ter spring to his feet, dragging Brick after him.
Then Hamp's voice rang sharp and clear, in tones of entreaty:

"Run, Jerry! run! I'll hold him as long as I can."

This broke the spell. Jerry knew that Hamp was beyond hope of rescue. He
dropped the latter's snowshoes, but held on to his own. He dashed over
the threshold and into the moonlit clearing.

There was no time to look for the trapper's tracks. He remembered his
saying to Bogle that his camp lay north of the swamp. Luckily Jerry had
his bearings, and knew what direction to take.

He sped around the end of the cabin and plunged into the thicket. As he
ran on and on, the tumult behind him faded away. The recent cold snap
had formed a crust on the snow, and he made pretty good progress. Now
and then, however, he struck weak spots and broke through to his knees.
At the end of half-an-hour he ventured to stop. He seated himself on a
log and strapped his snowshoes on securely. He was conscious of a
feeling of elation. Not a sound could be heard but the rustle of the
wind.

"I don't believe they know which direction I took," he reflected.
"Anyway, I have a good start, and I mean to keep it. Once I find Mowry's
camp, I will be all right. I can't afford to lose any time, so here
goes."

He struck off again at a swinging gait. The snowshoes made traveling a
delightful task. The moonlight was a great help to him. It shone into
the gloomy recesses of the swamp.

At the end of two hours he passed from the confines of the swamp into a
fragrant pine forest. There was a steep hill some distance in front of
him. He might have gone to right or left, but he was not sure that he
had kept unswervingly to the north since he fled from the cabin.

Jerry vaguely feared that he had lost his bearings It occurred to him
that from high ground he might put himself right, or catch a flickering
gleam of Mowry's campfire. So he toiled up the hill, never noting that
his snowshoes left a plain imprint with every step. He gained a ridge
and pushed along it for some distance.

But the undergrowth and timber were heavy, and he could not see far
beyond them. He suddenly discovered that he was exhausted and worn out.
He thought of climbing a tree to obtain an unobstructed view, but the
effort seemed too great. He sat down on a snow-covered bowlder to rest.
He was in a glow of heat and perspiration, and did not feel the cold.
The silvery moonlight streamed upon an open glade in front of him.