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Show Va i jagcs Wen U -I . Per.n. Publishing Ca 1 1 fl 13k 13 By GECRCE MARSH v;.n.u. service3 fcJ fci INSTALLMENT FOUR THE STORY SO FAR: Bound for the Chibougamau gold country, six men lost their livei on the Nottaway river. Red Malone, Garrett Finlay, brother of one of the six, and Blaise, ball-breed guide, arrive at Nottaway posing as surveyors. As the approaching canoe neared I the Peterboro Garry said: "It's a birchbark, as you said, Blaise. We'll stop for a talk. Ask them if they ever saw any of the white men who have passed through here bound for Chibougamau." The birchbark in the distance moved in an uncertain course toward to-ward the Peterboro. "What's the matter with those birds?" demanded Red. "Never saw Indians travel in a zig-zag like that. They're always too saving of their elbow grease." "Nor I." agreed the curious Fin- They find the Nottaway settlement people peo-ple strangely averse to discussing the tragedies. The name of Isadore, rich fur man, when brought by Finlay, causes an Immediate cessation of further furth-er conversation along that line. Isadore, "There it is!" exclaimed Finlay. "Let's have a look at Monsieur Isa-dore's Isa-dore's outfit!" He raised his binoculars binocu-lars and gazed curiously at the group of buildings on the distant shore. "Why, Red, he's got living quarters fit for a king! Have a squint!" 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 I've seen east of the Rockies!" muttered Red Shortly Blaise returned the glasses with a grunt. "Ah-hah! Big place! Some day fox bark in dat clearin' and h'owl nest in de chimney." It Is thought, has made a gold striKe and aims to keep prospectors out. Finlay Fin-lay and Blaise are wounded in an ambush am-bush on tie Nottaway. Proceeding, they saw a band of Indians approaching in their canoes. selves. Then, after tonight, it's a case of wolf eat wolf, our brains and our luck against his." Finlay' face grew bitter as he stared across the miles of quiet water to a blue ridge. "He got Bob! I'm going to get him!" The Peterboro 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!" gentle-men!" A man of medium height with a black moustache and hair graying at the temples of a hawk- lay. 'They're yawing all over the lake." As he paddled Blaise was slowly nodding his black head, at the aire-dale aire-dale who lay at his knees. "Flame," 0. he said with a chuckle, "w'at you t'ink de matter wid dose Injuns com-ln' com-ln' in dat cano', eh?" The airedale looked Into Brassard's Bras-sard's swart face with its twinkling eyes. "If you keep your mout' shut, I tell you, Flame," laughed Blaise. "Now don't say notin' to Garry and Red. Dose Injuns comin' in dat cano" ca-no" bin up to have a look at M'sieu' Isadore and he give dem somet'in' dat come in a bottle." "By golly! You're right, Blaise!" Garry threw back from the bow. "It looks like Isadore's fire-water." The canoes were soon within hailing hail-ing distance and Blaise called: "Kekway!" The Montagnais and "They will," agreed Finlay, "if we're worth our salt. See that group of islands about a mile offshore? We'll camp right there, leave Blaise and Flame, and, like polite surveyors survey-ors in the bush, pay a call on Isadore." Isa-dore." "Come on!" urged Red, making the water boil behind his paddle. "This job begins to look interesting." interest-ing." After a 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 residence resi-dence of the trader compelled their admiration. The stir of people in the post clearing clear-ing indicated that the approach of the Peterboro was creating unusual interest. In front of the big log house a group of three were leveling level-ing glasses on the approaching boat. like 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 am Jules Isadore. This is my head man, Pierre Labelle." "I'm Finlay, in charge of the survey," sur-vey," said Garry, shaking hands with the two men. "My assistant, Neil Malone! We need flour and bacon, ba-con, Mr. Isadore. I suppose you can sell us some?" The eyes of the two clashed in a look of mutual appraisement. "Delighted "De-lighted to, Mr. Finlay, and you'll 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, we'll be glad to accept your hospitality, Mr. Isadore. You have a magnificent place here," he ob- Cree salutation. He was answered by a chorus of "Kekways" from the birchbark, 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 hunter but dey go to Isadore to trade dere winter win-ter hunt for fur, instead of de Hudson Hud-son Bay, becuz he sell dem whiskey. But only half dey trade for flour, sugar and tea dey will need. De rest dey trade for whiskey." T1T6 muscles of Finlay's face tightened tight-ened 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 Montagnais grew excited, ex-cited, often interrupting him. "What is it?" demanded Garry. "Dey say dere is moch talk at Waswanipi. Dere is troubl' between fk;Df Wnhictnn nnri a shaman by served. "The marten and black fox did it," Isadore answered. "We beat the Hudson's Bay at their own game. It's been a gold mine." A gold mine! Garry's blood heated heat-ed with his sudden anger. Was Isadore Isa-dore fishing trying to draw him out so early? He watched from the tail of his eye the wooden face of Isadore's Isa-dore's head man as he threw out: "Speaking of gold, they tell me there's a big rush on for the Chibougamau." Chibou-gamau." But Labelle's face was vacant va-cant of expression. "So I hear," replied Isadore. "Last year and the year before some poor fellows tried to get in by the Waswanipi Was-wanipi but were drowned. Bad river riv-er that!" "You're a cool proposition, Isadore," Isa-dore," thought Garry. Then he said: "Yes, so your man Batoche told me at the railroad." As Garry limped beside him, Isadore Isa-dore commented: "Hurt your leg?" "Yes, slipped on a rock and twisted twist-ed my knee!" "Too bad!" Then Isadore's face lit as they reached the waiting girls. "Well, here's what makes life possible pos-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, Meestair Feenlay and Meestair what was it? Malone" said the elder and smaller of the two with a slight accent ac-cent as she extended her hand with a thrust of smoldering eyes. Red Malone beamed like a boy with a new toy into Corinne Isadore's Isa-dore's vivacious face, framed by a blue-black bob. "What a break for two bored females!" fe-males!" 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 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: add-ed: "But if you're going to survey name of Kinebik. Dis Kinebik is fr'en' of Tete-Blanche. Chief Wab-istan Wab-istan fight wid Tete-Blanche at the trade ovair whiskey he give to Injun. In-jun. Dey say dat de Injun like de whiskey and are scare of Tete-Blanche. Tete-Blanche. He is ver' bad fallar. Dey are scare of Isadore, al-so. Dey are scare of de big bird from de sout'." "Big bird from the south?" "Ah-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? sum-mer? That, Red, is the way he brings in his whiskey." "Sure as you live, boss! Have these people ever seen the plane, Blaise?" "No, but oders have and dey tell strange story." "Ask them if Batoche, with the scarred face, and Flambeau have reached Isadore's post." Blaise put the question and after a lengthy answer, from the talkative Montagnais, replied: "Dey say dat Batoche and Flambeau reach Waswanipi Was-wanipi 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 Nottaway swallow dem. Batoche he say he saw de big wood cano' of white man all stove . ,0in,u roniH nnri wan drown man "He's got living quarters fit for a king!" Down at the landing men were evidently evi-dently discussing the strangers. Garry Gar-ry raised his binoculars. "Two women wom-en in sporting togs, Red, giving us the once over! The man with them must be his highness. Czar Isadore, of Waswanipi." "A bird just left the landing," exclaimed ex-claimed Malone, "and called Isadore Isa-dore away from the women! By the way he's waving his arms he's having hav-ing an argument. Now he's gone back. Did you notice it?" "Do you know who that was?" "No." "That was Batoche. I spotted him by his walk." "The scar-faced rat!" "We'll check up before we land," said Finlay, casing his glasses. "You've got extra shells in your pocket and the spare gun on your hip?" "O-kay!" "No identifying papers! Not a scrap to show who we are?" "Check!" "Our orders are to map this chain of big lakes, then the lower Nottaway, Notta-way, joining the main party in September." Sep-tember." "Right!" the lake we might" "Might stay awhile if you prove as nice as you look!" There was frank challenge in her brilliant eyes. "I like your smile, Mr. Surveyor," Miss Isadore surprised him with. "Your teeth are flawless, aren't they? And how you know it! You have cute, crinkly hair and swell , IJ - -J rlniihtl.cG 1.39171 B trail on shore." Blaise grinned widely as he continued: con-tinued: "But dis Montagnais, here in de bow, his name is Mahigan, de wolf, say dat we are free men ' with dog in wooden cano', and wan wid bullet mark on hees head, and he ask me if we run de Long Sault. I-say I-say we did, for sure, and are live Oman, al-so. Don he say dat Batoche is ver' damn liar. I tell him dat I Batoche is worse dan liar. He is j I dead man it I cvair put my hand on him. Mtihitttm say core is too , rnnry man at fen.iorc for free man I to IV.:ht. We bettan- ;;o home." . "What was your answer?" demanded de-manded Garry. "I say dat we hear dat Waswanipi is ver' fine lake and Isadore ver' fine man and we go take a look at dem bof ." "Okay!" laughed Garry. "Well, i let's so!" j CHAPTER V i Flanked by hills somber with the olive green of spruce splashed by I the lighter hardwoods, the great ' Waswanipi Lake blazed like a ll; or of fire in the afternoon sun. The Pe terboro rounded a long point and the j maple blades traced. i . "Now we haven t scratched tne surface of this situation. So far it's been pure guesswork. We believe we're dealing with a coldblooded killer and a clever one. When we land here today to buy flour and bacon, ba-con, what is he going to do? Batoche has told him that he wiped us out in the Long Sault. So our appearance appear-ance has whipsawed him. That was probably the cause of the 'argument I wc noticed just now on the shore. Isadore's a w.cru-d msti lor he's I in a jam v. :','.! Ottawa if any of us 1 got out altvc." "I'll say he's worrtcd. ' agreed Rod. "If Batoche tells htm what happened hap-pened at the railroad, he knows we'll suspect that scar-faced crook. Although we can't 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 hts bacon." ba-con." he said, "three more men have got to disappear on the Chibougamau Chi-bougamau Trail." "That's the picture. Red." "He'll ask us to supper: that's certain. He'll want to look us over before he makes his plans." "We'll do some mindrcading, our- SllUUlUCia anu, of wailing women behind wherever you operate. But" her eyes suddenly sud-denly clouded, "I'd have you know that my name is not Isadore. He married my mother when I was very young. My name is Lise Demarais." Garry raised a hand in protest. "Instead of an engineer who spends most of his time in the bush." he laughed, "you suggest I'm a lounge lizard. I object to the title. But I'll ioigtvc you. Lise Domarats." he rco. at'. d. stud;.'. tig her vivid face wtto i's warm ur.o.Ttoue of coior. It's ft nich.'W l.kc you " Suo'ienly s!ie grew s !e:it while his eyes furtively sought the ripples of her dioky 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 strain. Had he and Red walked into a trap and did Lise know it? They reached the house and with I a wave of the hand Lise joined i Corinne Isadore. Finlay watched the lithe figure of the girl disappear through the door. Had his judgment been wrong? Was Jules Isadore j planning something for that evening and did she know it? j TO HE COSTIWEDJ |