Show P van d M en by G ORGE MARSH penn Pul 1117 ca W it ti I 1 C THE STORY SO PAR FAH bound for or the gold country six men lost their uve lives on an the nottoway Nott away river red lu malone alone garrett finlay brother ol of one ot if the six and blaase halfbreed half halt breed guide 0 arrive relve at nottoway Nott away posing as ai surveyors tur 1 I dont think come back constable malone good man as you arel are I 1 its too bad too baal poor thistle el I 1 mcnab said 1 I wanted to be honest with you and tell you myself Is adores canoe was out of sight when blaise and the fretting dog stood beside the loaded peterboro Peter boro near them finlay talked with mcnab of the message leaving for the steel in the morning then the stockade adelate gate opened and red and thistle walked slowly toward the shore mcnab turned his head winking hard at the sudden moisture in his eyes what a pairl pair I 1 said garry ashes a lovely girl mcnab ive W worked with him for five years now and hes a man every inch of that six feet three what a pity Serge sergeant antl it if only wait for help only wait I 1 I 1 finlay smiled and shook his head walking slowly red and thistle approached pro ached she was laughing now laughing up at him through misty eyes just like himl thought finlay they them stopped near the canoe and red had her two hands she flung back her red gold head and gazed hungrily into his face while he talked come Comen owl they heard him say chase the clouds out of those thos e blue eyes I 1 I 1 want to see you smile again before I 1 go show your dimples ladal laugh just once more for redl she caught her breath as she smiled up at him oblivious of them all then lung flung her arms abo about ut his neck 1 I cant let you go redl redi she ehe sobbed never come bacal never let you come back to met mel the others turned away as she clung to him later until the post buildings faded from the sight of those in the canoe a flutter of white in the clearing marked where a girl waved her farewell CHAPTER XIV two days later the canoe had passed through lake olga oiga of the chain of large lakes andaas and was on the quiet water below the Montag nals camp on the island theres the lop stick spruce david told us to look fort announced finlay ah hahl david say dat chain of lake lie a mile sout of here said blaise we portage to de lake and pass round de indian baitin on de riviere den follow outlet of las lake to i i in the ino morning ining they started packing chica the canoe ln 06 ind and provisions through the spir spruce tice la ia tamarack marack and jick jack pine spotted with hardwood to davids chain of lakes blazing a trail as he traveled I 1 blaise had reached the first lake with a backlond back load and was returning to pa pack ck the canoe through with finlay when he met the sweating red bowed under three bags of flour agur red went on and shortly sh artly s saw aw water shimmering through the trees he was close to the shore when lie he heard a movement ahead of him in hardwood scrub porcupine likely he thought and kept on then dry twigs snapped in front of him he lifted his head and looked taking deliberate aim with his rifle stood an indian malone pivoted on his heels with a twist of his head and lift of his shoulders he dropped his backlond back load as the indian fired there was a thud as the bullet struck the rolling top bag with a lunge red was buried deep in a clump of small fir the windless forest vibrated with silence the indian who had fired on him could not be far but the brush was so thick he could see nothing so red decided to stalk him with his heavy pistol in his teeth lie he hunched foot by foot on his elbows until his range of vision had increased to twenty yards around him lances of sunlight thrust through the treetops splashing the underbrush with gold still the bush was a as s soundless as a vacuum then a squirrel chattered from somewhere in front and red smiled ah there you are I 1 he wormed along in the direction of the sound then he stiffened sud denly where he lay back bach in the forest rose the guttural braack of the northern raven reds eyes snapped as he nodded his head shortly the croaking was followed by a dismal cooer hoderl Montag nals say your prayer stop sl chuckled magonel theres acara a cara jou hunting you youl I 1 that was no raven raveal I 1 that was Bl aises signal I 1 again red inched his way through young fir and hardwood but he saw av nothing once more the cooer knoerl of the raven startled the forest much nearer now and followed by a metallic krunkl klun kl but red could not answer he was too close to deceive indian cars Ill eyre growing nerv nervously oust they dont like that old raven moving in on their rear lies hes got them guessing if I 1 could only get a shot id geart a stampede butress but Reds eyes installment FOURTEEN to investigate murder to li suspected it it Is thought that isadore isadora rich tw fur man ila has made a gold strike and alms to keep prospectors prospector out on the way to the Hud hudson sons day bay post they visit ila dore in hla his palatial home and meet k Y 10 lancing I 1 icing the undergrowth found no target then from deep in the forest drifted the familiar yelp of the alre dale on a rabbit trail flame and garryl sweat burst from reds brow they must be warned I 1 there was a sudden movement in the bush red lifted his head to catch the fluttering of young fir tops as a dark shape moved through once twice the 45 roared two rifles crashed back in reply twigs flew from the saplings where malone had knelt but he was already yards away under new cover thank godl god I 1 that will stop garryl he panted gher iT herere ere three of them at least but worried when fl flame arne shows up therell be a circus 11 again the braack braack I 1 of the raven bludgeoned the r silence nearer now for a space the stillness beat painfully on malones eardrums as he lay nursing hs pistol then in the soundless forest lifted a scream that was cut of 08 I 1 short as 11 steel jaws had clamped on a throat red heard a movement in tile the brash brush and rising saw a disappearing ear shape he fired fired again there was the branal br angl of a lee enfield the savage challenge of flame then the muffled snarls of a dog closing with his enemy frightened cries mingling with carrys commands no flamel let him up let et go flamel malone thrashed back into the bush to find finlay holding the madi 1 cant let you go red denea al away from a young indian sprawled on the ground youre all right red they did hit you cried carry flame had tills this boy down when I 1 reached dimill him nursing his bitten arm the young Montag nals lifted frightened eyes to the giant who glared down at him its all soothed garry we wont hurt youl you I 1 wheres blaise demanded red 1 I get a clean shot but I 1 was afraid walk into them so fired anyway to warn you how many were there athis this one and two others 1 I 1 think replied finlay lashing flame to abree a tree and star starting ato to examine the shaking boy bouw who watched him with the eyes of a dog 41 where are you blaise 7 called calle d M malone alope what was that yell red fled found blaise beside a limp shape in the tha brush ah hahl brassard was study ing the grimacing face from which glazed eyes stared at the sunlit tree tops recognize him ah hahl we ve see heern heem at do de islan isian at head of lake hell drink no more of tete tele blanches whiskey what was th that at scream brassard opened and closed his steel fingers in a significant gesture dat fallar run into de old raven the slits of eyes eye in hi his granite face glittered de raven raven squeeze him wid his claw pity it batoche or tete tele blanchel blanche 1 some day hebbel garry carry bandaged the boys lacerated arm while blaise assured him in cree that he was safe slowly recovering from his terror the fifteen year old lad told brassard hla his story in Montag nals he had been forced by his older brothers to join the party tote tete blanche had sent bent to block the quiet water they had decided that it was a bank beaver they had heard the night they fired on the peterboro Peter boro but isadore had ie returned turned from Mataga matagami Ma ml the day before and had doubled the night guard on the river he joe JOB pa tarnish and the two men lying there in the scrub had packed the canoe to the lake that morning to hunt moose when they saw freshly cut birch on the shore they had llad landed and found brassards Brass ards bags and footprints so thoy hj had decided to ua am alse his hi stepdaughter answering an 11 peal jeal from rom use lise finlay la is ambushed aa 1811 it ed roll blount mounted develops that mitt they are d officers officer the party visits blenah sons ion day trader red falls la in love alth thistle NIc manabi Nabs daughter bush the next man over ove r the trail Pat amish had no gun T they hey had brought him to help carry the meat and the canoe ile he had nothing against these white men and warned wanted to run ruin away ay but his companions had threatened to shoot him ix if he stay when the fi ring firing began he had started to run but the dog had pulled him down ask him if he believes weve sickened the children with tile the evil eye as says suggested garry carry the boys black eyes glanced at his carefully bahda bandaged ged arm then lifted to the faces of the white men and his keen face lighted in a smile no he said to blaise this white man saved me from his dog and bound my arm he would not sicken children the lad joe Pat amish apala applauded ded F finlay there are brains under that mop of hair tell him blaise hes going with us but until were sure he wont run away well have to tie him up this kid Is going to be useful hell be very useful he added now lets get the canoe and the rest of our stuff across this carry but the boy had not finished his story As he talked the furrows cut deep into blaisel Bl aises alses face he made a clicking sound with his tongue as al lie he gravely shook his head what does he say demanded garry dere was big fight at de island chief Wa bistan kech and tete blanchc wid whiskey for mon tagnais tag nals michel Wa bistan and two was shot der is moch for chief Wa bistan poor michell michel said finlay he was a good boyt boyl well mr isadore youre rolling up the score against yourself fill I 1 joe Pat amish say also al ii so continued blaise dat make big medicine wen wen de august moon Is round red well be there 1 now men lets get going goin gill I 1 through the following night three silent men pushed the peterboro Peter boro up waswanipi bound for their rendezvous with chief Wa bistan malone whose invincible optimism tolerated no thought of deceit was deep in iff dreams brearn s of a head and a pair of laughing eyes back at matagami Mataga Ma ml but as their maple blades put mile after mile of the sleeping lake behind them in the harassed brains of finlay and bla blaise ise there was small hope of winning outda only through some miracle of chance could they hope tp 19 checkmate the red hunters inflamed inflame dby by tote tete blanches whiskey and Kine biks magic joe Pat amish had told them that most of the young men had left the fishing camps and joined Kine biks crusade to save the children only a handful of stans relatives and friends had rallied around the chief and finlay realized bitterly he should manage to hang on until the arrival of the police plane he would be iio ho nearer his goal he had come to men responsible for the disappearance of bob Finla yand the others he had found them but he still had no legal proof of their guilt and how with the out of control could he hops hope to arrest and hold isadore and tote tete blanche even for breach of the indian whiskey law laugh at him wipe out his pirty party and disappear as mcnab said into tile the muskeg of the bitter water in his message to headquarters he had asked for a police plane by Y september first to carry his prisoners south that 11 a plane would arrive too late sergeant garrett finlay and consta ble malone would then be beyond need of help and use I 1 what would hap pento ta the girl he had promised to see safe at matagami Ma Mat ajami who had stormed into his heart that day on the beach he choked back a groan as he thought of the love that had come so strangely into his life what would become of lise they slept all day hidden in the tim timber ber of the point where stan was to meet them that night a canoe slid into the beach finlay took the old mans bony hand you have lost your son I 1 am sad garry said my son and my people have left mel the heart of stall is sick now his knife is sharp like an eagles beak his gun is loaded you must eat first i said fin lay then letus talk over our pipes beside the fire which is hidden from the lake lt As they ate moise Wa bistan and his father gave to blaise in their native tongue the story of their finding teti tete blanche and at a Montag nals camp and of the fight that followed dey say interpreted ril alse ide de was drunk and would not listen wen dey tell dem clem was a false shaman and work for isadore de ole chief start for wid his knife tete blanche shoot michel and dere was ver bad time i dere was too many man tor foi Walli stan and his fren to hight and dey leave hav no ITO BY ar |