### 212

When you arrive back at the tent, Dyce cooks a delicious Meal that fills your stomach and raises your spirits. You have made good progress and, in spite of the physical hardships, you feel confident and eager to continue.

Irian fetches the sleeping furs from the sledge and you all prepare for a good night's sleep. The only clothes you ever remove are your boots--the few days that you have spent in this desolate land have taught you much about survival. As you take off your boots, you take care to leave them in the shape of your feet: in these temperatures, your soft boots soon freeze as hard as stone, making them agony to put on next morning if you don't. Unlacing the boots requires bare fingers, and you constantly have to pause and thrust your hands back into your mittens to avoid frostbite setting in. Curled up in your furs, your teeth chattering, and the wind howling outside, you eventually fall into a deep sleep.

Turn to 238.

Text copyright © 1984 Joe Dever.
Illustrations copyright © 1984 Gary Chalk.