Show jf m 0 x a 0 jali o M ti alf m M penn by GEORGE MARH W 9 11 THE STORY go 60 fart fari bound tor for the gold country six men lost their lives on the nottoway Nott away river bed malone garrett finlay brother of one of the be six and diamse blaase halfbreed half breed guide arrive at Nott nottoway away posing as ai surveyors yort the stiff line of blatses Bl alses mouth eased ojito the shadow of a smile wal it is not first time woman make two man look like fool but smart or fool you are fren of me met I 1 I 1 fight for you just de samel the talk you old carcajou I 1 red clapped blaise on a thick shoulder finlay went to the tent and shortly returned with his reply to use lise demarais which he handed to malone it read I 1 1 I trust you and believe in you that night when they left me in the swamp was pretty bitter against my better judgment I 1 had put my faith in you and walked into a trap it was hard to believe after that talk of ours after that moment on the beach before you left but I 1 had to later the bitterness faded there had been something too honest about you too real to have been acting now I 1 know that without your knowledge they followed you to the sand beach 1 I cannot meet you until next week hear from me then but please dant worry well take care of you ive just received good news from the railroad the br break eak is coming soon everything will turn out all right has double crossed isadore to save his hide and im leaving tonight for the head of the lake keep a brave heart you are sate safe garrett finlay finishing reading red said great stuff chiefa wish it was truel if isadore gets hold of this note what a jolt hell gett exactly I 1 had to consider r that possibility so fed him a headache it would send tete blanche to the head of the lake hunting us while were making for matagami Ma besides ive got to keep up her courage having ordered moise and michel Wa bistan to meet him on his return with news from the old chief that night finlay passed Is adores and spent the next day concealed near the outlet the following evening the peterboro Peter boro slipped into the quiet water the slow moving thoroughfare connecting waswanipi with the chain of large lakes to the west three days paddle away lay matagami Ma and the hudsons Hud sons bay post the murk of a thick july night blanketed forest and water its made to order for us garry carry garryl carryl I 1 whispered red from the waist alst of the boat where he sat behind flame with his lee enfield across his knees while in the stern blaise handled the conoe canoe with a buried pad dle die remember the island filand which splits the river about five div e miles bilow below bie bee here returned garry carry where camp figure that a canoe cant pass them there without being seen or heard but they count on a night like this if they hear us and shoot do we lie doggo and push through or i bedont We dont fire unless we have tol I 1 want to pass them without their knowing it we have to return this way you know very good serge antl good luck to busill if guarding both channels weve got to pass within yards of them have a pineapple handy red warn us when you throw it so we can flatten im hot to toss one into that mob all right 1 remember no firing bring unless were caugh tl As they rounded a bend blaise stopped the boat with a swift thrust of his paddle in the distance like a new moon smothered in drift a yellow smudge stained the blackness got a fire I 1 wh whispered finlay 1 I dont understand it I 1 we drop close and have a look returned eloise blaise the canoe moved on and was again checked you hear dem no Sing muttered red the damned fools are sing singing drunk 1 whispered gary they sure arel returned ma lone inhaling the damp air through his teeth ah hahl de drink Is adores whis whiskey keyl I 1 grunted blaise indians so tete blanche w wins ins I 1 disappointment like wind off a ba barren i r turned finlay coldi cold Kine biks wo won n over the 1 thank god we bring use lise I 1 this is luckl luck I 1 whispered malone so drunk forgotten I 1 us 6 we cant be sure they may have a guard on both shores warned garry well take the channel blaise what in the sudden scurry of feet and wings as a flock cock of disturbed shell drake skittered ered ahead downstream stopped the boat that cooks our boosel cursed red softly 1 know something startled the ducks and will lay for us I 1 go on blaise 1 snapped finlay i were to in for it bowl the canoe was passing the fire in seconds be clear and lost installment ELEVEN to investigate their deaths they visit isadore rich fur man living la in an isolated palatial home borne lie he seems im to lu their deaths here they meet use his pretty stepdaughter after an her bet appeal tor for help finay I 1 Is ff downstream then there was a grating sound as the nose of the peter boro slid over a sand bar and the canoe came to a dead stop they were trapped yards from the shore I 1 finlay and red swiftly traded rifles for poles while blaise strained to free the boat one false move and draw a blast of fire they threw their weight desperately on their poles there came the low call of Kek from the murk the three men stiffened crouched in the gloom the crew of the canoe waited for the crash of rifles in their faces A silence so deep it beat like sound pulsed in their ears ten S twenty seconds and the men in the bow bov felt the canoe tremble blaines BI Bl aises signal to gol like one man they strained against their poles there was the scrape of wood on an sand the low wash of water and the canoe was backed clear the nose of the boat had sheered off into deeper water when again the call of Kek W rose from the invisible shore the three stopped breathing as the boat drifted suddenly there was a movement in the alders and spurts of flame from exploding rifles stabbed the gloom with a savage thrust blaise jumped the canoe downstream the enraged al airedale alfredale rose under his blanket but was forced flat there was a stampede of feet along the shore and full in their faces blazed a barrage of rifle shots the canoe grounded and was cleared again while the rifles of the V mpr IF 44 go goon oh blaise I 1 snipped snapped finlay were in for it bowl now Montag nals spat blindly at the invisible target at last far downstream blaise trailed his paddle thanks isadore for that whiskey panted red splashing water on his bleeding cheek if it been for the fact that they were drunk for a fare thee well have slaughtered us on that barl bar I 1 good thing we let them have it though I 1 have fired at the flashes I 1 thought jump into the canoe they know what they were shooting at redl the guards on shore heard the duck pass then th the e wash of water when we ve shoved off by now they probably think it was one of those bank beaver we saw when we came up the river rier ll 11 wen injun gret drunk deylile dey like to shoot de gun grunted blaise mey dey know if we pass or not onles nose of cano leave mark on dat bar bai I 1 tink not de current take care of dat youre right blaise said fm fin lay a ahad we had them guessing and we well 11 keep them guessing I 1 wonder it if has won them all over or it if these were only a few of the wildest tete tele blanche bribed with isa dores whiskey it looks like Wa bistan stan had lost all his influence said red debbe replied blaise we see and his long paddle bit chunks from the water use ilise was right when she warned that isadore is trying to bottle us up said finlay with the hunting us all over the lake well have to step lively or well never see that plane from the north CHAPTER XII three days later the keel of the peterboro Peter boro slid into the gravel beach at the hudsons Hud sons bay post at mato mata daml the door of the whitewashed white washed log trade house opened and two men started for the landing at the gate of the slab dog stockade surrounding the traders quarters a tall girl whose golden bob the sun touched into flame curiously watched from a window of the frame house a woman and two half grown children stared at the three men on the beach for white travelers were rare at matagami Ma burled buried in the notta way wilderness good day gentlemen gent lement I 1 welcome to Mata gamil the trader a sandy haired man of fifty fifth the th hands ambushed but later escapes they dinue to keep it a secret that they are mounted police sent to investigate the deaths of the six drowned men fimby believes bel levei llie lisa was wai innocent and writes her a note w w of the strangers im duncan mcnab in charge here and this is david my head man finlay introduced himself and his friends we passed through the lake some time back mr mcnab on our way in to map waswanipi map waswanipi the shrewd blue eyes of the i trader pictured his amazement youre a government survey party then we were finlay shot an amused look it at red the heavy browson brows of the trader lift ed then youve finished no mr mcnab were not on the survey now but we finished with waswanipi t Fin lays face stiffened weve come to you for help and information then were going back to finish the clamp of his lean jaw and the points of fire in the speakers eyes snapped mcnabb head forward in a narrow eyed start 1 I dont get you mr finlay lets talk it out over a pipe in the trade room of course stay the night with us were pretty lonely here for a white face your men can stow your stuff in that shack david will show him thanks said finlay ill shut up my dog too before theres a fight 11 shortly the three white mew men sat in the trade room now mr finlay said mcnab exhaling a cloud of smoke would you mind getting down to brass tacks t finlay was measuring the caliber of the man whom circumstances circumstance had forced him to trust in order to insure the delivery 1 ot bt his message to the railroad this trader looked a man full in the eye had and had a straightforward way with hin him he seemed staunch according to reports he had been worsted by bi isadore in the fight for the fur trade that was in their favor and should keep his mouth closed there was nothing to be gained by waiting how well do you know jules isadore garry suddenly asked the veins lifted in mcnabb neck and temples as he tore his pipe from his teeth and rasped too damned well binl finlay y nodded at the ahe grinning reds red 1 I thought would aalt well mr mcnab we were re goings going ty tell yeti you a story it concerns the deaths of six men first possibly be interested to look at that finlay produced his police badge and handed it to mcnab whose jaws sagged in his surprise were mounted police ind and were hire here to have relayed to sherail road mcnab slowly returned the badge his eyes strayed from the bronzed faces aces of the Mo boukes Mouri ties to lo the lines of their heir hard bodies filling the wool shirts and whipcord breeches police eh I 1 might have 1 known from your eyes and the set of your scow ders well well up on oil waswanipi posing as survey surveyors orsi 1 so its Isa isadore dorb at astl yes said finlay its isadore at last then he described the events of bf the past weeks while whalem mcnab c drawing furiously on his pipe punctuated the narrative with outraged grunts the story mcnab for the present not a word even to your wife when ca can n you send a canoe to the railroad were sending one shortly he said but their firing on you on the nottoway Nott away then ambushing am bushing you and you supposed to be on an the government survell I 1 cant get over it Serge antl of course id heard at the railroad of these report reported F d and had had my suspicions they believe we were on the survey replied finlay into his gray eyes crept the mist of memory his voice was rough with balnas pain as deaske he asked d did those boys stop here last summer yes nice boys tool one was my brother your brother oh im S sorry orryl I 1 YO you u say one was your brother when you told of finding their bodies no its tough sergeant finlay damned tough I 1 that crook mcnab stopped his pacing to stand over garry and shake a thick fin ger why why the mans a lunatic mad as a hermit boltl ile he cant get away with this I 1 hes managed to so far mcnabb face filled with blood as his anger increased ive seen a lot guessed a lot since the company sent me here three years yeara aga ago to try to save the trade on this la lake ke we learned that tete tele blanche was bribing our hunters with whiskey to leave us and trade their fur with isadore I 1 reported it to the corn com pany and the authorities his freight was searched i at nottoway Nott away but they found nothing they thought I 1 was trying to hurt him because he helas I 1 was a compe competitor titor and dropped it I 1 was reprimanded by our district in for bringing charges chargee 1 I prove prove snorted mcnab 1 I had bad all the proof in the world TO ns its |