e, whom he had not seen all
day, came into the rotunda, and Foster remarked that his boots were
very wet.

"It's saft ootside an' I've been paidlin' in the snow," he said and,
with the poacher's instinctive caution, put his feet out of sight
beneath a table.

"Where have you been in the dark?" Foster asked.

"I thought I'd maybe better watch the bridge over yon bit creek."

Foster frowned. It looked as if he had not much talent for detective
work and could only concentrate upon one point at a time. While he had
been content to watch what was going on at the hotel, Pete had watched
the bridge, and had found out something. Foster admitted that such
success as he had had was rather due to luck than ability.

"Well," he said, "what did you see there?"

"To begin with, the man we followed cam' doon the street and went into
a shop; and I allooed they might keep something I wanted. He bought a
basket."

"A basket?"

"Just that," said Pete. "One o' they cheap baskets ye put grosseries
in when ye gang by train."

Foster nodded. On Canadian railways, economical second-class
passengers often carry provisions instead of using the meal stations.

"He bought some tinned meat and biscuits," Pete resumed. "Then some
tea and a wee spirit-stove."

"There's no train until to-morrow and I imagine the fellow wouldn't be
satisfied with canned meat, so long as he could get something better
when the cars stopped."

Pete grinned. "I'm no' saying he meant to tak' the train. It looked
mair like he was going to picnic in the woods."

"Ah!" said Foster abruptly. "I suppose you followed the man?"

"Far enough to see him tak' the road we went. Then I cam' back. Ye
see, I kent where he was going."

Foster made a sign of agreement, because it was obvious that Telford
was going to the shack at the mine. He understood how the fellow had
got out without his seeing him, since it is usual in Canada to have a
separate entrance to a hotel bar and he had stupidly been satisfied
with watching the hall.

"He has gone to meet somebody; but why did he take the provisions?"

"Maybe he wanted to give them to the ither man."

"But why should the other need the food?"

"Weel," said Pete, "if I was looking for a hidie-hole convenient to the
town, I'd no' find much fault with yon' auld mine. Maybe it's dry, an'
the frost wouldna' get far in."

Foster started, for he thought Pete had guessed right. He and Lawrence
had camped in t