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FOR HOURS they traveled into harsh winds wailing down from the bitter icecap They were slowed to a crawl by its force and now Migatuk only cracked his whip over the heads of the struggling dogs to change their course a few degrees Piled atop the wide iron-runnered Eskih supplies to maintain them should an ice storm pin them down There were fresh parkas and ka-skin liners, and a tent of sewn polar-bear hides that could be has Lashed down as as the long canvas-covered crate Michael had brought along with hiht as they lifted it onto the sledge; Migatuk had voiced his displeasure at forcing his dogs to haul such an impediment, but Michael remained silent as to its contents Ahead of the or falling headlong into a gigantic hole Even the ice seeatuk had warned theorously if the flesh felt as if it n of frostbite The small white sores would coering hierly felt his exposed flesh, fearful of what he -arled and made snide comments about the iven therh not nearly so warm as the polar-bear pants worn proudly by the Eskiatuk and he carefully cleaned his rifle, explaining how the oil and grit would freeze in only a few moments on the ice flats, he told them bluntly what he expected They would not talk without purpose, they would not stray out froe track, and they would under no circureed and, after the e, they had slept soundly before the fire in Lahr&039;s hut

In thewas because Lahr said it was - the winds had increased, slapping inter cup of tea the two ling the dogs&039; traces before hooking thee Then, with a final wave froatuk&039;s cry of "Gamma! Gamma!" to his teahts were lost across the plain

The cold was nua had expected The subzero winds could not penetrate either his trousers or parka His feet and hands ith the coverings provided by Migatuk; his face was the only flesh exposed to the weather and he felt ice collecting in his eyebrows and in the stubble on his chin

Michael, walking beside and a pace in front of Virga, seeht that Migatuk had lost the way Virga hi was bleak and alien; there were no landmarks, not even rocks or abandoned huts, on which to base a path But occasionally the dogs would yip at the crack of the whip and the sledge, its runners hissing through the packed snoould slide a fraction to the left or right And still they cli the land erupted frooing down an incline and the dogs slowed to keep their footing on the slope Great black rocks rose up on all sides They were shielded fro eerily through cracks and crevices, to explode high over their heads Migatuk snapped his whip and called to the dogs to give thea looked into the distance There seeht very far ahead He could feel his heart racing Migatuk called to the dogs again and Virga thought, but was not certain, that he heard the man&039;s voice tre on all sides to keep the dogs on a straight path

At the base of the incline they were again on a solid sheet of smooth snow and ice, but here the as not so fierce Ahead on the plain, Virga could recognize the squat rectangular shape of a prefab hut A light shone through a solitaryBeyond the hut there was nothing but a solid black curtain

Migatuk called out and the sledge ground to a halt far short of the prefab dwelling Then there was no sound but the breathing of the dog teaatuk said to the two o Beyond is the hut of the two-headed a&039;s eardrus howl in fear Migatuk spun around Just ahead of the sledge a spiral of snow kicked up, ice chips spraying back into the men&039;s faces The sound of the shot stretched out loud and hollow across the plain, rolling on to the frozen sea

Migatuk shouted, "Maiksuk!" and lashed his whip full into the side of the lead dog, at the sae to spin it around in the direction froa, thrown backward and off the sledge, saw Michael also knocked to the ground by the sudden e shuddered fiercely, gathering speed As the sledge reached the incline and started up Virga saw a knife in the Eskiht froainwere thrown off; they slid down to the base of the incline Freed of the weight, the sledge took wings Snoas thrown up by the churning legs of the dogs; in another atuk&039;s headlong journey back to the safety of Avatik

Michael rolled over on his sto the darkness The sound of the shot had not yet died away; thelike a thunderclap in the far distance Over by the prefab hut there caa was lost He stood looking around helplessly, knowing he et but unable, somehow, to recall what it was he should do

"Stay where you are," said a man&039;s harsh voice The sound reached them as a coa looked toward the source of the voice, off to his right From the corner of his eye he saw a movea thought at first his legs were chopped off at the knee but then he realized the man had been crouched behind a se and stood with a rifle aia and Michael He said solish, "You! Down on the ice with the other one Both of you spread your are That&039;s right, very easy"

The a saw his boots, battered sealskin with a fringe of yellowed polar-bear fur The man methodically slapped their waists and underarms in a search for weapons Then, satisfied, he stepped back a few paces and said quietly, "Turn over very slowly I&039;ll kill you if I don&039;t like the way you breathe"

They did as he said In his furs and polar-bear pants the man was a shapeless, faceless bulk that towered over the their faces in the darkness "You&039;re neither Eskimo nor Danish Who are you?"

"We&039;ve come from Avatik to find you," Michael said, and in his voice there was a strange soothing quality "We mean you no harm We only wish to talk with you"

The rifle barrel dipped down an inch or so "Some men came to talk with me once," he said "They wantedI&039;d killed them What are you after?"

Michael said calmly, "Your help"

The man was quiet

"Can we stand up?" Michael asked

The rifle barrel swung up again and he stepped back "Stand up, then," he told theot to their feet and brushed away the snow Michael said, "We can talk more comfortably out of the cold"

"It doesn&039;t bother runted and motioned with his rifle "Walk ahead But don&039;t even think of trying to trick me Don&039;t even think it"

Near the prefab hut there were dogs staked out on chain leaders They were large beautiful ani a welcoe stood on one side of the hut and around it were ea had noted in Avatik The man said, "Stop," and with his rifle still aimed in their direction, he walked around in front of them and pushed open the door He stepped back to watch them carefully as they entered

Inside, a portable stove hissed, flooding the hut ar rack, covered with polar-bear skins, stood in one corner The floor of the single-roo was dirty and stained with blood Across the bearskin-lined walls were strung pinup-girl posters They lay in nude abandon on beds, on sofas, and on sun-warmed beaches

"Ha!" the man barked abruptly "You like a turned to face hireat bloodstained coat He was bearlike hie and wide Almost as tall as Michael, his head ithin a foot of the ceiling He had long unkempt black hair and a black beard that turned the color of frost around his ed by the eleathered around his eyes Virga saw sht were the reht have cut away hi into the sun as it glanced dazzlingly off blue-green ice There was a trace of Eskih cheekbones and tawny color of the skin, but he was certainly a a that he spoke with a slight Russian accent, though his English seeed with other, less identifiable, accents

Michael said, "We were expecting sohtly He put his rifle down in the corner but his cautious, intelligent eyes never left them He eased down into a battered chair and threw his feet up onto the lip of the stove "The Eskis," the man said "You&039;ve found me now Who the hell are you?"

"My naa And yours?"

"I&039; up here?"

"I&039;ve already answered We were told about you in Avatik and we sought you out"

"And alain," the man said "You should be careful you don&039;t catch one yet"

"You saw us on the incline?" Michael asked

"Saw you, hell," the htly and stared up at the other "I srunted and looked around at the walls

"My name is Ryan Zark," the ers "You men are not ice travelers; you have no business here Why do you search forhimself before the stove He said, "We have inforo We want to knohere they landed"

Zark&039;s eyes narrowed fractionally He said in a cautious voice, "They were seen by a group of hunters from a settlement further north The birds veered off to the east Why?"