elp a man like that out," he concluded
bitterly. "It serves me right!"

"Well," said Slavin, with an oath, "th' shtiff cannot have got far-away
in that toime. I want um as bad as yuh, Mr. Gully. We were on th' way
tu yu're place for um. See here; luk!"

Gully heard him out and whistled softly at the conclusion of the
narrative. "Once collar this man, Sergeant," said he, "and--you've
practically got your case. Make him talk?"--the low, guttural laugh was
not good to hear--"Oh, yes! . . . I think between us we could accomplish
that all right! . . . Yes-s!"

His voice died away in a murmur, a cruel glint flickered in his shadowy
eyes, and for a space he remained with folded arms and his head sunk in a
sort of brooding reverie. Suddenly, with an effort, he seemed to arouse
himself. "Oh, about that inquest, Sergeant," he queried casually, "what
was the jury's finding? I was forgetting all about that."

"Eyah; on'y fwhat yuh might expect," replied the latter. "Death by
shootin', at th' hand av some person unknown. I wired headquarthers
right-away." He made a slightly impatient movement. "Well, we must get
busy, Mr. Gully; this shtiff connot be far away. Not bein' on th'
thrail, betune us an' yu', means he's either beat ut shtraight south from
yu're place an' over th' ice tu th' railway-thrack, or west a piece, an'
thin onto th' thrack. Yu'll niver find a hobo far away from th' line.
He'd niver go thrapsein' thru' th' snow tu th' high ground beyant. Yuh
cud shpot him plain for miles--doin' that--comin' along."

"He's wearing old, worn-out boots," said Yorke, "got awful big feet, too,
I remember. Of course this trail's too beaten up from end to end to be
able to get a line on foot-prints. We might work slowly back to your
place, though, Mr. Gully, and keep a lookout for any place where he may
have struck south off the trail, as the Sergeant says."

It seemed the only thing to do. The party moved leisurely forward, Gully
riding ahead of the cutter, Yorke and Redmond in its wake, as before,
well-spread out on either side of the well-worn trail. Here, the snow
was practically undisturbed, affording them every opportunity of
discovering fresh foot-prints debouching from the main trail. It was
rather exacting, monotonous work, necessitating cautious and leisurely
progress; but they stuck to it doggedly until sometime later they rounded
a bend in the river and came within sight of Gully's ranch, about a mi