At first he was confused and bewildered by the half hidden boulders and
snow-shrouded bushes that beset the broken ground, and dazzled by the
still driving storm. But he knew that they would also divert attention
from his flight, and beyond, he could now see a white slope slowly
rising before him, near whose crest a few dark spots were crawling in
file, like Alpine climbers. They were the Chinamen he was seeking. He
had reasoned that when they discovered they were followed they would, in
the absence of any chance of signaling through the storm, detach one
of their number to give the alarm. HIM he would follow. He felt
his revolver safe on his hip; he would use it only if necessary to
intimidate the spies.
For some moments his ascent through the wet snow was slow and difficult,
but as he advanced, he felt a change of temperature corresponding to
that he had experienced that afternoon on the wagon coming down. The air
grew keener, the snow drier and finer. He kept a sharp lookout for
the moving figures, and scanned the horizon for some indication of the
prospector's deserted hut. Suddenly the line of figures he was watching
seemed to be broken, and then gathered together as a group. Had they
detected him? Evidently they had, for, as he had expected, one of them
had been detached, and was now moving at right angles from the party
towards the right. With a thrill of excitement he urged his horse
forward; the group was far to the left, and he was nearing the solitary
figure. But to his astonishment, as he approached the top of the slope
he now observed another figure, as far to the left of the group as he
was to the right, and that figure he could see, even at that distance,
was NOT a Chinaman. He halted for a better observation; for an
instant he thought it might be the fugitive himself, but as quickly he
recognized it was another man--the deputy. It was HE whom the Chinaman
had discovered; it was HE who had caused the diversion and the dispatch
of the vedette to warn the fugitive. His own figure had evidently
|