The Gold Hunters / A Story of Life and Adventure in the Hudson Bay Wilds

uary sun; the lynx was curled away in his niche between the great rocks, waiting for the sun to sink farther into the north and west before resuming his marauding adventur

tly gathers wood for a fire, eats his dinner and smokes his pipe, eyes and

ts morning feed and is lying low. The game won't be moving again for an hour or t

ng more than a spot on the sunny side of a snow-covered ridge. Then it moved, stretched itself lik

came down the ridge with the slow indifference of a full-fed animal, and with only a half of his old cunning; trotted across the softening snow of an opening and stopped where the man-scent was so strong that he lifted his head straight up to the sky and sent out to his comrades

he "dog mail" from Wabinosh House had passed that way on its long trip to civilization. But it was not the swift passage of man and dog that held the wolf rigidly alert, ready for flight-and yet hesitati

half-wild sledge-dogs of the North frequently engage, even on the trail. Then there came the sharp, commanding cries of a human voice, the cracking of a whip, the yelping of the huskies, and the disordered team straightened itself and came like a yellowish-gray streak across the smooth surface of the lake. Close beside the sledge ran the man. He was tal

backs of his dogs. The second driver still ran, and thus gained upon the team ahead, so that when they came to the opposite sid

under their bleeding feet. The men, too, showed signs of terrible strain. The elder of these, as we have said, was an Indian, pure breed of the great Northern wilderness. His companion was a youth who had not yet reache

inder, and Wabigoon, the adventurous half-Indian son of the factor of Wabinosh House. Both were at the height

them, Muky," panted the y

ight ahead of them the trail of the dog mail. For perhaps a full minute he examined the imprints of the dogs' feet and the smooth pat

heem go deep. Both ride. Big loa

filled with doubt. "They're completely bushed, and

un had weakened the hard crust of the snow until at every leap the feet of the animals had broken through, tearing and w

" he grunted.

dogs. By George-" He leaped quickly to his toboggan, caught up the dog moccasins, and turned agai

gest dogs. One of u

argest and strongest were drawn the buckskin moccasins, and to these three, hitched to Wabigoon's sledge, were added six others that appeared to have a little en

k, snatching up mouthfuls of snow here and there-always their eyes upon the fresh trail of the flying mail. Even the fierce huskies seemed to understand that the chase had become a matter of life and death, and that they were to follow the trail ahead of

uiding hand. Faithful until the last they dragged on their burden, their tongues lolling farther from their jaws, their hearts growing weaker, their eyes bloodshot until they glowed like red balls. Now and then, when he had run until his endurance was gone, Wabigoon would fling himself upon the sledge to regain breath and rest his limbs, and the dogs would tug harder, sca

ther was running lame, and the trail behind was spotted with pads of blood. Each minute added to the despair that was growing in the youth's face. His eyes, like those of his faithful dogs, were red from the terrible strain of the race, his lips were parted, his legs, as tireless as those

more than a thin black streak to Wabi's blinded eyes but which he knew was the dog mail on its way to civilization. He tried to shout, but the sound that fell from his lips could not have been heard a hundred paces away; his limbs tottered beneath him; his feet seemed suddenly to turn into lead, and he sank helpless into the snow. The faithful pack crowded abou

felt their tongues upon his hands and face, and he dragged himself to his knees, groping out with his hands like one

the rifle to his shoulder, pointing its muzzle up to the sky so that he would not harm the dogs. And then, once, twice, five times he fired into the air, and at the end of the fifth shot he drew fresh cartridges from his belt, and fired again a

nd staggered to his feet, stretching out his arms and calling a na

bout Wabi's age sprang from the second sleigh and ran to the Indian boy, ca

ter?" he cried. "Are

on struggled to ove

ispered, "Ro

e and he sank heavily

other. His face had grown strangely white,

t to bring himself back to l

been captured-b

seemed to stop, and