next day, and wondered whether the others meant to pass it at night. If
so, it would indicate that they did not want to be seen.

When he had smoked out his pipe he gathered some wood, and then, as
Father Lucien had not wakened, thought he would look for the others'
trail and see which way they had gone. They were traveling north, but
two routes the Indians used started from the head of the lake. He found
the marks of the sledge-runners, and then noted with a thrill of
excitement that there was something curious about one of the men's
tracks. The steps were uneven; one impression was sharper than the
other.

Imagining that the party would camp soon, Thirlwell determined to follow
and presently came to a rough slope where the trail left the ice.
Caution was now needed, because he could not see far and might be heard
if he made much noise in pushing through the bush. The silence that
brooded over the woods indicated that the others had stopped. The pines
were small and tangled, but he could see where the sledge had gone and
when he reached the summit a gleam of light sprang up in the valley
below. Thirlwell thought the man who made the fire had chosen the spot
well if he meant its light to be hidden.

The wood was thin on the slope he went down and it was difficult to keep
in the gloom. The glimmering moonlight was brighter and his figure would
be visible against the snow as he crossed the openings. When he was some
distance from the fire he stopped and studied his line of approach.

The men were moving about on his side of the fire. Their figures were
distinct, but he could not see their faces, and if he crossed the belt
of rather open ground, the light would fall on him. If he could creep up