Show ft va vanished ih e d men M a M en op a s H by GEORGE MARSH penn maca W U tl publishing bervice 3 1 THE STORY SO 60 FAR bound lor for the gold country six men lost their lives live on the nottoway Nott away river red 1111 majone alone garrett finlay brother brot lier ot of one ot of the six and blaase halfbreed half hall breed guide arrive at holtaway Nolt Nott away posing as a surveyors there was the scuffing of moccasins in the trade room below sergeant called mcnab in a voice thin with excitement who do you thinks heading in here herein ito that canoe if its tete blanche mcnab watch your step have david and his boy stand by outside we cant see much through these cracks its jules isadore isadore the three in the loft straightened where they lay fin lays fingers bit into reds arm isadore walking right into their hands 1 but the time was not ripe there was lisel there was that plane from the bay and the evidence they lacked to have isadore disappear now would put them all on their guard at waswanipi lise lisa must be safe first no the time was not ripe to arrest jules isadore get him to talk his head boffl garry called carry on as we plan planned aye aye im off to meet the blackguard now what the hell drawled red bed he after here he must think we ran his guard guam on the quiet water hes come here to pump mcnab hes worried said finlay he thinks weve slipped him and are making for the steel or rupert and he knows if we reach there it will cook his goose after ter an interval finlay recognized Is adores voice as he entered the trade room with mcnab well mcnab began isadore with the purr of a cat in his voice im here to let bygones by gones be bygones an and d I 1 hope you are weve fought for the fur in the past but ive got a proposition now to our mutual advantage there was a dramatic pause then mcnab you and I 1 can make big money together carrys elbow pressed reds arm oh I 1 know how to take a licking laughed mcnab before you go into it sit down and have a taste of the best whiskey the hud sons bay ever imported thanks I 1 will there was the pop of a pulled cork the tinkle of glass and an interval of silence then hen by the way did a party posing as government surveyors here in june no but they stopped yesterday through a crack between the planks finlay saw Is adores hand stiffen with the glass it held half way to his lips then the hand returned the glass to the table at which the two sat went through yesterday Is adores voice was as brittle as ice yes bound for rupert they lied mcnab they came here for supplies bound back to waswanipi what kind of a cock and bull yarn did they tell you mcnab laughed why they had a wild tale about a medicine man filling the heads with mumbo jumbo and their stomachs with your whiskey isadore my whiskey a criminal ri minal offense do they think im a fool the indians believe Fin lays transit is an evil eye that has sickened some of the children there are parties of Montag nals hunting for him now wasting their time hes gone north 1 I dont think sol so there was an interval of silence then the trade room rattled with Is adores metallic m laugh mcnab lets be frank just what did they t tell ell you about jules isadore it was mcnabb turn to laugh it complimentary they seem to think you know something about the drowning aing of those six men the muscles in Fin lays body tightened as he listened 1 I do isadore replied in a voice as cool as wind off frozen tundra my people found two bodies and the indians picked up pieces of canoes the year before that but heres my m y proposition mcnab it means comfort for you and your family for life man ill make you rich if you show the brains I 1 think youve got you mean youve struck goldon the waswanipi 1 I have and im here to cut you in on it finlay could hear reds breath slowly leave his mouth so isadore had been protecting a gold strike on the river that was the answer to it all gold youve found gold in those sandbars sand bars as rich as the beaches were at nome mcnab and im offering you an interest are you listening am 1 I listening man youve knocked me flat as a windfall wind fall A glass of scotch with you isadore on your good luckl and your good luck mcnab 1 the neck of a bottle clicked against glasses as the drinks were poured but before we talk business I 1 want to ask you it if this fake surveyor told you he shot three men and wounded another shot three men why what for installment THIRTEEN suspicion prevails that isidore isadore rich tur fur man has made a gold strike and alms to keep prospectors out of the country en route to the hudsons Hud sons bay post they visit isadoro isadore in his palatial home meet his wile wife and lise Is Isad adores oies K ir 1 I dont know but he murdered them in in cold blood hes a gunman a dead shot sent here by a montreal syndicate to locate our placer strike to avoid a rush of prospectors in here weve never registered our claims the minute we did that the lake would be overrun over run but found out we ship gold to montreal so out to jump us of course he can make a map hes a mining engineer reds fingers closed on Fin lays arm as mcnab exploded well ill be skinned A gunman killer what hes here for to locate your gold strike exactly the conversation below was approaching pro aching the boiling point for the three men rigid in the fur loft well im waiting for your proposition isadore just a minute until I 1 give you the picture Fin lays going back up the waswanipi to hunt for our placer beds and hes going to disappear hell either drown as the other men did in that whitewater white water or the will wipe out his party when the police are sent in here to investigate blame me for losing control of my indians and not notifying the authorities they may even charge me with knowing too much about those men who were drowned AU all right where do I 1 come in isadore youre going to say when they take your testimony that you know mr LW t mw 1 I illy whiskey a criminal offense that the river is almost impassable water and you believe that the other parties and Fin lays men drowned but to your knowledge the indians went completely out of control this summer over this evil eye superstition that your own indians brought you rumors that the waswanipi were hunting for finlay and that he never had a show to get out alive anyway well the truth blurted blu arted M mcnab if he went back yesterday as you say I 1 dont believe hell ever be heard from youre a partner after my own heart chuckled isadore he never will mcnab cleared his throat now about this partnership isadore clapped his glass on the table im offering you a fiat fifth h interest in the business one thousand shares of waswanipi gold limited when we incorporate last year that fifth interest ran into five figures duncan mcnab five figures great Jehosha phat tl you must have struck a bonanza top 1 the silence which followed seemed the measure of the scotchmans Scotch mans amazement Is adores callous laugh brought mcnab back to realities we have struck a bonanza and im cutting you in on it heres a thousand now in two five hundred dollar bills as evidence of my good faith and to bind our bargain now mcnab are you with me five hundred dollar bills first ones I 1 ever saw but wait you mean to say youre handing me a fifth interest in your gold strike for telling the police what I 1 know is the truth finlay had not misjudged his man mcnab was playing to a fare thee well the part of the dazed trader in his first contact with big business just that my friendt friend 1 isadore answered of course whatever happens youre going to defend your property and your partner youre going to fight for your own but to the th police youre a silent partner understand youre still a hudsons Hud sons bay man 1 I understand put it there isa dorel im with youl good heres luck to waswanipi gold limited and the owners isadore blondell Rl ondell and mcnabb ter answering an appeal from list liss finlay is 1 ambushed and rescued by malone and blaase it develops that they are mounted police they visit mcnab hudson Hud sons bay trader and bide when isadore arrives relve unexpectedly again mcnab cleared his throat now a what do you say to a bit of writing so there may be no misunderstanding and everything 1 ll be ship shipshape shapel 1 Fin lays elbow found malones ribs there spoke the true scot get him on paper mcnab I 1 garry breathed well use that some day if we live eve all ah yes of course isadore isadora assented give roe me a pen and paper t shortly the men in the loft heard mcnab read aloud for value received and in consideration of his future services 1 I jules isadore president of was gold limited of montreal hereby bargain sell and assign one thousand shares of the common stock of said company when issued to duncan mcnab now of mata agami lake waswanipi gold limited by jules aulds isadore president hows that mcnab fine and its mighty generous of you isadore ill never forget it there was the sound of voices outside the trade house the door creaked on its hinges 1 the matter labelle asked isadore 11 comin on to blow soon beeg wind ind cloud een sout soul wes wesl we gotta start to camp at de inlet aall all right ill be with you in a minute 11 the men left the trade house mcnab said isadore pushing back his chair youre a shrewd man and know where your breads s buttered stick with me and ill make you rich the ice suddenly returned to Is adores voice but if you change your mind if the police scare you and you double cross me you wont live long understand me mcnab isadore snapped his fingers disappear like that but the trader laughed you think im craz crazy Y isadore he blurted and finlay was relieved leave the police to me man ill handle them were partners now arent we youve cut me in on a bonanza zal dont worry about duncan mcnab the two men left the trade room bound for the shore shortly the put put of the outboard motor drifted up from the lake with a grunt of relief red rolled over on his back and stretched his long arms as aa blaise and garry sat up so its placer gold on the hes covering up after all what a line of hooey he handed mcnab and did mcnab do a job on him we may have use for that fake bill of sale some day well blaise how about it Ki blaise grunted regretfully we make big mee stake to let dat fallar got go he hunt us all de more hard now he vink tink he got mcnab in his pocket truel true hell make the lake hot for us now but we got the evidence I 1 want yet what puzzles me red is this plane from the bay it fit into the picture mcnab found his guests waiting 0 in the trade room well how was that the scotchman chuckled mcnab have made a great actor it was perfect A fifth interest in waswanipi gold when issued issue dl exploded mcnab he must think im a numb skull to swallow that never be issued if he gets out of this scrape all he has to do is to t 0 incorporate under another name and mcnab holds the bag it took will power sergeant not to smash that sri sneering ering face of his he forgot im scotch scotch so am I 1 garry laughed but Is adores badly worried he knows hell need your help with the police 11 anyhow im richer by a thousand dollars if its not counterfeit also evidence we may use said garry well it if this storm blows over were going to paddle all night so well say goodby 1 ked red lingered behind as garry and blaise left the room 1 I want a word with you mr mcnab before we go he said the trader stared curiously into reds candid blue eyes well constable on your mind thistle thistle why youve only known her since yesterday true malones eyes were dark with the intensity of his feeling but it take us long to find out I 1 just want to tell you that im coming back here sheu shell be waiting for me mcnabb bushy brows pulled down over his searching eyes as he studied malones malone P s bronzed face shot with freckles 1 I realize you two it seems sudden I 1 know ive never believed in it but its true thistle and I 1 knew last night that it was that way with us I 1 love her and dont fear ill como come badr back through hell for herl her I 1 TO DE BE CONTINUED |