of the prostrate man.
"Where is she? Tell me!" His voice still rang high and imperative.

Big Aleck shivered where he lay. Now he too saw the flames on ahead in
the woods.

"Who set that fire?" demanded the Doctor suddenly. "Whose work was
that?"

"It was sabcats!" said Big Aleck, frightened into an ingenious lie.
"They was in here. I'm the government foreman. I don't know how they
got in or got out. They must of set a 'clock' somewhere for to start
it."

"Who do you mean--sabcats?" demanded Doctor Barnes. The other three
stood coldly and implacably staring at the crippled man.

"I caught them in here--I'm in charge of this work, you see. I tried
to stop them. They shot me and left me here. They said they'd send a
doctor."

"I'm the doctor," replied the medical man, who stood looking at him.
"Where is that woman?"

Big Aleck rolled his head. "I don't know. I don't know nothing. I'm
shot--I'm going to die."

"We've got to get out," said Doctor Barnes. "Boys, shall we get him
into the car?"

"No!" said Sim Gage, sharply. "I won't ride with him. _Where is
she_?" He stepped close up to Big Aleck, pushing in front of the
others. "You know. Damn you, tell me!"

"Keep him away!" yelled Big Aleck. "He's going to kill me!" He tried
to get on his elbows, his hands and knees, but could not, broken down
as he was. He was abject--an evil man overtaken by an evil fate.

"Where is she?" repeated Sim Gage. "Tell me!"

"I tell you I don't know. She ran off, that way."

"That's the car that brung her up!" said Wid Gardner, motioning toward
the ragged tire of the rear wheel. "See that tire, Sim? That's the
car! She's been here."

"Go see if you can git the trail, Wid," said Sim Gage to his friend.
"Quick!"

Sim himself passed for a moment, hurriedly, to the car which had
brought his party up. He had left the little dog tied there, but now
heard it whining, and stopped to loosen it. It ran about, barking.
Head down, Sim Gage stumbled off, following a trail which he half
thought he saw, but he lost it on the pine needles, and came back,
bitter of heart, once more to face the man who lay helpless on the
ground--the man who now he knew was his enemy, not to be forgiven or
spared.

"Where is she?" he said to Aleck once more. "It was her trail, I know
it. Tell me the truth now, while you can talk."

"You was follering right the way she went, far as I know," moaned
Aleck. "How kin I tell