sudden quickening of
interest.

Ainley described Helen Yardely to the best of his ability, watching the
other's evil face whilst he did so, and before he had ended guessed
that the man knew something of the girl he was seeking.

"You have seen her?" he cried abruptly.

"Oui!" replied the half-breed. "I haf seen her, one, two, tree days
ago. She is in canoe on zee river," he pointed towards the water as he
spoke, and waved his hand towards the south. "She is ver' beautiful;
an' I watch her for zee pleasure, vous comprenez? And anoder man he
watched also. I see him, an' I see him shoot with zee gun--once, twice
he shoot."

"You saw him shoot?" Ainley's face had gone suddenly white, and there
was a tremor in his voice as he asked his questions. "Do you mean he
shot the girl?"

"No! No! Not zee girl. He very bad shot if he try. Non! It was zee
paddle he try for, an' he get it zee second shot. I in the woods this
side zee river an' I see him, as he stand behind a tree to watch what
zee girl she will do."

"You saw him?" asked Ainley, in a faltering voice. "Who was he?"

"I not know," answered the half-breed quickly, "but I tink I see heem
again since."

"You think----"

"Oui! I tink I talk with heem, now."

There was a look of malicious triumph on the half-breed's face, and an
alert look in his furtive eyes as he made the accusation. For a moment
stark fear looked out of Ainley's eyes and he visibly flinched, then he
recovered himself and broke into harsh laughter.

"You think? Then you think wrong, and I wouldn't say that again if I
were you. It might lead to sudden trouble. If I were the man who fired
those shots why should I be spending my time looking for her as I am?"

"I not know," said the half-breed sullenly.

"No, I should think not; so you had better put that nonsense out of
your head, now, once for all; for if you go about telling that mad tale
you'll surely be taken for a madman and the mounted police----" He
broke off as a flash of fear manifested itself in the half-breed's
face, then he smiled maliciously. "I see you do not like the police,
though I daresay they would like to meet you, hey?"

The man stood before him dumb, and Ainley, convinced that he had
stumbled on the truth, laughed harshly. "Stoney Mountain Penitentiary
is not a nice place. The silent places of the North are better; but if
I hear of you breathing a word of that rot you were talking just now, I
will send word to the near