a scramble ensued for a glance at the rapidly disappearing
team, and then shouts of laughter shook the building.

"A drink to the fool's success!" shouted Pritchen in high glee. "Say,
Sam, you're a corker. You've missed your calling. You should be on
the stage."

"Did he bite quick?" chimed in Perdue.

"Ha, ha, he bit like a d-- sucker. But there's one thing I can't
savvy."

"What's that?"

"He knew when Perkins arrived, and asked me why he didn't go to him at
once."

"The devil!" ejaculated Pritchen, setting down his half-drained cup.
"How in h-- did he know that?"

"Who shaid Perkins?" broke in a watery-eyed individual, staggering up
to the group. "Here he-hic-ish. Watcher want, eh?"

"It's all right, Dave," laughed Pritchen. "Come and have a drink. You
held the trump card this time without any doubt."

"Don't care'f I do," assented the man. "I-hic-alish holds trumps."

While the men laughed, drank, and swore in the saloon, Keith was
speeding far out upon the long trail. The dogs were in excellent form,
and enjoyed the exhilarating exercise with their beloved master. The
moon was full, and only a short pause was made at night for rest and
refreshment.

On the second day from Klassan the weather changed. The air became
milder, and a dull grey sky lowered overhead. In the afternoon the
wind began to blow, and ere long man and dogs were flecked with
particles of driving snow. The mountain tops were hidden from view,
and the storm rolled along their sides like the smoke of a thousand
cannon. It burst from the funnel-like pass to their left, swept across
the valley, and struck the travellers full abeam.

Hector, the wheel dog, howled and nipped Don's heels, whose teeth
gleamed white at the insult. But Yukon uttered never a sound. He gave
one lightning glance at his master, straightened himself out in the
harness, and nosed his way through the storm. For an hour they thus
proceeded, the trail becoming more difficult all the time. At length
it was entirely obliterated, and nothing remained to guide them in
their onward march. The wind raved and tore round them; the snow
curled and encircled their bodies like a huge winding sheet, half
blinding them as they staggered on. No friendly forest was near to
give them shelter. The region through which they were passing was a
vast, desolate tract of burnt land. The dead trees, stripped of every
vestige of foliage, stood out gaunt and weird.