ed keen enough to get away."

"I had m'reasons," grunted McCorquodale. "I ast you to dry up, didn't
I?"

"I'd sooner dry off," smiled Phil, pulling at his wet trousers.
"Where's this camp of yours?"

"Over that way," said McCorquodale, pointing. "We'd better get them
boats first, 'fore they drifts too far away."

They found them floating close together, down near the point, and
McCorquodale undertook to swim out and bring them in. It was a tribute
to him that he was permitted without demur to have such a golden
opportunity of escaping and a tribute to Kendrick's judgment that he
took no advantage of it.

He had pitched his small tent back from the lake about a quarter of a
mile in a gully, where it was hidden completely by thick undergrowth.
A spring bubbled not far away and the music of the tiny creek that
trickled from it through a bed of water-cress provided a pleasing
lullaby. His visitor nodded approval of the snug arrangements.
Apparently McCorquodale was an old hand at this sort of thing.

"Seem to have prepared for quite a stay," remarked Phil, turning from
inspection of the "kitchen," which had been built into the embankment
and which, with its sheet-iron stove-top and all, afforded culinary
facilities of a practical kind. "I suppose you have your refrigerator
sunk beside the spring, eh?"

"Got a tin box there--yep," confirmed McCorquodale as he fed the fire
he had started in front of the tent. "I've been here goin' on two
weeks an' I figger to make m'self comfortable when I goes fishin'."

"Fish much at night?" inquired Kendrick suspiciously.

"Yep. Night's best time to catch my kind o' fish," grinned his host.
"You come on over here to the fire an' get dried an' if y'll promise to
keep it to y'rself, I'll put you wise."

So while Kendrick sat on the opposite side of the fire McCorquodale
volunteered the information that he was a detective--in short, that he
was attached to the Special Service Department of the Canadian Lake
Shores Railway.

"You'll be interested in that, then," said Phil as he selected an
envelope from the papers which he had spread out to dry by the fire.

"Sort o' related, you an' me,--by employment," grinned McCorquodale as
he passed back the credentials. "I knowed already you was Wade's new
secretary. Got a letter from the Chief himself 's mornin', so
advisin'. Fine man to work for, Wade is. He never overlooks nothin'
an' I guess he figgered you'n me might meet u