Ten o'clock; we're making good time. Must give the engine a
drink--and take one myself."

He descended to the creek with a bucket, bringing back water to fill
the steaming radiator. Afterwards, standing in the light of the car's
lamps, he tilted a flask to his lips and drank deep.

"Not far now; three or four miles. But it's slow going. Have to make
it on 'low'," said he, swinging himself up into his place.

Janet held her face turned away. She was thinking of Juanita and
Steele Weir. Had the girl gone home again? Or, terrified, had she run
to her own home and said nothing? Had the engineer come and waited and
learning nothing at last returned to the dam? Despair filled her
breast. Even should the Mexican girl have apprised him of the
kidnapping, how should he know where to follow? And in the solitude of
the wet dark mountains all about her hope died.

She began desperately to tug against the handkerchief binding her
wrists.

Suddenly the going became easier and she felt rather than saw that the
trees had thinned. A flash of the car lamps at a curve in the trail
showed a great glistening wall of rock towering overhead, then this
was passed and the way appeared to lead into a grassy open space. A
dark shape beside the road loomed into view--a cabin by a clump of
pine trees. Sorenson brought the car to a stop a few yards from the
house.

"Here at last," he announced, springing down.

He unstrapped her feet, bade her get out.

"I make a last appeal to your decency and manhood--if you have
either," she said, sitting motionless.

"Rot," he answered. Half dragging her, half lifting her, he removed
her from the machine. Slipping a hand within her arm he led her inside
the log house.

"Sit there," he ordered.

Janet dropped upon the seat, a rude plank bench against the wall
farthest from the door. Indeed, fatigue and the numbness of her limbs
rendered her incapable of standing.

"When I've touched off this fire and set out some grub, then I'll
untie your hands," he continued. "A snug little cabin, eh? Just the
place for us, what? See all the stuff I've brought up here to make you
warm and happy and comfortable. Regular nest. Lot of work on my part,
I want to say."

He touched a match to the wood already laid in the fireplace, flung
off his rain coat and stood to warm his hands at the blaze. Lighting a
cigarette, he began placing from a box of supplies plates and food on
the table in the middle of the room, but