quick
as you can!"

Prescott briefly related what led to his call at the farm and the
corporal's face was filled with scornful anger.

"This is what comes of you blamed amateurs butting in!" he remarked.
"Jernyngham was bad enough, but he can't come near you at mussing up our
plans. Guess you don't know that we've been watching Wandle for some
weeks, ready to corral him, and you start him off like this, without
warning."

"I'd reason to believe you were watching me," Prescott dryly rejoined.

"Oh, well," said Curtis, "that's another matter. Anyhow, I had trailed
Wandle to Kelly's place since dark, and I'd trotted round to see if he'd
got back to his homestead when I found that he had gone. Stanton and I
were prospecting out this way when we struck your trail."

"What are you going to do about it?"

"We'll make the next farm and try to borrow horses. Then I'll ride to the
railroad and get the wires to work. Stanton will keep the trail by Long
Lake."

"Then I'll push right on by the Traverse. There's a ranch I should make
by daylight where I might get a mount. I'm going to see the thing
through."

Curtis considered this.

"Well," he said, "I guess you can't do much harm, and Wandle may not have
gone by the lake after all. You can pick up Stanton if you find out
anything, and I'll try to join you from one of the stations along the
line."

They mounted, and on reaching the trail forks where they must separate,
Prescott turned to Curtis.

"Aren't you afraid of letting me out of your sight?" he asked.

"No, sir," Curtis answered with a smile. "You're not quite so important
to us now; and I'm not running much risk, anyway, considering the horse
you've got."

CHAPTER XXVII

STARTLING NEWS

It was noon on the day after Wandle's flight, and Jernyngham was sitting
with his friends in a room of the Leslie homestead when Muriel, looking
out of the window, saw Prescott's hired man ride up at a gallop. His
haste and his anxious expression when he dismounted alarmed her, but her
companions had not noticed him, and she waited, listening to the murmur
of voices that presently reached her from an adjoining room. They ceased
in a few minutes, she saw the man ride away as fast as he had come, and
soon afterward Leslie opened the door. He was a talkative person and
looked as if he had something of importance to relate.

"Svendsen has been over to ask if I saw Prescott when I was in at the
settlement yesterday,"