he had found himself
forced into the Indian guide's canoe and carried beyond reach of help.

He had planned then to escape after they reached the abandoned logging
camp, steal a canoe and come back to the railway line and down to
Thorlakson on a handcar or a freight train. But again he had not
reckoned on the number of men with whom he would have to deal at the
camp. McIvor's party proper consisted only of three men beside
himself; but the half-breeds and others who had been invited for a
spree began to straggle in till escape became almost impossible. They
caught him the first time he tried it and after that he had been
guarded more closely. It was plain to him that Nickleby, knowing of
this McIvor expedition, had paid McIvor's agent to carry him into the
heart of the wilderness with them and to keep him away from
civilization.

In the light of this recital of the facts the presence of Jimmy Stiles
was no longer an unbelievable coincidence, but a logical outcome.
Nickleby, having made a dicker with McIvor's man to recover the money
from the stump before Podmore could get it, had attempted to kill two
birds with one stone by having McIvor take Stiles with him on his
expedition beyond the outposts of civilization. In doing that Nickleby
had no means of knowing that he was defeating his own ends by putting
Stiles within reach of friends.

The end of the narrative found Kendrick full of eager questions. The
definite knowledge that Nickleby had a police record, that Rives knew
this and had looked him up on the strength of it, that the two had
their heads together--all this boded no good, as Phil saw it.
Nathaniel Lawson and Benjamin Wade apparently had been justified in
their worst suspicions of Nickleby. Kendrick asked Stiles for further
details of the conversation he had overheard between Nickleby and
Rives. Had he been able to catch all that was said? Was there any
indication that the two were planning further mischief?

"They dropped their voices pretty low once or twice," replied Jimmy
with some hesitation, "but I got the most of it." He looked across at
Cristy Lawson and cleared his throat in such evident embarrassment that
Phil glanced quickly at the girl.

"What is it, Miss Lawson, please? You and Jimmy are keeping something
back. Why? Is there something you think I ought not to know?"

She looked up at that and he was surprised at the diffidence reflected
in her manner.

"It isn't that it is a