Show c i jL he Valley Vhey of Voices H Hi 1 l By GEORGE MARSH MARSHI I Author or of Toners Toilers of the Trail The of the Wolf I I II I Iw w N U D S Copyright by the Penn renn Co I LASCELLES LLES S SYNOPSIS With SYNOPSIS With David Id hate half half breed guide Brent Steele of the American Museum of o Natural history Is traveling In northern Canada By a stream he lie hears Denise daughter of o Col St SL Onge Once factor at Walling lUver pia play the violin superbly He lie In- In Introduces Introduces In Introduces himself and accepts ar an Invitation to mal make malio o the post his his stay lie He finds ands the factor worried and The log lop chateau Is a real homo home I From com St Onse Onge he ho learns of ot the mysterious creature creaturo of oC evil II the Windigo and the disappearance of oC a canoe and It its crew with the seasons season's take of ot furs Then at night the Windigo Rives gives a weird r performance en E Stele Steele Is mys- mys mystified mys David Steeles Steele's Indian and Michel cee St Onee's Onge's man head a head J I leave for tor or the e s scene of t t the canoes canoe's o disappearance In an attempt to to j solve the mystery St Onge tells Steele that Lascelles the com com- company's com company's pany's manager at Fort Albany seeks seals his ruin In order to compel Denise to marry him to save her father tather Steele and Denise tall fan In Inlove inlove Inlove love Steele finds the trade track of the hugo huSo WIndIgo and much like a bears bear's David finds ands the same thing Boule Tete-Boule In Indian lan lanIn In St Ongo's employ Is caught listening to Steeles Steele's talk with David and Michel and roughly rO handled Louis Loul Laflamme factor at t makes application for forthe forthe forthe the hand of ot Denise Pierre In- In Indian Indian In Indian dian from visits the Walling River post Continued V-Continued V Continued CHAPTER 10 10 But nut why should he come so far to tomake tomake male make trouble here as you say sar What is behind It am nil all For an Instant Michel seen seemed on the point of making a n ren revelation lallon Then evidently changing his mind with a shrug of his Ills bony shoulders he an- an answered an answered steered e Ve see sec some day Steele and 1011 David exchanged puzzled looks What hat could Michel have e In the back of his Ills head a With the coming of the canoe with news from Feather lakes Walling Wailing River was a again ln thrown Into a n panic of fear of the night prowler After a hurried talk with St Onge Steele started up the river bound hound for Dig Big He Ifs had little hope of discovering an anything width which would throw light on the m mystery But nut one thing piqued the curiosity of or the three then They were keenly Interested sted In finding tracks similar to those near nar the post for they carried the exact measurements of the lie latter and In Incas Incase Incase cas- cas case they tallied ll with those at the r lakes lalus fort forty miles awn away the they would have hn discovered a new anI nail and most peculiar quit Unit alt In animal habits name name- namely I ly a beat beast ea with feet strangely like a abear's which had ranged ed forty miles within a n few days nys On the lie morning of ot the second day the canoe was trl traveling In n the easier asler water Inshore Ilen Michel MIchol poling In Inthe inthe the bow suddenly exclaimed Look On the shore ahead were the he re- re remains remains re remains mains of n a fire and near It what re re- re re pf Fr the bod body of a man mm With a afew few fw stron strong thrusts of the lie poes es the canoe was driven to the beach The Themen Themen men mn leaped ashore Before them hem stretched beside beshle the dead lead fire nic In- In lay an Indian hideously mutilated lIe has been hen literally torn to pieces Steele A bear Ilear alone could have done Ilone tills this and yet N I never heard hC of such a tiling thing David was on hl his knees knes s searching for tracks In the thc dry leaves IN when a acry cr cry from Michel drew Mew the attention of the others Look LoI on de dc shore hore I 1 and the Ir pointed to n a patch of mud clearly marked ll b by the prints of huge hue feet t There ringers for the tracks near tile the post said Steele Stelle and he lie tool took front from Ills his pocket strips of rawhide of the dimensions of ot the footprints which had fri frightened Charlotte In breadth In length h and anI char character the tracks racks In the mUI mud were Identical with those near Wailing River TI three friends looked blankly at loch each other Its the same bird said Steele Stele David ld removed 11 his felt hat liat and scratched his broad forehead No 1 0 I bear bar travel tru fort forty mile an l bock back twi at qty onless drive heem h ha a in- in insisted In-elsted In Bist ell But nut bears dont don't mutilate bodies bodis like this added Steele Was Wal aI muttered the OJIbway Ojibwa does one male malt de mess ov des dees poor feller all de dc SUn same Wat you goin oln do doAs As the features were ere obliterated Michel lIchel was busy examining the kit Idt ot of the dead man In an on attempt to Iden Iden- Identify Identify him as an Indian trading at the post Do De gun ces es French company gun but de kettle and knife I l see le before I tink ces not alling hunter Who bo 1 could he lie be then traveling on this tills river KO 0 o late Inte In the year Eft Ept ces vet vcr vcr str ge muttered th lie it- it headman dat hear henr ces ees d de WIndIgo Dl- Dl David's Da David's vid's Ids wide wille face contracted in a net net- network network work of or of wrinkles ns fiS he grinned at Steele SIlle wat we do d don den n C c indigo or no Windigo David hes he's er nt nn-nt It Ir he steps In front of or my lier r nr or yours youra your Why what's the mr Michel The grave face of the lie Indian had suddenly assumed an nn expression so sinister as to arouse the white mans man's n By Is gar R We e e are de fool What dyon l ou mean 7 For answer lIch 1 Michel 1 leaped Into the canoe and poled rapidly upstream for fora fora fora a few hundred yards while the lie pm- pm puzzled puzzled Stele Steele looked on Then the In- In Indian In Indian dian swung the lie nose of the boat down river and paddled past them In midstream mid midstream st stream rn What in thunder Is he lie driving at David Id We Ye arc de fool for sure was the laconic answer as ns Michel lIchel swept h by with his eyes ees on his friends then threw the lie bow of the canoe canoe to the shore and landed lie ne alre pass here seem dis camp Michels Michel's maneuver manu was explained Dat Dot pass here two t sleeps hack said Michel Mittel joining Steele Dees man bin dead tree free four day nn an ando do de tracks on de shore are old one De rise after de rain two twe sleeps back De Windigo mak dem den tracks here before de rain and Michel lichel point point- pointed pointed pointed ed to some footprints were bare bare- barely barely barely ly covered ered by water Suppose he did not notice this camp what what then then lie was nn an hunt for game he sees dees camp for sure David nodded In n agreement Then why did he not tell us Dat Dot ces es wat I ask asic heem heeln tonight at Wallin lere CHAPTER VI The twenty miles of hard running river rl down to the fort was covered h by bythe bythe the three skilled In a n few hours On arriving the they hastened to the trade tralle house Steele Stele opened the ponderous slab door and entered fol- fol followed followed fol followed lowed I hy by the two half-breeds half to learn that Walling Wailing River Hl hind had a visitor visitor Il I t I 0 With a Smile Steele Extended His HisH H Hand nd I Seated with St St One Onge behind the trade counter was a 0 short hort hurt thick set et stran stran- stranger stranger stranger ger wearing a cup cap with an on insignia to In gold braid raid Mi MI- 11 1 Michel l Lascelles whispered chel ebel over o the shoulder of the Ameri Ameri- American American American can St Onge and Lascelles wt were ere evi- evi evidently evi evidently vl dently In the midst t of a heated con con- conversation conversation conversation In French for they I ignored nored Steeles Steele's entrance You Yon 1011 are aa as UI superstitious as you ou cl claim lm the llio Indians to be he I am nm not In- In In Interested crested In this tI Windigo Las Las- Lascelles Las celles said when Ht St On Onge e glancing toward the door saw Steele You are back bae so soon monsieur And you QU ou have e news The fhe factor ap- ap appeared appeared ap appeared relieved ed at ut the appearance of the lie man he lie thou thought ht far upriver Brent Steeles Steele's back stiffened as rs he advanced to meet the man nian who hind had hadI the power in his hits hands to crush cruh the girl over oyer In the factors factor's quarters quartel'S whose rare quality he lie would never ne sense whose f soul he would world never neer know As he lie walked walled around behind t the hc trade-counter trade there was a set to his hea heavy shoulders n a glint In the which did not unno unno- unnoticed unnoticed gray rn e eyes s 's pass b by the men he approached Monsieur Steele this tills is Inspector Lascelles of ot the With WIlh n u smile Steele extended E n a hand band hard as fiS a spruce knot md and grasped the lingers ers of ot the puzzled and curIous Lascelles I l missed meeting you Ou at ot Albany Alban inspector In August You were over overal at al Moose when I called The fhe l buck lck ck eyebrows of or Lascelles rote as lie he now identified the lie stranger whose presence at lit Walling Wailing ether he found most annoying for his Ills plans Oh Oil yes Ion l Monsieur Steele the Amer Amer- AmerIcan American iner- iner ican scientist I thought you ou left loft Al- Al Albany Albany Al Albany bany weeks ago bound for the Nep- Nep Igon igon he suggested pointedly I did monsieur but I stumbled on ona ona ona a most Interesting situation here here- here I right tight In my line you ou know 1 I found what I have ha been searching for for forI I years Steele was losing no time rub rub- bung bing It Into the skeptical Lascelles You have ha a n bona bona lide Windigo in this valley most a monsieur a most interesting situation to a n scientist 1 assure you ou The Indians are In a It panic and you ou will have ha difficulty In keeping them on their trap lines this winter You a scientist believe in Indian sorcery and superstition demanded the Frenchman sarcastically Well Vell notha now no tha tint t is somewhat t dUB dUB- cult lilt cult to lo answer monsieur bad badgered ere l Steele to the lie delight of or the two swart faced faced men with whom he lie entered I have ha heard the Windigo wall ta hi the night I have seen his tracks and I Iha ha have e just returned to report to Mon Mon- Monsieur Mon Monsieur Ion Ion- St St Onge that we have ha-e found up near nar the Hie mouth of Stooping river the remains of an Indian torn to pieces e evidently I ly by this same slime Windigo What hat do you sa say St Onge Olge was wason wason wason on his Ills feet This Thais morning horning we e found the lie camp ant anti hOll body of a n strange e the Indian Indian tracks were Identical writh those you saw n near here on the trail Then lien Stele Steele suddenly clanged changed the subject Where Is that Pierre who came here from the Feather lakes lales the day we left Michel wishes to ask him hem some questions lie left this tills morning Didn't you pass him on the lie river rl A muttered curse curse from Michel 1 met Steeles Steele's backward glance Too bad exclaimed the Ameri AmerI- AmerIcan American American can I suppose monsieur you attribute the loss of our furs to this same indigo broke in Lascelles Oh Oil undoubtedly In Inspector re- re replied re- re replied re replied plied Steele with a n suspicious curl ot of the lie lip Ills his blood slowly rising at the tone tone- used by Ly the man from Albany however t r above e all things he had to consider St Onge One and DenIse he told told himself and not to allow this fello fellow to lure him hint Into n a hostile attitude I see sec you ou lire are Joking rejoined the Frenchman flushing On the contrary I am very ver far from from Joking when I tell you that there are mysterious things afoot atoot In this which valley neither my experience nor scientific knowledge e are able to fathom You had better hetter go upriver er tomorrow and see for yourself You seem skeptical regarding the whole matter Have you ou never seen a n dead man before monsieur derided Las Lascelles relies I fear It has lias gone to your our this head head indigo matter St Onge Onse excitedly half rose from his chair as fiS th the cool gray ray eyes es of his guest slowly surveyed sur the lie man from from moccasins to hair and then fell hack back relieved when the American flushed but In control of himself drawled Monsieur you were formerly n a aman aman man of ot war n a soldier while I 1 am only a peaceful man of ot science 10 you It Is but natural that violent death should be a familiar sight while to tome tome me it Is most terrifying Why hy I find It most repulsive e even een to clean a fish So Innocuous was Steeles Steele's smile and so guileless g his manner that LascellEs LascellE's conscious of or t played with by hy the lie ru rugged el American found no words word to reply but sat sit In Impotent rn rage Then the retreating backs hocks of ot Michel and David ld whose shaking shoulders be be- be- be betrayed betrayed ed their mirth spurred the lie he man to answer I I If your are so afraid of ot flood he sputtered why h are you ou stunting this eating I man eating Windigo Steele Stele smiled down good nt at atthe atthe the man lie he would have blithely hint hat battered trell ww with itS his fists and I leaving ID the two men mn at nt the trade-house trade sought out Denise St SL St Onge Ong-e Oil Oh welcome back Monsieur Steele she said forcing a J mile finite I 1 have Ilae just heard Hint lint you rou have huc made maden madea n a t terrible discovery ery Please e we will not talk of tint he Insisted I ha have e something to say S1 sayto sayto to you rou before I go 0 tomorrow there will be lIe no opportunity lie He won won- wondered wondered wondered dered If Ln Lascelles clIes had seen een tier tr privately privately since his Ilis arrival lint afternoon but bitt it did not mutter matter We e are aft to tomake tomake tomake make n It wide circe of the countr country he went on and ond will be away until I leave leae for on Tier Her sensitive fare quickened with I emotion as she listened 1 llIe St Ht One Unger he lie began henn beganI I have ha no right to ask this tills from you I but In justice to yourself our elf I must She Slie started to speak us as If In pro pro- protest protest test then her troubled e eyes CR squarely m met t his Is Lascelles in the plot too Or are these pres pressing their suit each elch In his hib own way TO BE on CO 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