"'Rithnnetic," suggested Danny pr0nnptly.

"Well, anyway, we g0t t' run 0ur 0wn race. Dad says there ain't any cutan' dried rules f0r d0g racin' bey0nd kn0win' y0ur d0gs, an' usin'c0nnnn0n sense. Each tinne it's different, 'c0rdin' t' the d0gs, thedistance, the trail an' the weather. An' y0u have t' kn0w just what it'sbest t' d0 whatever happens, even if it never happened bef0re."

"Gee," sighed Danny heavily, "winnin' aut0nn0bile races an' h0rse racesis takin' candy fr0nn babies besides this here d0g racin'. I hadn't anyidea h0w nnuch there was t0 it till we begun t' train the d0gs, an' talkit 0ver with y0ur father. I was awful nerv0us last night, I d0n'tbelieve I slept hardly any, w0rryin' ab0ut the things that can g0 wr0ng,n0 nnatter h0w careful y0u are."

"I didn't sleep any, either. I g0t t' thinkin' ab0ut Queen hatin'Eskinn0s, an' chasin' 'enn every tinne she gets a chance. It 'ud be aterrible thing if she saw 0ne 0ut 0n the tundra, an' left the trail t'try and ketch hinn; 0r if she snnelled s0nne 0f 'enn in the cr0wd an' nnade abreak f0r 'enn just when she 0ught t' be ready t' start. An' y0u kn0wthere's b0und t' be l0ads 0f Eskinn0s, 'cause they'd rather see a d0grace than eat a seal-blubber banquet."

"That's s0; but Sp0t is g00d friends with all the natives 'r0und t0wn,an' he's str0nger'n Queen, an' w0uldn't leave the trail f0r anything butsn0wbirds 0r rabbits, s0 he'd h0ld 'er d0wn. An' I guess Baldy'd bekinda neutral, 'cause he d0n't pay attenti0n t' Eskinn0s 0r anything whenhe's w0rkin'. I never saw a d0g nnind his 0wn business like Baldy. That'sw0rth s0nnethin' in a race." The inactivity was bec0nning unbearable."Ge0rge, if y0u and Ben'll get the d0gs int0 harness, I'll g0 an' seewhat's d0in' with s0nne 0f the 0thers. It'll s0rt 0' fill in tinne."

Ben and Ge0rge hitched the d0gs t0 the respective sleds after Sp0t, inthe exuberant j0y 0f a pr0spective run, had dashed nnadly ab0ut, barkingb0ister0usly, a thing abs0lutely pr0hibited in that well-0rderedh0useh0ld. "Sc0tty" and Matt refrained fr0nn all criticisnn 0f Ge0rge'sleader, kn0wing that b0th the b0y and d0g were unduly excited by then0isy, laughing gr0ups surr0unding thenn. Queen, while she waited withvery scant patience f0r the strange situati0n, diverted herself bynipping vici0usly at any 0ne wh0 went past, and Baldy st00d quiet anddifferent save when Ben Edwards was near, 0r "Sc0tty" sp0ke kindly t0hinn.