Gerald Ainley's canoe had almost reached the of the rivers, on the return journey, and he and his companion were battling hard against the of the current, when the Indian gave a and looked round.  
"What is it, Joe?" asked Ainley quickly.
 
"Man with canoe," answered the Indian . "He make a portage."
 
"Where?"
 
"Up river," replied the Indian with a jerk of his head. Ainley craned his neck a little and, as he did so, just caught sight of a man moving across an open place between the trees a quarter of a mile away, the canoe over his head and shoulder like a huge cowl.
 
"We must speak to him, Joe! Perhaps he has news," said Ainley quickly, and a second later shouted at the top of his voice. "Hal—lo—o—o!"
 
That the man heard the hail was sure for both of them saw him halt and turn to look downstream, but the next moment he turned, and, continuing his journey, was instantly lost in the thick of the trees.
 
"That was queer," said Ainley. "He heard me, but whoever he is he doesn't want to speak to us."
 
"We catch him," replied the Indian. "Make land below the meeting of the waters, and portage through woods to other river. Meet him there."
 
As he the native began to make a course across the river, and Ainley asked for information.
 
"I don't understand, Joe. If we land below the junction how can we meet a man who lands above?"
 
"Both go the same way," the Indian. "Walk to meet the man. We make short portage, and wait for him across the water. He come and we meet him."
 
Ainley still was in a fog, but when they had landed and had started to follow a well-defined path through the forest, he understood. The direction they were following would bring them to the bank of the river, perhaps a mile and a half from the meeting of the waters; and the path which the stranger was following would bring him out on the opposite side of the river. If Joe were right the lower portage was the shorter, and, notwithstanding that the other man had the start, they could reach the river first and would be able to force a meeting on him however much he wished to avoid them.
 
After half an hour's steady through the woods, they came in sight of the water once more, and set their burdens down behind a screen of bushes.
 
"We first," said the Indian after a cautious survey of the empty river. "Wait! He come."
 
Seated behind the screening bushes they waited, watching the other side of the river. Half an hour passed and the man for whom they watched did not appear. Then the Indian spoke.
 
"The man know," he said. "He wait till we go."
 
"But why should he be afraid?" asked Ainley sharply.
 
"I not know! But he wait."
 
"Then if the mountain won't come to Mahomet, Mahomet must go to the mountain."
 
"What that?" asked the Indian.
 
"We will cross the river," said Ainley. "We will go look for him."
 
"Good!" said the Indian.
 
Five minutes later they were afloat once more, and in a few minutes had landed on the further side.
 
"You stop here with the canoe, Joe," said Ainley picking up his rifle. "I'll go and hunt up the fellow. If you hear me call, come along at once."
 
The Indian nodded and proceeded to fill a pipe, whilst the white man, following the track made by many feet portaging from one river to the other, moved into the woods. He made no attempt at , nor did he move with caution, for he was assured that in the wood a man burdened with a canoe could not turn aside from the path without disaster overtaking him. If he kept straight on he was bound to meet the man whom he sought.
 
That conviction proved to be well-grounded. He had been walking less than ten minutes when he caught sight of the canoe lying directly in his way, with the man who had been carrying it, seated on the ground with his back against a tree, smoking. As the man caught sight of him he started to his feet and stretched his hand towards a gun against a trunk. Holding his own rifle ready for action, Ainley shouted words to the man, and then moved quickly forward. The man, a half-breed, the same man who had stolen Stane's canoe, gave one keen glance at him and then dropping his hand from the gun, awaited his coming.
 
"Why did you run away when I shouted a while back?" asked Ainley sharply.
 
"I not run," answered the half-breed, . "I carry the canoe, an' I tink I not wait. Dat is all."
 
Ainley looked at the man thoughtfully. There was something about the fellow, and he was sure that the reason given was not the real one.
 
"Then why are you waiting here?" he asked with a directness that in no way the other.
 
"I take what you call a breather," answered the man . "What matter to you?"
 
Ainley looked at him. He was sure the man was lying, but it was no affair of his, and after a moment he turned to his main purpose.
 
"I wanted to ask you something," he said. "A white girl has been lost on the river—she is a niece of a great man in the Company, and I am looking for her. Have you seen her?"
 
"What she like?" asked the half-breed with a sudden quickening of interest.
 
Ainley described Helen Yardely to the best of his ability, watching the other's evil face whilst he did so, and before he had ended guessed that the man knew something of the girl he was seeking.
 
"You have seen her?" he cried .
 
"Oui!" replied the half-breed. "I haf seen her, one, two, tree days ago. She is in canoe on zee river," he towards the water as he spoke, and waved his hand towards the south. "She is ver' beautiful; an' I watch her for zee pleasure, vous comprenez? And anoder man he watched also. I see him, an' I see him shoot with zee gun—once, twice he shoot."
 
"You saw him shoot?" Ainley's face had gone suddenly white, and there was a in his voice as he asked his questions. "Do you mean he shot the girl?"
 
"No! No! Not zee girl. He very bad shot if he try. Non! It was zee paddle he try for, an' he get it zee second shot. I in the woods this side zee river an' I see him, as he stand behind a tree to watch what zee girl she will do."
 
"You saw him?" asked Ainley, in a voice. "Who was he?"
 
"I not know," answered the half-breed quickly, "but I tink I see heem again since."
 
"You think——"
 
"Oui! I tink I talk with heem, now."
 
There was a look of triumph on the half-breed's face, and an alert look in his furtive eyes as he made the . For a moment fear looked out of Ainley's eyes and he visibly , then he recovered him............