Show men I 1 cl roo bf geor e W 0 U 6 r he petan 0 co STORY FROM THE START garth guthrie Ou thrle canadian war vete rall having to live in the open on account of weakened lungs 1 to factor actor of 0 a hudsons Hud sons day poe post t at elkman lie came back from the conflict with a permanently starred face which he h realizes cost him the love of hla his fiancee flan coe edith falconer sir charles outline guthrie hla his brother la is a millionaire war pron prof lter teer with etienne savanne halfbreed his firm friend oarth garth meets doctor geologist and hla his alster joan their schooner has drifted ashore quarrier complains he has been robbed by a man known as laughing mo NI C donald at elkman an indian girl ninda tuberculosis victim whom garth has befriended I 1 Is is dying joan trained war nurse cares carea for ninda but the girl dies adlea charles guthrie writes reproach ing hla his brother for or not coming ho hoone hoine one charles wife assures ethel still loves love him but garth earth in Ms me heart known better three of Mc mcdonalds Donalds party visit 1 10 0 lawan seeking to buy gun shells prom them oarth garth learns learna of evil talk among the indians concerning him and ninda with Eti etiennej Etlen ennes neB help garth wins the friendship of saul houct medicine man of the crees and gets his eprom arom joe iso to persuade the crees to talce take their furs ure to elkman instead of to 11 mcdonald cDonald garth Is ambushed by joe Mo koman bindas deput ed father whom the factor had driven from elkman CHAPTER V continued tile the ojibwa leered you tali talc do aman you kick joe Mo konian wat ou do wid de woman oman elslie 1 she Slie Is lead dead said garth quietly ayou jy you ou talc tak de woman to albance Alb anee acou ou geeve joe IIo koman mooch debt he to face of the speaker knotted with site to of 0 the man who was measuring fe ae distance which sepa separated ratel them od d wondering woride ring what do to you want how much aide de goods temporized tile the white ai mn n ns as lie fie covertly elded a foot for aird rd in fa the snow jyoti boti geeve sled slad lond flour tea eket gun the face of the in n lighted with the thought odthe 4 11 which awalter him at the post you want p a four our dog sled load tit th scratched his knotted forehead f debating the value 0 of the goods pas as twenty feet he make lie ile must get nearer somehow he light gilt he indian nodded four mg team our ur blanket all de m 11 with a 21 k movement lie brought the gun to shoulder as the white roan man slid moccasin ln nearer beka I 1 stop I 1 lie he the d lilg swart face purple with rage e dan u move I 1 keel kec I 1 you I 1 was no use tise there was no chance citing ettling close enough for a lunge h 1 changed hla his tactics as the e evil VII Z of the other narrowly mateli watched ed turning his buck back guthrie calm acceded roce eded to finish the dressing of terae caribou r a space the ojibwa stood hold 0 CO he gun on the back of the white crift trift ills hla face picturing amazement then lie he said you aeve e aeve Is s stuff t Is re ire replied the man busy with alfe ife as he mentally groped for a atas out ut of hla his predicament puzzled er ad whether the indian would shoot irles rushed him wora u I 1 lie ile I 1 teea youl you I 1 warned mo time ul a space there was no answer doe the man using tile the skinning y IS then sue suddenly denly kettling hefting to hla his an pd d facing the indian who warily a to d him with hla his rifle garth said patu get the sled but the eyes of the man who ot goo had seen something which had A in the his heart pounding in his illes 61 ills fl flangers ingers blue with cold hind i the handle of his knife turn knuckles white oh besl yes I 1 ill bret U uthe abi stun stuff sold said garth jerk muscles stiffening like clamped wei atly as lie he waited you come to and ill give you yon all the amative a native ou can caa eared cm roared garth lung vara and to one side while a lovers 0 black and tan catapulted into se ans back carrying him film head oly us he be snow siw as the rifle ride exploded tits snap of powerful jaws the I 1 be of the ojibwa torn from hla his il katmo lunge and lie long fangs met flesh of the shoulder then afi j dragged the maddened dos dog man e shi shrieking eking man who writhed labody now ow arms shielding his face thus a grip on tho the collar of the earth R dog garth picked up op the IL the mow and regained lite his to beti le ie the indian whined over hla his s to be f shoulder of it how about it nowa now rasped still too moo ith th a lard laugh stroking ng of f the e es cited al ident to rat mt dog doer 1 cried the ojibwa lils 1115 feet ana cocking away this black and tan fury who strained toward him film hot with lust of battle ill hold the dog lie wont bother you and you stay where you ore are youre going to tell your story to saul solica the evil eyes of the ojibwa widened in surprise So douel Sou uel cl tie ho muttered yosl Is going to to watch you people hell put devils into some of you before the winter la Is over now what did you throw that gun on tile me for I 1 ought to give you a good hammering tile the indian essayed a smile but tits hla face showed ills his fear 1 I not I 1 then tie he asked weakly you lie wen wn you say you geeve do de trade good 1 I tied lied was the dry reply II 11 now well start for the lake mush I 1 when valanne and saul returned from the lie Mus lieg garth told his story by gar dot dat good fog dog and etienne rubbed the dogs ears yes and guthrie took the hairy head in his hands ns as he stuffed smiled into the logs dogs worshiping eyes lie ile did the trick for garth he lie he sold as he bent beat and rested tits his face against the alre airedales dales neck als matt man I 1 vink cum up riviere for mcdonald ila hal I 1 ila hat I 1 said soul you think ho he Is working to get the upriver up river away from us too saul nodded lie ile was here before dp do ice some hunter ma 11 gart turned to etienne Et lenne so mcdon nid did ts Is out to swamp us hog bog all the fur this year well well wall give him a fight for it etienne Et lenne lie he said savagely smarting with stung pride at the cool attempt of tile the free tree trader to steal the river trade from under hla his nose wat you do wid dla dis skunk and etienne nodded toward the prisoner sitting dejectedly on the opposite side of the fire saul looked looka d hard at tile the white man who did not answer then said in cree to etienne Et lenne this weasel of an ojibwa only makes trouble it Is better to send him back to mcdonald hal flat ital hal under the ice and the cree drew a sinewy hand suggestively across hla his throat at the words and gesture joe moko roan man slowly changed color his hands shook with fear drops of sweat stood out on his forehead the small eyes of etienne twinkled with amusement as he repented repeated the remark to hla his chief it would serve him right saul but I 1 want illin him to take a message to mo donald that rooming morning with sleds heavy with caribou meat the three started for elkman with the agent of mcdonald hal I 1 ila hal I 1 CHAPTER VI aher tile the last icecap ice cap which imprisoned the north receded leaving in its wake the great inland sea of hudsons Hud sons bay with its long arm piercing the hinterlands to the south among the many islands scattered in its track by far the largest was and through the centuries camit to be known as a favorite haunt of the black the black cross and tile the silver gray foxes and each winter the hud sons day bay company sent hunters there to seek the precious pelts then came the freres and thoy they also sent men to winter on the island Islan rf for th tho 0 spoil of its wind harried tundra which paralleled tile the west coast for sixty miles was priceless and now to this land of tile the little foxes of the glossy black and silver pelts tor for which fair women would pay fabulous prices in the markets roar liets of the world had sailed the schooner of a stranger seeking the loot of the ahl miski barrens a man of daring who had sailed straight to tile the course and whose little schooner already lay locked in the shore ice fee of sent seal cove here while the tides with broken ice still patrolled patr oled the strait barring the of daring hunters cutting off tile the shore posts from all trade mcdonald list hat hat was prepared to welcome the trappers of with his flour and sugar and tea tea tits his tobacco and cloth and gew gaws garth guthrie sat la in his trade room with old saul anat eilenne Et Ut lenne in counell council of war vor for days after their return from up river the wind had made the strait impassable to the york boat which had been left at its summer anchorage in tile the channel for this use tho the alde had kept tho the lower river open and with the right wind the thing could be done garth had reasoned but the indiana indman had shaken their heads it ma madness driess not 0 to o watt for the cold which would set the ice far out from vach toch shore then they might hazard it with the canoe on the sled As for joe he had bad spent the days in whimpering ori tta den mat 11 which awaited him la in the attempted crossing but gutrie had a for mcdonald wedah man as to entry carry it penalty oarth garth told him with a twinkle of the ha eye for throwing a guu gun on a Hud hudson sons bay factor dut but the severe frost might hang off for weeks until after christmas in fact and tho the hunters would take tahe their fur to tho the schooner guthorle brie argued and the man who had lived for four years with risk in each breath lie he inhaled baled haled in every measured minute insisted that tile the attempt be made to cross tile the strait at once so one rooming morning they put out with a westerly wind and by much rowing nna annir buttering battering and dodging of drifting ice fee landed saul with tits hla dogs and Moko Hoko ninn on the shore ace of ten miles across the strait froni from bikwan point saul set out with ills his dog team for the camp of tits his song soils while the ojibwa started down tile the coast with guth auth ties rles letter to mcdonald Mc Donnld which ran mr air mcdonald schooner ghost seal cove akl island dear sir the bearer of this letter joe moho man the indian you sent up river to steal the trade from me Is returned to you with thanks hearley lie tried to ambush me at klowan lake and it I 1 19 solely owing to tile the tact fact that I 1 c could uld use him as a messenger that you look upon tits hla handsome ince ngali the tha purpose of this Is to announce that as you intend to hog the trade of Akin ilski from your strategic position at seal cove I 1 shall use my position on the elkann to insure that trade going to me alone so you may spare yourself tile the trouble of sending any more indians up river for never hear of them again As to the island trade I 1 vms vas hero here first and im going to fight you yon for it GUTHRIE GUTi miK then the two men started back in the leaking york boat and after a day of slavery at the sweeps sweep s with tile the help of the northeast wind and 41 tile the tide reached rea cheif elliean El and warped tile the craft up out of harms way to tier her winter berth on tile he high shore tho the fight was on but the saving of their share of the christmas trade in i foxes when the pelts were prime depended on tile the ice fee saul had a free hand to pick up tip all the skins he could get hold of for guthrie at a good price if the indians would wait but uie lure of the schooners ners trade goods within easy reach would be too much for the mercurial crees crucs unless the strait froze and they could cross to elkman for the new years tears festivities the strait impassable garth and etienne kaev that the bulk of tile the valuable fur would go to mcdonald McDonal lr cf that was the problem they faced as they sat in the trade house bouse on their return and made their plans what makes you think that saul can get them to hold their fur and keep away from the ahe schooner guthrie asked since Et Eti lennes ennes two evenings of smoke talk with old saul in ills his shack at elkman before the treaty chief was landed on the island the head man had acquired an which somewhat puzzled his superior the black eyes of tho the halfbreed half breed snapped 1 I vink saul weel mak de for dem ile he ces cea beeg shaman wd dose elkman an cree 11 can he control all his own people some ov dem somo some not debbe what has medicine tanking making got to do with getting our of the trade anyway again Et Eti lennes ennes loather skinned face broke into a network net work of fine ane lines as tits hla eyes lighted with amusement you see maleu guthrie Gu thrle wen he start to work garth was interested ile he had bad thought bought only of sauls influx influence ace as treaty chief the use of magic in the defeat of Mc Donalds plans lent a new angle to the alie matter you mean that hes going to hold ft powwow pow wow of some kind and declare that the schooner Is bad medicine haunted by evil spirits well debbe he be have dream dat nair breena bad luck yes debbe meb be he see devil nn n dat nair I 1 don know ile ie tell me he weel mak do de medicine lodge on de island well ill be d d dl I 1 it had never entered barths mind that the reputation of old saul as one having intimate relations with spirits good and evil axx 3 4 could be put to use on tile the island hut but the wily old cree him evidently taken it for granted that lie was to set get life his powers tit na a cou conjurer jurer against the odds odda which confronted the factor of i IT Et lenne tionne its a great ideal it if lie he can bewitch that schooner well lick lent cm yet yrtl I 1 old saul say lie he not know what he do some hunter bovair dero are arc stranger arranger ile iio talc tie dog nn an go see dem don den lie ho nik milk lodge and breene all the injun to henr hear to tic spirit talk the iden idea was masterful if the old shaman could cov convince vince the hunters of that the schooner was tabu forbidden ground to the tha crees carcea that it was the haunt of 0 demons and spi spirits who had taken this method to lure the crees to 0 o perdition lie ho could hold much of the trade for ellwen nervously pricing the floor guthrie voiced tits his for old sauls plan edeane Ed enne if lie can bewitch the schooner well milks make thoin them work to get that fur chy liy we can uso use the very naine against thein aitho ghost haunted with tito tho devil the ident idea I 1 laughing mcdonald rony may not get tile the im h 4 figures on after nil all into tile flip night the two dismissed the plan of the old to undermine the operations of mcdonald hal lint against tile the fox fok pelts of Akin ilski but when lie sought ills his bed tile thoughts of garth guthrie were of the short swift days when n girl with lark dark stra aiming eyes and a mass of unruly beir buir whose errant tendrils to de fled restraint lind had noiselessly taken charge of the aliouse nid the stricken ninda who huff with such delicacy cosed the sting of tile the tragedy which followed his homecoming to the girl who in her blond loveliness smiled from tits hla dresser in the dim fill candle light garth vouchsafed vouchsafe the acknowledgment of a n doubtful shake of the hend head tito sister ln in law of the great sir charlos guthrie Gu thrle lie he quoted from claras letter no you changed my dear youre roure tile the same old ethel and ho he blow out the tha candle but before lie he slept lie he told himself chilt whatever christmas might bring in the wily way of III luck to elkann it would be compensated for by the arrival of the mall mail team from albany with joan promised letter frozen in under the ice of 0 the berl ess hills circling tile tha cove the schooner of laughing mcdonald iny sheathed with ice and snow snugly wedged in tier her winter berth her bore poles and stock from the galley alone marking her ber in |