Show I 1 tl ta attil d ak P THE RIVER RIV EKof 0 1 by george ge ts marsh 0 PENN publishing CO SERVICE SYNOPSIS van alan cameron young trapper noel his indian I 1 n dlan partner and rough husky sled died dog look in vain for the Montag nals trappers camp in the desolate big river country of northern canada their supplies destroyed by wol vol verinese verin merines verines ve rines eje s they are forced t to 0 su subsist baist on wolf volt meat n eat until they come amazed m abed to a substantial log house in baw the wilderness ild erness of talking river niver where they are greeted by a big blond man with a gun introducing himself as john mccord hunter the big man makes no clearer the mystery ry 0 of f his identity or reason tor for his w whereabouts hereabouts heather mccord mc cord the daughter who had come with him to the wilderness admires rough CHAPTER 11 II continued 3 when mccord had finished eating his simple supper of corn bread caribou stew and tea he said daughter these boys are all worn out and need sleep so you toddle off to bed when weve done don e these dishes aishe s the brows of the girl almost met in a frown as she studied her fathers face then turning to alan with a laugh she said a bargain alan it if hitch rough rou gh to the sled as soon as he gets his strength back and give me a ride on the river hes a little lame now but in a day or two hell show you what a real sled sied dog Is replied alan proudly stroking the head bead ot of the sleeping dog at his side with a good night aul the girl went to her room mccord moved the table back to the wall lit his pipe then turned to the man who was watching him curiously are you afraid to travel beyond the sinking lakes for a space the surprised youth sitting on the stool and the man who approached and bent over him probed each others eyes what was this a challenge the blood leaped in the veins of the son ot of graham cameron once known tor for his daring from rupert to the little whale was this stranger with the ice blue eyes putting his courage to the test you think im afraid to go into that country I 1 tell you its just a question of common sense of whether starve out the bearded face with its livid scar was ivas thrust closer the cold eyes snapped with the glitter of challenge the manhood of alan cameron was measured in that long stare would you go with year the giant asked in frightened protest noel cried de land of de caribou people hot dere no not derel alan impatiently waved his friend back as he rose to his feet to meet the questioning eyes that searched his youre a stranger mr said the boy his lean face lit with suli suppressed pressed excitement youve saved our lives and we owe you much but I 1 dont go into the bush with a man I 1 dont know youve asked me a question well I 1 ask you one before I 1 answer who are you and why are you here the man whose piercing blue eyes never left the speakers face laughed fair enough he agreed im from down ottawa way but ive spent a good many yeary years in the bush im up here with the idea of doing some trading they tell me that a big trade of black and silver fox pelts comes down to the coast from these headwaters black marten too and lynx but as he talked alan recalled the fighting glitter in mccords accords Mc Cords eyes earlier in the day when he opened the door of the cabin to the call of starving men the desperate look of a trapped wolverine what had brought him to that door fingering the trigger of that black automatic what mystery was behind all this when heather mccord opened the door shortly after ahe sun lit the parchment windows of the cabin she greeted her fathers guest with a look of undisguised approval shaved scrubbed and wearing a clean shirt the embarrassed stranger of the night before was agate again thin as he wis was the stil striking king youth with bold regular features and deep set gray eyes after whom when the post was gay with the spring trade the girls at fort george white halfbreed half breed and red flashed many hn an admiring glance good she said feel better aft after erthe the food and sleep and she added with a laugh after the shave the blood flooded dark frost burned face ill bs be is as good us its new in a few days why you look pretty good now rough who had slept indoors as an espe olal favor to a starved dog yawned dawned deeply rose stretched shook himself then walked to the girl who boldly placed her hand on the massive skull ears forward the husky measured her for a space through slant eyes sniffed then met her hand with the thrust of a red tongue youve put a spell on him blint I 1 exclaimed the surprised alan youre the first stranger hs ever aa ap up W ib we wont be ba strangers long she knelt and calmly took the jowls in her two hands while his tall tail swept slowly to and fro as he looked into her face youve got a way with dogs 1 commented alan she laughed 1 I take the trouble to make love to most dogs but hes a big dear gee what law jaw muscles lies hes gott youre a darling old bear arent you As alan watched her he wondered what could have induced john to bring such a girl into the heart of the barrens A loud yawn from the upper bunk announced the awakening of the giant and soon the room was filled with odors of hot bannocks ban nocks trying frying caribou steak and tea during the following days while the boys and dog were regaining their lost weight and strength and the crust stiffened under the march sun alan aan talked much with but his direct questions re calved evasive answers the mys tery of the giants presence on the talking river was still unsolved in the minds of the boys the explanation that he was there to trade with the indians did not satisfy them nevertheless in the intimacy ot of the life together alan and noel gradually surrendered to the magnetism of the man who had saved 0 aw I 1 wy winter with you them from a wilderness death they were convinced that behind that bulk and power lay the mettle of a man inan soon heather mccord was driving rough over the crusted river ice hitched to her fathers small trapping toboggan never before had the shown interest in anyone except the man he worshiped but by some secret magic some occult charm of personality the girl had reached the heart of the dog one day as alan followed rabbit snares set in the thick willows of the shore reaches above the camp he heard heather and rough skimming over the wind brushed river ice the laughter of the girl mingling with the wild yelping of the dog finishing his round of the snares he came out to the shore d a mile above the camp and looked up and down stream the river was deserted thinking that they had gone on upstream up stream he walked to a bend in the shore but on the sweep of white river ice before him there was no sled then his heart suddenly slowed as he noticed a quarter of a mile above near the shore black objects low on the ice dropping the rabbits he be carried alan ran like a caribou hunted by timber wolves it they can only hold on only hold he prayed leaping over the wind scoured crust of the river As he approached the two struggling in the suck of the strong current alan saw that the girl was holding herself firmly by her arms on an strong ice but that the husky was breaking down the ice edge churning and clawing with his powerful forelegs fore legs to hold himself up against the drag of the sled beneath him hold hold on coughl he cried desperate with tear fear clinging to the ice edge the white faced girl gasped get rought the sleds pulling him anderl im all right the spread paws of the frantic dog were slowly slipping on the clawed ice slipping toward the edge hold on hyl she cried with a last desperate lunge of his powerful fore legs the despairing dog lifted his head bead and shoulders above the water the deep throat sent a farewell whine to the master who was coming too late slowly like an anchor the drag of the sled drew the slipping lilg nails to the edge of the ice and the heroic dog sank beneath the surface there was a heavy splash as alan cameron threw himself into the water hooking one arm on the ice edge h he readied reachie underwater and abid gripped a trace ot of the dog who thrashed wildly against the drag ot of the sled to gain the surface with a wrench of his powerful arm and shoulder alan drew the struggling rough up to the lee ice edge aided by lift on the trace the dog hooked his forelegs fore legs again on the ice alan whipped his skinning knife from its r sheath heath a and nd slashed both traces the great husky drew himself out of the water turned and clamping his teeth on the he capoto of his master slowly drew him out on the ice oh youve saved him youve saved himl with a spring the he dog reached the rim of the firm lee ice where heather clung with all the strength of her young arms and seized a sleeve of her duffel capote capote while the dripping alan gripped her hand and man and dog drew the half frozen girl from the water are you all right hs he cried as heather hall half delirious hugged the wildly yelping rough quick bowl well wring sonie some of the water out of your cloth clothes esl I 1 freeze solid weve got to strike for camp shivering like a man with the ague alan wrung what water he could from her clothes weve lost the sled she said ruefully we can make another in a day or atwol come on bowl no time to talk runt commanded alan seizing heathers arm while she hau half crying hall half laughing attempted to explain how she had forgotten her fathers warning and had driven rough ough into the treacherous treacherous erous lee ice of the rapids three ice In crusted figures reached the warm camp to send john mccord when he returned into a tirade on the tolly folly of headstrong girls with short memories later alan and heather swathed in blankets drying out before the fire heard him say what would there be left for me with heather you and rough out there under that ice CHAPTER ill march the southern Montag nals moon of the crust on an the snow was drawing to an end three weeks of nourishing food had wrought miracles in the two famished boys and the lean stiff legged husky who had drifted in out of the jaws of the white death to the cabin of john mccord but now there was no time to waste if the boys were to escape being caught on their way dofort george by the spring breakup break up when the crust goes suddenly soft before the advancing sun and water floods the ri river ver ice the afternoon before alan planned to start for the coast he and mccord their snowshoes slung from their backs were returning from a round of 0 the trap lines in the timber of the tha river valley suddenly swinging round on the hooded figure of alan who walked beside his dog mccord exploded almost fiercely 1 I want you to bring back some real dogs then winter with met mel winter with you the pulse of the youth leaped ive watched you alone and with your dog ive seen you handle an axe and a rifle ive listened to your talk I 1 lived forty years tor for nothing youre young but youre the man I 1 looked looke d for and find down in ontario and at moose and rupert house huskies you want muttered the boy his straight strai glit gaze meeting the look in the others tense face his heart beat with pride at what he had just heard beard mccord who had come from a world of many men far south in the cities had rated him big high among them then in a flash came the vision of the face of the girl that had compan toned his dreams through the win ter the girl to whom he had bidden goodby good by that day when hope hopa had died and they were wera crawling with the last of their strength across the tundra to the valley of the talk ing river what would berthe bertha say if he spent the early summer on the north coast seeking dogs for john mccord 7 would she believe that he still cared tor for her if he went north at once on his return to fort george yes I 1 want a team like rough ill get only scrubs from east main if I 1 get them at all alla but dogs are hard to get objected alan there are few for sale the huskies want them for themselves with a quick movement mccord slipped his hand from the mitten slung by a thong from his neck and wiped the tee ice formed by his breath from his short blond beard youre straight as a spruce or im no judge of a face he said i im im going to trust you but how about noel hes indian can you keep his mouth shut if they 1 try to learn something noel would die for me answered s alan wondering what was coming he will not talk get the dogs then why not come to the coast and get them yourself 1 I dont want it known at fort george where I 1 am going to locate to trade with the indians why I 1 came in by way of rupert house to throw them off of the scent to lose myself remember youve never seen me can noel keep that locked in his throat suddenly across brain there lashed flashed a suspicion could this man facing him here on the river ice be wanted down in the brov inces for crime you saved our lives was an 1 a answer never neve r know at fort george that we met you 1 I believe you boy mccord laid his hand on the others shoulder but will you go up the coast for the dogs alin alan hesitated there was berthel what would she say he was saving I 1 ng saving in the hope that some day berthe but the money that mccord would pay him might bring that day nearer ill need plenty of tea tobacco and sugar to trade tor for dogs with the huskies Au skies said alan weakening ill give you plenty of money but you show it at fort george want to know where you got it and I 1 dont want them to know this summer that youve met me but what good will that do demanded alan impatiently your men must have reached east main before christmas it if they left biz here ere in november fort george would learn by the christmas mall mail that you were in here somewhere mccord nodded true but my men know we were on the big river he headwaters a adwaters dw aters so you dont want fort george to know just where you are exactly it if they learn that youve met me they might follow you when you come back with the dogs follow me why again suspicion lurked in mind but they may be following your indians now if they talked at east main mccord slowly shook his hooded head not following my indians you mean you think deserted you and heather take your dogs arid and money and not come back leave you here flat without a dog or a man to help you ou 1117 hats just what im saying TO HE CONTINUED |