In its own mysterious way the news penetrated the wilderness; and out of the desolation of forest and swamp and mountain drifted the people who somehow existed there--a few shy, half wild young girls, a dozen silent, lank men, two or three of Clinch's own people, who stood silently about in the falling snow and lent a hand whenever requested. One long shanked youth cut hemlock to line the grave; others erected a little fence of silver birch around it, making of the enclosure a "plot." A gaunt old woman from God knows where aided Mr. Lyken at intervals: a pretty, sulky-eyed girl with her slovenly, red-headed sister cooked for anybody who desired nourishment. When Mike was ready to hold the inevitable reception everybody filed into the dance hall. Mr. Lyken was master of ceremonies; Trooper Stormont stood very tall and straight by the head of the casket. Clinch wore a vague, indefinable smile and his best clothes,--that same smile which had so troubled Jose Quintana. Light was fading fast in the room when the last visitor took silent leave of Clinch and rejoined the groups in the kitchen, where were the funeral baked meats. Eve still slept. Descending again from his reconnaissance, Trooper Stormont encountered Trooper Lannis below. "Has anybody picked up Quintana's tracks?" inquired the former. "Not so far. An Inspector and two State Game Protectors are out beyond Owl Marsh. The Troopers from Five Lakes are on the job, and we have enforcement men along Drowned Valley from The Scaur to Harrod Place." "Does Darragh know?" "Yes. He's in there with Mike. He brought a lot of flowers from Harrod Place." The two troopers went into the dance hall where Darragh was arranging the flowers from his greenhouses. Stormont said quietly: "All right, Jim, but Eve must not know that they came from Harrod's." Darragh nodded: "How is she, Jack?" "All in." "Do you know the story?" "Yes. Mike went into Drowned Valley early last evening after Quintana. He didn't come back. Before dawn this morning Eve located Quintana, set a bear-trap for him, and caught him with the goods----" "What goods?" demanded Darragh sharply. "Well, she got his pack and found Mike's watch and jewelry in it----" "What jewelry?" "The jewels Quintana was after. But that was after she'd arrived at the Dump, here, leaving Quintana to get free of the trap and beat it. "That's how I met her--half crazed, going to find Quintana again. We'd found Mike in Drowned Valley and were bringing him out when I ran into Eve.... I brought her back here and called Ghost Lake.... They haven't picked up Quintana's tracks so far." After a silence: "Too bad this snow came so late," remarked Trooper Lannis. "But we ought to get Quintana anyway." Darragh went over and looked silently at Mike Clinch. "I liked you," he said under his breath. "It wasn't your fault. And it wasn't mine, Mike.... I'll try to square things. Don't worry."