m the head of the lake. He found
the marks of the sledge-runners, and then noted with a thrill of
excitement that there was something curious about one of the men's
tracks. The steps were uneven; one impression was sharper than the
other.

Imagining that the party would camp soon, Thirlwell determined to follow
and presently came to a rough slope where the trail left the ice.
Caution was now needed, because he could not see far and might be heard
if he made much noise in pushing through the bush. The silence that
brooded over the woods indicated that the others had stopped. The pines
were small and tangled, but he could see where the sledge had gone and
when he reached the summit a gleam of light sprang up in the valley
below. Thirlwell thought the man who made the fire had chosen the spot
well if he meant its light to be hidden.

The wood was thin on the slope he went down and it was difficult to keep
in the gloom. The glimmering moonlight was brighter and his figure would
be visible against the snow as he crossed the openings. When he was some
distance from the fire he stopped and studied his line of approach.

The men were moving about on his side of the fire. Their figures were
distinct, but he could not see their faces, and if he crossed the belt
of rather open ground, the light would fall on him. If he could creep up
on the other side, the fire would be between them and, shining in the
men's faces, prevent their seeing far. The trouble was, that the wood
behind the camp looked tangled and thick, and he doubted if he could get
through without making a noise. Something, however, must be risked, and
stealing across the opening to the next tree, he presently reached a
belt of thicker wood.

He could not be seen now, but he made a circuit round the fire before he
began to approach it from the other side. His progress was slow and he
felt anxious, because it was possible that the men had moved round the
fire while he struggled through the bush. Still he thought they had not
done so, because he had seen one throwing up a snow-bank behind which
they meant to sleep. They would probably cook their meal and sit down on
that side in the shelter of the bank. When he left the thick bush he saw
that his reasoning was good, but he had yet to get near enough and the
fire was burning well. There was not much wind, but the red blaze
leaped up and sank, throwing out clouds of sparks, while a trail of
smoke drifted about the camp.