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} - blockquote.pg { max-width: 70%; } - h1.pg { margin-top: 0em; - clear: both; - max-width: 80%; } - h2.pg,h3.pg { margin-top: 2em; - margin-bottom: 1em; - max-width: 80%; } - hr.full { width: 100%; - margin-top: 3em; - margin-bottom: 0em; - margin-left: auto; - margin-right: auto; - height: 4px; - border-width: 4px 0 0 0; /* remove all borders except the top one */ - border-style: solid; - border-color: #000000; - clear: both; - max-width: 80%; } -</style> -</head> -<body> -<h1 class="pg">The Project Gutenberg eBook, Dick Kent with the Malemute Mail, by Milo -Milton Oblinger</h1> -<p class="pg">This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States -and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no -restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it -under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this -eBook or online at <a -href="http://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you are not -located in the United States, you'll have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this ebook.</p> -<p class="pg">Title: Dick Kent with the Malemute Mail</p> -<p class="pg">Author: Milo Milton Oblinger</p> -<p class="pg">Release Date: June 21, 2016 [eBook #52385]</p> -<p class="pg">Language: English</p> -<p class="pg">Character set encoding: UTF-8</p> -<p class="pg">***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DICK KENT WITH THE MALEMUTE MAIL***</p> -<h3 class="pg">E-text prepared by<br /> - Stephen Hutcheson, Rod Crawford, Dave Morgan,<br /> - and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team<br /> - (http://www.pgdp.net)</h3> -<p> </p> -<hr class="full" /> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> - -<div class="img"> -<img id="coverpage" src="images/cover.jpg" alt="Dick Kent with the Malemute Mail" width="500" height="724" /> -</div> -<div class="img"> -<img src="images/icover.jpg" alt="Dick Kent with the Malemute Mail" width="500" height="757" /> -</div> -<div class="img"> -<img src="images/p1.png" alt="“Bring the two white men here at once,” he ordered. (Page 216)" width="500" height="773" /> -<p class="caption">“Bring the two white men here at once,” he ordered. (<a href="#Page_216">Page 216</a>)</p> -</div> -<div class="box"> -<h1>Dick Kent -<br />with the Malemute Mail</h1> -<p class="tbcenter">By MILTON RICHARDS</p> -<p class="center small">AUTHOR OF -<br />“Dick Kent with the Mounted Police” -<br />“Dick Kent in the Far North” -<br />“Dick Kent with the Eskimos” -<br />“Dick Kent, Fur Trader”</p> -<div class="img" id="p2"> -<img src="images/p2.png" alt="Logo" width="200" height="206" /> -</div> -<p class="center">THE SAALFIELD PUBLISHING COMPANY -<br /><span class="small">Akron, Ohio</span> <span class="hst"><span class="small">New York</span></span></p> -<p class="csmaller">Copyright MCMXXVII -<br />THE SAALFIELD PUBLISHING COMPANY -<br /><i>Made in the United States of America</i></p> -</div> -<h2>Contents</h2> -<dl class="toc"> -<dt class="jr"><span class="jl"><span class="small">CHAPTER</span></span> <span class="small">PAGE</span></dt> -<dt><span class="cn">I </span><a href="#c1">A Creeping Menace</a> 3</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">II </span><a href="#c2">Inspector Cameron Takes Charge</a> 11</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">III </span><a href="#c3">Smoke!</a> 17</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">IV </span><a href="#c4">The Fire Patrol</a> 28</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">V </span><a href="#c5">Mackenzie River Post</a> 38</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">VI </span><a href="#c6">Ships From the Stars</a> 49</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">VII </span><a href="#c7">Returning Memory</a> 57</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">VIII </span><a href="#c8">The Toll of the North</a> 66</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">IX </span><a href="#c9">Cameron Feels the Strain</a> 74</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">X </span><a href="#c10">The Mutineer</a> 81</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">XI </span><a href="#c11">Phantoms of the Storm</a> 92</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">XII </span><a href="#c12">A Hungry Prowler</a> 102</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">XIII </span><a href="#c13">The Lone Cabin</a> 112</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">XIV </span><a href="#c14">Outwitted</a> 122</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">XV </span><a href="#c15">Bill and Thomas</a> 135</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">XVI </span><a href="#c16">An Indian with Boots</a> 144</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">XVII </span><a href="#c17">The Pursuit</a> 154</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">XVIII </span><a href="#c18">The Return to Camp</a> 165</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">XIX </span><a href="#c19">The End of the Journey</a> 175</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">XX </span><a href="#c20">The Night Patrol</a> 184</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">XXI </span><a href="#c21">Disaster Looms</a> 194</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">XXII </span><a href="#c22">When Moments Are Eternity</a> 205</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">XXIII </span><a href="#c23">Back at the Mission</a> 217</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">XXIV </span><a href="#c24">A Trek Homeward</a> 223</dt> -</dl> -<div class="pb" id="Page_3">3</div> -<h1 title="">DICK KENT WITH THE -<br />MALEMUTE MAIL</h1> -<h2 id="c1">CHAPTER I -<br /><span class="small">A CREEPING MENACE</span></h2> -<p>A discouraged, dishevelled human figure crossed -a narrow woodland to the west of a chain of hills, -thence made his way slowly down to a sun-baked -valley or depression, many miles in extent. The valley -was rough, broken, repellent to the eye. For the -most part unverdant, it ran in a northeasterly direction—bleak, -uninviting, monotonous—here and there -rutted with long gray drifts of silt and sand.</p> -<p>No trail of any sort traversed that sinister, malevolent -wild. Except for an occasional poplar or -charred, broken stump of spruce or jack-pine, there -were few landmarks to relieve the discouraging prospect. -However, at one end of the valley, scintillating -like a silver coin in the bright rays of the sun, the -traveller discerned a small lake, fringed with green.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_4">4</div> -<p>In the center of the narrow green strip, on one -side of the lake, stood the cabin of a prospector. The -traveller regarded it impassively for a moment before -he went on.</p> -<p>Still hours high, the sun struck its bright rays -across the land: a glare of white in the somnolent -valley, a sheen of mirrored brilliance where it radiated -over the placid, blue waters of the lake. A -deep hush had fallen over the earth. Below the wide, -azure arch of the sky feathered voyagers of the air -coasted silently to unknown haunts, apparently the -only living things in the dead gray world around -them.</p> -<p>The figure hurried on. The sight of the cabin had -acted as a slight spur to his jaded body. He pushed -forward steadily until he had made his way over the -narrow strip of green and up the path to the house. -He knocked listlessly at the door, then stood silently, -as might a criminal awaiting the heavy hand of the -law.</p> -<p>A half-breed admitted him, white teeth shining in -an expansive welcoming grin.</p> -<p>“Come in, Meester Davis. By Gar!—et ees good. -You!”</p> -<p>An old man hobbled excitedly across the room, his -long white beard flaring out in the sudden breeze -from the doorway. His palsied, rheumatic hands -crept up slowly to the younger man’s shoulders and -remained there for a moment in silence.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_5">5</div> -<p>“Davis,” he declared simply, “you are welcome -back.”</p> -<p>A wan smile parted the other’s lips.</p> -<p>“I’m glad to see you again, Mr. Harbinson.”</p> -<p>The old man motioned to a rough, worn bench. -“Sit down, man, sit down. You must be tired.” He -turned to the half-breed. “Baptiste, hurry something -to eat for Mr. Davis.”</p> -<p>While the preparations for the meal were proceeding, -the old man talked steadily. Presently Davis, -unable longer to postpone the ordeal, face red with -humiliation, blurted out:</p> -<p>“Mr. Harbinson, I did not succeed in my mission. -I have failed.”</p> -<p>“Failed!” exclaimed the old man.</p> -<p>“Yes,” Davis rose from his seat, voice quavering, -“yes, I can see no hope for us. The doctor was gone. -I got nothing. Nothing!”</p> -<p>Gloomily he paced back and forth across the rough -floor of the sparsely furnished room. The eyes of -the white prospector and the half-breed followed him -curiously.</p> -<p>“I was afraid of that,” Harbinson declared presently, -“I knew you had a chance of missing him. It -is a terrible thing!”</p> -<p>Davis stopped short in the middle of his nervous -pacing and raised one arm in a hopeless gesture.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_6">6</div> -<p>“Even if I’d seen him, it might have done us no -good. The entire north country is undermined with -the thing, especially among the Indians. It’s working -gradually south. The missions are filled to overflowing.” -His voice lowered to a husky whisper. “It’s -awful, Harbinson. Awful!”</p> -<p>The old man gazed dully at his partner through a -long interval of silence. Davis spoke again:</p> -<p>“Since I left here two weeks ago, has there been -any new development?” He looked searchingly at the -other.</p> -<p>“Yes, it’s reached the village.”</p> -<p>“That’s only ten miles away,” Davis calculated -roughly. “How did you find this out? Send Baptiste?”</p> -<p>“No. Pierre La Lond passed here two days ago -and told us.”</p> -<p>“You didn’t let him in?”</p> -<p>Harbinson evaded the other’s eyes. Baptiste, advancing -to the table with a steaming kettle swinging -from one hand, stopped short and shot a questioning -gaze at the two.</p> -<p>“Yes, I couldn’t stop him. We were busy at something. -He opened the door and walked in. It was -too late then.”</p> -<p>“That’s unfortunate,” Davis scowled. “He should -have known better.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_7">7</div> -<p>“But what am I to do? Sooner or later, we’ll be -exposed. We can’t always be isolated. Another -thing, we’ll soon need more supplies. Our grubstake’s -getting low.”</p> -<p>“There’s the post thirty miles south of here.”</p> -<p>“Closed up,” said Harbinson briefly. “La Lond -told us that too. Won’t be able to get any supplies -there.”</p> -<p>“We’ll live on a meat diet then,” Davis declared -grimly.</p> -<p>“Scurvy!”</p> -<p>“That’s much better than the horror of this other -thing.”</p> -<p>Harbinson did not reply. Stillness fell over the -room again. Davis resumed his seat on the rough -bench and sat with his head in his hands until Baptiste -announced that the meal was ready. As he -ate, the young prospector could hear Harbinson’s -asthmatic breathing and the scraping of the half-breed’s -moccasined feet across the floor.</p> -<p>Hungry though he had been, he had little taste -for food. His mind was too much upset. The disappointing -news he had brought back to his partner, -he well knew had been a heavy blow indeed.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_8">8</div> -<p>Later, the three men walked outside, seeking the -warm sunshine that fell aslant across the land. The -lake still shimmered under the bright glare. A few -birds winged their way across the sky. Desolate -at all times, the sleepy valley now held no trace of -life anywhere. Off to the westward the hills and -rocks formed a dun labyrinth, and from the crest of -the nearest slope one looked down over heights and -depths, broken ridges, crooked valleys—all pervaded, -choked with an awful solitude.</p> -<p>“Well,” croaked the old prospector finally, “what’s -to be done? We’ve not only ourselves to think about—but -others. It’s late in the fall now. By spring -there won’t be a single soul north of the Mackenzie.”</p> -<p>Davis studied the problem, as he had done almost -continually since he had left Fort Garrison a week -before.</p> -<p>“Only one thing we can do,” he answered quietly.</p> -<p>“What’s that?”</p> -<p>“Notify the police. It’s our only hope.”</p> -<p>“I hadn’t thought about that,” said Harbinson -brightening. “You’d go to the Mackenzie River -Barracks?”</p> -<p>“Yes, I’ll carry the news there. It will be much -quicker than to wait for their regular patrol. I know -Inspector Cameron. He’ll act promptly.”</p> -<p>“Hate to see you start out again, Davis, so soon.”</p> -<p>“It can’t be helped. I’ll leave in the morning. But -this time, Harbinson, let me warn you. Keep everybody -away. Do you hear? Nobody must come here. -If necessary, enforce this rule at the point of a gun. -But enforce it you must.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_9">9</div> -<p>The hands of the old prospector were shaking. -He thrust them in his pockets to hide the fact from -his partner. But he could not conceal from the -other’s inquiring gaze the flush that flooded his -cheeks, the unearthly sparkle of his eyes.</p> -<p>“You’re not feeling well,” accused the younger -man.</p> -<p>“No! No! I’m all right. Don’t think that,” -quavered Harbinson. “It’s not that.”</p> -<p>The young man, apparently, believed him.</p> -<p>“It’s the worry, I suppose. But forget it, Charley. -We’ll beat this thing yet. Inspector Cameron will -see the necessity of doing something at once. You -can always rely on the mounted.”</p> -<p>For the remainder of the day nothing more was -said on the subject. Baptiste and the younger man -busied themselves about the place, while Harbinson -retired to his bunk and slept for several hours. On -the following morning, when Davis rose early, -neither the old man nor the half-breed were astir. -He prepared a hasty breakfast, deciding not to wake -either one of them. In another hour he would be on -the trail.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_10">10</div> -<p>But Harbinson, it appeared, had not slept well. -He had rolled and tossed in a high fever. He lay -now in his bunk, his glassy eyes furtively watching -his partner. When chance took Davis close to the -bunk, he closed his eyes, feigning sleep. This simulation -continued until the younger man had completed -his preparations and had departed. An indescribable -look flitted over the old prospector’s -unutterably weary and fevered face. His lips trembled -a phrase:</p> -<p>“Out in time, thank God!—good luck!”</p> -<p>Then he slid over to the side of his bunk, dressed -with trembling haste and, hobbling over, began ransacking -a crude pine box, containing articles of apparel. -Finally, he found the object of his search: -a red flannel shirt, which he tore apart.</p> -<p>He crossed the room with the garment under his -arm, picked up a hammer by the door and stole outside. -He reappeared less than two minutes later, -staggering toward his bunk. His expression was -pathetic. He made several futile efforts to remove -his clothes. In the hollow of his cheeks, over his -forehead, along each side of his neck a raging temperature -had left its seal.</p> -<p>Twenty minutes later, when Baptiste rose noiselessly -and went outside, he started back in amazement. -Again his gaze went back, as if fascinated, to -the flannel signal, fluttering just above the door. A -groan escaped him.</p> -<p>“Mon Dieu! Mon Dieu!” he choked. “Et ees zee -red flag of quarantine!”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_11">11</div> -<h2 id="c2">CHAPTER II -<br /><span class="small">INSPECTOR CAMERON TAKES CHARGE</span></h2> -<p>The orderly approached Inspector Cameron’s desk -and saluted.</p> -<p>“Man here, sir, from up-country. Calls himself -Davis. Wants to see you, sir.”</p> -<p>“What about?” snapped the inspector.</p> -<p>“He didn’t say, sir, except that it was something -important. Says he knows you.”</p> -<p>“Davis—Davis——” mused Cameron, chewing -reflectively on his cigar. “Perhaps I do. Yes—young -prospector from up near Garrison. Show -him in.”</p> -<p>Inspector Cameron’s brow wrinkled when the man -appeared. If he had ever seen this uncouth fellow -before, he could not place him. Surely this was not -the Davis he knew. Why this man looked old—a -heavy black beard, hair unkempt, disreputable, dirty -clothing. But the voice—hah!——Davis after all, -the Davis he knew. He extended a hand.</p> -<p>“Heavens, man, how you deceived me. You look -terrible. What’s happened? Nothing serious, I hope.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_12">12</div> -<p>The visitor dropped into a seat with a sigh of -weariness.</p> -<p>“Couldn’t be much worse, inspector. I’ve trekked -three hundred miles. Tired. Sleepy. About all in. -You see——”</p> -<p>“Yes, Davis. What is it?”</p> -<p>“Smallpox!”</p> -<p>Cameron’s face blanched.</p> -<p>“You don’t say. How bad?”</p> -<p>“Terrible. My country’s rotten with it. Whole -villages gone. Mostly among the Indians so far. But -the whites are getting it too. Fort Garrison has -closed its doors. I saw the red flag of quarantine -waving from twenty different cabins on my way -here.”</p> -<p>Cameron’s jaws clamped over his cigar and his -steel eyes flecked.</p> -<p>“Why haven’t I heard about this before?” he demanded. -“It’s only two months since we patroled -that region.”</p> -<p>“There wasn’t a trace of it then,” Davis informed -him. “You know how these things come. Suddenly. -No explaining it. Two weeks after I heard about the -first case, it had ravaged the whole countryside.”</p> -<p>“Have you been exposed yourself?”</p> -<p>“Not that I know of.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_13">13</div> -<p>The inspector leaned back in his chair, his arms -folded, his gaze seeming to rest upon the papers in -the letter-tray on his desk. He picked up his fountain -pen and turned it thoughtfully in his hand.</p> -<p>“This thing couldn’t have come at a more inopportune -time. Richardson is off on patrol and won’t -be back for three weeks. Three days ago a murder -was committed over at Run River, and Pearly -has gone to investigate. Corporal Rand is confined -to barracks here, suffering from an attack -of pneumonia. I haven’t an available man right -now.”</p> -<p>“But what’s to be done? How do you propose to -combat this thing? Haven’t you a supply of medicine -here at barracks?”</p> -<p>“If I had a room full of it, it wouldn’t help us -in the least. There’s only one antidote. You inject -it in the arm with a hypodermic needle.”</p> -<p>“Where can this stuff be obtained?”</p> -<p>“Big cities outside. The only places. Edmonton -is the closest.”</p> -<p>“Hopeless!” gasped Davis. “Half the population -of the North will be swept out of existence before -you can get help from there.”</p> -<p>Cameron shook his head.</p> -<p>“Not quite as bad as that, I hope. We have the -government telegraph and the radio. Within twenty-four -hours Edmonton will send out a relief expedition. -We’ll meet them.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_14">14</div> -<p>As he spoke, the inspector reached forward and -touched the buzzer on his desk. The orderly appeared, -saluted.</p> -<p>“Get me the swiftest Indian runner you can find. -Send him here. I want you to hurry, constable.”</p> -<p>Then Cameron drew a sheet of paper towards him -and began to write. When he had finished, Davis -inquired:</p> -<p>“I suppose it will be necessary to wait until one -of your men returns before you send out someone -to meet that relief party?”</p> -<p>“No, not in this emergency. I’ve already decided. -There are three young men living over at Fort Good -Faith who will be glad to help me. One is a nephew -of Factor MacClaren, another a young chap named -Dick Kent, while the third boy is a young Indian -scout called Toma. Two of them, Kent and Toma, -we had planned to send to the mounted police training -barracks at Regina last year, but the school was -crowded and they have been compelled to remain -here awaiting further word from the commissioner.”</p> -<p>“These boys are dependable, you say?”</p> -<p>“Absolutely.”</p> -<p>Davis eyed the other reflectively.</p> -<p>“I can go myself if you wish, inspector.”</p> -<p>“You’re in no condition,” Cameron replied -promptly. “What you need is a rest. But don’t -worry about this thing, Davis. We’ll be able to check -it before many weeks.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_15">15</div> -<p>“Weeks!” Davis’ voice was sepulchral.</p> -<p>“Yes, weeks,” Cameron reiterated. “And we can -be glad that it isn’t months.”</p> -<p>He turned to the papers lying on his desk with a -gesture of dismissal.</p> -<p>“Drop in at the barracks and they’ll fix you up. -I’d like to thank you for bringing me this information, -Mr. Davis.”</p> -<p>Soon after Davis had gone, the orderly entered -the room, accompanied by a tall, sinewy young man, -the Indian runner. The police official greeted the -native with a curt nod, rose and pressed an envelope -in his hand.</p> -<p>“Take this to Dick Kent at Fort Good Faith. He’s -a young man about your own age. Hurry through -as quickly as you can. It is very important. I will -pay you well.”</p> -<p>The Indian smiled as he tucked the letter away -in an inner pocket, grinned again for no apparent -reason and stalked silently out of the room. The orderly -still stood, waiting for his own dismissal. -Cameron regarded his subordinate for a moment, -then turned quickly and hurried over to his desk.</p> -<p>“Constable, we have much to do. Smallpox -epidemic in the country north of us. Sweeping down -this way. Very serious condition. We must move -quickly. I’ll ask you to wait here while I write a -message to be sent out by telegraph to Edmonton. -Instruct Mr. Cooley, the operator, to repeat his message -at least three times.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_16">16</div> -<p>The orderly saluted, but made no reply. Like a -red-coated statue, he stood while Cameron wrote -quickly. He received the message with another -salute, turned on his heel, his spurs clattering as he -strode to the door. The inspector breathed a sigh of -relief.</p> -<p>“Well, that’s settled.”</p> -<p>His brow wrinkled with thought. Slowly he turned -again to the work before him. He was busy when -the door opened and the orderly reappeared. One -look at the face of his subordinate told him that -something was amiss.</p> -<p>“Yes, Whitehall, what’s the matter now?”</p> -<p>The orderly hesitated, clearing his throat.</p> -<p>“I’m sorry to report, sir, that we won’t be able to -establish communication with Edmonton or outside -points. The wires are down. Big forest fire raging -to the south of us, sir. The operator says it will be -days before the damage can be repaired.”</p> -<p>In his agitation, the inspector again rose to his -feet. His eyes snapped.</p> -<p>“Tell Mr. O’Malley, our radio expert, I want to -see him. Bring him here at once.”</p> -<p>Whitehall saluted and went out.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_17">17</div> -<h2 id="c3">CHAPTER III -<br /><span class="small">SMOKE!</span></h2> -<p>Sandy MacClaren put down the moccasin he -had been attempting to patch and turned to his -friend, Dick Kent, who had been listening attentively -to Sandy’s absorbing narrative. The story -dealt with the exciting experiences of one Clement -McTavish, Scotch prospector and trapper, who had -returned from the foothills a few days before. McTavish -had relinquished his former trap-line, seceding -his claims to a more ambitious enemy—a colony -of murderous grizzlies.</p> -<p>Dick laughed. “You mean, Sandy, that those grizzlies -drove him out?”</p> -<p>Sandy picked up the moccasin again and scowled -at the results of his handiwork.</p> -<p>“Exactly. They drove him out. And he was glad -to go, too. There wasn’t just one or two to contend -with—but a whole regiment. The country was -simply infested with ’em. McTavish is so badly -frightened that you couldn’t get him to go back with -a bodyguard.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_18">18</div> -<p>“I think I talk McTavish,” Toma began eagerly. -“Where you say he find all these bad grizzlies?”</p> -<p>“Four miles east of Lake Florence.”</p> -<p>“I think I like to go there,” Toma made the assertion -as calmly, as unconcernedly, as if he spoke of -entering the next room.</p> -<p>“Me too,” said Dick, quite ungrammatically. “I’d -like to investigate that story. My personal opinion is -that McTavish was spoofing you.”</p> -<p>“Sure,” retorted Sandy. “What I thought myself. -But there are a few things rather difficult to explain. -McTavish brought back five grizzly pelts and -his arm in a sling. Killed five of ’em! Think of that! -But in a fight with one of them he got clawed up. -Hurt pretty bad.”</p> -<p>“I’m going,” said Dick with quiet determination.</p> -<p>“I go too,” Toma echoed.</p> -<p>“Well, if you fellows are willing to risk it,” declared -Sandy, not very enthusiastically, “you’d better -include me in your party. Personally, I’m not very -keen about going. I’ll have another talk with McTavish -and——”</p> -<p>A knock sounded at the door.</p> -<p>“Come in!” Sandy shouted.</p> -<p>Factor MacClaren stood framed in the doorway.</p> -<p>“Thought I’d find you here. Dick,—someone to -see you. A runner from Mackenzie River. It’s important. -He’s waiting out in the trading room.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_19">19</div> -<p>Dick rose excitedly and streaked for the door. He -pushed his way past the factor, hurried down the -hallway and soon emerged in the spacious storeroom -of the company. For a brief interval he -paused, gaze darting through the crowd, then made -his way unerringly to a tall young Indian, who stood -waiting near the counter.</p> -<p>“I’m Dick Kent,” said that young man.</p> -<p>“By Gar, monsieur, I glad I find you here. Et ees -veree important thees letter from Inspector Cameron. -He told me to geeve et in your own hands.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_20">20</div> -<p>With trembling fingers Dick broke the seal. He -read:</p> -<blockquote> -<div class="verse"> -<p class="t0">“Mr. Richard Kent,</p> -<p class="t0">“Fort Good Faith,</p> -<p class="t0">“Province of Alberta.</p> -</div> -<div class="verse"> -<p class="t0">“Dear Richard:</p> -</div> -<p class="bq">“I am compelled to ask you and your two -friends, Sandy MacClaren and John Toma, to -undertake a very urgent and important journey -on behalf of the people in this territory. I received -this morning the news of a terrible smallpox -epidemic, two hundred miles northwest of -here—an epidemic which can only be checked -through the media of outside help and assistance.</p> -<p class="bq">“You will proceed at once to Peace River -Crossing and report there to Inspector Anderson, -who will give you further instructions. I -have notified Edmonton of our plight and have -asked the authorities of that city to send out a -relief expedition, which you are to meet and -conduct back by the shortest route to Mackenzie -River Barracks.</p> -<p class="bq">“I need not impress upon you the necessity of -haste. Many lives hang in the balance. May -good fortune attend you.</p> -<p><span class="center">“Sincerely,</span> -<span class="jr">“Jason C. Cameron,</span> -<span class="jr">“Inspector R. N. W. M. P.,</span> -<span class="jr">“Mackenzie River Barracks.”</span></p> -</blockquote> -<p>His face very sober, Dick thrust the letter in his -pocket, thanked the messenger and hurried back -through the hallway in time to meet Sandy and -Toma, both of whom were laughing and scuffling as -they came up.</p> -<p>“Hey! What is it?” Sandy piped out in a tone of -voice intended to be jocular. “Invitation to a wedding -or a message from the War Department? -We’re dying to hear.”</p> -<p>Sandy checked himself, however, as he perceived -Dick’s serious look.</p> -<p>“Why—what’s the matter?”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_21">21</div> -<p>“Smallpox north of the Mackenzie. A terrible -epidemic. Inspector Cameron has asked us to go -south to meet a relief expedition, which is being sent -up from Edmonton. We leave at once.”</p> -<p>“What! Right now?”</p> -<p>“Just as soon as we can get ready. You boys -pack your things together while I see Mr. MacClaren -and arrange for the supplies—our grubstake. We’ll -take our ponies for the first stage of the journey.”</p> -<p>The boys separated hurriedly, each going to his -own particular task, nimble fingers and hands making -short work of their preparations. Within thirty minutes -they had “packed” one of the company’s ponies -and had their own saddled and bridled. It was exactly -two o’clock by the factor’s watch when they bolted -into their seats and waved an enthusiastic farewell. -A short time later they cantered across the meadow -and swung south on a well-beaten trail.</p> -<p>At Fort Bentley, three days later, they secured -fresh mounts and another pack-horse. It was while -they were resting for a few hours here that they received -their first disappointing news.</p> -<p>“Big fire raging to the south of here,” stated Nesbitt, -the factor. “The area affected is wide—hundreds -of square miles, lying on the east side of the Peace. -Unless you make a wide detour, you’ll never get -through. It will be impossible to travel along the -direct route to Peace River Crossing.”</p> -<p>The faces of the three messengers fell.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_22">22</div> -<p>“Gosh!” exclaimed Sandy.</p> -<p>“My advice to you,” Factor Nesbitt hurried on, -“is to proceed straight west to Fort Vermilion, thence -travel along the west side of the river until you -reach the Crossing.”</p> -<p>“Will there be any chance to get a boat at Vermilion?” -Dick asked.</p> -<p>“I should think so. Company boats will be running -up to Peace until the freeze-up.”</p> -<p>The boys decided to go that way. Both Dick and -Sandy had visited Fort Vermilion on a previous -occasion. They recalled with a great deal of pleasure -their meeting with Sheridan Lawrence, the intrepid -pioneer, who had achieved almost world-wide renown -for his enterprise and foresight. There in the -heart of a wilderness were hundreds of acres of cultivated -fields, mills, an electric light plant, and the -bustling activity of a progressive modern village.</p> -<p>Lawrence possessed launches and boats of his own -and would be eager to help in a worthy cause. With -this valuable assistance, the boys would be able to -make the trip from Fort Vermilion to Peace River -Crossing in a very short time.</p> -<p>“It’s our best plan,” approved Dick. “Do you suppose, -Mr. Nesbitt, that the fire has worked very far -north?”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_23">23</div> -<p>“I couldn’t say. All I know is that it’s one of -the worst we have had in years. A trapper who arrived -here yesterday from that region reported that -it had destroyed the government telegraph line and -had completely wiped out Jess Haldane’s trading -post on Little Brush Creek.”</p> -<p>“Little Brush Creek!” Sandy frowned at the information. -“Why, that’s only about twenty miles -south of the trail we propose to take now—the one -to Fort Vermilion.”</p> -<p>“No,” said Dick, turning to his chum. “It’s farther -than that. I’d call it a good fifty miles.”</p> -<p>“Well, have your own way. But what’s fifty miles -to a fire like that? By the time we get there, it may -be raging not only south but north of the trail as -well. You can’t deny it.”</p> -<p>“It’s quite possible,” Dick agreed.</p> -<p>“True enough,” appended Nesbitt. “I’m a little -afraid that no matter which way you go, south to -Peace River Crossing or west to Fort Vermilion, you -stand a good chance of meeting the fire.”</p> -<p>“Tell you what we can do,” proposed Sandy. -“We’ll strike out for the Peace, not west, but northwest -of here and follow it up to Fort Vermilion.”</p> -<p>Dick and Nesbitt both laughed.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_24">24</div> -<p>“Take us hundreds of miles out of our way and -through a country almost impassable,” Dick objected. -“Not a single trail to guide us. No, it would -be foolish to attempt it. Our best plan is to follow -the Vermilion trail and then, if necessary, circle -around the fire.”</p> -<p>With considerable misgiving, they started out. -Three days from Fort Bentley they made their way -into an enveloping cloud of smoke, so thick and dark -that at times it was almost impossible to see the sun. -It formed a huge blanket which wrapped the earth. -Hourly, it grew denser; breathing more difficult. It -soon became apparent that they would be unable to -get through. Turning to their right, they entered a -densely wooded area, groping and gasping for breath. -At times it was almost as dark as night. The smoke -which settled around them was of a greenish tinge. -It crept up the coulees and hollows in twisting snake-like -form, while above the treetops swirled a heavy -black cloud.</p> -<p>That night the stars were hid, but off to the -southeast the sky was an orange curtain of fire. Its -lurid glow lit up the horizon, a ghastly and awesome -sight, giving the impression that the earth itself was -being devastated, devoured by the ruthless monster -of flame.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_25">25</div> -<p>On and on the boys hurried in an effort to pass -safely around the terrible conflagration. Worry and -apprehension shadowed the faces of the three as -they paused for their evening meal. Little was said. -Their eyes were smarting and their throats burned. -In spite of their weariness, the ponies grew restless -and frightened, pawing and stamping the ground, -sometimes raising their heads and, with distended -nostrils, neighing plaintively.</p> -<p>Again the boys pushed on. Dick took the lead, -wondering how much longer he and his two companions -could bear up under the strain. Fortunately -the coming of night did not interfere materially with -their progress. The forest was illuminated. The -ghostly reflection of the fire was cast across their -path.</p> -<p>Every hour was taking them closer and closer to -the northern end of the great conflagration. Not far -ahead they could see the flaming blood-red sheet. -Its close proximity struck terror in their hearts. It -was a race with death. Their only advantage was the -help of the wind, from the northwest, whose chill, -unabating blasts contrived to keep the oncoming fury -somewhat in check. If the wind fell, their only -hope of escape lay in a precipitous retreat to the -north.</p> -<p>“We’ll make it,” said Sandy, moistening his -parched lips, “if that northwester continues to hold. -But it may die down before midnight. Sometimes I -think that it doesn’t blow as hard as it did a few -hours ago.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_26">26</div> -<p>“We must get through, Sandy,” Dick declared -grimly. “If necessary, we’ll ride our horses until -they drop. Think of the lives that hang in the balance.”</p> -<p>Shortly after midnight they approached so close -to the fire that the stillness through which they had -been travelling gave place to a rumbling, crackling -roar. A withering, scorching heat came out to them. -The ponies seemed to stagger under their burdens. -Dick, who was in the lead, waved his arm encouragingly.</p> -<p>“A few more miles,” he called.</p> -<p>“No can make!” Toma’s voice suddenly rose above -the deafening roar about them. “My pony him no -walk any farther.”</p> -<p>Dick and Sandy dismounted quickly and went back -to where the young guide’s horse stood quivering and -panting. Toma loosened the cinches and drew off the -saddle just as the exhausted beast sank to the ground. -Each one of the boys knew what was about to happen—what -ought to be done—but each waited for the -others to move.</p> -<p>“You take ’em what supplies you can from packhorse,” -Toma ordered.</p> -<p>“Yes,” said Dick, “the rest we’ll have to leave -here. Throw your saddle on the pack-horse, Toma, -and lead him up where the other ponies are. Wait -there for me.”</p> -<p>Sandy turned a white face in the direction of his -chum.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_27">27</div> -<p>“Are you really going to do it, Dick?” he quavered.</p> -<p>“Hate to,” answered the other, attempting to conceal -the tremor in his voice. “But hurry on, Sandy. -I’ll join you in just a moment.”</p> -<p>Determinedly he turned, one hand trembling above -his holster and walked over to where the doomed -pony lay.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_28">28</div> -<h2 id="c4">CHAPTER IV -<br /><span class="small">THE FIRE PATROL</span></h2> -<p>A few hours before daybreak they had successfully -circled the fire and had reached a sparsely -wooded height of land. So tired and worn out were -the three messengers, that as soon as they had -picketed out their ponies, they crawled into their -blankets without troubling to prepare something to -eat. Dick had almost fallen asleep when he was -startled by a most peculiar sound—a sound so unusual -and different from anything that he had ever -heard since coming to the northern wilderness, that -he sat bolt upright, wondering if his senses had -not suddenly deserted him.</p> -<p>The metallic thub, thub, thub grew louder. He -sat staring in the darkness, bewildered, a little -frightened, and yet very curious to know its cause. -More than anything else, it sounded like a high-powered -motor boat, such as he had often seen and -heard near his own home on the Great Lakes, back -in the United States. Yet it was not a motor boat. -They were still forty miles from the Peace River, -and no body of water of any extent lay between them -and the river.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_29">29</div> -<p>Then, suddenly, he had it. An airplane! His -mouth curved in a smile of wonder and admiration. -An airplane! What was it doing here? With an unearthly -howl, he bounded to his feet and was soon -shaking Sandy and Toma.</p> -<p>“Wake up! Wake up!” he shouted. “Listen to -that!”</p> -<p>Daubing one hand across his sleep-dimmed eyes, -Sandy gave vent to an ejaculation:</p> -<p>“For the love of Pete! Where did that come -from?”</p> -<p>Immediately he broke forth in a howl of glee, -pointing a finger at Toma. In all his long acquaintance -with the young Indian, Dick had never seen -the guide display any great amount of fear; yet he -was frightened now. He sat huddled in his blankets, -frozen with a nameless panic. Here was something -beyond his ken and experience—to him an inexplicable, -supernatural thing: A noise from the heavens, -some horrible monster swooping down upon them -from the black vault of the sky.</p> -<p>“What you—you call ’em that?” he finally stammered.</p> -<p>“Airplane,” said Sandy.</p> -<p>“A boat that flies through the air,” Dick elucidated. -“What do you suppose it’s doing here?”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_30">30</div> -<p>The sound grew louder and presently the plane -alighted less than two hundred yards away. The -boys raced madly along through the darkness, finally -coming out in an open space, where they could see -a dark blur and hear the sound of voices.</p> -<p>Approaching, Dick hailed them:</p> -<p>“Hello there! Who is it?”</p> -<p>“Dominion Government cruising plane, C 94,” -came the prompt answer. “Put out from Peace River -Crossing to investigate this fire.”</p> -<p>Two men stood beside the plane and when the -boys came up plied them with questions. Had they -come through the fire? Were there many cabins destroyed -in the country north of there? Where were -the boys going?</p> -<p>Sandy and Dick gave them what information they -could, in turn asking many questions of their own. -Then Dick stated their errand:</p> -<p>“We’ve been sent out by Inspector Cameron to -meet a relief party, which is bringing help to the -people suffering from smallpox in the remote districts -north of the Mackenzie. The situation is very -serious. Hundreds have already died from the -disease and probably hundreds more will before assistance -can arrive.”</p> -<p>Horace Alderby, one of the aviators, spoke up -quickly:</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_31">31</div> -<p>“Queer we didn’t hear anything about it when -we left the Crossing. I should think that if Inspector -Cameron had wired to Edmonton the people -at Peace River——”</p> -<p>“But look here, Horace,” interrupted the other, -“have you forgotten that the wires are down as a -result of this fire?”</p> -<p>“Why, yes, Randall, so I have,” laughed Alderby. -“The line is clear from Peace River Crossing to Edmonton, -but north the service has been disrupted. -It is quite likely,” turning to the boys, “that your -Inspector Cameron has not been able to get in touch -with Edmonton at all.”</p> -<p>“That’s too bad,” said Dick. “It makes it all the -more important why we should hurry on and send -in the news from Peace River Crossing. Our plan -is to go over to Fort Vermilion and from there -try to secure a ride up the Peace in a steam or motor -boat.”</p> -<p>“That’s a good three days’ trip,” stated Alderby. -“It’s fortunate we ran across you.”</p> -<p>“Why?” Sandy asked innocently.</p> -<p>“Because,” the aviator replied, “we can take you -over there ourselves just as soon as we look over -our motor.”</p> -<p>“Did motor trouble force you to land?” Dick inquired.</p> -<p>“Yes, but it’s nothing serious. We’ll have it ready -in a jiffy.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_32">32</div> -<p>“Trouble is,” said Randall, “there’s room only for -one of you.”</p> -<p>This statement immediately relieved Toma’s mind. -He had begun to fear that he would be asked to sail -through the sky in the bowels of that awesome monster—an -invitation he had firmly decided to decline.</p> -<p>“That’s all right me, Dick. Mebbe you or Sandy -go, but I like stay here with the ponies.”</p> -<p>“Dick will have to go, of course,” Sandy stated, -experiencing a moment or two of regret as he looked -at the plane and thought of the thrilling ride through -the clouds. “As Toma just said, he and I can remain -here with the ponies. We’ll make camp and wait for -your return.”</p> -<p>“Good heavens, you can’t do that!” Dick expostulated. -“You’ll be in danger here with the fire -so close. You never can tell when the wind may -change and blow it this way.”</p> -<p>“But we no stay here,” Toma enlightened him. -“We go on to Fort Vermilion. You come back that -way.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_33">33</div> -<p>It seemed a good arrangement and soon afterward -Dick climbed aboard, crouching down in the limited -space assigned to him. He felt a little nervous now -that they were about to start. At the first crackling -roar of the powerful motor, his heart leaped up in -his throat. He called out something unintelligible to -Sandy and Toma, grabbed for his hat as the plane -commenced bounding along the uneven ground, then -stole one frightened look over the side just as the -earth commenced to drop away from him in a manner -that was both sickening and disconcerting. -Nearly ten minutes had passed before he had recovered -sufficiently from the shock to realize that he had -actually started out on his first journey through the -air.</p> -<p>“How do you like it?” asked Randall.</p> -<p>“Do-o-n’t kn-n-ow yet,” he managed to articulate. -“How long are we going to be up here?”</p> -<p>“Just a few hours,”—reassuringly.</p> -<p>Just a few hours! Saints and martyrs! Could he -stand it that long? When minutes were terrible, what -would hours be like? Instantly he dismissed what -remained of a once overpowering ambition to become -an aviator. It wasn’t exactly in his line anyway. -He lacked the necessary physical qualifications. -He hadn’t realized it before, not until now, but his -stomach was weak. It felt as if there was a big hole -there, through which a current of cold air passed -every few seconds at a terrific rate of speed. It made -him almost ill.</p> -<p>In an effort to keep his thoughts in more comfortable -channels, he addressed himself to Randall:</p> -<p>“You said this was a government plane?”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_34">34</div> -<p>“Yes,” came the ready answer, “one of five sent -out to this north country to assist in the prevention -and control of forest fires. The country will need -all this valuable timber some day. Millions of dollars -going up in smoke. Time we put a stop to it.”</p> -<p>Randall’s voice trailed off and became lost in the -roar of the motor and the screeching of the wind. -Dick tried to stretch his legs. He tried to sleep. He -endeavored to accustom himself to the queer, unpleasant -motion of the plane. He was unutterably -glad when he heard Alderby trumpeting in Randall’s -ear:</p> -<p>“Crossing lights!”</p> -<p>Dick steeled himself and looked down. Ahead and -far below he perceived a faint effulgence—like glow-worms -shining feebly across a vale of darkness.</p> -<p>Not long afterward they began to descend. Hills -took shape. The wide ribbon of the Peace and the -Hart, cascading down through the hills to join it. -The shape of trees, the rugged contours of the land -and, finally, straight below them, a level field, which -seemed to come up, up, up to meet them, and upon -which, a short time later, they landed in safety.</p> -<p>“Here!” exclaimed the jovial voice of Alderby.</p> -<p>In the chill, gray light of dawn, Dick followed -Randall past the hangar and into the town. His -heart was beating jubilantly.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_35">35</div> -<p>His companion led the way through the streets of -the little town, pausing at length in front of a small -brick building, which served as an office for the -government telegraph. The door was locked, but -following a short rattling at the knob, they were admitted -by a sleepy operator, who demanded to know -their business.</p> -<p>In a few words, Randall explained the reason for -their early call.</p> -<p>“We would like to know,” he continued, “if you -have any information concerning a smallpox epidemic -in the north, or of a relief party which has -been sent out from Edmonton?”</p> -<p>“Yes, I know something about it.”</p> -<p>The operator invited them inside and switched on -the lights. He in turn asked a question of Randall:</p> -<p>“Is this one of the young men Cameron instructed -to come here to meet the relief party?”</p> -<p>Before Randall could answer, Dick produced the -letter he had received from the Indian messenger -and handed it over.</p> -<p>“That will serve as my introduction. Read it.”</p> -<p>“Fine!” exclaimed the operator, glancing over the -missive. “Yes, Cameron got his message through. -The relief expedition is already on its way.”</p> -<p>“But I thought the government line was out of -order, had been destroyed by the fire north of here.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_36">36</div> -<p>“So it was. Inspector Cameron’s s.o.s. was broadcast -by radio from Mackenzie River and someone -in Edmonton picked it up. The message was repeated -again early this morning. It’s common property now -all over the province. Every available airplane in -Edmonton and Calgary is being sent up. A few of -the planes ought to arrive any time. Also a special -passenger train is scheduled to arrive tonight.”</p> -<p>“Can the airplanes go as far north as the Mackenzie?” -Dick asked.</p> -<p>Randall replied in the affirmative. “The only difficulty -is to carry enough gasoline.”</p> -<p>“In that case,” said Dick, a little crestfallen, “our -services will no longer be required.”</p> -<p>“Don’t worry. You’ll have plenty to do,” laughed -the operator.</p> -<p>“Your troubles have only commenced,” smiled -Randall. “I’ll take you back and pick up your friends -at Fort Vermilion, then we’ll pilot the other planes -through to the Mackenzie. You’ll be a regular air-hawk -before long.”</p> -<p>He turned to the operator. “Thank you very much -for your kindness. I think I’ll take Dick over to one -of the hotels and then slip back to the flying field.”</p> -<p>“I can’t go to a hotel just yet,” Dick interposed. -“I was told to report to Inspector Anderson at the -police barracks here.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_37">37</div> -<p>Hardly were they in the street again, when the -aviator clutched Dick’s shoulder with one hand, while -with the other he pointed aloft. Through the still -air there came to them the distant strum, strum, -strum of a motor.</p> -<p>“Look!” he shouted. “The first plane from Edmonton!”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_38">38</div> -<h2 id="c5">CHAPTER V -<br /><span class="small">MACKENZIE RIVER POST</span></h2> -<p>Convalescing after a serious illness, Corporal -Rand found it expedient on this bright autumnal -morning to rise, don his uniform and go for a stroll -along the banks of the mighty Mackenzie River. -He was still very weak and shaky as a result of his -long confinement at barracks hospital, yet the crisp, -still air was tonic in its effect and something of his -old cheerfulness and buoyancy returned as he proceeded -along the narrow footpath leading away from -the post.</p> -<p>The corporal’s thoughts touched upon many subjects. -Above all, was he glad to know that he would -soon be able to return to duty. The tedium and -monotony of what amounted almost to imprisonment -would soon be at an end. Accustomed to a life -of ceaseless activity, he yearned to be on the trail -again. The old restlessness was in his blood. Before -starting out he had paid a visit to Inspector Cameron. -With a smile he recalled the interview with his chief -and in retrospect, he saw himself again, standing at -attention before the grizzled and stern director of -police activities in that part of the North.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_39">39</div> -<p>“Well, how are you feeling, corporal?”</p> -<p>The words had been snapped out at him in the -usual brisk, nervous manner, the man’s steel-gray -eyes carrying no hint of the real feeling behind them.</p> -<p>“I’m ready to report for duty, sir,” he made the -statement carelessly.</p> -<p>“Humph! Duty! You’re pale as a ghost, man. -Shaky! Wonder how you dare to come here with -your deceptions. Back to the barracks with you and -don’t let me see you again until you’re a well man.”</p> -<p>Rand smiled, saluted, and half-turned to leave the -room when a thought came to him.</p> -<p>“No objections to my taking a stroll, sir? Think -the fresh air will do me good.”</p> -<p>“Certainly,” said the inspector a little crisply, then -turned to his work, only to raise his eyes again as -Rand walked over in the direction of the door.</p> -<p>“Hold. Have you heard the latest news, corporal?”—more -kindly.</p> -<p>Rand hesitated, one hand on the knob of the door.</p> -<p>“No, sir, I haven’t.”</p> -<p>“Good news. Wonderful news.” Cameron’s eyes -were sparkling now. “Most astonishing too. The -relief expedition left Peace River Crossing yesterday -and will be here before night. Marvelous!”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_40">40</div> -<p>Rand wondered if he had heard aright. There was a -faint trace of incredulity in his voice as he answered:</p> -<p>“Marvelous, indeed, sir. Last year Sergeant Richardson -made the trip in a little less than ten days. -Who’s leading this expedition?”</p> -<p>“Dick Kent,” answered the other.</p> -<p>Corporal Rand was smiling broadly now.</p> -<p>“He must have sprouted a pair of wings, sir.”</p> -<p>“That’s it exactly. They’re coming by airplane.”</p> -<p>Rand recalled his astonishment at this unexpected -bit of information. Amazement widened his eyes. -He turned swiftly.</p> -<p>“Airplanes!”</p> -<p>“Yes. I don’t understand it myself. If they make -it, it will be the first time in history. The petrol supply -will be their chief trouble.”</p> -<p>“Great experience for Dick and Sandy,” mused -the corporal.</p> -<p>“I wasn’t thinking about them. I was thinking -about the hundreds of poor devils up north, whose -lives will be spared if that flight should prove successful.”</p> -<p>“Certainly, sir, that’s true. A sort of race against -death, isn’t it? By the way, inspector, how is the -smallpox situation now?”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_41">41</div> -<p>“Appalling! The reports I have received stagger -me. The ratio of persons who die after incurring the -disease is about four out of every six. The epidemic -has spread out over a very wide area. It has already -reached the Eskimo tribes on the eastern side of the -barren lands. They’re dying like flies.”</p> -<p>“Do you think you’ll have sufficient medicine and -men for the whole of the territory affected?”</p> -<p>“I doubt it. Nevertheless, we’ll do the best we -can. If Kent and his two friends get through safely, -I’m sending them up to the barrens with one physician -and as much of the remedy as we can possibly spare.”</p> -<p class="center"><span class="gs">* * * * * * * *</span></p><p>Corporal Rand looked out across the valley. The -opposite bank of the river flamed with the gold and -bronze of autumn’s foliage. Though the season was -getting late, the weather was glorious. Not a breath -of wind. The sun shone from an unclouded, deep-azure -sky. Large flocks of wild geese went honking -overhead.</p> -<p>A little regretfully, Rand turned and retraced his -steps. It would soon be time for the midday meal, -and he was hungry. Tomorrow, he decided, he would -see the inspector again and repeat his request. Perhaps -he might be ordered out for duty. Perhaps he -might be permitted to do his part in a worthy cause. -In any event, once on the trail, he would soon forget -his weakness, probably gain new strength, be more -like his former self.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_42">42</div> -<p>He spent the afternoon reading and loitering -about, but just before sundown went outside in the -hope that he might catch sight of the planes of the -relief expedition. In this, however, he was disappointed, -although he scanned the southern skies until -long after twilight. He returned to the barracks -troubled by a strange premonition. He tried to read, -but threw down the book before he could become interested. -He paced the rough floor of his room, -puffing nervously at his pipe, his mind filled with a -hundred vague alarms.</p> -<p>Reason, finally, came to his rescue. How foolish -he was. The party would probably arrive during the -night. His senseless worrying, no doubt, was caused -by his recent illness and the nervous tension of being -confined to the barracks. Shortly after midnight, -when Constable Whitehall, the orderly, entered his -room to wish him good-night, he had regained a -great deal of his previous cheerfulness.</p> -<p>“Well, how are things?” he inquired of his visitor.</p> -<p>“All right, I guess, but the old man’s worrying -about that expedition. Says it should have been here -before this.”</p> -<p>“I’ve been worrying, too,” Rand admitted. “Do -you suppose anything has gone wrong, Whitehall?”</p> -<p>The constable wagged his head.</p> -<p>“Couldn’t say. Personally, I think they’ll be in -before morning.”</p> -<p>“Rather difficult to make a landing in the dark, -wouldn’t it?”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_43">43</div> -<p>“Don’t know about that.”</p> -<p>“I’m afraid it would,” the corporal answered his -own question. “Beastly dark night. Like the inside -of a pocket. You don’t suppose they’ve been driven -off their course or have lost their way?”</p> -<p>“Pshaw!” exclaimed Whitehall. “You’re as -fidgety as the chief himself. Everything will be all -right, I’m sure. My advice to you is to hop into -bed. This sort of thing isn’t good for you.”</p> -<p>For a long time after the two friends separated, -Rand rolled and tossed in his bed, obsessed by that -queer and unexplainable premonition. He fell into -a sleep which was fitful and broken. Through his -dreams ran a thread of horror. He woke repeatedly. -Finally, he threw back the covers, rose and lit the -oil lamp which stood on a table near the head of his -bed, and once more essayed to read. Impatiently, he -threw the book from him, darted to his feet and -commenced pacing back and forth, now and again -pausing to pull aside the curtain and look out.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_44">44</div> -<p>Daylight found him shaved, fully dressed, waiting -for the stir of life about the barracks. The rattle of -a granite plate in the kitchen at the back came as a -signal for his release from the trying ordeal of the -night. He pulled on his short fur coat and walked -outside, wandering listlessly away in the direction of -the stables and dog compound. To his surprise, he -perceived that another person was already abroad. -Approaching closer, his astonishment increased. Inspector -Cameron!—a somewhat ludicrous figure that -morning: Head bent, jaws clamped over a cigar, -arms behind his back. He shambled to within a few -feet of Rand before he looked up.</p> -<p>“Well?”</p> -<p>“Yes, sir.”</p> -<p>“What are you doing here?”—fiercely.</p> -<p>“I couldn’t sleep, sir.”</p> -<p>“Neither could I. Rotten luck! What do you -suppose became of them?”</p> -<p>“You mean the planes, sir?”</p> -<p>“Certainly.”</p> -<p>“They—they ought to be in this morning,” Rand -stammered.</p> -<p>“They should have been in last night.”</p> -<p>For a time they lapsed into silence, each regarding -the other intently. Finally the corporal plucked up -enough courage to make his request:</p> -<p>“If you’ve no objections, inspector, I’d like to -return to duty.”</p> -<p>Cameron glared at him.</p> -<p>“I’m really all right,” Rand hastened to inform -him.</p> -<p>“I told you——” began the inspector, throwing -away his cigar and staring fiercely at his subordinate. -“I told you——”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_45">45</div> -<p>“Yes; yes, I know,” said Rand softly. “But it’s -this way, sir. There is much that I can do to help -out at this critical time. A few days in the open -air and I’ll be perfectly well again.”</p> -<p>“I’ll think about it. Lord knows we need you. I -may possibly be compelled to go out myself. Report -to me this afternoon at two o’clock.”</p> -<p>They separated, each going his own way. After -breakfast, Rand secured his gun and went out in the -vicinity of the post to hunt geese. When he returned, -it was well past the lunch hour and when he had -eaten it was almost time for his interview with -Cameron.</p> -<p>When he had arrived there, the inspector’s office -was a scene of unusual activity. Four stalwart half-breeds -stood in front of Cameron’s desk, and the -orderly directly behind them. The room was sticky -and hot. Cameron’s hair was rumpled and he was -issuing orders in crisp, choppy tones.</p> -<p>“You have your instructions,” Rand heard him -state. “Now take your ponies and go out and see -what you can do. Search the country carefully and -make inquiries wherever you can. I’ll expect you -back in two days.”</p> -<p>The natives went out of the room, followed by -the orderly, then Rand, seeing his chance, walked up -in front of the inspector’s desk. Cameron did not -even look up as he made a notation on a pad in front -of him.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_46">46</div> -<p>“All right, corporal, I have a job for you. Proceed -at once to Keechewan with your horse and full -equipment. Know where that is, don’t you?”</p> -<p>“Yes, sir,” the corporal saluted. “Just south of -the barren lands. What’s the trouble up there?”</p> -<p>“I’m coming to that. Natives causing no end of -trouble at the Keechewan mission. It’s an outgrowth -of this smallpox trouble. The Indians seem to think -that the plague has been sent among them by the -gods of the white man. The missionaries have -warded off two attacks by the infuriated inhabitants -of the Indian village, just south of Keechewan. Your -duty, corporal, will be to straighten this thing up. -Endeavor to instil a friendly feeling among the -Indians. If any lives have been taken, bring in the -murderers.”</p> -<p>If Corporal Rand manifested any sign of the fear -that was in his heart, it was not noticeable to his -chief. He merely saluted and inquired:</p> -<p>“Any further instructions, sir?”</p> -<p>Cameron rose to his feet, strode around his desk, -and, to the corporal’s surprise, placed a trembling -hand upon his arm.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_47">47</div> -<p>“You don’t know how I hate to do this, Rand. I -don’t want to send you up there without first having -you inoculated. You may be going to your death—I’ll -be perfectly frank with you. I wish there was -some other way. I’ve thought long and carefully -over this matter and I’ve come to the conclusion that -unless we send help to the mission at once, it may -be too late. All of them may be murdered.”</p> -<p>“It’s all right, sir. I’ll go.”</p> -<p>Cameron seized the other’s hand and held it during -an interval of oppressive silence. There was no -thought now of the inequality of rank. Man to man, -brothers in a common cause—each understood and -appreciated the other’s attitude and feelings.</p> -<p>“Thank you, sir,” said Rand, “for letting me go, -permitting me to do this thing.”</p> -<p>He walked out of the post with a queer smile on -his lips. He hurried away in the direction of the -stables, his heart beating exultantly. His hand still -tingled from Cameron’s steel-like yet affectionate -clasp. Dazedly, he groomed and saddled his horse -and was in the very act of leading it outside, when -Whitehall appeared at the stable door.</p> -<p>“Drop everything at once and come back to the -office. Cameron wants to see you.”</p> -<p>Rand threw the reins over his horse’s head, and -followed the orderly back to barracks. Again he -stood in front of his chief.</p> -<p>“You wish to see me?”</p> -<p>“Rand, I’ve changed my mind. I’ve decided not -to send you after all.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_48">48</div> -<p>Rand gulped.</p> -<p>“Don’t change your mind on my account. I’m -willing to go.”</p> -<p>“Tut! Tut! I’m in command here. You’ll do as -I say. I want you to take charge during my absence. -I’ve already written a few instructions for -you.”</p> -<p>“Will you be away long, sir?” Rand asked tremblingly, -a vague suspicion in his mind.</p> -<p>“Several weeks, I expect. I’m going to Keechewan -in your place.”</p> -<p>“In my place!” A sudden blinding weakness overcame -the corporal. “In—in my place!” he stammered.</p> -<p>For a period of at least five minutes the room -was as quiet as death. Then, suddenly, Rand’s voice -rang out clearly:</p> -<p>“Inspector Cameron, you’re a man! But I am -too. My horse is saddled and waiting for me. I -hate to disobey you, sir, but I’m leaving at once. -When I return from the Barrens—if I ever do—I’ll -report here and you can place me under arrest. -Good-bye, sir!”</p> -<p>He saluted briskly and turned away. Inspector -Cameron was still gaping when the door closed -softly after the retreating figure.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_49">49</div> -<h2 id="c6">CHAPTER VI -<br /><span class="small">SHIPS FROM THE STARS</span></h2> -<p>A wonderful huntsman was Kantisepa, the very -greatest among his people. In his aimless journeying -he had passed over a large part of the vast, immutable -north, proceeding far from known haunts into -lands which seldom had heard the footfalls of the -hunter. He had viewed wild scenes, the glory and -grandeur of which few other eyes had seen. Unnamed -rivers and lakes, lofty mountains, interminable -swamps, places so barren and devoid of all -vegetation, so breathless, weird and forlorn that life -passed on in horror, fearful of the madness that -lurked there—all these he had looked upon during -his ceaseless pilgrimages.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_50">50</div> -<p>He had hunted moose and caribou and the ferocious -black bears of the mountains. Once he had -fought off a wolf with no better weapon than a club. -His long association with the wild and its denizens -had bred in him a certain uncanny wisdom. Insects -and beasts and birds—he knew them all with the -unerring certainty of a trained naturalist. Yet now, -standing in the bright glare of the sun, gaze focused -on certain huge dark specks in the distant horizon, -it was evident from his expression that at last he had -seen something he could not classify.</p> -<p>Two birds of mammoth, gigantic size were flying -straight towards him. Larger than a moose or -bear, of greater size even than the largest tepee, they -sailed through the air, drumming as they went. Their -speed and size and the horrible noise they made so -frightened poor Kantisepa, that he crouched low in -a thicket, resolving under no circumstances to show -himself to the invaders.</p> -<p>Two of the huge birds flew close together—evidently -for companionship. The third one, probably -much younger—for it was smaller—brought up the -rear, at a considerable distance behind its mates. As -this bird drew close to the clearing, an incredible -thing happened. It fluttered suddenly and began to -fall. It came down, spinning, righted itself, coasted -along for quite a distance, as if planning to alight, -then lost control of its equilibrium entirely and -crashed to the ground with such a sickening thud -that Kantisepa was quite sure that it was destroyed -utterly.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_51">51</div> -<p>The two other birds were almost out of sight -when the catastrophe occurred. These, Kantisepa -considered, must be the parent birds, and in their -eagerness to reach their destination, had probably -forgotten their offspring, which was probably just -learning to fly. At any rate, though the Indian stood -a long time waiting, the others did not return and, -finally, overcome by the natural curiosity of his race, -he set out in the direction of the luckless victim.</p> -<p>When he had approached to within a few hundred -yards of his objective, he was startled almost out of -his senses. Crawling out of the mass of broken -wings and fragments of the bird’s body, came a -curious animal, which in many respects resembled a -man. A very marked difference between the creature -and a man was the enormous size of the creature’s -eyes—three or four times larger than the eyes of his -own people—composed of some peculiar substance -which glinted and sparkled under the bright reflection -of the sun. Then Kantisepa noted another -peculiarity: Although possessing legs almost identical -to his own, this strange being did not stand -upon them in the ordinary manner, but chose instead -to walk on both arms and legs, as a bear sometimes -walks. Of a very ready and open mind, Kantisepa -could explain the creature’s presence in only one way: -a parasite of some kind, possessing the same relationship -to the bird as a flea would to a dog.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_52">52</div> -<p>Coming still closer, he was forced to readjust his -first impressions. He knew wood and iron when he -saw it. He gasped in wonderment. No bird at all! -Instead a magic ship, a marvelous creation, invested -with the strange power of sailing through the air. -It, together with the two others, had come from -some remote land beyond the stars. Trembling in -every limb, he approached the strange being, who -had crawled away from the wreckage of the ship. -The creature was grievously hurt. Blood trickled on -the ground beneath him. He had abandoned his efforts -to crawl away and now lay perfectly still, his -shoulders heaving in distress and pain.</p> -<p>Not without pity, Kantisepa shuddered at the -sorry sight. With a slight grimace, he turned and -walked over to examine the magic ship. Peering -down within the center of the wreckage, he saw the -form of another creature, identical to the first except -that this one was hopelessly crushed and apparently -quite dead. He withdrew his gaze quickly -and turned back again to the first being, who still retained -some signs of life.</p> -<p>Kantisepa quickly decided upon a course of action. -He walked forward, stooped down and picked -up the man from beyond the stars and started off -in the direction of the village. He would take him -to the chief medicine man, who, if he could not actually -save the creature’s life, could at least place -him on exhibition for the benefit of his curious -kinsmen.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_53">53</div> -<p>The village was a good six miles away, but the -stalwart Indian on previous occasions had carried -heavier burdens. He would proceed half way to his -destination that night and the remainder on the following -morning. He was forced to move slowly and -to rest often. The hours passed. Finally the sun slid -down to a far corner of the world until only a dazzling -sector of light remained. Kantisepa made camp -just as night dropped its curtain of dusk over the -earth. Near at hand, he could hear the murmur of a -tiny stream, above which a mist arose, spreading out -gradually like a gray protecting shroud above the -natural willow hedges fringing the stream. Presently, -the dew wet the grass. With a mournful, unearthly -cry, a night bird swooped down to the place -where Kantisepa stood, rising again on whirring -wings to the dark vault of the sky.</p> -<p>“It is an ill omen,” he thought, a sudden fear -gripping his heart.</p> -<p>And so through the brooding, interminable hours -he had remained awake. First he had bathed and -dressed the wounds of the strange being, then, wrapping -him in his own blanket to shut out the damp -cool air, he had kept silent vigil. Time crept on, its -movements so slow and wearied that it seemed to him -that day would never come. The tense silence oppressed -him. It throbbed in his ears until the reaction -of any slight sound smote sharply upon him.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_54">54</div> -<p>Morning came at last, heralded by flaming colors -in the east, preceded by a fitful breeze that stirred -the dry grass uneasily at his feet. Kantisepa was -very tired. His body was stiff and sore. When he -picked up the strange being again to resume his journey, -his legs trembled, scarcely supporting him.</p> -<p>Late that morning he stumbled into the Indian -encampment. Like many brown inverted cones were -the dwellings that stood row on row within a narrow, -peaceful valley. Through the center of the village -trickled a brook, which was fed from numerous -small springs bubbling up between broken rocks.</p> -<p>The place slept in a glare of brilliant sunlight. -Dogs lay curled up in the shade of the tepees. Children -played listlessly in the dead grass or waded -knee-deep in the riffles of the brook. Here and there -Kantisepa discerned the squat indolent forms of -women and, farther on, standing at the extreme end -of a willow copse, a single solitary hunter.</p> -<p>Suddenly the village came out of its picturesque -somnolence. A dog barked unexpectedly near at -hand. Magically, the plain became dotted with a -scurrying throng. Men, women and children tumbled -forth from drab tepees. Sharp cries arose. Led by -the most nimble of foot, the entire populace raced -forward to meet the returning hunter. Soon he was -completely surrounded. Inquisitive eyes peered down -at the strange being. Kantisepa was forced to put -down his burden and immediately a babble of voices -arose, continuing until a tall, gaudily-apparelled warrior -pushed his way through to the spot and waved -one arm peremptorily.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_55">55</div> -<p>“Who is this you have brought among us?” he -demanded.</p> -<p>“A strange god from the skies,” Kantisepa answered -proudly. “He came on a ship which sailed -through the clouds, but which met with disaster.”</p> -<p>“Are you sure he will not bring a curse upon us?” -inquired the old warrior.</p> -<p>Kantisepa wiped the perspiration from his face.</p> -<p>“He is without friends and without people,” he -asserted. “A number of his comrades in other magic -ships of the air saw him fall but did not come to his -rescue.”</p> -<p>The chief stooped down and examined the partially -conscious figure.</p> -<p>“He is a young man—a mere stripling youth. Did -he travel alone?”</p> -<p>Kantisepa shook his head.</p> -<p>“No, there was one other with him, who now is -dead.”</p> -<p>With a wave of his arm, the chief dismissed the -jostling crowd and turned again to the hunter.</p> -<p>“You have done well,” he complimented him. -“Raise him up and bring him to my tepee.”</p> -<p>Morning had passed. South the sun swept through -blue unclouded skies. Together Kantisepa and the -chief went forward through a lane of curious natives.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_56">56</div> -<p>“This being is hurt and cannot return to his -people,” said Kantisepa. “His wonder ship of the air -became demolished when it fell from the clouds.”</p> -<p>They entered the tepee where Kantisepa deposited -his burden gently on a soft rabbit-robe, then rose -with a weary gesture and turned again to the headman -of his tribe.</p> -<p>“It is a strange story,” he declared. “Yet it is true. -If you will summon the chief men of the village, this -afternoon I will lead you and them to the magic -ship.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_57">57</div> -<h2 id="c7">CHAPTER VII -<br /><span class="small">RETURNING MEMORY</span></h2> -<p>When Dick sat up he saw the walls of a tepee, the -tall form of an Indian of doubtful age, dressed in -beaded moosehide, and the shadow of still another -figure on his right and a little behind him. Kantisepa’s -ministering effort had not been in vain. The -strange being had recovered consciousness!</p> -<p>As Dick’s mind grew clearer, memory came back -to him. He recalled the flight through the air from -Peace River Crossing. As far as Fort Vermilion -he had travelled with Randall, but there had given -up his place to Sandy and Toma, he himself -entering the plane which was being piloted by -Cliff Stewart, a member of the Edmonton relief -expedition.</p> -<p>From that very moment their trouble had started. -In “taking-off” Stewart had slightly injured his -machine in a collision with a tree. Later there had -been trouble with the motor. Two hundred miles -north of Fort Vermilion, a few minutes before the -final tragedy, Dick had heard a sudden crackling -noise and had seen Stewart’s face turn pale as he had -reached for the controlling levers.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_58">58</div> -<p>Dick shuddered at the memory of that fall from -the skies when the plane became unmanageable. A -terrifying spinning sensation, a horrible rush of air -from below, the cracking and splitting of wood and -steel, culminating in a terrific descent and the lapse -of consciousness.</p> -<p>How he had contrived to escape with his life -seemed more than a miracle. Had Stewart been -equally as fortunate? Who had brought him here? -He looked up into the expressionless eyes of the old -Indian who stood opposite.</p> -<p>“Where am I?” he asked in Cree.</p> -<p>The old chief started. Here indeed was undeniable -evidence of the divinity of this strange being. He -was a god surely. Did he not speak the language -of their tribe, this stranger who had come from -some shadowy land beyond the moon?</p> -<p>“Glorious one, do not fear. You are safe among -friends. I give you my assurance and the assurance -of all my people. We are deeply honored by your -coming.”</p> -<p>“But who brought me here?”</p> -<p>“I did,” the man beside him spoke up unhesitatingly. -“When the magic ship crashed to the earth, -I bore you here in my own arms.”</p> -<p>“And my companion?” trembled Dick.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_59">59</div> -<p>“He is dead.”</p> -<p>For a moment the young man could not speak. -Something choked him. The memory of the valiant -pilot was a particularly poignant one. In one sense -of the word, Stewart had become a martyr in a noble -cause. Like many another fearless flyer he had -engraved his name in blood on the flaming altar of -achievement. It was several minutes before Dick -could trust himself to speak.</p> -<p>“Did the other ships come back to our rescue?”</p> -<p>“No,” answered Kantisepa, “they sailed on -through the heavens and became lost in the mists of -a distant country.”</p> -<p>It was strange, thought Dick. Queer the others -had not seen their fall. But surely by this time they -had discovered the absence of the third plane and -would come back to investigate.</p> -<p>“How long has it been since we fell to the -ground?” Dick inquired of Kantisepa.</p> -<p>“Late yesterday afternoon. This is another day.”</p> -<p>Dick’s heart sank at the information. He had -supposed that only a few hours had passed since the -accident.</p> -<p>“And you saw no sign of the ships returning?” he -persisted. “Are you sure?”</p> -<p>Kantisepa shook his head.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_60">60</div> -<p>“I am sure, my brother. Even if I had not seen -them, had they returned, my ears would have caught -the sound of their coming. Perhaps they have gone -back to the land of your people, the place beyond -the stars.”</p> -<p>For the next ten or fifteen minutes the young -adventurer attempted to make his two companions, -credulous and highly imaginative Indians, understand -that there was nothing in any way magical or -mysterious about those ships of the air; and that -neither he nor his friends were gods from some -vague land beyond the rim of the world, but flesh -and blood men like themselves, men who had come -from Edmonton to bring help and relief to hundreds -of their kinsmen suffering from the plague.</p> -<p>Both Kantisepa and the chief had heard of the -existence of the big city to the south, and the name -“Edmonton” was not unfamiliar to them. But -neither had ever heard, or if they had heard would -have believed that ordinary mortals, even the smartest -of the white race, could fashion boats from wood -and iron that could float through thin air. Finally, -however, when Dick had nearly exhausted his -patience and his vocabulary, he saw that in a measure, -at least, they had begun to credit his story.</p> -<p>“It is very wonderful,” said the chief, “that men -are now able to go floating through the skies. But -tell me, my brother, have not certain of the braver -ones already journeyed to the stars?”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_61">61</div> -<p>“No,” answered Dick. “Thus far no boat has -ever been built which would be strong enough to -undertake such a voyage. Perhaps that will come in -time.”</p> -<p>An interval of silence ensued, broken at length by -the appearance of an Indian squaw, who brought -food and drink and placed it before the young man. -Then, while Dick ate, he talked. He told them of -the smallpox epidemic north of the Mackenzie, of his -adventures in going to Peace River Crossing at the -request of Inspector Cameron of the mounted police, -and subsequently of his ill-fated ride from Fort Vermilion.</p> -<p>“Those ships of the air,” he concluded, “are carrying -medicine to the sick.”</p> -<p>The two Indians appeared to be very much interested, -offering their services in any way that would -be useful in such a cause. The chief said:</p> -<p>“We will give you ponies so that you may proceed -on your journey.”</p> -<p>Dick thanked them. “That is very kind of you.”</p> -<p>He looked up with beaming eyes, then abruptly -his face darkened as a thought occurred to him.</p> -<p>“I must take the body of my friend with me,” -he trembled. “I must start today. The great white -father of the police will be pleased to hear of your -kindness. Perhaps some of your people will be so -good as to accompany me on my journey.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_62">62</div> -<p>The chief advanced and laid a hand benevolently -on the young man’s head. Something closely akin -to a smile lighted the wrinkled, weatherbeaten face.</p> -<p>“I myself,” he announced proudly, “will lead the -expedition which will set out this afternoon for the -Mackenzie River. It is said.”</p> -<p>And with a stiff, formal bow, he turned with -great dignity and strode out of the tepee.</p> -<p>A few minutes later Dick rose and followed Kantisepa -outside. They proceeded to a far end of the -village, where a poplar pole corral had been built. -This corral or compound contained between thirty or -forty Indian ponies. A number of youths had already -entered it, carrying lassos. Following much -shouting and stampeding of hoofs, they soon had a -number of the little beasts saddled and bridled in -preparation for the journey northward.</p> -<p>Kantisepa and Dick stood near the entrance of the -corral, conversing in low tones. It was during this -conversation that Dick learned for the first time that -the place where the plane had crashed to the ground -was not close to the village. This information had -come as a result of his request that he be taken -to the spot.</p> -<p>“Come,” he said to his Indian friend, “we will -walk over there while the young men are packing the -ponies.”</p> -<p>Kantisepa stared at the other in mild disapproval.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_63">63</div> -<p>“Why do you wish to go now?” he asked. “It is -far to walk.”</p> -<p>“How far is it?” asked Dick.</p> -<p>“Six miles,” came the astonishing reply. “Very -soon we will go that way. The magic ship lies broken -in a little meadow that lies straight in the direction -of the noonday sun.”</p> -<p>“And you carried me here all that way?” Dick -asked in amazement.</p> -<p>“Yes, it is so,” Kantisepa answered, the tone of -his voice implying that the achievement was scarcely -worthy of mention.</p> -<p>Dick looked at the stalwart Indian with something -very much like a lump in his throat. He could -see it all plainly now: The shattered airplane, himself -crawling dazedly from the wreckage, only to -sink unconscious in a place where eventually he -would have died, had not this dusky friend come to -his rescue. Impulsively he stepped forward and imprisoned -one of Kantisepa’s long, thin hands in his -own.</p> -<p>“My brother,” his voice quavered, “I have very -much to thank you for, and never shall I forget your -kindness.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_64">64</div> -<p>Not long afterward a young Indian led a pony -over to where Dick and Kantisepa stood and indicated -with a gesture that the beast belonged to -Dick. Immediately behind, came another youth with -a mount for Kantisepa. Soon the cavalcade was -formed. At two o’clock they rode forth in the bright -glare of October sunshine.</p> -<p>As they went forward in the direction of the little -meadow, Dick was conscious of many mixed emotions. -He was glad that they had started out on the -trek to Mackenzie River, yet the thought of approaching -the shattered airplane and taking Stewart’s -crushed body north for burial filled him with many -unhappy thoughts.</p> -<p>On they went through the beauty of a perfect -Indian Summer. The earth was languorous and quiet, -wrapped in a blue haze, made resplendent by the vari-colored -autumn foliage. Kantisepa, who was riding -close beside Dick, presently raised one arm and -pointed ahead to where the trees thinned out to form -a natural meadow.</p> -<p>“We will be there soon,” he announced.</p> -<p>Dick looked, then turned his head away. He hated -the coming ordeal. With difficulty, he steeled himself -for the trying experience of approaching the battered -plane and removing Stewart from the wreckage. In -his weakened, nervous state, he felt unequal to the -task. He rode forward, eyes on the ground, feeling -sick and unhappy.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_65">65</div> -<p>They pushed their way to the edge of the meadow, -when, suddenly as if by a common impulse, the -cavalcade checked itself and a low murmur of excitement, -mixed with fear, ran along its entire length.</p> -<p>Dick supposed that the sight of the broken plane -had been the cause of the momentary delay. However, -when he looked up, he too became excited. A -surge of happiness welled up in him. He leaned over -dazedly and grasped the pommel of his saddle.</p> -<p>Straight ahead, not far from the ruins of the craft -in which he had nearly been killed, stood two gray -airplanes, graceful as birds. They had come back to -rescue him.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_66">66</div> -<h2 id="c8">CHAPTER VIII -<br /><span class="small">THE TOLL OF THE NORTH</span></h2> -<p>Corporal Rand’s bloodshot eyes watched the -bannock baking before the fire. It was a small bannock, -as bannocks go—a few ounces of flour, water -and salt, simmering and bubbling there in the bottom -of the frying pan. Unsupported by as much as a -single pinch of baking powder, this culinary effort -of Rand’s wore an appearance of deep and utter dejection. -Either as a work of art or as an achievement -in cookery the thing was a failure—an unsavory, unappetizing -mess. Yet the corporal regarded it with -elation in his heart. His mouth watered and his -stomach did an acrobatic flip-flop of happy anticipation. -It was a wonderful moment for Rand.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_67">67</div> -<p>Half-starved, almost worn to the bone, in his -desperate effort to make Keechewan Mission before -the final freeze-up, the young policeman was in dire -straits. For several days now he had subsisted -chiefly on the dry and withered berries of saskatoon, -with an occasional small morsel of bird meat. For -hundreds of miles he had trekked along in worn -moccasins, flapping miserably about his ankles, the -bare soles of his feet pattering monotonously over a -rough, difficult, uncertain trail.</p> -<p>Since leaving Mackenzie River barracks one disaster -had followed another. First, he had lost his horse -and rifle in attempting to ford a difficult river. Three -days later, while he slept, there had come in the night -a soft-footed Indian prowler who had, without compunction, -stolen his only pair of service boots, his -shoulder-pack and his revolver.</p> -<p>He had been placed in a terrible predicament. -Barefooted, hungry, an unabating rage in his heart, -he had struggled on for a distance of nearly twenty -miles before luck favored him to the extent of directing -him to an Indian encampment, where he ate his -first full meal in many days and where, after many -threats and much patient dickering, he had been able -to purchase a pair of moosehide moccasins.</p> -<p>A few days following this fortunate meeting, he -had been reduced almost to his previous condition -of want and suffering. Then the tables had turned -again. Not more than an hour ago a great good fortune -had befallen him.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_68">68</div> -<p>He had come down into a little valley between two -hills; hobbling down on tortured feet to a sizeable -grove of poplar and jack-pine. Half-cursing, half-moaning -to himself, he had crossed a low ravine, -then scrambled up in the mellow afternoon sunlight -to the edge of a small natural clearing. His incurious -gaze swept the view before him. For a moment he -paused, leaning somewhat dizzily against a small -sapling before continuing his course southward to -the Wapiti River, where he had planned to camp for -the night.</p> -<p>In the short space of time in which he stood there, -shaking with fatigue, there impressed itself presently -upon his vision an object of unusual interest. -It was the small stump of a tree—an ancient, -weather-beaten stump, probably not more than eight -or ten inches in diameter. As Rand looked at it, a -half-hearted wonderment stole over him, then a sudden -quickening of the heart. Here before him was a -man-made stump, the first he had seen in the last two -hundred miles of steady travelling through the wilderness.</p> -<p>Someone, perhaps a long time ago, had felled a -tree here. The corporal could easily make out the -imprint of an ax. And looking farther he had found -other stumps, upon which trees had once rested—about -thirty of them in all—standing there old and -rotten at the heart, like so many dreary sentinels in -an unsightly garden of desolation.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_69">69</div> -<p>Suddenly Rand gave vent to a sharp, quick cry of -excitement. In spite of the fact that his feet hurt -him almost beyond endurance, he went forward at a -run, racing over the thick dry grass. The trees had -been cut down for a purpose, as he had surmised. -He could see the cabin now, faintly showing through -the screen of underbrush on the opposite side of the -clearing.</p> -<p>But his heart fell as he came closer to the cabin. -A sickening wave of disgust and disappointment -swept over him. He could see plainly that no one -lived there. The door, partially open, hung loosely -on broken hinges, while across the threshold, the -grass had woven a tangled mat which encroached -a full twelve inches into the dark interior.</p> -<p>Years had passed probably since a human foot -had stepped within that cabin. In its present untenanted, -dilapidated state it had very little to offer to -a man whose stomach gnawed with the irrepressible -pangs of hunger. In a fit of sudden despair, he stood -and regarded it darkly.</p> -<p>Nevertheless, he strode through the doorway, for -no apparent reason that he could imagine, unless it -was to satisfy a somewhat morbid curiosity as to -what he would find within. In the dim light of the -single room, he moved cautiously forward, peering -about him with half-frightened eyes. His feet stirred -up a choking dust. There was a smell about the -place he did not like. It rose to his nostrils—a faintly -sickening odor of decayed plants.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_70">70</div> -<p>A crudely constructed cupboard at one side of the -room attracted his attention. He walked over and -examined it. The lower shelf contained nothing of -interest: a few black, dirty pots, covered with rust. -On the second shelf there was a miscellaneous assortment -of knives and forks, a small hammer with one -of the claws broken, two enamelled plates, chipped -badly, but otherwise in fair condition.</p> -<p>The policeman found it necessary to rise on tiptoes -in order to reach the third shelf at all; but after -a good deal of fumbling and groping about, his hand -came in contact with a round object, which he lifted -down for better inspection.</p> -<p>The weight of the thing, about six or seven -pounds, indicated that it was not entirely empty. It -was round and cylindrical in shape and was fitted on -the top with an air-tight cover. Rand’s face became -damp with moisture as he turned the vessel slowly -around in his hands. He shook it several times, listening -to the dull thud inside. Then, with a quick -in-taking of breath, he placed it hurriedly on the -floor and attempted to pry off the lid.</p> -<p>Several minutes later—for the cover was rusted -down—he straightened up, gibbering inanely. His -eyes were bright with the joy of his discovery. He -laughed loudly, gleefully—a hint of madness in his -laugh. He stooped forward again, ramming one hand -into the cool, white substance. For one delicious moment -he pawed around in it.</p> -<p>“Flour! Flour!” he gloated. “This is lucky!”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_71">71</div> -<p>And so he ate the bannock with thankfulness in -his heart. He had used very little of the flour. With -careful rationing, it would still last him a long time—perhaps -even to Keechewan Mission.</p> -<p>He sat now, staring into the fire, vaguely wondering -what the morrow would bring forth. He was in -a much happier frame of mind than he had been -for many days. Things looked brighter somehow—after -that bannock. In the morning he would build -a raft and cross the Wapiti. After that there would -be fairly smooth and open country until he came to -the Little Moose. More trouble there. A day or -two crossing the divide—then Keechewan Mission -less than thirty miles away.</p> -<p>A short time later, Rand stirred himself and -hobbled down to the river. He would bathe his aching -feet in ice-cold water before turning in. They -were in terrible condition and required immediate -attention. If only he could get the pain and fever -out of them. Tomorrow morning he would tear up -his shirt and make soft cushions to wear inside his -moccasins.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_72">72</div> -<p>For several minutes he sat, dangling his feet in -the glistening, gurgling flood of the turbulent Wapiti. -It was so dark now that he could scarcely see. It -was chilly sitting there on the rock with a north -wind whipping across his face and the water, like ice, -around his ankles. Much as he hated to admit it, the -weather was not promising. In fact, there was an -indefinable something in the air, a vague, mysterious -portent that caused him to shiver with apprehension.</p> -<p>Suddenly, above the sound of the river and the -moaning of the wind, startled and alert, Rand heard -a splashing out in mid-stream. A moose or caribou, -was his first thought. Too bad he didn’t have a gun. -In his half-famished state a moose-steak now -would be his salvation.</p> -<p>A human voice carried across the water. Another -voice. Rand could not credit his senses. He rose, -forgetting about his bare feet, and strained his eyes -until they hurt in the hope that he might be able to -see something. He was all atremble. It was dark -out there, dark as black midnight. The water rippled -and the wind moaned in the pines. Surely he -was mistaken about those voices. He couldn’t hear a -thing now—not even a splash.</p> -<p>“Pull out! You’re gettin’ too close tuh shore,” -warned a voice, deep and resonant.</p> -<p>There was no mistaking it this time. Rand’s heart -leaped. In the tremendous excitement of the moment -he forgot himself completely. Like one daft, he -sprang from the rock and raced wildly along the -shore, cutting his already bruised and battered feet. -He screeched at the top of his voice—one long and -prolonged screech that shattered the silence.</p> -<p>“Yip! Yih!” shouted Rand, waving his arms.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_73">73</div> -<p>“Did you hear that?”—from the river.</p> -<p>“Look out! Look out! You plagued fool. Look -out! Now you’ve done it. There!——”</p> -<p>A frenzied splashing of oars, another warning -shout—a crash! It was the crumpling impact of -wood against rock that Rand heard, followed by the -shrieks of two men in mortal terror. Experienced in -such matters, he sensed immediately what had occurred. -Sweeping down the swift, treacherous current, -the boat had veered in too close to shore, had -struck a rock and had overturned. The men were in -the water. His fault entirely. That foolish screech——</p> -<p>Shouting out his encouragement, the corporal -waded out into the stream and, without a moment’s -hesitation, dove forward and commenced swimming -to their rescue.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_74">74</div> -<h2 id="c9">CHAPTER IX -<br /><span class="small">CAMERON FEELS THE STRAIN</span></h2> -<p>The advance guard of the Edmonton relief expedition -arrived at Mackenzie River two days late. -Included among its personnel were Dick Kent, Sandy -and Toma and two medical men, Drs. Brady and -Mattinson. Joy over the safe arrival of the -party was shadowed by the news of the destruction -of one of the planes and the death of Stewart, -the aviator.</p> -<p>Inspector Cameron began at once to plan two -separate itineraries into the stricken areas. One of -the physicians, it was decided, would be sent immediately -to the country north of the Mackenzie, from -whence Davis had brought first word of the -epidemic. Another party was instructed to proceed -north and east toward the barren lands, over the -selfsame route Corporal Rand had but recently taken.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_75">75</div> -<p>It was while these preparations were being carried -out that the three boys, Dick, Sandy and Toma, were -called into the presence of the mounted police official. -Caps in hand, feeling awkward and ill at ease, they -listened to the grave and somewhat impatient voice -of the inspector.</p> -<p>“Can’t tell you how pleased I am. Splendid! -You’ve done well. Want to thank each one of you. -Suppose you think you’re going home now.”</p> -<p>The assertion seemed to require an answer. Sandy -twisted his cap into a knot, smiled, cleared his throat -and assumed the part of spokesman.</p> -<p>“Yes, sir. We are under that impression.”</p> -<p>Cameron scowled, running his fingers through his -rumpled hair.</p> -<p>“Not a bit of it! You’re not! Might as well -disillusion you right now. You’re to undertake another -errand, equally as important and dangerous.”</p> -<p>“What is it?” asked Dick.</p> -<p>“You’re to lead the way to the barren lands. Escort -to Doctor Brady.”</p> -<p>The boys exchanged furtive glances. Cameron -continued:</p> -<p>“Dick, I’m placing you in charge. You’re the -oldest. Sandy and Toma will be your lieutenants. -This expedition must not fail. Nothing must happen -to it. I’ll hold you all responsible.”</p> -<p>“Yes, sir,” trembled Dick. “But how do we get -there?”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_76">76</div> -<p>“There’s no trail. I’ll try and find a guide for you. -You proceed northeast, cross the Wapiti, the Little -Moose, pass over a height of land known as ‘The -Divide,’ enter the barren lands and thus eventually -come to the Keechewan Mission, an important Catholic -missionary center. It’s a hard trip and you’ll -never forget it.”</p> -<p>“Are there many people at this mission?” inquired -Sandy.</p> -<p>“Yes, there’s a sort of village there—a mission-village: -flour mill, schools, hospital and the like. -There are always several large Indian encampments -close by. The plague has found its way there. Scores -have died. As far as I know, no other section of the -country is in such dire straits.”</p> -<p>The inspector paused, scowling again and for a -moment seemed to have forgotten that he was not -alone.</p> -<p>“The epidemic is bad enough,” he resumed, “but -to add to the horror of the situation, a revolt has -taken place among the Indians. I’ve been compelled -to send Corporal Rand up there. You will follow -but I doubt if you will overtake him. He’s travelling -light, while you will have medicine, supplies, -mail——”</p> -<p>“Mail!” interrupted Dick in surprise.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_77">77</div> -<p>“Yes, mail. All of the mail for the Keechewan -Mission comes here and is forwarded, usually -through the efforts of the R. N. W. M. P. There -will be three large sacks, including one packet of -registered letters. Are you willing to undertake this -responsibility?”</p> -<p>The boys were a little confused and shy. For a -time no one spoke.</p> -<p>“I asked you a question,” persisted the inspector. -“Do you or do you not want to take the mail?”</p> -<p>“Yes, sir,” said Dick hurriedly, “we’ll be glad -to.”</p> -<p>“All right. Then that’s settled. I’ve given you an -idea of the route. Anything you wish to know?”</p> -<p>“It will be necessary to supply us with some sort of -transport,” Dick reminded him. “Would you suggest -ponies?”</p> -<p>Inspector Cameron smiled.</p> -<p>“I might suggest ponies did I not know the North -as well as I do. The season is growing late. It is -now the last week in October. The weather has been -wonderful—unusual, but we’re due for a change almost -any day now. You’ll have to take both ponies -and dogs. Just as soon as the first snowstorm comes, -you can turn the ponies loose and proceed with the -huskies.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_78">78</div> -<p>A short discussion then took place. Dick could see -that the inspector was very anxious to have them -start as soon as possible. For the past few weeks the -police head had had much to worry him. That was -evident. Deep lines showed in his forehead. At -times he was subject to fits of brooding, although the -safe arrival of the Edmonton party had considerably -cheered him.</p> -<p>Burdened with so many responsibilities, Cameron -revealed his state of mind from time to time, either -by his expression or by some chance word he let fall. -Naturally, the boys supposed that the inspector’s -chief worry had to do with the epidemic. They did -not know that one of the things that caused the -grizzled veteran of police many hours of apprehension -and nights of wakeful, intolerable anxiety was -Corporal Rand’s hazardous undertaking. He feared -for his subordinate’s safety. The corporal had not -been vaccinated. He had been sent to a district which -festered with the plague.</p> -<p>“Rand has gone up ahead of you,” he told the -boys. “When you arrive at the mission, the first -thing I want you to do is to look him up. Doctor -Brady has my instructions. He’ll vaccinate the corporal -if—if——”</p> -<p>He broke off suddenly and his eyes sought his -desk. Absently he picked up a letter-file and ran -through it. Dick observed that his fingers were -trembling.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_79">79</div> -<p>“If it isn’t too late, Dr. Brady will vaccinate him,” -he resumed more calmly. “The thought of his being -up there troubles me. Shouldn’t have gone in the -first place. Matter of fact, he went against my -wishes. Hardly in physical shape. Weak. Been -sick a long time with pneumonia. I don’t like it.”</p> -<p>Again the police chief became absorbed in his -thoughts. The boys stood undecided, then turned and -left the room. Outside, where they would not be -overheard, Sandy broke forth:</p> -<p>“Never saw him just like that before. I’d say he’s -losing his grip, Dick. Acts queer, doesn’t he?”</p> -<p>“I don’t wonder at it,” Dick came staunchly to -the inspector’s rescue. “You must admit his position -has been trying enough of late. If I’d been in his -place, I’d be a mental wreck by this time.”</p> -<p>Soon after the subject was forgotten in the hurry -and interest of their departure. All three had been -sent to Dr. Brady and were vaccinated. At three -o’clock that same afternoon the cavalcade set out. -An Indian guide, who professed to know every foot -of the route, had been added to their train at the last -moment by Inspector Cameron.</p> -<p>“I’m not altogether sure about this man,” he had -told Dick in strict confidence. “Seems intelligent -enough, and I’m sure he’s been over the route many -times. My only objection to him is his appearance. -But one can’t condemn a man on that score. He’ll -probably prove invaluable to you.”</p> -<p>Dick glanced at the new recruit and pursed his -lips.</p> -<p>“Did he volunteer for this service?” he asked.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_80">80</div> -<p>“Yes. Seemed anxious to go. Didn’t even want -pay for his services. Rather unusual, isn’t it?”</p> -<p>“Perhaps he has relatives or friends at Keechewan -he’s been worrying about,” surmised Dick.</p> -<p>“Of course, that may explain it. Still, I can’t say -I like his looks. You’d better watch him.”</p> -<p>“I’ll be on my guard,” laughed Dick as he leaned -over in his saddle to shake hands. “I’ll do my very -best, inspector.”</p> -<p>“I know you will. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have -sent you.”</p> -<p>The grim mouth relaxed into a faint smile. Cameron -reached up and gripped Dick’s hand.</p> -<p>“Good-bye,” he said simply.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_81">81</div> -<h2 id="c10">CHAPTER X -<br /><span class="small">THE MUTINEER</span></h2> -<p>Three days out from the mounted police detachment -the weather grew suddenly cold and the first -snow fell. Without preliminary warning, winter had -come. It swept down from the north, a mad trumpeter -blowing his blast at the head of a vengeful, icy -column. On the morning of the second day after -the storm six inches of snow covered the earth.</p> -<p>Dick’s first act was to remove the packs from the -ponies and place them on the dog sleighs. This task -took less than an hour. With the malemute and -husky teams transporting their supplies, they pushed -on, discovering that, despite the cold, they now made -better progress. Dick drove the mail sledge, while -Sandy and Toma had charge of the team which conveyed -most of the medicine, not to mention the -worthy and genial Dr. Brady himself.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_82">82</div> -<p>Brady was popular with everyone. Always in good -spirits, he became known for his wit and humor. Although -considerably past middle age, he had never -contrived to outgrow the young man’s viewpoint. He -felt like a boy again. He talked and laughed and -played pranks like a boy. To him this incursion into -a vast wilderness region was an experience long to -be remembered. He insisted upon doing a share of -the work, soon learned to drive a dog team and often -took his turn in breaking trail.</p> -<p>For the most part, cloudy weather prevailed, with -an occasional light snowfall. The country was new -to Dick and he was compelled to leave the charting -of their route to the guide who had joined their -party just previous to their departure.</p> -<p>The guide’s name was Martin Lamont. He was -probably of French extraction, although he claimed -to be a full-blood Indian. For a native, his skin was -too light, his cheekbones too low, and, what was -most incredible of all, his dark hair was curly. His -nose was large and unsightly, while his lips were -thin—thin and bloodless. A slight cast in one hawk’s -eye gave him a peculiar squint.</p> -<p>“He can’t help being so murderous-looking, I -don’t suppose,” Sandy declared one morning. “Just -the same, that eye of his chills me to the bone whenever -he looks my way. And did you ever notice, -Dick, that horrible scar on his left cheek?”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_83">83</div> -<p>“Yes,” Dick replied, “I’ve noticed it. But I think -I could endure his looks if only he had a more pleasant -disposition. He seldom talks. When he does, it’s -usually a grunt or a snarl. A while ago he acted -queerly when I asked him to relieve one of the -drivers, who was breaking trail.”</p> -<p>Dr. Brady was walking right behind the two boys -and evidently had been listening to their conversation, -for, at this juncture, he suddenly broke forth:</p> -<p>“He did act queerly—only I think I’d call it defiant. -There was a mutinous look in that squint eye -of his.”</p> -<p>“It was unprovoked,” said Dick, a little bitterly. -“I asked him in a friendly way. It’s only fair that -we should all take turn in breaking trail. He’s the -only one that seems to object.”</p> -<p>“But what did he say?” Sandy demanded impatiently.</p> -<p>“Nothing,” answered Dick. “Merely muttered -something under his breath, glared at me, then -walked back behind the last team. He’s sulking there -now.”</p> -<p>“I can’t understand it,” Sandy wagged his head. -“He volunteered his services and yet doesn’t want -to do his part. What would you say is wrong with -him, doctor?”</p> -<p>“Haven’t properly diagnosed his case yet,” grinned -Brady, “although his symptoms indicate a very -serious condition. Offhand, I’d say that he required -immediate treatment.”</p> -<p>“He may get it,” Dick hinted darkly.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_84">84</div> -<p>Sandy laughed. “Places you in a kind of bad position, -doesn’t it, old chap? First thing you know, -you’ll lose face with the rest of this outfit. That -Nitchie is setting a mighty bad example.”</p> -<p>“Exactly what I think,” appended Brady. “You’re -in charge here, aren’t you, Dick?”</p> -<p>“Yes,” Dick nodded. “Worse luck. If it comes -to a show-down of course, I’ll have the police behind -me. Still, I hate trouble. Sometimes I think I’ll let -Mr. Lamont have his own way, and again I feel that -to do that will only breed discontent among the -others.”</p> -<p>Dick turned and looked up into the physician’s -face.</p> -<p>“You’re older than I am, doctor. What would you -suggest?”</p> -<p>Dr. Brady’s brow puckered.</p> -<p>“I’m sure I don’t know. I hate to advise you, my -boy. You might be inclined to follow it.”</p> -<p>“Out with it,” Dick laughed. “You’re putting me -off. What would you do if you were in my place?”</p> -<p>“I don’t like him,” said Dr. Brady, “and I never -did. I’ve been watching him ever since we left -Mackenzie. His actions are suspicious. His disposition -is unbearable. He’s a hard and dirty customer. -In spite of which—if I were in your place—I think -I’d have it out with him. But if you do, I’m afraid -there’ll be trouble.”</p> -<p>“You mean he’ll fight?”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_85">85</div> -<p>“Yes, but not openly. He isn’t that type. He’ll -wait his chance to get even. It’s hard to say what -he’d do.”</p> -<p>For a time they walked on in silence. Then Dick -stepped out to one side of the trail, a grim look on -his face.</p> -<p>“Well, we’ll soon find out. I’m going back there -now.”</p> -<p>Sandy’s eyes opened wide and his gaze followed -his chum as he walked back to the end of the line. -Brady chuckled. The driver of the team behind -turned his head and grinned.</p> -<p>Lamont’s squint eye gleamed balefully as Dick -approached. Probably the man knew why Dick had -come, sensed the other’s motive.</p> -<p>“A little while ago,” Dick spoke calmly, “I asked -you in a nice way if you wouldn’t help out in breaking -trail. Why didn’t you go, Martin?”</p> -<p>“Don’ want to go,” grunted the miscreant.</p> -<p>“Why not?”</p> -<p>“What you think,” screeched Lamont, now in a -flaming temper, “me be guide an’ do all the work -too? I tell him Mr. Police Inspector I go show you -the way. That’s all. No work! No break ’em -trail! Nothing! Me big fool if I go break ’em trail -like you say.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_86">86</div> -<p>“No doubt,” said Dick, endeavoring to control -himself. “Just the same, I think you’ll go. All day -yesterday you rode on one of the sleighs. You didn’t -walk a mile. Is that fair?”</p> -<p>“Sure,” the other answered maliciously. “Me -guide here. That’s all I do.”</p> -<p>“And I happen to be boss here with instructions -from the man who hired you. Either you’ll do your -share of the work or you’ll leave this party. Come -now, which is it?”</p> -<p>“Me guide here,” reiterated Lamont. “Sorry you -no like it, but I no break trail.”</p> -<p>Dick was in a quandary. He was angry, yet also -was he nonplused. He had never encountered a situation -like this. He wasn’t quite sure how to proceed. -He wished he had Brady at his side to advise -him. He was treading on ticklish ground.</p> -<p>“All right, you’ll have to leave the party, Lamont, -you understand that.”</p> -<p>Martin grinned across at him, a malevolent, maddening -grin. It carried a challenge. Dick’s hand -fluttered toward the butt of his revolver, but he -caught himself in time.</p> -<p>“Lamont, I’m not fooling. I mean what I say. -You’re leaving this party tonight when we make -camp. I’ll give you enough rations to take you back -to the Mackenzie.”</p> -<p>The guide’s eyes narrowed to two mere slits. -There was something venomous, snake-like in his -stare.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_87">87</div> -<p>“I no go back to the Mackenzie,” he retorted -quickly. “I go where I wish. That place I go is -Keechewan Mission. How you think you stop me -go there?”</p> -<p>“Go there, if you like, but you’ll not go with us.”</p> -<p>“Mebbe not,” said Lamont stubbornly. “We see -about that.”</p> -<p>Dick left the man and hurried back to the head -of the column. His face was grim and set as he -rejoined Sandy and Dr. Brady. An angry flush had -mounted to his cheeks. His fists were clenched so -hard that the nails dug into the palms of his hands.</p> -<p>“Well,” said Sandy, his voice lowered and anxious, -“what did he say? What is he going to do?”</p> -<p>Dick could not trust himself to speak. Rage had -overcome him.</p> -<p>“I’ll show him! I’ll show him!” the words kept -singing through his brain. “I’ll show him!” rang -on the vengeful chant. “He’ll not make a fool of -me. Guide—paugh! I’ll show him!”</p> -<p>Then, happening to glance up, he saw that Dr. -Brady was looking at him—looking at him with -friendly and yet appraising eyes. And in that moment -he felt somehow that his measure was being -taken by that genial but worldly-wise physician.</p> -<p>“He provoked me,” said Dick by way of apology. -“Lost my temper. He refuses to break trail, to -work—to do anything at all except just loaf around -and point out the way to Keechewan Mission.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_88">88</div> -<p>“And what did you say to that?”</p> -<p>“I told him that I didn’t propose to put up with -it. I said that he’d have to go. Tonight, when we -make camp, I’ll give him rations, send him on his -way. He’s through.”</p> -<p>“I don’t blame you. I think you’re doing the right -thing,” declared Dr. Brady. “We’ll be better off -without him.”</p> -<p>“I wish I could believe that,” Sandy suddenly interjected. -“You say we’re better off without him—but -are we? When he leaves us, who’ll show us -the way? Lamont is the only member of this party -who has been to Keechewan. There’s no trail. We -can wander miles off our course, get ourselves into -all sorts of difficulties and dangers—freeze and -starve and heaven knows what. The Barrens is a -horrible place in winter, a death-trap if you don’t -know it. My Uncle Walter has been there and he -told me about it. It makes me shiver to think about -it. Well named the Barren Lands. An eternity of -snow and utter desolation. You simply travel on -and on and on—and get nowhere. Twenty years -from now some wandering Eskimo will kick your -bleached skeleton out of his path.”</p> -<p>“Can’t help it,” said Dick stubbornly. “That man -goes.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_89">89</div> -<p>“You’re in charge here, of course. I know it’s -hard to put up with his insolence and his bad example, -still——”</p> -<p>“Yes,” said Dr. Brady, who had become very -much interested in Sandy’s point of view, “tell us -the rest of it. I’m very anxious to hear.”</p> -<p>“There’s nothing more to tell,” confessed the -young Scotchman. “I’m merely asking Dick to think -this thing over very carefully before he comes to a -decision. Even if we don’t get lost without a guide, -we’re certain to be delayed. You know what that -means?”</p> -<p>“Delays mean human lives. Is that it? Is that -what you’re thinking?”</p> -<p>“Yes. Inspector Cameron wants us to get through -to Keechewan as quickly as possible. It’s important. -It’s imperative. What if we do have to humor Lamont? -Better to let him ride every foot of the way -and lord it over us than let all those poor devils die -without a chance.”</p> -<p>“Sandy,” declared Dick—and his voice caught—“you’ve -won me over. If I dismissed Lamont now -I’d—I’d have blood on my hands.”</p> -<p>Dr. Brady did not speak for a moment His face -was grave and thoughtful.</p> -<p>“What do you think about it?” Dick asked.</p> -<p>“A peculiar situation,” finally admitted Brady. -“Lamont ought to be punished, of course. He’s a -miserable bounder, to say the least. But——”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_90">90</div> -<p>“Sandy’s logic and good sense has convinced you -too.”</p> -<p>“Exactly.”</p> -<p>“We’ll have to keep that guide no matter what -happens,”</p> -<p>“We’ll have to keep him,” said the doctor.</p> -<p>“Even if I’m compelled to apologize to him,” -grimaced Dick, “and cook his meals and wait on him -hand and foot, we’ll have to keep him.”</p> -<p>“There’s no other way. You can punish him when -you get to Keechewan, of course. I’d suggest turning -him over to the policeman up there, your Corporal -Rand.”</p> -<p>Silence settled down again, broken only by the -cracking of whips and the sharp cries of the dog -drivers. The afternoon slowly wore on. An overcast -sky brought the darkness early. Yet they pushed on -for nearly an hour through the gloom before Dick -gave orders to halt and make camp.</p> -<p>“We’ve made a record today,” exulted Sandy, as -he came forward to assist Dick in unharnessing the -malemutes from the mail-sledge. “We must have -come nearly forty miles. With a good snow-crust, -we’ll do even better than that.”</p> -<p>Dick was about to answer, when he became aware -of a form emerging from the dark. A familiar -voice accosted him:</p> -<p>“Is that you, Dick?”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_91">91</div> -<p>“You bet! Why hello, Toma. Where’s your -team?”</p> -<p>“I get ’em off harness already. Feed ’em fish. -Bye-’n’-bye they crawl in snowdrift an’ go to sleep.”</p> -<p>“Tired enough to do that myself,” declared Sandy. -Toma came closer. He took Dick’s arm.</p> -<p>“You know that fellow, Lamont,” he began -eagerly.</p> -<p>“Yes, yes,” said Dick. “What’s he done now?”</p> -<p>“He tell ’em me to give you this,” answered Toma, -placing something in Dick’s hand.</p> -<p>A small, flat object of some flexible material, -which felt like leather. Dick fumbled in his pockets -for a match and struck it. The sudden tiny glare -revealed nothing more than a piece of birch bark, -blank on one side, a pencilled scrawl on the other. -Presently, with the help of another match, he made -out two words wholly unintelligible: “god by.”</p> -<p>“God by,” asked Dick perplexedly. “What does -that mean?”</p> -<p>“It means,” answered the quick-witted Sandy in -a voice that was unusually calm, “that Lamont has -left us. Can’t you see? Gone!”</p> -<p>“But this thing—these words, I mean—what——”</p> -<p>“He couldn’t spell. It’s ‘good-bye.’ He’s gone, -I tell you.”</p> -<p>Bewildered, weary, disheartened, Dick stared miserably -out into the enveloping darkness.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_92">92</div> -<h2 id="c11">CHAPTER XI -<br /><span class="small">PHANTOMS OF THE STORM</span></h2> -<p>Long before the camp was astir on the following -morning, Dick rose shivering, dressed, and made his -way to Dr. Brady’s tent. Lamont’s departure had -completely upset him. He could think of nothing -else. Through the long night he had lain awake -thinking unpleasant thoughts, upbraiding himself for -his lack of diplomacy and negligence. To a certain -extent he and he alone was responsible for the calamity. -He had asked Lamont to leave the party and -the guide had gone. Now he bitterly regretted the -incident. He had been a fool—rash, hasty, unthinking. -He had jeopardized the lives, not only of his -own party, but, worse still, the lives of scores of -others residing in the districts affected by the plague.</p> -<p>Hurrying along through the chill of early dawn, -it occurred to him that there might still be some -way out of the difficulty. Dr. Brady, who had not -yet been informed of the guide’s departure, might be -able to suggest something. He entered the physician’s -tent and proceeded to wake its occupant. -Brady sat up, for a moment stared dully about him.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_93">93</div> -<p>“Well! Well! So it’s you, after all. When I -first opened my eyes here in the darkness and felt -you tugging at my arm, I was sure that my time -had come. ‘Indians,’ I thought. ‘Brady, you’re -about to be scalped.’ Then I remembered that I -am bald-headed. They couldn’t scalp me but——”</p> -<p>“I’m in trouble, doctor,” said Dick, Brady’s jocularity -failing to draw even a smile from him. “Lamont -left us last night.”</p> -<p>The other whistled—a habit he had when surprised -or excited.</p> -<p>“What! You don’t say!” the doctor brushed one -hand hurriedly across his suddenly furrowed brow, -staring straight at his informer. Then:</p> -<p>“So you had trouble with him after all? Was -there a fight?”</p> -<p>“No; nothing like that. I hadn’t even talked to -him except that once. He left just when we made -camp last night. Sent me a sort of message on a -piece of birch bark. I would have given you the -news before you turned in last night if Toma and -I hadn’t gone back on the trail to see if we couldn’t -find the place where he’d struck off across country.”</p> -<p>“Strange, isn’t it?” as he spoke, Brady arose, pulling -a blanket around him. “Too bad! Too bad! No -wonder you’re worried, my boy. Did you sleep any -last night?”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_94">94</div> -<p>“Not much,” admitted Dick. “You can imagine -how I feel. It’s all my fault. I really told him to go. -It places us in a terrible position, doctor. I’m not -sure whether we can find our way to Keechewan Mission -or not.”</p> -<p>“We can try,” said Brady. “That, at least, is a -comforting thought.”</p> -<p>Dick removed his mittens in order to light a candle. -It was very cold inside the tent. Their breath -was like vapor.</p> -<p>“I have a plan,” Dick informed the physician. -“At first, when I heard that Lamont had left us, it -didn’t occur to me. It may be a worthless plan. I’d -like your opinion on it. One reason why I came over -here so early.”</p> -<p>“What is this plan?” asked Brady.</p> -<p>“To send Toma out to overtake and bring the -guide back.”</p> -<p>“What! By force?”</p> -<p>Apparently Brady hadn’t thought of that. He -frowned as he began pulling on his clothes.</p> -<p>“Yes, if necessary, bring him back at the point -of a gun. Force him to guide us whether he wants -to or not.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_95">95</div> -<p>“I’m a little in doubt as to the wisdom of that. -Toma may be able to overtake Lamont and compel -him to return. But what guarantee will you have -that he’ll guide us correctly? Don’t you think that -there is the danger that in revenge he’ll take us way -out of our course entirely, lead us afield? That -would be disastrous.”</p> -<p>“He wouldn’t dare. His life would be forfeit. -I’ll attend to that,” said the young man grimly.</p> -<p>“Well, at any rate, it’s worth trying. But why -don’t you go after him yourself, Dick? Do you -think this young Indian will be as apt to find him -as you will?”</p> -<p>“Yes, more apt to. You don’t know Toma. He’s -a jewel. Clever tracker and all that. Courage like -a panther. He’d succeed where I’d fail.”</p> -<p>“I call that a compliment.”</p> -<p>“It is a compliment. He’s wonderful.”</p> -<p>Brady completed dressing.</p> -<p>“Is there anything that I can do to help?”</p> -<p>“Yes, if you will. You might waken the dog -mushers and see that breakfast is started while I -go over and consult with Toma.”</p> -<p>“I suppose we’ll have to remain in camp here until -your friend returns. The delay will be provoking -but of course it can’t be helped.”</p> -<p>“I had planned to have the party go on the same -as usual,” said Dick. “You see, doctor, time is -precious. We can’t afford to lose a minute. Toma -will have to take his chance. He knows the general -direction in which we are travelling and can easily -pick up our tracks.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_96">96</div> -<p>Dr. Brady and Dick separated just outside the -tent. The wind sent a swirl of snow about their -ankles. Already a few of the malemutes could be -seen emerging from their snowy dens or standing, -gaunt and motionless with raised muzzles, sniffing -the frosty air.</p> -<p>Toma was not only awake but had already left -his sleeping quarters and, when Dick found him, -was squatting Indian fashion in front of a roaring -spruce fire, drinking a hot cup of tea. At sight of -his chum, he put down the cup, his face lighting with -a smile.</p> -<p>“You up so quick,” he greeted him. “I thought -mebbe I only one.”</p> -<p>With a sidewise movement of his head, Toma -indicated to Dick that he should sit down beside -him.</p> -<p>“You drink ’em tea. Make you feel good.”</p> -<p>“No, not now, Toma. I’ll have breakfast later. -I’ve come to see you about—about Lamont.”</p> -<p>The quiet eyes surveyed Dick curiously.</p> -<p>“I thought that right away when I first see you. -You no like it about Lamont run away?”</p> -<p>“You’ve struck it. I don’t. But it was partly my -fault that he left, Toma. I’ve been wondering what -we’ll do without a guide.”</p> -<p>“We get along all right mebbe.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_97">97</div> -<p>“I hate to risk it,” said Dick. “I wish Lamont -was here. He’s lazy and worthless in lots of ways -but he knows the trail. Will you go out and bring -him back, Toma?”</p> -<p>The Indian lad blinked, stared at his chum unbelievingly. -Surely he didn’t mean that. Go after -Lamont? Why the man wasn’t worth his salt. He -broke the silence with a sudden jarring laugh.</p> -<p>“No. I’m in earnest,” Dick hastened to reassure -the other. “I really want you to go, Toma. Find -him and make him come back. You can take your -gun. You must be very careful. While you’re out -there after him, we’ll go on. You can follow and -overtake us later.”</p> -<p>The Indian rose deliberately to his feet. His eyes -were sparkling now in his eagerness. No need to -tell Dick that he would meet his wishes, would be -glad of the chance for this adventure.</p> -<p>“And you won’t be afraid?” Dick asked.</p> -<p>Toma grunted disdainfully, lifting his shoulders -in a gesture that implied scorn at the mere suggestion.</p> -<p>“I start right away,” he informed his friend. -“Mebbe you be surprised how soon I bring him back. -Him lazy fellow. Not go very far before he stop -an’ rest.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_98">98</div> -<p>“That’s the spirit. I know you’ll succeed, Toma.” -Dick rose and placed one arm affectionately about -the broad shoulders, a great weight lifted from his -mind.</p> -<p>“I be gone in a few minutes. You say good-bye -Sandy.”</p> -<p>“All right. Lots of luck, odd chap. Don’t get -into any trouble. If I were you, I wouldn’t take -any chances with Lamont either. If I’m not mistaken, -he’s more treacherous than a wolf. You’ll -have to watch him.”</p> -<p>“I be careful—don’t you worry. Good-bye.”</p> -<p>And not long afterward the young Indian stole -silently forth on his dangerous errand. Expert in -the use of snowshoes, he seemed to glide away, his -queer shuffling motion taking him quickly across the -open space to a clump of trees beyond. When Dick -had joined Dr. Brady and Sandy and the little group -around the campfire, he had disappeared.</p> -<p>“Hope he’s successful,” Sandy sighed, picking up -another armful of wood to throw on the fire. -“You’ve shown good judgment in sending him, -Dick.”</p> -<p>“But it’s not a very pleasant morning,” said Dr. -Brady.</p> -<p>Dick glanced at the lowering sky, at the black -clouds rolling up from the horizon and nodded -grimly.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_99">99</div> -<p>“Yes, that’s the worst part of it, if we should -have a blizzard Toma might as well come back. -He’d lose Lamont’s tracks and could never find him.”</p> -<p>“Not in a storm,” agreed Sandy. “It would be -almost impossible. But let’s hope that that won’t -happen.”</p> -<p>Yet happen it did. They were out on the trail -by that time, mushing slowly along the edge of a -wide ravine, their faces toward the wind, which was -very sharp and penetrating. The loose snow, covering -the drifts, was awhirl by now, sweeping around -them. Yet this preliminary barrage was as nothing -compared to the terrific onslaught that followed. -A fearful darkness descended over the earth, for -the light was smothered as the snow gods hurled their -challenge.</p> -<p>Dick and his party did the only thing possible -under the circumstances. They blindly sought out -the nearest shelter and clung there, helpless and as -impotent as babes, mere human specks in a tremendous -vortex of wind and snow. Night had fallen -when finally the sky cleared. Everywhere around -them were mountainous drifts, battlements, peaks -and even pinnacles, showing white and ghostly in -the pale starlight.</p> -<p>As the little party straggled forth from its shelter, -the earth presented an aspect of strangeness, of newness, -so entirely different from its original appearance, -that one could almost believe that he had been -transported in some mysterious manner to another -world.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_100">100</div> -<p>“I honestly believe,” Sandy gasped, “that all the -snow in the universe has been gathered together and -dropped down in this one place.”</p> -<p>“It certainly looks like it,” agreed Dr. Brady, -as he took a step forward and slid waist-deep into -a drift. “How are we going to break trail? I certainly -pity your friend Toma. Do you think it will -be wise to push on until we hear from him?”</p> -<p>Dick shook his head despondently.</p> -<p>“No, we’ll have to wait here. This storm is the -worst thing that could have happened. Toma may -not be able to rejoin us for two or three days.”</p> -<p>“If not longer,” despaired Sandy.</p> -<p>So, imagine their surprise and delight on the following -morning to find the young man in question -already amongst them. Toma sauntered up with -solemn unconcern to the place where Dick and Sandy -were endeavoring to build a fire. No apparition -could have astonished them more. From their squatting -position, they looked up and gasped, then rose in -unison, howling like two maniacs. They descended -upon the young Indian with a varied assortment -of whoops and yells, lifted him up bodily between -them and carried him triumphantly away to the tent -of Dr. Brady.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_101">101</div> -<p>“Look!” shouted Sandy. “Look what we’ve -found.”</p> -<p>“He’s safe, doctor,” screeched Dick.</p> -<p>The center of so much interest and enthusiasm, -one would have thought that Toma himself would -have caught some of the infection. Not so. With -each passing moment, his face became more and -more gloomy, his manner more despondent. He -struggled out of Dick’s and Sandy’s embarrassing -embrace to a more dignified position on his feet. -Soberly he waved them aside.</p> -<p>“You think mebbe I bring back Lamont,” he said -bitterly. “It is not so. I no see him.”</p> -<p>With averted eyes and shamed, flushed face, he -pushed the two boys unceremoniously to one side and -stalked sombrely outside.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_102">102</div> -<h2 id="c12">CHAPTER XII -<br /><span class="small">A HUNGRY PROWLER</span></h2> -<p>For three hours Dick had been breaking-trail -steadily and had reached the point where his endurance -was spent, where it seemed to him that to -take one more step would result in physical collapse. -Behind him straggled a perspiring, panting line of -weary dogs and wearier men, while ahead—snow; -acre upon acre, mile upon mile, interminable, never-ending—snow!</p> -<p>The sun of late afternoon shone brightly on the -snow and made of it a vast, brilliant, sparkling field -of intolerable whiteness. To gaze for any length of -time into that field was impossible. The human eye -wavered before that blinding radiance, could not -for long meet and hold its glaring intensity. So it -was that Dick looked down as he staggered on at the -head of the column, and so it was that every other -member of the party moved forward with bent head.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_103">103</div> -<p>They were travelling northeast in the general direction -of Keechewan Mission. Keechewan Mission -was at the end of an imaginary straight line—a very -straight line—beginning at the Mackenzie River -barracks. Sometimes, because of topographical obstructions—hills, -ravines, dense forests, and the like—the -party was forced to deviate or detour from -the prescribed route. Naturally this wandering -brought confusion. No one knew with any degree -of certainty whether, when they came back and attempted -to get on the right track again, they were -a little east or a little west or directly upon that imaginary -line.</p> -<p>It was a problem that would have absorbed the -interest of a navigator or a civil engineer. To Dick, -however, it was a hopeless tangle—blindly guessing -at something and hoping it would come out all right. -More and more he fell to consulting other members -of the party, especially Toma, who had a strong sense -of direction, and who had been uncannily successful -in guiding Dick and Sandy on previous expeditions.</p> -<p>He was thinking of all this as he plodded wearily -along. Perhaps even now they were off the trail -and would eventually come to grief in some forbidding -wasteland, far from the haunts of men.</p> -<p>He heard footsteps behind him and felt the weight -of a hand upon his shoulder.</p> -<p>“What—you break trail all time. You go back -now an’ drive ’em my team an’ ride a little while -mebbe. Too hard break trail an’ no stop an’ rest.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_104">104</div> -<p>It was Toma, of course. Always faithful and observing. -A ready champion and trusted friend.</p> -<p>“It’s good of you,” Dick said wearily. “I am -tired. My eyes hurt too. This glare is terrible.”</p> -<p>“It very bad,” agreed the young Indian. “One -dog driver back there,” he pointed, “him almost -snow-blind.”</p> -<p>“Glad you told me. Tonight when we make camp, -I’ll send him to Dr. Brady.”</p> -<p>Dick stepped to one side to permit Toma to pass.</p> -<p>“Very well, then, you’ll take my place. But have -I been going right, Toma? Don’t you think we -ought to turn more to the left? I can’t imagine -why it is, why I feel that way, I mean, but I keep -thinking that we’re striking too far east.”</p> -<p>The Indian shook his head.</p> -<p>“No, I guess you go about right. Mebbe it no -hurt to turn little more to left.”</p> -<p>Dick vaguely wondered.</p> -<p>“Why do you believe our course is about right?” -he asked.</p> -<p>“All right,” returned Toma, “I tell you. In morning -an’ at night when you look off that way,” Toma -made a sweeping motion with one arm, “you see -’em big hill. We go towards that. We keep hill -in front of us. If we go wrong on trail, big hill be -one side or other—not in front. That’s how I -know.”</p> -<p>“Hill,” said Dick, puzzled. “I haven’t seen any.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_105">105</div> -<p>“Then you not look very good. Mebbe you not -look right time. Morning early, before sun him get -too bright, you see ’em plain. Jus’ before sunset -another good time. Tonight you try it an’ see.”</p> -<p>“I will,” said Dick, as he turned back to drive -Toma’s team. “You may depend upon it.”</p> -<p>So, just before sunset, he called an early halt and -while the other members of the party unharnessed -the teams and proceeded to make supper, he climbed -to the crest of a small hill and gazed off towards -the northeast. Shadows had already commenced to -appear along the hollows and ridges. There was no -glare over the snow now. He could see for miles -across that forsaken, desolate land.</p> -<p>Yet at first he could see nothing that resembled a -hill. Where the horizon began, it was true, there -reposed what looked like a bank of mist, but which, -unlike mist, remained perfectly stationary and unchanging -in form—a sort of purplish blotch against -the blue background of the sky.</p> -<p>This, he decided, must be the hill Toma referred -to. It didn’t look like one to his inexperienced eyes, -yet hill it must be. The young Indian had good eyesight -and a vast knowledge of the North stored away -in that clever brain of his. At any rate, provided it -didn’t disappear during the night, he would use that -hill or blotch, or whatever it was, as the goal for tomorrow’s -weary trek.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_106">106</div> -<p>He returned to find supper waiting for him. The -dog mushers sat huddled around the blazing campfires, -resting after their arduous day. Dick was glad -that he had called a halt earlier than usual. The -physical strain of tramping hour after hour through -soft, yielding drifts had been almost unendurable.</p> -<p>Usually after the evening meal, Dick remained beside -the campfire to talk with Sandy and Dr. Brady, -but tonight he felt too tired. After he had eaten, -he bade his friends good-night and repaired to his -tent, where he was soon lost in sleep.</p> -<p>When he awakened, a blue darkness still enveloped -the earth. It was very early. He had a vague notion -that he had been disturbed. Somewhere at the back -of his consciousness was the dim memory of voices -and running footsteps. But whether this was reality -or a fragment of some vivid dream, he could not say. -He lay still for a few minutes, listening.</p> -<p>Satisfied, at length, that he had heard nothing, that -it was all an illusion, he turned on his side and attempted -to go back to sleep. Just then there broke -across his hearing, unusually clear and distinct, a -shrill human cry. The cry was followed by the -sound of a struggle and a muffled groan.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_107">107</div> -<p>In a flash, Dick was up and fumbling for a candle. -He tore into his clothes. He sprang to the tent opening -and darted through—coatless, hatless, a revolver -gripped firmly in his right hand. He made his way -quickly toward the sound of struggling, arriving -just as two men swayed to their feet and seized each -other in another desperate embrace.</p> -<p>In the darkness, it was impossible to tell who the -two combatants were. For the life of him, Dick could -not guess their identity. However, he advanced, -gun held in readiness.</p> -<p>“Stop it! Stop it, I say. I have you covered.”</p> -<p>The two figures drew apart. Dick wondered if -they weren’t two of his own dog drivers, between -whom ill-feeling existed, and who were employing -this method to settle their differences. Imagine his -surprise when the voice of Toma broke the quiet.</p> -<p>“Dick! You!” he puffed. “This fellow he put -up pretty good fight. Twice he almost get away.”</p> -<p>“But who is it?” Dick asked wonderingly. “Who -is it, Toma?”</p> -<p>“Lamont,” answered the young Indian briefly.</p> -<p>Dick took a step forward and almost dropped his -gun.</p> -<p>“Lamont!” he exploded. “Lamont! Lamont! It -can’t be——”</p> -<p>“It is,” said Toma stubbornly. “Pretty soon you -find out. You see I tell you right.”</p> -<p>“But what in the name of—” Dick began, then -paused breathless. “Lamont—what’s he doing here? -How did you happen to find him, Toma? What -were you fighting about?”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_108">108</div> -<p>“I wake up over there in tent,” Toma explained, -“when I hear something go by. First I think mebbe -it one of the huskies. Then I hear more noise out -by my sledge. I dress quick as I can an’ go out there. -No gun!—nothing! An’ I find him this thief try -to steal. Soon as he hear me, he start run over here, -near your tent. I grab him by shoulder, but he slip -away again. More run. Again I catch him. I trip -him down an’ grab him by his throat. Then he -make yell.”</p> -<p>“You’ve done well, Toma,” Dick complimented -him. “Good boy!”</p> -<p>He turned upon the panting culprit.</p> -<p>“Mighty glad you’ve come back. Very kind of -you. This is a pleasure we hadn’t expected,” he -could not conceal, even in this attempt at sarcasm, -the satisfaction and relief the guide’s coming had -brought. He seized Lamont by the arm.</p> -<p>“Step lively now over to that tent. You’ve played -your last little game with me.”</p> -<p>Flourishing his gun, he sent the former guide staggering -ahead with a well-directed push.</p> -<p>“Get in there,” he thundered, “and be quick about -it! We’ll have a pleasant little talk—you and I. -There are a few things I want to tell you.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_109">109</div> -<p>He followed Lamont inside, motioning to Toma to -follow him. In the feeble light of the single fluttering -candle eagerly he scanned the downcast features -of the man who had caused him so much misery and -trouble. He pointed to his bunk.</p> -<p>“Sit over there.”</p> -<p>For a moment he glowered, then:</p> -<p>“What were you doing here? Why did you come -back?”</p> -<p>The guide looked up, his squint eye gleaming defiantly, -his mouth quivering with suppressed anger -and humiliation.</p> -<p>Silence.</p> -<p>“Answer me!” shouted Dick.</p> -<p>Lamont’s eyes fell before the young leader’s unblinking -gaze. His fingers played nervously with -the worn fringe of his short fur coat.</p> -<p>“If you don’t talk,” stormed Dick, “it will go hard -with you. Why did you come back?”</p> -<p>“I get lonesome,” lied Lamont. “I get lonesome -all time out there alone.”</p> -<p>“A very pretty story,” laughed Dick. “You come -back in the middle of the night because you were -lonesome. You didn’t come back, of course, to steal. -Getting hungry, weren’t you? Thought you’d come -over and sample our supplies. Well, you failed. -You’re a thief, Lamont, a dirty thief, and when we -arrive at Keechewan I’ll turn you over to Corporal -Rand of the mounted police. How’ll you like that, -eh?”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_110">110</div> -<p>At mention of the dreaded name, the guide stirred -uneasily. He looked up again, his features distorted -with fear.</p> -<p>“I no help I come back,” his voice broke. “What -else I do? I get hungry like you say. You owe me -money. What hurt I come here an’ get little something -to eat, get mebbe few dollars grub. Anyway,” -he hurried on, “you tell me no want me here. You -say go.”</p> -<p>This, of course, was perfectly true. Dick had -told Lamont that his services were no longer -required.</p> -<p>“Yes, I told you. But you had no right to come -back here to steal. Now you’ll be punished for it. -You’ll remain with this party, Lamont. You’ll work. -You’ll break trail. You’ll guide us. I’ll watch you -close, and there’ll be a bullet for you if you try to -escape. You won’t have an easy time of it like -you had before, Lamont.”</p> -<p>The guide did not answer. He merely sat and -glared at his accuser. He was nervous and ill at -ease. Dick consulted his watch.</p> -<p>“It’s now four o’clock,” he announced to Toma. -“Everyone will be awake in two hours. We might -as well stay up.”</p> -<p>Toma rose to his feet.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_111">111</div> -<p>“I take this fellow over to my tent,” he said winking -at his chum. “Him hungry, very hungry, he -say. All right, we make him start to work. He -get himself big breakfast. Get breakfast for you, -me too. Start campfire. Do plenty work.”</p> -<p>“That’s not a bad idea. I’ll go over with you.”</p> -<p>He motioned to Lamont to follow the young Indian -outside, then remained behind for a moment -to blow out the candle. A short time later, they -stood around while Lamont worked.</p> -<p>The guide offered no objections. He was hungry, -so hungry indeed, that he would have worked gladly -for hours for a mere crust.</p> -<p>Lamont, Toma and Dick were sitting around the -fire at breakfast when the camp awoke. Here and -there a light flickered through the gloom. The plaintive -howling of the malemutes and huskies. Drowsy -human voices. The sharp, quick blows of an ax, -crackling brush. Ruddy flames leaping up, brighter -and brighter. More noise and bustle and confusion.</p> -<p>They were still sitting there, when Dr. Brady and -Sandy appeared. The pair of them came up, laughing, -but, at sight of Lamont wolfing his food, they -paused in sheer wonderment.</p> -<p>Dick beckoned to them.</p> -<p>“It’s all right, doctor. Don’t hesitate, Sandy. -Come on over. He’s perfectly harmless. Permit me -to introduce him to you. Gentlemen,” he grinned, -“Mr. Martin Lamont—our guide!”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_112">112</div> -<h2 id="c13">CHAPTER XIII -<br /><span class="small">THE LONE CABIN</span></h2> -<p>The days that followed proved arduous for the -guide. No longer, in lordly, domineering manner, -was he permitted to ride on one of the sledges and -point out the way. His hours of leisure were at -an end. He took his turn in breaking trail, drove -dogs, chopped wood, assisted in putting up and taking -down the tents, and in many other ways became -a useful and valuable member of the expedition.</p> -<p>His presence, distasteful as it was, had brought a -quick change in the spirits of the party. Hope rose -again in Dick’s heart, and his enthusiasm and energy -were unbounded. He had ceased to worry about -getting lost or even wandering from the trail. -Threatened with the most dire punishment, Lamont -was forced to set their course.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_113">113</div> -<p>Shortly after the return of the guide, they came -upon the first log cabin they had seen since leaving -Mackenzie River. It stood in a thick clump of trees, -and had been recently built judging from the freshly-scored -logs and its general appearance of newness. -A flutter of interest, not unmixed with awe and -wonderment and curiosity, stirred the party. Necks -craned suddenly, drivers deserted their teams to go -forward to talk to other drivers, even the huskies -raised their tawny heads, as if to sniff out this new -mystery.</p> -<p>In the lead at the time, breaking trail, Sandy gave -the cabin the benefit of one swift look of appraisement, -then started forward on the run. He proceeded -very rapidly for fifty or sixty yards, then -stopped short so abruptly that the point of one snowshoe -became entangled in the other and he fell headlong.</p> -<p>Dick and Dr. Brady both started to laugh, but the -sound died on their lips. They watched Sandy rise -and start back, waving his arms frantically. The -driver of the first team pulled up short. The second -team, close behind the first, also pulled up short, but -not soon enough to prevent an entanglement, which -led to a furious fight among the malemutes.</p> -<p>Dick and Dr. Brady ran to the driver’s assistance, -reaching the scene of trouble just a moment before -Sandy arrived breathless. White-lipped, the young -Scotchman waited until the commotion had subsided.</p> -<p>“Dr. Brady,” he began, “I guess you——”</p> -<p>His words trailed off to a mumbling incoherence. -He sat down on the sledge, gesturing a little wildly, -his expression difficult to describe.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_114">114</div> -<p>“Did you——” he inquired in horror-struck tones, -“I say, did you see—see it, too?”</p> -<p>Dr. Brady nodded gravely. Dick stared, moistening -his lips.</p> -<p>“A red flag,” said the physician. “We weren’t -quite sure. There was something there just outside -fluttering—— A cloth. A rag of some sort. -Looked red.”</p> -<p>“Exactly,” Sandy spoke tersely with a deep intake -of breath. “Smallpox!”</p> -<p>“Smallpox!” Dick echoed the word.</p> -<p>“I’ll go over,” announced Dr. Brady quite calmly. -“Get my case, Dick.”</p> -<p>The case was brought. The physician took it -smiling.</p> -<p>“Shall we go with you?” asked Dick.</p> -<p>“No; it isn’t necessary. You’d better stay here.”</p> -<p>The news quickly spread. Smallpox! Faces grew -gray and anxious. One by one, the drivers slunk -back to their places, while all talk ceased.</p> -<p>Finally, Sandy jerked his hand back in the direction -of the cabin.</p> -<p>“We’ll see lots of that sort of thing before we return -to the Mackenzie.”</p> -<p>“Yes, when we get to Keechewan. But I doubt if -we’ll find another smallpox case this side of the Barrens,” -said Dick. “Terrible business, isn’t it?”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_115">115</div> -<p>Both, as if by a common impulse, looked up and -stared over at the cabin. The red cloth fascinated -them. It furled and fluttered softly, yet ominously, -in the light breeze.</p> -<p>The boys wondered what Dr. Brady was doing. -He had entered the cabin, closing the door after -him. They both started as the door opened and their -friend emerged. They saw him raise one arm, beckoning -them to come closer. A little fearfully, Dick -and Sandy obeyed. They were strangely excited. -Stalking up before the door, they observed that the -physician was very grave indeed.</p> -<p>“Well?” said Dick, the first one to speak.</p> -<p>Brady stepped away from the door and came toward -them, his eyes evasive.</p> -<p>“There’s only one thing to do,” he announced in -a curiously soft and gentle voice. “Set fire to the -cabin. We’re too late.”</p> -<p>“Too late?” repeated Sandy.</p> -<p>“Yes, too late.”</p> -<p>“How—how many inside there?” whispered Dick.</p> -<p>“Two half-breed trappers—one young and one -old.”</p> -<p>“And they both had it?” the boys asked in unison.</p> -<p>“Yes,” Dr. Brady’s mouth twitched at the corners. -“They’re gone. We came too late. As I just said, -there’s only one thing to do: Set fire to the cabin. -Burn it down.”</p> -<p>“Burn it,” asked Sandy. “What for?”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_116">116</div> -<p>“As a matter of precaution. To protect the lives -of others. Now and again, some lone wanderer -might chance this way.”</p> -<p>Sandy and Dick stood looking at the physician -during an odd interval of silence. Of course, he knew -best. They realized that. And it would save time. -Dick touched Sandy’s shoulder and together the two -friends moved toward the timber at the back of the -house. They carried dry bark and branches, soon -gathering a large pile, which they threw down in -front of the door. Soon a fire was started. It mounted -slowly at first, smouldering and cracking, but -presently it leaped up, quickly spreading to every -part of the building.</p> -<p>“That’s done,” Sandy sighed relievedly. “Let’s -go back.”</p> -<p>It was a little awkward joining the party again. -Yet no one questioned them. They were greeted -with curious stares and frightened glances. At noon -they were miles away and halted for a midday meal -in the shelter of a spruce grove, through which there -ran the wandering course of a tiny stream.</p> -<p>It occurred to Dick that this stream might be one -of the tributaries of the Wapiti River, which they -must cross ere long. He was discussing this possibility -with Toma, shortly after lunch, when Sandy -came up shaking his head.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_117">117</div> -<p>“A pretty business! A pretty business!” he muttered, -taking a place beside them. “They’re as frightened -as sheep. Too bad we had to come across -that cabin. Hope nothing serious grows out of -this.”</p> -<p>“What do you mean?” asked Dick.</p> -<p>“Just look at them.”</p> -<p>Dick turned and looked toward the place Sandy -indicated. The dog drivers were assembled there in -an excited, gesticulating group.</p> -<p>“I overheard part of it,” said Sandy. “They’re -telling each other that they don’t want to go on, -that they’re afraid, that no white man’s medicine -can save them from the horror of the plague.”</p> -<p>“But all of them have been vaccinated,” Dick protested.</p> -<p>“Sure. But they don’t realize what that means. -They have guessed, somehow, that the men who lived -in that cabin died. They know the meaning of that -red cloth, and it has struck terror into their hearts. -I heard Fontaine say that he, for one, intended to -turn back.”</p> -<p>“Mere talk,” objected Dick. “They’ll get over it. -The thing is fresh in their minds now and, of course, -they’re worried. By tomorrow or the next day -they’ll have forgotten all about it.”</p> -<p>“Do you think so. I can’t help feeling that in -some way Lamont is at the bottom of this. He’s -stirring them up.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_118">118</div> -<p>“I believe you’re right.” Dick stared moodily into -the fire. “Come to think about it, I saw Lamont -talking to them.”</p> -<p>“Well,” said Sandy, “we’d better watch him. And -the others, too. You know what it will mean if -they decide to leave us.”</p> -<p>Dick’s face shadowed, then brightened quickly. -Such a possibility seemed remote. Surely, they’d do -nothing of the kind. They wouldn’t dare.</p> -<p>“They’ll soon forget,” he said.</p> -<p>But in this, as it subsequently proved, he was mistaken. -That night a deputation came to him. The -face of each of the drivers was set and determined. -Altogether they were an ominous crew. They gathered -around him and abruptly Fontaine, who acted -as their spokesman, spoke up:</p> -<p>“M’sieur Dick, these fellow,” indicating his following, -“they tell me no want to go any farther. -No want to die. Smallpox get ’em sure. You know -that. You know everybody die pretty soon jus’ -like them fellow in cabin.”</p> -<p>“Nonsense,” said Dick. “You’re all vaccinated.”</p> -<p>Fontaine shook his head with great emphasis.</p> -<p>“No good that. Nothing stop smallpox. Very -bad. Make ’em all die, these fellow.”</p> -<p>“But you know better yourself, Fontaine. You -know that isn’t true. We’re all safe enough. Tell -them not to worry. They need not be afraid.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_119">119</div> -<p>A mutter of defiance ran around the little circle. -Fontaine’s voice rose to a higher pitch.</p> -<p>“No good tell ’em that. They understand what -you say. They know better.”</p> -<p>Dick was rapidly losing ground. In desperation, -he raised one arm, calling for silence.</p> -<p>“But wait! Just wait!” he beseeched them. “I -will bring the white doctor to you and he will explain. -Dr. Brady will repeat what I have told you. -There is no danger. If you do not believe me, surely -you will believe him. He is a great medicine man.”</p> -<p>“That doctor him very much mistake,” a new -voice broke into the discussion.</p> -<p>Turning quickly, Dick perceived Lamont standing -at his elbow.</p> -<p>“Who asked <i>you</i> for <i>your</i> opinion?” Dick demanded -hotly. “Lamont, keep out of this.”</p> -<p>The guide’s defective left eye rolled up in a way -that made Dick shiver. The man stepped back, leering.</p> -<p>“Lamont know all about this,” Fontaine cut in -quickly. “He tell me his father, two brothers die -from smallpox four years ago. White doctor him -there, too. Try help. No good. What you say -about that?”</p> -<p>Dick had nothing to say. It was a lie, of course, -A story to feed these frightened and credulous fools. -He could see the purpose in it all.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_120">120</div> -<p>“I tell you another thing,” Fontaine took up the -thread of his plaint, now speaking triumphantly. -“One of these fellows,” he pointed to a half-breed, -who stood directly opposite, “think mebbe already he -get sick. All afternoon his head hurt. Him feel -very hot—deezzy.”</p> -<p>“Faugh!” grunted Dick. “It isn’t the smallpox. -He wasn’t within three hundred yards of the cabin. -And even if he were exposed, he wouldn’t get sick -less than ten hours later.”</p> -<p>But the drivers were obdurate. Sandy, Toma, -and later, Dr. Brady himself took turns in pleading -and arguing with them, but to no avail. Fontaine -insisted that one of their party had already contracted -the disease, so the physician examined the -man while the rest of the drivers went to their tents. -Outside Brady’s tent, Dick, Sandy and Toma waited -impatiently.</p> -<p>“Well,” asked Sandy, when the doctor finally appeared, -“what is your verdict?”</p> -<p>“I’m not quite sure yet,” answered the physician. -“But the symptoms are—smallpox.”</p> -<p>“How can that be? He’s vaccinated,” Dick protested.</p> -<p>“Yes, on several different occasions, but the vaccine -took no effect. There are cases like that.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_121">121</div> -<p>Dick moved over to one of the sledges, too discouraged -and alarmed to trust himself to speak. For -several minutes he stood, gazing off across the white -bleak waste of snow and wilderness. Back near one -of the campfires, the drivers had come together again -to discuss the all-important topic.</p> -<p>“You see what we’re up against, doctor,” Dick -turned suddenly. “If they won’t listen to reason, -we’re beaten.”</p> -<p>“Yes,” echoed Sandy, “we’re beaten. Licked. -We can’t go on without drivers.”</p> -<p>The doctor rubbed his chin thoughtfully.</p> -<p>“The situation may not be quite as serious as you -think,” he attempted to cheer them. “Before morning -they’ll probably change their minds.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_122">122</div> -<h2 id="c14">CHAPTER XIV -<br /><span class="small">OUTWITTED</span></h2> -<p>Dr. Brady broke off a twig from a branch above -his head and sat down on the sledge near Dick, commencing -to trace queer patterns in the new, loose -snow.</p> -<p>“It will soon be time to start on again, won’t it?” -asked the doctor.</p> -<p>“It’s eight-thirty,” Dick replied. “We should -have started a half hour ago.”</p> -<p>“Why not try taking a firmer hand with them,” -suggested Brady. “Tell them that if they won’t -go on with the party, they can return without supplies. -That ought to frighten them.”</p> -<p>“I’ll try it,” Dick fell in with the suggestion. -“Come on. We must do something. I want you -fellows to back me up. Maybe there’ll be trouble.”</p> -<p>The drivers were still arguing amongst themselves -as the four approached.</p> -<p>“Fontaine, come here.”</p> -<p>The spokesman drew away from his fellow conspirators.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_123">123</div> -<p>“Yes, M’sieur Dick.”</p> -<p>“Tell the others to harness the dogs. It’s time to -start.”</p> -<p>Fontaine’s eyes sought the ground.</p> -<p>“They no go, m’sieur,” he declared doggedly.</p> -<p>“What do they intend to do?”—brusquely.</p> -<p>“Nothing. They say go back to Mackenzie.”</p> -<p>“Utter nonsense. You’ll never make it. It’s -hundreds of miles south of here. You’ll starve before -you get there.”</p> -<p>“Starve!” exclaimed Fontaine. “But, M’sieur -Dick, you mus’ be mistake. You have plenty grub -here. Fellows no go back without grub.”</p> -<p>“That’s exactly what they’ll have to do if they -leave this party—everyone of them. You’ll get nothing -from me. I’ll shoot the first man that makes an -attempt to take anything with him. Do you understand, -Fontaine?”</p> -<p>The spokesman blinked and backed away. Here -was a turn of events neither he nor any of the others -had anticipated. It made their position somewhat -untenable. It required careful consideration—more -discussion. Quickly he turned and broke forth in -Cree. It volleyed from him. He punctuated his -talk with rapid-fire gestures.</p> -<p>When he had completed his oration, a deep silence -fell. It was an angry silence. The half-breed drivers -glowered.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_124">124</div> -<p>“Well, what’s your decision?” Dick spoke sharply.</p> -<p>Fontaine was coldly deliberate.</p> -<p>“We eight men against four. We no go on. Fellows -get supplies an’ start back to Fort Mackenzie.”</p> -<p>Dick was astounded. He looked up appealingly -at Dr. Brady, his pulses quickening. He observed -that Sandy’s hands trembled. A sudden movement -among the dog drivers attracted his attention. All -of them had started forward menacingly, then as -quickly fell back. For a brief moment Dick wondered -at this hesitancy on their part, but catching -sight of Toma, the truth of the situation flashed over -him. That young man stood, fondling an ugly-looking -revolver, his eyes defying them to come on.</p> -<p>Sandy was quick to see their temporary advantage, -and he, too, whipped out his gun. The mutinous dog -drivers attempted to slink away, but Dick perceived -their little ruse and stopped them peremptorily:</p> -<p>“No, you don’t. Stay right where you are until -I relieve you of your guns.”</p> -<p>Three of the men carried revolvers, while all of -them possessed knives. He quickly secured all these, -placing them on one of the sleighs. Then, while -Sandy and Toma kept the men covered, he and Dr. -Brady hurried over to the tents and sledges, returning -with three rifles and four more revolvers.</p> -<p>“Quite an arsenal,” puffed Dr. Brady.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_125">125</div> -<p>“Yes, and they won’t get them back either,” Dick -retorted. “Without arms, they’ll be helpless. During -the day while we’re traveling, I’ll keep them on -my sledge with the mail, and at night in my tent with -a guard posted. That means we’ll have to take turn, -the four of us, at sentinel duty.”</p> -<p>Placing their load of weapons on Dick’s sledge, -they rejoined Sandy and Toma, who still guarded -the mutineers.</p> -<p>“You can put away your guns,” ordered Dick.</p> -<p>“But what about these prisoners?” Sandy asked.</p> -<p>“I think they’ll be willing to go back to their teams -now. Is it not so, Fontaine?”</p> -<p>The stalwart French half-breed pretended not to -hear.</p> -<p>“Fontaine,” Dick raised his voice, “did you hear -what I said? You can all go now. Take up your -tents, harness your dogs the same as usual, and get -ready to start.”</p> -<p>The dog drivers were at a disadvantage and they -knew it. There was nothing to do but to obey. Yet -it was with much muttering and grumbling, that they -turned again to their morning’s routine. They would -bide their time. The boys had gained the upper hand -now, but this was only the first round in a battle of -wits. Tomorrow, perhaps, they might be the victors.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_126">126</div> -<p>“We’ll have to watch them day and night,” Sandy -declared, shoving the revolver back in its holster and -turning away. “Heaven help us, if they ever get -a chance at those guns again—or those deadly-looking -knives.”</p> -<p>“Yes,” agreed Dr. Brady, “I don’t like their looks. -Naturally, they’ll resent this. I think that we can -expect trouble. I’ll volunteer for the first night’s -guard duty.”</p> -<p>“That’s splendid of you, doctor,” Dick smiled. -“But we’ll let you off easy. You can stand guard -from eight until twelve tonight, and I’ll take your -place for the remaining hours until morning.”</p> -<p>The first day, following the events narrated above, -passed without incident. On the second day, however, -the driver, whom Fontaine said had contracted -smallpox, and whom Dr. Brady later had examined, -died suddenly. The morale of the party tottered. -If ever the half-breeds had placed any faith in the -medicine of the white man, they lost it now. Again -they became panic stricken. The muttering and the -complaining broke out afresh. Hourly, it grew more -and more difficult to keep them at their work. Dick -found it necessary to have either Sandy or Toma -drive the last team in the line, with instructions to -be ever on the alert, their revolvers always in readiness.</p> -<p>That night, fearing trouble, Sandy, whose turn it -was to stand guard for the first part of the night, -asked Dick to keep him company.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_127">127</div> -<p>“I hope you don’t mind, old chap. The truth is, -I’m a little bit afraid. I have a feeling that the time -is nearly at hand for them to strike. I don’t like -the way they’ve been acting.”</p> -<p>“Nor I,” said Dick. “They’re up to something. -They gather about in little groups, whispering. Fontaine -and Lamont keep stirring them up.”</p> -<p>“Their first move,” reasoned Sandy, “will be to -try to get back their rifles and cartridges. With these -in their possession, they’ll be able to take what supplies -they want and return to Mackenzie.”</p> -<p>“A sorry day for them if they do,” Dick declared. -“Inspector Cameron will know how to deal with -them.”</p> -<p>“Of course, that is true. But they don’t stop to -think about that. Their chief worry now is to get -away.”</p> -<p>As usual, the mail and guns were taken to Dick’s -tent, where the two boys stood guard. This constant -vigilance was wearing upon them. The three boys -and Dr. Brady suffered from lack of sleep, yet each -day they were compelled to carry on. There was no -help for it.</p> -<p>Despite Sandy’s presentiment, no attack was made -that night, nor yet on the following day. Late in -the afternoon, while crossing a low chain of hills, -they perceived, about a quarter of a mile away, a -small Indian encampment, consisting of four lonely -tepees.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_128">128</div> -<p>“There may be smallpox there,” said Dr. Brady. -“I’d better go over there.”</p> -<p>Leaving Sandy and Toma behind to watch the -camp during their absence, Dr. Brady and Dick -went forward to investigate. They were received -warmly at the first tepee, and were informed that no -one was ill. In fact, the Indians had not even heard -of the epidemic. At each of the tepees in turn they -were received graciously until they came to the fourth -and last.</p> -<p>Here their reception was very cool indeed. The -place was occupied by an aged Indian couple and by -a young man, evidently their son. This young man -became very angry upon their entrance. He sat -opposite the entrance, blankets wrapped around him, -and scowled continuously. When Dick questioned -him, he refused to answer, pretending that he did -not understand. The old Indian squaw seemed to -be the only one equipped with vocal powers. Over -and over, she kept repeating the words in English:</p> -<p>“Go ’way! Go ’way!”</p> -<p>“Don’t seem to be very popular here,” grinned Dr. -Brady. “Well, there’s no use of staying very long. -I’ll vaccinate them as quickly as I can and then we’ll -be on our way.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_129">129</div> -<p>Yet when Dr. Brady opened his medicine case and -attempted to vaccinate them, they repulsed him -stoutly. They were afraid of the doctor. His instruments -frightened them. It was evident that they -believed that his ministrations were for no other -purpose than to subject them to some new and mysterious -torture. Finally, the young Indian rose threateningly -and commanded them to depart.</p> -<p>As he did so, Dick drew back in surprise. The -Indian wore boots, heavy top-boots—the service -boots of the Royal Mounted Police—and, what was -even more astonishing, a service revolver in its holster -at his side. For a full moment he stared at the -tell-tale articles, scarcely believing his eyes. Where -had the Indian secured these things? Certainly not -from the police—unless they had been taken by force -or stolen. Dick’s arm trembled as he took Dr. -Brady’s arm and pulled him toward the entrance.</p> -<p>“Come on, doctor, we’d better get out of here. -It’s no use.”</p> -<p>Outside the tepee, he turned quickly upon his companion:</p> -<p>“I say, doctor, did you notice what that young Indian -wore?”</p> -<p>“No,” replied Dr. Brady, “I didn’t notice particularly. -Moosehide garments, weren’t they?”</p> -<p>“No. No. The boots, I mean—the revolver!”</p> -<p>“Yes, he did have boots. Rather queer, isn’t it? -They usually wear moccasins.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_130">130</div> -<p>“Usually wear moccasins!” exploded Dick. “Why -those were mounted police boots. They’re different. -No one else wears them. And that revolver, holster -and belt could have been obtained from no other -person on earth except a policeman.”</p> -<p>“That’s strange. I wonder how he came by -them?”</p> -<p>Dick did not answer immediately. His mind had -turned to very sober thoughts. The more he dwelt -upon this unusual circumstance—an Indian wearing -mounted police boots and carrying a service revolver—the -more he became perplexed. As they made -their way back to their own party, his suspicions -grew. A great fear tugged at his heart.</p> -<p>“Dr. Brady,” he began very soberly, “I don’t like -this. I’m afraid——”</p> -<p>The physician turned and smiled.</p> -<p>“What? Still thinking about those boots? I -wouldn’t worry, if I were you, Dick. The explanation -is probably simple enough. The boots and revolver -might have been discarded. Aren’t you -troubling yourself needlessly?”</p> -<p>“No, I think not. You remember Corporal Rand, -don’t you, the man Inspector Cameron spoke of, the -one he sent up here ahead of us, and about whom -he was so worried?”</p> -<p>“Why, yes,” said Dr. Brady. “Corporal Rand. -The name is familiar.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_131">131</div> -<p>“Well,” trembled Dick, “I have a terrible suspicion -that those boots and that revolver belong to -him.”</p> -<p>It was Brady’s turn to become grave.</p> -<p>“And you believe that he——”</p> -<p>“I don’t know what to believe,” Dick filled in the -pause. “It looks bad. They might have killed him. -They——”</p> -<p>He broke off, overcome by such a probability.</p> -<p>“You see, doctor,” he resumed, “Corporal Rand -wouldn’t carry an extra pair of boots and probably -not an extra revolver along with him. Just remember -that. If the Indian didn’t kill him, something -or someone else did. He might have taken those -things off Rand’s dead body. Somehow, I feel that I -ought to go back and question him—make him talk. -I don’t like the looks of this.”</p> -<p>They were now within a short distance of their -own party, and an idea suddenly occurred to -Dick.</p> -<p>“Tell you what I’ll do. I’ll get Toma to go with -me. He speaks the Indian language more fluently. -The two of us will go over there armed and compel -that rascal to confess. And we won’t come back -either until——”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_132">132</div> -<p>Dr. Brady interrupted him. Dr. Brady had seized -him by the shoulders and was staring into his face, -his eyes wide with excitement. Then he swung the -younger man in front of him, released him, and with -one trembling hand pointed in the direction of their -camp.</p> -<p>“Look at that! Look at that! What? I say——”</p> -<p>Instantly Dick’s body grew taut. The color -drained from his cheeks. He shook off the restraining -hand and started forward. He ran. He shouted -out at the top of his voice, one hand fumbling with -the holster at his side. In his haste to get forward -quickly, he stumbled and fell. As he rose to his feet, -he broke into an exclamation of dismay.</p> -<p>He was too late! The long-looked-for attack had -taken place. The drivers had overpowered Toma -and Sandy, had seized the guns, two of the dog teams -and sledges, loaded with supplies, and were now hurrying -back. They had accomplished their purpose -and had made good their escape. When Dick reached -the scene of disaster a few minutes later, he cried -out in his rage and exasperation.</p> -<p>Thrown across one of the sledges were Toma and -Sandy, bound securely hand and foot. A few yards -away, lying helplessly in the snow, was the unconscious -form of one of the drivers, who, upon closer -examination, proved to be Lamont. Everywhere -was confusion and disorder. Several of the sledges -had been overturned, their loads scattered.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_133">133</div> -<p>Dick took out his hunting knife and cut the rope -which bound his two chums. They were both a little -dazed, but had not been seriously hurt. They looked -at him with sombre eyes.</p> -<p>“How did it happen?” asked Dick.</p> -<p>Sandy sat up and commenced rubbing his chafed -arms and legs. Tears of exasperation trickled down -his cheeks.</p> -<p>“It came so—so suddenly, Dick,” he choked. “I -can’t begin to tell you. We were sitting on the mail -sledge, when one of the drivers came along, passing -about twenty feet away. He acted queerly. He commenced -to groan, and then suddenly he fell down in -the snow, just as if he had fainted dead away. It -was a trick—but we didn’t know it. We rushed over -to help him. We were stooping down when they -came up from behind—the whole crowd of them, and -seized us so quickly we didn’t have a chance. I’m -so—so——”</p> -<p>Fresh tears trickled from his eyes again.</p> -<p>“But Lamont—what’s he doing there? What happened -to him? If you didn’t have a chance to do -anything, how did he receive his injury?”</p> -<p>“Toma—— When they grappled with him, he -fired from his hip and got Lamont.”</p> -<p>Dr. Brady, who had come panting up in time to -hear Sandy’s story, now turned toward the prostrate -body of the guide, and with the help of Dick and -Toma, carried him over and placed him on one of -the sledges.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_134">134</div> -<p>“He’ll never make the trip,” presently announced -the doctor. “He’s hit in the shoulder—a dangerous -wound—and will never be able to stand the jarring -and jolting of one of the sledges. We’ll have to leave -him here.”</p> -<p>“How can we do that?” asked Sandy. “He’d -freeze. He’d—he’d——”</p> -<p>“There’s the Indian encampment,” suggested the -physician. “They can look after him.”</p> -<p>“Good riddance,” declared Dick. “I, for one, -won’t be sorry.”</p> -<p>There followed an awkward silence.</p> -<p>“The Indian encampment,” said Dick at length, -“will be forced not only to look after Lamont but to -supply us with several drivers. Perhaps one of them -will know the way to Keechewan.”</p> -<p>He paused, gesturing hopelessly.</p> -<p>“In any event, we’ll have to push on. We can’t -stop.”</p> -<p>Dr. Brady nodded grimly.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_135">135</div> -<h2 id="c15">CHAPTER XV -<br /><span class="small">BILL AND THOMAS</span></h2> -<p>In front of a crackling wood fire, three men -dried their wet and bedraggled garments. In spite -of the close proximity to the blaze they shivered -and their teeth chattered and they looked very unhappy -and uncomfortable, indeed. Two of the men -wore the conventional garb of white prospector or -trapper, while the third, a tall, rather handsome -fellow with clear blue eyes and a decisive chin, -was arrayed in what might once have been a uniform -of his majesty’s Royal North West Mounted -Police.</p> -<p>“We gotta thank you,” said one of the men quite -humbly, “fer gettin’ us out of that river. Yuh saved -our lives all right, but our grub-stake an’ ever’thing -we had is gone.”</p> -<p>“Yes,” he resumed mournfully. “Gone! It’s Bill’s -fault.”</p> -<p>“I think,” said the man in the wretched uniform, -“that it was partly my fault. I startled him. I -shouldn’t have cried out to you. It drew his attention -and for a moment he must have forgotten to -steer.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_136">136</div> -<p>The maligned and unfortunate person referred to -as “Bill,” drew himself up to a proud height and -grunted his disdain. Then he turned his back -haughtily upon his partner and addressed himself to -the man in the uniform.</p> -<p>“Thomas here,” he declared deprecatingly, jerking -one thumb over his shoulder, “ain’t allers responsible -fer what he says. I wasn’t the only one that’s -been a steerin’ o’ that boat. He was a helpin’ too. -An’ he kep’ puttin’ me off, Thomas did, with his -jabbin’ here an’ there in the water, like the crazy -fool what he is.”</p> -<p>“No such thing,” remonstrated Thomas. “Did -yuh tell the officer what yuh done yisterday? I ’spose -that wuz all my fault too—you runnin’ aground.”</p> -<p>Bill wheeled about so swiftly that his dripping -garments sprayed water in every direction. For a -moment even the fire sputtered.</p> -<p>“A lie!” shouted the now infuriated Bill. “I wuz -asleep in the boat an’——”</p> -<p>He paused for breath.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_137">137</div> -<p>“Asleep when yuh wuz supposed to be on duty,” -his partner completed the sentence for him. “That’s -the trouble with you, Bill. You don’t pay no ’tention -to nothin’. Yuh don’t use your brains; yuh don’t -look; yuh don’t listen. Yuh go ’round dreamin’, with -your head up in the air an’ your intelligence in the -seat o’ your pants. An’,” Thomas completed his lecture -defiantly, “I won’t take that back neither.”</p> -<p>The conversation had reached a critical, dangerous -stage, and the man in the frayed uniform thought it -wise to intervene.</p> -<p>“If you’ll pardon me, gentlemen, I believe I can -settle this dispute. I’ve been thinking it over, and -the more I think about it, the more clearly it appears -to me that the responsibility is all mine. It was my -shout that startled both of you, that put you off—that -caused all the trouble. I’d like to apologize.”</p> -<p>“It wuz a terrible shout,” admitted Thomas.</p> -<p>“Sounded like the howl of a madman,” declared -Bill. “But yuh saved our lives an’ that’s somethin’ -I won’t forget in a hurry. We’d be down in the -bottom of the river now, keepin’ company with our -rifles an’ our grub-stake, if it hadn’t been for you.”</p> -<p>The man in the uniform acknowledged the compliment -with a somewhat weary smile.</p> -<p>“I’m afraid I saved you from one disaster only -to plunge you into another. What are you going to -do now?”</p> -<p>“Jus’ what do yuh mean?” asked Bill.</p> -<p>“How will you manage without rifles and supplies?”</p> -<p>Bill shook his head mournfully and turned to his -partner.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_138">138</div> -<p>“He’s askin’ yuh a question,” he upbraided him, -“can’t yuh hear?”</p> -<p>Thomas immediately applied himself to the problem -in hand. He stared gloomily at the fire. Suddenly -he brightened. He addressed the mounted -policeman:</p> -<p>“But you got grub, ain’t yuh? You can sell us a -little—enough to take us over to Half-Way House.”</p> -<p>“I’m almost in as bad straits as you are. I have -a little flour—five or six pounds. I’ve had trouble -too.”</p> -<p>“Five or six pounds o’ flour ain’t very much fer -three hungry men like us,” ruminated Bill.</p> -<p>“Worse than nothin’,” said Thomas bitterly. “An’ -that’s all yuh got?”</p> -<p>“All. Absolutely all! Found it in a cabin back -here in the woods. I’m very sorry, gentlemen.”</p> -<p>Thomas dismissed the matter with a wave of his -hand.</p> -<p>“If it can’t be helped—it can’t. I been plenty -hungry before this.”</p> -<p>“Me too,” murmured Bill.</p> -<p>An interval of silence, during which three men -shivered and shook before the fire—a fire that had -commenced to burn itself out. Red, angry embers -blinked up at them.</p> -<p>“Your turn to gather more wood,” Bill informed -Thomas.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_139">139</div> -<p>Thomas scowled at the unpleasant imminence of -this chilly duty and spat disgustedly into the lowering -flames.</p> -<p>“Yuh better hurry,” implacably his partner -spurred him on. “We’ll soon be freezin’ entirely. -There ain’t enough heat here to warm a sparrow.”</p> -<p>Thomas grunted out an oath before he departed, -purposely bumping against Bill as he lumbered past.</p> -<p>“Yuh can see the sort o’ disposition he’s got,” -Bill complained to the policeman. “I been aputtin’ up -with this sort o’ thing fer ten years now—ten years -this comin’ March since we become partners.”</p> -<p>In spite of the fact that he was shivering, uncomfortable, -worried, suffering untold agonies from his -feet, the man in the frayed uniform smiled quietly to -himself.</p> -<p>“Why don’t you break your partnership?” he suggested.</p> -<p>“Eh—what? What did yuh say, officer? Break -up——”</p> -<p>For a moment Bill was so amazed, so utterly dumfounded -at this simple solution to his difficulties, that -he could not find words to express himself.</p> -<p>“That’s what I said. Break up your partnership. -Quit each other. Each go your own way,” elucidated -the policeman.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_140">140</div> -<p>It was an appalling thought. Unthinkable. Bill -tried to picture a bleak pattern of existence from -which Thomas had become erased. It filled him with -a sense of loss so tremendously acute that it positively -hurt. Little shivers of dismay ran up along his spine -and seemed to settle there.</p> -<p>“Oh, Thomas ain’t so bad, once yuh get used to -him,” he said. “Thomas got a queer way about him, -an’ he’s cantankerous an’ stubborn, but he really -don’t mean nothin’. Besides, I don’t rightly know -what Thomas’d do after I left. He’s sort o’ helpless -without me. He’s got so he sort o’ depends on me. -Wouldn’t be worth his salt. I’d hate fer his -sake——”</p> -<p>Thomas himself interrupted the conversation at -this point by striding up with a huge armful of wood -and throwing it angrily down upon the fire.</p> -<p>“Yuh can toast your shins now,” he declared angrily, -glancing at Bill. “But next time it’s your turn.”</p> -<p>“Next time it’s my turn,” admitted Bill pleasantly. -“I won’t ferget.”</p> -<p>“You’ll likely be asleep by then,” sputtered -Thomas. “Great guns!—but ain’t that wind cold?”</p> -<p>“Winter’ll soon be here,” Bill croaked, humping -up his shoulders and fighting back the smoke that -drifted up around his head and into his eyes. “Six -pounds o’ flour between three men an’ winter, an’ -five hundred miles to the nearest tradin’ post.”</p> -<p>“Keechewan Mission is closer than that,” Thomas -corrected him. “I ’spose we can go that way.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_141">141</div> -<p>“Not me,” shivered Bill. “I’m as close to Keechewan -Mission as I intend to get.”</p> -<p>“Did you come from there?” sharply inquired the -policeman.</p> -<p>“No,” answered Thomas, “but we heard about it. -It’s rotten with smallpox an’ boilin’ with trouble like -a hot teakettle. It ain’t no good place fer a white -man to be.”</p> -<p>“I’m going there,” said the policeman.</p> -<p>“Yuh don’t say?” gasped both men in one voice.</p> -<p>“If I can make it on two pounds of flour,” appended -the policeman.</p> -<p>“You said yuh had six,” remembered Thomas.</p> -<p>“I’ll divide with you in the morning.”</p> -<p>Bill and Thomas exchanged glances of genuine -wonder and admiration.</p> -<p>“I’d like tuh shake hands with you,” declared -Thomas in an awed voice, offering one dirty paw.</p> -<p>“Me too,” said Bill, extending a hand equally as -dirty. “You’re a real man an’ no mistake about that. -What’s your name, officer?”</p> -<p>“Corporal Rand.”</p> -<p>“Where from?”</p> -<p>“Mackenzie barracks.”</p> -<p>“If I ain’t gettin’ personal, where’s your boots?”</p> -<p>“A Nitchie stole them one night while I slept.”</p> -<p>“The dirty skunk!”</p> -<p>“An’ your revolver?” noticed Thomas.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_142">142</div> -<p>“Stole that too.”</p> -<p>“Yuh mean to tell me,” exploded Bill, “that you’re -goin’ up to Keechewan like that—no boots, two -pounds o’ flour an’ nothin’ to protect yourself with -when them rampagin’ Nitchies catch sight o’ yuh? If -cold an’ hunger don’t get yuh, the smallpox will, an’ -if the smallpox don’t get yuh, the Nitchies will. Yuh -got about as much chance to come back alive as I -have o’ jumpin’ up to the moon.”</p> -<p>“You’re a fool to try it,” grumbled Thomas.</p> -<p>“I have my instructions,” said Corporal Rand, -and then remembered suddenly that this was not -the truth. “I mean to say, I did have my instructions.”</p> -<p>“An’ yuh lost ’em?”</p> -<p>“No. The inspector changed his mind. He decided -to go himself.”</p> -<p>“Why didn’t yuh let him?”</p> -<p>“It was either his life or mine.”</p> -<p>Thomas was puzzled. He appealed to Bill.</p> -<p>“I can’t make nothin’ out of this, can you?”</p> -<p>Bill came to the rescue. He picked up the thread -of discourse, where the other had let it fall.</p> -<p>“Do yuh mean to say that this here inspector’s -life is worth more to you than what your own is? -That don’t seem reasonable.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_143">143</div> -<p>“I intend to give you four pounds of flour in the -morning,” Corporal Rand smiled. “Now do you -mean to tell me that your lives are worth more to -me than my own. Just figure it out.”</p> -<p>Bill and Thomas exchanged worried, doubtful -glances, and commenced to figure. For twenty long -minutes they threaded their way through a deep and -abysmal mental swamp.</p> -<p>“I can’t make it out,” acknowledged Thomas.</p> -<p>“Me neither,” grumbled Bill. “You’re a bloomin’ -martyr an’ no mistake.”</p> -<p>“We ain’t got nothin’ we can give you,” lamented -Thomas, feeling in all of his pockets.</p> -<p>Then suddenly his face brightened.</p> -<p>“Here,” he announced proudly, presenting it, “is -somethin’ yuh can have. Take it. Yuh never can -tell. Mebbe it’ll save your life.”</p> -<p>Corporal Rand received the gift in the spirit that -it was given. Nor did he belittle such a gift. Too -well he knew the vagaries of the North, the unexpected -turns of fortune, good and bad, the little -inconsequential things upon which hinge life or death -itself. Moisture had gathered in his eyes as carefully, -almost lovingly, he put the gift away in an -inner pocket:</p> -<p>Three fishhooks and a ball of string!</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_144">144</div> -<h2 id="c16">CHAPTER XVI -<br /><span class="small">AN INDIAN WITH BOOTS</span></h2> -<p>Dick, Sandy and Toma hurried over to the Indian -encampment in the afternoon of the same day the -dog drivers had deserted them. Toma, it was decided, -would act as interpreter, while Sandy—as he -expressed it—merely trailed along to lend his moral -support and to give advice.</p> -<p>“You must offer them unheard of wages for the -trip,” reasoned Sandy. “We must give them presents -and supplies. These Indians don’t know the meaning -or value of money, so you’d better make them an -offer they can understand. I’d start out by offering -each one a brand new rifle and a winter’s grub-stake, -also some bright-colored cloth for the squaws.”</p> -<p>“That not bad idea,” Toma approved. “I tell ’em -that. I do my best. I say plenty. Make ’em good -speech.”</p> -<p>“You can say anything you like,” Dick instructed -him, “but don’t promise them anything we can’t -give.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_145">145</div> -<p>So Toma, in his role of employment agent, made -a round of the tepees. He was received warmly and, -thus encouraged, waxed eloquent. He described to -them the vast number of beautiful and useful things -that could be obtained in the stores at the mission: -Fruits (dried), of delicious flavor, from lands -beyond the seas; meat from animals they had never -tasted (pork); flour in large quantities for the making -of bannock; sugar, both brown and white. Then, -taking a new tack, for the benefit of the women, he -told them about the multi-colored fabrics of wool and -silk and cotton, of ornaments for the fingers and -beads for the neck, of things that pleased and delighted -the eye.</p> -<p>The Indians sat in open-mouthed wonder as Toma -went breathlessly on with his fanciful description -of the gifts that might be theirs if only the young -men would assist them in driving the dog teams to -Keechewan. And in order to convince them of the -sincerity of his intentions, at Dick’s request, he -offered each of the families a small quantity of tea, -sugar and bacon, to be delivered at once.</p> -<p>The leader of the Indians at the encampment made -a quick calculation. Besides himself, he told Toma, -there were eight able-bodied hunters. They could -spare a few of these. Perhaps half could go. They -would be very glad to help their white brothers. -They would appreciate the gifts described. Toma and -his friends could be assured of their co-operation.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_146">146</div> -<p>A surge of happiness ran through Dick as he -listened to the leader’s words. Then he bethought -him of Lamont, and his face clouded.</p> -<p>“Toma,” he directed in English, “tell the leader -about Lamont. Ask him if we can leave him here -until we return.”</p> -<p>After the request had been made, the boys waited -expectantly.</p> -<p>“Who is this injured brother?” demanded the -chief.</p> -<p>“A worthless dog,” replied Toma. “He was a -traitor to us. He and his companions fought us, -and during the encounter I was compelled to shoot -him.”</p> -<p>The Indian’s face darkened.</p> -<p>“Will my brother promise not to shoot any of my -people?”</p> -<p>Toma hastened to set his mind at rest. Then he -asked:</p> -<p>“When will your young men be ready to start? -We are very anxious to proceed on our journey.”</p> -<p>“Tomorrow morning,” answered the leader.</p> -<p>In high spirits, the three chums left the Indian -encampment and went back to their own camp. Dr. -Brady greeted them anxiously.</p> -<p>“What luck?” he asked.</p> -<p>“I think we have been successful,” Dick informed -him.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_147">147</div> -<p>“How many men?”</p> -<p>“The leader said four.”</p> -<p>“And will they look after Lamont?”</p> -<p>“Yes, they gave us their promise. I think we’d -better take him over there right away and pitch our -tents. Might as well be there as here. Saves running -back and forth, and besides, we promised the -Indians a small quantity of provisions.”</p> -<p>The remainder of the day passed quickly. A place -was made for Lamont, and Dr. Brady succeeded in -extracting the bullet and washed and dressed the -wound. The guide had recovered consciousness by -this time and lay staring up at the brown walls of -the tepee with dark malevolent eyes.</p> -<p>When morning came, the boys rose early and went -over to the leader’s tepee, pleased when they found -him and his household already awake.</p> -<p>“Are your young men ready?” asked Toma. “We -wish to start.”</p> -<p>For some inexplicable reason, during the night -the Indian’s manner had cooled. He received them -with little of his former cordiality.</p> -<p>“Are your young men ready?” persisted Toma.</p> -<p>The leader fixed them with a sombre stare and, to -the boys’ surprise and astonishment, shook his head.</p> -<p>“They have asked me to inform you that they -have changed their minds.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_148">148</div> -<p>“Changed their minds!” Sandy started back in -dismay, while Dick rubbed his eyes, under the impression -that he had not heard aright.</p> -<p>“They have decided not to go,” repeated the leader.</p> -<p>“Toma,” said Dick in hoarse undertones, “tell -him to summon those young men and we will talk -to them. They must go. They have promised.”</p> -<p>The Indian complied with the request. Soon the -young men appeared before them and stood awkwardly -and shyly beside their leader. But every argument -failed to move them. No, they would not go. -They must look after their trap-lines. They were -very sorry to disappoint their white brothers, but -the thing was impossible.</p> -<p>In desperation, Toma made a brief summary of -his speech of the day before. They were foolish to -spurn his offer. He would even increase his reward. -Instead of one rifle, he would give them two, and -many traps and cartridges.</p> -<p>This time, however, his oratory suffered from -repetition. The young men were very much interested -but not enthusiastic. Only one of the four -stepped forward to announce that he would go. -Further argument proved useless.</p> -<p>“Well,” said Dick, turning to Dr. Brady, “one -man is better than none at all. We’ll manage somehow, -I suppose. I wonder if this young man knows -the way to the mission?”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_149">149</div> -<p>Upon being questioned, the Indian declared that -he did.</p> -<p>“I will show you the way,” he informed Toma.</p> -<p>Disappointed, the boys made their preparations for -the start. Soon they were on the trail, their teams -doubled up—twelve dogs in one string, pulling two -sleighs; ten in another, while the only single team -were the six malemutes who pulled the mail sledge. -However, they were scarcely out of sight of the -encampment, when, looking back, Sandy saw two -figures on snowshoes, following them at a rapid -rate.</p> -<p>“Stop!” he shouted to his companions ahead, immediately -checking his own team.</p> -<p>They waited until the two figures came up to them, -two Indians from the encampment: the leader and, -to the boys’ surprise, the young Indian, who wore -the service boots and revolver of the mounted police.</p> -<p>“What do you want?” demanded Toma.</p> -<p>“This young man,” replied the leader, pointing -to his companion, “wishes to go with you too.”</p> -<p>For a moment, Dick was in a quandary. He required -the fellow’s assistance, yet he was afraid to -include him in their party. The Indian might be a -murderer or a thief. His appearance was against -him. He might prove to be a worse customer than -Lamont. The leader noticed Dick’s hesitation.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_150">150</div> -<p>“He is a very good man on the trail,” he hastened -to assure them. “You will not be sorry if you take -him.”</p> -<p>“All right,” decided Dick, “he can come along.”</p> -<p>After all, he reasoned, it would be just as well if -he did. Perhaps they might be able to discover the -mystery of those boots.</p> -<p>Again the party started forward. With the acquisition -of the man in the mounted police boots, they -were now able to send one of their number forward -to break trail. They hurried quickly along, and by -noon had reached a height of land, looking down -from which, they perceived the rugged valley of the -Wapiti River. At sight of it, the boys’ delight was -unbounded.</p> -<p>“We’re getting along splendidly,” remarked Sandy. -“If only the weather will stay like it is, it won’t -be very long now until we reach Keechewan.”</p> -<p>“I hope weather get cold,” said Toma. “Weather -been warm now for two, three days. If it get cold, -make ’em crust on snow. No need to break trail. -Then we be able to go along very fast—mebbe fifty, -sixty miles in one day. Dogs run all time.”</p> -<p>“Yes, that’s true.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_151">151</div> -<p>But it was not until three days later, after they -had crossed the Wapiti and were proceeding northward -across a level, wind-swept district, that colder -weather actually arrived. A fierce Arctic blast beat -down upon them, chilling their blood. Particles of -frost hung in the air. Trees cracked, as the intense -cold penetrated within, freezing the sap. Yet, though -the weather was almost unendurable, Toma’s prophecy -had come true, and they were able to speed across -the level waste, the miles dropping away behind -them.</p> -<p>One night, following an intensely bitter spell of -cold, they drew up to make camp in the lee of a -tree-covered hill. All night long they took turn in -replenishing the fires. But even with this help, and -wrapped in blankets, fold on fold, they had difficulty -in keeping warm. They were glad when morning -came.</p> -<p>“I hope,” shivered Dick to Sandy, muffling his -face in the collar of his fur coat, “that the weather -moderates a little before night. This is terrible. It -must be fifty below.”</p> -<p>“Seems more like seventy-five below to me,” -grumbled Sandy, stirring the fire with a long poplar -stick, his eyes blinking as a flurry of wind caught -the smoke and sent it whirling around him.</p> -<p>At this juncture, Dr. Brady came hurrying up, -gesturing excitedly.</p> -<p>“I’ve more bad news for you, Dick. Just found -out. Toma and I made the discovery.”</p> -<p>Dick was conscious of a sudden sinking feeling -in the pit of his stomach.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_152">152</div> -<p>“What is it, doctor?” he finally managed to articulate.</p> -<p>“Your team of malemutes is gone, and——”</p> -<p>“Oh, you must be mistaken,” interrupted Dick. -“They’re here somewhere.”</p> -<p>“And the mail sledge is gone too, including all -that quantity of vaccine.”</p> -<p>Sandy threw up his hands in a gesture of hopeless -surrender.</p> -<p>“Is that all?” he groaned.</p> -<p>“No,” answered the physician more calmly, “the -Indian with the mounted police boots is gone too.”</p> -<p>Dick gave way to his feeling of despair. He put -his head in his hands and rocked back and forth.</p> -<p>“I knew it! I knew it!” he moaned. “I knew all -the time that I ought not trust that—that miserable -thief. I hesitated when his services were offered to -me. I’m a fool. Why did I take him?”</p> -<p>“What I can’t understand,” Sandy broke forth, -“—what I can’t understand, Dick, is why he should -take the sledge with the mail. There isn’t a single -thing on that sledge that would be of the least value -to him.”</p> -<p>“Of course, he didn’t know that,” Brady spoke up. -“To his simple ignorant mind, those pouches of mail -must have contained something of immense value. -He’ll be a very sorry, disgusted and probably repentant -Indian when he discovers his mistake.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_153">153</div> -<p>“He’ll be a repentant Indian when I get my hands -on him,” stormed Dick, jumping to his feet and pulling -his parka in place. “Well, I might just as well -go after him.”</p> -<p>“He has about three hours start of you,” said -Dr. Brady. “The only time he could have left this -party was between four and five o’clock, when he was -awakened to take his turn in replenishing the fires.”</p> -<p>“I’ll unload one of the sledges and take the swiftest -team we have,” decided Dick. “Travelling light, I -ought to be able to overtake him.”</p> -<p>“Can I go with you, Dick?” Sandy asked eagerly.</p> -<p>“I’d like to have you, Sandy, but Toma is better -on the trail. I must hurry. Every minute counts. -Dr. Brady, will you help Sandy pick out and harness -a team, while Toma and I unload a sledge? We’ll -take our rifles and a few days’ provisions.”</p> -<p>In less than twenty minutes, they were ready. -The dogs strained at their harness, eager to start. -Toma took his place in the front of the sledge, Dick -behind. A whip cracked. The voices of Dr. Brady -and Sandy called out an encouraging farewell.</p> -<p>The huskies leaped forward.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_154">154</div> -<h2 id="c17">CHAPTER XVII -<br /><span class="small">THE PURSUIT</span></h2> -<p>A cold bitter wind hurled its defiance along the -slope, its shrieking voice trumpeting through the -pines. In the sky—a vast canopy flung over a frozen -world—the sun shone wanly. On either side of the -sun hung sun-dogs. In the air—frost. Below, a -limitless, monotonous expanse of snow.</p> -<p>In the sledge, which flew along over the hard -snow-surface, Dick and Toma sat muffled to their -ears. From time to time, they beat their arms about -their shivering bodies and urged on the dogs. Already -they had come eight or ten miles along the faint -trail they had made on the previous day.</p> -<p>In their pursuit of the Indian they had expected, -quite naturally, to go southwestward in the direction -of the Indian encampment. With their lighter load -and swifter team; they would rapidly gain on him. -Before night, surely, they would overtake him. It -was all simply a matter of time and patience and perseverance. -In the end, they would be successful.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_155">155</div> -<p>Much to their surprise, the thief chose a different -route entirely. Apparently he had no intention of -returning to his home and friends with his ill-gained -booty. A few miles farther on, he had set his course -to the west, following a hill-chain that ran parallel -to the Wapiti River.</p> -<p>The boys turned sharply and continued the pursuit. -The sledge tracks of the thief could be discerned -quite plainly.</p> -<p>“I can’t imagine where he’s going,” mused Dick. -“It isn’t to his own home. Where do you suppose, -Toma?”</p> -<p>“Mebbe up in the hills somewhere to another encampment. -Mebbe him ’fraid to go back to his own -people.”</p> -<p>“Or,” guessed the other, “perhaps his purpose is -to make a secret cache up there in the hills. He -thinks, no doubt, that the mail sacks and medicine -chests are filled with valuable provisions. I’d like -to see his face when he opens one of them.”</p> -<p>Toma broke into a low chuckle.</p> -<p>“It make me laugh if he try drink medicine an’ -get very sick. Mebbe him fool enough to think -medicine some new kind of whiskey.”</p> -<p>“God help him, if he does. I don’t know what sort -of medicine Dr. Brady may have there. There’s -vaccine for smallpox and drugs of all kinds. I’m -sure that some of them are deadly poison. He’s apt -to be more than sick if he tries it.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_156">156</div> -<p>Presently the trail wound into the hills. It went up -and up and up, and then down and then up again. -It skirted deep ravines and dangerous precipices. It -crossed the wide basin of a lake. It continued on—the -rutted tracks of that thief’s sledge—with the unbroken -insistence of the passing of time itself.</p> -<p>“He’s certainly travelling and no mistake. He -must be going almost as fast as we are,” complained -Dick. “He’ll kill that team of mine.”</p> -<p>“Don’t you worry, we catch him. Pretty soon we -catch him.”</p> -<p>“We will, of course, if we don’t lose his trail. The -fool will be compelled to stop soon for something to -eat.”</p> -<p>“Sometimes Indians go days without stop for -something to eat,” commented Toma.</p> -<p>“Not if he thinks he has a store of precious things -aboard,” grinned his companion. “His fingers will -be itching to get at those sacks. He’ll want to explore -the mystery of those medicine chests.”</p> -<p>Again Toma chuckled.</p> -<p>“This mail all same like ’em paper?” he inquired.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_157">157</div> -<p>“It is paper,” replied Dick. “Envelopes, hundreds -of envelopes, bulging with paper. Then, in the second-class -mail pouches, there’ll be circulars and -catalogs and newspapers, hundreds of pounds altogether -to tempt his mounting appetite. I think he’ll -relish the stamps too. They’ll be green and red, -with a picture of King George on one side and mucilage -on the other. The mucilage has a sweet, toothsome -taste he’ll like.”</p> -<p>Toma doubled up in a paroxysm of laughter.</p> -<p>“I think that very good joke on that Indian. Mebbe -him find out it bad thing to steal.”</p> -<p>“I don’t know about that. He looks as if he were -beyond redemption.”</p> -<p>Toma cracked his whip, and the huskies sprang -forward, scrambling up an incline. It was steep -here, so Dick got out and trotted behind. The exercise -warmed his feet and sent the blood racing -through his body.</p> -<p>When he tumbled back on the sledge again, Toma -half-turned and with the butt of his whip pointed -excitedly at the dogs.</p> -<p>“Look!” he cried.</p> -<p>The sudden change in the behavior of the huskies -was very noticeable. Their ears were pricked higher. -The leader, a beautiful long-haired malemute, so -much resembling a wolf that it was almost impossible -to tell the difference, had commenced to whine softly, -straining at her harness in fitful, nervous leaps.</p> -<p>“Somebody close ahead,” Toma whispered. “We -see ’em pretty quick now.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_158">158</div> -<p>Dick leaned forward and picked up his rifle, and -commenced fumbling with the breech. His expression -had grown suddenly tense. He rose to a position on -his knees, swaying there from the motion of the -sleigh, his gaze set unwaveringly, expectantly, on -the trail ahead.</p> -<p>At a furious rate of speed, they descended another -slope, then, more slowly, began circling up around -the next hill, emerging to a sparsely wooded area, -which, in turn, at the farther side, dropped abruptly -to a deep tree-covered valley.</p> -<p>Abruptly, the boys turned toward each other. -Toma muttered something under his breath; Dick -relaxed to a sitting position, whistling his astonishment.</p> -<p>“I didn’t expect anything like this,” remarked -Dick, recovering somewhat from his surprise. “An -Indian village! Look, Toma, there are scores of -tepees down there. No wonder he came this way.”</p> -<p>Again they started—but not at the sight of those -tepees, strung along the floor of the valley, nor yet at -the sight of the Indians themselves, here and there -plainly distinguishable—but at the appearance of a -loaded sledge behind a team of gray malemutes, proceeding -quickly toward the village.</p> -<p>“He isn’t very far ahead of us,” exulted Dick. -“He’ll soon be cornered. He can’t get away. We’ve -won, Toma.”</p> -<p>Toma’s eyes were shining.</p> -<p>“Him big fool to come here. What you think?”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_159">159</div> -<p>“He may have friends. Perhaps they’ll want to -shield him.”</p> -<p>The young Indian’s answer was to crack his whip -and to shout to the huskies. The sledge leaped forward. -It threw up a quantity of loose snow, through -which it plowed. It rocked perilously as it negotiated -the top of the valley slope, then, in spite of Dick’s -foot pressed hard on the brake-board, shot down, -almost running over the dogs.</p> -<p>Taking a steeper but more direct route to the -village than had been attempted by the thief, they -were only a few yards behind him when they made -their final whirlwind spurt through the orderly row -of tepees and the gaping crowds, and came to a -jarring but dramatic halt.</p> -<p>The thief was unaware of his danger, had not even -a premonition of the near presence of his pursuers, -until, with a certain amusing dignity, he slipped from -the top of his precious load and waved an exaggerated -greeting to the crowd.</p> -<p>His triumph was short-lived. Out of the corner -of one eye, he saw two figures who looked strangely -familiar. In order to make sure, he turned his head -and in that moment his self-confidence poured from -him like water out of a bucket.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_160">160</div> -<p>A tiny squeak, of the sort a mouse makes under -the heel of an enraged householder, and his mittened -hands went straight up. He came forward, bellowing -for mercy. Tears of terror welled into his eyes. -Never before had Dick seen any person more craven, -cowardly-weak and utterly disgusting than he. -Somehow, it blunted the edge of his own and Toma’s -victory to take a man like that. It was too easy.</p> -<p>Startled at first, the onlookers broke into a roar -of laughter. They were quick to grasp the situation. -In a trice, the two boys and their prisoner were the -pivot around which circled and revolved a jeering, -highly-amused crowd.</p> -<p>“They ask ’em me to make ’em talk about how it -all happen,” Toma shouted in Dick’s ear.</p> -<p>“Tell them that we’ll explain later,” Dick instructed. -“Say that we want something to eat. Tell -them——”</p> -<p>He broke off as the milling throng unexpectedly -drew back, making a path for a white-haired old man, -who carried himself with great dignity.</p> -<p>“Chief,” said Toma.</p> -<p>“You talk to him.”</p> -<p>“What I say?”</p> -<p>“Tell the truth, Toma. Nothing else. Explain to -him that this man is a thief, that we followed him -here to recover valuable mail and medicine for the -sick. I’m sure he’ll believe you. Be honest and -straightforward, Toma.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_161">161</div> -<p>Dick found it utterly impossible to keep his place -at his chum’s side. A forward surge of the inquisitive -swept him and his prisoner this way and that, -while shoulders bumped shoulders and curious eyes -peered into his. He was glad when the interview -came to an end and the chief motioned for the -crowd to disperse. Toma sought him out, smiling -with satisfaction.</p> -<p>“Ever’thing all right, Dick. Chief him know this -man for very bad fellow. He say him very glad if -you leave him to be punish.”</p> -<p>“Does he belong to this tribe?”</p> -<p>“Yes.”</p> -<p>“I’ve a good notion to do it. It will save us a lot -of trouble and worry. By the way, did you remember -to tell him about the police boots and revolver?”</p> -<p>“Yes, I tell him that too.”</p> -<p>“What did he say?”</p> -<p>“After while I tell you.”</p> -<p>“Why not now, Toma?”</p> -<p>“You understand bye-’n’-bye. You come with me -pretty soon to chief’s tepee.”</p> -<p>“All right. Well, they can have this cowardly -sneak if they want him. I’m sure I don’t.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_162">162</div> -<p>A little later, escorted by one of the headmen of -the village, Dick and Toma arrived at the tepee of the -chief. On hands and knees, they crawled through -the aperture, over which hung a wide strip of tanned -moose-hide, soft as chamois. Bear-skins covered -the earth floor within, except in the center space, -where a wood fire burned cheerfully. It was warm -inside the tepee and clean and tidy. A faint odor of -wood smoke mingled with the more pungent and -appetizing smell of broiling meat.</p> -<p>Dick’s first impression was that it was pleasant to -be there in so warm and comfortable a place; his -next, a condition accentuated, no doubt, by the boiling -kettle, was a feeling of hunger and weariness. -Presently curiosity induced him to examine the interior -more closely. Looking about, he perceived -several persons of both sexes. One was the white-haired -chief, who had interviewed Toma. Behind -the chief, at a respectful distance, an aged squaw—probably -the chief’s wife, and beyond her an individual -of such unusual appearance that Dick’s eyes, -resting upon him, remained there as if transfixed.</p> -<p>The man was emaciated, worn almost to a skeleton. -From the depths of sunken sockets, burned two -feverish eyes. A heavy beard-growth covered, but -did not conceal, the deep hollows under the protruding -cheek bones.</p> -<p>Dick continued to look at the man for several -minutes, conscious of a steadily increasing horror. -The person’s forehead was ghastly white, curving up -to a matted crop of straw-colored hair. Around the -drooping shoulders a blanket was held in place with -considerable difficulty by a thin, wasted hand.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_163">163</div> -<p>Dick was about to turn his gaze toward something -less pathetic and terrible, when the effort of holding -the blanket in place, proved too much for the unfortunate -creature, and it slipped down over one thin -shoulder, revealing—to Dick’s unutterable amazement—a -crimson, tattered garment, the tunic of the -royal mounted police.</p> -<p>Reaching out, Dick seized Toma’s arm, holding it -in a vice-like grip.</p> -<p>“May God help him! Is that Rand?”</p> -<p>“Yes,” said Toma, his voice seeming to come -from a great distance, “it Corporal Rand. All time, -before I come here, I knew that. The chief him tell -me all about it. Indian hunter find ’em Corporal -Rand two days ago, where he lay down in the snow. -Half dead, feet froze, no eat, no rifle—nothing. He -get much better after while. Bye-’n’-bye mebbe all -right. Get his sense back. Jus’ like crazy man now.”</p> -<p>Dick gulped down a lump in his throat, and hurried -to the side of the mounted policeman. Gently, -he placed one hand on the corporal’s head.</p> -<p>“Corporal Rand.”</p> -<p>No answer.</p> -<p>“Corporal Rand.”</p> -<p>Still no answer.</p> -<p>“You know me, corporal. This is Dick Kent. -Toma is here, too. Look up at me, corporal. Look -up! We’re here to help you. Look up!”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_164">164</div> -<p>Corporal Rand looked up.</p> -<p>“This is Dick Kent,” beseeched that young man. -“Don’t you understand—Dick Kent.”</p> -<p>“Of course,” muttered the mounted policeman, -and his eyes burned into Dick’s, “I’ll remember that—certainly. -Tomorrow, gentlemen, we’ll divide the -flour. Two to Bill, two to Thomas, two to me. -That’s all there is. You’re welcome, I’m sure. It -was my fault entirely.”</p> -<p>Rand paused, mumbling to himself, wholly unaware -that a tear had fallen from somewhere above -to the thatch of straw-colored hair. His chin dropped -forward until it rested on his chest. His eyes closed -wearily. For a moment he seemed to doze. But -only for a moment—then——</p> -<p>“Provoking, isn’t it?” he made a pathetic attempt -at a smile. “I’d begun to fear I’d lost them.”</p> -<p>“Lost what?” gulped Dick.</p> -<p>“Boots,” came the prompt rejoinder, “a pair of -boots.”</p> -<p>“Yes! Yes! But what else?”</p> -<p>The answer was disappointing:</p> -<p>“Three fishhooks and a ball of string. I’m very -sorry, gentlemen.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_165">165</div> -<h2 id="c18">CHAPTER XVIII -<br /><span class="small">THE RETURN TO CAMP</span></h2> -<p>Two courses of action were open to Dick, yet -which one to follow, he did not know. They had -found Corporal Rand, but just what were they going -to do with him? It was a difficult problem to solve, -Dick thought. The corporal was in serious plight and -required medical attention. It was a fortunate thing -that they had found him. It was a fortunate thing, -too, that Dr. Brady was in the vicinity and would -be able to attend him. But the problem—and it was -not easy to decide—was whether to bring Dr. Brady -here to the village, or to take Corporal Rand over -to the physician, when he and Toma returned that -afternoon.</p> -<p>He decided finally in favor of the latter course. -They would take Rand with them. Surely if he were -wrapped warmly in blankets and placed in the empty -sleigh, he could endure the cold, would be safe and -comfortable.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_166">166</div> -<p>Then suddenly he remembered that he needed that -sleigh upon his return. That morning he had unloaded -it for the purpose of pursuing the Indian -thief. Either he must secure another one here at the -village, together with a team of huskies, or abandon -his plan.</p> -<p>To his great joy and happiness, therefore, upon -making inquiry, he and Toma were informed that -not only would the chief gladly sell them a team -and sleigh, but also would lend them three of his -best drivers, men who could absolutely be depended -upon to help them on their journey to Keechewan. -More than that—an act of generosity, which struck -both boys almost dumb with gratitude—he would -present them with caribou meat and a goodly supply -of frozen fish for the dogs.</p> -<p>In the end, Dick purchased two dog teams and -sledges in place of one. They left the village just as -the sun slipped down below the rim of the valley and -abrupt Arctic night drew on. Across the lonely face -of the hills, they speeded on their way. The Northern -Lights hissed and cracked above their heads. -About them beat the trembling pulse of a vast and -impenetrable silence.</p> -<p>It was after midnight when they reached their -destination, shouting and happy, storming down -upon the row of chilly white tents. Their furious -halloos soon brought Sandy and Dr. Brady shivering -outside.</p> -<p>“That you, Dick?” called out Sandy’s anxious -voice. “Who’s with you?”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_167">167</div> -<p>“Friends,” came the jubilant answer. “Stir up the -fires, Sandy, we’re almost famished. No!—Come -over here, you and Dr. Brady. I have a surprise for -you.”</p> -<p>“What’s that?”</p> -<p>Sandy and the physician looked down at the sleeping -form, then across at Dick and Toma in perplexity.</p> -<p>“Guess.”</p> -<p>“The Indian with the boots. You’ve half-killed -him.”</p> -<p>“Wrong. Guess again.”</p> -<p>“One of our former dog drivers—probably Fontaine,” -said Dr. Brady.</p> -<p>“No. You’re not right either. I’ll give you one -more chance.”</p> -<p>“Look here,” Sandy growled impatiently. “Enough -of this. You’re not a child any more. Who is it?”</p> -<p>“The man who owns the boots.”</p> -<p>“The Indian owns the boots,” exclaimed Sandy -triumphantly. “I guessed right after all.”</p> -<p>“No, you didn’t. The Indian don’t own the boots. -He stole them.”</p> -<p>“Pshaw! I know now,” sudden light dawned upon -the young Scotchman. “It’s—it’s a mounted policeman.”</p> -<p>“You’re right. Corporal Rand.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_168">168</div> -<p>Breathlessly, Sandy leaned forward over the -sledge. A parka concealed the sleeper’s face. Blankets, -many thick folds, enwrapped him. None of the -features was visible. Yet Sandy had seen enough -to convince him that this man was not Rand.</p> -<p>“I don’t see why you should try to deceive me, -Dick,” remonstrated Sandy. “That isn’t the corporal -at all. Too thin. Don’t attempt to fool me.”</p> -<p>“It is the corporal,” insisted Dick. “But he’s -changed a lot. I met him face to face, and at first -didn’t even recognize him. He must have had a terrible -time. He was picked up two days ago by an -Indian hunter, where he’d fallen in the snow. His -feet were badly frozen.”</p> -<p>“What did he say to you?”</p> -<p>“Well, not much. You see, Sandy, he didn’t know -me. He’s out of his head. I brought him over here -so that Dr. Brady can help him. We’ll have to take -him along with us.”</p> -<p>“We’d better not disturb him tonight,” Dr. Brady -cut in. “I wonder if it will be possible, when you -unhitch that team of dogs, to push this sledge inside -one of the tents. He might wake up if you attempt -to lift him up. In the morning, I’ll make my examination.”</p> -<p>“A good idea,” said Dick, moving forward to unharness -the team.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_169">169</div> -<p>Sandy followed him excitedly and touched his -shoulder as he stooped forward. He pointed one arm -in the direction of the other sleighs and dog teams, -where the forms of men were seen hurrying here -and there through the half-light.</p> -<p>“What’s all that?” he demanded. “Two extra -teams and more men! I see you’ve recovered the -mail sledge. Who are those fellows, Dick?”</p> -<p>“Those,” answered Dick, happily, “are our new -drivers. And the teams and sledges I purchased over -at the Indian village, where we captured the thief.”</p> -<p>“What Indian village do you mean?”</p> -<p>“It’s up in the hills to the westward, that chain -of hills you saw on this side of the Wapiti. They -run parallel with the river. We followed the tracks -of the thief all the way there, and overtook him just -as he pulled up at the village. He’s a renegade member -of that tribe and the chief will punish him. He’s -the same man who stole Corporal Rand’s boots and -revolver.”</p> -<p>Sandy straightened up, glaring about him angrily.</p> -<p>“Too bad we didn’t find that out before.”</p> -<p>“It’s a good thing for that Indian that we didn’t.”</p> -<p>“I think I’d have shot him,” Sandy bristled, “although -shooting’s too good for him. He ought to be -flayed alive, tortured, the way they used to do.”</p> -<p>Fires were quickly re-kindled, and a lunch prepared. -It was nearly two o’clock before everyone -finally retired and the camp became hushed in sleep.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_170">170</div> -<p>On the following morning the sun had already -risen, when Toma, the first to awake, crawled wearily -from his blankets into the bitter air of forty below -and proceeded to arouse his comrades. Immediately -there began again the monotonous routine of building -fires and preparing breakfast, assembling the -dogs, and making ready for the day’s journey. But -on this occasion, there was in evidence much more -spirit and enthusiasm than at any time during the -preceding two weeks. Dick was reminded of the day -they had left the Mackenzie. Now and again one -might hear the cheery whistle or laugh of one of the -drivers. During breakfast, conversation flourished, -and, after the meal, there took place a keen rivalry -as to who would be the first to harness his team and -take his place at the head of the column.</p> -<p>By mutual arrangement, it fell to the lot of Sandy -to drive the team which conveyed Corporal Rand. -Dr. Brady had completed his examination earlier in -the morning.</p> -<p>“It is a pitiable case,” he told the boys. “Rand’s -condition was caused by hardships, privations, hunger -and exposure. He has a wonderful constitution, -or he would never have been able to endure the half -of it. I don’t wonder that his mind has become unhinged. -Yet, I haven’t the least doubt but he’ll recover -his memory and his reasoning powers as his -health improves.”</p> -<p>“So you really think he’ll get better?”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_171">171</div> -<p>“Yes. I don’t believe there is any question about -that. But he’ll never be able to take his place again -in the ranks of the mounted.”</p> -<p>A deep silence followed this statement. Both -Dick’s and Sandy’s face fell.</p> -<p>“What’s that? You really mean that, doctor? Will -have to give up his duties—— Won’t——”</p> -<p>Dick left the sentence incompleted as he turned -beseechingly to the physician.</p> -<p>“No, he’ll never be able to resume his duties,” -Brady answered gravely.</p> -<p>“But why?” argued Sandy. “You just said that -he’d recover, would get well again. You said——”</p> -<p>“But I never said that he’d ever walk again,” the -doctor reminded him. “His feet—terrible! Frozen, -bruised and cut. I may possibly have to amputate -them. Even if I don’t, they’ll never be right again. -But,” and the doctor looked from one grave face to -the other, “we can be mighty thankful that his life -has been spared, that with proper care and attention, -he’ll soon recover his full mental and physical -powers.”</p> -<p>Dick turned his head to hide the tears that had -come unbidden to his eyes. Sandy kicked disconsolately -into a drift of snow, his gaze searching the -ground. Both boys left immediately to take their -places within the line of waiting teams and sledges.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_172">172</div> -<p>“I still insist that we ought to go back and string -up that Indian who stole Corporal Rand’s boots,” -Sandy declared savagely as he and Dick parted, the -former to go to the invalid’s side, the latter to the -mail sledge. “The way I feel now, I could gladly -tear that sneaking thief limb from limb.”</p> -<p>“Mush! Mush!” The words floated down along -the waiting line. “Mush, boys, mush!”</p> -<p>A creaking of sledges, the cracking of whips, a -shout here and there—and they were away, an orderly -column which, after the first forty or fifty -yards, gathered momentum until it had gained its -maximum of speed, then settled down to a steady, -unchanging pace.</p> -<p>Whatever enjoyment the others might have had at -the commencement of that exhilarating ride, it was -not shared by Dick. For him the day, which had -begun so propitiously, was entirely spoiled. Dr. -Brady’s assertion had wrung his heart. Time and -time again, he turned his head and glanced back at -Sandy’s sledge to the helpless form lying there, and -sighed bitterly.</p> -<p>“He may never walk again,” the sentence haunted -him. “A pitiable case! He’ll never be able to take -his place again in the ranks of the mounted.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_173">173</div> -<p>He wondered what Cameron would say when the -news had been brought to him. And Sergeant Richardson—what -would he say? Rand! One of the -noblest, bravest spirits that had ever come into that -land of noble and brave spirits. No longer a policeman? -That seemed incomprehensible. Rand in -civilian clothes? Dick snorted at the mere suggestion. -To think of the service at all, was to think of -Rand. Rand might have his feet frozen, yea, and -his arms too, and his body hopelessly crushed; yet, -notwithstanding this, in spirit, in reality, in fact, he -would still be a policeman, and nothing else. A -mounted policeman. A scarlet-coated, high-booted, -undaunted and courageous soul.</p> -<p>He was still brooding over this when they pulled -up at the noon hour, hilarious and joyful. They had -made a record run that morning, in spite of the late -start. Drivers shouted at each other as they stepped -from the back of their sledges and dropped their -whips. Dick moved automatically, and he, too, -dropped his whip. But he did not shout. He did not -even smile.</p> -<p>“Hello, Dick.”</p> -<p>“Hello.”</p> -<p>“We made good time, didn’t we?” The voice was -that of Dr. Brady.</p> -<p>“I guess we did.”</p> -<p>“Hope this keeps up.”</p> -<p>“Yes.”</p> -<p>“Good gracious, boy,” exclaimed Brady in alarm, -“you look—why you look positively ill.”</p> -<p>“I—I guess I’m tired,” said Dick.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_174">174</div> -<p>“Well, a good sleep for you tonight. I’ll prescribe -it. You’ve been worrying too much lately. It isn’t -good for you. Yet here I’ve come, blundering ass -that I am, to sprinkle a few more gray hairs in your -young head.”</p> -<p>“I thrive on responsibility,” Dick smiled a little, -“so you’d better trot it out. What’s wrong? Did you -lose your medicine case?”</p> -<p>Dr. Brady laughed.</p> -<p>“Sometimes I almost wish that I could lose it. -No, this worry isn’t related to so trivial a thing as a -mere medicine case. It’s more important than that. -I’m not fooling now, Dick. I’m in earnest. I’ve -been thinking——”</p> -<p>“And the more you think, the worse you feel,” interrupted -Dick, a little bitterly.</p> -<p>“Come now, that’s not very kind of you.”</p> -<p>“I didn’t mean it that way,” Dick flushed. “I was -referring to—to—— Oh, hang it all, doctor, I’m all -upset about Rand.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_175">175</div> -<h2 id="c19">CHAPTER XIX -<br /><span class="small">THE END OF THE JOURNEY</span></h2> -<p>Dr. Brady regarded Dick for a moment thoughtfully. -There was, Dick observed, a certain hesitation -about his manner.</p> -<p>“Before we left Fort Mackenzie,” the physician -began, “your Inspector Cameron called me to his -office. He told me about the epidemic. I remember -that there was a large map that hung on the wall -behind his desk, and to this map he frequently referred. -The districts affected by smallpox he had -encircled in red ink. All of these were north of the -Mackenzie: one straight north, several northwest, -but the largest area of all northeast, in a district -which he called Keechewan.”</p> -<p>Brady paused to help Dick unharness one of his -dogs, then continued:</p> -<p>“The circle on the map which he called Keechewan -was, he explained to me, the country most dangerously -affected by smallpox and contained the greatest -number of people.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_176">176</div> -<p>“‘This is to be your territory,’ he told me. ‘I’m -giving you a most difficult task indeed. Not only -will you experience difficulty in reaching your destination, -but when you do reach it, you may have -trouble with the natives there. There has been an -uprising among several of the Indian tribes. Relations -between the white people and the Indians are -strained. There has been some bloodshed. Your work -will not be easy. It is sure to be dangerous, and possibly, -doctor, you may never come back.’</p> -<p>“I asked him if anything had been done to relieve -the situation. He said that he had sent one of his -men, a Corporal Rand, up to that region a few days -before to take charge. He was to place the district -under police rule.”</p> -<p>Dr. Brady cleared his throat.</p> -<p>“I guess that’s about all, Dick, but you can see -what I’m driving at.”</p> -<p>“Yes,” Dick answered, “I think I know what -you’re trying to tell me. Corporal Rand never reached -his destination. Misfortune overtook him with the -result that the uprising at Keechewan has never -been put down.”</p> -<p>“Exactly. The district, when we reach it, will not -be under police surveillance. We can expect trouble.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_177">177</div> -<p>During the trip from Mackenzie River barracks, -Dick had learned to admire and respect the genial -man whom he was conducting to Keechewan. Never -had he occasion to doubt the doctor’s courage. In -every emergency, he had not been found wanting. -Yet in the present instance he seemed much worried. -Was he really afraid? Dick decided to try him out.</p> -<p>“We may be risking our lives by going to Keechewan -now,” he said. “Do you realize that, Dr. -Brady?”</p> -<p>“Yes, I realize it.”</p> -<p>“I sometimes wonder,” Dick evaded the other’s -eyes. “—I sometimes wonder if it is all worth while. -Most of them are only Indians. They not only do -not appreciate what we’re doing for them, but more -than that, they resent and scorn our help. Why not,” -Dick’s gaze was fixed on some object on the distant -horizon, “leave them to their own devices, let them -suffer the consequences?”</p> -<p>If Dick had struck Brady in the face, the good -doctor could not have been more surprised. For a -moment he actually sputtered.</p> -<p>“Richard Kent! Do you mean that? Do you -really mean to say that you contemplate such a thing—would -leave those poor devils in the lurch?”</p> -<p>Dick raised one hand and grinned mischievously.</p> -<p>“There, there, doctor! Such a thought hadn’t entered -my mind, I assure you.”</p> -<p>“You rascal! So you were trying me out?”</p> -<p>Dick laughed as he turned the dogs loose And -straightened up to take Brady’s arm.</p> -<p>“Well, what do you propose to do?”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_178">178</div> -<p>“That’s just the question I want to ask you.”</p> -<p>“There’s only one thing that I can see: Do our -work and Corporal Rand’s too.”</p> -<p>“Yes, that’s what I was thinking, why I came to -you just now. I wondered if you had considered the -situation.”</p> -<p>“To tell you the truth, I hadn’t. I’ve had so many -other things to worry me.”</p> -<p>“We can’t be far from Keechewan mission now,” -stated the doctor.</p> -<p>“Only a few more days. Those hills you see over -there in the distance must be the divide Inspector -Cameron spoke of. From there it is not very far -to Keechewan, provided, of course, that we don’t -get lost again, that our Indians know the way. We’ll -soon enter the barren lands.”</p> -<p>For the time being, the subject was dropped. But -Dick did not forget that interview. Often, during -the next three or four days, he found himself contemplating -the future with worried, thoughtful gaze. -He took inventory of his munitions and his provisions. -Not counting Corporal Rand, there were eight -men in the party, really not a very strong force, yet -he comforted himself with the thought that Corporal -Rand had gone forth alone to cope with the situation.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_179">179</div> -<p>One evening, after they had crossed the divide and -had pitched their tents on a hill, dark with the -shadows of approaching night, a driver drew attention -to an unusual phenomenon. Far away, faint, -yet plainly discernible, was the glimmering of many -tiny lights. These lights blinked and beckoned to -them—and a cry of elation went up from every -member of the party.</p> -<p>“The mission!” boomed Sandy, throwing his parka -high in the air. “Keechewan Mission!”</p> -<p>“Not more than eight miles away,” adjudged -Dick.</p> -<p>“More than that,” said Toma.</p> -<p>“We’ll arrive there tomorrow forenoon sometime,” -exulted the doctor.</p> -<p>That night, so elated were they, that they could -hardly sleep. Dick and Sandy lay awake until a -late hour, talking and planning. On the following -morning, they rose early to waken the camp. Breakfast -was hurried through, and they were on the trail -nearly an hour before sunrise.</p> -<p>It was eleven o’clock by Dick’s watch, when they -entered the mission village, their eyes feasting on -the row of snow-roofed cabins that fronted the winding, -narrow street.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_180">180</div> -<p>Here and there, a face appeared at a window. -Now and again, some incurious form opened a door -and watched them go by. But no one was abroad on -the single narrow street. Had it not been for the -sight of smoke, circling upward from mud chimneys, -one might have thought that the village was practically -deserted. There hovered about it an atmosphere -of loneliness. There was something ominous -about it, too, something eerie and unnatural. Dick -felt somehow as if he were proceeding through a village -of the dead. This feeling was accentuated by -the sight of many red flags, draped over windows, -hanging from doors—mute tokens of a terrible visitation.</p> -<p>It was a mournful little party that drew up in -front of the small but picturesque Catholic Church -at the far end of the winding street. They stood -there as if in doubt and perplexity, looking at each -other, no one volunteering to be the first to move or -make a suggestion. Finally, Dick called to Dr. Brady -and the two strode across to a more or less pretentious -two-storey dwelling, immediately beyond the -church.</p> -<p>A little man, dressed in the flowing robes of a -monk, answered Dick’s timorous knock. The priest -started in surprise as he perceived who his visitors -were, then his face brightened and, with a friendly -gesture, he motioned them within.</p> -<p>“Ah!” he said, a slight but unmistakable catch in -his voice. “White men! How do you do. You -honor me, monsieurs. May I not bid you welcome?”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_181">181</div> -<p>“Inspector Cameron of the mounted police sent -us here to help you,” explained Dick. “This gentleman -here,” indicating Dr. Brady, “is an Edmonton -physician. I am Dick Kent.”</p> -<p>The priest nodded understandingly and led the -way to a small but nicely furnished room, standing -aside as his visitors entered. At one end of the -room, a spruce log burned brightly in the mud fireplace. -There were several comfortable chairs and -a large bookcase, filled with row upon row of books. -Near the bookcase was a desk, fitted with drawers, -and on its smooth, highly-polished surface were -papers, ink, and a small bronze statue of the Christ.</p> -<p>The atmosphere of the room was cheerful and -inviting, and Dick and Dr. Brady immediately felt -at ease. They took the chairs their host indicated, -waiting for him to speak.</p> -<p>“I sent a message to Inspector Cameron,” the -priest began fluently, “about six weeks ago. I am -glad to see that he is sending help to my stricken -people. You, doctor, are especially welcome. We -have done all that we possibly can to check the course -of the terrible disease, but our efforts, I am sorry to -inform you, have not been very successful. Many, -many deaths have taken place. The villagers are -almost without hope. There are many bereaved, -monsieurs, much suffering and,” he hesitated for a -brief moment, “much complaining.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_182">182</div> -<p>“Inspector Cameron,” said Dr. Brady, “told us -about an uprising of some sort. Has the mission -been attacked?”</p> -<p>“It has,” the priest nodded. “Twice there has -been a general attack, which we repulsed. Since then -we have not been left in peace. Skulkers come here -at night and attempt to fire our dwellings. One man, -a loyal and true friend of mine, was shot down in -the street. We live in apprehension. Daily, there is -some new outrage to add to the complexity of our -other troubles.”</p> -<p>Dick looked across at the grave but patient face.</p> -<p>“We will do all in our power to help you,” he encouraged -him. “We will attempt to deal with these -skulkers and prevent an uprising. Does most of -your trouble come from outside the village?”</p> -<p>“For the most part, yes. There are several Indian -tribes in the vicinity. At first we went among them, -caring for their sick, but lately we have not been able -to do this because of their warlike attitude. On the -last occasion one of us went there, Father Levereaux -was treated most shamefully, subjected to many indignities, -and finally left outside their village. He -was hurt and unconscious when we found him. He -has now, I am glad to inform you, recovered from -his injuries, but I fear that he has contracted smallpox. -Last night, when I went to his room, he was -very ill.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_183">183</div> -<p>“I will attend him,” said Dr. Brady, while Dick -rose to his feet.</p> -<p>“There are nine men in our party,” Dick said. -“Perhaps there is an empty dwelling somewhere -where we can stay.”</p> -<p>“There are several places,” the priest answered, -“any one of which I can place at your disposal.”</p> -<p>He, too, arose. “I will lead you there. You must -rest after your journey. I can see that you are very -tired. I must find you something to eat.”</p> -<p>“No,” objected Dr. Brady, “we must start to work -at once.”</p> -<p>“What do you propose to do first?” asked the -priest.</p> -<p>“Vaccinate every person in the village. After that -I’ll attend to those who already have the disease.”</p> -<p>“Have you plenty of medicines and supplies?”</p> -<p>“Yes.”</p> -<p>The other’s face wreathed in a smile.</p> -<p>“That is wonderful, monsieur. It was very kind -of you to come. In my heart I thank the noble Inspector -of Police. Praise God, I think we have come -to the end of our trouble. I am very happy, monsieurs.”</p> -<p>And tears of gladness slowly trickled down his -cheeks.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_184">184</div> -<h2 id="c20">CHAPTER XX -<br /><span class="small">THE NIGHT PATROL</span></h2> -<p>Dick and his party were billeted a few doors beyond -the mission school in two houses, built of logs—warm -and comfortable quarters. They found -plenty to occupy their attention for the remainder of -the day. They assisted Dr. Brady, gathered wood, -delivered the mail, and in many other ways made -themselves helpful and useful.</p> -<p>The trouble which the priest, Father Bleriot had -spoken of—the impending danger of attack, the fear -from the Indians in the hostile villages, not far from -the mission—did not seem very imminent to them -just then. But as night drew on and the villagers -locked and bolted their doors and native sentinels -commenced to patrol the streets, rifles in hand, the -thing began to take on a different aspect.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_185">185</div> -<p>Nearly every night, so they were informed, some -depredation had been committed. A home was -broken into and looted, a cabin fired, or a bullet -sent crashing through one of the many darkened -windows. Every morning the sentries, who seemed -powerless to prevent it, reported the night’s happenings -to one of the three priests, then went away with -sorrowful, wagging heads, only to repeat the same -performance twenty-four hours later.</p> -<p>Hearing of these things, the three boys and one of -the Indian drivers decided to stay up that night to -keep the sentinels company. Dick and the driver -took up a position at the south end of the village, -while Sandy and Toma patrolled the northern section, -in the vicinity of the billet.</p> -<p>The first part of the night, from eight o’clock -until midnight, passed without incident. Shortly before -one, Dick and an Indian sentry entered the latter’s -home for a cup of tea and a bite to eat before -resuming their lonely vigil. Scarcely had they seated -themselves around the rough board table, when the -crash of a rifle brought them to their feet. They -stormed outside, looking away in the direction from -which the sound had come.</p> -<p>The bright moonlight revealed nothing at first, -but presently, less than a block away, they perceived -an angry red glare and a black funnel of smoke -ascending from one of the cabins.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_186">186</div> -<p>Outside in the snow were the shivering forms of -women and children, while here and there, householders -rushed frantically about attempting to put -out the blaze. The incendiaries had escaped. It -galled Dick to realize that they had crept up right -under his nose unobserved. The shot they had heard, -he soon learned, had not been fired by the invaders -at all, but by one of the occupants of the burning -cabin in an effort to bring help.</p> -<p>The cabin was doomed. Efforts to save it proved -futile. The native sentry took the women and children -in tow and conducted them along the street to -the shelter of other cabins. Slowly, resentfully, the, -crowd dispersed. The sentry returned, accompanied -by Sandy and Toma and the dog driver. Together -they repaired to the sentry’s home, where in gloomy -silence they drank their delayed cup of tea and ate -the hot biscuit their host set before them.</p> -<p>“You fellows’d better go back now,” said Dick -finally, rising to his feet. “Nothing else may happen -tonight, but it’s wise to be on our guard.”</p> -<p>Sandy grinned as he pushed his empty cup back -from the edge of the table.</p> -<p>“I don’t want to rub it in, Dick,” he remarked, -“but that was a good joke on you. The cabin that -is burning down isn’t more than a block from here. -Whoever set fire to it must have slipped right past -you. What were you doing, Dick?”</p> -<p>Dick flushed, but did not reply.</p> -<p>“Didn’t you see anyone?” persisted Sandy.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_187">187</div> -<p>“No. They caught us napping all right. But -be mighty sure, Sandy, that they don’t come in on -your side before the night’s over. Well, good luck -to you. I’ll be along before daybreak.”</p> -<p>Sandy and Toma departed, and again Dick and -his two companions took up their lonely patrol. This -time, however, at Dick’s suggestion, they separated, -each having under his surveillance a certain definite -section of the village. Up and down, forth and back, -through that cold and stilly night, their moccasined -feet beat across the snow.</p> -<p>Then, suddenly, for the second time that night, a -shot rang out. There came the sound of crashing -glass and a woman’s startled scream.</p> -<p>It had all happened right in Dick’s beat, scarcely -fifty yards away. Instantly he was alert and ready. -This time instead of rushing away toward the cabin -which had been fired on he cut obliquely across the -street in the direction the invader would have taken -in making his get-away. He fairly flew across the -snow, dodged between two low buildings and came -out on the farther side, panting for breath.</p> -<p>In the path of moonlight in the cleared space ahead, -he saw a fleeting form, and, without even pausing -for breath, started forward in swift pursuit.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_188">188</div> -<p>Dick was a fast runner, as he had proved to his -satisfaction many times before. In the present instance, -he put all his heart and strength in the race. -He exerted every ounce of energy. But if he was -fleet of foot, excelling in this particular line of physical -endeavor, so was his opponent. Try as he -would, Dick seemed unable to gain upon him. Between -buildings, across fields, over a narrow footbridge -that crossed a brook, then along a trail that -threaded its way south from the village, the two -forms flew.</p> -<p>After a time Dick began to gain slowly upon his -quarry. Foot at a time, he drew closer. He saw -the Indian, tall and lithe like himself, cast one worried -glance over his shoulder, see that he was being -overtaken, then hurl his rifle to the snow, free -from which encumbrance, he quickly regained his -former advantage.</p> -<p>Somewhat reluctantly, Dick followed suit. He -still carried his revolver at his belt. He puffed as -he ran. The blood throbbed in his ears. The continued -exertion had begun to tell. On and on he -raced, slowly shortening the distance that separated -them. Thirty yards! Twenty yards! He was only -a rod or two behind him now, gaining at every leap. -But with every leap his heart felt as if it would burst -within his body. Finally, in despair, he had commenced -to slacken his pace, when he saw the runner -ahead stumble over some obstruction in the path -and fall heavily.</p> -<p>When the Indian rose choking to his knees, Dick -stood over him, revolver in hand.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_189">189</div> -<p>“I’ve got you, you human greyhound,” he panted. -“You can come back with me now. The race is -over.”</p> -<p>The Indian, of course, did not understand a word -of English. He rose, brushing the snow from his -garments.</p> -<p>“Come back with me, brother of the deer,” ordered -Dick in Cree. “Come over on the path here and -start back toward the village.”</p> -<p>His captive obeyed. They marched back, puffing -like two locomotives, one a little shamefacedly, the -other exultantly.</p> -<p>“You run very fast,” said Dick admiringly, as he -drove the other on, feeling very magnanimous in his -victory.</p> -<p>The other grunted.</p> -<p>“You have feet more swift than a wolf,” Dick went -on. “It was unfortunate for you that you fell.”</p> -<p>Again the Indian grunted.</p> -<p>“Why do you come bothering these people?” -Dick took a new tack. “They have done nothing to -hurt you. They are your friends. Why do you -attack them and set fire to their homes and send -bullets crashing through their windows?”</p> -<p>For the third time the Indian grunted. Dick gave -up. He could learn nothing from this sullen fellow. -Very well then, he could go back and cool his heels -behind the guarded door of some village dwelling.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_190">190</div> -<p>They reached the place where Dick had thrown -down his gun, and, farther on, he also picked up -the weapon belonging to his prisoner. Not long -afterward they made their appearance in the village, -where they were met by a number of people, including -Sandy and Toma.</p> -<p>Ordinarily Sandy would have come forward to -compliment Dick upon his achievement, but this -time, for some reason, he refrained. And Sandy’s -appearance and behavior were strange. He stood -and stared at Dick almost dully. Toma’s attitude was -equally peculiar and inexplicable.</p> -<p>“Well,” said Dick, “I’ve brought him back.”</p> -<p>No one replied.</p> -<p>“Sandy,” stated Dick, “this is the Indian who -fired that shot a while ago. I ran him down. What -do you think we’d better do with him?”</p> -<p>“I don’t know,” Sandy muttered, in a voice that -might have come from the depths of some subterranean -vault. “I don’t know, Dick. This is terrible. -What will we do?”</p> -<p>Dick flushed angrily.</p> -<p>“Do,” he snapped out testily, “why we’ll do what -we’ve been doing for the last two months—the best -we can. What makes Toma stand there like a lump -on a log, eyeing me so queerly? What have I done? -Why, you all act as if I had committed a crime, instead -of bringing this man back to answer for his -misdeeds.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_191">191</div> -<p>Sandy emerged from his despondency at this unexpected -verbal attack, the light of battle in his eyes.</p> -<p>“What have you done?” he demanded sharply. -“What have you done? Well, I’ll tell you. You’ve -done just what the rest of us have done. Made a -fool out of yourself. Permitted yourself to become -a dupe—a-sucker.”</p> -<p>“A sucker! See here. I’ve had about enough of -this. I——”</p> -<p>But Sandy went inexorably on:</p> -<p>“Father Bleriot and Dr. Brady have been captured.”</p> -<p>“But, Sandy!——” gasped Dick.</p> -<p>“They’ve been captured, I tell you.”</p> -<p>“But look here, Sandy——”</p> -<p>“Keep quiet, will you, and let me finish. Do you -know why this Indian fired that shot?”</p> -<p>“No.”</p> -<p>“To draw all the guards to this end of the village -so that another attacking party could swoop down -from the other side and play general havoc They -got Brady and Father Bleriot and two of the Indian -servants. No one was there to stop them. They -had plenty of time to get away. Toma and I and the -other guards came down here, while you were chasing -away across country after your friend. Now, -I ask you, what are we to do about it?”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_192">192</div> -<p>Dejectedly, Dick put one of his rifles on the -ground and sat down upon it. He was breathing -hard, but not from the effects of the race. His -triumph had been short-lived. He leaned forward -and put his head in his hands.</p> -<p>“The villagers are panic stricken,” Sandy informed -him. “They’re about done for. They’ve -lost all hope, and I don’t think they’re to be blamed -very much either.”</p> -<p>Dick raised his eyes. A crowd had gathered round -him. It was a silent crowd. Dejection showed in -every face. Somewhere, at the edge of the gathering -a woman was crying softly. Dick staggered -to his feet.</p> -<p>“Her husband was one of the servants the Indians -took,” Sandy explained. “Everyone here believes -that we’ve seen the last of those four men. -They’ll all be murdered.”</p> -<p>Dick found his voice.</p> -<p>“Does anyone know which way that attacking -party left?” he demanded.</p> -<p>“There are plenty who can testify to that. They -went north into the barrens.”</p> -<p>“Is there an Indian village up that way?”</p> -<p>“Yes, about four miles from here. What do you -suggest doing, Dick?”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_193">193</div> -<p>“We can do one thing only,” Dick’s tone was -tragic. “I’ll call for a party of volunteers and set -out in pursuit.” He raised his voice: “Come now, -who will be the first to go with me?”</p> -<p>Toma stepped forward.</p> -<p>“I go,” he said.</p> -<p>Sandy was scarcely a foot behind him.</p> -<p>“I’ll be one.”</p> -<p>A moment’s hesitation, then the tall form of a -villager drew away from the crowd.</p> -<p>“I will accompany my white brothers,” he asserted.</p> -<p>Others also came forward. By ones and twos -they shambled up—tragic-eyed men, frail, hollow-cheeked -youths, white-haired veterans of a hundred -trap-lines. Steadily they came and took their places -at Dick’s side.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_194">194</div> -<h2 id="c21">CHAPTER XXI -<br /><span class="small">DISASTER LOOMS</span></h2> -<p>Four miles is not far. In the north country, -where distance plays such an important part in the -lives of the inhabitants, four miles would be accounted -but a step, a unit of space hardly worth -considering. Yet to Dick and his party, who had -set out in pursuit of the Indian invaders, it seemed a -long way indeed. It was a weary trail and a hard -one. It was fraught with danger, with grave foreboding.</p> -<p>It seemed to the young leader, as they fared forth -across that ghastly moonlit field, that his life had -been spent on trails. Daily he walked along some -trail. At night he slept beside one. When chill -morning broke across a bleak snow-covered land, it -was only to resume that never-ending, continuous -trek.</p> -<p>It was a sort of Nemesis that haunted him. Somehow -he couldn’t get away from it. The trail!——It -was there always. It beckoned to him. It defied -him. It led him wearily, doggedly on to new dangers -and disasters.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_195">195</div> -<p>On the night in question, the four miles seemed -inconceivably long. The feet of his party dragged. -A moody silence hung about them. No one laughed. -Conversation had ceased. Behind him came the -monotonous crunch, crunch, crunch of scores of -snowshoes, beating out a path. Crunch, crunch, -crunch—tired, laggard feet moved hesitatingly, -moved fearfully, ready at the slightest pretext to turn -and flee.</p> -<p>Neither Dick nor his two chums believed that in -case of an attack, any of the Indians, comprising -their party, would make a stand. They were too -fearful. In the final crisis, so Dick believed, he -would be forced to depend solely upon his two -friends and himself. Yet in numbers there is -strength. Their imposing array would be sure to -impress the enemy.</p> -<p>They reached the village. They bore down upon -it, forty strong, shouting their defiance. With their -rifles ready, they entered the outskirts, laggard steps -becoming more laggard, frightened faces becoming -more frightened as the crisis approached. They -were offered no resistance. Could it be that the -village was asleep? A few huskies sniffed at their -heels. A papoose cried in one of the tepees they -passed. Still they went on.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_196">196</div> -<p>In the brilliant star-sprinkled sky a few clouds -were visible. One particularly dark cloud passed -across the moon. Shadows fell athwart the tepees. -It was darker now. The forms of Dick’s followers -became shrouded in gloom. Along the white snow -surface crept a huge dark stain, an immensity of -shadow that blotted the earth.</p> -<p>The tepees were black blotches now against a dark -background. Out of this obscurity, coming as unexpectedly -as a fire-siren, shrieking its warning, -there rose a blood-curdling, hideous yell. Dick literally -froze in his tracks. A cold sweat broke out -upon his face. He had scarcely the strength to stand -upon his tottering legs.</p> -<p>The yell was followed by the cracking of rifles, -the whining of bullets. Appalled, his men drew back. -For a brief moment they stood their ground, then -broke and fled in confusion. The retreat became -a rout. Panic spread, rifles were hurled to one side, -and a few minutes later Dick’s valiant supporters disappeared -from view, swallowed up in the semi-darkness.</p> -<p>Dick saw the absolute futility of attempting anything -further that night. Moving more leisurely, -he and his two chums followed his defeated column. -Again the trail oppressed him. Hope had gone -glimmering. He had reached the end of the road. -He heard Sandy speaking in mournful tones:</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_197">197</div> -<p>“Well, I guess there isn’t much we can do now. -It’s all over. I wouldn’t give one whoop for Dr. -Brady’s chances now, or the priest’s either. What -do you think about it, Toma?”</p> -<p>For once the young Indian was at a loss to know -what to say. He shook his head and walked on beside -them.</p> -<p>“I’m tired of it all,” said Dick. “Our luck has -deserted us. There used to be a time, Sandy, when -we could stumble through difficulties blindly. But -I’m afraid that that time has passed. We’re up -against a solid rock wall. We can’t scale it. It’s too -high for our puny strength. We’re helpless.”</p> -<p>“And yet,” said Sandy, almost reverently, “Corporal -Rand came up here single-handed to accomplish -what we have failed to do with forty men. -Have you stopped to think about that?”</p> -<p>“Yes, but Corporal Rand is licked too.”</p> -<p>“The trail did that. I’m willing to bet that if -Corporal Rand were here now, he’d dare to go back -to that Indian village alone, and would probably be -successful too.”</p> -<p>“I realize that. But how do they do it? It’s a -thing I’ve often wondered at.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_198">198</div> -<p>“I can’t explain it myself,” said Sandy, “unless -it is the awe in which they are held. You see, Dick, -all the people who live in this north country know -what wonderful men they are, how brave and determined. -They’re afraid of them. But it’s something -more than fear. It goes deeper than that. It’s—it’s——I -can’t tell you what it is. It isn’t exactly -awe or reverence or fear. Perhaps it is a -mixture of all these things. I really can’t tell you.” -They struggled on, soon reaching the village, -where they were met by Father Michaud, who was -now in charge of the mission. Father Michaud carried -a lantern. He was a much older man than -either of his two associates. He held the lantern -out before him, and as the boys came closer, peered -up anxiously in their faces.</p> -<p>“Ah, monsieur, is it not terrible. Ees everyone -safe? Are there no dead? So terrible—so terrible!” -he lamented. “Even from here I hear those -awful shouts an’ ze sound of ze rifles. Did you -make a brave ree-sistance?”</p> -<p>“How could we?” answered Sandy. “Everybody -ran away. At the first sound of firing, our brave -little army vanished like a flock of frightened -sheep.”</p> -<p>“An’ you saw nothing of ze Father Bleriot an’ -ze good Dr. Brad-ee?”</p> -<p>“No. We saw nothing of them.”</p> -<p>“Et ees so terrible,” wailed the priest “Tomorrow -will you go again?”</p> -<p>“I’ll have to think that over,” Dick replied. “But -what is the use. If you can supply me with some -really brave and courageous men, I’ll undertake to -bring the good father and Dr. Brady back.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_199">199</div> -<p>“Ah, but my people, zey are so prostrate, so heavy -with grief. Ze spirit has gone out of them.”</p> -<p>“Well, I’m not surprised at that,” said Sandy, a -little more charitable.</p> -<p>“Et ees to be regretted zat ze policeman ees seeck. -He ees a wonderful man, zat Corporal Rand. Nothing -on earth can stop zat man.”</p> -<p>“What did I tell you,” whispered Sandy, nudging -Dick’s arm. “He knows it too.”</p> -<p>“What will monsieur do now?”</p> -<p>“First of all, we’ll have something to eat and a -few hours sleep. After that, we can make our plans. -To be perfectly frank, Father Michaud, I don’t know -what to do.”</p> -<p>Dick’s shoulders seemed to droop as he made the -assertion. He was feeling the weight of his responsibilities, -had reached the point where it seemed impossible -to go on.</p> -<p>And then, suddenly, there flashed through his -mind the grim figure of the Inspector of Police. -The steel-gray eyes were regarding him.</p> -<p>“If I didn’t have implicit faith in you, I wouldn’t -send you on this expedition.”</p> -<p>Implicit faith in him! Yet he wondered if Cameron, -knowing of the odds against them, would have -held out hope for their ultimate success.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_200">200</div> -<p>“Et ees too bad zat Corporal Rand ees ill,” Father -Michaud repeated. “Zey would be afraid of him; -monsieur. Zey see ze mounted police an’ zey are -afraid.”</p> -<p>Suddenly Dick had an idea. He turned quickly -to the priest.</p> -<p>“Father Michaud, where is the man I captured -earlier in the night? Where is he now?”</p> -<p>“In one of ze cabins. Zey have put a guard -over him.”</p> -<p>“Father, will you lead me to that cabin?”</p> -<p>The priest nodded. He commenced hobbling down -the road. They followed him and turned into the -narrow street, with the row of cabins on either side. -They hurried on through the dim light of early morning, -presently drawing up before a low structure, -in front of which stood a native, a rifle clutched in -his hands.</p> -<p>“Open the door,” said Dick in Cree. “I wish -to see the prisoner.”</p> -<p>They entered the dark interior. The guard struck -a match and lit the tiny taper that had been placed on -the mantle above the fireplace.</p> -<p>In front of the fire, rolled in a blanket, which had -been provided him, lay Dick’s former track-mate. -Toma aroused him by shaking his shoulders none -too gently, yanking him to an upright position. The -man daubed at his eyes, looking sleepily about him.</p> -<p>“What is your name?” asked Dick in Cree.</p> -<p>“Tawanish.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_201">201</div> -<p>“All right, Tawanish, I’m about to release you. -You can go back to your own people.”</p> -<p>“Dick, are you mad?” suddenly interposed Sandy. -“Have you taken leave of your senses? Do you -realize what you are saying? No, Dick, we will -hold him here as a hostage. They have Dr. Brady -and Father Bleriot. We have this man.”</p> -<p>Dick turned almost angrily upon his chum.</p> -<p>“Please, Sandy, don’t interfere. I know what -I’m doing.”</p> -<p>He turned again to the Indian.</p> -<p>“Tawanish, I am sending you back to your own -people. You can go free.”</p> -<p>“It is very good of my brother,” stammered the -Indian, blinking at his liberator.</p> -<p>“You will carry a message to your people,” Dick -went on. “Do you understand that, Tawanish—carry -a message. You must remember what I say, -else it will go hard with you and them.”</p> -<p>“What is the message?” Tawanish asked.</p> -<p>“You must tell them,” Dick replied, choosing his -words carefully,”—you must tell them, Tawanish, -that the mounted police have arrived. Corporal -Rand is here. Tell them that they must release the -good father and the white medicine man. As soon -as you return and tell them this, they must release -these two men and give them a convoy back to this -village. Do you understand what I have told you?”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_202">202</div> -<p>“Yes,” answered the Indian. “I understand.”</p> -<p>“This Corporal Rand,” Dick resumed, “is a terrible -man. He is one of the greatest among all of -the mounted police. If you do not comply with his -request, his vengeance will be sure and certain. Do -you follow me, Tawanish?”</p> -<p>“I understand what you have said. It shall be -done.”</p> -<p>“Very well,” said Dick. “Know you then that -if the good father and the white doctor do not return -to us before the time of the noonday sun, Corporal -Rand will proceed to your village.”</p> -<p>Sandy and Toma stared in open-mouthed amazement.</p> -<p>“You’re mad!” sputtered Sandy.</p> -<p>“If you will come with us, Tawanish, I will give -you back your gun. Then you can start at once.”</p> -<p>They filed from the room. Outside Dick dismissed -the guard, then led the way to his own billet, -where he had left his captive’s rifle. Extracting the -cartridges, he handed it over to Tawanish.</p> -<p>“Go,” said Dick, “and give your chief and your -people my message.”</p> -<p>The Indian’s departure was sudden and abrupt. -He streaked for the door. Father Michaud touched -Dick’s arm.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_203">203</div> -<p>“I hope,” he declared, “zat you have not made a -serious meestake, monsieur. Do you think zey will -heed your request?”</p> -<p>Dick sat down on the edge of his bunk, under the -accusing gaze of his two chums.</p> -<p>“I don’t know,” he answered. “There’s a chance.”</p> -<p>The pent up rage and anger, which had been seething -within Sandy’s breast, suddenly broke forth.</p> -<p>“You fool! You fool! Of all the unthinking, -crazy actions I’ve ever witnessed, this is the worst. -Do you realize what you’ve done? Do you know -what will happen now? Wouldn’t listen to me, -would you? Nor Toma? Nor Father Michaud? -You—you——”</p> -<p>Sandy’s tirade ended in a choking and sputtering -wholly unintelligible.</p> -<p>“What have I done?” asked Dick.</p> -<p>“You haven’t the sense to see it, so I’ll tell you. -The Indians might hesitate about killing Dr. Brady -and Father Bleriot as long as we had one of their -own people here. They’d be afraid that if they did -commit such an act, we’d retaliate by taking the life -of that Indian.”</p> -<p>He paused, clearing his throat.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_204">204</div> -<p>“Now, by your colossal blunder, you have made -the way easy for them. They can kill them with perfect -impunity. Dick, how could you be so thoughtless. -Your plan won’t work. You acted on impulse. -I’m sure,” more kindly, “that if you’d paused to -reason it all out in your mind, you’d never have -taken that step.”</p> -<p>Dick had nothing to say. It did seem as if Sandy -were right. It was an awful moment.</p> -<p>“Well,” said Sandy, “we might as well go to bed. -There is nothing more that we can do now. Come -on, Dick, let’s tumble in.”</p> -<p>The priest turned away quietly and left the room. -They could hear the crunch of his footsteps outside. -Toma and Sandy sat down and commenced pulling -off their moccasins. But Dick did not stir. His -hopeless, tragic eyes stared into the fire.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_205">205</div> -<h2 id="c22">CHAPTER XXII -<br /><span class="small">WHEN MOMENTS ARE ETERNITY</span></h2> -<p>Sandy consulted his watch. His face was anxious. -Little worried lines showed under his eyes -and at the corners of his mouth.</p> -<p>“It’s eleven o’clock, Dick,” he announced. “One -hour to go. If they aren’t here by twelve, they won’t -come at all.”</p> -<p>“Yes,” said Dick miserably. “Eleven o’clock. -But they may come, Sandy.”</p> -<p>The suspense was difficult to endure. In the last -half hour, Sandy’s watch had been jerked from his -pocket no less than seven times. The three boys sat -in their billet and marked the slow passing of time. -All through the morning they had experienced a -nervous tension, which was becoming rapidly more -and more acute. Toma paced up and down the floor, -paying little heed to what his two chums said. Occasionally, -he looked out through one of the frosted -windows, straining his ears for the shout that would -announce the safe return of the two captives.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_206">206</div> -<p>In his heart, Toma half-believed that Dick’s plan -would work. He knew the awe and reverence in -which the mounted police were held. If Dr. Brady -and Father Bleriot were not sent back, it would be -because the Indians had come to the conclusion that -Dick’s statement regarding Corporal Rand was -merely a bluff.</p> -<p>Sandy’s watch ticked off the seconds. Dick -stepped forward to stir up the fire. There came a -timid knock at the door.</p> -<p>It was Father Michaud. He shuffled through the -doorway, his robes rustling about him, his thin bare -hands rubbing each other to restore their sluggish -circulation.</p> -<p>“Ah, monsieurs,” he broke forth, “I have slept -but ill. Et ees most difficult theese slow waiting. Do -you not think, monsieurs? All night I worry veree -much. Zen I pray, monsieurs. Et ees a great help.”</p> -<p>Sandy pulled forward a chair for their unhappy -visitor.</p> -<p>“Sit-down, father. Take a place here close to the -fire.”</p> -<p>“<i>Merci.</i> You are kind, monsieur.”</p> -<p>He half-turned in his chair.</p> -<p>“Do you think zey will come?” he asked, addressing -Dick.</p> -<p>“I do not know.” Dick’s face was tragic. “I’m -afraid, father, they may not come.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_207">207</div> -<p>For twenty minutes the priest kept alive a failing -conversation. Occasionally, Sandy consulted his -watch. Time slipped by.</p> -<p>“Twenty minutes to twelve,” said Sandy, at the -end of what seemed like an eternity.</p> -<p>Toma continued his pacing back and forth. Dick -sat huddled in his chair. The priest rambled on.</p> -<p>“Ten minutes to twelve,” Sandy informed them.</p> -<p>Dick could endure the suspense no longer. He -rose, crossed the room, and flung open the door. A -cold draft of air whirled in across the floor. Toma -hurried over to where Dick stood and peered over -his shoulder. They heard a shout. It brought -Sandy and Father Michaud to their feet. Villagers -were running in the street. A crowd had gathered.</p> -<p>“They—they’ve come back,” blurted Dick, darting -through the door, Toma right behind him. They -joined the throng.</p> -<p>In the center of the crowd stood, not Dr. Brady -and Father Bleriot, but—and Dick’s heart sank at -the sight of him—their captive of the night before. -In his hand he waved something—something white. -With Toma acting as his interference, and employing -football tactics, Dick plunged through, gaining a -place by the side of the messenger. He seized the -piece of birch bark and scanned it eagerly. It was -covered thickly with Indian signs and symbols.</p> -<p>“Toma,” cried Dick, “can you make this out? -Tell me, what does it say here?”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_208">208</div> -<p>Toma took the birch bark in his own trembling -hands, studied it for a moment, then in a fit of anger -threw it at his feet, where with one foot he trampled -it in the snow.</p> -<p>“What does it say?” Dick’s voice was shrill, -plaintive.</p> -<p>“It say,” stormed Toma, “that you tell ’em big -lie about mounted police; that Corporal Rand no -come here at all. They make you big laugh.”</p> -<p>At that instant Dick bethought him of the messenger. -Defy him, would they? Well, he’d see -about that. At least, he’d seize their messenger. He -sprang forward with this purpose in view, but the -Indian slipped under his arm, dodged behind the tall -figure of one of the gaping natives, and before anyone -could prevent it, had made his escape. At that -moment, Sandy came plowing through the ranks -of the spectators, shouting hoarsely.</p> -<p>“Where is Dr. Brady?”</p> -<p>“He didn’t come back.”</p> -<p>“What’s all this rumpus about then?”</p> -<p>“That Indian prisoner I released last night came -back with a defiant message, which says that they, -the Indians, don’t believe that the policeman is here.”</p> -<p>“And the messenger?”</p> -<p>“He slipped away from me.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_209">209</div> -<p>Dick ordered the crowd back with an authoritative -wave of his arm. His feeling of hopelessness and -despair had given place to anger, to a consuming, -burning rage. The Indians had defied him openly. -They were making a fool out of him. They had -called his bluff.</p> -<p>It occurred to him that he could recruit another -attacking party and go to the doctor’s rescue. But -the memory of his experience of the night before -still rankled in his mind. No—if he were to accomplish -anything, it would be through his own efforts, -and with the assistance of only Sandy and Toma. -He beckoned to his chums.</p> -<p>“Let’s go back to the billet,” he suggested, “and -talk this thing over.”</p> -<p>As his two friends came up, he linked his arms in -theirs and began:</p> -<p>“I can see now, Sandy, that I have made a terrible -mistake. I’ve got myself in a hole and may -never be able to get out of it. Just the same, I don’t -intend to give up. I’m not licked yet. I want to -know if you boys will stand behind me.”</p> -<p>“Yes, Dick, we’re with you,” Sandy assured him.</p> -<p>“You depend on us,” added Toma.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_210">210</div> -<p>Back in the billet again, they commenced to lay -their plans. On the previous night they had tried, -by the superiority of their numbers, to intimidate the -enemy. They had failed. Now they would employ -stealth. That night, they decided, the three of them -would creep up to the Indian village and attempt a -rescue.</p> -<p>“We may be successful,” said Sandy. “We have -a chance, at any rate.”</p> -<p>“Our last chance, too,” declared Dick. “If we fail -in this, it is all over.”</p> -<p>A little later, Sandy went over to the mission store -to purchase a few supplies. Toma remained behind, -his head bowed deep in thought. Silence had come -to the room, broken only by the breathing of the -boys and the crackling of the logs in the fireplace. -After a time, Dick rose.</p> -<p>“I suppose we’d better be thinking about lunch.”</p> -<p>Of a sudden, Toma darted to his feet. He had -sprung from his chair so quickly, that Dick, who was -looking at him, could scarcely follow the lightning -movement. Toma hugged himself in ecstacy. He -seized Dick in a smothering embrace, whirling him -around and around.</p> -<p>“Dick, listen me,” he shouted. “I know what we -do now. I think it all out. It come to me in flash. -Sandy no need go at all. Jus’ you, me go. We -go this afternoon. Hurry—you follow me quick!”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_211">211</div> -<p>Blindly Dick followed the other. He trotted down -the street in the wake of his excited chum, wondering -what it was all about. They hurried past the -mission school, reaching, finally, a low dwelling, into -which, without a moment’s hesitation, without even -the preliminary of a knock, Toma darted.</p> -<p>It was the house which harbored Corporal Rand. -Upon the afternoon of their arrival, the policeman -had been placed here with an Indian woman in attendance. -He was here now, sitting propped up in -a chair in front of a pleasant fire.</p> -<p>“Good morning, corporal,” both boys greeted -him.</p> -<p>The policeman turned his head. As he did so, -the boys stopped abruptly. A remarkable change -had taken place in him. His cheeks were fuller now. -His eyes burned less brightly. The heavy beard-growth -had been removed. He smiled a wan greeting.</p> -<p>“Dick and Toma, as I live! Where did you come -from?”</p> -<p>“We have a billet down the street,” answered Dick.</p> -<p>“Ah, yes; and I have been ill. Very ill. I can -remember—it is so difficult to remember—but I was -on the trail, wasn’t I? A difficult trail. And what -is the name of this place, Dick?”</p> -<p>“Keechewan.”</p> -<p>“Keechewan! Keechewan!” Corporal Rand repeated -the name. “It sounds familiar, doesn’t it?”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_212">212</div> -<p>Toma was beside him now—standing very close, -looking down into the sick man’s eyes. He suddenly -stooped and whispered something into Rand’s willing -ears, then drew back smiling.</p> -<p>“It is all right,” he announced to Dick, who had -come closer. “Corporal Rand he say all right. Him -willing we go. We must hurry very fast, Dick. -You go back to billet an’ pretty soon I go there too.”</p> -<p>And almost before he realized it, Toma had seized -his arm and was dragging him toward the door.</p> -<p>“Quick!” he commanded. “You go back to billet. -I know place where I find two horses. You get us -something to eat in plenty hurry. Two rifles, cartridge -belts, revolvers——You work quick—plenty -fast. So me too.”</p> -<p>“But Toma,” protested his bewildered companion, -“I don’t see. I don’t know——What——”</p> -<p>“No time ask ’em questions now. Do like I say. -Quick! Hurry!”</p> -<p>Through the open doorway Dick was bundled, -pushed, treated somewhat roughly, considering that -Toma was his friend. Outside in the chill air, he had -started to protest again, but the door was slammed in -his face.</p> -<p>“You be good fellow. Hurry now!” the inexorable -voice boomed at him through the heavy barrier. -“I be along mebbe eight, ten minutes.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_213">213</div> -<p>There was nothing left for him to do except obey. -Shaking his head, wondering what new form of insanity -had seized hold of his friend, he wheeled about -and struck back towards the billet. There he gathered -up a bundle of food, secured the rifles, cartridges -and revolver—exactly as he had been instructed—and -sat down to wait.</p> -<p>In a remarkably short time Toma appeared. His -coming was heralded by the clatter of hooves. Dick -heard a voice calling to him.</p> -<p>Toma did not even dismount, as Dick thrust his -head through the doorway.</p> -<p>“Is that my horse?” asked Dick, feeling a little -foolish.</p> -<p>“Your horse. Bring ’em rifles an’ grub an’ jump -up into saddle quick.”</p> -<p>Sandy was just coming down the street, his arms -loaded with provisions, when the two horses, their -flanks quivering, nostrils dilated, leaped from the -trodden snow around the doorway and galloped away -like mad.</p> -<p>They turned off on the north trail, whirling past -an open-mouthed sentry, who, in his hurry to get -out of the way, stepped back in a huge snowdrift and -sat down. They streaked over a narrow bridge, -spanning a creek, shot up the steep embankment on -the farther side and, at break-neck speed, headed -for the open country in the direction of the Indian -village. It was not until they were two miles out, -that Toma drew in his horse.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_214">214</div> -<p>“We stop here for a few minutes,” he informed -Dick.</p> -<p>“What for?”</p> -<p>Toma produced a bulky package, deftly opened -and shook out—a frayed crimson tunic of the -mounted police.</p> -<p>“What’s that for?” Dick gasped.</p> -<p>“You put ’em on—quick! You Corporal Rand -now. Indians be much afraid when we ride up.”</p> -<p>Trembling, Dick removed his own coat and put -on the crimson garment. They rode on again.</p> -<p>It was all that Dick could do to sit erect in his -saddle, much less simulate a quiet determination, a -bravery he did not feel. The two miles dwindled -into one. The remaining mile to the village—how -quickly did it seem to slip away past them, bringing -them closer and closer to that unwavering row -of brown tepees.</p> -<p>Their horses went forward at a walk. From the -tiny dwellings emerged human figures. Malevolent -eyes were watching them. Dick caught the flash of -sunlight on some bright object, probably a rifle barrel, -and he grew rigid in the saddle, instinctively -reaching toward the holster at his side. Toma detected -the motion and soberly shook his head.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_215">215</div> -<p>“No do that,” he advised promptly. “Mounted -police never pull gun ’til other fellow get ready to -use his. What you say we make horses go fast? -Gallop right up to village.”</p> -<p>Dick approved the suggestion. For one thing, a -flying mark is more difficult to hit. Another thing, -it gave a touch of realism to their bluff. It was -exactly what a mounted policeman would do.</p> -<p>So, when less than fifty yards from the nearest -tepee, they dug their heels into their ponies’ flanks -and cantered briskly up. They approached the first -two tepees and passed them without mishap. But -Dick’s heart was in his throat now. His cheeks -were drained of color. With increasing difficulty, he -kept his place astride his plunging horse.</p> -<p>Indians were pouring out of their domiciles, like -disturbed bees from a hive. A low murmur came -to the boys’ ears. Form after form they flashed by, -scarcely conscious of where they were going until, -by chance, they perceived that toward the center of -the encampment there had gathered an excited crowd -of natives, who were watching their approach. Toward -this crowd, they made their way at a quick -gallop.</p> -<p>Dick felt a little dazed as they came to a sudden -halt. The Indians had fallen back, yet did not disperse. -Deep silence greeted them. It was so deeply -and intensely quiet that Dick could almost believe -that the Indians were statues of stone.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_216">216</div> -<p>He tried to speak, but his tongue clove in his -mouth. Fear had settled upon him and he seemed -powerless to shake it off. At the crucial moment, -when everything depended upon his actions and deportment, -he was failing miserably. Fortunately, -he had the good sense to see this and tried desperately -to control himself. He sat up more rigidly in the -saddle, his mittened hands clenched.</p> -<p>“Make ’em talk,” whispered Toma.</p> -<p>Dick flung up one arm in a commanding gesture.</p> -<p>“Bring the two white men here at once,” he -ordered.</p> -<p>Then suddenly his gaze seemed to waver. The -crowd became a blur—a shadowy something before -his eyes. In their place rose up the stern figure of -Inspector Cameron—the worn, austere face, the -steel-gray eyes, the decisive chin. Again Dick threw -up his arm. A strange calmness pervaded him.</p> -<p>“Bring them here,” he repeated in a voice of gathering -impatience.</p> -<p>A murmur rose from the crowd. Suddenly it -fell back, hesitated for a brief interval, then hurried -away to do the white chief’s bidding. The tension -had relaxed. As he slowly turned in his saddle -to meet the gaze of his friend, a ray of sunlight fell -across Toma’s face.</p> -<p>“Bye-’n’-bye they come!” he cried happily.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_217">217</div> -<h2 id="c23">CHAPTER XXIII -<br /><span class="small">BACK AT THE MISSION</span></h2> -<p>“You’ve won, Dick. Dr. Brady says that you -were absolutely wonderful. The way you sat on your -horse, the way you ordered that crowd of natives -about—your calmness, your courage. You were -every inch a policeman!”</p> -<p>Dick laughed.</p> -<p>“I wonder what Dr. Brady would say if he knew -the truth. I wonder what he would say if he knew -that I was quaking inside like a jelly-fish. It is true -that I sat on my horse, but the credit is due the -horse, not me. If he had moved as much as one -front leg, he’d have shaken me out of the saddle. -Our cause would have been lost.”</p> -<p>“Come! Come! You’re fooling, Dick.”</p> -<p>“Not at all. I was never more frightened in my -life, and I never want to be as badly frightened -again. I was trembling like a leaf. When the chief -brought out Father Bleriot and Dr. Brady and turned -them over to us, I very nearly collapsed.”</p> -<p>“But the Indians were frightened too. They were -afraid of you.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_218">218</div> -<p>“Perhaps they were. Everyone was more or less -frightened, I guess, except Toma. Cool! Honestly -I think he enjoyed it. He egged me on, encouraged -me. I never would have had the nerve to enter that -village if it hadn’t been for him. There’s a young -man, Sandy, who was born without fear. He doesn’t -know what it means.”</p> -<p>Sandy rose and threw another log on the fire. -Then he rubbed the palms of his hands together and -grinned.</p> -<p>“Well, I’ll grant that. He doesn’t. He loves action -and excitement. He eats it. I suppose he’s off -somewhere now, worrying because we haven’t much -left here to do.”</p> -<p>“I know where he is,” laughed Dick. “He went -back to the Indian village with Dr. Brady. Brady -is finishing his work there this afternoon. Toma -is his interpreter.”</p> -<p>A moment of silence. Then:</p> -<p>“Dick, were you over to see Corporal Rand this -morning?”</p> -<p>“Yes.”</p> -<p>“Better, isn’t he?”</p> -<p>“Much better. I never saw anyone improve so -rapidly.”</p> -<p>“But you didn’t talk with Dr. Brady. Did he tell -you, Dick—did you hear——”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_219">219</div> -<p>In his excitement, Sandy pulled forward a chair -and plumped himself into it, putting both hands on -Dick’s knees.</p> -<p>“Dr. Brady admits that he was wrong. His first -examination was—er—well, a little hasty. Those -feet, for example. Bad, of course, but——”</p> -<p>“Do you mean to tell me he’ll walk?”</p> -<p>“Exactly.”</p> -<p>“Will be well enough to return to his duties?”</p> -<p>“Dr. Brady believes so now. He was quite enthusiastic -this morning. It’ll take months, of course—months -before he’ll be around again. First, he -must go to Edmonton and have an operation—skin -grafting and all that sort of thing.”</p> -<p>“And his mind is all right too?”</p> -<p>“Yes. Almost.”</p> -<p>“Almost!” snorted Dick. “You don’t mean that, -surely. Why, he was perfectly rational last night, -when I had a talk with him. He remembered everything. -He told me about his troubles on the trail. -He asked me if we were intending to take the Keechewan -mail back with us. We had a long talk together. -His mind is as bright as a new silver American -dollar. What made you say that?”</p> -<p>Sandy rose again and pushed back his chair. He -walked over and stood with his back to the fire.</p> -<p>“It’s getting colder, Dick.”</p> -<p>“Look here, you gay young deceiver, you didn’t -answer my question.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_220">220</div> -<p>Sandy looked up blankly.</p> -<p>“Eh, what? Question?”</p> -<p>“Yes. My question. Why do you think that -Corporal Rand hasn’t fully recovered his mental -powers?”</p> -<p>“He hasn’t—quite,” Sandy wagged his head dolefully. -“He sometimes suffers from hallucinations. -Dr. Brady and I both noticed it.”</p> -<p>“What are they?”</p> -<p>“There was one in particular. It would have -amused me, only I feel so sorry for him. He’s—he’s—well, -he thinks he’s going to be placed under -arrest. Can you imagine anything so absurd? And -by Inspector Cameron, too. He’s really worrying -about it.”</p> -<p>Dick’s roar of laughter echoed to every part of -the room. Tears of merriment chased each other -down his cheeks.</p> -<p>“I don’t think that is so very funny,” Sandy declared -with great dignity. “You ought to pity the -man.”</p> -<p>“You chump! You chump!” howled Dick. “Why -that—that isn’t an hallucination; it’s a fact. Corporal -Rand may be arrested. He probably will be, -but I don’t believe Cameron will be very severe with -him. Not this time.”</p> -<p>“What’s he done?” blinked Sandy.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_221">221</div> -<p>“Disobeyed orders. He came up here against the -inspector’s wishes. You see, Cameron intended to -come himself.”</p> -<p>“Oh,” said Sandy, much relieved, “the inspector -has probably forgotten all about it.”</p> -<p>“Not he! Cameron never forgets.”</p> -<p>“But he won’t be hard on him.”</p> -<p>“Of course not. He’ll impose a light fine along -with a severe lecture. Then he’ll reach in his pocket -and give Rand the money to pay the fine.”</p> -<p>Sandy laughed.</p> -<p>“Why don’t you tell Rand that? I think it will -relieve his mind.”</p> -<p>“Guess I will.” Dick rose. “I’ll take a run over -there now and cheer him up.”</p> -<p>Dick had readied the door, when Sandy called -him back.</p> -<p>“I say, Dick.”</p> -<p>“Yes, Sandy, what is it?”</p> -<p>“Remember the night when you released the Indian—sent -him back to his people with that message?”</p> -<p>“Yes, I remember.”</p> -<p>“I—I called you some names, Dick. I’m sorry -about that. I guess I was a bit angry and overbearing. -You’ll overlook it, won’t you?”</p> -<p>Dick took his chum’s hand and gripped it firmly.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_222">222</div> -<p>“Why—I’d forgotten about it. Anyway, it’s all -right. Everything is all right,” he smiled.</p> -<p>“And you’re all right, too,” declared Sandy.</p> -<p>Which, considering everything, was as fine a compliment -as Dick had ever received.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_223">223</div> -<h2 id="c24">CHAPTER XXIV -<br /><span class="small">A TREK HOMEWARD</span></h2> -<p>A dog train waited outside the Keechewan Mission. -It was a long train—ten teams of malemutes -and huskies—an impatient train, too, for not only -the dogs but the drivers as well, waited impatiently -for the word of command that would set it in motion. -Brake-boards were passed firmly into the snow, -the feet holding them in place becoming cramped -as the moments passed and still the leader did not -appear.</p> -<p>Presently a door creaked open and a tall young -man, laden with two heavy mail sacks, emerged to -the street. It was Dick Kent—and he was smiling. -Behind Dick came Dr. Brady and the cassocked figure -of a Catholic priest, Father Bleriot. The two -last named persons walked side-by-side, talking and -laughing. The priest’s right arm was thrust in -friendly fashion through that of the physician’s, and, -as the three figures came to a halt directly opposite -the sledge, to which a team of beautiful gray malemutes -were harnessed, the doctor declared:</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_224">224</div> -<p>“So we’re to go back at last. I see you have -everything ready, Dick. Nothing to do now except -pull our worthless freight out of here.”</p> -<p>“Monsieur does himself an injustice,” beamed the -priest. “You have reason to feel proud—you and -your friends. Hope and happiness and tranquility -have come again to Keechewan.”</p> -<p>“Have you any message that I can take to Inspector -Cameron?” Dick asked.</p> -<p>“It is there in the sack,” Father Bleriot pointed -to one of the mail pouches Dick had placed in the -empty sleigh. “A letter, monsieur, written from -my heart and sealed with tears of thankfulness. All -one night I sat and wrote that letter, page after page, -to the good inspector, and when I had finished, monsieur, -I found that I had expressed not even one small -part of what I wished to say.”</p> -<p>“Cameron will understand,” Dr. Brady reassured -him.</p> -<p>“And now you go,” said the priest regretfully. -“You embark upon a difficult journey. You go -south without even a pause to rest.”</p> -<p>“It will not seem so far this time,” stated Dick, -turning toward his sledge. “Well, thank you -Father, for your kindness and hospitality. We must -go now. Dr. Brady, you’ve worked hard, so we’re -giving you the place of honor here with the mail.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_225">225</div> -<p>They shook hands again. Dr. Brady was bundled -into the sleigh. At a signal from Dick, impatient -feet were lifted from brake-boards, whips -cracked, and the train whirled away amid a flurry of -fine snow. Father Bleriot, a somewhat lonely figure, -stood and waved his farewell, his expressive dark -eyes lighting with satisfaction, as there came to -him the cheers of scores of happy householders, who -lined the streets to watch the party go by.</p> -<p>Speeding southward, the dog train soon left the -village behind. The bleak landscape of the Barrens -settled around them. Rolling drifts of crusted snow -stretched away to the horizon. The wind shrieked -up from behind, a cold wind which froze the hot -breath of the huskies, and painted their lean, gray -flanks with a white coat of frost.</p> -<p>Hour after hour, then day after day, the cavalcade -bore on. The Barrens vanished. A streak of -dun-colored forest slowly advanced and silently enwrapped -them. The forest led them to a chain of -hills. The hills carried them begrudgingly to a valley. -The valley flung them into a meadow, which, in turn, -by various stages, brought them to another forest, -another valley, across lakes, down ravines, over -rivers, on and on and on, until at last, when they had -almost begun to believe that the trail would never -end, weary yet exuberant, they drove into the compound -at Fort Mackenzie.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_226">226</div> -<p>There followed a scene which to Dick at least -seemed somewhat confused and vague. He remembered -helping to carry Corporal Rand into the barracks. -He recalled a good deal of shouting and -laughing. A throng pressed forward, sledges were -unloaded, drivers darted here and there. Sandy -and Toma joined Dick, and they were standing there, -talking excitedly, when a crimson-coated figure -pushed his way through the crowd and approached -them.</p> -<p>“Welcome back,” Constable Whitehall shouted. -“Glad to see you all home again. The inspector is -waiting for you.”</p> -<p>The three boys followed the police orderly to Cameron’s -office, followed him in a state of mind in which -excitement, happiness and relief intermingled. They -had expected to find the grizzled police official sitting, -as was his wont, sternly erect in his chair, lips -pursed, steel-gray eyes levelled upon them. But to -their surprise, as the door swung open, revealing -the room beyond, the inspector was standing—not -behind—but in front of his desk.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_227">227</div> -<p>The grim look was not there. True, his eyes were -upon them, and he did not speak for a moment, as -they filed in and halted awkwardly in front of him. -Then Dick noticed the smile: warm and friendly, a -sort of paternal smile that wholly transfigured and -enlivened his features, that had the curious effect of -making the boys forget their shyness and feel at -ease. And while Dick was making a mental note of -this, Cameron had suddenly come forward and was -shaking them by the hand, talking and joking, winking -slyly at Constable Whitehall.</p> -<p>“You young rascals! No need to tell me that -everything didn’t come out all right. Don’t try to -deceive me. I see it—see it shining in your eyes. -Constable Whitehall, bring over those chairs. That’s -better. Sit down. Now, Dick—— Sit down, -I tell you, while Richard here relates his experiences.”</p> -<p>In a few words, Dick told his story. Yet he was -out of breath when he had finished, and a little incoherent -when he tried to answer the few sharp -questions Cameron fired at him.</p> -<p>“At any rate,” smiled the inspector, “you got -there, and you came back. From what you’ve already -told me, I gather that you had trouble at -Keechewan. Was that the only trouble you had?”</p> -<p>“Yes, sir,” answered the bewildered young leader.</p> -<p>“Why, Dick,” Sandy reminded him, “we had -trouble on the trail—lots of it.”</p> -<p>“So we did,” remembered Dick. “I’d forgotten -about that. We picked up Lamont on our way back, -but Fontaine and the rest left us—skipped out.”</p> -<p>“They’re here,” said Cameron grimly, “—in -jail! We can eliminate them. Now, about this -Lamont?”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_228">228</div> -<p>“I shoot him,” declared Toma briefly.</p> -<p>“You did?”—sharply.</p> -<p>“Yes, sir.”</p> -<p>“Why?”</p> -<p>“Him bad fellow.”</p> -<p>Cameron’s mouth twitched at the corners.</p> -<p>“Is he hurt badly?”</p> -<p>“He’ll be all right in a few weeks, inspector,” Dick -came quickly to his chum’s rescue.</p> -<p>“Was Toma justified in doing this?” Cameron -inquired, turning to Sandy and Dick.</p> -<p>Two young men quickly nodded their affirmation.</p> -<p>“Well, that’s all I want to know. I’ll overlook -it this time, Toma. You’ve already told me, Dick, -about Corporal Rand. Took him to the barracks, -you say?”</p> -<p>“Yes.”</p> -<p>Inspector Cameron rose from his chair and paced -slowly up and down the room. For a time he seemed -oblivious of their presence. He had become grim -and forbidding now, stern and austere—not at all -the companionable and affable person he had been at -the beginning of their interview. Dick and Sandy -exchanged questioning glances, then their eyes stole -furtively toward the door.</p> -<p>The footbeats came to a sudden pause in front -of them.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_229">229</div> -<p>“I’m grateful to all of you—very grateful! I’m -proud of you. Of course, I’ll pay you well. You -deserve it.”</p> -<p>Cameron was smiling again. His voice had lost -its sharp edge.</p> -<p>“Now, if there is anything that I can do. If——”</p> -<p>Dick interrupted him. It was the opportunity he -had been looking for.</p> -<p>“There’s one favor, inspector,” he cleared his -throat. “There’s one thing we’d like—Sandy and -Toma and I. You see, we’ve talked it over. We don’t -want the money. Money isn’t everything. We were -glad to help out in an emergency. Glad—but——”</p> -<p>“Yes; yes, my boy. What is it?”</p> -<p>“We’d be ever so much obliged to you, sir, and -thankful, if you’d dismiss the charge against Corporal -Rand.”</p> -<p>If Dick had hurled a bomb under Cameron’s desk -it could not have caused more consternation and surprise. -Whitehall started back and his mouth gaped -open. Inspector Cameron blinked, gulped several -times, and attempted to cover his confusion by blowing -his nose. A deep and oppressive silence settled -over the room.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_230">230</div> -<p>Not until then, did Dick realize that he had committed -an unpardonable breach of official etiquette. -He had smashed precedent and dignity to bits. He -had violated the code. He had taken advantage of -his position. As the full consciousness of the enormity -of his crime came over him, he hung his head, -his cheeks flaming to match the color of the inspector’s -tunic.</p> -<p>Suddenly the tension snapped. Inspector Cameron -broke into a roar of laughter. He slapped his thighs -and still choking with merriment, turned to his orderly.</p> -<p>“Whitehall, you—you see how helpless I am. I -ask you to become my witness. I’m powerless. This -is blackmail. Conduct these young ruffians outside. -And, Whitehall——” he paused abruptly.</p> -<p>The constable’s heels clicked as he came sharply to -attention.</p> -<p>“Yes, sir.”</p> -<p>“Tell Corporal Rand that I’ll see him at once.”</p> -<p class="tbcenter"><span class="sc">The End</span></p> -<div class="img" id="p3"> -<img src="images/p3.jpg" alt="Dick Kent with the Malemute Mail" width="500" height="694" /> -</div> -<h2 id="tn">Transcriber’s Note</h2> -<ul> -<li>Corrected the Title Page, which (unlike other pages) gave the book title as “Dick Kent <i>and</i> the Malemute Mail.”</li> -<li>Silently corrected obvious typographical errors; non-standard (or - amusing) spellings and dialect were not changed.</li> -<li>Added a Table of Contents based on chapter headings.</li> -</ul> - -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<hr class="full" /> -<p class="pg">***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DICK KENT WITH THE MALEMUTE MAIL***</p> -<p class="pg">******* This file should be named 52385-h.htm or 52385-h.zip *******</p> -<p class="pg">This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:<br /> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/5/2/3/8/52385">http://www.gutenberg.org/5/2/3/8/52385</a></p> -<p class="pg"> -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed.</p> - -<p class="pg">Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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