ound the waist next to the skin, nor did he find a
gold-sack. In a breast pocket he lit on a small wallet. With fingers
that swiftly went numb with the frost, he hurried through the contents
of the wallet. There were letters with foreign stamps and postmarks on
them, and several receipts and memorandum accounts, and a letter of
credit for eight hundred dollars. That was all. There was no money.

He made a movement to start back toward the sled, but found his foot
rooted to the trail. He glanced down and saw that he stood in a fresh
deposit of frozen red. There was red ice on his torn pants leg and on
the moccasin beneath. With a quick effort he broke the frozen clutch of
his blood and hobbled along the trail to the sled. The big leader that
had bitten him began snarling and lunging, and was followed in this
conduct by the whole team.

Morganson wept weakly for a space, and weakly swayed from one side to
the other. Then he brushed away the frozen tears that gemmed his lashes.
It was a joke. Malicious chance was having its laugh at him. Even John
Thompson, with his heaven-aspiring whiskers, was laughing at him.

He prowled around the sled demented, at times weeping and pleading with
the brutes for his life there on the sled, at other times raging
impotently against them. Then calmness came upon him. He had been making
a fool of himself. All he had to do was to go to the tent, get the axe,
and return and brain the dogs. He'd show them.

In order to get to the tent he had to go wide of the sled and the savage
animals. He stepped off the trail into the soft snow. Then he felt
suddenly giddy and stood still. He was afraid to go on for fear he would
fall down. He stood still for a long time, balancing himself on his
crippled legs that were trembling violently from weakness. He looked
down and saw the snow reddening at his feet. The blood flowed freely as
ever. He had not thought the bite was so severe. He controlled his
giddiness and stooped to examine the wound. The snow seemed rushing up
to meet him, and he recoiled from it as from a blow. He had a panic fear
that he might fall down, and after a struggle he managed to stand
upright again. He was afraid of that snow that had rushed up to him.

Then the white glimmer turned black, and the next he knew he was
awakening in the snow where he had fallen. He was no longer giddy. The
cobwebs were gone. But he could not get up. There was no strength in his
limbs. His body seemed