ay if you like," said Stonor, grinning. "The police _are_
thick sometimes in dealing with clever fellows like you."

"Well, I'll tell you. I came up to this country because I choose to live
alone. My reasons are my own affair. I'm not wanted by the police of
this or any other country. But I don't choose to be spied on and
followed up. That's why I got out of the way."

"Did you live alone down there?" asked Stonor casually.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, there was that lady who left Carcajou Point with you."

"Oh, that was just a temporary affair," said Imbrie, with a leer.

Stonor, thinking of Clare, could have struck him for it. With an effort
he swallowed his rage. "Did you never have any visitors?" he asked
coolly.

Imbrie favoured him with a lightning glance. "What put that idea into
your head?"

Stonor lied in the good cause. "One of the Indians said you had a
visitor."

"When?"

"Just a few days before we went down."

"What kind of visitor?"

"A man much like yourself," said Stonor.

Imbrie lost his grin for the moment. "It's a lie," he said thickly.

"Oh, well, it's no crime to have a visitor," said Stonor smoothly.

Imbrie saw his mistake, and quickly commanded himself. He laughed
easily. "Just my way," he said. "I'm cracked on the subject of living
alone."

They had to spell at short intervals during the day, for Stonor's horse
was growing very tired. Whenever they halted they began to fence with
words in much the same way, each trying to discover the other's weak
joint without letting down his own guard. It seemed to Stonor that,
under his cynical insolence, his prisoner was growing ever more anxious.

On one occasion Imbrie said with a careless air: "Did you see the big
falls when you were down the river?"

"No," said Stonor instantly.

"Very fine sight."

It occurred to Stonor that a certain amount of curiosity on his part
would appear natural. "What are they like?"

Imbrie looked at him through slightly narrowed lids. "Big horse-shoe
effect. The water falls all around in a sort of half-circle, and there
are tremendous rocks below. The water falls on the rocks."

This description sounded purposely misleading. The place, of course, was
not like that at all. Stonor thought: "What does he tell me that for?
Living there all that time, it isn't possible he hasn't seen the falls.
In his diary he mentioned going there." Suddenly the explanation came to
him. "I know! He's trying to tempt