ss.

The tent was hardly in position, and all within, huddling around the
stove, in which Tim had just started a fire, when they were startled by
a hail:

"Halloa, the house!"

The four hurried outside, where a striking sight met them. Eight men,
each with a heavy pack strapped over his shoulders, and bending over
with his load, thickly clad, but with their faces, so far as they could
be seen through the wrappings, wet and red, had halted in front of the
tent, which they scrutinized with wonder.

"Are you going to begin digging here?" called one of the men, whose
eyes, nose, and mouth were all that was visible behind his muffler.

"Not while the storm lasts," replied Tim. "If we had room, we'd ask ye
to come inside and enj'y yoursilves till the weather clears. At any
rate, we'll be glad to give ye something warm to ate and drink."

"Oh, that's it!" exclaimed another of the men. "You're afraid of the
storm, are you?"

"We're not much afraid, but we ain't in love with the same. Won't ye
come in--that is, one or two at a time?"

"Thanks for your invitation, but we haven't the time to spare. We're
afeared they'll get all the gold in the Klondike country if we don't
hurry. You're foolish to loiter along the road like this."

"We're willing to lose a bit of the goold for sake of the comfort. If
ye are bound to go on, we wish ye good luck."

"The same to yourselves," the plucky and hopeful miners called as they
plodded forward.

For two dreary days the party was storm-stayed in camp.

"Here," said Jeff Graham, when making ready to resume their voyage, "we
leave our Yukon sleds."

"Shall we not need them on our return?" asked Roswell.

"We should if we returned by this route, but I wouldn't work my way
against these streams and through the passes again for all the gold in
the Klondike country. We shall take the steamer down the Yukon to St.
Michael's, and so on to Seattle."

"That is a long voyage," suggested Hardman.

"Yes, four thousand miles; but it will be easy enough for us when we
are on a steamer."

"The Yukon is closed for eight months or more each year."

"We don't intend to go down it when it's closed, for I didn't bring
skates along, and I don't know how to skate, anyway."

"You do not expect to stay long in the Klondike country?" was the
inquiring remark of Hardman, who showed little interest in the
intentions of their leader.

"That depends; we shall come back in two months, or six, or a y