“There was a girl came here last night through a certain passage to the house here, and Green and the Frenchman discovered her listening to them talk and caught her before she could get away.”
“What Frenchman do you mean?” interposed Garry quickly.
“The one they call Jean,” answered the tramp sullenly.
So there was another hunch that made good. Green and Jean had hitched forces again. That meant that the halfbreed had come directly to this place after he had made his escape from the lumber-camp with the aid of the motor boat.
“Where is she now, in the house here?” demanded Garry eagerly.
“No,” said the man. “They was afraid someone was with her or was going to follow her here, so they rushed her out. That is, the Frenchman did. He said he would take her to a hideout he had. I think he said it was on the river; what did he call it? Penicton, or something like that.”
“I know. Penocton is the name, Garry. That’s the one we visited that time we found our tourmaline mine,” put in Phil.
“Do you know anything more about it than that?” quizzed Garry.
“No, that’s all I know.”
“Just one thing more,” said Garry hurriedly. “How did you fellows come to be hitched up with this gang?”