on special duty up at Fort Simpson, two thousand miles by water if it's
a foot! It means six months or a year. We leave in the motor boat at
dawn to overtake Rossand and his outfit, so I had to take this chance
of seeing you. I hesitated until I knew that some one was awake in your
room."

"I'm glad you came," said Kent warmly. "And--good God, how I would like
to go with you, Bucky! If it wasn't for this thing in my chest,
ballooning up for an explosion--"

"I wouldn't be going," interrupted O'Connor in a low voice. "If you
were on your feet, Kent, there are a number of things that wouldn't be
happening. Something mighty queer has come over Kedsty since this
morning. He isn't the Kedsty you knew yesterday or for the last ten
years. He's nervous, and I miss my guess if he isn't constantly on the
watch for some one. And he's afraid of me. I know it. He's afraid of me
because I saw him go to pieces when he met that girl. Fort Simpson is
simply a frame-up to get me away for a time. He tried to smooth the
edge off the thing by promising me an inspectorship within the year.
That was this afternoon, just before the storm. Since then--"

O'Connor turned and faced the moonlight for a moment.

"Since then I've been on a still-hunt for the girl and Sandy
McTrigger," he added. "And they've disappeared, Kent. I guess McTrigger
just melted away into the woods. But it's the girl that puzzles me.
I've questioned every scow cheman at the Landing. I've investigated
every place where she might have got food or lodging, and I bribed
Mooie, the old trailer, to search the near-by timber. The unbelievable
part of it isn't her disappearance. It's the fact that not a soul in
Athabasca Landing has seen her! Sounds incredible, doesn't it? And
then, Kent, the big hunch came to me. Remember how we've always played
up to the big hunch? And this one struck me strong. I think I know
where the girl is."

Kent, forgetful of his own impending doom, was deeply interested in the
thrill of O'Connor's mystery. He had begun to visualize the situation.
More than once they had worked out enigmas of this kind together, and
the staff-sergeant saw the old, eager glow in his eyes. And Kent
chuckled joyously in that thrill of the game of man-hunting, and said:

"Kedsty is a bachelor and doesn't even so much as look at a woman. But
he likes home life--"

"And has built himself a log bungalow somewhat removed from the town,"
added O'Connor.

"And his Chinam