“Nesis did not see what happened at the boat.  The crowd was too great for her to get near.  But next morning when they came back she heard Myengeen say to Watusk that Gordon Strange had sent word that they must tie Ambrose Doane up and carry him away.

“She said it was soon known throughout the tribe that if the police came everybody was to say that Ambrose Doane made all the trouble.  She said he was tied up and carried away on a horse.

“When they all got to the Kakisa River a week later she found that he was imprisoned in Gordon Strange’s house, and watched day and night.”

So far the power of Colina’s story had carried her hearers along breathlessly with her.  Not until she reached this point did a very obvious question occur to the judge.

“One moment, Miss Gaviller,” he said.  “I presume you understand that this story would have more weight as evidence if the girl Nesis was produced in court.  Can she be brought here?”

Once more Colina faltered—­and steeled herself.  Her eyes became misty, but she looked directly at the judge.  “My Lord,” she said simply, “she is dead.”

CHAPTER XLII.

THE AVENGING OF NESIS.

His lordship started back thoroughly discomposed.  “Really!  Really!” he murmured helplessly.  The prisoner hid his face in his arms again.  An audible wave of compassion traveled over the room.

“Should I tell about that?” Colina asked quietly.  The judge signified his assent.

“On the third morning on the prairie,” Colina continued, “the Indians found us again.  They had tracked us all the way from the Kakisa.  They did not attack us, but followed about a quarter of a mile behind.

“There were about fifty of them.  Whenever we stopped to rest or eat, they rode around us in a big circle yelling and firing their guns in the air—­trying to break our nerve.”

A gasp escaped her hearers at the picture she evoked—­three women on the wide prairie, and a horde of yelling savages!

“I did not mind them so much,” Colina went on simply, “for I was sure they were too cowardly to attack us.  But our food was all gone by this time, and I could not leave the others to hunt for game.  The horses were completely played out.

“At night we suffered from the cold.  We could not make a fire because the light of it blinded us and showed us to the Indians.  On the fourth night as we were trying to push on in the hope of losing them in the dark, the horse that Nesis was riding fell down and died in his tracks.  After that we took turns walking.

“Next day they easily found us again.  It was very cold, and we could scarcely keep going.  In the afternoon we came to the edge of the bench of the Spirit River.  It was a long way down to the bank.

“When we got there we saw that heavy ice was running in the river.  We had to travel another mile along the bank before we saw enough dead timber in one place to make a raft.  I was afraid we wouldn’t have strength enough to move it.  We hadn’t eaten for two days.