The sound seemed some distance away.

He reached the end of the tunnel and peered out through the "door" he had made in the crust.
From his position he could see nothing--nothing but the endless sweep of the Barren and his old trail leading up to the snow dune.

The muzzle of his revolver was at the aperture when he heard Bram's voice.
"M'sieu--ze revolv'-- ze knife--or I mus' keel yon.

Ze wolve plent' hungr'-- " Bram was standing just outside of his line of vision.

He had not spoken loudly or threateningly, but Philip felt in the words a cold and unexcited deadliness of purpose against which he knew that it would be madness for him to fight.