ot driving now, merely floating down lazily and
persistently.

"That means it will come for a long time," said Boyd. "Snow clouds are
like men. If they begin to pour out their energy in vast quantities
they're soon exhausted, but if they work in deliberate fashion they do
much more. I take it that this snow won't stop today, nor maybe tonight,
nor the next day either."

"We can stand it," said Will. "We're well housed up and we're safe from
invasion. If you and Tom will get breakfast I'll feed the horses and
mules."

They had employed a large part of the time cutting the thick grass with
their hunting knives, and it was now stored in the stable in a
considerable quantity, out of the reach of the longest neck among the
horses and mules. They were responsive as usual when he came among them,
and nuzzled him, because they liked him and because they knew he was the
provider of food, that is, he was in effect a god to them.

Will talked to the animals and gave to every one his portion of hay,
watching them with pleasure as they ate it, and returned thanks in their
own way. When he made his way back through the snow, breakfast was ready
and, although they were sparing with the coffee and bread, every one
could have all the meat he wished.

"Now, there'll be nothing for us to do but sit around the house," said
Boyd, the breakfast over.

"Which means that I kin put in a lot o' my spare time readin'," said the
Little Giant. "Young William, bring me my Shakespeare! What, you say I
furgot to put it in my pack! Well, then bring me my copy o' the
Declaration o' Independence. I always like them words in it, 'Give me
lib'ty or give me death!' '_Sic semper tyrannis!_'"

"'Give me liberty or give me death' is not in the Declaration of
Independence, Giant. Those words were used by Patrick Henry in an
address."

"Well, they ought to hev been thar, an' ef Patrick Henry hadn't been so
fresh an' used 'em first they would a-been. But you can't go back on
'_sic semper tyrannis!_'"

"They couldn't possibly be in the declaration, Giant, because they're
Latin."

"I reckon the signers o' the Declaration wuz good enough to write Latin
an' talk it, too, ef they wanted to."

"They were used eighteen or nineteen hundred years ago by a Roman."

"I guess that's one advantage o' livin' early. You kin git the fust
chance at what's best. Anyway, they did say a lot o' rousin' things in
the Declaration, though I don't remember exactly what th