| Show heart of the north the author of HEART OP THE NORTH whose of the great are weeping the country of their authentic romance of the last great frontier has known the forests since be was old enough to et a trap A a boy in the upper peninsula of michigan and ontario he trapped hunted sometimes acted aa a buldo and tried leveral ventures in fur farming and training for hounds and coon dogs my earliest mem mowery she carrying roe above bis head while he broke the ice acroca a river to get an otter from a trap I 1 learned to shoot and trap before I 1 could read and I 1 shot a bear once when I 1 had to prop up that heavy old octagonal winchester with a forked tub but mowery did learn to read and write especially write he acquired education so avidly and with such good effect that a few years ago he was drafted by one of the largest institutions of learning in the country the university of illinois to be an instructor in english every time h got a vacation be pent it in the north country principally along the mackenzie river from if headwaters clear down to the arctic ocean he became an authority on the forest and muskeg wilderness finally the fascination lured him to drop everything else and devote himself to making literature of the region his stories are thrilling in the highest degree and have the unique quality of combining great charm authenticity and character studies with the thrills one of mowery s happiest achievements Is in the very real but none the less interesting manner in which he depicts the police service known as the northwest mounted the hero of HEART OF THE NORTH Is a sergeant of that service man of today truly drawn but of a courage and chivalry that might grace the pages of knight rr antry CHAPTER I 1 father claverie leaning against the rail of the midnight sun suddenly straightened up stiff with shock and stared incredulously at the six men for moments be could not believe he actually was witnessing a robbery here in this canadian northland where outlawry was rare and furtive here on the mighty mackenzie where river boats time and again carried un guarded cargoes of halt a million in furs and gold a brazen daylight attack upon a big steamer was simply unthinkable A few minutes ago the sir men in a pair of birch bark canoes had shirled skirled out of the tributary river the big aloiska Alo oska and hailed the steamer as though they were merely trappers or a trading party wanting passage up eo ath A ladder was innocently let down for them and they had come aboard taking a despicable advantage of the friendly accommodating spirit extended from man to man in this north country now under the leadership 0 a hugh red bearded fellow they stood on a pile of deck cargo amidships watching each way with repeating rifles alert in their hands they loomed ugly and menacing over the crowd father claverie quickly recovering from his shock stared sharply at the six men trying to identify them one was a breed the other five were non whites all of them were unknown to him while he was wondering what their lext move would be a girl among the suddenly cried out bandits I 1 they re bandits 1 oh oo 00 1 to halt the people aboard the mid night sun the girls cry wag a first warning of the holdup whirling the passengers stood transfixed staring at the six vicious strangers who had them covered fearful of bloodshed father claver ly glanced around at the crowd realizing that a fight would turn this deck into a shambles he prayed that somehow by quick thinking he could avert battle there were courageous men among those fifty on deck but only one man had the quiet deadly courage to draw a long belt gun against six rifles lie was jimmy montgomery mate of the steamer crouched beside a bale of kins jimmy had been pointing out things ashore to his four year old daughter at the cry he glanced up saw the bandits understood instantly and his face hardened he was ed trained jimmy was seven years with the scarlet and gold of the hight shoeing his baby girl behind the wolf peltry be whispered lie down sweet keep down down and rose to his feet his first bullet fired from the hip eang between two bandits and changed into the pines beyond ills second knocked the floppy stetson from a ban alts head ills third was never fired A savage emoke out sharply jimmy grabbed at his breast his revolver dropped to the boards he swayed a moment then sank down shot cleanly through the heart father claverie heard a mutter aris ing among the crowd heard the shut fling of feet the halt hysterical of women the snarling oaths of men ou of the corner of his eye he saw men glancing at one another waiting tor one of their number to raise the long yell and he realized that this ominous swelling butr was or a conceited rush ti realized it too it was L by william byron lc by william byron mowery plain to father Cl averly that they bad not bargained on a battle and were cowering at alie prospect of rifle talk but there was no retreating now they would be forced to fight in a flashing thought he this deck as it would be a few moments hence the criminals rifle armed shooting from cover of the cargo piles the blood spattered promenade with women and children caught in that swath of death in the next instant father Cl averly saw how he might stop the slaughter stepping forward from the rail he uplifted hla arm to draw the eyes and attention of the bandits oblivious to personal danger thinking only of the innocent lives he might save father Cl averly walked up closer closer till the criminals could have touched him with their guns either his calm mien or his black robe and hat had power over those rifles for the muzzles swerved aside from him dont shoot again he bade quietly ag one with authority you have killed a man you have murdered the dark faced bandit who had fired the shot flinched before that steady accusing gaze and turned his eyes away from father Cla verlys 1 I was compel to keel heem ne should not tried to interfere wit us father claverley Cl averly scorned so flimsy a justification of a brutal killing turning away from the bandits he faced the crowd steady clear his voice rose men I 1 dont starl dont make a shambles of this deck theres nothing aboard this boat as precious as he cocked his weapon with an audible snick and pointed it at her breast the lives that would be lost let them take what they want and go peacefully ills appeal fel on deaf ears A slow vengeful wrath was gathering jimmy montgomery known and loved ay along the mackenzie lay murdered there on the deck those killers were going to pay for that barbarous crime the snarling oaths rose again the muttering swelled audibly hands crept down and closed upon belt gun butts it was the leader who stopped the rush who stopped it dead short at one stroke swinging his gun at a young school mistress margaret four aler one of the passengers he or dered her step up here sister step up close and when she obeyed him wild eyed with terror he cocked his weapon with an audible snick and pointed it ather breast ats voice rose so that the whole deck heard isow shoot 1 you can t git me afore I 1 cn git herl first move I 1 see made with a gun give her what that gent there on the boards just got without turning or swerving his rifle from the girl he bade two of his men andre you and john go below git the dust sort out some furs too good furs six or seven hundred pounds marten mink dark fox you know what s light and the two bandits stepped down and seized one of the crew and made him take them down the companionway coming up presently they lowered their booty into the two canoes that bobbed against the side of the steamer As though every man aboard real iced that the bandits held the whip hand that no one dared stir that retribution must come from elsewhere a whisper started spontaneously from a dozen points at once baker I 1 alan baker 1 sergt alan baker I 1 whisper went from neighbor to neighbor from group to group and men smiled grimly as they heard this mere mention of a mans name baker 1 sergt alan baker at fort endurance another of the bandits protected by that rifle pointing at margaret four aler s breast walked boldly out among the passengers and securing a fire ax he went from boat to boat on deck smashing their frail sides so that there could be no pursuit no retribution it the two canoed could only get out of rifle range of the steamer seeing now that the threat to margaret life had checked all of a rush father Cl averly walked toward the stack of wolf skins crossing himself as be stepped ovet the dark stream of blood that trickled slowly toward a scupper bending he picked up the little montgomery girl who was looking with wide uncomprehending eyes at the body of her father mercifully taking her away from there he walked over to the rail holding the little tot so that she could not look back the man beside him said in a low voice look at that devil the boats they must have planned that caution afore liand so we chase cm but dont that big red haired devil know well be splattering ering their canoes afore they get ten rods gone G dl what well do to them the whisper spread ft alt 11 they start away men folded their arms and watched quiet IT biding their moment of vengeance and then when the canoes were loaded with their booty the red bearded leader played his last and best card flipping his gun at margaret fournter Fourn ler he ordered her git down into one of them canoes sister were going to carry you a couple miles up this big aloiska here and set you off on a bar see we aint meaning to harm you at all just start ackling over and climbing down into a boat right thata a sensible girl ne raised his valce so that every one could hear he spoke to margaret fournter Fourn ler but his words were intended for the men aboard some of these fellows Is figuring to shoot h 1 out of us acore we cn git clean gone see but better think about that and I 1 guess they will first hunk of lead comes whistling our direction git a bullet squar them pretty eyes sister 1 CHAPTER II 11 i A northern man at fort endurance in bis big three room cabin overlooking the rest of the post alan baker was changing uniform and making himself regimental again after a four day patrol to a camp of drunken hares just turned thirty tall and itney and powerful of body baker had shaken off the last vestige of a un happy boyhood and his three ban owing years across lie was in the prime of a virile and hardened manhood coming here to endurance as a corporal seven years ago with jimmy montgomery and curt spaulddng as his constable he had lv showed his worth as a n corthern man and a detachment leader able to cope with frontier problems to him it was like coming into his own in hla boyhood he had daydreamed of hunting big game and here at this post just beneath the arctic circle these daydreams had been realized though in a strange way for here he had hunted the biggest of big game hu man game that had intelligence to match against his that carried a rifle in its hands and wore a belt gun and must be captured alive at ilsk of his own life during the years that he had beer officer commanding here he had built up an en lable reputation with hla gradually increasing pack of northern men he had successfully brought his big territory through indian troubles and epidemics and had smashed those lawless elements that came in with the oil prospecting rushes farther south with a record like that and with superintendent as his friend alan had expected to get his commission last fall when the post was raised to an inspectorate no one in all the three country doubted that baker would be the chosen man to them to alan the blow came unexpectedly A political appointee named baskell na a newcomer to the force a worse than raw newcomer to the rth got the and command of this coveted detachment in these last months alan had been very thoughtful about his future here at thirty he found himself in a blind alley a non corn on meager pay with no hope of promotion he had turned down the opportunity of going into a big mining company that was prospecting by planes through the Atha bisci country he had refused halt a dozen offers that held prospect oi advancement and fine money and then the force that he had given such loyalty to had betrayed him worst of all most stinging of all he was forced to manage this territory still straightening out the mistakes and en during the arrogance of the man who had got the place be himself had earned TO BE CONTINUED |
