at his shoulder. "We'll
fool 'em, boy. And we'll fight--if we have to."

He began worming his head and shoulders and body into the air-drift
like a gimlet. A foot at a time he burrowed himself through, heaving
his body up and down and sideways to pack the light snow, leaving a
round tunnel two feet in diameter behind him. Within an hour he had
come to the outer crust on the windward side of the big snow-dune. He
did not break through this crust, which was as tough as crystal-glass,
but lay quietly for a time and listened to the sweep of the wind
outside. It was warm, and very comfortable, and he had half-dozed off
before he caught himself back into wakefulness and returned to his
room. The mouth of his tunnel he packed with snow. After that he wound
the blanket about him and gave himself up calmly to sleep.

Only Peter lay awake after that. And it was Peter who roused Jolly
Roger in what would have been the early dawn outside the snow-dune.
McKay felt his restless movement, and opened his eyes. A faint light
was illumining his room, and he sat up. In the outer room the alcohol
lamp was burning again. He could hear movement, and voices that were
very low and indistinct. Carefully he dug out once more the little hole
in the snow wall, and widened the slit.

Breault and Tavish were asleep, but Porter was sitting up, and close
beside him sat the girl. Her coiled hair was loosened, and fallen over
her shoulders. There was no sign of drowsiness in her wide-open eyes as
they stared at the door between the two rooms. McKay could see her hand
clasping Porter's arm. Porter was talking, with his face so close to
her bent head that his lips touched her hair, and though Jolly Roger
could understand no word that was spoken he knew Porter was whispering
the exciting secret of his identity to Josephine Tavish. He could see,
for a moment, a shadow of protest in her face, he could hear the quick,
sibilant whisper of her voice, and Porter cautioned her with a finger
at her lips, and made a gesture toward the sleeping Tavish. Then his
fingers closed about her uncoiled hair as he drew her to him. McKay
watched the long kiss between them. The girl drew away quickly then,
and Porter tucked the blanket about her when she lay down beside her
father. After that he stretched out again beside Breault.

Jolly Roger guessed what had happened. The girl had awakened, a bit
nervous, and had roused Porter and asked him to relight the alcohol
lamp. A