e, he turned away his head. He would
not see anything which, in a weaker moment, might tempt him to give
information in order that he might save himself.

The man, seeing that he was recovered and safe to be left, without a
word of explanation glided off into the darkness.

Granger sat up and looked after him; he was puzzled by the memory of
those eyes. He ran through all the list of his acquaintance, and could
not place them. The blizzard had now subsided, and the stars shone
overhead. He must have lain unconscious for some time before being
found. All around him, and as far as eye could reach, the snow lay in
short choppy waves, which took on the appearance of motion by reason
of the shadows. As he watched, something lifted up its head above a
ridge, and he saw that it was one of the huskies. Either his team had
followed him, or the man had brought them with him. Rising to his
feet, on the other side of the fire he saw his sled. He felt hungry,
and going towards it was about to get out some provisions, when he
found that that was unnecessary; in the ashes a can of black tea was
brewing and some bacon had been left, also a bundle of wood sufficient
to last him till morning. He spent the remainder of the night there,
and at daybreak continued his journey to the portage.

When he reached the cabin and pushed open the door, he found that it
was occupied. An Indian, of the Sucker tribe, whom he had previously
met, was sitting there. Looking round he saw that Spurling's body was
in the same place and untouched, but that the load upon the sled had
been rifled.

When he had offered him some tobacco, the Indian, jerking his head in
the direction of the body, asked, "You kill him?"

Granger signed denial. The Indian looked doubtful. Then he said,
pointing to the old tracks in the cabin which his snowshoes had left,
"All the same, those your tracks."

Granger was in no mood for arguing, so he nodded assent. The Indian
was silent for a while. Presently he rose to his feet and harnessed in
his team. As he passed out of the door, he said, "You bad man. All the
same, you kill him."

Granger followed him out and saw him crossing the portage towards
God's Voice. He scraped a hole in the snow and buried Spurling.

On turning his attention to the sled, he saw that the Indian had taken
everything except the gold. He poured out the dust and nuggets above
Spurling's grave; it was the thing which he had loved most in life, as
some