a few pounds of
provisions. To make things worse, George had fallen from a slippery rock at
the last portage and badly hurt his leg. After making a few leagues with
difficulty, he found he could go no farther, and they held a council. They
were already suffering from want of food, but their guide estimated that by
a forced march overland they might reach a place where some skin-hunters
were supposed to be camped. There was a Hudson Bay post farther away. On
coming up they had cached some provisions in two places on opposite sides
of the river--they kept crossing to pole through the easiest slack. George
accordingly insisted that the others go on; each was to follow a different
bank and the first to find the provisions was to try to communicate with
the other and hurry back with food. If they were unable to locate the
caches they were to leave the river and push on in search of help. They
agreed; but deep snow had fallen and Clarence Gladwyne failed to find the
cache. He reached the hunters' camp famishing, and they went back with him.
He found his cousin dead."

"And the guide?"

"It's rather an ugly story. You must have heard it."

"I haven't heard the one Gladwyne told in England."

"The guide reached the Hudson Bay post--a longer journey than the one
Gladwyne made--in the last stage of exhaustion. He had taken very little
food with him--Gladwyne knew exactly how much--and the Hudson Bay agent
decided that it was impossible he could have covered the distance on the
minute quantity. There was only one inference."

"That he had found the cache?" Lisle's face grew very stern.

Nasmyth nodded.

"In a way, there was some slight excuse for him. Think of it--a worn-out,
famishing man, without blankets or means of making a fire, who had
struggled over icy rocks and through leagues of snow, finding a few cans
of provisions and a little moldy flour! Even when he had satisfied his
hunger, he was, no doubt, unequal to making the return journey to rejoin
a man who was probably already dead."

"If that man had found a scrap of food, he would have tried!"

Lisle's voice had a curious ring in it, and Nasmyth looked at him hard.

"You seem convinced."

"I am; I knew him well."

Nasmyth was startled and he showed it, but afterward he looked
thoughtful.

"I believe I understand," he said.

For a minute or two there was silence which was broken only by the
snapping of the branches on the fire and the hollow roar of the