Page:Toilers of the Trails.djvu/107

 François Hertel. Why you let heem go and one t'ousand dollar wid heem?"

"So you think we're government police, do you?"

"Oua!" cried the clerk angrily, "and you have fear to tak' heem?"

"I tell you once and for all that we're government engineers, not police. We're bound to Abitibi Lake on the provincial boundary survey."

"Oua," repeated the clerk with a shrug. "You can' fool me. What you do here dees tam in de beeg snow eef you don' hunt for François Hertel?"

"All right, have it your own way, then; but, as we had your testimony alone to the fact that Pierre was Hertel, and as I wouldn't take your word against a skunk, I guess, as far as we're concerned, he is still Pierre the trapper. And good luck to him; he's a man, and that's more than I can say for you."

In impotent rage the half-breed rushed out of the room. Then young McIntyre turned from the window, through which he had been gazing down the white miles of Grand Lac Pierre, and reached for Bolton's right hand.

"John," he said huskily, "it was hard for you to do it, but I knew you would."

"I could do no more for a man who took the chance he did to save our lives," replied Bolton.

"Did he suspect us of being police?"

"Yes, but he took the risk of bringing us in just the same."

"When did you first get the idea who he was? It