Show 1 27 Men t Penn Publishing CX Co n t R By GEORGE MARSH Service INSTALLMENT SIX THE TilE STORY SO FAR Bound for the Chibougamau gold country six men lost their lives on the river Red Malone Garrett Finlay brother of one of the six and Blaise half breed guide arrive at posing as surveyors When Blaise had finished Finlay looked hard at Malone across the fire How does that strike you he asked said So far as Im I'm concerned Red driving a fist like stone into his cupped hand Id like to get this white-haired white beauty now Set a trap for him and finish him right here Its It's got to be sometime why not tonight I Finlay shook his head Not yet Red You forget its it's Isadore were we're after I want to talk to Waswanipi Indians first who must have met Bob Boband Boband Boband and later seen his smashed ca ca- noe Were We're leaving now for the head of the lake I guess youre you're right boss We Ve want that evidence first your idea Blaise asked Garry Brassard drew deeply on his pipe before he answered At camp at head of de lake is dat Mon Mon- tagnais treaty chief dey call Pierre de Injun on Matagami tell us about Dose fallar here tonight tonight tonight to to- night say he have moch moth trouble at de spring trade wid Tete We Ve have talk wid him our man Red cried Garry Did you ask these thes Indians about the men lost on the Waswanipi River Blaise Ah hah Ah hah Dey say Pierre stan have story to tell about dat They knew nothing them- them 1 r se tJ vt No dey say talk wid Pierre You bet we will All right lets let's letsgo letsgo letsgo go Well We'll leave a nice fire for Tete- Tete Blanche to warm his hands on Through the night the rhythmical swish churn swish churn-swish of three maple blades drove the Peterboro Peterboro Peterboro Peter Peter- boro up the lake At last when the eastern hills were rimmed with fire the canoe headed inshore and the tired crew cooked a meal and slept Far in the distance like battleships at anchor the islands off the mouth of the Waswanipi hung above the windless mirror reflecting the green ridges of the shores CHAPTER VI Camped on the islands the Mon Mon- tagnais who in winter hunted the hinterlands lived through the short summer on their nets gill-nets and sturgeon sturgeon sturgeon geon spears Where did they say Pierre Wa Wa- bistan is camped Blaise asked Garry on the following afternoon as the Peterboro approached the maze of islands On islan wid big boulder As the canoe passed the fishing camps where l lines nes of ripples thrusting thrusting thrust thrust- ing from points of shore marked the wood floats of g nets gill nets ll-nets set for pike dore and whitefish it was hailed by men sprawled in the warm sun in front of skin caribou-skin tepees An Indian with the eyes and hooked beak of an eagle waited with three young men as the canoe slid in to the stony beach of an island marked by a huge boulder greeted Blaise shaking shaking shaking shak shak- ing hands with the four Montag Montag- Where is Chief he asked in Cree The old man replied in English You look in his face His darting eyes covered Blaise Braise Garry and Red Redin Redin Redin in turn from hair to moccasins We come to make picture of de delake delake delake lake for de Faders in Ottawa said Blaise We Ve wish to make talk wid you nodded measuring Finlay Finlay Finlay Fin- Fin lay in a long stare as if probing for his thoughts Then he said You are brave man to come here Why do you say that demanded demand demand- ed Garry Manee white man die ale on Waswanipi Waswanipi Waswanipi Was Was- River The man Im I'm after thought Garry Then he said Let us smoke and take council Chief We Ve need two Will Vill your sons go with us The young looked doubtfully at their fathers father's impassive impassive impassive sive face Garry glanced at Blaise but Brassards Brassard's features were as immutable immutable immutable im im- im- im mutable as stone He handed each of the Indians a plug of Hudsons Hudson's Bay head and they squatted on their heels and filled their pipes Finlay struck a match lit stans stan's pipe then his own and after an interval of puffing asked What killed the white men you say died narrowed eyes focused on a distant island In his face was no trace of humor as he said Ver Vcr strange bug keel dem Finlay caught Reds Red's surprised look lookas as the Il Indian ia contin continued ed fl fly more QUICK dan clan hawk duck and it sting more deep dan de deer The old mans man's gaze hung to the island The faces of his sons were glazed with awe And it starts to fly with a loud noise added Finlay gazing straight before him Yes as the ice splits wid cold You saw the white men who died last summer Fearing to break the spell Finlay still avoided eyes Two bodies I saw below de Frying Frying Frying Fry Fry- ing Pan on de Waswanipi The year before th that t there were Finlay receives an anonymous letter suggesting that the six men were not drowned as reported Suspicion prevails that Isadore rich fur man inan has made a agold agold agold gold strike and alms to keep prospectors out of the country at any cost The three v It nt four who died Did you see them No Those you saw last year were young Too young to die They were shot Dey were shot shot den den broken by rocks wen dey pass tru ter Finlay sucked in a deep breath with a pain that searched his heart Reading the face of his friend Blaise addressed in Cree on the chance that the old man might answer the bold question more frankly in his native tongue Why does this Tete-Blanche Tete shoot white men from their canoe face reflected no sur sur- prise Tete Blanche tells the people people people peo peo- white men who hunt gold shall come to this country he replied in It is the Indians Indian's country and the Indians Indian's gold Why does he say that Because he fears that the white men will go away and tell what they see Blaise interpreted the startling re re- re ply the sandbars sandbars sandbars sand sand- Ask him if its it's gold on bars of the river Isadore wishes to hide from the white man suggested suggest suggest- ed Garry I have never seen gold de demurred demurred demurred de- de the old man Garry met Reds Red's incredulous eyes Then ask him Blaise what it is w r rJ J 1 c 1 r t I II 1 r I r r 1 I I An Indian with the eyes and hooked beak of an eagle cagle waited that Isadore hides from the white men he prompted He say interpreted Blaise if we wait here onti de Moon when de Bird fly de Moult we see strange ting More he will not say now August said Finlay We will wait He rose and gripped stans stan's bony hand You hate Isadore Isadore Isadore Isa Isa- dore and Tete-Blanche Tete The eyes of the Indian glittered with a look as feral as a wolverines His face worked with his wrath Blanche Tete and are like wolf and carcajou 1 Some day dayde dayde dayde de wolf will feel de carcajou's claw Good thought Garry We need him But what can it be Isadore Isadore Isadore Isa Isa- dore doesn't want seen by white men That night the water around the islands seemed alive with giant glowworms as the torches of the flared and faded while their canoes patrolled the bars where the sturgeon lay To add to the food supply the Peterboro joined the birch Five of the great fish lay in the canoe when their last torch sputtered sputtered sputtered and died Finlay was easing the boat toward camp while Red and Blaise smoked when from the shadows the wraith of a canoe moved across their bows and a torch held by a short crouching figure figure figure fig fig- ure burst into flame In the stern paddled a man with white hair The canoe moved on and as a sponge wipes a slate the murk blotted blotted blotted blot blot- ted out the white-haired white Hes on our trail whispered Malone Yes answered Garry Tete Blanche and his wolves are on our trail Why not go after him and settle ettle it a n Nol Weve We've got other work to do first CHAPTER VII At daylight Finlay was at stans stan's skin tepee The bedlam of his yelping dogs brought the treaty- treaty chief from his blanket Tete Blanche is here 1 announced announced announced an an- Blaise Somewhere in the islands 1 He has followed you How do you know Last night we saw him when a torch flared in a canoe men start out on the despite warnings They escape an ambush prepared prepared pre pre- pared for them and continue toward the Hudsons Hudson's Day flay post Finlay and Malone visit Isadore They later learn that Isadore's Isadore's Isa- Isa dores dore's men will soon attempt to ro kill kiU them X A CIA little man held the torch in inthe inthe inthe the bow Yes a small man It was Tetu his sh shadow dow who obeys him like a dog even dog even to killing killing killing kill kill- ing those he hates kicked at a pebble with his moccasin moccasin moccasin mocca mocca- sin then he lifted a face seamed with the hate that glowed in his eyes Iste Tete-Blanche Tete is hunting hunting hunting hunt hunt- ing you he said in and he comes here to find Kine- Kine bik the wabeno who is my enemy He is a conjuror this The old Indian laughed Kine bik the Serpent is a false shaman Tete-Blanche Tete uses him to put fear into the hearts of the foolish ones who listen to his medicine He tells my people he talks with spirits Blaise interpreted remarks remarks remarks re re- re- re marks to his friends But stan is treaty-chief treaty and the Montag Montag- will not listen to demurred demurred demurred de de- de- de Finlay turned to Finlay and his his his' breath hissed through his teeth There are many who will listen There is trouble among my people Where is this wabeno now asked Blaise in Cree He hides somewhere in the is islands islands islands is- is lands from my sons You are hunting him Yes The old Indian glared savagely into Brassards Brassard's square face This Tete-Blanche Tete will ruin the he o ag s H He gives giveT the them to 10 Steal their meir lure fur He ne has nas come to the head of the lake to find you He is Isadore's his killer Brassards Brassard's slits of eyes glittered His moment had come Tete Blanche will not return to Isadore He seized bony hand He is your enemy He is our enemy enemy enemy ene ene- my We are brothers You and your sons will lead us to the grave of the white men who you say were shot on the river last year Then we will hunt Tete-Blanche Tete and When we find them will again be happy With growing wonder Finlay and Malone watched Blaise draw his knife Facing the chief he stiffened raised the knife and touched the steel hilt to his forehead Straight as a spruce his burning eyes on Brassards Brassard's solemn face drew his own knife and repeated the ceremony Then the hands of the t two to o joined over their crossed knife blades in consummation of the oath of brotherhood in ina a common cause Blaise rapidly interpreted his talk with and the two white men took the oath with the old chief ana and his nis ms sons The following day a Peterboro and two birch barks entered the mouth of the Waswanipi River In their rear on either shore traveled a son of the chief to watch for following canoes and a possible ambush Three days of poling tracking and carrying carrying carrying carry carry- ing around rapids brought them to the roaring mile of falls chutes and boiling reaches climaxing in the Frying Pan the white chaos which gave the rapids its name After a search in the birch scrub of the high shore raised his hand It is here he called the grave Red glanced at Finlay's bitter face It will be hard Garry to see him now You'd better leave it to Blaise and me You cant can't identify him They'll want to know back home that I saw him Ive I've got to see the evidence evidence evidence evi evi- dence that he was shot Red nodded and Finlay joined Blaise and beside a heap of small boulders The carcajou let dem sleep said the Indian De Derock Derock Derock rock too heavy to move While they removed the boulders protecting the shallow grave Finlay was tortured with memories of the younger brother who had come so far to die The year previous he had received a letter from Bob that he had decided to join the Chibougamau mau gold rush with a partner the following summer That was all Bob had left North Bay and the family had had a post card from announcing that they had decided to take the Waswanipi Trail That had been the last of Bob Finlay I The ruthless North had swallowed him No word of his fate had reached the waiting father and mother at North Bay until there had come the anonymous letter Garry carried in his wallet with its sinister final sentence I dont don't believe these six men were drowned The man who had written that letter letter letter let let- too well a ter had guessed only Following this it had taken weeks of wire-pulling wire for Finlay to obtain from his superiors the assignment assignment assignment as as- for himself and Malone But in the end the letter from the unknown writer had brought it about and they had received their orders Shortly Malone stood beside the theman theman theman man whose brooding eyes were on the scarred rock-scarred rapids below him Garry Yes They shot them The change in him its him its it's going to be hard for you Garry Ive got to see him ITO BE CONTINUED |