Show f Aoe ON 71 It f w I t t tl l If I 0 v n I w r 9 r 1 By DUnn DIME ALt w I Ir v r J JACQUES JACQUES' plight was ws certainly on one to cause him grave con cone cern While he was wu awa away visiting his trap line a wolverine had some somehow somehow how bow gained entrance to his cabin and ransacked It Jacques was a man of many years experience in the woods He I IdId did not waste time brooding First he found the faulty door catch that had given the wolverine Its ad ad- mission Then he took account of the damage It was even worse than he had estimated Save for fora a few cans of ot meat and preserves a box of cartridges a jar tar of ointment ointment ment and seme st-me manufactured bait there was nothing worth salvaging Jacques sat down and did some serious thinking Denver Beaver Creek the nearest settlement was miles away Jacques had covered the dia dis tance In his canoe in four days less leas than a month ago Yet he hedared hedared hedared dared not risk returning by canoe for the weather already had a bite to it Soon the n northland would b be ice lee Snow would come lie JIe would then have bave to walk Should he be When he reached the fork in the trail raU 69 eo miles south lOUth turn west wet and try to make Gene Robots Robot's cabin which was 10 miles mIlel beyond He shook hook his hi head bead vigorously Ro Roo- Robot Robot bot bet was a lazy shiftless man He Be always remained at the settlement as lon long as I possible before tr trekking in for the winter No the chances chancel were that Robot was not DOt yet located located lo lo- in his bis winter home Jacques Jacque began bean methodically getting getting get get- ting together his pack There was wal only one thin thing left to do Trek to the tbt entire 1150 miles mile on 00 foot Early EarIT the next nest morning Jacques Tacque was ready for the trail Besides the canned caned goods and cartridges es his pack contained his sleeping ba bag an axe his rifle one cooking pot a spoon and over all an his snowshoes It was scarcely light when he be started out Swinging into the long graceful stride of the born woodsman woodsman woodsman woods woods- man he easU easily covered 15 miles mUes before before be be- fore tore 1 He paused then opened one of the cans can and ate a t strip of m meat He lie kept walking till darkness fell ell fell estimating the entire days day distance at a little short of 3 30 mU miles s. s During the night one of those treacheries of ot the northland oc oe curved The wind shifted It grew colder At dawn snow began to fall Jacques woke and sat at up with a start All about the world was cloaked in a blanket of white A furrow creased his brow He lie ate atea a hasty breakfast another strip of dried meat and started once more south Aloud he told himself that the storm was but a squall and would soon pass Out But his instincts instinct warned him the opposite And his Instincts proved accurate Dy By noon so much snow had fallen tallen that Jacques Jac Jacques ques had to don his webs The wind had risen whipping the fine particles of snow into his face rendering visibility almost nil nU Jacques was not a coward He lie had lived through too man many stirring adventures ad ventures and survived them all aU to be afraid Yet he be knew that his bis chances chance of ever reaching the post alive aUve were negligible This storm first of the season eason would be a two or three day affair at best Perhaps longer The cold weather had bad come cometo cometo cometo to stay The settlement was still tut stillmore stillmore more than miles mile away He had bad no food He had bad seen leen no game Toward dusk duk of that second day utterly spent Jacques Jacque sank to his knees in the deep snow mow fighting a losing fight against oblivion Jacques opened his bis eyes ee and I smelled frying bacon and boiling coffee and the delicious odor of tobacco smoke He felt heat too and could only hear the wind in the distance He rolled roiled over and stared up into the eyes of Gene Robot Gene Robot smiled down at him ees soot Boot oot my fran that you waited till the fork in the trails traUs to I give up the long trek eh Else Gene he no find you so deep burled buried in the snow |