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Show again If they stumbled upon another . tide crack. Leading Castor on a leash, he started straight east for the , sea-ice. For an hour they walked, Shot ranging ahead while Guthrie, bent forward, for-ward, eyes on the ice and bis compass com-pass dial, cautiously followed. Fearful of not yet having cleared the river mouth, he led his dogs for another hour, then circled inlo the northwest and found the shore above Kapiskau. There he fed his dogs, cut willow and alder, and Willi his cedar kindling got. a fire going to boil the kettles. As soon as it lightened enough to follow Hie coast, they would start afresh for Elkwan. After the Kapiskau, the ten-mile ten-mile delta of the. Attawapiskat was not to be thought of. As Joan Qunrrier sat by the comforting com-forting heat in the willow thicket, Guthrie told her the story which he had kept from her while he groped through the water traps of the river mouth. She sat with parted lips, her serious seri-ous eyes suspiciously bright, as Garth explained . why Shot had hurled himself him-self on the team. "And you never told me what you found when you left us!" "Why scare you? It was bad enough as it was." She shook her bead in protest. "You call me a soldier, and treat me as a woman." "You are a woman to me too precious to take out on a night like this and drive into a tide crack," he replied, watching the light of the (ire play on her brooding eyes. For answer she called: "Come bpre, Shot to me. I want to kiss you." The airedale rose, stretched, yawned, and wagged his way to her. She breeng de med-eeene eef she come. I go an' have a look at de trail." Again Etienne stood on the cliff, above the white Elkwan and watched for the moving spot on the Ice, which would mark the approaching team. Disappointed, he was about to return to the women in the house when his keen eyes suddenly lit with excitement. excite-ment. Far on the white shell of the river seemed to move a black spot. For a space the half-breed studied the barely distinguishable object. Then he trotted to the quarters. "Dey come!" he cried to the waiting women. "Dey turn de beeg islan'." When the huskies that had traveled forty miles since daylight drew in to the cliff trail at a slow walk, Guthrie hurried to the waiting Etienne with the demand: "You got him here? He's alive?" The half-breed nodded, then with a wide grin turned to the girl on the sled. '"Alio! You welcome to Elkwan, ina'ni'selle !" as he assisted her out of the robes. "I'm mighty glad to see you, Etienne. Eti-enne. How are Marie and the chicks, and dear Old Anne?" "Oh, ver' fine, t'anks. You have hard ride las' night?" Joan and Garth exchanged smiles. "We surely did," replied Guthrie. "We camped at the Kapiskau." "At de Kapiskau?" , Guthrie's thoughts were of the man at his quarters and he did not explain. ex-plain. With Joan and Savanne he hurried hur-ried across the clearing. "Well?" lie questioned, as the army nurse finished taking the pulse and temperature of the man whose rough breathing filled the room. Without answering she placed her ear to the broad chest of the man muttering in delirium. After a space she turned to the waiting Guthrie with puzzled eyes. . "I don't quite understand. Pulse almost normal,, temperature only 101, respiration not high, and yet he's developed de-veloped pneumonia in one lung. I can easily hear the rales!" "You mean he has beaten the flu?" "I think so; he's so strong. But pneumonia " "It hits the big men hardest,'' he said gloomily. .loan gave the patient a hypodermi-of hypodermi-of strychnia and left the room to make some gruel. "Craig Galbrailh Laughing McDonald'' Mc-Donald'' mused Guthrie aloud. "You gave all you had for Canada, and now Canada hunts you because a woman without eyes could see only your scars." On her return with the nourishment, nourish-ment, Joan found Guthrie still gazing with somber eyes at his friend. With her well-equipped medicine kit, and her wide experience with influenza in-fluenza and pneumonia cases in the army, Joan tjuarrier gave immediate battle for the life dependent on her care. Hut the problem confronting traces, tc drag the sled In pursuit of the airedale who fought in Guthrie's arms to return to the battle. "Oh, what has happened?" called Joan Quarrier's frightened voice. "It was too awful. What started them?" "It's all right. I've got Shot and he's not cut much. He'll cool off in a minute. For some reason he piled into in-to Castor." "Attacked Castor?" Guthrie led his dog to the tail of the sled where he made him fast. "Yes, he must have bowled Castor over on the run. Of course that started the team. Hut it's so dark I doubt if any of them are hurt much. They couldn't see to strike and their traces saved Shot. lie's got two on the shoulder but they're not deep." The girl was oft' the sled and soothing sooth-ing the airedale trembling with the heat of the fight. "I'll straighten out the dogs now. They don't care for this whip-handle." "I could hear the blows," she said. "It hurt, but I suppose it was the only way." "They'd have killed Shot, if they once got him down. I had to get him out of it quickly," Guthrie explained, and calming his excited dogs, soon had them on their feet with straightened straight-ened traces. Castor, Garth's favorite, who had taken the bulk of the blows, found the hand of his master with his tongue as he rubbed against Guthrie's leg. Garth rumpled the erect ears of the trembling Dngava. "Poor old boy ! It wasn't your fault, was it, if Shot went crazy? Don't blame you a bit, old man. I had to do it, hut it's forgotten, isn't it? Yes, good old Castor!" With a pat of the massive skull, Garth went to soothe the still excited Pollux, and the rest. Rut all the while his brain was busy with the strange action of the airedale. They were close to the beach. Shot had found killed something, some-thing, and refused to share it with the approaching team. Hut why did he leave it? With Shot lashed to the tail of the sled, and the brat of the combat cooled in the blood of the huskies through the soothing tones of the master's voice and the touch of his hand. Guthrie again called to his lead dog. "Marche, Castor!" As the sled started, the airedale broke into furious barking. Puzzled, Guthrie turned back. "What's the matter, mat-ter, Shot?'' The (log was clearly excited about something. With a whimper he rose on liis hind legs anil pawed the man's chest in dumb attempt to communicate the reason for his pro! est. "What is it. old boy? What's over on that shore you don't want us to see?" "Tel! me, Shut." called the girl, and the dog left Guthrie to go to her but was stopped by his leash. "It's more than queer," said Guthrie, "it's uncanny. Well, I've got to find Men i i s j By GEORGE MARSH j Copyright by The Perm Publishing Co. WNU Service CHAPTER XII Continued 19 "A good lead dog has an extra sense instinct for a trail. Castor has it ; that's why he's our lead dog. He has brains, too." "Where's Shot?" "Oh, he's following the shore. If he misses us, he'll circle and get our scent." "Won't he bail;?" "No, he was taught not to at night. But I must make a decision." "A decision?" "We're near the mouth of the Kapiskau. Ka-piskau. It's going to be slow work can you stand this till daylight?'1 "What has that to do with the Kapiskau?" Ka-piskau?" "If you're tired too tired to go on, we can stop at the post." She caught a note almost of appeal in his voice. 'Too tired." she protested, "an army nurse tired when there's a patient to take care of?" "1 know, but it's a bit dangerous, too," be said doubtfully. "Of course I'd like to keep on for his sake." "Well, we'll keep on. It means making mak-ing K'kwun hours sooner, doesn't it? And that counts. I can sleep on this sled. I'm almost nsleop now." "Thank you, Soldier'." he said, and i stepped tke team while he consulted his compass. "I? I could only see that shore the boulders." Outline left the sled, and fastening a long rawhide thong to Castor's collar, col-lar, cried. "Haw, Castor! We're gning ashore to see if we can stumble into those boulders." But leading his team and at interval-; stopping to examine the Ice from liis knees, to Outline's surprise the i do'.'S traveled many hundred yards j without, reaching the drift and the i shell ice of the shore. Was he deep : n the mouth of the Kapiskau? And 1 T shore? He had hern ton careful to have Irifted out toward Akimiski. yet he i ad Irnwlei a mile straight into the -hero wilhout hitting it. The only lossHilp S'lliilijm was the wide mouth f IN' Kapiskau and he had wished avoid getting inlo the river had ':;iiil lo pa.-'s well oil I --id". Swinging leain into the northwest, he de-'r'! de-'r'! to travel by compass for another ,:!e. That would bring him into the "rlb shore, if he were inside the iver mouth. It would also lie nked toward I he invisible figure on " led the girl vi;o had nnreserv-' nnreserv-' placed herself in his hands who I iti'eied on this voyage of mercy, ii--!il!ess of self. The hands inside milieus shut convulsively, as a ,i:n' Ktieniio luiil ni;ce given him ' "ii ;kth-.s bis lueinorv. And he 'd b;-m:"'!t her the thirg most n Hi us in the world to i;;sri "ir;e - o H is. Why had he not "d on the ri:- Willow? tor minutes Outline walked ahead ' his team, praying for signs in the a gray blur at his feel -of the '';:iiiiy of the shore. Than des- le. he stood on the tail of the I and urg'd his dogs f n t a trot. I he checked them from circling with luminous dial lw held in his niit-''or niit-''or a cpg'-e Ouster gingerly I ' i'-'ui i'lto the black will when j i I : o ninrk soundi d a brit I le I " ' d. the yelping lur kies quick- ' their pMCO. ' ill's I'maid I he 'hop. - -be ' inells I" ' hiiig." orii d O il brie lo I he girl o front of him 'Oncer, he bail ed. ;ioii"li '" A:.' :n Hie rough voice (,f ,,, nire U:l- brol-i. thi-oa-h the pit-like black-( black-( Oa-tol- an-'um-cd. Willi jer.; huskies slarled In'o a fast Irot. Tie had not I ravi led a hundred aids when, directly In front of lis. nvisible team, sounded Shot's raw challenge. There was an Impact of hard bodies, Castor's snarl of rage. Pollux's roar, followed by the bedlam bed-lam of huskies lighting. Inlo the melee of enraged dogs tangled In their traces lid the sled. With the handle of his heavy dog goad clubbed, the bcwll-lorcd bcwll-lorcd Oulhrie ran lo the roHeiio of the .ilredale, - who for some Inexplicable reason bad n 1 1 aokod Castor. Mercilessly Merci-lessly swinging Hie heavy butt of l(. I whip, calling the dogs by name, he blindly fought to free (he oU'emllng shot from the luille-Iike fniign of I'aslor and Pollux. A heaving muss of snapping Jaws, the huskies, mad with excitement, tripped, hampered by their traces, were slashing wildly In Ihe dark at their enemy mid each oilier. At last, taking n slash which rlpppcd the alcove of his parka us he reached In, Oarlh got KhoI'M collar wild one hand and lining die struggling dog while lie clubbed the elliers back, drugged him from Hie milling team, ".'Tempting lo billow, ClIMlor fell si mined by a blow on the nit u 1 1, mid Jiilhrle wim free from (lie I r i (' 1 1 1 -1 1 1 1 'emu, nimble, cnmcHhoil In their Outhrie was more complex. What was to become of Oalbraith if he lived? Cameron would waste no time in taking tak-ing possession of the schooner and its valuable cargo, which he would hold for the disposition of the authorities at Ottawa. J'ut the schooner and cargo car-go belonged to the estates of the dead men. Mcl'onald was ollicially dead. He, n hunted man, could not claim it. Who. beside his wife, were his heirs? Oarth did not know. Then Cameron had said the police were coming shortly to the bay in search of the man who called himself McDonald. Failing to find McDonald's body, which Oarth said lie had seen on the boat, they would naturally come to Illkwan to tall; lo the man who brought the news to Albany. If Craig lived, he would be weeks in bed. recovering his strength. Where could they hide n man needing constant con-stant care if n police dog-team appeared ap-peared on the ice below tin' post? 10 1 i -enne could be hustled into bed and bandaged to corroborate the story told lo Cameron, but Oalbraith what of him? Accessory though it made him to the crime of his friend, the gray eyes of Oulhrie hardened . at I bethought be-thought of Oalbraith. V. C, Oalbraith Ihe trench-raider, whose name was known the length of the P.rilish front, being hounded down in liis dire ex-liemity. ex-liemity. Oarth laughed as he pictured the police attempting to take Laughing Laugh-ing McDonald on his schooner In the fullness of his st rengl h McDonald Ha! 11a! and the bearded male who limped, with Lewis guns and the snipers' rilles they had slept with for four years. And .loan he had made her an accessory ac-cessory as well ; asked her to nurse a man she knew, now, was wanted for murder. How was he to square his conscience with that? To pay his debt to Oalbraith he not only had asked her lo throw her reputation to the winds, but to defy Ihe law Joan llnarrler, who had stepped Into Ids life to become his world. cro inn coNTiNuion.) "But I Almost Lost You. "There." I'll never forget what you did tonight. You deserve the V. C." Willi a grunt, Shot thrust his nose toward her hood. "Look out, he's trying to return the kiss," warned the man who envied his dog. Her white teeth Hashed ill amusement. amuse-ment. "You may, Shotty, on the cheek, for you're a brave and gallant gent Ionian." "And Ihe other brave and gallant gentlemen are they to be Ignored? Aren't Castor and Pollux, and their brave and gallant master, to share in your salute, oh, mon general?" "This general decorates but one hero tonight and Hint Is Shot," she replied archly. "His devotion has been proved." "And mine?" She would not meet his eves. "(Ill, my friend," she parried, "we have work before n.s-n bitter fight for the life of a brave man. Why think of ourseh os?" In Ihe lee of Ihe sled, tipped on lis side. Its canvas cover stretched above her like a shed tent to rellect the heat of the lire. Joan (luarrier slept, warm in her robes, until waked by Ihe cracking of the lire at dawn. "Oood morning. Healer of Wounds. The tea Is almost ready; Ihe bacon done; the bread cut. Will yon wash your face end hands In the snow, and parlake of the bounties set before you on these beautiful plales of tin?" Through sleepy eyes the girl smiled up at Ihe man who had labored for her comfort. "You lire very good to your passenger, Mr. Kxlle. 1 shall recommend this line to all who con-template con-template a night voyage up this cousl ." "We ought to make KIkwnn by noon. I wonder what we'll Had," he said, pouring Ihe hot tea. "Whatever we Hud, Ma.. Oarlh Oulhrie. you' have squared your debl. No man could have done more for his friend." "P.ul I almost, lost you" "That would have been Ihe fortune of war." "And the Irony of fate, with Kllenno anil poor Oiilbrallh walling up there nt lOlkwan for two who never came." CHAPTER XIII At noon, Hint day, n lone figure hIooiI In the snow on Ihe clearing at Mill wan and searched the river-Ice below Ihe post. With ll dubious shake of the head, Mllenne returned to Old Anno and his wife, walling In ( lu! brio's ipiurlcrs. "Ver" black night ; hard lo follow de shore. Something happen to M'sleu' Oulhrie. Mclibe de woman not come wld heeni." "She come," Insisted Old Anne. "She come w'en he imk. She mine." "Dal McDonal', he ver' neck num. inai snore to make a fresh start. .Now, Shof, be quiet, will you?" Again the driver called, "Marche, Castor !" The dogs leaned Into their collars ani! the sled slarled. but from Its tail rose the howls of the protesting Shot. "Oood Lord, I've got to look Into t'i's! I'll be back shortly." And, stopping his team, Oarlh walked Into In-to the murk. He had advanced but a short distance, dis-tance, doubled ever the Ice, reeling his way with his moccasins, when he slopped, as a chill, like Ihe touch of a coin wind, cut through him. "Tide crack !" he gasped. Within a step of the gray blur of ice on which he slouil. a black streak, fading Inlo the enveloping gloom, barred hi-i way. "We're in the river mouth . . amoeg the tide cracks Ml'lenne warned me! Shot old Shot, Cod li'e-'s him he knew ! Shot's actions were char ei g, now. Coming upon the open water toward which the sled was hurrying. Ihe airedale had returned on Ihe bound, barking a warning as he came. Then, as the dogs came on at a trot, Shol had enlapultod lull) Castor, shirting shirt-ing a light anil -slopping Ihe sled. Stunned, slrhek Willi remorse, Oulhrie crouched on Hie lip of Hie gash In the river ice, inlo which dogs, sled all of them, would have blindly plunged but for Shot's mad Illinois on Hie team. To have led her to this -a hideous ilealh wllh the dugs drawn und'T by Ihe drag of Hie sled. And Mllenne bad warned him of the lido cracks in the river mouths, lie hail Inlended making a wide swing around Ihe Kapiskau, bill In his search for Ihe beach, had entered Ihe river. P.ul Shot, staunch old warrior that he was, had through some uncanny Instinct sensed their danger anil Inkon Ihe only method of slopping Ihe team. Pulling her trust In Oarlh Oulhrie, Shot had saved her. He turned back lo Ihe team, thrilled wilh pride In Ihe dog who worried at bis leash. The love of Ihe man for his dog hail been cemented by yet one more bond. Shot had saved her for Oarth Oulhrie! "What did you llnd?" .she asked us be reached I he sled, "I learned that we'll have lo backtrack back-track straight cast," he said calmly. "Why, aren't we heading for Ihe shore?'' "Yes, but we've got. to gel, out of this river. When I strike Ihe Hea lce, I'm going to circle, lilt Ihe coast, and give you some rest." "P.ut we ought lo keep on." ".Not In Ibis blackness. Il'n as thick ii H I'lemlsh rain III March. I've got lo lead Hie team," he did not add, "to will f 1 1 for wilier ahead." riileasbliu: Shol, whom he hugged as he mumbled for a space Inlo u hairy ear, Oulhrie Kent the nlredum out mi an advance patrol, lie hnd found water once, hu would Iltnl It |