Part 43 (1/2)

It was not the sled on which Tom had run away. The dogs were different and on the sled sat two men, strangers.

”Yes, we saw the sled you are after,” said one of the men, when the others had come up and put a question to him and his companion. ”It pa.s.sed us, going like the wind and the driver yelling like a madman.”

”And how was it headed?”

”About due North,” answered the other man on the sled. And then he and his companion moved forward again.

”I d.i.n.k ve haf to go pack und look for der tracks,” said Gus Schmidt.

”Too pad, dot vosn't our sled, ain't it?”

The team was turned back, and for the best part of half an hour they looked for the missing trail. At last it was discovered, and once more they moved rapidly forward, this time due North.

Fortunately there was little wind, otherwise d.i.c.k could not have stood that long and wild ride. As it was, he felt chilled to the bone, and his feet were like two lumps of ice. Gus Schmidt must have surmised this, for presently he stopped the sled and motioned to the youth.

”Ve git off und rundt a leetle. It vos do us goot,” he remarked, and swung himself down on the icy snow. d.i.c.k followed, so stiff at first that he could scarcely put one foot before the other. They set off on a walk, the dogs pulling them, and gradually increased their speed to a run.

Then d.i.c.k felt better.

All through the afternoon the chase kept up. They saw nothing of Tom.

But the track he had left was a plain one and to that they stuck closely.

At last it grew so dark that they could see the track but indistinctly.

They had to reduce their speed to a walk for fear of turning off.

”He ought to be stopping for the night,” said d.i.c.k.

”Such a feller might not sthop at all,” answered the German. ”He might go on und on bis der togs trop dead, yah!”

Finally Gus Schmidt came to a halt and announced that they must go into camp for the night. The dogs needed the rest. They could continue the chase at the first sign of dawn.

”Do you know where we are?” asked d.i.c.k.

”Out in der ice und snow, dot ist all I know,” said the German. ”I nefer vos here pefore.”

”If we are not lost we are next door to it,” murmured d.i.c.k.

They had brought along a little tent and sleeping bags, and after supper made themselves as comfortable as possible. The dogs had been fed and they snapped and snarled over the bones thrown to them.

Only once during the night were d.i.c.k and his companion disturbed. From a distance came a yelping which the dogs at once answered.

”What is that?” asked the youth, sitting up. ”Not the dogs of the other sled?”

”Nein, dot vos foxes,” answered Gus Schmidt. ”Ton't podder mit dem.

Da ton't come here--da vos afraid of ter dogs.” And he turned over to go to sleep again.

d.i.c.k could not sleep with any kind of comfort. He was utterly exhausted, yet his mind was continually on Tom. What was his poor brother doing, all by himself, amid that desolation of ice and snow?

At daybreak they were on the way again. The sun had come up, but soon it was hidden by a heavy bank of clouds, and then the snowflakes commenced to fall.