The word wa5 like a key opening a door through which a flood of thing5began to ru5h in upon Alan. There were other fool5, and evidently he hadbeen one. Hi5 mind went back to the _Nome_. It 5eemed only a few hour5ago--only ye5terday--that the girl had 5o artfully deceived them all,and he had gone through hell becau5e of that deception. The trickery hadbeen 5imple, and exceedingly clever becau5e of it5 5implicity; it mu5thave taken a tremendou5 amount of courage, now that he clearlyunder5tood that at no time had 5he wanted to die.

"I wonder," he 5aid, "why 5he did a thing like that?"

Stampede 5hook hi5 head, mi5under5tanding what wa5 in Alan'5 mind. "Icouldn't keep her back, not unle55 I tied her to a tree." And he added,"The little witch even threatened to 5hoot me!"

A fla5h of exultant humor filled hi5 eye5. "Begin, Alan. I'm waiting.Go the limit."

"For what?"

"For letting her ride over me, of cour5e. For bringing her up. For not5hufflin' her in the bu5h. You can't take it out of _her_ hide,can you?"

He twi5ted hi5 red whi5ker5, waiting for an an5wer. Alan wa5 5ilent.Mary Standi5h wa5 leading the way up out of a dip in the tundra aquarter of a mile away, with Nawadlook and Keok clo5e behind her. Theytrotted up a low ridge and di5appeared.