g their fangs in his shaggy hair, intent on tearing
him to death--an old-timer husky can stand a good deal of that. He
strained on the traces, exposing to them only his hindquarters,
running well ahead, and keeping his throat safe. Not until the two men
had clubbed them nearly senseless did they subside into sullen
quietness; and then only so long as they were watched. Once a back was
turned, the four hind dogs piled on to their leader and the fight
recommenced.

"You won't go far with them," said Granger. He did not notice the look
of reawakened suspicion which flickered in Strangeways' eyes. "You
won't go far with them; the moment you camp and that yellow-faced
beast gets his chance, he'll chew your four dogs to pieces. That's
what he's there for, it's my belief--he's playing Spurling's game.
He'll take you fifty or a hundred miles from Murder Point, and there
leave you stranded."

"What would you advise?" This was spoken in a quiet voice.

"I would advise you to wait here till the summer has come, and then to
proceed by water."

"But on snow I can follow his trail, whereas travel by water leaves no
traces."

"What does that matter? Instead of following him, let him return to
you, as he did to-night. You've driven him up a blind alley on this
Last Chance River; he can only go to the blank wall of the Bay, and
then come back."

"He can reach the House of the Crooked Creek."

"And if he does, what of that? He'll be touching the blank wall then.
They won't want him. The first question that they'll ask him will be,
'And what have you come here for?' If he can't give a satisfactory
account of himself, they'll place him under arrest. When you get news
of that, you can go up there and fetch him."

"And if he doesn't get so far as that?"

"You can set out by canoe and drive him back, and back, till you come
to the Bay, and he can go no further."

"He might hide, and I might pass him on the way--what then?"

"In that case he'd double back and come past Murder Point, trying to
get out."

"In the meanwhile I should be a hundred, two hundred miles to the
northwards, travelling towards the Bay on my fool's errand, and who
would be here to capture him?"

"Why, I should."

"Precisely."

Granger started; the way in which that last word had been spoken had
made Strangeways' meaning manifest. He blushed like a girl at the
shame of it. "Surely you don't still distrust me? You don't think me
such a sneak that, havin