in the sky
and no wind stirring. The fragile twigs of the birches which shot up
among the poplars were still, and deep silence brooded over the wide
stretch of snow. By and by Emile looked up with his face towards the
south.

"Ah!" he said; "you hear somet'ing?"

They did not, though they listened hard, but the half-breed had been
born in the wilderness and they could not think him mistaken. For a
minute or two his pose suggested strained attention, and then he smiled.

"White man come from the sout'. Mais oui! He come, sure t'ing."

Lane nodded. "I guess he's right, but I can't figure on the kind of
outfit."

Then Blake heard a sound which puzzled him. It was not the quick
patter of a dog-team or the sliding fall of netted shoes. The noise
was dull and heavy, and as he knew the snow would deaden it, whoever
was coming could not be far away.

"Bob-sled!" Emile exclaimed with scorn. "V'la la belle chose! Arrive
the great horse of the plough."

"The fellow's sure a farmer since he's coming up with a Clydesdale
team," Lane said, laughing. "One wouldn't have much trouble in
following his trail."

A few minutes later three men appeared, carefully leading two big
horses through the trees.

"Saw your fire a piece back," said one, when they had hauled up a
clumsy sled. Then he caught sight of Blake. "I'm mighty glad to find
you; we were wondering how far we might have to go."

"Then you came up after me, Tom?" said Blake, who knew the man. "You
wouldn't have got much further with that team; but who sent you?"

"I don't quite know. It seems Gardner got orders from somebody that
you were to be found, and he hired me and the boys. We'd trouble in
getting here, but we allowed we could bring up more grub and blankets
on the sled and we'd send Jake back with the team when we struck the
thick bush. Then we were going to make a depot and pack along the
stuff we didn't cache. But I've a letter which may tell you something."

Blake opened it and Harding noticed that his face grew intent, but he
put the letter into his pocket and turned to the man.

"It's from a friend in England," he said. "You were lucky in finding
me and we'll go back together in the morning."

After attending to their horses, the new arrivals joined the others at
the fire and explained that at the hotelkeeper's suggestion they had
meant to head for the Indian village and make inquiries on their way up
at the logging camp. Though