for just being miserable. To cheer the animals for the heavy work
before them, she talked to them as if they were human beings,
encouraging them so much that they took the first ten miles at a
tremendous rate, following so close on the track of the first
sledge that presently 'Duke Radford held up his hand as a signal
for stopping, then turned round to expostulate in a peevish tone:
"What do you mean by letting the dogs wear themselves out at such a
rate? We shall have one of them dropping exhausted presently, and
then we shall be in a nice fix."

"I haven't used the whip once, Father, but I thought it was better
to get them on as fast as I could, for I have felt and seen ever so
many snowflakes in the last half-hour," Katherine said penitently.

'Duke Radford turned his face rather anxiously windward, and was
considerably worried to find that a few small snowflakes came
dancing slowly down, and that the slight draught of the morning was
changing to a raw, cold wind from off the water.

"It is a fall coming, and by the look of it, it may be heavy. You
had better keep the dogs coming as fast as you can. But stop if I
throw up my hand, or you will be running me down."

"Shall we change places for a time?" asked Katherine. "I am not a
bit tired, but you look just worn out."

"No, no, I can't have you dragging a sledge. But be careful and
keep the dogs from rushing down the slopes and overrunning me," he
answered, then started forward again.