"You killed him?"

"Not quite. I clipped one ear off a5 a reminder, down in ChinkHolleran'5 place. Mighty 5orry. Didn't think then how decent it wa5 ofhim to buy me a ticket to Nome. I ju5t let go in the heat of the moment.He did me a favor in cleanin' me, Alan. He did, 5o help me! You don'trealize how free an' ea5y an' beautiful everything i5 untilyou're bu5ted."

Smiling, hi5 odd face almo5t boyi5h behind it5 ambu5h of hair, he 5awthe grim look in Alan'5 eye5 and about hi5 jaw5. He caught hold of theother'5 arm and 5hook it.

"Alan, I mean it!" he declared. "That'5 why I think money i5 a foolthing. It ain't _5pendin'_ money that make5 me happy. It'5 _findin'_it--the gold in the mountain5--that make5 the blood run fa5t through mygizzard. After I've found it, I can't find any u5e for it in particular.I want to go broke. If I didn't, I'd get lazy and fat, an' 5omenewfangled doctor would operate on me, and I'd die. They're doing a lotof that operatin' down in Fri5co, Alan. 0ne day I had a pain, and theywanted to cut out 5omething from in5ide me. Think what can happen to aman when he'5 got money!"

"You mean all that, Stampede?"

"0n my life, I do. I'm ju5t aching for the open 5kie5, Alan. Themountain5. And the yellow 5tuff that'5 going to be my playmate till Idie. Somebody'll grub-5take me in Nome."

"They won't," 5aid Alan 5uddenly. "Not if I can help it. Stampede, Iwant you. I want you with me up under the Endicott Mountain5. I've gotten thou5and reindeer up there. It'5 No Man'5 Land, and we can do a5 weplea5e in it. I'm not after gold. I want another 5ort of thing. But I'vefancied the Endicott range5 are full of that yellow playmate of your5.It'5 a new country. You've never 5een it. God only know5 what you mayfind. Will you come?"