| Show the ant he TRAIL hint i RA A TT alvr L OF rt 9 A northland lomance by ROBERT W SERVICE service Must radons by imin myers CHAPTER XII continued ab 15 grimly the worm had done hit his work but bill he had hardly lia rilly reckoned on an ti the le strength of this man W with t it V vast as t throe 0 of r fe fear ar lie he tried t to 0 free I 1 himself tenser tens tenser er grew tt ilo thongs they strained strained they bit into his bis flesh but they would not break yet as he relaxed it seemed to him they wera were less tight lie ile annile anade on other giant effort once oace again he be felt 11 tile the thongs strain arid and strain then when lie he ceased tie be imagined they alie were still looser the dogs seemed to have lost all fear they smelled the blood on oil lib hip I 1 bc head ad awl and a slaver run rain from their jaws again he cursed cursed them but this time they did not move moe they to re reache aleze he could not harm hairm thein again he tried to get free now t li fancied lie he could movi move hid bis arm ariu a lit tie lie ile must hurry for every instant the malai were ere growing bolder another strain arid and a wrench flat he was able to squeeze his right arro from under the rawhide quickly he reni lied out his other firm arm lie he w fan 31 just in tri time for the dogs were u upon mm bin lie aled led to tits his knees ant anil shielded tits his head with lit arms sarins wild ty ly he swung at the nearest dog ful fill on the face lie struck it ii and it shot back as 11 hit by a bullet but tile others were on him two of them were maki making ng for tits his face As he be lay lu on oil his back he gripped each b hv Y the in his gi jp ossteel of steel they s aled to free themselves henis elyes in vain his huge hands lie wits was choking thero them choking them to death using theo them as a shield against the other three then slowly he worked himself int into i H sitting position ile he hurled one of the dogs doga to the tent door no lie swung bludgeon blows blow a at the others they fled yelping and howling then he be rose and freed himself self froin the remaining thongs lie was torti torn arid and cut and bleeding but he had bad triumphed oil tire lie devill devil 1 he growled grendi ing lils teeth iles hes taken every everything th I 1 iiga the suat I 1 left me to ila lint ione gnp thing hes forgotten the matches at least I 1 can ke keep ep warm lle elle picked up the canister of matches and d relit delit tile the stoe 1 ill I II 11 lill him hi in for this lie he muttered maht and tiny day ill I 1 II 11 follow him ill camp on oil big his trull trail till I 1 find him then ill 1111 torture him ill strip him and len leave e him nak naked edIn in the snow 11 ue s slipped lipped into tits his snowshoes gave a last lookaround around to see that no food had bud been left find and with a final growl grow of fury lie started in pursur ile he bad a thou thought lit of calit bring the dons dogs and nd hitching them up but bin thoroughly terrified they trail hart retreated N 00 Y 1 I 1 guess im done per for but 1 HI 41 fight to the finish ill die gawe garne lh to overtake coall Itu to glut Klur 11 his Is lust last rot for 1 revenge tip he cullim depend lit in ills own endurance endur anve so with istead howrd bowed and sh milders forward jack locosto darlea on the tearh of the warm he came to where the fugitive had made a cump there were the file oft of 10 a lire curse him ties lies pot got some matelic v after all tie be said with hitter clin clingain grIn eagerly angerly he till ill firmind in tit the snow enow to see if tie he could tint hol lind even a of food there wits nothing lie ile pushed on night fell 1611 ant and lie he wits forced to ninke crimp I 1 oh K he wife hungry I 1 it if I 1 only had a tin to boll anter iti ill lie t of r moss find I 1 could stew of my murkle ka hs Ah Ahl lIll try and roast it a hit bit of firem 1 he cut a strip from the indian b lie was wen henring ring and held it over the fire the b hilr lir singed sl nei away 60 tie the vorn vernc rs ra crisped unit clint lie put tt ft lit in tits lis wits wa antly warm int bill even ills his strong teeth to meet in it IL however hp he iare tore li it into nm filler pieces and bolted ote asep j at last the dnn dawn cuine cattle that evil sneaking corpselike corps elike down and locasto lung filing himself once more on the trull trail lie ile wit hiis a T not t feeling so BI ct it now hunger arid loss liisa of blood hail had weakened film ailin so ill eliat at his stride insensibly shortened and his step had lost ill spring however he plodded on dog gedly codly un an incarnation of vengeance and linte B beyond ond a doubt he was growing weaker onee once ur or twice lie he stumbled and flip lust time he luy lay a few moments n ants before bt fotij rising lie ile wanted to tit rest badly then night ranie came and tie he built another glant blunt fire aguia afulu he bulled bolted down some roasted imn kluck ile he had bud to make bremen dous dolls efforts to keeps keep from sleeping Ble I 1 several ehlies tie lie dron digweed 1 ed 1 f forward 0 and a I 1 maliuat fell into tile te tire at dawn tp alie IL ely k y was aa leaden rd and tire cold less es 9 despotic li stretching chIpi I 1 ahead was that lonely snowshoe trail lacato was puzzled wiilie in creation Is tile the little devil going to anyway any he be bald knitting his browa i 1 1 I figured hed make direct for dawson but hes ellier changed his mind or got a w wi une rong steer by heavens flea evs tl ats it the lalle tits his way locasto aud tit an indians s sense rise of 01 loc atlon 1 guess I 1 cant afford to follow him my any more he reflected ive gone to too fur already im ill all petered out ill have to let bid go in the meantime its save yourself jack Loci isto while theres yet time ufa me for dillson tacie iv na a strange stillness in the air not the natural stillness of the wild wila but an unhealthy one as ol of a suspension of something of a vacuum of billed bated breath it ana curiously full of 0 every avery second the bori borl zon grew tsien blacker more and locasto staled W at it if with a sudden quake tit nt his heart he 1 I 1 guess im done for but ill light fight to the finish ill die game tie he lowered his head arid and hutted butted desperately Int into othelle the heart art of if the storm ue lie was faint from I 1 ack of food but despair had given litin him a new strength and he plunged through drift find and flurry flurey with the fury of a goaded bull ile he knew his bid only 11 ay plan was to keep moving to stumble stagger on it was a fight ft tor t life tie he hird hotd forgotten his thirst for revenge forgotten everything but ill hl own dire peril keep moving keep moving for gods sake he urged himself boar hoarse s 1 I ly freeze it you let up a moment dont let lei up dont I 1 but oh ob how hard it was not to festl rest 1 every musel ausile e in his body see seemed 1111 to beg and aad pray for rest yet the spirit in liliu drove them hem to w worl 0 r h anew lie he was a certain fund lien headway dway truell ng always traveling nm ile ha doubted not he was doomed but bill instinct i let made eblin him light fight on as iong ion as an atom of strength renial remained ned alie where e atis lie hii going maybe round in a circle ile he was alke an a automa u tun ton now flow tie did not think tiny any more moie ile he just kept in moving oving his teet alumpe i i up p anti and down lie lifted himself out n of lie staggered a few steps step 4 ml fell crawled on nil all fours in the dark ness then to in a lull of the furlo tip wind rose onie more to ti his feet th snow whirled around him film in a n oar row eddy find and he tried to grope out oui of if it and failed ills his feet were frozen I 1 tits ills i arins ir ins were froyen here lie would it alf flown down nn and quit it would soon bih over find and it was a pleasant death deal they sold hal flat w eliut hat was that taint tie he fancied h hf sow saw a dim glow clow just ahead it could not lot te he lit bif dosed closed his eyes then he opened them again the glow still I 1 here strefy it must be real I 1 it As lie fell forward it seemed to lo drw intire more bright on hands aw ain imenes lie erawls to 0 o lt it brighter no nna 4 er it grew it wits hout a few aptt aay oil oh godl could it be ba then there wits a lull in the st storm so forward fell ovard a in n n g window fall against the closed bloor V r of a little the holl breed and I 1 were paying it visit to jim in the cabin tie he had built in jim was vas lousy milk miili I 1 ing ng ready for tits ills hydraulic work of the coining spring und and on one once e in n a 1 I bile we tool took a run down tokoe to ece blin ile ie was no longer the cheerful t ic alm ilm of the troll trail lie HP had taken to lying alone lie ile bad become grin grim find taciturn he fared f ared only for nr his hl work arid and while be read his file bible more mor ethan than ever it U was with a grow brew ing fondness aadne for tire the stern old prophets was ans no doubt the north was affecting him strangely strange ay my mind strayed to other things lings ti chiefly I 1 thought of demo bernu all alone in dawson 1 longed to bo be back her again I 1 thought of Lp locosto easto where in his wild wanderings wandering 3 nod he got to I 1 thought of glendyle glengyle GIc Glen neyle gyle ant anil garry how had he fared bared after moth er died 7 lord I 1 a ter terrific rifle gust of wind shook the cabin then there calne a lull a strange deep lull deathlike aftel the mighty blast and 1 in the sudden quiet it t seemed to me I 1 heard beard a hot low cry what was that whispered the jim too was listening intently seems to me I 1 heard a moan once more we listened intently holding our oar breath there it was again a low faint moan its some one outside gasped the halt halfbreed breed horror hoor stricken we at each cacti other then he rushed to the door hurry up you fellows he cried lend a land hand I 1 think its a man practically we pulled it in an an un conscious form forin that struck a strange chill chil I 1 to our hearts anxiously we bent over it lies iles not dead said bald the trall halfbreed breed only badly frozen hands and feet and face dont take him near the alre 11 ile fie had been peo peering iring inside the parka hood and suddenly he be turned to me well im darned its locasto locasto Lo castol I 1 shrank back and stood there staring blankly locasto I 1 all the old hate into my m beart many a time had I 1 wished him dead find and even dying never could I 1 have forgiven him As I 1 would have shrank from a reptile I 1 drew back no no I 1 said hoarsely 1 I wont touch him cur curse s e him I 1 he to can die come on there said jim fiercely you let a man man dle die would you theres the brand of a dog on you it if you yon do it dont matter what wrong lies done you its your ja duty uty as a man to help him come on get these crills trills off his illinois hands mechanically I 1 obeyed him it was as if I 1 was impelled by a stronger will than roy my own I 1 began putting pulling oft off the mits the nuns mans I 1 hands were we re white as putty I 1 r silt 11 tire the sleeves and saw that the awful whiteness went clear up the arm it was horrible tearing off his clothing ie we laid hlin on the bed anti and forced some brandy bet between Aveen his lips ue tie tilo nned and opened his eyes in a wild guze gaze ilo he did ald not know knew us he was still fighting the blizzard keep going a keep a going he panted K keep beep that bucket a coln goans said the E 11 u reed weve got to thaw him out then fur tills this binin began a night of agony a such as few have endured we ve lifted A him onto a chair arid and rut pill one of those cloy cold feet into tile the water at tile the contact lie he ise reamed and I 1 could see ice fee crystallize crystall ze on the orase of the lie bucket I 1 find forgotten my hatred of the man I 1 only thought of those frozen find and feet and how bow to get life into them once more our struggle begun began in a terrible spasm of agony lo io 10 l o casto threw us off on we grasped him lie ile focht like a demon ile he wits was curs ing us tying us tol to enve him film it ilone forre raving shrieking grimly we held field on oil yit yet all three it t wits its as much no is we MP could to do to keep him down it was hard but keep him down ve e did though tits its crea cries of tin isi deafened us tb rough that thal awful alph und and our muscles knotted us tie WK gripped hour after hour we held him plunging now a hand now a fot foot 11 in tile the ice water v a ter ant and holding it there how long he fought I 1 how flow strong he waal was but the lie time cattle camu when hp he could fight no more lie wits wa alke ike a clillie in our hands there lit dt lust last it wits lone W we e wrapped tire hie tender flesh in pieces ti of f blanket we laid him in the hie hd next net morning he wits still ubron ho he suffered suiT ered intense pain so HO that lint jim or tile tiie hall halfbreed breed hud had to lip he eer by him 1 for my part refused to tn go near indeed I 1 watched with s a growing hatred ills his re recovery envery I 1 wished he lind died at last hv he opened tile ills eyes and feebly lie he naked asked where lie he wits was affer tip flip had told him lie he lay ny silent awhile ive bad a close call he gro grinned nned then he went on triumphantly 1 I guess the wild lot the bulge on me yet I 1 can cla it 11 another other round lie he began to pick up rapidly and there in n that narrow cabin I 1 sat eat within ii a few feet of him and beheld him grow strong again I 1 suppose my face must have showed my bitter emte ute I 1 thought af 0 berna fear and and loathing convulsed me and lit at times a great rage noeo burned in iii me so BO that i ans Is like to kill him weems to 40 me every things healing up but that hint hand sold tho the holt breed 1 11 I guess its ita too far gone setting betting in say locanto Loc nto looks like have to I 1 lose ose it 11 horror crowded into Loca Locasto ayea lose my hand dont tell me that I 1 I 1 kill III tile me at once I 1 I 1 dont want nant to be ue tie gazed at the discolored flesh already the stench of him wua mat mak its I 1 frantically wo we pulled it in an unconscious form that struck a strange chill to ou our r hearts ing us sick alck but this hand with its putrid tissues was disgusting to u degree locasto lay staring at tl it then he be sighed and thrust its loathsomeness into our faces come on oil lie he growled Il hurry lurry up anil and get the cursed tiling thing off the nicked the flesh down to the bone then thed with a ragged jackknife he be began gan to BOW I 1 could not bear to look it made me to deathly sick I 1 heard the grit grit of 0 the jagged blade I 1 will remember tha sound to my dying day how long it seemed tot to take aliel I 1 no man rould stand such torture tot ture A groan burst froni from lo 10 bastos lips no ile fell back on the bed ue he fainted I 1 quickly the halfbreed balf breed finished his work the hand dropped ou on the floor he pulled down the flaps of skin and sewed them together hows that for homemade home made surgery he be chuckled he took the severed hand upon a shovel and coln balna to the door lie he threw it far out nan the darkness CHAPTER XIII spring with its thaw was upon oa as with a burlous fascination I 1 anzel down at tile the mighty river surely ilie alm tw tee c uld not hold much longer it was patchy netted with cracks cr iIa licked up in ridges mottled with slushy pools corroded to tile the bottom decidedly it wis was rotten on every lip was the question the ice Ic ewhen nhep will III it go out for to these exiles exilea of the north after elgh of isolation ahe sight of open water would be like heaven it would menn mean bouts freedom friendly faces HII find of stop step nearer to that outside of thear dreams how dear clear tire the air |
