but it seemed
a safe bet that I'd get him coming out. I did; captured him, took him
ashore, built a fire, and told him I was going to roast him alive if he
didn't come across with the facts. He held out for a while, but finally
told me the whole of it: how he had figured to get you two together in
Quebec after he had learned that you, Miss Millington, were due to be
there with the teachers. You see, he knew all about you--both of you.
As Mr. Bankhead's secretary he had made, at Mr. Bankhead's dictation,
all the former inquiries, and, of course, had carefully kept the answers
from reaching the old gentleman. With a little more cooking he told me
how he and the woman had drugged you both, after which he had carried
you in the 'plane to the shore of some unpronounceable lake in the north
woods."

"What did he mean to do?--let us starve to death?" Prime asked.

"Oh, no; nothing so murderous as that! He had it all doped out
beforehand. There is a Hudson Bay post on one of the streams flowing
into the lake, and he had arranged with a couple of half-breed canoe-men
to happen along and pick you up and bring you back, stipulating only
that they should kill time enough to make the return trip use up the
entire month of July. As the fatal date drew near, he grew uneasy and
made the launch trip to see to it personally that you were not getting
along too fast. He found your camp and cut your canoe merely to add a
little more delay for good measure. He couldn't tell me what had become
of his half-breeds."

Prime laughed. "I suppose the old Scotch under-sheriff told you, didn't
he?"

"He tried to tell me that you and Miss Millington had assassinated the
two men and stolen their canoe and outfit. You didn't do that?--or did
you?"

"Hardly," Prime denied. Then he told the story of the finding of the
dead men, capping it with an account of the chance visit of Jean
Ba'tiste.

Grider left his chair and took a turn up and down the room.

"It was a great adventure," he declared, coming back to them. "Some day
you are going to tell me all about it, and the kind of a time you had.
I'll bet it was fierce--some parts of it, anyway. I can't answer for
you, Miss Millington; but what Don doesn't know about roughing it is--or
used to be--good and plenty."

"You sent Bandish back to town after you were through with him?" Prime
inquired.

"Yes. I had taken a pair of handcuffs along, just on general
principles, and I lent him my engineer t