ak' de wheeskey to de Clearwater
an' go on to Snare Lake."

This time it was Xavier's eyes that flashed a hint of fear. "_Non_!"
he answered quickly. "Lapierre, she----"

The other silenced him, speaking rapidly. "Lapierre, she t'ink she
mak' us w'at you call, de double cross!" Xavier noted that the
malignant eyes flashed dangerously--"Lapierre, she sma't but me--I'm
sma't too. Dere's plent' men 'long de revair lak' to see de las' of
Pierre Lapierre. And plent' Injun in de Nort' dey lak' dat too. But
dey 'fraid to keel him. We do de work--Lapierre she tak' de money.
_Sacre_! Me--I'm 'fraid, too." He paused and shrugged significantly.
"But som' day I'm git de chance an' den leetle Du Mont she dismees
Lapierre from de serveece. Den me--I'm de bos'. _Bien_!"

The other glanced at him in admiration.

"Me, I'm goin' 'long to Snare Lake," he said, "but firs' we stop on
Baptiste Chambre an' mak' de beeg dronk, eh!" The smaller man nodded,
and the two sought their blankets and were soon sleeping silently
beside the blazing fire.

A week later the two rivermen paused at the edge of a thicket that
commanded the approach to Brown's abandoned cabin on the Clearwater.
The threatened storm had broken while they were still at Baptiste
Chambre's cabin, and the two days' debauch had lengthened into five.

Chambre's jug had been emptied and several times refilled from the
contents of Tostoff's concealed cask, which had been skilfully tapped
and as skilfully replenished as to weight by the addition of snow water.

The effect of their protracted orgy was plainly visible in the
bloodshot eyes and heavy movements of both men. And it was more from
force of long habit than from any sense of alertness or premonition of
danger that they crouched in the thicket and watched the smoke curl
from the little iron stovepipe that protruded above the roof of the
cabin.

"Dem Injun she wait," growled Xavier. "Com' on, me--I'm lak' for ketch
som' sleep." The two swung boldly into the open and, pausing only long
enough to remove their rackets, pushed open the door of the cabin.

An instant later Du Mont, who was in the lead, leaped swiftly backward
and, crashing into the heavier and clumsier Xavier bowled him over into
the snow, where both wallowed helplessly, held down by Xavier's heavy
pack.

It was but the work of a moment for the wiry Du Mont to free himself,
and when he leaped to his feet, cursing like a fiend, it was to loo