Show J vanished vdell C d M men C INAS 1 11 m A ey by GEORGE MARSH te W n U S arvic e c c ea ca THE STORY SO FAR do boond in it for or the gold fold country six men lost their lives live on the nottoway Nott away river red malone garrett finlay brother ot of one of 0 the six and blaise half halfbreed breed guide arrive at nottoway Nott away posing as surveyors the stiff line of blaines Bl aises mouth eased into the shadow of 6 smile wal it is not first time woman make two man look like tool but smart or fool you are fren of me mel I 1 fight for you just de samel the talk you old carcajou red clapped blaise on a thick shoulder finlay went to the tent and shortly returned with his reply to lise demarais which he handed to malone it read 1 I trust you and believe in 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 laded 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 dont worry well take care of you ive just received pod good news from the railroad the break 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 safe garrett finlay finishing reading red said great stuff chief wish it was true if isadore ge gets ts hold of this note what a jolt hell get exactly I 1 had to consider 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 0 of large lakes to the west three days paddle away anay lay Mata matagami Ma garni 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 whispered red from the waist of the boat where he sat behind flame with his lee enfield across his knees while in the stern blaise handled the canoe with a buried paddle remember the island which splits the river about five miles below here returned garry 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 we dont fire unless we have tol to awant I 1 want to pass them without their knowing it we have to return this way you know very good sergeant good luck to us W 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 remember no firing unless were caught 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 whispered finlay 1 I dont understand it we drop close and have a look returned blaise the canoe moved on and was again checked you hear dem no singing muttered red the damned fools are singing drunk whispered garry carry they sure arel are returned malone inhaling the damp air through his teeth ali ah hah de drink Is adores whiskey grunted blaise indians so tete blanche blanch e wins disappointment like wind off a barren turned finlay cold Kine biks won over the thank god we bring lise this is luck whispered malone so drunk forgotten us 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 of disturbed shell drake skittered ered ahead downstream stopped the boat that cooks our goose cursed red softly know something startled the ducks and will lay for us go on Bla blaise isell 1 snapped finlay were in for it bowl now the canoe was passing the fire in seconds be clear and lost installment ELEVEN to investigate their deaths they visit isidore isadore rich hir fur man living in an isolated so palatial home lie seems implicated in their deaths here they meet list lise his pretty stepdaughter after answering her appeal for or help finlay li Is downstream then there was a grat ing 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 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 Ke kway 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 eairs ears ten twenty seconds and the men in the bow felt the canoe tremble blaines Bl aises signal to gol go like one man they strained against their poles there was the scrape of wood on 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 1 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 downstream the enraged airedale 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 I 1 go on blaise BI aise snapped finlay were in for it now 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 good thing we let them have it though have fired at the flashes I 1 thought jump into the canoe they know what they were shooting at red the guards on shore heard the duck pass then the wash of water when we shoved oft off by now they probably think it was one of those bank beaver we saw when we came up the river wen injun gret drunk dey like to shoot de gun grunted blaise dey nava if we pass or not onles nose of cano leave mark on dat bar I 1 tink cink not de current take care of dat youre right blaise said finlay we had them guessing and well keep them guessing I 1 wonder 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 had lost all his influence said red debbe replied blaise we see and his long paddle bit chunks from the water lise 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 mata agami 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 Mata matagami Ma garni buried in the notta way wilderness good day gentlemen welcome to matagami Ma the trader a sandy haired man of fifty shook the hands ambushed but later es escapes capell they continue to keep it a secret that they are mounted police sent to investigate the deaths ol of the six drowned men fairday believes belleret bel levet liss alse was innocent and writes her a note of the strangers im duncah 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 was waswanipi anici map waswanipi the shrewd blue eyes of the trader pictured his amazement youre a government survey party then we were finlay shot an amused look at red the heavy brows of the trader lifted then youve finished no mr mcnab were not on the survey now but we finished with waswanipi 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 stare 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 shortly the three white men sat in the trade room now mr finlay said mcnab exhaling a cloud of smoke would you mind getting down to brass tacks finlay was measuring the caliber of the man whom circumstances had forced him to trust in order to insure the delivery of his message to the railroad this trader looked a man full in the eye and had a straightforward way with him he seemed staunch according to reports he had been worsted by 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 finlay nodded at the grinning red 1 I thought that would be it well mr mcnab were going to tell 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 and we were ire here to have a message relayed to the railroad mcnab slowly returned the badge his eyes strayed from the bronzed faces of the mounties bounties Mo unties to the lines of their hard bodies filling the wool shirts and whipcord breeches police eh I 1 might have known from your eyes and the set of your shoulders well well up on waswanipi posing as surveyors so its isadore at last yes said finlay its isadore at last then he described the events of the past weeks while mcnab 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 can 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 the government survey I 1 cant get over it sergeant of course id heard at the railroad of these reported 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 pain as he asked did those boys stop here last summer yes nice boys too one was my brother your brother oh im corryl you say one was your brother when you told of finding their bodies bo dies I 1 no its tough sergeant finlay damned tough that crook mcnab stopped his pacing to stand over garry and shake a thick finger why why the mans a lunatic mad as a hermit wolf he cant get away with this 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 ago to try to save the trade on this lake we learned that tete blanche bianche was bribing our hunters with whiskey to leave us and trade their fur with isadore I 1 reported it to the company and the authorities his freight was searched at nottoway Nott away but they found nothing they thought I 1 was trying to hurt him because he was a competitor and dropped it I 1 was reprimanded by our district inspector for bringing charges I 1 prove prove snorted mcnab 1 I had all the proof in the world TO US BE i |