Show THE pin VF RIVER of saw SKULLS ulla by george marsh 0 0 PENN publishing CO SERVICE CHAPTER XV Continued 24 nearing the camp of mcqueen alan and noel separated to close in with cocked rifles from different angles at last alan stood where he commanded a view of the fire which lit the surrounding rounding Bur trees with its flickering glow near the ord fire a tarpaulin banked with snow had been stretched across two saplings to reflect the heat in the snow hole beside the ore fire huddled a bulky figure in hooded parka beyond in the trail from the sho shore re stood the loaded sled the tour four dogs too exhausted to note the silent approach of the stalkers stal kers lay somewhere asleep in the snow the shed tent faced away from the anxious eyes ot of tho the man who sought the girls familiar parka he could not see her under that snow banked canvas heather doubtless slept dead with fatigue he moved closer through the black murk of the spruce and stood directly behind the man hunched at the alre this was mcqueen where was slade well tom mumbled the man in the parka y listen V t reason got now youre ly finout tonight payin for ill its a cold bed out there eh tom A bellow of a laugh followed figuered figg ered on john mccords accords Mc Cords gold and his girl too tom old pall chuckled mcqueen 1 I said hands off herl her but y were too smart got tricky well trudeau got his and now y got yours the golds mine all mine tom and her tool mcqueen twisted around where he be sat and faced the river shore sleeping Slee pin warm tom he jeered if youre cold ill bring your bagi baal for a space he muttered into his hood before he went on aloud talking into the fire with this indian fish and meat ill reach the cache then cameron goodby good by to youl heavy chance you had with four dogal we started skirted with six 11 he chuckled and got a present of six more with fish and meat thrown in pity you get what the indians got at the bendl too bad it you cameron too bado thirty feet beet from ahr taft man raving at the fire a rifle covered the middle of his back but the shed tent beyond was in the line of fire then a husky somewhere in the snow suddenly waked and snarled the husky yelped feebly then was wag silent there was no sound from the other dogs too dead to stir from their beds mcqueen got stiffly to his feet and tumbled in his parka as he squinted into the blackness beyond the circle of fire glow listening he swung around and stared toward the river shore the ri rifle flenow now covered his heart you here cameron 7 he roared well youre too latel drawing a black automatic from his parka he started toward the sno tent come and get her bowl before the man in the murk could fire a blackbody black bouy lunged from the gloom and catapulted onto me mc queens back hurling him headlong into the snow there was the muffled explosion of the pistol as a knife lashed flashed in the firelight lashed flashed again and again then the dogs broke loose from the spruce beyond the sled A girls voice cried alanl A alan 1 ani and the yearning arms of cameron readied hei above the sprawled body of mcqueen a Montag nals hollow eyes glittering stood stiff as a spruce while he held the halft haeft of his knife to his forehead and repeated steep sleep well john mccord and na bayol ll heather eatherl alan held the girl in the sleeping bag to his pounding heart you cameal last she sobbed hysterically clinging to his neck its been to so long alan so long I 1 was asleep then I 1 heard your name nam e and saw noel leap du dumb mb with the wild joy and emotion that choked him he gripped her in his shaking arms as if he feared he would lose her kissing her thin face again and again ave ve you every through those awful days she whispered hoping and praying that come come sooil it was so awful to leave poor dallying Dad lying there in the snoot snow I 1 they shot him but he them until he died and I 1 had to leave him therel oh it was so hard to leave himl him he was unconscious not dead said alan that night he died in my arms before hi he died he smiled and whispered heatherd Heat herI dear dear old daal the stricken girl gave herself up to her fier grief when the paroxysm of sobbing ceased she said wearily im so tired so tirell I 1 walked and ran most all the way except on the big lake they let me ride rade therel youre going to rest now for days dear were all going to rest youre so 0 o thin alanl you and noel and the dogs must havo have killed yourselves to reach us rough and the ake puppies all right ho he pressed his face close to hers RS as he said always think of themous the mour doest down the shore worked out but all right now you stay here and keep warm while I 1 bring up the dogs defore before he left he asked her do you believe I 1 love you now she impulsively drew him close to her 1 I knew you did that day at the camp when you took me in your arms but id been so hurt ive loved you so long ever since you lift left us on the ice to go to fort george lie he kissed her then pushed back her hood to touch the thick gold ol of her hair replacing the hood he suddenly sensed the ugliness ot of the sprawled shape beyond them in the snow standing by the fire on which he had placed fresh wood noel waited to speak to her but heather spoke first noel noell she cried noel come herel heather impulsively reached and hugged the embarrassed thank you noell noel oh thank you for what youve done for me mel youre both so thin youve worked so hard it makes me cryll cryl and she burst into tears beet was wort all de work heather to get youl noels bony face shaped a grin but there were t tears ears in his winking eyes the men placed mcqueen down on the river shore beside the body of I 1 1 1 op A black i body lunged from the gloom and catapulted onto me queens back the partner he had shot while heather slept then alan went for his dogs somewhere back in the bush the indian huskies again lay quiet indifferent to the actions of the strange masters when alan brought his weary and still stiff dogs up to the camp with the sled a hooded figure stood on om th the ice well have to wire the dogs away from the tha camp tonight noel he said pitch on those indian scrubs it if loose with a laugh the hooded shape moved through the gloom to the un gavas gava hyl its He heather atherl she cried dropping her mittens and thrusting her hands at the doubtful lead dog powderly Pow derl foguel its Hea heatherd He atherl thirl dont you know heather sniffs whines then a niad mad chorus ot of yelps greeted her as the dogs recognized their old playmate trail stif as they were the tour four emaciated overwhelmed her with the pawing of cf forefeet fore tore feet teet nuzzling muzzles and the swift thrusts of red tongues in the crook of right arm she walked slowly back to camp where noel had st steaming earning tea and caribou broth waiting for them for two days the hap happy man and girl and the gaunt ate and rested in a new camp across the river tor for there was plenty ot of nas kapl kapi dried caribou and fesh on me mc queens sled with the eight bags ot of gold there while heather rested icher in her sleeping bag before the fire she and alan talked ot of john and the lon long grace race up the kok soak you see they know I 1 had a pistol alan she explained 1 I had no chance to help dad that morning they caught me in my sleeping bag but somehow poor dad broke away from the tent and shot it out with them when they took me away I 1 had my pistol under my coat I 1 knew id need it then mien during that drifter she went on while mcqueen and slade slept I 1 waked up in my bag to see that evil faced halfbreed halt breed watching me I 1 tried to wake the others but they were dead with sleep I 1 had to shoot him alanl slade was scared and wanted to take my gun she continued but mcqueen let him ile he told me ine to shoot slade it if he bothered me I 1 have given it up id have shot at the last they were both out of their heads always watching the back trail afraid you were coming yet they insisted they were fitly fifty miles ahead of you how they ambushed the nos nas kapi kapl watching for you when wi we reached the trail heather I 1 was almost kask ilsk wew bew as noel says they were terribly afraid of you alan the she said they had heard at 17 ort george that you yet were the best shot on the coast we had such a long start it seemed almost impossible for or you to catch us and I 1 grew so tired the last day I 1 lost hope and decided to shoot myself as mcqueen and slade quarreled they went mad both of them I 1 knew id have to use my gun some day soon then I 1 waked to hear mcqueen call your name and saw noel leap from the shadows with the bribe of frequent feedings of fish noel had won over the shy indian dogs and when the party started leisurely for the cache on the big lake he followed heather and the gold on sled with a team of his own at the cache they rested again while they revelled bevelled revel led in flour sugar and demmi can and dogs and men rapidly put on weight slowly but surely the superb vitality of the exhausted girl was working its cure by the time they reached the cabin on the talking which to their surprise mcqueen had not burned she had recovered her strength the shadows had left her violet eyes and the dimples were again in her cheeks there they waited two weeks to hunt deer and net fish under the ice for dog food for the long trip to the coast one night when the stars swarmed low over the valley and the aurora glowed in the north heather alan and rough stood on the river ice as the frozen feather of a moon hung above the western tundra the girl in the hooded parka gazed lor for a space pace at the flickering lights on the horizon he wanted this alan dad told me more than once he wanted it he almost worshiped you he wanted you and me to have this gold to gether get herto to be rich lie ha knew before he died I 1 loved you said the man 1 I told him and I 1 promised him id get you he smiled it comforted him for a space the girls grief swept her then she regained her self control in the refuge of his circling arms and now ive got you miss heather mccord no matter how hard you struggle you can never get away from me whether you like it or not youre bound straight for fort george with eight bags of nuggets and gold dust what a terri ble fatel fate I 1 it sounds pretty wonderful to mel she whispered but chavent Lh avent told you the worst of it A friend of mine by the name of stanton an awful man who wears black clothes is going to take your name away from you when hes through talking be poor heather cameron heather cameron she repeated her face radiant with happiness what a beautiful noel at the water hole smiled as he hd saw above him on the river a hooded shape take another hooded shape in its arms while two wolf rimmed hoods were blended into one and a ireat great black dog standing on his hind legs pawed at the motionless figures demanding attention from the two humans he ha loved THE END |