exclaimed Wandle. "Jernyngham murdered! You tell me that?"

"Sure thing!" the other replied. "The police have figured out how it all
happened and I'm going to look for the body while Curtis reports to his
bosses. A blamed pity! I liked Jernyngham. Well, I must get to the muskeg
soon as I can!"

He ran on, and Wandle led his horses to the pool and stood thinking hard
while they drank. He was well versed in Jernyngham's affairs and knew
that he had once bought a cheap quarter-section of land in an arid belt
some distance off. A railroad had since entered the district, irrigation
work had been begun, and the holding must have risen in value. Now, it
seemed, Jernyngham was dead, which was unfortunate, because Wandle had
found their joint operations profitable, and it was very probable that
Ellice and himself were the only persons who knew about the land. Wandle
mounted one of the horses and set out for Jernyngham's homestead at its
fastest pace.

On reaching it, he soon found an iron cash-box in a cupboard and succeeded
in forcing it with a screw-driver. It contained a few papers, among which
were one or two relating to the purchase of the quarter-section, and
Wandle put these in his pocket. The others he threw into the
cupboard--Jernyngham's carelessness was well known--and then hastily
studied a railroad time-table. By starting promptly, he could catch a
train at the station next after Sebastian, which he thought would be
wiser, and reach a new wooden town of some importance in the evening.
Having ascertained this, he hurried out and rode home, taking the cash-box
with him. On arriving, he smashed it flat with an ax and flung it into his
stove in which a fire was burning; then he made a hasty meal, changed his
clothes, and saddling a horse, rode hard across the prairie. There was, he
realized, some risk in what he meant to do, but it was not a very serious
one, and he was thankful that the sale of land is attended by few
formalities in western Canada.

When he reached his destination, business premises were closed for the
night, but after making inquiries he found a land agent who was
recommended as respectable and trustworthy at a smart hotel. Wandle led
him to the far end of the lobby, where they would not be disturbed, and
sitting down at a table took out the papers.

"What's that quarter-section worth?" he asked.

The agent told him and Wandle lighted his pipe and affected to consider.
He thought Jernyngham had