I
They rushed to the water’s edge, as the two men who had been chasing Neuburg came tumbling down the slope through the trees.
“The feller’s an Indian!” they shouted. “Led us on a faked trail right up to the top, while he doubled back an’ made for the water. We only saw him when he’d got way out on it. Sakes, I wantter get that big feller just to cry quits.”
“You won’t,” said Clement. “We’re marooned.”
“No, we ain’t!” shouted another man. “There’s another motor boat—look!”
“He knew that wasn’t any good,” said Clement, “or he’d taken it.”
Indeed, the motor boat that had been left behind was the one they had watched Siwash and Neuburg tinkering with.
“Let’s have a look at it, anyhow!” cried one man, and he made a run at it.
“Not so fast!” snapped Clement, and, as the men stopped, bewildered—“Fetch out the woman and the half-breed. Tell ’em to get into that boat first.”
Mrs. Wandersun was led out, Siwash following. She glanced round, hesitated when she saw there were no boats at the stringpiece. A hand urged her towards the motor boat.
She screamed.
“Get in,” said Clement curtly. “We’re in a hurry.”
“No!” cried the woman. “No!”
“Shut up, you fool!” cried Siwash.
“No nonsense! In with you!” snapped Gatineau, as he drew the woman towards the boat. She struggled.
“It’s murder!” she shouted. “You know it’s murder!”
“She’s crazy,” said Siwash, and with a forced calmness walked towards the boat.
“She isn’t,” Clement grinned at him. “How was she to know you hadn’t finished fixing it yet?” As Siwash turned, snarling at the trap into which he had fallen, Clement said to the men: “All right, get aboard and see what you can do with her—she’s apparently not quite ready for killing people yet.”
In five minutes he was looking at a dynamite cartridge, fixed cunningly near the gasoline tank. There was a time fuse by it, but not yet connected up.
“The hand of Nachbar,” said Gatineau, holding up the cartridge.
“Yes,” agreed Clement, feeling sick. “That was to be the ‘accident’ in the wilds.”
“Sure,” agreed Gatineau. “Miss Reys was to be sent off in a hurry in that boat for something. Somewhere, when the time fuse expired—within sight of Sicamous, prob’bly—the dynamite would send up the gas tank. Boat and girl would just vanish before the eyes of men in a sheet of flame—a natural, brilliant, devilish accident.”
Clement, almost physically ill, shook his fist at the lake.
“By God!” he cried. “That man must not be allowed to get free! We’ve got to find him, Gatineau, and settle with him. We’ve got to get him.”