He started forward, and the other followed, staring. The stranger was confidently forging toward them across the snow, and was alone, apparently unarmed. “Look at his ears!” said Frontin suddenly. “There’s an animal for you, cap’n!” The stranger was bareheaded, wore woollen shirt and trousers, no furs. He was not tall, but very wide, thickly built, long in the arm; his head was well set between broad shoulders. His hair, cut close and ragged by a knife, was a bright flame-colour, and his heavy features ended in a pointed red beard. His skin, too, was red and high-blooded, while his ears were set very high on his head. He had all the look of a vigorous animal alive with power, and his eyes were of a light grey, whitish and almost colourless, but extremely sharp and alert. The three came together. The stranger stood gazing at the other two--Frontin, hawk-nosed and saturnine, dark and grimly cynical; Crawford, thin and hatchet-faced, his heavy-lidded blue eyes somehow expressing his indomitable spirit. The stranger spoke abruptly. “Which is Crawford? Workin’ for the French company?” “I am Crawford, but I’m working for myself. Who the devil are you?” “My name’s Maclish, agent of the English company.” Maclish spoke with a slight Scots burr. “I’ve had word of your coming, and I’m here to send ye back.” “Oh!” said Crawford. The other showed yellow fangs in a laugh. “Don’t understand it, eh? Thought you could come up-country for the French and nobody know about it, eh? Well, you’ll learn different.” “I’m not for the French,” said Crawford. “Don’t believe a word of it,” retorted Maclish cheerfully. “After Iberville swept the north end o’ the bay last year, I was at Albany with Kelsey. Lucky Iberville couldn’t make a clean sweep o’ things! Well, we heard that a fur-pirate named Crawford was heading inland in French employ, so Kelsey sent me along to stop the game. And I’m here. You know about Kelsey, maybe?” Crawford shook his head. “Kelsey broke out o’ bounds years ago and came up among the Stone Men. He married a red princess and brought down all the trade, so the company made him a blooming lord in high command. And with a bit o’ luck, I’ll be the same one o’ these days.” Maclish paused to stuff a pipe. Crawford stood immobile, his brain racing. So this man had overreached him--had got ahead of him in the dead of winter! Amazing as the fact was, bitter as it was, Crawford instantly gathered himself to face the situation. “So I’m not the first white man in this country?” he asked, to gain time. “Devil a bit of it. Kelsey’s first, I’m second, and next year the company starts inland. The old orders are dead. No more keeping the company servants cooped up! Iberville’s cut us off from the north o’ the bay, so we’ll work the East Main and the up-country. When your messages came to the Assiniboines, asking for guides, I got ’em.” Maclish puffed and chuckled complacently, obviously pleased with himself.