morning, "we've got to live somehow
till the ice goes out." The Boy sat thinking. The Colonel went on: "And
we can't go to Dawson cleaned out. No tellin' whether there are any
proper banks there or whether my Louisville instructions got through.
Of course, we've got the dogs yet."

"Don't care how soon we sell Red and Spot."

After breakfast the Boy tied Nig up securely behind Keith's shack, and
followed the Colonel about with a harassed and watchful air.

"No market for dogs now," seemed to be the general opinion, and one
person bore up well under the news.

But the next day a man, very splashed and muddy, and obviously just in
from the gulches, stopped, in going by Keith's, and looked at Nig.

"Dog market's down," quoted the Boy internally to hearten himself.

"That mahlemeut's for sale," observed the Colonel to the stranger.

"These are." The Boy hastily dragged Red and Spot upon the scene.

"How much?"

"Seventy-five dollars apiece."

The man laughed. "Ain't you heard the dog season's over?"

"Well, don't you count on livin' to the next?"

The man pushed his slouch over his eyes and scratched the back of his
head.

"Unless I can git 'em reasonable, dogs ain't worth feedin' till next
winter."

"I suppose not," said the Boy sympathetically; "and you can't get fish
here."

"Right. Feedin' yourn on bacon, I s'pose, at forty cents a pound?'

"Bacon and meal."

"Guess you'll get tired o' that."

"Well, we'd sell you the red dog for sixty dollars," admitted the Boy.

The man stared. "Give you thirty for that black brute over there."

"Thirty dollars for Nig!"

"And not a--cent more. Dogs is down." He could get a dozen as good for
twenty-five dollars.

"Just you try." But the Colonel, grumbling, said thirty dollars was
thirty dollars, and he reckoned he'd call it a deal. The Boy stared,
opened his mouth to protest, and shut it without a sound.

The Colonel had untied Nig, and the Leader, unmindful of the impending
change in his fortunes, dashed past the muddy man from the gulch with
such impetuosity that he knocked that gentleman off his legs. He picked
himself up scowling, and was feeling for his gold sack.

"Got scales here?"

"No need of scales." The Boy whipped out a little roll of money,
counted out thirty dollars, and held it towards the Colonel. "I can
afford to keep Nig awhile if that's his figure."

The stranger was very angry at this new turn in the dog deal. He had
seen that Siwa