whistled, and once tried the experiment of singing a snatch of the
Caribou Song which he knew that Bram must have heard many times
before. As he roasted his steak over the fire he talked about the
Barren, and the great herd of caribou he had seen farther east; he
asked Bram questions about the weather, the wolves, and the
country farther north and west. More than once he was certain that
Bram was listening intently, but nothing more than an occasional
grunt was his response.

For an hour after they had finished their supper they continued to
melt snow for drinking water for themselves and the wolves. Night
shut them in, and in the glow of the fire Bram scooped a hollow in
the snow for a bed, and tilted the big sledge over it as a roof.
Philip made himself as comfortable as he could with his sleeping
bag, using his tent as an additional protection. The fire went
out. Bram's heavy breathing told Philip that the wolf-man was soon
asleep. It was a long time before he felt a drowsiness creeping
over himself.

Later he was awakened by a heavy grasp on his arm, and roused
himself to hear Bram's voice close over him.

"Get up, m'sieu."

It was so dark he could not see Bram when he got on his feet, but
he could hear him a moment later among the wolves, and knew that
he was making ready to travel. When his sleeping-bag and tent were
on the sledge he struck a match and looked at his watch. It was
less than a quarter of an hour after midnight.