does this go to?" he asked over the camp fire at night, pointing
to the frozen waterway.

"It makes a big bend and falls into the river above Fort Malsun," said
Anderton.

"And the other way? Where does it come from?"

"Don't know!" answered Anderton. "Never travelled it!"

"But I haf," said Jean Benard. "I haf been up eet fiftee miles. Two
days' trail from here dere ees an Engleesh Mission, where a married
priest preach zee Gospel to zee Indians. He ees vaire good man, who
laugh like an angel!"

A musing look came on Stane's face, and he sat for some time in
thought, then when the opportunity came he walked with Helen on the
edge of the wood, conversing earnestly. A burst of light laughter
reached the men by the camp fire and Jean Benard looked round.

"What ees ze saying of your countrymen, p'liceman? 'Youth eet veel be
served!' It veel snatch eet's happiness from zee jaws of death,
eetself."

"Yes! And these two deserve the happiness they will get!"

When Stane and Helen returned to the fire, the former, whilst Anderton
was busy elsewhere, spent some time in conversation with Jean Benard,
who, after a few moments, cried enthusiastically:

"By gar! Dat ees a great plan, m'sieu! Zee dogs an' zee stores I would
giv' dem you eef I vos not so poor a mans! But you can buy dem--wid
pleasure!"

"Very well! But not a word to Anderton till morning."

"Right, m'sieu. I understand. You an' your mees you giv' zee p'licemans
one beeg surprise! Eees not dat so?"

"That is it," laughed Stane.

And Anderton's surprise was complete. Whilst it was yet dark and the
stars were twinkling frostily, the three dog-teams were harnessed on
the river trail.

Then the policeman made the discovery that Jean Benard's team was
headed upstream.

"Hallo, Jean," he cried, "are you going to leave us?"

"Not I, M'sieu Anderton," said the trapper with a grin. "I go wid you
to Fort Malsun to help you look after Chigmok an' zee odders. But I zee
team sold to M'sieu Stane, an' he goes to zee Engleesh Mission."

"To the English Mission!" Then a light broke on the policeman, and he
turned to where Stane and Helen stood together, with laughter in their
eyes. "I could shake you--shake you both," he said. "It is a pretty
game to cheat me out of the job of best man. But, Great Christopher!
it's the tip-top thing to do, to marry before you go out of the
wilderness."

"That missionary," laughed Stane, "is a Godsend. It would be folly not
t