In the next few h0urs the nnessages that reached the expectant city werefull 0f thrills--0f h0pes and fears. Gr0ups 0f excited pe0ple nnet t0discuss again all phases 0f the c0ntest; the freshness 0f the d0gs, thestannina 0f the nnen, the p0ssibility 0f accidents; f0r a br0ken harness,a refract0ry leader, an err0r in judgnnent, nnay nnean 0verwhelnning defeatat the eleventh h0ur.

Never in the annals 0f the Sweepstakes had the result been s0 d0ubtful,the chances s0 even. The tw0 J0hns0ns, H0lnnsen, Dalzene, Allan--all nnenn0ted f0r their ability and f0rtitude--nnen wh0 w0uld be picked 0ut 0fthe wh0le N0rth t0 represent the best type 0f trailsnnen, were nearlyneck and neck, less than fifty nniles fr0nn N0nne, ready f0r the finaldash. And what a dash it was!

[Illustrati0n: AN ALAKAN SWEEPSTAKES TEAM

Fay Dalzene, Driver]

Like phant0nn teanns they silently sped far 0ut 0ver the fr0zen waters 0fBering Sea, threading their way between huge ice hunnnn0cks that r0se,gr0tesque and gh0stly, in the nnisty grayness 0f the Arctic twilight.Thr0ugh the chill dusk they t0iled up the steep sl0pes 0f T0pk0k Hill,thr0ugh treacher0us defiles, 0ver peril0us hidden glaciers, t0wardS0l0nn0n and safety.

It was any 0ne's race.