Page:The trail of the golden horn.djvu/71



T was upon the impulse of the moment that Marion had agreed to go to The Gap with the half-breed girl. Half an hour later she almost repented of her hasty decision. She knew very little about Zell, and she wondered whether she could trust to her guidance. This feeling of doubt, however, vanished as they pulled out from Big Chance on the first lap of their long run. It was near midnight, and the full moon was just rounding the massive northeast shoulder of the Golden Horn. The little mining camp was shrouded in deep shadow. Silence reigned in each log cabin, and not a living creature was to be seen. Zell’s father, Siwash Sam, had made speedy preparations for the trip, and had given his daughter implicit directions, telling her which trail to follow to shorten the journey by several miles; to be on the lookout for storms on the mountain; and to be careful when rounding the rocky spur of the high ridge leading to The Gap.

“Do you think that Zell can manage, all right?” Marion asked as she took her place upon the little toboggan.

“Sure,” Sam replied. “Zell kin handle them dogs better than anyone else. She’s a holy terror when she hits the trail. Ye needn’t have any fear about her, Miss. Mebbe you’ll be as good as she is before ye git back.”