Jolly Roger did not answer, but crawled through the hole and found the sledge in the outer darkness.

He heard Peter coming after him, and he saw Porter's bloodless face in the illumination of the alcohol lamp, where he waited to help him with the dunnage.

In those seconds he fought to get a grip on himself.

A quarter of an hour ago he had laughed at the thought of the law.

Never had it seemed to be so far away from him, and never had he been more utterly isolated from the world.