Jessie recoiled at the last moment, even before she recognized him.  It was too late to take precautions now.  He caught her by the wrist and tore off his glasses, at the same time shaking back the hood.

“Glad to death to meet up with you, missie,” he grinned evilly through broken, tobacco-stained teeth.

The blood drenched out of her heart.  She looked at the man, silent and despairing.  His presence here could mean to her nothing less than disaster.  The girl’s white lips tried to frame words they could not utter.

“Took by surprise, ain’t you?” he jeered.  “But plumb pleased to see old Bully West again, eh?  It’s a damn long lane that ain’t got a crook in it somewheres.  An’ here we are at the turn together, jus’ you’n’ me, comfy, like I done promised it would be when I last seen you.”

She writhed in a swift, abortive attempt to break his hold.

He threw back his head in a roar of laughter, then with a twist of his fingers brought his captive to the knees.

Sharp teeth flashed in a gleam of white.  He gave a roar of pain and tore away his hand.  She had bit him savagely in the wrist, as she had once done with another man on a memorable occasion.

“Goddlemighty!” he bellowed.  “You damn li’l’ hell-cat!”

She was on her feet and away instantly.  But one of the snowshoes had come off in the struggle.  At each step she took the left foot plunged through the white crust and impeded progress.

In a dozen strides he had reached her.  A great arm swung round and buffeted the runner on the side of the head.  The blow lifted the girl from her feet and flung her into a drift two yards away.

She looked up, dazed from the shock.  The man was standing over her, a huge, threatening, ill-shaped Colossus.

“Get up!” he ordered harshly, and seized her by the shoulder.

She found herself on her feet, either because she had risen or because he had jerked her up.  A ringing in the head and a nausea made for dizziness.

“I’ll learn you!” he exploded with curses.  “Try that again an’ I’ll beat yore head off.  You’re Bully West’s woman, un’erstand?  When I say ‘Come!’ step lively.  When I say ‘Go!’ get a move on you.”

“I’ll not.”  Despite her fear she faced him with spirit.  “My friends are near.  They’ll come and settle, with you for this.”

He put a check on his temper.  Very likely what she said was true.  It was not reasonable to suppose that she was alone in the forest many miles from Faraway.  She had come, of course, to look at the traps, but some one must have accompanied her.  Who?  And how many?  The skulking caution of his wild-beast nature asserted itself.  He had better play safe.  Time enough to tame the girl when he had her deep in the Lone Lands far from any other human being except himself.  Just now the first need was to put many miles between them and the inevitable pursuit.