“Wha’ smatter? Can’t a man shleep?” he protested. “Wha’ smatter with you?” “Matter!” bellowed Moir. “Plenty of matter, you old waster. Where’s the young lass, eh? Where’s the girl gone? Look in the tepee and see what’s the matter. You told me you had the trulls buffaloed. What’s become of the young girl?” It was some time before Reivers appeared to understand. Finally he stumbled to his feet and started toward the tent, met Tillie as she stepped out rubbing her eyes, and recoiled drunkenly. “Neopa? Where is she?” muttered Tillie. “She slept near the door. Now she is gone.” She had let her shiny black hair fall loosely over her shoulders and now she threw it back, looked straight at Moir and smiled. “Neopa gone?” demanded Reivers thickly. “She can’t be; she wouldn’t dare.” “Dare, you fool? Look there.” Moir pointed to the hollows where the missing dog team had lain and to the tracks that ran straight and true up the river bed. “She’s run away. Been gone half a night. Well, what have you got to say?” Reivers turned with a scowl on Tillie, but Tillie was comfortably plaiting her thick hair. “Neopa has run away—back to our people,” she said with a smile, as she turned back into the tepee. “Tillie does not run away,” she added as she disappeared. Moir sat down on a sledge and cursed Reivers steadily for five minutes, but at every few words his eyes would stray back to the tepee which hid Tillie. “We’ll go after her,” said Reivers. “We’ll bring her back.” “Go after her!” snorted Moir. “She has half a night’s start on us. She’ll reach her people before we could get her. Do you think I want half the country following my trail.” “I’ll go after her alone then,” insisted Reivers. “Will you?” Moir’s eyes narrowed to slits. “I think not. Let me tell thee something, old son: he who goes this far on the home trail with Shanty Moir goes all the way. Understand? You’ll come with me or you’ll be wolf-meat out here on the snow. No; there’ll be no following of that kid. She’s gone. The other one’s here. There is no telling what tale the kid will spin when she meets people, or who will be down here looking for our trail. Therefore we are going to travel and travel quick. Have the squaw get food in a hurry. Get your dogs together. We’ll be on the trail in half an hour.” Moir was masterful and dominant now. It was evident that he was more worried over the possibility of some one hearing of his whereabouts through Neopa than he was over the girl’s escape. He gave Reivers a second drink of liquor, since he seemed to need it to fully awaken him, and set about making ready for the trail. “Eat plenty,” he commanded, when Tilly served the cold meat and tea. “The next meal you have will be about sundown.” He tore down the tepee, packed the sledges and had the outfit ready for the start in an amazingly short while.