| Show TIm e I Oe M e 0 w M Sep lm i By JOHN I R. R MUSICK Author of 01 Aly Mysterious l Mr Howard Tilt Dark Derk Stranger Charlie Allendale's Doable Double Etc F Tight Copyright IM by ROBOT SO Sent BOWL r All An rights reserved K CHAPTER IX Continued k Why have you lived so long In Alaska Ataska I rl c could uld not get away was the answer answer Yours Is the only onty face I l have seen since I left teft my friends the Indians save those who held me captive And you have escaped r Yes Then come with us to the camp campon on the Klondyke Klondyke Ive I've Ive I've heard of It the they e J often talk about it when they think roe rae asleep but I do not always sleep steep when I seem to 1 Paul was filled with delight fo for here was was' a chance to unravel the mystery in which he was involved Another silence fell on the group t t broken by Paul asking t- t Do you know a miner named of Glum ti Glum Glum no Glum no r Glum Glum R Ralston The old man again shook his head declaring he had never Known such a person Paul was disappointed From what Glum Ralston had told him he was confident that this mysterious ref hermit of the woods was the long long- lost captain who had had followed the i Indians to the place where they said gold in great quantities was found But when the mysterious hermit disclaimed any knowledge of him himat at atall atall all he was quite as far away from the solution of the problem as he had been before Next morning the party resumed their march guided by the the sun which shone a portion of the day Pauland Pauland Paul Pauland and the hermit were were constantly together together to to- gether and hourly grew more and more friendly until as the noble nature of the hermit unfolded itself Paul came to love him He was I known known to to the hermit by his sobriquet of Crack lash Crack lash for he had been called by no other name since his arrival in Alaska I Paul Paul was hourly entwining himself himself him him- self about the rugged heart of the old man One night when they had halted and the Indians were bulI building y a a. fire for fol the night the hermit said Crack Crack lash lash you Impress me strangely I dont don't know why but I have grown to love you as If you were my nearest relative When my myown myown myown own d dear ar boy grows up to manhood I could only wish that he would make as noble a man Paul deeply impressed with the theold theold theold old mans man's s sad d story expressed a hope that he would soon be able to leave Alaska and reach his home and that iqs s wife and child might yet be alive aUve aliveto to welcome him Their stock of provisions were running run ning short One day the Indians came on the trail of a moose and andere were ere anxious to start on Its trail Paul gave them permission to go 0 while he and the hermit kindled the he fire and prepared to make malco themselves comfortable for the night The prisoner as usual sat Elt In sullen suIlen silence with h his s back against a tree and his eyes fixed on the fire Paul Pauland and nd the hermit sat engaged In earnest earn est conversation The former lormer was talking In a low tone tone telling how he had been robbed by the prisoner and three others and followed them into t tan tio Q forest He was In the midst of his narrative when two objects sud denly appeared before them each t with a Winchester rifle and said f. f f 1 t r. r Surrender or you are dead men Resist Resistance nce was useless they were p prisoners almost before they knew it CHAPTER X Paul Learns That hat Laura Is in Alaska aHe a. a He he he chuckled Ned Padgett rubbing his hands gleefully at seeing the tables turned You hove In Insight insight sight mates In good time Must ahad ahad a had fair winds Paul had no difficulty in making out the two men companions of the third whom he he had met on other oc oc- As these were the men who had robbed him and whom he and old Glum Glum had chased in the forest there was little mercy to expect exp ct from fron them With thongs of seal skin seal skin Paul Pauland Pauland and the hermit were quickly tied hard and fast and told they must move on before the Indians returned As it was dark and the snow falling faIling rapidly there was little danger of even the Indians following on their trail shrewd as they were In such experiences The night was dark and the snow Sl falling failing so It was difficult traveling A strip of walrus hide was tied about the arms of each above their elbows and fastened about their backs They were were heavily loaded and threatened with the knotted stick which Ned carried carried car car- ried In his hand when they staggered under their heavy loads On on and on they staggered through the darkness and over the uneven ground At last Paul utterly exhausted sank down at the root of ofa a tree Get up Go on cried one of their captors I cannot Ye lie He cried Padgett and raised his cl club b. b But Butone one of his companions quickly Interposed withHold with with- Hold on cn Ned Dont Don't be a fool now and throw throwaway away every chance we have What ye goin t do asked Ned Were too far away for the Met Met- to overtake us so we will wilI go into camp and wait till tilI mornin A roaring fire was built bum against the side of a great stone which reared its snow capped snow capped head a hundred feet into the air Pauls Paul's pack was removed from his back and he laid on a blanket in front of the fire with the hermit by his side The rascal named Morris came to the old mans man's side and said You said you could net give up that secret if you ou wished I did What do you mean It is lost Morris stared at him Wm for a moment with wide open eyes and gasped I dont don't understand you Cap you are in riddles I care very little whether you understand understand un un- ma or not the old man defiantly defiantly defiantly de de- answered The secret is lost It was written In cipher on a walrus hide and the walrus hide Is lost It was some time before the idea could get through the thicK skulls s of the sailors ex but when they cameto cameto came cameto to fully comprehend the loss they roared like madmen Ned seized his knotted stick and swore he would brain them both but his more cool companion Interfered saying It may all be a trick After all It may be only a trick to throw us off oft the trail If we decide for the old cuss to pass in his checks checks let It bedone bedone be bedone done deliberately and give him timeto timeto time timeto to reflect So Padgett decided to let them live and trust to some chance to reveal the hiding place of the money Paul had heard the above conversation between between between be be- tween their captors and waiting foran for foran an opportunity to speak with the hermit hermit her her- mit when he would not be overheard by them whispered Is ls the walrus hide you referred to the one left in the cavern where you took me Yes I took it IL You There was an expression on the old mans man's face almost fierce as he asked the question J. J f r t Yes I 1 took it What did you do with it Gave It ft to the miner who was with me before I fell felI from the pre precipice and whom I found after leaving the cavern ern He said he had seen it before Where The Indians who had enticed his captain away in search of gold had some such hide only there had been painting added to it ft since The hermit turned and fixing his great earnest eyes on him in astonishment astonishment astonishment aston aston- asked His captain captain had had he been a sailor sailor sail sail- or Yes sir In what seas Almost all alI over the world but l his i last voyage was In a sealing schooner to St. St Paul Island Alaska and this coast What was this sailors sailor's name He Is called old Glum No other name I believe Glum Ralston is his name but after atter all all his real name I dont don't think is known In this country country coun coun- try nearly nearly nearly- everybody goes by some nickname and nd I 1 fancy that Glum Ralston Ralston Ralston Ral Ral- ston was was only a nickname Might have been Jack Ralston Well since you mention it I believe believe believe be be- lieve I lance once heard him say his real name was Jack Ralston however I will not be sure The hermit was very calm Paul waited a long time for him to answer but the old man was silent as the grave Then two two of their captors came near wh where re they were sitting and they dared not talk anymore Their Journey was very painful and difficult Grown desperate Paul had determined to escape from their captors captors captors cap cap- tors even if it he had to kill kilI them One day they reached a great gloomy cavern which extended to an unfathomable depth in the earth Their captors had pine knots on th the wall walI about the cavern and lighting two of these went back to where there were piles of dead grass and anda a table of stone on which lay a pack of greasy cards Here they took up their abode Several days passed and then Morris Morris Morris Mor Mor- ris and Padgett left the cavern In charge of Tom Ambrose who tied the prisoners every night established a deadline in the cavern in daytime and swore he would shoot the first one one who tho attempted to cross it ft Two or three weeks had elapsed for forIn forin forn In n that dung dungeon on night and day were one when the two men came back and with them another whom Morris seemed to have known He introduced introduced intro intro- introduced the newcomer to Tom Ambrose as a friend fresh from San Francisco Padgett took Paul to where the stranger sat on a musk 0 oz ox hide and the latter asked Is your name Paul Miller fit It is Are you from Fresno California I am Do you know Laura Kean I do what of her His Ills whole frame was trembling with anxiety and emotion She is in Alaska Just landed a afew afew afew few days ago at Juneau in company with Air Mr- rr Theodore Lackland It Is a lie lie lie-a a lie roared Paul beside beside beside be be- side himself with rage and tion Its a lie and I will wilI crowd It down your throat Before anyone knew what he Intended intended In in- tended he had his informant by the throat and hurled him to the ground The guards came to the the relief of their companion Paul was quickly torn away fr from m him and his hands bound He lay upon the dead grass piled in the cavern His mind was In Ina Ina ina a whirl and he kept saying to himself himself him him- self Can it be possible No No no no it Is not possible The whole world may maybe maybe be false but Laura is is' not not- Come to Alaska in company with that man manno manno manno man man- no it is not true A thousand tumultuous s emotions emotions were stirring his breast as he lay layon layon layon on the dried grass striving to persuade persuade persuade per per- suade himself that after atter all this was some horrible dream The man whom he had assaul assaulted ed in company with 11 Jf t y r r r T J j 1 j 1 Padgett and Morris approached him Morris handed Paul a letter tetter In the well known well known handwriting of Laura Kean It was dated at Juneau and addressed to Pauls Paul's mother in Fresno The letter was brief saying she had just arrived and would rest a day or or- two before proceeding farther that evidence asked Morris Yes but she did not c come me with him 11 Oh Oh no he came on another ship I j Then he lied lied when he said they theT came together Morris laughed a cold sardonic- sardonic laugh and In a voice that seemed to to- have all the evil of a demon in it it f. f answered Though they came on different a ships from America there is but one train going to the Klondyke and both will be in that train The chances are are- 1 she knows no one but him and you know Lackland's feelings towards the I girl When he starts to win he wins hes he's got millions to work with and if Its It's necessary to buy the entire pack train off ot he can do It 1 Paul Miller groaned aloud but made no answer He realized how how- great her danger and how hopeless hopeless hopeless hope hope- less he was to aid her 1 Now you san save her said Morrise Mor Mor- ris rise Save her My Heaven how Wh What t other infernal scheme have you on hand You were overheard talking with the old man about a walrus hide From what you said it was understood you youL knew something about it If you will give us information that will lead to- to finding it you shall be given your liberty liberty lib lib- erty and be taken to this young lady Laura Kean I cannot groaned PauL Why I dont don't know where it is What did you do with it asked Morris his face expressing the deepest deepest deepest deep deep- R est concern 1 I g gave ve it to another Where he is or what he has done with 1 it is I 1 do not know A look of disappointment swept over the faces of the captors at this announcement They retired to near the entrance of the cavern and there there- held a consultation Its all aU a pack of lies Iles cried Pad Pad- gett Weve been twenty years in these woods waltin t grab that pile J Jan an no nearer to It now than before before- Knock out their brains an an go go away is what I say Tom Ambrose though equally as much a villain as his companion urged moderation During all aU the years the unprincipled rascals had struggled to get possession of of their captives captive's secret Tom had acted as a a. brake to fiery Neds Ned's temper We have a hold on the old man one of the plotters at last declared He can be made to tell where the the- gold Is cached But he dont don't know He does know He must know t Well what goodU that do we been the last eighteen or twenty vears years to open the hatches o o 0 othe the old ld capen who's as mouthed close-mouthed as a clam Weve We've threatened t hang him him done done everything any anyone one kin but its it's all no use We got a stronger pull now than ever ver What Is it Come here His companions gathered about him and he spread his arms around their shoulders and began to reveal the plan which emanated from his wonderful wonderful wonderful won won- brain brain brain-a a plan that was diabolical diabolical diabolical ical but promised success To be continued i |
