, "and
Fosseneuve has a team of six fine dogs. He paid Pete a lot of money to
take him back to his camp night before last. They ought to be there
to-morrow some time."

This statement allayed the suspicion directed against the dissolute
Englishman and the young men made an early return to the camp.

"I'm glad I didn't say anything to Ewen and Miller," commented Colonel
Howell, when he learned that Chandler had gone still further into the
woods. "Now we'll get to work on our prospecting in earnest."

When the controlled gas had been piped into the cabin, in spite of the
cold weather, Ewen and Miller at once went to work building a new derrick
near the best prospect and sledging the boiler and engine to that
location. In this work nearly a week went by, the boys finding little to
do. The weather seemed settled into a cold spell in which the thermometer
ranged at noonday about twenty below.

It was at this time that a long suppressed ambition of Norman and Roy
came to the surface. They wanted a real hunting trip. The three young men
were natural lovers of the open and curious about animal life in the
wilderness. But, so far, none of the younger members of the camp had
really had an opportunity to test himself amid the rigors of a northern
winter.

Colonel Howell finally consented to their leaving on a hunting expedition
that would give them at least one over-night camp in the snow. This was
on the condition that Philip should accompany the shooting party and that
it should not proceed over a day's march from camp.

The plan of the hunt was really Roy's. He prepared the provisions and was
accepted as leader of the party.

"It wouldn't be any trouble to equip ourselves like tenderfeet," he
explained to Colonel Howell, "and to make a featherbed trip of this. But
we're going to travel like trappers."

The hunt was to be for caribou back over the hills in the direction of
the Barren Lands. In the end Colonel Howell agreed that the party might
advance two days' travel into the wilderness but that it must return to
camp on the evening of the fourth day.

Less than an hour's preparation was necessary and when Philip and the
three boys left camp one morning, the expedition had little appearance of
the usual, heavily laden winter hunters. Each member of the party was on
snowshoes, and behind them they drew a small sled containing their camp
e