Show J r I 1 le bolor is GEORGE MARSH OF TO LERS OF THE TRAIL THE WHELPS OF THE WOLF COPY IGHT 0 THE PENN publishing CO TO FIGHT SYNOPSIS with david halfbreed I 1 guide hrent drent steele of the merican american k museum of natural history story Is traveling in northern canada by a stream he hears denise daughter of col ifil aira st onge factor at walling ailing niver play the bolln violin superbly lie he introduces trod tro duces u ces himself and anil accepts an invitation to make the post ills his home hoin e during hla his stay lie he finds the factor tor worried and my mystified stilled c the log chateau Is ft a real home from st fat onge he learns of the creature of e ovll tl the windigo and tile the disappearance of a canoe and its crew with avith the seasons take of furs then at night ight n the windigo gives a weird performance even steele Is mystified I 1 CHAPTER 11 II continued 5 steele strained ned from tile the window waiting for n repetition of tile alie wall hut the voice ace which lad defiled the lia night was hushed from the clearing came the whimpering of awed hus huskies laes the lie wolf challenge smothered in their thron throats ts among the dim fill shapes nt nf the lie indian shacks beyond the trade house not a light flick flickered ered they wore were its as the houses of tile the lend dead the post people lay in their blankets stiff with fear like n shroud panic had fallen on walling allver throwing on oil his clothes tile alie ninn man peung from the window tin and dropped to the alie gross grass below the house also was dark st onge doubtless drugged with cognac hut but slie she did she llo ile numb with fright or was she gallantly gullant struggling with the mystery nn story As lie he approached michels mil lids lark dark shack steele was puzzled tind the iroquois and david dald also weakened nut 01 two 0 o r alent shapes c carrying something in their hands met him nt at the door you henril heard it atchel Mt chel dern demanded steele ao archung the wart swart face of the linof mireed ns as cipy they left the shack for traces of excitement the rhe ff features of modiel were set like stone ns lie he said te de ket got de fur cano cann now he pet get de pos what ayou d ou menn mean quickly demanded if steele fearing that the indian in tile lie head man find at list last triumphed over oer his intel intelligence I 1 irence t that lint he too had succumbed to the general terror machel mean explained david dald that de to indian will all leave de tos pos after tonight tha man was as rell relieved eved TIPP these two to at least had not been str stampeded impeded by the lie thin on the ridge anti and then ns they reached the shore it began artile prom hip crest of the ridge came an unspeakable ni meting ewing now strangely catlike cat ent like ilke now no unearthly followed by the moaning of a mangled tiling thing in torture it ceased the white min man heard the he rough breathing of tile the men beside him slowly scowl the click of steel on steel marked the cocking of two rufies then upon the heavy silence broke the prolonged prolong eI walling of an ojibway woman for her dead rigid the three men listened the calling climaxed in shrieks again the lie night was soundless turning to steele michel muttered tete boule eps ees right dat peg ees ver er bad ving tang to hear what Is it david na td steele demanded of tits ills hardhearted hardheaded hard hearted headed friend cef david was on int dat ridge he tell you ou was the dry dr response theres nothing on four feet in this country that could in do vint that there ile be something in tills this satorv till all Is it beast blid bird or devil dell 7 IX ma may tie be brazee wolverine ept may lie ile den ml beet inny lie ile windigo but pet lees dees pos nil de As the halfbreed half breed smily shook tits his head the caterwauling began anew with heads thrust forward tile lie three oliree men on the shore strove to pierce its mystery mis tery hut but tills this time little ns as the voice rose to a I 1 elli allina cl lina flame shot from tile the muzzles of two rifles rides tin and tile the shrieks were smothered lit in the lie report of the guns Peli echoing fling from the ridge 1 again silence stlene e blanketed the valley alley thus did david and ling fling hack back their challenge of tend lead to the powers of darkness which inen menaced aced the fur fort tile windigo knows now that theres sonie fighting blood left in walling kler chuckled steele when lie he heard approaching footsteps chos there called tit the voice of st onge who tired fired those shots Sl ichel and david colonel did dadou you hear it asked steele curious to know the state of the alie factors nerves st onge approached and gripped St arin le ive leen listening with my m daughter he sat ald in a strained voice ulce 1 I went to botie roii c you ou but you ou had gone its till tie last straw monsieur my M indians will avill not stay after this what ayou think it Is asked steele closely watching the features of st hi onge in tile ollin sani light who can say sav replied the french man inan with a shrug it may be some crazed beust beast wolverine or lynx or bear and then lie he looked hard into sleeps steela s ties eyes it may be the windigo at the words david who had been listening turned to michel in surprise hut but tile face of the head nian man was wooden tile the narrow eyes shifted to those of steele and for a space white roan mail and red held each cacti others liera ot guye gaze was the V frenchman hman after nil superstitious pers titrous tit lous stel steele ae wondered had tits ills none nerve softened after what lie had now heard with tits ills own enra ears or wua was lie playing placing a game colonel st onge said the american after a space this thing lias has got to ile he followed up run down scot scorched scotched ched I 1 to you its vital I 1 to me us as a scientist its the opportunity of a lifetime with your our permission david and J I 1 will stay stav here tind lend a hand until the winter r threatens to break the factor impulsively offered tits his hand thank you vou monsieur I 1 shall be most grateful for your dour aid and mademoiselle st onge asked steele deeply curious site she heard it all yes she called me when it began she bhe was very brave but there have been so many things lately st onge suddenly checked himself ml all chel lie he said swiftly changing the subject we must look after the indians at once hut what can we tell them now after this we tell deni dem de weel ketch dem on de riviere beef eef dey leave now replied the rendy leauv witted head man As steele again stretched himself on tits his cot hoi he wondered it if there would be steel sleep that night for the girl downstairs what thoughts were hers as she lay facing the problem of tier lier future it a problem of which the sole ole solution seemed at that moment to rest with monsieur lascelles at fort albany there wigs was nu no one in the living room w ivhon lien steele entered early the following morning but arout the direction of the kitchen cinie cante tile the sound of voices lie ile was examining the shelves of french and english classics when lie ho heard the light footfall of moccasins behind him diffident at meeting denise st onge whose humiliation of the night before must have leave been deep but naturally curious as to tier her mental condition after the night walling wailing he ha turned with good morning mademoiselle I 1 we are all here you vou see safe and sound in spite of the serenade of our friend the llie fine oes eyes of the girl were heavy with shadows but to tits ills relief were not unfriendly she lias has not slept thought steele the has got tier lier too good morning mademoiselle 1 we turned in a voice without spirit and there was no life in the colorless face ns as she went on yes we are still here as you vou say but after last night I 1 trust you realize what my father prices faces in III this terrible valley it is most mysterious tie he cald lint but you vou must not allow it to get your nerve you are nil an educated woman mademoiselle YOU vou must hot hold your mental grip nerve nerv blacking clacking clack racking ing of course couise it Is but there lb Is it solution auld m id wolf or wolverine probably As lie he spoke lie strove to pierce the reserve of tier lier duik dark eyes to the alie thoughts they masked unasked in iut but it was horrible ghastly site she replied Is it to he be wondered at that the indians iddinn tire are in it panic and these pour poor women whose husbands worp with the fur canne they tire aie imbeciles Imbe ciles from terror I 1 found them this morning in it cabin too frightened to cook tile breakfast of the lie children so you von cooled cooked it for them he hazarded with it dintle surely Ma demol spite selle st onge lind had not lost tier her nerve it if slie site could think of the children the girl flushed one could not have them suffer monsieur then nith it a flash of white teeth went on nut we p till all feel better now that the sun Is out steele si smiled tilled nt at the human touch illas has our father aither told lold you that I 1 am staying staging here with tits ills permission to follow up tills this NV Indigo she glanced up in surprise for an in instant tant tier eyes fell the dark brows contracting in thought then she met lit ills quizzical look you tire arp going to fight the win delpo you a stranger abo buve no interest hut I 1 have a very great interest mademoiselle I 1 am sent into the held field lv fly the museum to study this sort of I 1 thing achel david and I 1 eire are goin goans to light him and solve him hut but vou nou do 10 not know the dan danger gerl 1 tier her face was very verv grave as she faced him anti and lie he now knew tint that hla surmise had been borr ct there was much that lie badnow had not bet betit been it told 1 I do not understand what you mean vot ot betas being superstitious chel david and I 1 have nothing to fear he protested hoping to draw her out oil oh monsieur you sou do not know all I 1 there are so ninny 11 the abrupt entrance of st onge cut off what steele sensed she had tu intended tended as a warn inc good ond morning monsieur Stee steele lel I 1 cried tile tho factor with what was palpably a forced liveliness of manner you have not changed your mind since our talk eh you will honar us its by spending september at walling waiting river father denise protested men bleur steele does not know st onge turned petulantly upon his daughter monsieur steele Is R brave roan man find a scientist lie he has no fear of your indian devils anti Windi goes hut lie he has a right to know all it if he Is ile he know all my dear broke in the factor evidently desirous of stopping further reference to what was blind mystery to the younger man wo we shall have a week mademoiselle before david and michel return to mako make our plans added steele in III de defense vense of lita its host but throughout tile the simple breakfast of trout toast and coffee tits his active brain was busy with the strange attitude of st onge anti its cause at the trade house the factor find and tits his guest learned from the still shaky teto tete boule that hit michel and david had picked a enn canoe and provisions over the portage tit at daylight nut but before starting ting flown down river on his quest with david machel All cliel lind had done his work well not an indian dared leave the post because of the lie lemon demon which the wily head man mail had assured them vas ieng in wait for them so for it a time st onge could count on keeping tits his post servants and then well who can foretell what Is on oil the knees of tile the pods monsieur lie he said with a characteristic shrug through tile alie following lays das while he impatiently waited for tit the return of david steele occupied tits his time with the study of two interesting subjects tete isoble and denise st onge and lie he found in each much to stimulate tits his curiosity the alie indian once a twist of licad head tobacco and tho the gift of a skinning knife lad established friendly relations was led to repent repeat the tales of huge ra ka in the muskeg and night walling which he had brought to the post during the summer to steele familiar with avith shania shamanism nisin lind the practice of sorcery among tile and creps crees this squat red man with tits his high cheek bones and close set eyes eves was something of a puzzle steele soon learned that tete boule who owed tits his name to the likeness of his broad face to the tete de boule crees was possessed of more than ordinary intelligence tete boule batile demanded steele in one of their conversations on tile the river shore why should this windigo wish to harm this post the people here have never done him an injury the mink like eves ces of the indian widened with fear at the mention of the trend dread name which was taboo idis ces hees countree long tarn tam ago lie he cum here on IN riviere the indian muttered evidently III at ease case was it the NV Indigo who drowned the men with the fur canoe for a space the ojibway smoked in silence then spat far into the water before he answered do de crew ov de fur cano not drown eat cupl and lie he opened his wide mouth and snapped tits ills jaws will he come again by night to the post here the indian slowly nodded further than repeating to steele that in august lie hp had bad peen huge tracks in the muskeg and heard cries at night similar to those which find wakened the post Tete Boule could not be led to talk iut but what interested the Amer american fenn especially was to hear later from denise st onge that the alie squat post hunter was bewailing with the already stampeded indians tile the fate which menaced them this tete boule ought to be suppressed lie he suggested to st onge one your daughter tells me that heaps keeps tile the indians in n ferment with etli his wild tales of nf demons and ive told him to stop it hut but lie he Is very superstitious when lie first edme hero bero from albany lie he was vas a most vill man very veo Intelli intelligent gerit iles doing a 9 lot of harm w now I 1 wish 2111 machel chel were here you need him yes he understands the Ind indians inns and can quiet then agreed tile factor wearily and lie he Is wasting his time down river 1 I am not so sure of that they mav fino find something and steele smiled into the frenchmans French Fretic limans mans eyes eves quizzically but met n blank stare well with steele on its trail the windigo Windi goll go Is likely to have a lively time and steele TO BE BB CONTINUED |