e
knocked a lot of big drops from the trees.

CHAPTER XIII

THE PLATINUM MINE

Because of the experience that Bob and Bill had had, Mr. Waterman
thought it best to stick around Lac Parent and take it easy for a few
days. This they did. They found the trout fishing very good and
concluded that after all there was nothing like fly fishing for the
speckled beauties. Fishing for salmon was a change but they all felt
that if they were to fish for a summer they would much prefer the
smaller fish. There seemed to be no lessening of the supply. On
Wednesday they all went into Escoumains. They went by the trail,
carrying their canoes through the first two lakes so that they had only
about six or seven miles of walking. They did this because they made the
trip more for the sake of a change than because they had to go to the
village for supplies. Sandy MacPherson still talked of the German spy.

"I have to admire both his nerve and his cleverness," said Sandy.

"To come here for that purpose and to do so for several years simply
proves the excellence of the German spy system, considered by far the
greatest and most far-reaching of any nation's in the world," said Mr.
Waterman.

"Sure," said Sandy, "that's the point. Field has been here for the last
five years so when he came in early this spring we thought nothing of
it. The way he got me--me, the representative of the law, to help him in
with those wireless instruments four years ago was the height of
audacity. How did he know that I knew nothing about wireless?"

"He had probably talked to you about it," said Mr. Anderson.

"Well, I bear him no ill-will," concluded Sandy, "especially as the
German submarines did not get a single troop ship that left either
Halifax or Quebec."

"Did those revenue officers question you about us?" asked Mr. Waterman.

"I should think they did," replied Sandy. "I got mad at last and asked
them if they suspected me of being disloyal. That shut them up. I guess
the thing is over for good."

They all went back to the camp via the short route with the exception of
Mr. Waterman, who went back via the road with a load of provisions. As
he left, he stated that he would camp at the ford that night and would
expect them all over there very early in the morning to help him with
the stuff. The party separated and the next morning even before
daybreak, they all left the home camp and headed for the ford. The fact
that the boys were quite w