Show lose r P I 1 0 b y pio t e c v i by PUB CO FROM THE BEGINNING at his kl fur ur post poll sunset house houm in ID the bansill Cn dlan an north jim stuart trader in charge chir aurore aeillo ad daughter st of stuarts rival in the fur ur kith wit h ill his headman hend mao omar rescues business buff ne from an overturned mcd can cano in the th lake she sh proves prove a charming annine ch companion and stuart is I 1 naturally attracted jims superior andrew christie displeased at t stuarts Stu arti trade showing allows allow him at hl big request one cn year to make rood food paradis bribes ain indian to sim mauth busts jim and orear the th attempt faila and ad jim takes the th indian to karads Pa jim and aurora lebloas LeB LABI load oad alter after bearing th lh story iary leblond discharges acknowledge their mutual low ion though aurora is returning to la and jim am has the th indiana who have hav persistently planned a canoe trip to make mak a personal appeal to refu s ad to trade trad their lura furs with him H he finds that paradis has ha their cioe alo to ta discourage them train from trading with stuart Pa ls men jim and omar again but they ar are not dot hannd esau emu halfbreed half breed partisan ol of stuart leaves on an a my journey which they hope hop will result lo in the th overthrow of Jin Jiny gwak indian medicine nib man tn in the th pr PAY of parac Pr dl tle CHAPTER VII 12 in the gray dawn the canoe nosed out of the river through the blanket of mist masking the wit surface of Name gaint the ojibway lake of the sturgeon here living largely on their sturgeon set lines and whitefish white fish bets many hunters came with their families to pass the swift weeks of summer before they cretu returned arned to the far valleys and muskets muskegs inus kegs of their trapping country here the indians had told jim and omar dinar gwak imade his home and from here in december and june he led the hunters tooth south to the trade at Le leblonde Blonds LeIS londs before the rising sun cleared the he smoking mol ting surface of the lake jim and omar went ashore and hitting hiding their canoe in the brush ate and slept from now on the price of their safety would be eternal vigilance their escape to the south would mean that tha t henceforth paradis would be a wanted man an outlaw for him film the flog dog teams of the police would comb a thousand miles of forest from rupert house hoose to fort severn bis big appearance pe arance at a post would mean arrest the very existence of the northwest north west company would hang bang on their repudiation of his deeds in their behalf leblond might have secretly sent him to hide bide on the sturgeon but if stuart returned south the master of bonne mance chance must forever wash his hands of foradis ro radIs and this paradas ls himself only too well knew so in the search to learn the fate of old esau the men from sunset house must use the caution of the hunted creatures crea fures of the forest but the lake was a large one with many islands other connecting lakes lay beyond and the sole means of learning whether esau had avoided paradis and reached the sturgeon was by talking to the ojibway who mho might have seen or met him in time some of these indians would carry tie the news of jims presence to paradas ls but it could not be avoided they were here now to save old esau it if alive then if possible get out of the country the expedition against the sorcerer Jin gwak had bad come to this a bare light fight for ufa life and neither jim nor lor omar thought they could win after dark the peter peterboro boro started down the lake with muffled paddles on the shore in the distance a fire twinkled like a star tor for the nights were growing cool shall we make a stab and see what they know suggested jim by daylight esau would have passed in sight of this camp ah hah dose dese deop are alone here plot bet might be long tarn tam before dey see oders an tell dem about us so they landed at the camp jim approached the small fire with the customary bojos bo jos while omar squatted quat ted in the gloom rr nr the bow of the canoe his right hand band which rested inside the gunwale gripped a cocked rifle bocol bo jol the th old indian at the fire are rose at jim jims approach stuarts roving eyes saw that he was alone the tire glow fell upon a of caribou tilde hide the booi flaps of which were closed the bright mink like eyes of the tild old hunter measured the tall figure of the white man from felt bar to but his weather cured face seamed beamed by the years evidenced in neither elther excitement nor curiosity ns as to te said in ojibwa you come far ives yes jim answered in the same tongue we come far to talk with the he people of the sturgeon country what have you to tell them that tho the shaman grows fat on the flour floor and sugar of the trader paradis jim searched the shrewd eyes of the indian for signs of the derision which the speech implied but found none still the ojibwa had bad used the identical words employed by stuart at the lakes this was frite interest test ing he would draw the old man out and learn about esau handing the ojibwa a plug of tobacco he be filled hla his own pipe 1 I have much to tell them jim an it way may be that you have much to tell I 1 me are you alone alenel where Is your family fam lly the indian gestured toward the tip she Is sick your aifer wife here was a stroke ol of luck stuart carried a small mau one doe case it might he be that the woman had some slight ailment tant lie be could aid lie ile had often dressed wounds tot for the indians and knew the use of I 1 simple medical rem remedies edles yes res she cut her hand and her arm Is large lar e with much pain infected thought jim if it gone too far I 1 can clean it up that means gratitude the friendship of these people they may be useful and theres no time to waste you hae no son to help you on your trap lines this winter jim asked the old man amed grimly into the ire fire as he shook his big head 1 I am alone I 1 had a son but he be Is a son no more ne lie left me to follow the trader para dig and the long snows I 1 have seen been fall and melt to swell the rivers are many here was luckl luck I 1 omar come up here beret jim called in english to tai the e sentinel at the canoe go into the tip and look at the sick squaw came the guttural demand from the gloom beyond the firelight the wily half halfbreed breed was not to be drawn into a possible trap with cocked rifle he be waited for proof of the ojibway story invisible he commanded the tipi and the tire fire 1 I have medicine and have cured many indians at the lake of the sand beaches Ue aches jim said your tour wife has hag pol poisoned her hand baud the poison moves fast up the arm it will reach her neck then her heart if you would have her live I 1 must see her at once for a space the indian scrutinized jims frank countenance lit by the fire glow then he entered the front from which directly issued a muffled conversation broken by low moans that there was no treachery here jim was the indian emerged from the tent and said she Is very sick if the medicine of 0 the white man will help her she Is willing to see him lighting a torch of rolled the ojibwa led the way into the bird As jim followed a crouched invisible figure held a rifle lined on the lodge omar was taking no chances on a pile of skins jim found a squaw writhing in pain the hand cut while cleanie cle cleaning anin fish was red and swollen the inflammation reaching tu to the glands of the forearm and her head bead was hot with fever As lie had bad guessed pd it was waa a bad case of infection hut but there was a chance of checking it as it had not progressed to the shoulder returning to his canoe he took ills medicine case from a bag and had the old man heat a kettle of water then he said this will give her pain the wound Is full of pus of poison it must be cleaned out and washed with medicine does she understand it will hurt her the old man smiled grimly has she not been in pain for two sleeps she says the little knife can be no worse so in the flickering light of tie the birch bark stuart opened the inflamed hand cleaned out the wound sterilized it with of mercury and bound it up while the drawn gray face of the old squaw wet with the sweat swear of her agony held to its stole immobility they went outside to the fire and the stiff features of the ojibwa a softened off as he said the white mans medicine Is strong she will be a ell again 1 I do not know replied jim considering si the situation lie ile might pull the old woman out of her infection if he be stayed and dressed the arm rut but that meant the risk of showing themselves to camps in the vicinity and time was precious if they were to help esau eniar would never agree to it but then was wa the brave old soul in the opt who had not so much as whimpered as lie he opened the wound helpless without him how could he leave her out of the murk omar suddenly appeared at the fire this Is omar my friend said jim as the two men exchanged bo jos and the customary handshakes you tou have not told me your nan ananig the old mans seamed coined fe face expanded la in a chuckle my name la is jinai it was wai ojibwa for rattlesnake and omars black eyes snapped as he said insignificantly significantly thrusting a menacing ace into that of the other YOH yala got cot your poison fangs ready tor for some bod 2 with unblinking eyes the indian answered the strange question sly my fangs ore are walling waiting for the trader paradis and Jin gwak the shaman jim glanced nt at omars surprised face could it be that they had stumbled upon a possible ally or was leading eherd on to betray the object of their search and yet be had trusted jim with its his squaws arm why lid you ask me it if I 1 had come to tell the that Jing grows va fat on the flour of ra radis ls jim demanded I re lecause cause the sun before the last sloop sleep was wag here and said so lie le was here jim was thrilled this old man maht have news of kanu jrsn was he alone yes lie was waiting for garadis who had been up river did lie he say why paradis went up river lie ile sold said that paradis paradas went to drive front the country the hie trader who had been telling the indians at the lake of the groat great stones that wits was a false shaman I 1 told him he could prove that a lie by curing my squaw who was sick want did he do lie ite said he had no time to set up his med medicine leine lodge but would drive the devils from her arm said the old man with a grimace and he be praed he was a wabeno for the devils stayed laughed jim the face of jinai twisted with hate bate that Is why the fangs of jinai watt wait for or him he said lias his garadis returned 1 I have not seen him have you seen an old oh man in a bark canoe annoe traveling this way no your son went with garadis ra radis ls yes said there were nine with him in ID two canoes then with a glance at omar jim he would draw the old man out and learn about esau said your son Is not killed we spared him face reflected his amazement you met them ten of them and they did not stop you my medicine was too strong for them we left them lying on the trail but they are not hurt for d a long lone space jinai s shrewd eyes scrutinized the frank countenance of the he white man then he said quietly you have the face of one whose heart Is a stranger to fear you should have killed them they will never let you leave this lake alive alave ignoring the cheerful prophesy omar broke into the conversation which had bad been carried on entirely in ojibwa do all the people here believe in this wabeno Jin gwak no but many of the young men do will the old men listen to us if we talk to them they will listen but paradis will find you with his young men and kill you omar grimaced in grave face the medicine of this white man laughs at knife and butter bullet ask paradis what he did with his nine cine men then omars swart face hardened into a menacing maak the fangs of seek the trader paradis and this wabeno they also are our enemies jinai Is old his son has hag I 1 left C ft him and he needs fr friends I 1 e n d 8 we will be his friends the three filled their pipes and so sat down by the fire while omar now convinced that the fhe old indian was sincere lot lost so BO time la in planning to make use uge of 0 him in their search for esau As an earnest of their friendship omar brought from rom the canoe flour sugar tea and tobacco none nona 0 of w which C the a a old man bad a an and gava v the sick squaw a dipper of 0 stimulating tea which she gratefully swallowed then heartened by the good fortune which had led them to the of jinai the rattlesnake they paddled d a mile down the shore chore and hid can canoe and outfit as aa the young moon broke through the clouds above a lake drifted with fill slin shadows dows while the sky cleared and here and there the mirror of the lake picked up the stars one question harassed the thoughts of the ano men who had born been told by that their canoe would never turn south up the racing sturgeon where was waa esau As the night deepened and the moon dipped toward the black buttresses of the spruce ridge flanking the western shore its beams touched two blurred shapes stretched in an open space beside a stony beach far out on the lake the funereal night wall of a loon lifted from the shadows then for a long space forest and lake slumbered until at last on the heavy silence of the timbered shore broke the deep toned hoo hoo boo whoop whoop 11 1 of the horned owl cut but the shapes in the blankets lay like dead men again the hush of 0 the tomb returned to the forest while the moon rode from sight behind a drift of cloud and murk swallowed the muffled figures on the shore for a time tim e the patrols of the forest night gave no voice then the hunting call of the feathered assassin of the shadows shadow again marred the deep pence peace but the shaggy sentinel smoke no longer kopi kept guard beside his sleeping master the sinister sound was un unheard berd the blanketed heaps did not stir time passed and the moon broke from its curtain of cloud to light the lake shore and touch the wrapped shapes near the hidden canoe then close by like the stealthy modem movement ent of padded feet sounded a faint rustle for a long space silence and the sound was waa repeated again silence while the night grew older until with the noiselessness of a snake something left the packed gloom of the scrub and writhed into the moonlight near the two still shapes now lay a third A again aln movement in the black murk of the brush the swift progress of a dark body and where two had bad lain now lay four heavy with silence the forest slumbered on then a moonbeam touched bright metal in the lifted hands of two kneeling men as they struck at the huddled figures between them struck again but their knife hands did not lift for the third blow at the sleeping men for like the rush of stalking wolves the impact of two heavy bodies ground their faces into the soil as the skinning knives of omar boisvert Bols vert and jim stuart drove deep into their backs leaving the tricked henchmen of garadis stiffening beside the blanketed heaps which the men from sunset house had cunningly arranged to simulate the shapes of sleeping men jim and omar listened in the murk of the shore willows for the sound of snuffled paddles or men moving in the forest in the rear of the camp 1 I tole you do de trick would work bilik omar breathed into the ear of his bis chief jinai he fool me but I 1 have fear jus de same lie ile tole dem we go little piece down de lak to sleep old I 1 to think be would betray us murmured jim bitter with the thought of the treachery ol of the indian whom be had befriended dey see us from de lak wile we talk to de rattlesnake at de fire hees fangs neel spit no more poison wen ven omar squeeze hees bees and his squaw poor old soul I 1 ah han hah I 1 |