a long before any of the boys I'll wire to could come up with
them. Our authority doesn't hold on American soil."

"Is that to be the end of it?"

"Why, no," Flett answered dryly. "As I guess you have heard, they have
had trouble of this kind in Alberta for a while; and most every time
the boys were able to send back any American mavericks and beef-cattle
that were run into Canada. As the result of it, our chiefs at Regina
are pretty good friends with the sheriffs and deputies on the other
side. They're generally willing to help us where they can."

"Then you shouldn't have much difficulty in trailing your men. Suppose
a fellow turned up with four exceptionally good horses and offered them
to an American farmer or dealer, wouldn't it arouse suspicion?"

"It might," said Flett, with a meaning smile. "But the thing's not so
simple as it looks. We all know that Canadian steers and horses have
been run off and disposed of across the frontier; and now and then a
few from that side have disappeared in Canada. This points to there
being a way of getting rid of them; some mean white on a lonely holding
will take them at half-value, and pass them along. What we have to do
is to send a man over quietly to investigate, and get the sheriffs and
deputies to keep their eyes open. I'm going to beg the Regina people
to let me be that man."

"You may as well understand that it isn't the return of the horses
Grant wants so much as the conviction of the men who waylaid him."

"Then," said Flett, pointedly, "he must be mighty mad."

Hardie joined in George's laugh; but the constable went on:

"I believe we're going to get them; but it will take time--all summer,
perhaps. I've known our boys lay hands on a man they wanted, eighteen
months afterward."

"In one way, I don't think that's much to their credit," the clergyman
remarked.

Taking up the knife George had handed him, Flett pointed to some
initials scratched on the bone haft.

"Kind of foolish thing for the fellow to put his name on his tools; but
I don't know anybody those letters might stand for. Now you describe
him as clearly as you can, while I put it down."

George did as he was bidden, and added: "There were two more--one of
them looked like Langside--and I believe a fourth man, though I may be
mistaken in this. They were moving about pretty rapidly and the light
was bad."

Flett got up.

"I'll have word sent along to Regina, and then try to locate