as well have let you pull too," said the latter; "but never
mind--you may rest this time."

No fires were burning yet, as they trudged on over the frozen snow,
while the stars glittered brilliantly as if it were midnight, giving
quite enough light for them to make their way over the four miles which
divided them from Tregelly's claim.

"Getting pretty close now," he said, breaking the silence; for the
rugged state of the slippery snow had resulted in the latter part of the
journey being made in silence, only broken by the crunching of the icy
particles and the squeaking sound made from time to time by the sledge
runners as they glided over the hard surface.

Suddenly Tregelly stopped short, and as they were in single file, the
rest halted too.

"What's the matter?" said Dallas.

"Why, some one's took up a claim and made a shanty close up to mine.
No, by thunder! They've got in my place and lit a fire! Oh, I'm not
going to stand that!"

"What impudence!" said Dallas.

"Impudence! I call it real cheek! But come on; I'll soon have them out
of that!"

"Hist!" whispered Abel; "let's go up carefully and see first. It may be
some one we know."

"Whether we know them or whether we don't," said Tregelly angrily,
"they're coming out, and at once. Do you hear? There's more than one
of them. Come along."

But before he had taken a dozen of his huge strides towards the hut,
from whose rough chimney the ruddy smoke and sparks were rising, there
was a wild hoarse cry as of some one in agony, and the sound of a
struggle going on, while fierce oaths arose, and a voice, horrible in
its weird, strange tones, shrieked out so that the words reached their
ears:

"The dog--the dog! Keep him from me, or he'll tear my heart right out!"
while at the same moment Scruff barking fiercely, bounded forward
towards the door, just as a cry of horror arose, so awful that it seemed
to freeze the marrow in the young men's bones.

"Come on," shouted Tregelly; "they're killing some one."

The two young men needed no inciting. Following Tregelly closely, they
ran towards the door, which was flung open as their leader reached it,
and Tregelly was dashed back against them with such violence that he
would have fallen but for their support.

At the same moment, after they had caught, by the light of the fire
within, a glimpse of two rough-looking men, one of them apparently as
big as their companion, the door swung to again and all