gunned his
car for a final burst of speed then cut rear drive and dropped
swoopingly down the grade, whipping along in Alec's tracks. The trail
curved sharply ahead and Troy gently manipulated the front fork skis
into a snowplow to cut speed. His fingers rested lightly on the
pressure switch that would open small scoops on the under surfaces of
all skis for additional braking power. As a final resort, the engine
thrust could be shifted from rear to forward reaction to bring him to
a complete stop and even send the car backwards.

* * * * *

The Sno car whipped around and down the trail. As the roadway swung to
the south slope of the range, the track in the fresh snow cut by the
lead vehicle turned dark gray and then almost black. When the present
storm had ended and before new snow fell again, the south slopes would
again be stained with clouds of black, mono-molecular film, gushing
out in clouds behind spray jets of the survey planes. Each successive
layer was treated, lessening the evaporative surface effects of the
sun upon the south slopes and holding as much of the moisture-giving
snow to the earth for controlled runoff. A pair of fresh elk-tracks
came down the side of the mountain and cut across the trail and Troy
braked to peer through the trees for a glimpse of the animals. But
they had vanished, frightened by the sudden intrusion of the men.

A half hour later and four thousand feet lower, the trail joined a
wider and more traveled road. Alec turned onto the road and increased
speed. A few minutes later, the Sno cars flashed by a sign reading
"Elk City--4 miles." Alec cut speed and waited for Troy to pull
alongside, then the two cars glided slowly to the edge of the
wilderness community. At the outskirts of the little town the snow on
the road came to an abrupt end. Chemically-treated paving kept the
roadways warm and bare of snow. Ahead, the pavement into town was wet
and glistening and even falling snow had stopped. Rear skis were again
retracted and the front wheels lowered for non-snow driving and then
the two vehicles rumbled slowly into Elk City.

They came to a halt at the ranger station and dismounted.

"Let's call for a taxi and then go for a cup of coffee and another
bite," Troy said. "I'm starved again."

"You and that hollow stomach to match your head," Alec grunted.

They entered the ranger station. Behind the counter, one of the four
rangers on permanent dut