he'd go mad--he's haunted the river-bank ever since, raging
about for some means of following her, and if I hadn't fairly held him
he'd have set out single-handed."

"I'm still strong in the belief that Necia could have bettered her hand
by stayin' out awhile longer," declared Lee, stubbornly; "but if she
wants a soldier, why, we'll get one for her, only I'd rather have got
her somethin' real good and pronounced in the military line--like an
agitant-gen'ral or a walkin' delegate."

While they were talking Burrell came in, and "No Creek" saw that the
night had affected the youth even more than it had Gale, or at least he
showed the marks more plainly, for his face was drawn, his eyes were
sunken as if from hunger, and his whole body seemed to have fallen away
till his uniform hung upon him loose, unkempt, and careless. It was as
if hope had been a thing of avoirdupois, and when taken away had caused
a shrinkage. He had interrogated Stark again after getting the doctor,
but the man had only cursed at him, declaring that his daughter was out
of reach, where he would take care to keep her, and torturing the lover
anew by linking Runnion's name with the girl's till the young man fled
from the sound of the monster's voice back to his own quarters. He
strove to keep the image of Runnion out of his mind, for his reason
could not endure it. At such times he cried aloud, cursing in a way
that was utterly strange to a God-fearing man, only to break off and
rush to the other extreme, praying blindly, beseechingly, for the
girl's safe-keeping. At intervals an unholy impulse almost drove him to
Stark's cabin to finish the work Gale had begun, to do it coldly as a
matter of justice, for was he not the one who had put Necia into the
hands of that ruffian? Greeting Lee mechanically, he said to Gale:

"I can't wait much longer," and sank wearily into a seat. Almost the
next instant he was on his feet again, saying to the trader, as he had
said it a score of times already: "Runnion comes to me, Gale! You
understand he's mine, don't you?"

The old man nodded. "Yes! You can take him."

"Well, who do _I_ git?" asked Lee.

"You can't come along," the trader said. "We may have to follow the
hound clean to the States. Think of your mine--"

"To hell with the mine!" exploded the shaggy prospector. "I reckon I'm
kind of a daddy to your gal, and I'm goin' to be in at the finish."

Back and forth paced the Lieutenant restlessly, pausing eve