Show 1 2 J Men Me 2 I r B By Y GEORGE GrORGE L MARSH Venn w. w V U. U u. u Service g Ca Cn A TIlE TOE STORY SO 50 FAR Bound for the Chibougamau a cold gold country six men lost their Melt lives on the river Red Malone Garrett Finlay brother of one of the six Lx Lc and Blaise half breed guide ulde arrive at posing as surveyors surveyor Blaise quieted Flame as a figure appeared in the path leading down from the railroad fill Jo Bo returned Blaise The half breeds eyes roved over the heaped bags then he turned to Brassard You on survey suney The thick muscles under Blaise's shirt tightened it t the insolence of the others other's manner But his seamed face tace might have been carved from wood hah Ah he said easing a cloud of ot smoke from his mouth My Iy name is Joe Flambeau I work for Jules Isadore announced the caller What your name I am Big Windigo from Devil Valley I eat Riviere man manfor manfor manfor for supper The twinkle faded to a cold stare At the calculated affront the other other oth oth- oth er sucked in his breath By gar You Joe Flambeau he choked Then Flambeaus Flambeau's groping fingers found and closed on the bone handle of the knife under his coat Don Dont pull dat knife Brassards Brassard's voice was as brittle as shell ice Look behin you he said Flambeau turned his head Feet bunched under him the big airedale airedale airedale aire- aire dale crouched like a panther You pull dat knife and dat dog land on your back and rip your yourt t roa t Flambeaus Flambeau's hand moved away from his knife handle I don come here bere for he said weak weakly I talk business wid you you Forget wat I say appeased Blaise I don mean noting Wat you want Flambeau Wy you ou take trail tode tode to tode de Bay We survey lower riviere Flambeau surprised Blaise with Dese engineer pay you small wages I get you job wid big mon mon- ey Who wid Isadore You are stout man Isadore Isadore Isadore Isa Isa- dore pay big money for strong man manon manon manon on de riviere It was growing interesting Blaise took the bait Ah hah Ah hah Wat you pay Double wat you get Leave dose men and dey will not make survey alone Blaise threw back his head and laughed You notice dat redhead hah Ah He is Injun in white water Finlay Finlay Finlay Fin- Fin lay will run Dey go to debay debay de debay bay wid out me Flambeau scowled Batoche will talk wid you at daylight here Ah hah Ah hah Isadore give you big pay Shake band hand Blaise rose and extended a thick paw Then he deliberately tossed his bis bombshell Wy do Isadore watch de like a fox watch a rabbit run He strike gold on Waswanipi Flambeaus Flambeau's jaw sagged as he stared at the cryptic face of the speaker he got gold Meb- Meb be You come wid us and fin out I 1 see you at daylight Shortly Finlay and Malone joined Blaise at the camp on the shore This dump is sure stampeded snorted the giant filling and lighting his pipe Cant get a soul to talk From the way they shut up you'd think the bush north of here was full of cockeyed man eating Windigo Windi Windi- go goi you talk with asked Finlay I Cotter the storekeepers storekeeper's as scared as a fox tox in deep snow with witha a lynx on his bis trail The rest are the same way You see McLeod Yes I showed him the last line of the letter sent to the family and asked 1 if he recognized the writing By the look in his wife's face tace I believe believe believe be be- lieve he wrote write it himself Lets sep se that letter again Garry Garry Garry Gar Gar- ry When Cotter ter asked me to regis regis- ter I 1 saw in his book some writing on a loose sheet signed by McLeod Finlay handed Malone the letter he carried in his wallet and the latter latter latter lat lat- lat lat- ter read aloud To the family of Robert Finlay North Bay Ontario Last spring Robert Finlay and his partner Andrew Troup left Not Not- bound for tor the Chibougamau gold country by way of the Waswanipi Waswanipi Was Was- River In the fall it was reported here that Indians Indians Indians In In- had found their smashed ca ca- noe This Is the third party that has disappeared on the Chibougamau Trail in two years There are people people peo pea pie who have reasons why they dont don't want prospectors traveling Waswanipi Waswanipi water I dont don't believe these six men were drowned P A Friend For some time Malone studied the letter Yes it looks mighty like that writing of McLeods McLeod's I saw In Cotters Cotter's book he said McLeod wrote that letter Red Finlay repeated his conversation with the station agent and his wife But McLeods McLeod's tied up here herc and doesn't want trouble he concluded Now whom does he suspect and why Do yuu suppose someone's made madea a placer strike on the river and Is trying to hog it INSTALLMENT TWO Finlay receives an anonymous letter suggesting that the sl six men were ere not drowned as reported Finlay and Malone find the people ople of the settlement settlement settle settle- ment strangely averse to discussing the he tragedy Amon Among themselves they ques- ques x t I sure do It looks to me as 1 If we had run into the coldest attempt to control wild country Ive I've ever heard of Garry turned to Bras Bras- sard What do you think of ot it Blaise I tInk nodding I got new job Cut the funny stu I Blaise grunted Red your dope on the situation I work for Isadore now announced announced an an- flounced Blaise his eyes snapping like an otters otter's I leave dis outfit in de mornin Then he described his meeting with Flambeau Good laughed Garry certainly worried about us What are you going to tell Batoche Wal Wai you see I 1 was hit on de head once It leave me wid bad memory I 1 tell Batoche dere is some I 1 talk wid Flambeau And will that bird be wild chuckled Red Watch his right hand Dont Don't let him wing you Blaise inhaled until his chest resembled resembled resembled re re- a barrel He flexed his thick biceps and yawned ya I 1 take good care eare dat fallar he said Then he rose and his face sobered I like to have look at dis Isadore outfit outfit outfit out out- fit on Waswanipi Dont you realize that weve we've got gotto gotto gotto to map the thc lower river demanded Garry the idea Tomorrow I tink we get telegraph telegraph telegraph tele tele- graph order from Ottawa to map Waswanipi Lake You old fox Youve You've hit it ItI cried Garry Well give that telegram the air whether McLeod denies it or not In the morning this city hears that weve we've been wired from rom headquarters headquarters headquarters head head- quarters to map Waswanipi Will that be news Finlay rose Im dropping In on those prospectors above here he said and left his friends Hello Mac greeted a voice as Finlay reached the tent above the bridge Sit down and light up Thanks I will Where you people people peo peo- pie heading Rouyn way Plenty gold in them quartz veins if you can locate em r I I rn-i rn rr f S y f 1 tl 1 I r Q t I cant can't tell you rou I Im I'm m afraid to taU talk said a grizzled veteran Youre on the survey they tell me Yes we pull out in the morning for Matagami Well youre you're on government busi busi- ness That makes you safe But friend if you was pros pectin Id I'd advise you to wet them paddles of yourn south of the steel Hows that Too many men who left here for Chibougamau aint never been heard from tram Finlay finished his pipe and bade the pro prospectors good night On his way back to Cotters Cotter's store he passed a lighted shack From the shadows in the rear came a womans woman's voice Mr Finlay Finlay stopped Did somebody call me he asked Im Mrs MacDonald said the invisible speaker in a low tone think its it's strange for tor me to speak to you this way But my husband husband husband hus hus- band the section foreman is down the line and Ive I've got to talk What is it Mrs MacDonald said the interested Finlay Youre going down river river river-on on the survey Yes Mr Finlay Finay they dont don't belt believe eve youre you're on the survey If Il youre you're headed for the Chibougamau Trail I beg you to give it up This is interesting Who doesn't believe were we're a n survey party I cant can't tell you Im I'm afraid to talk Its It's too dangerous Just what are they afraid arald of ot Why dont don't they talk to the police The police were here last year the Provincials They only laughed at us Finlay was both annoyed and in In- Annoyed that a government govern govern- ment survey party should be suspected suspected sus sus- peeled of being something else lion Uon the reports from the north that the bodies of the men were found by Indians The name of Isadore rich farman fur far furman furman man when brought by Finlay causes an Immediate cessation of further conversation conversation con con- along that line Une Its mighty good of you Mrs MacDonald to warn us Finlay said but we happen to be government government government govern govern- ment surveyors under orders orders not not prospectors No ones one's going to be crazy enough to monkey with a survey survey survey sur sur- sur- sur vey party I know but Mrs McLeod said tonight that one of those boys lost last year was your brother that brother that you were making inquiries So it was all over the place He had talked too much to the McLeods And yet it t had been necessary to learn who wrote that letter Mrs MacDonald Finlay suddenly suddenly suddenly sud sud- denly asked who is it youre you're afraid of of-Isadore of Isadore Finlay heard the sudden Intake of her breath Oh no Youre You're wrong there We dont don't even know him Hes He's a fur man and generally flies to Waswanipi from down below Well anyway Im I'm grateful for tor your kindness But as our job is isto isto isto to re-map re the lower I dont don't expect to have the pleasure of meeting Mr Isadore Good night In the small bedroom at Cotters Cotter's Finlay found Malone and told him the story Dont think were we're surveyors eh Want to warn us off oft the Chibougamau mau Trail Looks more and more I chief as if that letter was right I Yes Red that letter was right been through our bags whispered Malone Shortly Red Malone was filling the room with Gargantuan snores but Garry Finlay could not sleep Later he heard the cautious tread of moc- moc feet on the creaking stairway stairway stairway stair stair- I way and someone entered the room adjoining There was whispered conversation that was inaudible then head against the partition of matched boards he heard I Oua Dey sleep soun Leesten Ah hah Ah hah Dey sleep hard one whispered There was the creak of bed springs and a grunt of disgust Dat fallar who look like hawk wid his eye say he make map of de He lie Jle Dey take de Chibougamau Trail Dey carry tool and map of engineer engi engi- neer l so But I tink dey lie Chibougamau You tink dey hunt for gold eh We dis Brassard big pay in de mornin and get him drunk Den we find out who dey are There was a muffled chuckle If dey go to Waswanipi Blanche Tele-Blanche show dem were to find gold and bury dem in de hole Shortly the men in the next room slept but Garry Finlay's brain was busy Tete Blanche Tete-Blanche Blanche Hes He's white- white haired And Tetu What a pair of names Hed He'd not forget them So these were the men who were blocking blocking blocking block block- ing the Chibougamau Trail CHAPTER PTER II H Before daylight Finlay heard the two men in the next room creep down the stairs He waked Malone told him what he had overheard and later found round Cotter in the store Much travel through here he be threw out casually Theres a couple of free tree traders south of ot here and all the Hudsons Hudson's Bay and Isadore supplies go this way Many hit for Chibougamau from here A few tried It but were drowned What Yes drowned in the Waswanipi Its It's nasty water Even the Indians I Inre are shy of it il I The muscles In Finlay's Finay's face sudI suddenly suddenly sud sud- I denly tightened Cotter slowly colored col cOI- i ored before the thrust of ot the agate eyes How do you know they were i drowned Isadore says sas so Oh Isadore says so Say Cotter Cot ter where did this Isadore come from How long has he been trading on Waswanipi Lake The storekeeper was visibly un easy He was here before the thc steel went through through before before the Chibougamau mau gold strike Dont know where he came from Cotters Cotter's hand band was noticeably unsteady unsteady un steady as he be filled tilled his pipe Say aint you pretty curious I thought you was a government surveyor but you talk like the police Garry smiled at the others other's evident evident evident evi evi- dent nervousness Then he suddenly sudden ly shot the thc bald question Howlong Howlong How Howlong long has Tete Blanche Tete-Blanche Blanche been working working work work- ing for him Cotters Cotter's face was etched with fear Im making it my business Mr Cotter Finlay Finay said Youre You're scared silly I What are you OU afraid of Cotter swallowed hard Youre You're fight right I am scared I bin threatened threat threat- ened Im I'm trying to make a livin here herc to mind my own business busi bus ness You cant can't blame me for keepin keep- keep in my mouth shut Good thought Garry Now Im I'm getting somewhere This fellows fellow's goIng goIng going go- go Ing to talk Then he asked the uneasy uneasy un un- easy man behind the thc counter Just what are arc you scared of ot Scared of ot being burned out at night in midwinter scared midwinter scared of what might happen to my family TO DE HE CONTINUED |