His pack, clumsily strapped, sprawled on the ground.

He had taken off a shoe, and one naked foot showed swollen and blistered.
"What is the matter ?" she asked, halting before him.
He looked up at her, then down into the depths where the Dyea River cut the gloomy darkness with its living silver.

The tears still welled in his eyes, and he sniffled.
"What is the matter ?" she repeated.

"Can I be of any help ?" "No," he replied.

"How can you help?
My feet are raw, and my back is nearly broken, and I am all tired out.