Nothing broke the white desolation but the dark waters of the river still unfrozen, and the gaunt limbs of the cottonwoods, now standing naked and motionless.

The silence was profound, seeming almost painful after the wild fury of the past days.

He could hear the soft purr of the water, and Carroll's heavy breathing.

And it was cold, bitterly cold, the chill of it penetrating to his very bones.

But for that he had no care--his mind had absorbed the one important fact; the way was open, they could go.