blame her--too much," struggled Jean. "She went down into a
world she didn't know. Lang--trapped her. And Josephine, to save her,
to save the baby, to save her father--did as Munito the White Star did
to save the Cree god. You know. You understand. Lang followed--to
demand Josephine as the price of her mother. M'sieur, YOU MUST KILL
HIM! GO!"

The door had fallen in with a crash, and now over the crime-darkened
portals of the Devil's Nest poured the avengers, with John Adare at
their head.

"Go!" gasped Jean, almost rising to his knees. "You must meet this Lang
before John Adare!"

Philip sprang to his feet. The last of the forest people had poured
through the door. Alone he stood--and stared. But not through the door!
Two hundred yards away a man was flying along the edge of the forest,
and he had come FROM BEHIND THE WALLS OF THE DEVIL'S NEST! He
recognized him. It was Lang, the man he was to kill!

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

In a moment the flying figure of the Free Trader had disappeared. With
a last glance at Jean, who was slowly sinking back into the snow,
Philip dashed in pursuit. Where Lang had buried himself in the deeper
forest the trees grew so thick that Philip, could not see fifty yards
ahead of him. But Lang's trail was distinct--and alone. He was running
swiftly. Philip had noticed that Lang had no rifle, He dropped his own
now, and drew his pistol. Thus unencumbered he made swifter progress.
He had expected to overtake Lang within four or five hundred yards; but
minute followed minute in the mad race without another view of his
enemy. He heard a few faint shouts back in the direction of the Devil's
Nest, the barking of dogs, and half a dozen shots, the sounds growing
fainter and fainter. And then Lang's trail led him unexpectedly into
one of the foot-beaten aisles of the forest where there were the tracks
of a number of men.

At this point the thick spruce formed a roof over-head that had shut
out the fresh snow, and Philip lost several minutes before he found the
place where Lang had left the trail to bury himself again in the
unblazed forest. Half a mile farther he followed the Free Trader's
trail without catching a glimpse of the man. He was at least a mile
from the Devil's Nest when he heard sounds ahead of him. Beyond a clump
of balsam he heard the voices of men, and then the whine of a cuffed
dog. Cautiously he picked his way through the thick cover until he
crouched close to the edge of a