He could, however, spare them only a scanty supply of food, and they knew that a long forced march lay before them when they left their guide.
Day was breaking when the dogs were harnessed to the sled, and Harding and his companions, shivering in their furs, felt a strong reluctance to leave the factory.

It was a rude place and very lonely, but they had enjoyed warmth and food there, and their physical nature shrank from the toil and the bitter cold.

None of them wished to linger in the North--Harding least of all--but it was daunting to contemplate the distance that lay between them and the settlements.

Strong effort and stern endurance would be required of them before they rested beside a hearth again.
There was no wind, the smoke went straight up and, spreading out, hung above the roof in a motionless cloud; the snow had a strange ghostly glimmer in the creeping light; and the cold bit to the bone.

It was with a pang that they bade their host farewell, and followed the half-breed, who ran down the slope from the door after his team.
Robertson was going back to sit, warm and well-fed, by his stove, but they could not tell what hardships awaited them.
Their depression, however, vanished after a while.