Page:Cornelia Meigs-The Pirate of Jasper Peak.djvu/217

 ever dreamed of—thirty—forty—fifty below zero, maybe. If we should start now, we might be able to get to Rudolm, but if we wait until the  snow is deep we could not even attempt it. What do you say, Hugh, shall we go or stay?”

“I don’t know,” answered Hugh from beside the fire; “do you want to go?”

“I do not,” returned Dick promptly, “but we have got to decide which is the wiser thing to do.”

Hugh looked up at the calendar on the wall.

“Oscar has been gone two weeks and three days,” he said, “so his time for proving up on the  claim will be over in five days. Jake arranged his plan well. He meant to burn the cabin and just give himself time to get down to the Land  Office to make trouble over Oscar’s statement  that the land is improved and so tie the whole  thing up. He knows we have lost our stores; he is watching from over there to see if we go. He will still have time to put the thing through if  we do.”

“Then let’s stay,” decided Dick with determination. “We have food enough for two days