| Show ua i jacv J 4 penn pub publishing lishne ca by GEORGE MARSH THE STORY SO FAR bound tor for the chibougamau gold cold country six men lost their lives on the nottoway Nott away river red affalone garrett finlay brother of one of the six and blaase halfbreed half breed guide e ave fl e at nottoway Nott away posing as surveyors T ay receives an anonymous letter suggesting that the six men were not drowned as reported they question the reports from the north that the bodies of the men were found by indians who declared that the men had perished in the rapids of the nottoway Nott away river the name of isadore rich fur man when brought by finlay causes an immediate cessation of conversation while questioning cotter the storekeeper finlay noticed someone watching them CHAPTER IT II continued 3 reflected in the mirror behind the counter finlay saw a pair of sinister eyes watching the two through a window he yawned dawned stretched and sauntered to the door wait a minute batoche he called to the man was moving away p hurry tashe the halfbreed half breed swung around and snarled you spik to me hell be pretty sore thought garry after his reception this morning from blaise maybe hes so mad hell spill some beans ill take a chance reaching the waiting batoche he announced ive just had a wire from ottawa im ordered to map waswanipi on my way to the bay finlay watched the astonishment on Bat oches scarred face shift to a covert look of satisfaction you go to waswanipi eh yes and well need another man I 1 thought possibly you yourself would take the job it if isadore could spare you how about it finlay rubbed it in as Bat oches yellow eyes smoldered with his rising anger the pay is good very good twice what you get now 1 I got damn good job snorted the furious halfbreed half breed well then said finlay affably how about tete blanche he knows the lake and would make a good man for the survey from a face shocked by surprise the halfbreed half breed blinked at the man who was baiting him as a fox plays with a wood mouse you you know tete blanche huh hub know him I 1 knew him long before he went to work for isa dore it if you see him before I 1 do tell him his old friend finlay asked about him leaving the dumbfounded batoche working his jaw in futile attempt to voice his ane garry turned and entered affie store 1 I guess give batoche something to chew on he muttered there was raw terror in cotters face as he whispered tete blanche why hes Is adores the storekeeper gaped at finlay as if he thought him demented Is adores what mr cotter cotter shook his head waving his hands aimlessly youre crazy man plumb crazy he exploded where did you ever hear of tete blanche why hes an old friend of mine tete blanche an old friend of yours the shaken storekeeper blinked inked hl sure knew him long before isadore met him finlay left cotter mumbling sete ete blanche a friend of youral yours old started for the station mcleod sat at the telegraph telegram h key as finlay entered the station good morning mr finlay he gree greeted off today mcleod returned garry you may be surprised to hear that early this morning you handed me a wire from my department chief at ot tawa directing me to change my plans and first run a compass survey of the waswanipi chain of lakes before proceeding to the bay the scotchman scowled oh I 1 have have I 1 well I 1 you can deny I 1 got that wire but I 1 if I 1 were you there was an undertone of command of finality in Fin lays voice that was unmistakable 1 I think im beginning to understand ill make a copy of that wire for my records in case anyone wants to see it goodby good by and good luck finlay what did you do to him blaise asked garry carry when he and malone reached the river shore with their bags 1 I tell dat batoche he mus be crazy flambeau talk wid me last night that must have pleased him chuckled red first he was ver cross den he be oclair me big pay what did you say 1 I say too small I 1 get tousand dollar a mont wid you he was like wild man I 1 laugh at him and he pull dat gun but he was foolish he stand too close blaise produced a snub nosed automatic from his pocket heres his gun shortly from the steel bridge two men with heads together watched the canoe start down river and disappear behind a bend CHAPTER III for a hundred miles after passing through lake Shab ogama the nottoway Nott away thrashed itself to foam in rock scarred reaches of broken water or narrowed to slide past timbered hills as it raced off the height of land on the afternoon of the second day from the railroad the pe tarboro was checked by the spruce poles of the crew at the head of the famous long sault A mile of churning water through much of which the canoe must be snubbed behind the current roared below them the bow man nodded channel follow middle riviere den swing left he shouted allons we go down the flume into the white chaos leaped the peterboro Peter boro on either side boulders pushed up their granite bulk where the river burst to fling spray high in air eddies and cross currents sucked at her keel knife edged ledges that would rip out her bottom snarled beneath the broken water one mistake and canoe and men would be sucked into the maw of the thundering river to be spewed skewed up and cast ashore battered and broken miles below on the shore suddenly the bowman sagged to his knees while his pole slipped from his limp fingers blaise is hit cried the desperate finlay get him red before he goes overboard ill hold her the kneeling brassard moved his head from side to side as if to clear his brain as red caught him and eased him to the floor of the canoe the blue lips in the graying face framed the words dey got us then he lost consciousness As if it were a chip a cross cur rent snatched the canoe from the control of the straining blinded by bursting spray and whirled her straddling blaines Bl aises body malone battled to head the boat back into the channel As he thrust with all his magnificent power his spruce pole slowly bowed into an arc but the river had its way the boat did not swing the pole splintered in his hands and you hit hard garry carry he lurched back to escape a headlong plunge into the boiling water again the rifles roared on the shore garry felt a sting like the stab of hot iron as his right leg went limp got me he muttered savagely clamping his teeth he managed to brace himself and follow reds lead finlay prayed that he might hold on until they reached the bend the shots from the distant point grew fainter the range was long and they were going wide Fin lays leg was numb but propped against the gunwale a e it J 1 under through the no big arteries I 1 guess lets get blaise ashore with fear in their hearts they examined Bl aises blood caked head glory be cried the giant as he traced the course of the bullet they only creased him get some water red his pulse is good it if he got a fracture hell be as right as rain in a few days hes tough when they had washed and bandaged brassards Brass ards head red inspected carrys leg straight through the thigh muscles clean as a whistle not an artery touched that was a high powered small bore pain any not much its just numb and weak shortly red had his two wounded friends on a spread blanket working like the moose he was malone soon had cargo and canoe through the alders and back in the bush the hidden camp was now safe from searching eyes on the opposite shore then garry and red held a council of war your guess red there was an ugly gutter glitter in the blue eyes as they shifted from gar rys bandaged leg to the still unconscious blaise 1 I dont think batoche and flambeau could have passed us last night and done this it was someone else how about this tete blanche do you suppose hes putting in the summer on the nottoway Nott away who knows all we have is the knowledge that someone tried to wipe out a government survey party that means pay through the nose to ottawa after this thing today its clear what become of bob and the rest who started for chibougamau well as started the rough stuff said red finishing the oiling of the action of his 45 and shoving it into the shoulder holster strapped under his left arm beneath his shirt three lads I 1 know are going to throw a little rough stuff themselves they wont work in the open red it will all be injun stuff under cover with no surviving wit if of your friends who wanted to give you a job demanded red blaise grimaced as he fingered his bandaged head 1 I tink fink if I 1 ambush cano in dose rapids I 1 make job at less dan hunder yard dey start to fire at free cree men who got to stand up and make good target dey shoot eight ten time and get two hit they shot straight enough to satisfy me said finlay 1 I thought wed lost you when you went down if wiped us out have been three more reported accidentally drowned and no proof to the contrary the halt half breeds eyes blazed with such fury that his friends gaped in surprise we head tor for plenty he bit off between his teeth debbe we come back who know but wan ting you promise blaise brassard you give dis batoche to me I 1 take him in dese han ban sol so brassards Brass ards thick fingers reached into the air and clamped shut as it if on a throat hes yours blaise but hes only a tool said garry what puzzles me is his boss 1 I cant make out Is adores game he must have brains to make such a success of the fur business and yet hes riding straight for a fall with the authorities ties hes got a rich placer strike somewhere and to avoid a stampede of prospectors wont register it until hes skimmed off the cream insisted red wal now we feel bet tair we go have look at isadore grunted blaise he drew a villainous looking skinning knife from its sheath and tested its edge with a thick thumb as he said somebody goin to pay for my sore head for sure im glad im not the fellow you old wolverine laughed garry when you take the war path theres blood on the moon CHAPTER IV ten days later the peterboro Peter boro was approaching the head of matagami Ma |
