Show The Valley of V Voices CHAPTER XVI 24 m For r two days s 's the watchers of ot the waited gaited walte In do their ambush but no titers iS or search party left the lie post Then one morning at nt daylight ht from the thick hick scrub of the shore south of loke two men looked long through binoculars at nt the chimneys of or the snow blanketed blanketed cabins and Smiled Into each ench others other's wind burned faces hen J the they saw that from more than half there rose no smoke of cooking Of or the group of tipis of hush Indians which had bad dotted the clearing In October r but two now remained It was the turn of the old and two young oung Indians to stand guard on the trail to the game country MIchel and Steel were too far to the south to overtake Laflamme's men mn so they struck straight back to camp confident of the outcome for outcome for old n iVa- gosh Wa-gosh gosh guarded ed the trail trill That morning as the stars faded and dawn broke blue and bitter blUer over over the eastern ridges nn an old man roan with hate In his heart prayed for the coin com comIng coining coining ing of one for whom he had walt waited long With hoods pulled over frost frost- frost blackened blackened faces from which rose the columns of their breath Wn- Wn gosh Wa-gosh Josh gosh and his two to companions shamed back and forth on their snow snowshoes beating their shoulders with ith hands fot for the stinging cold pierced theIr caribou capotes It may not be that lie he will come today sold the old Indian In his native nath-e tongue but It If a French French- Frenchman Frenchman man short with legs that curve like a bow comes with others the they pass and we follow until they separate to hunt Then you OU will take the others a awhile while I follow him alone for alone for he Is Ismine ismine ismine mine the fox will know what to do The Time Indians nodded They had beard his story nut Hut this morning the watchers of the trail had not long longto to to wait walt As the lifting sun filtered through the forest stabbing the blue shadows shado with lances of light suddenly stopped the whIspered conversation with Bison I I shish I Crouched In in a thicket of young fir their guns stripped of their skin cases the three stiffened listening Pres Pres- Presently Presently ito Ite their straining ears drIfted the faint feint click of snowshoes Push Push- PushIng Pushing In ing some aside aside some low branches the OjIbwa way Ojibway wa way peered down the trail in the dl- dl dIrection di direction of the the- sound After a space of breathless waiting his companions saw sa his anu i tremble Then shIvering like a man chilled to the bone the theold old Indium Indian turned a face fierce with passIon and whispered Let them th m pass lIe He has hns come cornel I 1 Swinging rapidly up the trail moved mo the stocky figure of Black Baptiste followed b by an Indian whose ces eyes shifted furtively to right and ond left as ns he walked lie When the two had llad passed from sight from sight three shapes leav- leav leavIn lag In the trull followed like shadows on on Oil muffled shoes Two miles beyond where the fresh tracks of a moose crossed the path in the snow and the th hunters from separated Wa- Wa left his Ills friends to pick up the webbed imprints of the larger shoes shoe of ot of his man iman Thep Then Th two still hunts started gh h the lie soundless the forest forest tall of moo moose and of of man Over the new snow as as swift and as noise noise- noiseless less as n 11 wolf utter after ptarmigan the of Baptiste closed iu Ill Evidently Evidently in doubt of of the direction of tile the movement ot of the air 31 ail the French French- Frenchman man stopped to test It It with Ills his bare Then he went on until the tho i sudden of the the stride In Inthe Inthe the snow indicated that I the ithe the moose moos had seemed scented danger antI and started to travel ra CI With a dur curse e the hunter bunter lifted led both boti boulders la ku a n gesture of defeat The air had hud betrayed him lIe turne turned from 1 the trail he be had fol- fol ed and struck ck out Inn In hi a a mew tion Shortly as ns he stopped topped and 3 J welt nelt on a l knee lanee ee to tighten the thongs of ot a o shoe a voice straightened him to 10 hl bis feet witty wilia a n a jerk nervously ding ding- t ring the trl trigger ger r of crt Ills his gun zun Ills HII hitting eyes searched the inscrutable spruce lAt walled wailed hIm lihn in Trapped ped helpless lie he from tr I m the ed flash sh h of the he hidden cn rifle Drop the gun 1 Time The fingers of Ute tile Frt 1 e laced The gun slipped t t- t the snow w ut at his feet Marchel M The command on In the frost frosty air like a whiplash Slowly the henchman of ot Laflamme obeyed the order older of at his hla concealed ene- ene enemy nemy my Then a crouching figure with raised i half raised half raIsed rIfle ride stole from a clump of young oung growth and followed A hundred feet from tram the gun n Baptiste Bap- Bap tiste shaking with fear and rage turned desperately on his Ills captor demanded In What do you ou want 1 he OJibway The black eyes of Wa osh blazed 1 with exultation The lean face In Inthe lithe inthe i the hood was pitiless At last he looked Into the face ace of his man You know from me me i Woman river lie He bit oft orf the tile words ItS as a n drill bites steel The swart features of Black nap flap Bartiste Hate went yellow ellow at time the words lIe remembered the father of or time the girl 1111 ut at athis t hIs cabin Stiff wIth fear his staring eyes watched wa the ine black muzzle of the movIng I vi J In lag death slowly 81 sighted on his heart Then as his nerves snapped and he aped h taped aped In desperation toward time the crouched figure there was a loud ex- ex With a groan croan the to the Enow J By GEORGE MARSH MARSI-I Author Toiler Toil r o of llie Ih Th Whelps of ol the Wolf VoU Copyright by bv the P Penn nn Pub Publishing CV C V W N U Service I IThe The dazed Frenchman stopped short rush rocked on his feet feet- feet then stumbled forward grasping his I knife As he lie hurled hurle himself with a downward slash on ou the heap In the snow he lie met Inet nn un upward thrust which hurled burled the blade of In his body Then on the white while floor of the for for- forest forest forest powder est a man blinded h by flame and pow pow- powder der lIer and one mortally hurt struck rind slashed until strength left their firms arms and they lay to together hunter and hunted motionless on the time crImsoned snow There Steele and ond Michel found them Knife fight n ht cried the Iroquois What happen to gun 1 lIe Ile picked up the lie cheap trade-gun trade with Its burst breech hah Ali lie He get snow cen de do muzzle an she bust wen lie he Too bad d poor 0 old d In man mani n n I 1 II He lie e could hI have hae shot Baptiste at the ambush but buthe lie he wanted to settle It tell alone alone tell him who lie he was WitS I suppose Yes he mak dis feller drop bees hees gun den den he lie stop heem for to talk said MIchel examining the trail of Baptiste en shoot an nn de gun un Lust de do Frenchman jump on heem heem wid de knife Michel gently turned over the frozen body of the old Indian expos expos- pit pitt t 1 tl I I a IZ Z I c r t 0 IJ I- I i r I tt The Dazed Frenchman Stopped Short In His Ru Rush h Ing lug the face powder burned and torn torn beyond recognition n By garl gar I 1 lie fight heem hees eyes Brave e old Steele looked and turned away sick at heart lIe had liked the simple-hearted simple Ojibway Ojibwa I tell you dat set was all right Old watch de trail Yes the trail was safe afe with Wn- Wn Wa gosh Now he can rest in iii peace lIe did what he lie came to do I heem munch moch game en cen de Happy Huntin added Michel Michel I And the two returned to their cam and sent a sl sled to bring In the body bod to be cached under logs until spring sprint when It could be burled Robbed of the joy and solace or of her beloved td violin too ton restless to t read Denise St Onge sat one evenin evening with her father her head hend resting on o otlie the back of her chair her ees eyes closed dosell For a half hour the factor had brood brood- brooded brooded ed cd over oyer his future oblivious of her lie presence Then suddenly awn aware re of o her silence he Ill glanced curiously at atthe a the girls girl's averted face From From the closed eyes ees tears traced trace their way down her cheeks while the 2 sensitive mouth quivered with th the misery of her thoughts Denise You poor child I You must not mind foolish tears she said suld I my lily violin so He lie shook his head hend at the subterfuge subterfuge fuge then voiced the course of ot his hi thoughts If It only they the win at and rid the country of ot that scoundrel this will wm be a n strong post He lIe will wll not dare to close It-I It it I will def defy him to Steele has lias told them In Montreal Yes but l whet hot of me she Bh groaned I have e given Iven him my prom pron prom prom- tee Ise The fate face uce of If SL St One Onge flushed with i The ou married that thuman t pas own day you man nian I 1 would io shoot him and then my may my- mayel self el f She went to the factor and o sitting on the arm of ot his chair stroked hIs s Lowed bowed head hend No no not that not that dear she Ehe soothed I nm um not no t worth It lIe He suddenly straightened and am l asked You will show me that Ie Ieter let let let- letter ter Yes if you wish IL it Denise took an nn envelope elope from rum her desk and hand hand- handed hanel cd ed It to her father futher who open opened ell the th letter and read rend Mademoiselle St Onge know know You may mn be he Interested to that the American Monsieur Steele teele honored us with his presence on Ills lil way home to In October As Ashe Astie A Ahe s he tie was drowned in the Jack fish rap rup- rapIds Ids 1 I am nt at liberty to say that 1 I found him irresistible and was preparing n to accompany him to the railroad when Monsieur Laflamme surprised us In his cabin Hose Kose lose let rd n I Rising the factor faced the girl the hand holding the letter slinking from his emotion And you ou believed this woman woman- woman took look her word wOId against his Why not He lIe admitted that La-flamme La La La- La surprised them she fhe answered In n a strained voice avoiding her lier fa father's timers ther's eyes What does dos it matter r now I have e given ghen my word Will WIH you OU tell me he de demanded You loved this man when hn he left for home in n September I know for you were happy Tier Her black eyes ees met his Ills bravely When he lie left here herc I believed in a beautiful bu thing thing bu that somehow has die died If It It died he answered why when you OU thought him dead did mild you cry nl night ht after I night night I heard you In your our room I 1 knew from your playing why why was the the shock shock the jO joy so great when he returned to fight for forus forus or orus us She did not answer I believe you love him still In do spite of wha you ou say He lie has loved you ou from the first I could see ee It IL It Ill HeIs Is sacrificing much for proving us-proving us pro ln his love for you ever every da day and yet you allow this lie of a 11 low woman to poison polson your our mind With a n gesture of hopelessness she rose to leave lea the room roam avoiding avoiding- his e eyes es I do not know if f they can save tho post said mid St Onge I may have to len leave the a company company a ruined man But I tell you this that the woman who throws away the love loe of Mon Ion Monsieur Monsieur Steele will twill live to be haunted hy by hyre re regret ret She turned a white face at the door ns as she said You forget that I have given Monsieur Lascelles my 01 promise It was a n poudre day at In the gray dawn a 1 tall figure had left the scrub of the shore miles be below low loo and out of or sight of the post to examine the time trail on the lake Ice which led south to the Rouge and the Jack fish Michel had smiled with to find that a sled had passed since the fall of ot snow two nights before The mystery which rInged the doomed post as the forest rIngs a clearing was doing its work Unnerved by ty the fate of those had gone and Into the bunt hunt huntIng bunting bunting ing country never to return time the peo pee people people pie were slipping away awny from In the night as from a spot plague plague- ridden plague rIdden The day of Laflamme was nearIng Its sunset sumet There could be few left heft now to drink his whisky lIe was finished The moment for walk wall wallIng walking walking ing In on the trader and I Big Antoine was at nt hand As he backtracked to the camp the thebold thebold thebold bold features of crt the Iroquois in do his fur hood lit wIth joy ns as he gloated over the victory they had won won-won won wIth the toll an and sweat of two months ceaseless effort lie He smacked his lips lipat at the thought of meeting Laflamme the man who had murdered in cold planned planned the ruin of Wallin Walling who flyer who had dared Insult Denise It would be bea a n a sweet moment that when he looked into lute the faces of the pair of cutthroats Laflamme and BIg Antoine lIe He swung along over 11 his backtracks hIs snowshoes raising the powder powdery snow like dust engrossed In plans for forthe the future As he entered some SOllie tim tim- timber timber tim ber thick with young Joun growth a rifle flashed Gashed on his flank The man In the trail took a n step tp forward swa forward forward swaged ed as his gun gUll slipped from his bis then hands hands lie lunged headlong to tt the snow and amid la lay motionless For a t space In the windless s morn morn- mornIng morning Ing time forest was without sound Then a chickadee called anti and curious sailed down to Inspect the still shape In the trail Pres Presently a moose bird croaked Again silence shut in After Arter an mm Interval val there was a amo mo movement moment ment in the thicket of young I spruce Brandies were parted to t i make way war for a u SW swart face from which sinister eyes s gloated on time the f stricken tiling thins In the snow Gun thrust forward forward cocked the assassin cautiously left his ambush Standing over o the still bod body face down with nith Ith a knee curious curious- curiously ly Iy bent under he laughed In ht triumph as he be kicked viciously with time the toe of o his Ills snowshoe at the tile hack back of or the hood hood- hooded ed head hend But at tile the movement mo time the lifted foot font In Its snowshoe was gripped grippe and held while the head licad and o ders tiers of the man at his Ills feet lunged Into his Ills legs carrying him with n ii i cry ry of backward hackward to tile the snow Hampered by the shoes slices which trapped and nud anchored their feet et th the p two fought one desperately for h his life lite the lie other oilier for the settlement of old scores and scores and this tills shot slot from the tl spruce But the strength th and fury or of orthe the raw-boned raw Iroquois soon wore down dowil the man lImn beneath him who fran frantically strained and aud twisted to brew the grip on his lils throat TO HE BE |