BALDY OF NOME 



icy balls betwen his toes, making his feet 

 so tender that they bled. Straining and 

 breathless he plunged forward knowing 

 only that his master was somewhere be- 

 yond calling to them from out the cold 

 and the dark. So, willingly, blindly, they 

 followed till at length the fury of the 

 blizzard was over, and once more the 

 white trail stretched endlessly to the point 

 where earth and sky were one. Some- 

 times, in the glory of the April sunshine, 

 they passed the other teams; sometimes 

 the other teams passed them, speed mad 

 all ; and then there was a long rest, much 

 care and food, to repletion. In spite of the 

 physical relaxation, however, there was a 

 nervous tension in their stay at Candle; 

 for one by one the other teams came and 

 went, and Baldy some way felt that the 

 real work of the contest was yet to be 

 done and he was eager to be about it. 

 Finally they were off again, after an irk- 



[51] 



