the gray dawn broke above the
trees, he got up stiff with cold; and, after eating his share of a very
frugal breakfast, he carefully examined his rifle. Though he kept it
clean of superfluous grease, there was some risk of the striker and
magazine-slide freezing; and a missfire might prove disastrous.
Glancing up between the branches, he noticed the low, dingy sky;
although he thought it was not quite so cold.

"I'm going to look for a caribou," he said. "I'll be back by dark."

"We'll have snow," Harding warned him. "If there's much, you'll find
it hard to get home."

"I'd find it harder to do without breakfast and supper, which is what
may happen very soon."

"Anyway, you had better take one of us along."

"With the ax?" Blake said, laughing. "It's bad enough to reach a
caribou with a rifle. Benson's as poor a hand at stalking as I know,
while a day's rest may save you from getting a snowshoe leg. As we
haven't a sled, it would be awkward to carry you to the factory."

They let him go; but when he reached the open his face hardened. The
sky had a threatening look, the snow was soft, and there were wolves
about; but he was comparatively safe while daylight lasted, and food
must be found. During the morning he saw wolf tracks, but no sign of a
deer, and at noon he sat down for a few minutes in a sheltered hollow
and managed to light the half-frozen pipe he kept in an inner pocket.
He had brought nothing to eat, for they had decided that it would be
prudent to dispense with a midday meal. Getting stiffly on his feet,
after he had smoked a while, he plodded from bluff to bluff throughout
the afternoon. For the most part, they were thin and the trees very
small, while the country between them seemed to be covered with slabs
of rocks and stones. It was utterly empty, with no sign of life in it,
but Blake continued his search until the light began to fail, when he
stopped to look about.

No snow had fallen, but the sky was very thick and a stinging wind had
risen. He would have trouble in reaching camp if his trail got drifted
up. He knew that he should have turned back earlier; but there was
what seemed to be an extensive woods in front, and he could not face
the thought of returning empty-handed to his half-starved companions.
The gray trees were not far away; he might reach them and make a mile
or two on the back trail before dark, though he was weary and hunger
had given him a distressing pain in hi