broke beneath him.
For a few tense moments his numbed fingers held him to the slope. He
tried in terror to kick another hole; the attempt failed, his hands
slipped away, and he began to slide downward, the snow driving up into
his face. The pace grew rapidly faster; he could not keep himself
straight, but slid on his side; then his pack caught something that
turned him farther round so that his head was lowest. He could see
nothing; his pace grew frightful, and he drove on, unable to make the
least effort.

How long this continued he had no idea. It was a terrifying experience;
but at length, to his dull astonishment, his speed slackened suddenly and
he stopped. He found that he was whole in limb, and on getting up
cautiously he was forced to the conclusion that he was little the worse
for his rapid descent. His clothes were packed with snow, but it was
easily shaken out. After recovering a little, he saw that he had brought
up on a slope that fell less sharply and that it would be possible to
walk down it without much trouble. The timber was close ahead, and he
smiled as he remembered his horror; it looked as if he might have made
the descent uninjured if he had calmly sat down and let himself go.

Moving downward among the trees, he had almost reached the bottom of the
valley when he came upon a belt of rugged stones, and in picking a path
across them slipped and fell. He was not much hurt, but when he went on
again his foot felt sore and he was limping when he reached the river.
One or two trees near it had been chopped, and a spur of rock lower down
had its summit marked by a pole. He had reached the line of track, and he
followed it west, having heard there was a camp farther on, though his
informants did not know whether it was now occupied. It was, however, a
relief to stop among a clump of spruce at dusk. When he had made a fire
he examined his foot. There was no sign of injury except that ankle and
instep were rather red, and he went to sleep reassured.

In the morning he was surprised to find that the foot was painful and
that the back of his leg felt strained. He would have been tempted to
remain in camp only that his provisions were nearly exhausted, and after
a meager breakfast he resumed the march. The bottom of the valley was
level, the timber thin, but there was a good deal of brush to be
struggled through and before long he was forced to take to the winding
river. By noon it cost him a determined eff