two I buried
him."

His voice grew hoarse. "After that it didn't seem to matter what became
of me, but I kept the trail somehow, and found I couldn't stay up
yonder. That's why I started south with some of them before the summer
came. Now I'm here--talking English--talking with white men--but it
doesn't seem the same as it should have been--without the others."

He talked no more that night, but Wyllard translated part of his story
for the benefit of Overweg.

"The thing, it seems incredible," commented the scientist. "This man,
who has so little to tell, knows things which would make a trained
explorer famous."

"It generally happens that way," said Wyllard. "The men who know can't
tell."

Overweg made a sign of assent, and then changed the subject.

"What shall you do now?" he asked.

"Start for the inlet, where we expect to find the schooner, at sunrise.
I want to say"--Wyllard hesitated--"that you have laid an obligation on
me which I can never repay; but I can, at least, replace the provisions
you have given me."

"That goes for nothing," declared Overweg, with a smile. "I have,
however, drawn upon my base camp rather heavily, and should be glad of
any stores from the schooner that you could let me have. The difficulty
is that I do not wish to go too far toward the beach."

They arranged a rendezvous a few days' march from the inlet, and in
another half-hour all of them were fast asleep.

When the first of the daylight came Wyllard set off with his two
companions, and since it was evident that Dampier must have now lain in
the inlet awaiting them a considerable time, they marched fast for
several days. Then, to their consternation, they came upon the Siwash
lying beside a river badly lame. It appeared that in climbing a slippery
ridge of rock the knee he had injured had given way, and he had fallen
some distance heavily, after which the Kamtchadale, finding him
helpless, had disappeared with most of the provisions. None of the party
ever learned what had become of the faithless courier, but they realized
that the situation was now a rather serious one. Charly, who looked at
Wyllard when he had heard the Indian's story, explained it concisely.

"I'm worrying about the boat we left on the edge of the ice," he said.
"I've had a notion all along it was going to make trouble. Dampier would
see the wreckage when he ran in, and I guess it would only mean one
thing to him. He'd make quite certain he was righ