start, and by that time--Johnny patted his chest where reposed the bill
with the Alaskan stamp on it, and murmured:

"Stay with me li'l' ol' one-spot, and I'll take you home."

He cast one more glance toward the igloos. Not a soul had stirred.

"We're off," he exclaimed, leaping on his sled and slapping his reindeer
on the thigh with the jerkstrap.

"Yes," the Jap girl smiled as she followed his example.

Johnny thought they were "off," but it took only an instant to tell that
they were not. His deer cut a circle and sent him gliding away over the
snows. Fortunately he held to his jerkstrap and at last succeeded in
stopping the animal's mad rush.

The Jap girl smiled again as she took the jerkstrap from his hand and
tied it down short to her own sled. Then she leaped upon her sled again
and, with some cooing words spoke to her reindeer. The deer tossed his
antlers and trotted quietly away, leaving Johnny to spring upon his own
sled and ride in increasing wonderment over the long glistening miles.

When they had traveled for eight hours without a pause and without a
balk, the Jap girl allowed her deer to stop. She loosened the draw strap
and, turning the animal about, tied him by a long line to the sled, that
he might paw moss from beneath the snow in a wide circle.

"How--how'd you know how to drive?" Johnny stammered.