he white snow in the
opens, but more frequently only the black shadows of the forest through
which they were passing. They had not left Le Pas more than two hours
behind when the sledge stopped again and Philip saw a few scattered
lights a short distance away.

"Must be Wekusko," he thought. "Hello, what's that?"

A voice came sharply from the opposite side of the box.

"Is that you, Fingy?" it demanded. "What the devil have you got there?"

"Your maps and things, sir," replied Fingy hoarsely. "Couldn't come up
to-morrow, so thought we'd do it to-night."

Philip heard the closing of a door, and footsteps crunched in the snow
close to his ears.

"Love o' God!" came the voice again. "What's this you've brought them up
in, Fingy?"

"Coffin box, sir. Only thing the maps'd fit into, and it's been layin'
around useless since MacVee kem down in it Mebby you can find use for
it, later," he chuckled grewsomely. "Ho-ho-ho! mebby you can!"

A moment later the box was lifted and Philip knew that he was being
carried up a step and through a door, then with a suddenness that
startled him he found himself standing upright. His prison had been set
on end!

"Not that way, man," objected Hodges, for Philip was now certain that
he was in the presence of the chief of construction. "Put it down--over
there in the corner."

"Not on your life," retorted Fingy, cracking his finger bones fiercely.
"See here. Mister Hodges, I ain't a coward, but I b'lieve in bein'
to the dead, 'n' to a box that's held one. It says on that red card,
'Head--This end up,' an', s'elp me, it's going to be up, unless you
put it down. I ain't goin' to be ha'nted by no ghosts! Ho, ho, ho--"
He approached close to the box. "I'll take this red card off, Mister
Hodges. It ain't nat'ral when there ain't nothing but maps 'n' things in
it."

If the cloth had not been about his mouth, it is possible that Philip
would not have restrained audible expression of his astonishment at what
happened an instant later. The card was torn off, and a ray of light
shot into his eyes. Through a narrow slit not more than a quarter of an
inch wide, and six inches long, he found himself staring out into the
room. The Fingy was close behind him. And in the rear of these two,
as if eager for their departure, was Hodges, chief of construction.
No sooner had the men gone than Hodges turned back to the table in the
center of the office. It was not difficult for Philip to see that the