lake. A stern chase with
all the hazards of travel in the wilderness might continue for days;
Stonor was running short of grub; he must provide for their coming back;
above all it was necessary that he get word out of what had happened;
Clare's safety must not depend alone on the one mortal life he had to
give her. Hard as it was to bring himself to it, he determined to get in
touch with Tole before starting after Imbrie and the Kakisas.

To that end he mounted one of his poorer horses and galloped headlong
back through the bush. After ten miles or so, in a little open meadow he
came upon the handsome breed boy riding along without a care in the
world, hand on hip and "Stetson" cocked askew, singing lustily of
_Gentille Alouette_. Never in his life had Stonor been so glad to see
anybody. His set, white face worked painfully; for a moment he could
not speak, but only grip the boy's shoulder. Tole was scared half out of
his wits to see his revered idol so much affected.

All the way along Stonor had been thinking what he would do. It would
not be sufficient to send a message by Tole; he must write to John
Gaviller and to Lambert at the Crossing; one letter would do for both;
the phrases were all ready to his pencil. Briefly explaining the
situation to Tole, he sat down to his note-book. Two pages held it all;
Stonor would have been surprised had he been told that it was a model of
conciseness.

"JOHN GAVILLER and Sergeant LAMBERT, R.N.W.M.P.

"While returning with my prisoner Ernest Imbrie, suspected of
murder, at a point on the Horse Track six miles from Swan
River, a band of Indians from Swan Lake drove off my horses,
and while I was away looking for them, rescued my prisoner, and
also carried off the two women in my party. Am returning to
Swan Lake now with four horses. Suppose that Imbrie reaching
there will take to the lake and the upper Swan, as that
provides his only means of getting out of the country this way.
Suggest that Mr. Gaviller get this through to Lambert
regardless of expense. Suggest that Lambert as soon as he gets
it might ride overland from the Crossing to the nearest point
on the Swan. If he takes one of his folding boats, and takes a
man to ride the horses back, he could come down the Swan. I
will be coming up, and we ought to pinch Imbrie between the two
of us. The situation is a serious one, as Imbrie has the whole
tribe of