Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1904-12-07
CHAPTER VII.
HOST OR WILD MAN

Martin looked long at those gro
tesQ:e footprints in speeches. won
der. For two weeks he had watched
Tor them in old log roads, along the
banks of streams, in the muddy spots
OF carries, and upon the sandy shores
OF lakes, in vain. He had found all
other kinds of tracks in plenty, hoof
prints Of moose, deer, and caribou,
the oval ones of bear, and the rounder
but sharper clawed tracks of lynx and
wildcat-but none like these. And
now, on a bright moonlight night. the
nondescript creature had walked up
to within two rods of where he lay
sleeping!
The effect on DR.. Sol was almost
ludicrous. He gazed at them, grew
pale, and with We've got to get out
of here, and quick, too," started for
the tent.
Here he comes; run, doctor, rum 81
shouted Martin, his sense Of humor
rising above his establishment, as he
followed the doctor, who had covered
the distance with. leaps. Then each,
grasping rifle, and followed by the
guides, returned to those tracks. And
now for the first time, so plainly out
lined were they In the deep sand, it
was possible to better guess what man
ner Of creature made them.
''1t's gigantic ape" asserted Mar
tin, bending over them: but Levi,
kneeling, shook his head.
tits some one wearin' moccasins
with claws on 'em. kin see whar
the seam comes," he said
1t was not reassuring, and both Mar
tin and the doctor glanced furtively
into the forest near at hand, and then
up to the gravelled point where the
stream entered. Then following Levi
and avoiding the tracks, hating often
to listen and look at one more distinct
than the rest, they came to this point
and the end Of the tracks. Here q
faint furrow showed where canoe
had grounded and been lifted out on the
beach
Its a white man." asserted Levi,
In a positive tone; IAN Injun always
lands canoe sideways"
"And why?" queried Martin, to
whom this was news
"Cause it don't strain 'em so much,
an leaves no sign"
"This chap wasn't fussy about the
signs,' interjected the doctor, land
If it's the beast I saw that night on
the MoOsehorn, I've had enough of his
society,""
"The tracks are the same beyond Ques-
t1on," said Martin, "and it looks like
q case Of follow, but how he has kept
along with us for ten days without
discovery is curious" And the thought
of such a savage man stealthily follow
ing one upstream, downstream,
across lake and carry good 100 miles
of wilderness, made Martin nervous.
I'm hot going to back out just yet, -
he added, as they retraced their steps
to find their fire out and breakfast
ruined. But that mattered not; in
fact nothing was thought Of or spoken
about all day except those hideous
tracks and the likelihood that their
maker might be lurking in the forest
about. No attention was paid to the
lake, rippled and shining In the sun
light, the birds, piping defiance to all
powers of darkness, or aught else Of
beauty. Both canoes made an entire
detou- q the lakes shore at least
three tines, while: their occupants,
oblivious even Of the trout leaping
.S1t here and there. scanned the shad-
ows, paused oft to listen at every trt-
fling sound. The entrances to two
long, unused log roads were examined,
the stream where they frst entered
the lake followed back mile, and the
one where the tracks began and ended
explored q little way, but no sign or
sound Of this Wild man found. Like
thief at night he had come ashore,
stolen ,lp-to their camp, returned, en-
barled, and where he was hiding no
man could guess. ts53 s 's2 h as5zs<5sss{s%2 (
When nightfall drew near, the doc
tor became nervous. 81 shan't sleep q
wink tonight, no said. plaintively, @
y watched Levj building . drs, md