pring. Already her mind had leaped forward to
the moment when this cunning, powerful plotter would be at death-grips
with her husband and she not there to help. With intensity of purpose
and relentlessness of determination she focused the powers of her
forceful and practical mind upon the problem engaging their thought.

With mind whetted to its keenest she listened to the men as they made
and unmade their plans. In ordinary circumstances the procedure of
arrest would have been extremely simple. The Inspector and Cameron would
have ridden into the Piegan camp, and, demanding their man, would have
quietly and without even a show of violence carried him off. It would
have been like things they had each of them done single-handed within
the past year.

"When once we make a start, you see, Mrs. Cameron, we never turn back.
We could not afford to," said the Inspector. There was no suspicion
of boasting in the Inspector's voice. He was simply enunciating the
traditional code of the Police. "And if we should hesitate with this
man or fail to land him every Indian in these territories would have
it within a week and our prestige would receive a shock. We dare not
exhibit any sign of nerves. On the other hand we dare not make any
movement in force. In short, anything unusual must be avoided."

"I quite see," replied Mandy with keen appreciation of the delicacy of
the situation.

"So that I fancy the simpler the plan the better. Cameron will ride
into the Piegan camp inquiring about his cattle, as, fortunately for the
present situation, he has cause enough to in quite an ordinary way.
I drop in on my regular patrol looking up a cattle-thief in quite the
ordinary way. Seeing this strange chief, I arrest him on suspicion.
Cameron backs me up. The thing is done. Luckily Trotting Wolf, who is
the Head Chief now of the Piegans, has a fairly thorough respect for
the Police, and unless things have gone much farther in his band than I
think he will not resist. He is, after all, rather harmless."

"I don't like your plan at all, Inspector," said Mandy promptly. "The
moment you suggest arrest that moment the younger men will be up. They
are just back from a big brave-making powwow, you say. They are all
worked up, and keen for a chance to prove that they are braves in more
than in name. You give them the very opportunity you wish to avoid.
Now hear my plan," she continued, her voice eager, keen, hard, in the
intensity of her purpose.