o his mind, and the reserve in
her manner disappeared.

"You think we shall be dependent on their help?" she asked. "You are
afraid that we shall not weather through by ourselves?"

Stane laughed again. "Oh no! I have no fears on that score; but it will
depend on their possession of dogs whether we have to camp here all
winter or not; for we could not possibly make Fort Malsun without them,
particularly as I do not know the overland trail. Not that the
knowledge is really essential now, since judging from the fact that
Ainley went down the lake it seems likely that there is a way to Malsun
river in that direction. But we simply must have dogs."

"Then in the morning we follow the mysterious one's trail?"

"Yes, if there is no wind or snow in the night."

But in the night there was both wind and snow and on the morrow the
woman's trail was quite obliterated and the snow on the lake made
travelling impossible. Helen Yardely noted the fact without regret.

"There will be no exploring party today," she said, "so I will go and
look at my rabbit snares."

"And I will accompany you," answered Stane, "the walk in the snow will
help to take the stiffness out of my leg."

They set out together, but had gone but a little way when the girl gave
a sharp "Hist!"

"What is it?" he asked quietly, thinking that she had seen game of some
kind.

"There is a man in those bushes in front of us," she answered in a
whisper.

"A man. Are you sure?"

"I am quite sure. I saw him slip across that open space there. He has a
gun."

The bushes she had indicated were about three hundred yards away, and
Stane examined them keenly. He could see nothing, however, and at the
conclusion of his scrutiny he said: "I will go forward. You remain
here, Miss Yardely."

"No," she answered. "I will go with you, I would rather."

They advanced together, Stane with his rifle ready for action, since a
presence that avoided them might well prove to be an inimical one. He
watched the bushes steadily as they advanced but saw nothing and when
they reached them, thinking that the girl had been mistaken, he thrust
his way through them. Then he stood quite still with an anxious look
upon his face. There was no one behind the bushes, but there were the
marks of moccasined feet in the snow. He looked down at them, then
followed the direction of them with his eyes, and stared into the
forest, and as he did so, in its dim recesses, thought he saw the
figur