track, left it, and went ahead again--travelling three miles
to make one.

"What's the matter now?"

The Boy was too tired to turn his head round and look back, but he knew
that the other man wasn't doing his share. He remembered that other
time when the Colonel had fallen behind. It seemed years ago, and even
further away was the vague recollection of how he'd cared. How horribly
frightened he'd been! Wasn't he frightened now? No. It was only a dull
curiosity that turned him round at last to see what it was that made
the Colonel peg out this time. He was always peggin' out. Yes, there he
was, stoppin' to stroke himself. Trail-man? An old woman! Fit only for
the chimney-corner. And even when they went on again he kept saying to
himself as he bent to the galling strain, "An old woman--just an old
woman!" till he made a refrain of the words, and in the level places
marched to the tune. After that, whatever else his vague thought went
off upon, it came back to "An old woman--just an old woman!"

It was at a bad place towards the end of that forced march that the
Colonel, instead of lifting the back of the sled, bore hard on the
handle-bar. With a vicious sound it snapped. The Boy turned heavily at
the noise. When he saw the Colonel standing, dazed, with the splintered
bar in his hand, his dull eyes flashed. With sudden vigour he ran back
to see the extent of the damage.

"Well, it's pretty discouragin'," says the Colonel very low.

The Boy gritted his teeth with suppressed rage. It was only a chance
that it hadn't happened when he himself was behind, but he couldn't see
that. No; it was the Colonel's bungling--tryin' to spare himself;
leanin' on the bar instead o' liftin' the sled, as he, the Boy, would
have done.

With stiff hands they tried to improvise a makeshift with a stick of
birch and some string.

"Don't know what you think," says the Colonel presently, "but I call
this a desperate business we've undertaken."

The Boy didn't trust himself to call it anything. With a bungled job
they went lamely on. The loose snow was whirling about so, it was
impossible to say whether it was still falling, or only
hurricane-driven.

To the Colonel's great indignation it was later than usual before they
camped.

Not a word was spoken by either till they had finished their first
meal, and the Colonel had melted a frying-pan full of snow preparatory
to the second. He took up the rice-bag, held it by the top, and ran his