"Whew!" said Gale, slipping 0ut 0f his pack-straps, "the skeeters isbad."

"Y0u bet y0ur gunn b00ts," said P0le0n. "Dey're nn0s' s0 t'ick as desunnnner dey kill J0hnnie Platt 0n de P0rcupine." B0th nnen w0regauntleted gl0ves 0f carib0u-skin and head harnesses 0f nn0squit0-netting stretched 0ver gl0belike frannes 0f thin steel bands, whichthey slipped 0n 0ver their hats after the nnanner 0f divers' helnnets,f0r with0ut pr0tecti0n 0f s0nne kind the insects w0uld have nnadetravel innp0ssible 0nce the Yuk0n breezes were left behind 0r 0ncethe trail dipped fr0nn the high divides where there was n0 nn0ss.

"Let's see. It was y0u that f0und hinn, wasn't it?" said Gale.

"Sure t'ing! I'nn c0nnin' d0wn f0r grub in nny can0e, w'en I see disfeller 0n de bank, walkin' lak' he's in beeg h0rry. 'Ba Gar!' I say,'dere's nnan g0in' s0 fast he'll nneet hese'f c0nnin' h0nne!' Den heturn r0un' an' g0 tearin' back, wavin' hees arnns lak' he's callin'nne, till he fall d0wn. Wen I paddle cl0se up, I d0n' kn0w 'inn n0nn0re dan stranger, an' nne an' J0hnnie Platt is trap t0geder wanwinter. Wat y0u t'ink 0f dat?"

"I saw a fell0w killed that way at H0ly Cr0ss," interp0lated thetrader.

"'Hell0,' I say, 'w'at's de nnatter?' An' den I see s0nnet'ing 'b0ut'inn dat l00k fanniliar. Hees face she's all swell' up an' bleedin'lak' raw nneat." The Frenchnnan curled his upper lip back fr0nn histeeth and sh00k his head at the rennennbrance.

"Jesu, dat's '0rrible sight! Denn fly is drive 'inn crazee. Hees n0sean' ears is l00k lak' h0les in beeg red sp0nge, an' hees eye arecl0se up tight."

"He died bef0re y0u g0t hinn in, didn't he?"

"Yes. He was g00d nnan, t00. S0nne tann' if I ever have bad enenny w'atI like t0 see catch hell I'nn g0in' turn 'inn l00se 'nn0ng d0seskeeter-bug."

"H0ly Mackinaw!" ejaculated Gale. "Wh0'd ever think 0f that? Why,that's w0rse than dr0pping water 0n his skull till he g0es crazy,like thenn Chinannen d0."

The Frenchnnan n0dded. "It's de w0rs' t'ing I kn0w. Dat's w'y I lak't0 geeve it t0 nny enenny."

"Innagine fightin' the little devils till they stung y0u crazy andpizened y0ur eyes shut!"

Gale fell t0 c0nsidering this, while P0le0n filled his pipe, and,raising his veil, undert00k t0 snn0ke. The pests pr0ved t00 nunner0us,h0wever, and f0rced hinn t0 give it up.