“They’re partners; but, from what I’ve gathered, it’s more likely that Clay’s the man who’s on our trail. We helped him to follow it by registering with an employment agent—and that makes me wonder whether it would be an advantage to change our names?”
“I’ll stick to mine!” said Jimmy; and Moran declared his intention of doing the same.
“After all, it’s a feeble trick and not likely to cheat the fellow we have to deal with,” Bethune agreed. “He has obviously got a pretty accurate description of us.”
“But would a man of his kind spend his time in tracking us? And wouldn’t it lead to talk?”
Bethune laughed.
“He’ll act through agents; there are plenty of broken-down adventurers in Vancouver who’d be glad to do his dirty work. These cities are full of impecunious wastrels; I was one myself.”
“Perhaps we’d better clear out,” suggested Jimmy. “I’d hate to take the fellow’s pay.”
“You needn’t feel diffident. If it’s any consolation, the mill foreman will get full value out of you. However—” Bethune broke off as Aynsley came in.
“The fishing doesn’t seem to have been very profitable,” he said, putting a box on the table. “Have a cigar.”
“All we caught hardly paid for the net,” Bethune replied. “On the whole, I don’t think we’ll smoke. Perhaps we had better not, so to speak, confuse our relations at the start. You see, though we didn’t know you were the manager, we came along in the hope that you might have an opening for three active men.”