ahead of them there was no forest. The Coppermine itself seemed to be
swallowed up in the vast white emptiness of the Barren. There could be
no surprise attack here, even at night. And yet there was something in
Blake's face which kept alive within him the strange premonition of a
near and unseen danger. Again and again he tried to shake off the
feeling. He argued with himself against the unreasonableness of the
thing that had begun to oppress him. Blake was in his power. It was
impossible for him to escape, and the outlaw's life depended utterly
upon his success in getting them safely to the cabin. It was not
conceivable to suppose that Blake would sacrifice his life merely that
they might fall into the hands of the Eskimos. And yet--

He watched Blake--watched him more and more closely as they buried
themselves deeper in that unending chaos of the north. And Blake, it
seemed to him, was conscious of that increasing watchfulness. He
increased his speed. Now and then Philip heard a curious chuckling
sound smothered in his beard, and after an hour's travel on the
snow-covered ice of the river he could no longer dull his vision to the
fact that the farther they progressed into the open country, the more
confident Blake was becoming. He did not question him. He realized the
futility of attempting to force his prisoner into conversation. In that
respect it was Blake who held the whip hand. He could lie or tell the
truth, according to the humor of his desire. Blake must have guessed
this thought in Philip's mind. They were traveling side by side when he
suddenly laughed. There was an unmistakable irony in his voice when he
said:

"It's funny, Raine, that I should like you, ain't it? A man who's
mauled you, an' threatened to kill you! I guess it's because I'm so
cussed sorry for you. You're heading straight for the gates of hell,
an' they're open--wide open."

"And you?"

This time Blake's laugh was harsher.

"I don't count--now," he said. "Since you've made up your mind not to
trade me the girl for your life I've sort of dropped out of the game. I
guess you're thinking I can hold Upi's tribe back. Well, I can't--not
when you're getting this far up in their country. If we split the
difference, and you gave me HER, Upi would meet me half way. God, but
you've spoiled a nice dream!"

"A dream?"

Blake uttered a command to the dogs.

"Yes--more'n that. I've got an igloo up there even finer than
Upi's--all built of wha