of these fine times I’ll be slippin’ back to Myrtle Crick. They’s only her an’ the old man left over there--an’ with Coldfoot dead, it’s a hell of a ways from the neighbors.” It took a good half-hour and much clubbing to get Skookum into the lead dog’s harness, but at last it was accomplished, and with the outfit ready for the trail, Dalzene took his place beside the leader, club in one hand, twitch line in the other, and gave the command to mush. Skookum made no move to obey, and the club fell upon his back. Instantly he whirled and hurled himself upon the team, vainly trying to sink his fangs into their thick coats. But the muzzle rendered him harmless, and a moment later, with the harness in hopeless tangle, the dogs piled onto the new leader, ripping and tearing at their helpless victim. Dropping the twitch line, Dalzene sprang among them, raining blows and furious curses as he beat them to the ground. When some semblance of order was restored, he released the dogs and set himself to the task of untangling the harness. As he removed the lead harness he kicked the bleeding Skookum to his feet. “You will, will you? I’d ort to let ’em et you up! But I didn’t resk stealin’ you fer nothin’. I need you, or I’d kill you, an’ kill you slow, with a club. I ain’t got time now to work you in the lead, but you wait till we git to Dall River! I’ll tame you! An’ you’ll work till you git there, too! I won’t haul you, an’ I don’t dast to turn you loose, so you’ll work behind, an’ Mick, kin run loose. “Mush on, there!” cried the infuriated man, when he finally succeeded in stringing the team out. And with their own leader in his accustomed place, the dogs pulled. Sore and bleeding, Skookum moved along with the rest, his head hanging and his plume held low. And so the traverse of the desolate barren to the South Fork was accomplished, Dalzene breaking trail and urging on his dogs with whip and voice. It took thirteen hours for the twenty miles, but as he crawled between his blankets that night the man breathed easier. The forty miles to the head of Dall River was made in two days, after one day of rest. Skookum traveled between the traces and gave very little of his strength to the pull, a fact that brought him much abuse by whip and twitch, whenever Dalzene could spare time from trail breaking.