there was something in his
comrade's face that troubled him.

"Have you got it?" he asked.

"No," said Seaforth very quietly. "You told me the bag was in the
canoe."

"Of course," said Alton. "Well, wasn't it there?"

"I don't know," said Seaforth. "I couldn't find the canoe."

Alton said nothing further, but stumbled in haste towards the river.
Seaforth followed him more slowly, and Alton stood very still when he
found nothing but boulders and shingle. Then he stooped and bent over
a little depression in the pebbles, and when he rose again his face was
impassive.

"The water has risen since last night, but I'm not sure that accounts
for it," he said. "The bank slopes a little, but we pulled most of her
out."

"I think we pulled the whole of her clear," said Seaforth quietly.

Alton stood silent for almost a minute with his right hand clenched.
Then he said slowly, "You'll have to go down and look for her while I
push on, Charley."

Seaforth was about to speak, but he saw his comrade's eyes and did not
express himself as he had meant to. "Yes," he said. "I don't know
that I shall find her."

The two men looked at each other, until Alton moved his head. "Still,
one of us must try," he said. "Take all you can carry, and a rifle.
I'll load up as much as I'm fit for, and we'll cache the rest. You'll
come on after me, or join Tom, as you think best."

Seaforth smiled a little. "I'll come on, and even if I sacrifice
something else I'll take the rifle."

Alton said nothing, and for an hour they were busy about the camp.
Then as they stood a moment, loaded like beasts of burden, under the
dripping pines, Seaforth held out his hand.

"Harry, are you wise?" he said.

"I don't know," said Alton simply; "but I'm going on."

It was noticeable that they shook hands, which they were not in the
habit of doing, and that there was a very faint but perceptible tremor
in Seaforth's voice.

"Good-bye," he said.

"Well," said Alton with a smile, which seemed to lack heartiness. "I
wouldn't put it that way."

He swung forward with his face towards the north, but the smile faded
and his fingers closed on the rifle when he heard Seaforth struggling
southwards through the bush.

"Two of them gone now," he said. "I wonder if that is what the other
fellow wanted."

CHAPTER XVIII

IN THE WILDERNESS

Dusk was closing down on the valley, and the rain had ceased, when
Alton unstrapped his load, and st