ith spirit. "My friends
are near. They'll come and settle, with you for this."

He put a check on his temper. Very likely what she said was true. It
was not reasonable to suppose that she was alone in the forest many
miles from Faraway. She had come, of course, to look at the traps, but
some one must have accompanied her. Who? And how many? The skulking
caution of his wild-beast nature asserted itself. He had better play
safe. Time enough to tame the girl when he had her deep in the Lone
Lands far from any other human being except himself. Just now the
first need was to put many miles between them and the inevitable
pursuit.

"Come," he said. "We'll go."

She started back for the snowshoe that had been torn off. Beside it
lay her rifle. If she could get hold of it again--

The great hulk moved beside her, his thumb and fingers round the back
of her neck. Before they reached the weapon, he twisted her aside so
cruelly that a flame of pain ran down her spine. She cried out.

He laughed as he stooped for the gun and the web. "Don' play none o'
yore monkey tricks on Bully West. He knew it all 'fore you was born."

The pressure of his grip swung Jessie to the left. He gave her a push
that sent her reeling and flung at her the snowshoe.

"Hump yoreself now."

She knelt and adjusted the web. She would have fought if there had
been the least chance of success. But there was none. Nor could she
run away. The fellow was a callous, black-hearted ruffian. He would
shoot her down rather than see her escape. If she became stubborn and
refused to move, he would cheerfully torture her until she screamed
with agony. There was nothing he would like better. No, for the
present she must take orders.

"Hit the trail, missie. Down past that big tree," he snapped.

"Where are you taking me?"

"Don't ask me questions. Do like I tell you."

The girl took one look at his heavy, brutal face and did as she
was told. Onistah would find her. When she did not show up at the
rendezvous, he would follow her trail and discover that something was
amiss. Good old Onistah never had failed her. He was true as tried
steel and in all the North woods there was no better tracker.

There would be a fight. If West saw him first, he would shoot the
Blackfoot at sight. She did not need to guess that. He would do it for
two reasons. The first was the general one that he did not want any of
her friends to know where he was. The more specific one was t