ed in.

Phil's heart stood still, for they were two of the trio of tramps they
had caught in their shack outside their home town. Phil was in a
quandary. He couldn't leave the game and rush out of the restaurant
without doing the very thing he least wanted to, that was draw
particular attention to himself.

There was only one thing to do, and that was stay and face the music. He
doubted if the tramps would start anything in the room, but would
probably wait outside and seek to wreak revenge on him for being one of
those instrumental in their capture that time in the shack.

Then to his great surprise, they passed by him, giving him only a casual
glance, but no sign of recognition.

Phil breathed a sigh of relief, and then reflected that it was not
strange that they failed to recognize him. In the first place, they
would hardly expect to find him in that northern town, and then his
khaki clothes were of the sort that is common to the woods, but not to
the town where their arrest had taken place. So it was a simple matter,
their not knowing him.

He turned his attention to the game again, and had made two moves, when
a phrase, spoken in French by a man at the table in back of him,
startled him into alert attention.

The man had said:

"Well, Pierre, 'The Bear' will be here in a few moments now."

What was he to do? "The Bear" could be no one but LeBlanc.

He must get out of the room at all costs, but how was he to avoid
running into LeBlanc?

There was precious little chance that the guide would fail to recognize
him, and he knew that he would be in real danger here among the
half-breed's friends and cronies.

Then, too, he must make his exit naturally, so as to arouse no suspicion
in the minds of the checker players, who might be foes just as well as
friends.

Already the watcher at the table was demanding they finish the game
quickly so that he could have another chance at Phil.

His mind working rapidly, Phil figured out what the best course to
pursue would be. The main point was to get out of the restaurant, but
there was the danger that at the precise moment of his exit, Jean
LeBlanc might be coming in the door.

It was not wholly fear of LeBlanc that made him want to escape
unobserved, he didn't want the treacherous guide to know that he or his
chums were in the vicinity, for it would immediately destroy their
usefulness; at least it would hamper their work to a great degree.

While his opponent