t the inequalities among
the rocks. Bright sunshine streamed down on them, the sledge ran
easily up the slopes and down the hollows, and looking back when they
nooned Harding noticed the straightness of their course. Picked out in
delicate shades of blue against the unbroken white surface surrounding
it, the sledge trail ran back with scarcely a waver to the crest of a
rise two miles away. This was not how they had journeyed north, with
the icy wind in their faces, laboriously struggling round broken ridges
and through tangled woods. Harding was a sanguine man, but experience
warned him to prepare for much less favourable conditions. It was not
often the wilderness showed a smiling face.

Still, the fine weather held and they were deep in the timber when they
parted from their guide on a frozen stream which he must follow while
they pushed south across a rugged country. He was not a companionable
person, and spoke only a few words of barbarous French, but they were
sorry to see the last of him when he left them with a friendly
farewell. He had brought them speedily a long distance on their way,
but they must now trust to the compass and their own resources, while
the loads they strapped on were unpleasantly heavy. Before this task
was finished dogs and driver had vanished up the white riband of the
stream, and they felt lonely as they stood in the bottom of the gorge
with steep rocks and dark pines hemming them in. Blake glanced at the
high bank with a rueful smile.

"There are advantages in having a good guide, and we hadn't to face a
climb like that all the way," he said. "Anyhow, we had better get up."

It cost them some labour and, after reaching the summit they stopped to
look for the easiest road. Ahead, as far as they could see, small,
ragged pines grew among the rocks, and breaks in the uneven surface
hinted at troublesome ravines.

"It looks rough," said Benson. "There's rather a high ridge yonder.
It might save trouble to work round its end. What do you think?"

"When I'm not sure," said Harding, "I mean to go straight south."

Benson gave him a sympathetic nod. "One can understand that; you have
better reasons for getting back than the rest of us, though I've no
particular wish to loiter up here. Break the trail, Blake; due south
by compass!"

They plunged deeper into the broken belt, clambering down ravines,
crossing frozen lakes and snowy creeks. Indeed, they were thankful
when a str