As he roasted his steak over the fire he talked about the Barren, and the great herd of caribou he had seen farther east; he asked Bram questions about the weather, the wolves, and the country farther north and west.

More than once he was certain that Bram was listening intently, but nothing more than an occasional grunt was his response.
For an hour after they had finished their supper they continued to melt snow for drinking water for themselves and the wolves.

Night shut them in, and in the glow of the fire Bram scooped a hollow in the snow for a bed, and tilted the big sledge over it as a roof.

Philip made himself as comfortable as he could with his sleeping bag, using his tent as an additional protection.

The fire went out.