A second cry arose, piercing the silence with needlelike shrillness. Both men located the sound. It was to the rear, somewhere in the snow expanse they had just traversed. A third and answering cry arose, also to the rear and to the left of the second cry. "They're after us, Bill, " said the man at the front. His voice sounded hoarse and unreal, and he had spoken with apparent effort. "Meat is scarce, " answered his comrade. "I ain't seen a rabbit sign for days." Thereafter they spoke no more, though their ears were keen for the hunting-cries that continued to rise behind them.