Show vanished V a I 1 h d men men r k f 46 by GEORGE GEORCE MARSH MARH penn W publia bell ano 6 co ca THE STORY SO FAR FAB hound tor for the gold cold country six men lost their lives on the nottoway Not Nott tawny away river red malone garrett relay finlay brother ol of one of ct the six and blaase halfbreed half ball breed guide arrive at nottoway Nott away posing as ai surveyors As the approaching canoe neared the peterboro Peter boro garry said its a as you said blaise well stop for a talk ask them if they ever saw any of the white men who have passed through here bound for chibougamau the in the distance moved in an uncertain course toward the peterboro Peter boro the matter with those birds demanded red never saw indians travel in a zigzag zig zag like that always too saving of their elbow grease nor Is I 1 agreed the curious finlay yawing all over the lake As he paddled blaise was slowly nodding hiis his black head at the airedale who lay at his knees flame he said with a chuckle wat you tink de matter wid dose cornin comin in dat cano eh the airedale looked into bras bards swart face with its twinkling eyes if you keep your mout shut I 1 tell you flame laughed blaise now dont say to garry and red dose comin in dat cano bin up to have a look at isadore and he give dem so metin dat come in a bottle by golly 1 youre right blaisel blaise garry threw back from the bow it looks like Is adores firewater fire water the canoes were soon within hailing distance and blaise called Kek Ke kway the and cree salutation he was answered by a cerous of Kek ways from the in which sat two men a squaw and a child the eyes of the men were bloodshot and swollen As the canoes stopped alongside of each other blaise began a rapid questioning shortly he turned a face black with anger and disgust and announced to the curious garry and red dey are matagami Mataga Ma ml hunter but dey go to isadore to trade dere winter hunt for fur instead of de hudson bay he sell dem whiskey but only half dey trade for flour sugar and tea dey will need de rest dey trade for whiskey the muscles of Fin lays face tightened as he asked did they see any of the men who went through bound for chibougamau no answered blaise dey see no white man pass tru de lake last two year brassard talked rapidly for some time while the grew excited often interrupting him what is it demanded garry dey say dere is moch talk at waswanipi dere is between chief Wa bistan and a shaman bi by name of Kine bik dis zinebi ik is wells fren of tete tele blanche chief wab bistan fight wid tete blanche at the trade bovair whiskey he give to injun dey say dat de injun like de whiskey and are scare of tete tele blanche he is ver bad fallar dey are scare of isadore also aiso al ai so dey are scare of de big bird from de sout big bird from the south ah hahl hah it come tru de sky from de sout each summer dey are ver moch scare of it airplane eh so he has a plane come from the south every summer that red is the way he brings in his whiskey sure as you live boss have these people ever seen the plane blaise aise no but oders have and dey tell strange story ask them if batoche with the scarred face and flambeau have reached Is adores post blaise put the question and after a lengthy answer from the talkative replied dey say dat batoche and flambeau reach was wile dey trade de fur wan night batoche he get drunk and he say tree man wid dog leave de steel for chibougamau trail but de long sault of de nottoway Nott away swallow dem batoche he say he saw de big wood cano ot of white man all stove up below rapid and wan drown man on shore blaise grinned widely as he continued but dis here in de bow his name is mahigan de wolf say dat we are vree free men glen with dog in wooden cano and wan wid bullet mark on hees head and he ask me if we run de long sault I 1 say we did for sure and are live man also al so den he say dat batoche is ver damn liar I 1 tell him dat batoche is worse dan liar he is dead man if I 1 evair put my hand on him mahigan say dere is too many man at isadore for vree free man to fight we go home what was your answer demanded garry 1 I say dat we hear dat waswanipi is ver fine lake and isadore ver fine man and we go take a look at dem bot bof odayl laughed garry well lets go CHAPTER V flanked by hills somber with the olive green of 0 spruce splashed by the lighter hardwoods the great waswanipi lake blazed me like a floor of fire in the afternoon sun the pe tarboro rounded a long point and the maple blades trailed installment FOUR they find the nottoway Nott away settlement people strangely averse to discussing the tragedies the name of isadore Isa dorc rich fur air nun man when brought by finlay causes am immediate cessation ol of further ther conversation along that line isa Y Z there it exclaimed finlay lets have a look at monsieur isa dores outfit he raised his binoculars and gazed curiously at the group of buildings on the distant shore why red hes got living quarters fit for a king have a squint tIll malone took the proffered glasses and studied the fur post miles across the burnished lake at the foot of a ridge of black spruce fanciest log job ive seen east of the muttered red shortly blaise returned the glasses with a grunt ah hahl hah big place some day fox bark in dat cl earin and howl nest in de chimney they will agreed finlay if were worth our salt see that group of islands about a mile offshore well camp right there leave blai blaise se and flame and like polite surveyors in the bush pay a call on isadore come on urged red making the water boil behind his paddle this job begins to look interesting after a cleanup clean up and shave finlay and malone left blaise at their camp on the island and started for the post less than a mile distant As they approached the shore the log res residence of the trader compelled compe ed their the ir admiration the stir of people in the post clearing indicated that the approach of the peterboro Peter boro was creating unusual interest in front of the big log house a group of three were leveling glasses on the approaching boat aa Z 0 V hes got living quarters fit for a king down at the landing men were evidently discussing the strangers garry raised his binoculars two women in sporting togs red giving us the once overl over the man with them must be his highness czar isadore of waswanipi A bird just left the landing exclaimed malone and called isadore away from the women by the way hes waving his arms hes having an argument now hes gone back did you notice it do you know who that was no that was batoche I 1 spotted him by his walk the sear scar faced rat well check up before we land said finlay casing his glasses youve got extra shells in your pocket and the spare gun on your hip 0 kayl kay no identifying papers not a scrap to show who we arl are check our orders are to map this chain of big lakes then the lower notta way joining the main party in september right now we scratched the surface of this situation so far its been pure guesswork we believe were dealing with a cold blooded killer and a clever one when we land here today to buy fl bacon what is he going to do batoche has told him that he wiped us out in the long sault so our appearance has whipsawed him that was probably the cause of the argument we noticed just now on the shore Is adores a worried man tor for hes in a jam with ottawa it if any of us get out alive ill say hes worried agreed red if batoche tells him what happened at the railroad he knows well suspect that sear scar faced crook although we cant tie isadore up personally with that ambush he realizes we can make it hot for him for batoche is his man red nodded gravely as he studied his freckled fist to save his bacon he said three more men have got to disappear on the chi bouga mau trail the picture red hell ask us to supper certain hell want to look us over before he makes his plans well do some min dreading our dore it Is thought has hai made a eold cold strike and alms to keep prospectors out finlay and blaise are wounded in an ambush on an the nottoway Nott away proceeding they saw fair AL bana of indians approaching la in their canoes selves then after tonight its a case of wolf eat wolf our brains and our luck against his Fin lays face grew bitter as he stared across the miles of quiet water to a blue ridge he got bob im going to get him Is the peterboro Peter boro slid in to the stony beach where two men now awaited its coming up at the trade house others watched while the girls in front of the house laughed as they talked welcome to waswanipi gentlemen A man of medium height with a black moustache and hair graying at the temples of a face advanced with outstretched hand as garry and red left the canoe we see so few white men here that your visit is an event I 1 am jules isadore this is my head man pierre labelle im finlay in charge of the survey said garry shaking hands with the two men my assistant neil malone we need flour and bacon mr isadore I 1 suppose you can sell us some the eyes of the two clashed in a look of mutual appraisement delighted to mr finlay and join us at dinner it will be a treat to my wife and daughter to talk to two handsome young men from the outside garry laughed if the ladies will pardon our woolen shirts and bush clothes well be glad to accept your hospitality mr isadore you have a magnificent place here he observed the marten and black fox did it isadore answered we beat the hudsons Hud sons bay at their own game its been a gold mine A gold mine carrys blood heated with his sudden anger was isa dore fish fishing ing bryin trying g to draw him out so early he watched from the tail of his eye the wooden face of isa dores head man as he threw out speaking of gold they tell me m theres a big rush on for the chibon agamau but labeller La belles face was vacant of expression so I 1 hear replied isadore last year and the year before some poor fellows tried to get in by the waswanipi but were drowned bad river thail youre a cool proposition isadore thought garry then he said yes so your man batoche told me at the railroad As garry limped beside him hu i n isadore commented hurt your leg yes slipped on a rock and twisted my kneel knee too bad then Is adores face lit as they reached the waiting girls well heres what makes life possible sible at waswanipi corinne this is mr finlay and mr malone on the government survey my wife gentlemen and my daughter lise garrett finlay was startled by the dark beauty of the two girls welcome to waswanipi Me estair and Me estair what was it malone said the elder and smaller of the two with a slight accent as she extended her hand with a thrust of smoldering eyes red malone beamed like a boy with a new toy into corinne isa dores vivacious face framed by a blue black bob what a break for two bored females As lise gave him her firm hand finlay felt that he had never looked into a lovelier face or one more baffling corinne and I 1 were about ready to call it a summer in this fly infested bush and scram if jules would send us her short upper lip curled as she archly added but if youre going to survey the lake we might might stay awhile if you prove as nice as you look there was frank challenge in her brilliant eyes 1 I like your smile mr surveyor miss isadore surprised him with your teeth are flawless arent they and how you know it you have cute crinkly hair and swell shoulders and doubtless leave a trail of wailing women behind wherever you operate but her eyes suddenly clouded id have you know that my name is not isadore he married my mother when I 1 was very young my name is lise demarais garry raised a hand in protest instead of an engineer who spends spends most of his time in the bush he laughed you suggest im a lounge lizard I 1 object to the title but ail ill forgive you lise demarais he repeated studying her vivid face with its warm undertone of color its somehow like you suddenly she grew silent while his eyes furtively sought the ripples of her dusky hair the short nose with its delicate nostrils and the sensitive full lipped mouth he had a feeling that her gaiety had been forced that she was under a st strain rain had he and red walked into a trap and did lise know it they reached the house and with a wave of the hand lise joined corinne isadore finlay watched the lithe figure of the girl disappear through the door had his judgment been wrong was jules isadore planning something for that evening and did she know it TO BE CONTINUED CONTI WEDi 1 |