"May I go after Ducane?" he asked, and his voice was dangerously quiet.
"Why, certainly," said Tempest. "And don't waste time. Every hour is valuable now. Do you want any help?"
"No, thanks," said Dick. "I'd rather go alone."
He walked up among the sniffing dogs and the roly-poly children with long, swift steps. He had no weapon with him, and he knew why he could use none to Jennifer's husband, no matter what the provocation might be. But he did not expect any fight from Ducane. He would have given almost anything he had if he could have expected it. But he knew the bed-rock cowardice of the man too well.
Past a large, well-shaped tepee with its chimney-fly smoked deep chocolate he reached the smaller, half-hidden one into which the big man had disappeared. He had not taken his eyes from that tepee since the man went in, and he knew that his chances of finding Ducane there were considerable. Ducane would not have expected even those hawk-eyes to search him out in that one instant of time.
He lifted the skin flap of the tepee; stooped, and walked in. It was dark and it smelt infinitely. Dick blew his nostrils out in disgust. Ducane had never been a dainty man; but this was worse than was necessary.
"Anyone here?" he asked.
There was no sound. He struck a match, and looked round. Under his feet lay strips of wood, caribou-bones, fishing-nets, long needles, and other litter. In the back of the tent furs were piled untidily. It might have been the flicker of the match, but Dick fancied that the skins moved—just once.
"Gone to earth on the chance," said his brain. Then he strode over and took up two great handfuls of the skins.
"You'd best come out of that, Ducane," he said. "I'm here, you know."
There was still no sound, no sight of life. Dick let the match drop; reefed up another armful of the softly-cured, odorous deer-skins, kicking at the same time. And then something rolled out on the earth at his feet; cursing, whimmering, clutching at him, mixing prayers and blasphemy like a man demented. Dick jerked himself free in a more
