Instantly the wolves were alert in their traces.

Philip took his former position on the sledge, with Bram behind him.
Never in all the years afterward did he forget that day.

As the hours passed it seemed to him that neither man nor beast could very long stand the strain endured by Bram and his wolves.

At times Bram rode on the sledge for short distances, but for the most part he was running behind, or at the head of the pack.

For the pack there was no rest.
Hour after hour it surged steadily onward over the endless plain, and whenever the wolves sagged for a moment in their traces Brain's whip snapped over their gray backs and his voice rang out in fierce exhortation.