Judith, who had been lying on her back staring at the sky, rolled over on her face and struggled to her hands and knees.

“Keep that—­wild—­elephant—­you call—­a horse in a long lead—­or he’ll step on you—­Doug!” she called.

“Give me—­a long—­start, then!”

Douglas started forward on hands and knees.  The little wild mare was as careful in following Judith as was the Wolf Cub.  But Tom gave constant evidence of an earnest desire to walk on Douglas instead of the trail.  He was too tired now, however, to be ugly, and the Pass was crossed without accident or incident.

It was dusk when they made the great rocks where Douglas had camped before.  Judith’s strength was gone.  She pulled the reins over the little wild mare’s head and tried to pull her ax from its sheath.  But her benumbed fingers refused to act.

“Keep moving, Jude!” urged Douglas.  “Just till I can get a fire started.  Don’t stop walking for a moment!”

When at last a blaze was going before the rocks, Doug unrolled the blankets from the lead-horse and wrapped Judith in them.  She crouched against the face of the rocks in silence while Douglas put the coffee-pot to boil and thawed out the bacon.  It was not until she had swallowed a second cup of the steaming beverage that the snow stupor left her eyes.

Suddenly she smiled, and said, “It almost nipped us that time, Douglas!”

“And yet you thought you could make Bowdin’s ranch alone!” grunted Douglas.

“It would have been getting warmer all the time.  There would have been nothing like this!” shivering as a great blast of wind swept over the top of the rock heap.

“You risked death in every step,” insisted Douglas.  “It was like going down a canyon wall, not a mountainside.  The drifts and ice made it impossible to tell how your next movement would end.”

“Well,” sighed Judith, “I don’t think I’m regretting my decision.  This might be worse,” stretching out her mittened hands to the blaze.

“Nice, girlish kind of amusements you enjoy!” grunted Douglas, with a little grin.  “Something quiet and restful about playing games with you, Jude!  Now listen, my dearest, don’t close your eyes until I tell you you may.  A night camp under Black Devil Pass is plain suicide, if you forget for a moment.”

Judith threw off the blankets.  “I’ll chop some wood and get warmed up.”

“Aren’t you warm now?” asked Douglas.

“All but around the edges,” replied Jude.

“Well, you put the blankets round yourself again and save your strength for to-morrow.  You’ll need it.  It won’t take me long to get things ready for the night.”

Judith snuggled back in the blankets.  “I’m really not a bit more done up than you are, but it’s worth a trip over the Pass to see a Lost Chief rancher take such care of a girl.  I didn’t know you had it in you, Doug!”

Douglas laughed and began making the camp ready for the night.  When he had finished his preparations, he sat down beside Judith, pulled a part of the blankets over his shoulders and drew her close against him.  The Wolf Cub lay as close as he could crowd against Judith’s other side, his nose almost in the embers.