"But it was somethin' he'd never done before--one o' them accidents you
can't count on, unless you tie 'em so short they ain't comfortable.
Anyway, he was stiff an' cold when we got to him. The poor feller never
had a chance after he was caught."
The boy wiped away the fast-flowing tears. "There wasn't," he said
regretfully, "another dog in the Kennel I liked so much as him--after
Baldy. And 'Scotty' feels awful bad, too. He can't hardly talk about it.
He's gone into the house now, but he says he'll be back pretty soon."
When Allan reappeared there was a look of sadness in his eyes, and a
husky tone to his voice. It was plain to see that he mourned not only a
wonderful leader, but a loving companion as well; and when he moved
silently and sorrowfully amongst the other dogs, they knew that
something was very wrong and gave him as little trouble as they could.
And so the entire Kennel was plunged into gloom by this unhappy
occurrence, for Kid had been a genial stable-mate and a general
favorite. All the dogs seemed to share in the grief of their masters.
"Will you withdraw the entry?" asked the Woman, who realized perfectly
that Kid had been the mainstay and inspiration, as a great leader must
be, of the whole Derby Team.
"No," was "Scotty's" prompt reply. "We'll run just the same.
"There has never been a race in Nome yet in which I have not driven a
team; and leader or no leader, I'll not back out now. Don't be
discouraged.
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