ed that day on the spits. Men, women, children,
and dogs had stuffed themselves until there was nothing left. It was
the silence of Mutai--the "belly god"--the god who eats himself to
sleep each night--that hovered strangely over this Post of Fort O' God,
three hundred miles from civilization.

There was a light in the Factor's room, and Challoner entered with Miki
at his heels. MacDonnell, the Scotchman, was puffing moodily on his
pipe. There was a worried look in his ruddy face as the younger man
seated himself, and his eyes were on Miki.

"Durant has been here," he said. "He's ugly. I'm afraid of trouble. If
you hadn't struck him--"

Challoner shrugged his shoulders as he filled his own pipe from the
Factor's tobacco.

"You see--you don't just understand the situation at Fort 0' God," went
on MacDonnell. "There's been a big dog fight here at New Year for the
last fifty years. It's become a part of history, a part of Fort O' God
itself, and that's why in my own fifteen years here I haven't tried to
stop it. I believe it would bring on a sort of--revolution. I'd wager a
half of my people would go to another post with their furs. That's why
all the sympathy seems to be with Durant. Even Grouse Piet, his rival,
tells him he's a fool to let you get away with him that way. Durant
says that dog is HIS."

MacDonnell nodded at Miki, lying at Challoner's feet.

"Then he lies," said Challoner quietly.

"He says he bought him of Jacques Le Beau."

"Then Le Beau sold a dog that didn't belong to him."

For a moment MacDonnell was silent. Then he said:

"But that wasn't what I had you come over for, Challoner. Durant told
me something that froze my blood to-night. Your outfit starts for your
post up in the Reindeer Lake county to-morrow, doesn't it?"

"In the morning."

"Then could you, with one of my Indians and a team, arrange to swing
around by way of the Jackson's Knee? You'd lose a week, but you could
overtake your outfit before it reached the Reindeer--and it would be a
mighty big favour to me. There's a--a HELL of a thing happened over
there."

Again he looked at Miki.

"GAWD!" he breathed.

Challoner waited. He thought he saw a shudder pass through the Factor's
shoulders.

"I'd go myself--I ought to, but this frosted lung of mine has made me
sit tight this winter, Challoner. I OUGHT to go. Why--(a sudden glow
shot into his eyes)--I knew this Nanette Le Beau when she was SO HIGH,
fifteen years ago. I wa