Brakeman Hall to run you down to Gate-
way,” he ordered, “and make it snappy
or Auloffll get across the line.”

Three hours later Nicholson received a
message from Wilson saying he'd arrested
a man resembling Auloff armed with an
automatic and found hiding in a boxcar.
But Nicholson’s elation turned to chagrin
when the old Ford clattered in and Wilson
and two oficers dragged their frowsy pris-
oner in before him. Though a foreigner
with a thatch of yellow hair, he lacked the
bold carriage and appearance of the wanted
Auloff, and was gaoled on a charge of carry-
ing concealed weapons, while the chase for
the bandits was resumed.

Wading through the rain-soaked muskeg,
Constable Hidson of the Alberta Provincial
Police, with Special Constable Nick Kys-
land, was working his way through the
gloomy woods west of Crows’ Nest near
the place where Baptiste had reported Aul-
off’s presence when a deserted cabin loomed
through the darkness ahead. While Hidson
ransacked the downstairs Kysland climbed
above, throwing an exploratory beam from
his flashlight into the cobwebbed corners.

Above the roar of tumbling cataracts
Hidson’s ears detected the unmistakable
rumble of an approaching train. As he
dashed for the track to search it a dark
figure catapulted from the upstairs window
and commenced to run. “Halt or I fire!”
shouted Hidson. As the figure continued
to zig-zag towards the clattering boxcars
his gun cracked.

With a cry the man pitched forward.
Elbowing through the willows, Hidson

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flashed his torch on the figure sprawled on
the moss. My God!” the constable gasped.
“It’s Kysland.” As Kysland had leapt from
the window and run to search the freight,
Hidson, mistaking him for the fugitive, had
shot him through the heart.

Towards dawn the stillness of the valley
was rent by a single shot which seemed to
come from the vicinity of the Holloway
ranch. Then, through the foreign element
spread the rumour that Bassoff had com-
mitted suicide.

Auloff, however, from the reports that
came rolling in, appeared to have multiplied
himself many times and acquired the faculty
of being at half a dozen widely separated
points at one and the same time. A momen-
tary glimpse of him was reported by a
traveller near Natal. Near Waldo, a sec-
tion foreman had seen him as he clambered
over a barbed wire fence, leaving a piece
of torn mackinaw behind him.

Combing the sidehills near the British
Columbia border Corporal Egan’s sharp
eyes detected a piece of cloth fluttering in
the wind beneath a culvert. Clambering
through the thicket he suddenly halted.
Partly buried in the wet undergrowth lay
the body of a heavily-built, mackinaw-clad
man with a bullet in his back, and his face
so disfigured by the slashing strokes of a
knife as to be unrecognizable. “Auloff!”
Egan turned to the policeman beside him.
“Tried to slip it over on the others. Looks
like they evened up the score.”

While mud-bespattered posses combed
the fir-clad walls of the Crows’ Nest the

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stark tragedy of the Bellevue battle was
brought forcefully home to the wrathful
residents of Macleod.

With prairie breezes murmuring a soft
requiem a solemn procession left the Royal
Canadian Mounted Police barracks to the
muffled roll of drums. Ahead, on slow
stepping chargers, rode the firing party
under Sergeant Webb, followed by coal-
black steeds hauling a grey gun carriage
bearing the bodies of the victims draped
beneath a Union Jack. In the rear came
Usher’s horse with the rider’s boots re-
versed and a dozen pallbearers in scarlet
and gold and khaki, headed by Superinten-
dents Brian and Pennyfather and Assistant
Superintendent Nicholson. Never in the
history of Macleod had the citizens been
so deeply touched as by the untimely death
of these two officers whose lives had been
ruthlessly blasted by bandit bullets in the
performance of their duty.

* * &

Hurrying back to the Pass with the
wrathful indignation of the townspeople
ringing in his ears, Nicholson reached
Frank in time to meet Deputy Assistant Lee
and C. H. Kerney of Seattle as they stepped
from an eastbound train with three rangy
bloodhounds. Accompanied by Detective
Ashman, deputies and dogs were hurried
to the Halloway ranch.

Cleaning out their nostrils with a wet
cloth, Lee led the dogs back and forth
through the bush around the ranch house
in the hope they would pick up Bassoff’s
trail. Dan, the pup, seemed to treat the

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