Show q C x r V SON OF KAZAN Vi Vic y if M c by JAMES ES OLIVERC OLIVER C v CURWOOD-v OD ODI COPYRIGHT 1 0 I Chapter XIV Continued XIV Continued 23 23 The mans man's man hatred was different from rom the beasts beast's but perhaps ps e even more Im Implacable 1 art It was not not hatred alone There was mixed wIth It Il an nn Indefinable and amI superstitious fear a n thing tiling he laughed at nt a thing thin lie Ill cursed at hut but which duns clung chili lo to him himas as surely as ns the scent o of his Ills trail dung lung to Ilaree's Baree's nose leree B no longer tood r-tood toed for the animal alone he tood hei-tood stood tood for se That was the thou thought ht that Insisted In In uI ugly mend He lie hid had not ceased to hate hale Uli Baree ee he lie still hated him as he lie h lied never hated a 11 man but buthe hutie he hind hail hal an even greater reason now tc wanting to kill him It came to him first In Ills hIs 51 sleep ep In a restless dream and after that It lived and the lived thought that the spirit of was guiding Barce Baree In the ravaging ravaging aging of ot hIs Ills trap line It was in January that caught his lils first glimpse of ot Bare Baree lie Ill hall had placed his Ills rifle ride against a tree and was a dozes dozen feet away from It nt at the time It was as It If Baree Ilaree knew mew and had come to taunt him for or when the Factor suddenly looked honked up Ilaree Balle tuns standing out clear from the dwarf spruce not twenty yards yard R a away awny from him his white fangs gleaming mid and Ills his eyes burning like 1111 coals For n a space stared as If turned Into stone It was Baree Haree He Ill reI- reI reIo rec o the white star the white white- tipped ear and lids Ills heart thumped like n hammer In his Ills breast Very slowly lie he began to creep toward Ills hits rifle JUg ills hand liand was reaching for It when like a n flash Baree Ilaree was gone on Tills Aids gave 1 art his Ills new idea lie He blazed himself a n fresh trail troll through the forests parallel with his trap line trap x but at least five live hundred yards ards distant from It Wherever a trap m 01 or deadfall was set fet tints tills new trail struck sharply In like Uke the point of a V Y so that lie he her r could approach hIs Ills tine uno unobserved sen 1 H By this tills strategy he lie belle believed belled d that In time lie he he was sure of getting a shot fit at the do dog Again It was Wile the man who was reasoning and again It was the theman theman matt man who was defeated The first day that tIa followed hIs Ills new trail Barel also struck that trail For a lit lit- little littie lit little tle tie while It puzzled led him Three Thrle hues he cut hack back and forth between th the old und tine the new trail Then there was no do doubt ht The fhe new trail was the lie fresh trail and he foil followed 11 0 In the foot Coot footsteps footsteps steps tt ps of ot the he Factor from Lac Balu did not know what was happening until his Ills return trip when he saw the stor story told In the snow sn Har Ilaree e Il had d visited each trap and with with- without without out exception he lie had approached each ah tine time at al the point of the Inverted In 1 After fI r a 11 week of futile hunting ot of 1 lying In Walt wait of approaching at ever every of the Wind-n Wind wind a period durin during which had twenty timES timE'S cursed himself Into fils fits of madness another Idea cam came to him liim It was like ilkI in III Inspiration and so simple shone that It d almost Inconceivable that he hind 11 not thought of It before He Ile hurried back hael to n Io t Lac Hahn The he second day duy In after he lie was on the trail at nt dawn This time he lie carried a luuk In which lucre were a 11 dozen f strong wol wolf f raps s trl freshly dipped In beaver Ilear Ilea r oil till amid u 11 t rabbit which lie hI had snared mared the previous nl night Now ow and t then hen lie hue looked anxiously at the lie sky It was clear cIar until late In tile the lie after after- afternoon afternoon noon lIoon when hanks banks of dark doud lauds clouds b begun be began gun gan rolling up 1111 ill front from Ih Hie he a east cast t Half putt ift IlOur hour later Inter 11 a few Cw nuke lakes of ot snow he began m falling lIrt let use one of oC these drop on Ih the buck back of his unit unit- hand and examined It closely I It H was soft and downy amid lie hl gave l went to 10 Ills lids satisfaction It was what lie he wanted Wanted- want d Before ruing there thEr would he be six Indies inches of freshly fallen snow cO covering the trails ralis He III stopped it d t the next rap house trap and quickly s set t to work First he threw nw a tile the poisoned halt In the house and replaced It with the lie tab rab rabbit bit tilt Then he hI began lIlan setting Ills his hi wolf traps Three of these e lie III placed lute to tile the door of the he I house 10 1 through iu which Ilaree Baree would have e to reads reach for forthe forthe the bait The remaining nine nhue lie hI at nt Intervals als of lit I ii a foot IlOt or t sixteen In Inches heR apart so sn that liat he was vas done dine n a veritable don cordon of traps guarded the lie house houf lit lie did not the chains chain's bit o let them III Icy e III In the he snow lIow I rr Hare got into Inlo Introne one trap lie he would get t Into others and there would 1 be no nil use of toggles s Ills work Ill work done Ta lt-Ta hurried on In through h the Ihl thickening twilight of winter night to his shuck shack He lie ns highly elated This tune time there could hp be no such thin us as I lire lIe He haI prun t every trap on l s wa way from rota Luc late itani Halll In none of those e traps Would Bart Barce to eat at until he 1 Hue canto to the nest of twelve IJ traps i p n p n Inches of snow fell that lint night iiO rid ra the lie whole world seemed turned Into a wonderful white robe robt of f Cel f L r the snow show hun hung to t the trees 1111 and shrubs It gave tall white caps to tile the rocks and I fool un foot fool It was w ns so light lI ht that a c dropped from froni till the hand sans san to the bottom o of it It Baree was was on the lie trap line line early arl He lIe was more cautious this hits for there here was no nn longer loner the he sc scent nl or snowshoe track of ot to guide him He Ile struck the first trap about halfway between bp Lac find and the sli-k sli t-k t In ht thich the Factor wa was waiting It was sprung and there thre vas no bait Trap Crag after trap he visited an and ami all nil of them fluent he found sprung and nud nil all without halt bait lie III sniffed tile the air suspiciously vainly to catch ath the lie tan tang o of smoke n a of the smell man man mell Alon Along toward noon linen lie he came to tile the the nest nest twelve twI treacherous traps trull'S waiting for 01 him with gaping jaws half a n foot tin tin- tinder un under der the blanket of or snow snow- For a full I Ider tubule minute he lie stood stored well outside the danger r line the air and listen listening In ing He lie saw the lie rabbit and his jaw jaws closed with a 11 hungry click He ed moved II a step nearer Still he lie was su suspicious for for some sonic strange and inexplicable reu reason on he lie sensed danger er Anxiously he sought for It with hl huts his nose hl hits e eyes s 's and Ills his ears cars And all nil about him there here was teas a great Ireat silence and anda a great pence peace Ills jaws jaw's clicked again lIe whined softly softly What was as It stir stir- stirring stirring ring liim him Where was the Inner danger he could coule neither see sec nor smell Slowly I he circled about the lie trap house thre three times lie hue circled round It each circle drawing him liim a little until nearer nearer until at last Ills hits feet feel almost touched the lie outer cordon of traps Another minute lie he stood still his huts ears in spite spill lit of the rich aroma of ot the lie rabbit In lots his nostrils something was drawing drawing- him awa away In another moment lie He would have ha gone Ine but there came suddenly suddenly- and from directly behind the ho lie trap trap- trap house house house-a a fierce little rat like squeak and the next Instant Baree Barel saw an ermine whiter them than lion the lie snow tearing at the flesh lesli of ot the lie rabbit lie III forgot Ills hits strange premonition ot of danger lie Ho growl growled ell fiercely but hut his plucky little rival did not budge bude from his feast fent And lien he lie sprung sprang straight Into the nest that hunt Bush Buh had made for him The TIle next morning Bush art heard the th clanking of ot a chain when he be was still a n good quarter of a mile from tile flue lie n nest 5 I Was as It a lynx as 1 It a cat fisher Was ns It rt rl wolf or a fox Or was It Barce Baree uee He lie halt half run ran the rest of the distance and amid at last he caupe came to where he lie could see sec and his heart leap leaped d into his Ills throat when he saw sow that he lie had cau caught ht his Ills enemy nemy lie Ill approached holding is rifle rine ready 1111 to fire Ire I If by any chance the Ule lie dog should free himself Barce Ilaree la lay on his side panting from exhaustion and quivering with pain A hoarse cry ry of exultation burst hurst from lips as he drew nearer and nud looked at the lie snow It was parked hard Bard for or many feet about the house rap house where Baree hal had struggled Id I'd alII and It war coat ved ed with l blood blond lood The blood had come mostly from rein Baree's Ilaree's jaws They wr were were dripping now as he glared at his Ills enemy The steel jaws hidden under the snow hind had done their mer flier merciless chess ciless work well 11 One of of his Ills forefeet was w-as caught ht well up toward the he first both hind feet fet were caught a fourth trap had 11 closed 11 on his Ills lack flank and In tearing thE jaws loose he lie had palled off lifT a patch path of skit skin half us liS hi big biga bigas n a hand The snow sno told the slur story of ot his d desperate I light nth all thorough h time Hie night hl Ills his bleeding Jaws jaw's how bow vainly lie lind hind tried to dik hl break uk tilt the lie Imprisoning steel with willi his teeth He the II I US vuis panting ill His eyes e w w wt u-re u rp bloodshot But Hut even 1 veil now mums after all ull his hours of a agony on neither Ills his spirit nor Ills his courage were Wf broken When lie he saw aw lie ht made a lung lunI lungrin III I o his Ills feet In Instantly crum crumpling rum rum- rumpling pling down n Into the he ln snow II But BUI Buthis his were we're broad braced Ills head and chest best remained d up lip antI and the snarl that hat camp came from Crom from his throat I was tiger tIer ish Ih In it Its ferocity Here at lust lust- last not mint more than a dozen feet It from roam him tuns was Hie this oar nl thine In all nil the lit lie world that lie hl hated bated mor more than I be In hated till the will wolf f breed And again iii In- In iraq wa helpless II us as h lie he lind lud 11 been helpless that oilier time Ilme In the rabbit snare The of his snarl did not dl I now III He lie saw sate lion how utterly the other oilier was at ut hi hits merc mercy and nn with willi an un f laugh Inu he Ill leaned hi Ills his mimic a tr tree pulled off lifT his hits mittens na l and began heun loading hi huts pier Tills was Ih the triumph he hind honked onward forward to till the torture lie ht had wafted for Cor or In his lils soul there lucre was its wn n a hatred ail is d deadly as the Hatred lint u a man nuin might ought have hn for a aman amail man lIe He had expected to tn send end nd n bullet through the dog But lint this was to better to him dying b by troches Inches to 0 taunt plan him us as he lie would have han taunted lit ti to walk about his him So BO that he could hear har the clank of or the traps and see the lie he fresh blood drip drill as S Baree Baree- I twisted Ills huts tortured torture lEgs lees and Jod body to keep facing him It was a 11 splendid vengeance an lIe He was M so engro engrossed St If-St U 11 t ft that he did not hear hOar the approach h hot ot of snowshoes behind him It wl w 3 It e voice a voice a mans man's voice voice that lint turnE 1 hIm round suddenly The man was n a stranger in end ami I he was younger than II I by ten years ears At 1 least he lie J no more than thirty live Ihl or six P eten In with the short hort growth of ot blonde beard he lie wore worl lie Ill was Will of that lint sort tat the average e man would like at lit ali j i glance boyish und and yet a man tub mill cJ clear ar ee eyes that looked out frankly from from under tinder the ruin rim of his fu fu- fu cap a n form lithe as an nr J a face all altogether ether that lint did lid not bear the lie hard lines lineR of ot the s Yet art IlTa knew he- he fore he-fore fore Core he tie had spoken polen Ilat lint this his man was ot of the Cic 1 le wilderness lint he was heart hart coil soul a part of It Ills His cap cal was of skin Osier lie He wore n u windproof coat of nt softly tanned caribou skin b belted Jred at the lie waist with a n long lon sash sah and Indian fringed Tile Inside coat cont was furred He lie was traveling on flue long lon slender country bush snow snow- snowshoe snow shoe shoe his Ills pack pak strapped d over oyer the lie shudders shoulders JS was small and he lie Ives cn carrying Ills huts rifle In n a cloth jacket And from Crom cap to snowshoes he was ns worn travel art at nt n a guess would ha have said fald that hunt he lie hind hac tra el traveled d a thousand mills miles In the lie he last few weeks It was not this Iho that sent flue lie strange sd-ange ani and chilling thrill up his Ills back bacle InK hut the he sudden fear Cear that In sonic some strange wa way n whisper per of lie truth ml might ht have found Cound Its way down Into Inlo the lie the south th h-th lip truth of what load had happened happened on tile the Gray Cray Loon arid and and that hint liat this Ills travel worn travel stranger wore under his Ills caribou skin coat the budge of the Royal Northwest Mount Mount- Mounted Mounted ed ell 1011 Police e For lint Instant It was almost a terror that hunt possessed him and lie hue stood mute The stranger hind lind uttered only an amazed exclamation before Now he said with his e eyes cyca es on Barce Ilaree God Cod save us but youve you've oll e got the poor devil In a right proper me mess s haven't you rou There was something In the voice olce I i lint rea reassured d It was not notI nota nota nota I a suspicious voice and anel he saw that I the stranger n er was more interested In InI Inthe Inthe I the captured animal than lian In himself lIe drea drew a deep dep breath A A trap robber he said he-said sald The stranger was staring still more closel closely at Barce Baree lIe He thrust his gun gunstock gunstock stock downward In the snow and anddrew anddrew drew nearer to him God Cod save us a again again a dog I he ex exclaimed exclaimed claimed From Irom behind was watch wath big the man with the eyes eres of ot a ferret errel Yes a n dog he answered A dog half wolf at least JIe's Jle's rob robbed ed edme me of a thousand dollars worth of ot fur this winter The stranger squatted himself be before be- be before before fore Baree Ilaree with his hands resting on his knees and ills Ids while teeth leeth gleaming In a Ilal half smile You lou poor devil de he lie said sympathetically sympathetically So youre you're oure a trap robber eli eh An outlaw the And And have ha got you ou God Cod And God save saye us once they more the more they haven't played ed you ou a very square game gamel I He Ile rose and faced I hind had to set a n lot of ot t traps hike 1111 that the Factor apologized his Ills face reddening slightly under the stead steady gaze aze of the lie strangers stranger's blue eyes Sud Sud- Suddenly Suddenly denly Ills Ids animus rose And hes he's go |