Show l l e ean an JV 1 VALLEY e l GEORGE MARSH t 1 l r rl AUTHOR OF THE T ss OF E vOLF v t COPYRIGHT G y THE PENN P CO CHAPTER XV Continued XV Continued 23 23 We e have ha sent for you ou to look with our your four own e eyes es upon this tills ro rubber er of the trap lines fund and defiler denier of the night dog whom Laflamme the trader At goke sent sent to fill fiU the hearts of your women and children with fear At his Ills great post on Lake Lale he would welcome you ou at the thc spring trade but Black Baptiste and An- An Antoine Antoine tolne An-tolne toine and ond the lie others other would soon be among your our tipis offering the water that burns and nils fills your our heads with fire to your our women and your our young oung men You would trade tralle the pelts which you toiled tolled for through the moons of or time tile long snows for this stinging stIng water which steals your our And when Ien he lie had your our fur he would give gl you ou a n little flour and tea and some sowe shells hells for your our guns anti send end you away awas But and the voice of MIchel rose In hoarse crescendo your our women omen and children would weep through the freeing free Cre moons for the trade goods nn and the flour which La La- La Laflamme La flamme cheated you ou out of with his magic water This Is why he lie sent Pierre Plene here here- hereto to drive drI you out of the countr country of your our fathers Atala tala It is so lie He speaks the tl truth truth th shouted the Inflamed circle of swart faced hunters You ask why this white man continued MIchel comes CO l to this tills coun coun- country try In the freezing moon and brings the thc dog dog clog with the great greaf voice voce to hunt Lids Windigo Indigo and the Iho ha Iro Iroquois lols 1 kicked the frozen shape hape at hIs Ills feet when he far In the South and will not suffer r from what Laflamme doe does to fa fahe the he This Is his Ills answer In the Hie moon of the gathering of the wild willI rice he be with David Da here journe journeying ing from Walling Wailing River HI to House stopped slopped at the post of There was trouble and because they were friends of St Rt Onge and knew of the water or of fire which the Fathers at Ottawa have ha forbidden the traders to give gl time the Laflamme sent his Ills men mento mento mento to murder them at the falls of the But Lut the these C men you ou see se here hele his ha trapped the indigo Windigo of Laflamme It gh at the white water white magle The They travel tro In a magic canoe and be- be bec be because cause c use their shells were stolen by La- La Laflamme Laflamme La Laflamme flamme all except one and their gun empty empt they could not fight but with that shell shot one of the dogs clogs or of orthe the trader Then they ran mn the great water rung which the canoe of no lias ever pas passed etl An undertone of surf surprise rise and ad- ad admiration ad admiration followed the words of the speaker for there were some In do the audience who knew the Fr Frying Ian Pm Oil the Jackfish Ja This Tills Is why wily they ask for ten of jour beet hest young men lo to join them In 1 avenging the death of f your o kInsmen hey he and I Michel 1 I whom you ou know lalle lave sworn an oath that this La- La Laflamme Laflamme La flamme shall not see the snows fade fude nor the tho Ice rot nt at in the moon or of the breaking of the snowshoes We Wc have hac given glnn our word each tn to- to each ench t tat not again shall he lie steal steal the the pelts or the with his lila magic water Ir If you ou are men you OU will send us ten tenor or of your OUT oung hun hunters rs with their thell dos that they mR may Luny trap these wolves s In theIr den and md the skies above stay y redden reddest with the flumes flames of the thc post past where the Indian Is cheated and andt t turned 1 out to starve At ala I Inh 1 I Yes yrs yes we wc will d H t I I shouted time tile aroused hunters hunt hunt- hunters ers at n the the conclusion of the appeal apIH-al for aid aili Then Ihen time tile American addressed the Indians while the man from N p 11 put his words word Into their native o tongue You have JI ull tIle the words word of the man h man head man ad-man from front Wailing River He lie is ism ismy ismy m my friend and he lie speaks for fUI me Sly I ie Is far In time the countr country to time the hut but I 1 shall not hot return until this trader Laflamme La e who clients chent tine till s 's with his whisky is driven en from lie He nUl may have ha sent oth ers to tu howl Bowl In the night and terrify your our women We must hunt them down At Wallin Walling River Hh-er lives Ilves an honest Iones trader who gives gins you ou full value for your OUI pelts In iii flour Hour and ancl trade trade- trade goods goods He tie Is the friend of lime I lie OJibwa OJIbWay Way wa Send Senti us your our ablest young men who can cnn I shoot hoot straight and antl do not fear time the men of that we tummy rid the Hie country of this wolverine WU you ou mil may trade without fear at atthe the post at the rapids of the time Bark hark to their camps went the li I Maims Hails with I the llie he tale lale of nf La- La La o Pierre while the 11 I re friends waited tell for Little LittleJr J Jr and antl made their plans In three days time the Cree Croo arrived dr i t 1 rg a Ii plodding six dog team tN I loaded adeel with provisions He lie handed Steele two t lotions letters The American os as lie he PW iw on one lila his hl name written In n a feminine hand liand but hut lie he open opened cd the other oilier first firt and road read aloud to hits his AS s St On Onge e narrated how Tete- Tete 1 Roule spy I had ad lured him tutu array Q from the post with the forged forced message from MIchel 1 David lh hl raised ed his Bygar mitten u 11 fists S t s I In n helpless I leI pless rage By gar an in m I had heem een lees hands hands- hands een In lees dees hands he lie cried glaring nt al Steele As lie he read of the lie fur fury of Laflamme culminating in th the wreck of the vie vio violin In lin In Steeles Steele's hands shook with his wrath then then pity for her swept him Ioor I poor 1001 girl lie he murmured She has lost er e she everything everything she she Is indeed alone I Well e II I lie he Ie said to the others the lime debt grows lar larger el my nay friends TIe TIe- Remember Re Remember member the violin David ld when sour our time comes I Then Steele opened the letter etter from front Denise which ran My l dear deal Monsieur Steele Our hearts are filled with ith happi happI- happIness happiness happiness ness at your success After Aftel the lie toll toil tolland tolland and the dan danger dancer er you ou have ha won and I thank you ou for your goodness to me mead and ad to my you father father you a n stranger who ho might have ha pa passed se on out and for for- forgotten forgotten gotten It was a n house of despair that you ou found tint amI you ou brought hope Alread Already you ou ma may have ha guessed monsieur mon mon- monsieur monsieur that we wc have feared nil all alon along that the indigo Windigo was lens time thc he creature of of Laflamme But there was no proof I You are going to l Monsieur Steele on a desperate venture It mn may be that e to shall never ne meet agaIn For thIs his reason you ou will un- un understand understand un understand when I say that you ou are n 1 very ery gallant g that gentleman gentleman we I we Ishall shall newer never forget Bon chance c Denise St St Onge Steele again read the letter seek seek- seeking seeking In ing what was not there At last lie he folded It and turned awa away to hide his Ills WY 1 li liM 1 M 1 0 d rr The Three Friends W Waited for Little Jacques and Made Their Plans disappointment from his curious friends No he mused It is only too true She has lias as ns she slie says forgotten nothing e s Shortly each cadi day was OS marked markell by bylie bylie the lie arrival of galloping do dog teams from the ea east cast t south and west driven dri I b by lean lean wild looking s 's keen i for time the picked adventure a adventure picked men n chosen II by their people for fur their endurance ell the winter water trails their proved pro nerve ner anti their bush craft When the last leant had bad come cOllie In n lacques was sent down river with a U letter lull and ind orders to 10 meet the party later on the Upper Mailing with a load sled of supplies Steele then outlined his plan to the Indians Dividing Into four parties the they were to proceed up tile the Wallin Walling valley hy by different routes route to avoid I hera betraying their purpose If seen by hy on any or o La- La La Hammes Hamme's people it t its probable pro that the llie trader had Imd rent mor more than clime min man to spread terror error eiTOr of the Win digo digo through the country iii that he lie hud had small chance there was us at another Indian with will time the Imitative faculty of Pierre Therefore on their wo way to the lake ale the hunters were wre to visit the trap trap- trapping trap pin ping lumps lamps lo to learn of the possible activity of other howlers In the region whom shun they were to hunt down Soon when when th their r man loan failed to re- re return re return Soon would of or turn Hint time the people taste their own medicine hear cur of the unknown filo which had lind overtaken o Pierre und tint tile lie rest would slowly chill chili their blood And when their search parties did not come back timely heats hearts would soften as the ice rot rots under the April sun fun and the Indian and half half breed d followers of time he tram trad trader In the night eight ht Ij as er would teal steal tal away men shun hun the time smallpox x Then it h time fI rush matter to lo rus would h Le e nn an ells easy pot post take tale Big nil Antoine and the rail rall- railroad railroad and send them thenn to le road r for trial Including the Indians which David In October they es estimated and Steele saw that had twelve or fifteen at time tile post As the su sue suc success c cess of time the whole hole n venture dep depended dep tided I 1 un on secrecy y no Italian Indian f sent with sup sup- supPlies plies to time the lie Windigo down river no member of a It search patty party could be b allowed to escape and bring brine the news newe new to Laflamme That would remove time the clement of spoil mystery m spoil the plan which lint lind for its object first time the stampeding of bush In- In Indians Indians In Indians through superstitious fear coa- coa corning coa-corning the fate of or their friends Much as his Ills two swart wart lieutenants mould have ha welcomed open en war with narn I the they hey agreed that the siege of must be one of or secrecy and craft Once time the Indians Indian deserted It would be possible gradually to pick peI pickup pickup up any hunting parties b by closing doand In do Inand inand and sending men to watch the trails near the post until was thriven In self defense to leave or they took him With the post deserted ertell the of the upper alle valley would bring their fur ur to Walling alling River flyer for forthe forthe forthe the Christmas trade and St future was assured For tro t days tile the Impatient men waited for or a learn dos from time the post eIghteen miles up lip the lake Inke to pass the outlet Then MIchel and David taking and two of time the hunt hunt- hunters hunters hunters ers started h the forest to lo locate lo- lo locate cate a camp near neat from which all trails taken b by hunting parties to tollie time the back country could be lie watched for would need much mc meat at atto to feed feel his people Da Days s 's passed with no news from Steele was disturbed but he had three men out hunting bunting fluent flient at nn and could not lea leave e the outlet Then one afternoon at du dusk k David came in be- be behind be behind hind Ills his dogs Ahead of the team breaking trail in the new snow walked a n sinister faced hal half breed and an Indian shoulders and elbows thrust stiffly back and Steele saw that theIr upper arms were Jere bound together with rawhide Where did you pick these up asked Steele De Dey hunt cen de Ile beep beeg spruce bush near de pos Then Steele learned while David ate his supper that with the aid of theIr skinning knives as threats the latter and had finally forced time half half breed bretl to talk The failure or of orPierre Pierre wua had been Leen away a month to return to time the post was Laflamme Two men one followIng the other had been sent er to learn what had llad become of the two Windigo The first scout now was long overdue o Already some sonic of th Indians Indans lint left In the night with their families The others were ready rendy to stampede Something was the matter In the lower lover valley of the As Michel desired to see his chief chef at once Steel Steele left In time tile with two men In Iu the thick timber of ot a n little valley I five fi miles runes back of the post Steele found the camp of MIchel A well well- well ra trail to the countr country hunted hr by time the post people ran within a amile amile amile mile and was constantly watched Here the they had lint picked up the prison prison- prisoners prisoners prisoners ers brought lt ba back l b by David and as time the post depended for meat on the moose of the region be beyond ond here the tha crafty MIchel l knew he be woul would get g-et the searchers sent by Laflamme to find the missing men An And when In time the search party in turn disappeared disappeared Into tile the mysterious maw of time the wilderness the Iroquois was sat sat- satisfied that a nameless dread would enter the hearts of the people of O oke Already Alread six men had gone out from the tin post lOst never to return and when they the had lint got thIs tills search party lie Ilc told Steele he ice doubted If an nn In Indian Indian dian would dare remain TO DB DE CONTINUED |