Durant was a day later than he had planned to be, but he had made good use of his time.  For Miki, while still muzzled, now followed at the end of the babiche that was tied to Henri’s sledge.  In the afternoon of the third day after leaving Nanette Le Beau’s cabin Durant turned off the main-travelled trail until he came to the shack of Andre Ribon, who kept the Factor and his people at the Post supplied with fresh meat.  Andre, who was becoming over-anxious at Durant’s delay, was still waiting when his friend came.  It was here that Henri’s Indian had left his fighting dog, the big husky.  And here he left Miki, locked in Andre’s shack.  Then the two men went on to the Post which was only a mile away.

Neither he nor Ribon returned that night.  The cabin was empty.  And with the beginning of dusk Miki began to hear weird and strange sounds which grew louder as darkness settled deeper.  It was the sound of the carnival at the Post—­the distant tumult of human voice mingled with the howling of a hundred dogs.  He had never heard anything like it before, and for a long time he listened without moving.  Then he stood up like a man before the window with this fore-paws resting against the heavy sash.  Ribon’s cabin was at the crest of a knoll that over-looked the frozen lake, and far off, over the tops of the scrub timber that fringed the edge of it, Miki saw the red glow in the sky made by a score of great camp fires.  He whined, and dropped on his four feet again.  It was a long wait between that and another day.  But the cabin was more comfortable than Le Beau’s prison-cage had been.  All through the night his restless slumber was filled with visions of Nanette and the baby.

Durant and Ribon did not return until nearly noon the next day.  They brought with them fresh meat, of which Miki ate ravenously, for he was hungry.  In an unresponsive way he tolerated the advances of these two.  A second night he was left alone in the cabin.  When Durant and Ribon came back again in the early dawn they brought with them a cage four feet square made of small birch saplings.  The open door of this cage they drew close to the door of the cabin, and by means of a chunk of fresh meat Miki was induced to enter through it.  Instantly the trap fell, and he was a prisoner.  The cage was already fastened on a wide toboggan, and scarcely was the sun up when Miki was on his way to Fort O’ God.

This was the big day at the carnival—­the day of the caribou-roast and the fight.  For many minutes before they came in sight of Fort O’ God Miki heard the growing sound.  It amazed him, and he stood up on his feet in his cage, rigid and alert, utterly unconscious of the men who were pulling him.  He was looking ahead of them, and Durant chuckled exultantly as they heard him growl, and his teeth click.

“Oui, he will fight!  He would fight now,” he chuckled.