ap of cloth from a protruding limb, and
again he smiled. Where Wentworth forded a waist-deep stream he had
lain down to rest on the sand of the opposite bank. The trail started
toward the south. By midforenoon Thumb noted with a grin that he was
traveling due east.

At noon he overtook Wentworth, mired to the middle in a marl bed,
supporting himself on a half sunken spruce.

Laying aside his rifle, the breed cut a pole with his belt ax and after
some difficulty succeeded in dragging the engineer to solid ground.
Wentworth was muttering and mumbling about a Russian sable coat, and
Thumb had to support him as he bound him to a spruce tree.

On the edge of the lake Corporal Downey picked up the trail. He
located the cached canoes, and returning to the fire, he reached down
and picked Wentworth's pipe from the gravel. "It's Thumb, all right,"
he said, as he stood holding the pipe. "I know his canoe. They were
both here at the same time. I don't savvy that, because Wentworth left
first. Thumb's trail is only three hours old. Maybe--if I hurry----"

From far to the southeastward came the sound of a shot. Downey
straightened, and for the space of minutes stood tense as a pointer.
The sound was not repeated--and swiftly the officer of the Mounted sped
through the bush.

AN EPILOGUE

Two days later, into the trading room of the Hudson's Bay Company's
post on God's Lake, burst Orcutt, white of face, shaken of nerves, and
with his disheveled garments bespeaking a frenzied dash through the
timber.

"What's the meaning of this?" he cried, holding out a telegram.

McNabb reached for the message and read it. "It means just what it
says," he answered. "Cameron has stated it plain."

"But where is Cameron? Where is the three hundred and fifty thousand I
paid him? Where is Wentworth?"

"Cameron is not here. He left after turning over your money to
Wentworth. He said he held a paper that constituted Wentworth your
legal representative."

"But--where is Wentworth?" gasped Orcutt.

"He left the night he got the money--a week ago to-night, wasn't it,
Dugald?"

"Good God!" The words were a groan. "I'm ruined. Ruined, I tell you!
There's just one chance. John, the material that's on your mill site.
Will you take it over?"

"Sure, I'll take it," answered McNabb. "On the same terms you offered
for my tote-road. Ten cents on the dollar, wasn't it, Orcutt?"

"But, man, you don't understand!"

"I