Show of Voices A CHAPTER Continued X-Continued X Continued 16 16 No Nol t Tie him up and put him In ht Inthe Inthe the shack and get our stuff to the canoe l I Ill I'll get set rid of the girl The die was cast 1 Every Cl minute at atthe atthe atthe the post spelled danger But Steele now had an nn excuse for tor refusing to take Rose nose to the railroad You un understand David Ill Keep knife your your knife knife out of him Your turn will come on the snot snow Now get the can canoe e David ld carried curried Into the shack and went for the canoe Returning to the tho girl pirl trembling In Inthe inthe inthe the dark Steele said It was he David knocked him out but hes he's not hurt We must mut get awa away at nt once With an nn Impulsive movement Hose Laflamme found Steeles Steele's neck with her arms and kissed him wildly But explained the harassed weve American American- e got ot to travel fast they'll follow we us-we us we cant can't take you ou 1 You mean you'll not take me now gasped the girl Irl In her de despair Well have to run the Break our backs bucks to bent beat the Indians hell he'll send after lifter us If you ou go 0 the they'll 11 get us I protested Steele Take me take me with you youl ou I 1 she moaned Am I not beautiful beeg American Dont Don't leave me here 1 Then Brent Steele sam gambled bled What was PIerre doing down own river I 1 weel tell ell you ou In the canoe she parried and he lie crunched chell his teeth In his chagrin we are In th the canoe I will tell you you o thIngs you dream of she urged I know all nIl She would exchange her Information information Information tion at a n price her price tier freedom and that prIce Steele would not pa pay But It was necessary to get her hel back ack to the house Iome All right rig he said go and get some fome heavy henvy clothes and be at the 10 log landing In an nn hour Dont Don't make an any noIse We dont don't want them to until morning Now be careful 1 With a n low cry she slie again circled Steeles Steele's neck with her arms armR kissed hIm and disappeared In an hour hour he and David would be far down the tho lake Jake on theIr way war to on house She had Intended making n a ot of him to escape from and Steele wast wasted d no s sympathy on her lIe wondered whether on fin finding herself tricked she would arouse the post or take to her bed feigning ignorance ot of the whole business And he also wondered whether It f Denise St Onge ever eyer learned of thIs nights night's work at she would be- be be believe lieve that every act and word of his had l teen leen een In her service Through the night the Ilie swIsh churn swish swish churn of the paddles of David and Steele ceaselessly marked marle off oIT the unties mile for with the sun might come comae comen n a In hi li d wind whIch meant fighting for foreve foreve eye eve y s- foot while their pursuers gaIned ou them with willi a four or six-man six crew Time an and again agnIn through the tho long hours the keen Icen eyes es of David alone had ho se sed through the murk murl In which they they the traveled tra the menace of a rocky rockypoint rockypoint poInt or the threat of awash h SIua square square In iu their course How lIow far have haye we conic come asked Steele laying his paddle on the gun gun- gunwale gunwale wale to stretch hIs Ills stiffened arms anus Wal lees dees point ees yen ver yer far up de delak Ink lak Keen geen two hour bour we hit de Inlet Good I If that Is so were we're thirty 0 miles ahead of them Time TIle Ojibway shook his Ills head We tuk tak no we chance chance we travel el lak Ink I h-I h 11 li 1 On shore time the tea pall was soon boil boil- boiling boll Ing Ing while wllIe David and ami Steele over over- overhauled overhauled hauled their scant supplies there were barel barely beans Jeans bacon an and lour to todo todo do a week and lake was two weeks hard travel ravel It mount meant shooting shoot shoot- shooting In ing their wa way out unless the fish would bite for they had hud given glyen their net to 10 o Lets have a n look at th the old Mann Mann- said Steele as David watch watched ell the bacon sputtering In 1 the pan We ma may need her hel before we get et out of this mess moss I was a n fool to stop there I might have have- have He lIe had thrown the bolt handle up back bad when his face sobered The startled led eyes i which met the Inquiring gaze of the tIe man moan at atthe atthe atthe the fire tire drew a 0 quick Sat lIt you ou see ghost ghost 1 Making no reply Steele sprang to the canoe tore the lashings la from Crom a aIJa IJa bag and fumbled with Its contents contents- contents then emptied the tha th hag on the beach hench Taking Davids David's riOt rifle from the canoe he opened the lie breach brench Both guns empty he lie said In Ills dis dismay may e got our two shells shells boxes in the tag Lag l-l l 1 Not a shot left left- left cleaned cleaned out The white while man 1001 looked Ion long into the Immobile face of tile the lie Indian If It the they catch wee us Were We're us were we're dune duno It If they dont don't we cant can't even cven shoot our way home Its It's or fish fish or starve The Ojibway squatted on un Ills his heels and resumed his Ills f frying Wal al boss hoss he said suld stoically we have bee beeg feed dis den den paddle lak Ink I h-I h 11 For two hours the canoe was driven as only seasoned men Olen can cnn push maple paddles Then lea ln leaving the lie lake they faced forty miles of the swift Rouge House before the they turned off on 1 time the portage to the Jackfish Once on the Jackfish they could travel as fast ns us their pursuers pur pur- pursuers for from there It was all town down downstream streams stream to But the thought which added addea pounds to the thrust of pole and lunge of ot paddle through the L theL travail ana and sweat of that October day Ras the lie chance of being headed by Indians sent overland to the Jack Jackfish sh portage no shells for their ryes they were wen at the mercy merey of the thet font t b ball half breed breed ed to come orne up lIp with them th u By GEORGE GEORGE MARSH l MARSHA Author A lor of 01 Toilers Toiler Toil n of th The Whelp helps of o mho llio oU olf CopyrIght by the Penn Co t N U ServIce So without slopping at nt noon the lie flee flee- fleeing fleeing ing canoe pushed on up the Rouge Houst and not until 1 dusk dusl settled on the val vall valle valley le ley was It turned to the shore shor lher There unloading the lie weary crew carried boat nail and outfit back Into the bush ush n against the lie possible chance chanco 01 of their camp smoke being sel seen n at day day- daylight light b by those at their heels Dawn Davit found them them at their galley slavery back with another lack breaking 1 da day to live lI through before the lie clear clear- clearing clearing ing InS of the I Jackfish portage would rould open I up 1111 ahead Unless the they were run down shortly that night the fleeing canoe would ride the and they hall had won They were wele rounding a bend hend below a backwater when the man In the lie bow lifted his Ills hand liand and pointed In the lute shallows not fifty yards awa away stood a yearling moose DOOse Meat heat ett to take us to ell on l I groaned Steele David DavItI slapped the water enter with the flat of his paddle Marche h you he cried or de dc begin us weel get et you ou One shell shelI would have Ilae got sot him said Steele ruefully lly as the moose slowly turned and disappeared ared Wal I not wast vast de last shot on moose and the Indian In lan hel held up lip II a shining cartridge for lor the Inspection ot of othis his friend Where In the devil did you rou Jet get that cried the amazed and delIghted stern I fin een cen de grub bag And And you you never told me i 1 Is that fair David 1 Wal eef I tell you you JOU fire nt at de moose Wh Why not We Re would have red meat then to The shook his head hend sober sober- soberly soberly ly iy Daveed save for tor one of La La- La La-flamme's La flamme's men To Steele who felt now that lint sun sun- sundown sundown sundown down would find flail them at nt the Jackfish portage that their pursuers were far farIn farin farIn In the rear roar the words of David sounded un unduly uly ominous It was pos possible sible that some sonic of ot the lie Indians on theIr trail could travel the tho forty miles of broken grown bush-grown river shore in n a nIght and a da day but he lie doubted It So he ho laughed loudly at the square back of or his friend when nn an hour be be- he- he before before fore sunset the they landed at Jackfish portage Well we 0 did It old bo boy I cried Steele slapping the knotted shoulder ot of the grinning David Now u well we'll tale take her all over In one trip trIll or throw this museum stuff awa away Can Cau we do doi doit doIt i It I David nodded De carry to de e ink lak ees short I tal tak the canoe canoe an de Injun stuff You tak talc d de rest Man alive allye 1 It will wIlI go four hun hun- hundred with dred-with dred with the boat bont But lint David was busy slinging his line tump line to the largest of the bags and made no answer So after further protest which the IndIan bru brushed hed aside Steele packed the three hundred pounds of or bags on the Ojibway's s w wide back had and on top balanced the lie canoe the and the thick bow bow- bowlegs legs bow less legs of the red son of ot Anak moved mO steadily up Ill the trail With the dusk dusl the lie canoe was In the Jackfish on and anil the two men lien gripped hands hand in mutual congratulation They had set Laflamme's gang a pace lace pr o over overa overa o a hundred miles of lake nail anil river which the they would not nol soon forg forget t Dropping downstream they camped In Inthe Inthe the thick spruce back bad from the lie river rier nn and for the l first time dote In two tuo days s 's baked cornbread for Cor their theIl beans mind bacon and feasted Beside a n fire which the scrub masked at nt feet two wn men nten at ease ase with the world pulled on supper after after pipes pipe With n a little luck In the pike lakes of the lower Jackfish the they could she eke out thc their r scanty w fool food supply and l it 11 as ns seemed temeo certain the they had hind left their pursuers hopelessly behind the shell in Davids David's rule rifle mIght bring brin then them Boss said the Ojibway after a perl of silence which was characteristic character character- characterIstic characteristic I tell you plU w wy I 1 hunt dis is from a 11 revey rever in which Denise St Onge again ell to II him on her lier Hill of Dreams tar fur in the Ilie north Steele turned with Interest to the speaker No I should like to hear ret let was W year ear ten buck back t twelve teve eve DIs Ln amme trade wid dc tie Jibway up ill Los ink lak 1111 wa way My brod- brod dor brod-dor lIer der work worl for He lIe son sen my broIl broil- der brod-der der an un nodes noder loan Inan to malt mal cache on nde de riviere rl One da day bees beeg spruce log she the fall anti and lilt hit In inde Indo tic de bad back De noder feller tr try carry o o nir de portage hunt 1 l ut pain Ill my too much mauch lie He say I 1 stay here you ou brt men nten from Los LosInk de long port port- portage portage Ink luk D Dey tak lak me age on de spruce lile For a lon long space David silt with head on on hands staring Into the fire Steele smoked In silence waiting salting fur fr the mood of his friend to chan change e when the r rest t would be told At I length 1111 h David DI straightened nerl arid turned to the other black e eyes es glitter glitter- glittering glittering ing Ins as he lie hoarsely demanded Wat nt you tInk dat dat Laflamme say ray wen tie de feller reach Los laIc lak Dees ces es wat he say Dot Dat man mon o on de tes ees dead by hy now I 1 got no men to sen You Yuu not riot go back I got work for down In III you wid bee canoe goon Again A nin David paused pau ed his hl face black with his uL So Laflamme left your our to todie todie todie die to alone to starve stane David ld nodded hUnt Dat feller had hod fear of ot but lie he go back hack to de tie Pelican wen en ho hoget hoget get chance What dill did he lie find fint asked Steele Noil In What hat I My My Iy odder In-odder crawl to de riviere nn drown hee before cl el before lie he starve star David said the man across the tire I want to apologize for keeping you OU off that lint snake lIe He was helpless nn mind I thou thought ht If it I allowed you YOU to go 0 goback goback hack back that night mind find we wo w were re after after- afterward afterward ward overhauled o It would mean our finish but now nos I wish you ou had hall throttled throttled throttled him lint I had hard fight not to keel heest- heest heem but youre you're do de boss bos added the loyal OJibway have your opportunity this never nc never C fear ar lut tut dey ley may wait for us tomorrow nt lit dc do Frying Pan You still thin think that some sonde of ot them themma ma have ha-e been sent overland o to cut us off said the lie cool half-breed half I hunt canoe travelIng raveling dis wa ways way from from dat dot ees were I sea sen en dem But lint they Jiey Ule wont won't have ha had time late to set get there febee not Tomorrow we see And the red rell stoic stole rolled himself In his blanket a e a e a e eThe The rhe stars star's still hung above the Jack Jack- Jackfish Jackfish fish tish although there was a hint ot of dawn In the graying east cast when hen a canoe slid swiftly through the shall shad shallows shad shad- shadows shadows on the lie way to the lie Frying rapids Once over the carr carry around this roaring cauldron of white water white Into the spray of whose flumes Humes and cross currents no man red or white hind had ridden rl llen a canoe and come through h and tIle lie two to friends could snap their fingers at nt Laflamme's pursuing pack of wolves for tor thirty miles of ot hard hard- running hard running river from which the they would not lift their flying canoe then Ihen lay Iny be- be before before be before fore them As they paddled toward the carry above aboe the thundering Frying Pan Ian Steele asked the Indian whose eyes ceaselessly searched the shore below theta them Have slave these rapids ever been run No Xo 1 Dey are vet vcr bad een some someplace someplace place muttered David Could we run them The Indian shook his head Then why did dill you Insist on our ln ha having our setting poles hand handy David did not answer Youre wasting your YOUl time watching that portage laughed Steele teele Still the Ojibway Ignored the man manIn manin manIn In the stern Then the lie scoffer sud sod suddenly denly wondered why the he bowman was edging the time nose of the lie boat Mat as fiS they drifted awa away from the carry A thrIll shot through him him Had David Da seen something suspicious 1 The boat was fast approaching easy rifle lIOe range With his paddle burled the mite Indian simulating leisurely nc- nc acI ac action I lion tion anti and followed b by Steele was rap rap- rapidly idly Idly adding to the distance between the canoe and the shore But lint to the straIning eyes of the American the scrub told nothing What Is It I cant can't make anything out O demanded Steele Lack Back from from the tow came Keep on paddle dey are sire derc i iThe The words froze Steele where ho he I kneel cd On drifted l the time craft ever edging II ln timer fat and farther from time the lie Stiff as stone knelt the man In the how arms rigid ees c e es an- an anchored an anchored to t the lie beach wrists alone In motion Hunched In the stern lingers IJ fiercely Tipping gripping rl lIln Ills huts paddle Steele Steell maMlIn nt fit the s nerve wail Wailed ell for far his order A hundred yards more and the suck of the first chute would drat draw them hem them into the Fry Fry- Frying Fr Frying in ing Ian Pan The fhe boat was now passing time the portage yet et the rifles on the tho shore were silent Then Steele un |