m of the
hill, determining the direction by the wind, and began the stubborn
march southward that could have but one ending.

He walked until his cold-numbed legs would carry him no farther. The
snow was warm when he fell for the last time; warm and soft as it
drifted over him, and his mind was clouded with a pleasant drowsiness.

_This isn't so bad_, he thought, and there was something like surprise
through the drowsiness. _I can't regret doing what I had to do--doing it
the best I could...._

Tip was no longer coughing and the thought of Tip was the only one that
was tinged with regret: _I hope he wasn't still hurting when he died._

He felt Tip still very feebly against his chest then, and he did not
know if it was his imagination or if in that last dreamlike state it was
Tip's thought that came to him; warm and close and reassuring him:

_No hurt no cold now--all right now--we sleep now...._

* * * * *

PART 3

* * * * *

When spring came Steve Schroeder was leader, as Lake had wanted. It was
a duty and a responsibility that would be under circumstances different
from those of any of the leaders before him. The grim fight was over for
a while. They were adapted and increasing in number; going into Big
Summer and into a renascence that would last for fifty years. They would
have half a century in which to develop their environment to its fullest
extent. Then Big Fall would come, to destroy all they had accomplished,
and the Gerns would come, to destroy them.

It was his job to make certain that by then they would be stronger than
either.

* * * * *

He went north with nine men as soon as the weather permitted. It was
hard to retrace the route of the summer before, without compasses, among
the hills which looked all the same as far as their binoculars could
reach, and it was summer when they saw the hill with the monument. They
found Lake's bones a few miles south of it, scattered by the scavengers
as were the little bones of his mocker. They buried them together, man
and mocker, and went silently on toward the hill.

They had brought a little hand-cranked diamond drill with them to bore
holes in the hard granite and black powder for blasting. They mined the
vein, sorting out the ore from the waste and saving every particle.

The vein was narrow at the surface and pinched very rapidly.