n the night train out of Baton Rouge."

Throughout the winter Drennen pressed the search as his instinct or
some chance hint directed. No small part of his plan was to keep in
touch with the movements of Lieutenant Max of the Northwest Mounted.
He knew that the young officer was almost as single purposed and
determined as himself; he learned that as the winter went by Max had
met with no success. From Max himself, encountered in February in
Revelstoke, he learned why the law wanted Sefton and Lemarc. There
were in all five complaints lodged against them, four of them being the
same thing, namely, the obtaining of large sums of money under false
pretences. The fourth of these complaints had been lodged by no less a
person than big Kootanie George.

"They came to George with a cock and bull story about buried treasure,"
grunted Max. "A gag as old as the moon and as easy to see on a clear
night! It's rather strange," and he set his keen eyes searchingly upon
Drennen's impassive face, "that they didn't take a chance on you."

"I'm called Lucky Drennen nowadays," answered Drennen coolly. "Maybe
my luck was just beginning then."

The fifth charge lay against Sefton. He had brought an unsavory
reputation with him from the States, and there would be other charges
against him from that quarter. He had mixed with a bad crowd in
Vancouver, had gotten into a gambling concern, "on the right side of
the table," and had "slit his own pardner's throat, both figuratively
and literally, making away with the boodle."

"Ten years ago they might have got away with this sort of thing," said
Max. "It's too late now. The law's come and come to stay. I'm going
to get them, and I'm going to do it before snow flies again."

Drennen shrugged. Max wouldn't get them at all; he, David Drennen, was
going to see to that. This was just a part of Max's duty; it was the
supreme desire of Drennen's life.

Although, during the cold, white months, Drennen was much back and
forth along the railroad, he avoided Fort Wayland which was now the
headquarters of the western division of the Northwestern Mining
Company. Since the late spring day when he had left Lebarge to return
to MacLeod's Settlement, he had not seen Marshall Sothern. Once, in
the late autumn, he had found a letter from Sothern waiting for him at
the bank In Lebarge. He left a brief answer to be forwarded, saying
simply:

"I want to see you, but not now. After I have fin