ling was spitted the carcass of a caribou, to be roasted whole
by the heat of the fire beneath. The fires were lighted at dusk, and
Williams himself started the first of those wild songs of the
Northland--the song of the caribou, as the flames leaped up into the
dark night.

"Oh, ze cariboo-oo-oo, ze cariboo-oo-oo,
He roas' on high,
Jes' under ze sky.
air-holes beeg white cariboo-oo-oo!"

"Now!" he yelled. "Now--all together!" And carried away by his
enthusiasm, the forest people awakened from their silence of months,
and the song burst forth in a savage frenzy that reached to the skies.

* * * * *

Two miles to the south and west that first thunder of human voice
reached the ears of Kazan and Gray Wolf and the masterless huskies. And
with the voices of men they heard now the excited howlings of dogs. The
huskies faced the direction of the sounds, moving restlessly and
whining. For a few moments Kazan stood as though carven of rock. Then he
turned his head, and his first look was to Gray Wolf. She had slunk back
a dozen feet and lay crouched under the thick cover of a balsam shrub.
Her body, legs and neck were flattened in the snow. She made no sound,
but her lips were drawn back and her teeth shone white.

Kazan trotted back to her, sniffed at her blind face and whined. Gray
Wolf still did not move. He returned to the dogs and his jaws opened and
closed with a snap. Still more clearly came the wild voice of the
carnival, and no longer to be held back by Kazan's leadership, the four
huskies dropped their heads and slunk like shadows in its direction.
Kazan hesitated, urging Gray Wolf. But not a muscle of Gray Wolf's body
moved. She would have followed him in face of fire but not in face of
man. Not a sound escaped her ears. She heard the quick fall of Kazan's
feet as he left her. In another moment she knew that he was gone.
Then--and not until then--did she lift her head, and from her soft
throat there broke a whimpering cry.

It was her last call to Kazan. But stronger than that there was running
through Kazan's excited blood the call of man and of dog. The huskies
were far in advance of him now and for a few moments he raced madly to
overtake them. Then he slowed down until he was trotting, and a hundred
yards farther on he stopped. Less than a mile away he could see where
the flames of the great fires were reddening the sky. He gazed back to
see if Gray Wolf was foll