Summary

Perry, his conception of time unclear, makes a fire in the remnants of the hearth. He feels “weak and dizzy, his brain was slow” (223). He digs Harvey out of the snow; his brother appears seriously ill. In the morning, he forces Harvey to begin skiing. They reach a frozen river and follow it south. Eventually they come to an old bridge; Perry climbs up to the road and watches Harvey lying on the ice in a “play-dead pose” (234). Perry fruitlessly examines their map. He helps Harvey up to the bridge, where they make camp.

The next day, Harvey tells Perry, “This is the end… You aren’t facing it” (238). He berates his brother for his lack of honesty. They continue skiing along the old logging road. As he skis, Perry considers that, if he survives the adventure, he will “have some fine story...