Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1907-01-17
FIGHTING THE
COLD DEATH
a sssry sf Alaska-)
BY REX q. BEACH
Copyright. by Joseph b. Bowlss.)

Down a gully came the Arctic cara
van. men and dogs, black against the
deadly Wilderness. Ahead swung the
guide. straddling awkwardly on his
Ave foot webs, while the strainins
pack battered ut his heels. Big George,
the driver. urged them with strong
words.
His companion, clinging to the sled,
stumbled now and then, while his face,
splitting from the snap OF the frost,
was smothered In muller. Some
times he fell. plunging In the snow,
rising painfully. and groaning with the
misery OF snow-blindness."
Down the steep bank they slid.
across the bumped up sea Ice at the
river mouth and into the village.
At the greeting of their guide to his
tribesmen, the natives. George started.
Twelve years Of coast life had taught
him the dialect from Point Barrow
south. and he glanced at his com
panion to find whether he. too. had
heard the message. As the guide
handed a talisman to the chief he
strobe to him and snatched II.
'0ho! It's Father Orion. Is It? D.
him!" He gazed at the token. white
spruce chip with strange marks and
carvings.
what does It mean. George?" said
the blind man.
ITS q long story, Captain. and
black. You should haV known
II before we started. I'm
marked man In this coast coun.
try. It's Orloffs work. the rem
egade. Father. lie calls himself.
Father To these devils he rules and
robs for himself In the name OF the
church. God help him when We meet"
lie shook his hairy claws at the hos
tile circle.
The Indians clustered before the
portal of the mission house, with its
rude cross above. and stared malig.
nantly. while the chief spoke.
Captain dragged the team within.
and George following, blocked the
shattered door.
We're safe as long as we stay In the
church." said he.
Right OF sanctuary. Ell? Does II
occur to you how we're going to get
out?'
Never mind, We'll get out some
how" said he. And that night. as
Charlie Captain, late university man
and engineer, lay with eyes swathed
In steaming cloths. the whaler spoke,
and with the bitterness of great
wrong.
1T happened when we rocked the
bars Of Forty Mile. Into the big valley
I went and got lost in the fats ] run
out of grub. We always did them days,
and built a raft to float down to the
Yukon. A race with starvation, and a
dead heat 1t near proved. too, though
had a shade the best Of 1t. drifted
out into the main river, ravin' mad,
my 'Mukluks eat of and my moose.
hide gun cover inside of me.
"A girl spied me from the village,
and twas her that brought me ashore
in her birch-bark and tended me till
reason came and the blood ran
Though me again.
around at times and hearin' him beg
her to leave me to the old squaws. She
didn't, though. She gave me bits of
moose meat and berries and dried
salmon. Her eyes was big and sad,
Cap, and dimples poked into her
cheeks when she laughed.
Twas then that Orloff takes a
hand-the white man. A priest he
called himself; breed, Russian. Maybe
he was, but a blacker.hearted thief
never wronged child. He wanted the
girl. Meta, and so did I. When asked
her old man for her he said she was
promised to the Russian. You know
what sway the church has over these
Indians. Well, Orion is strong man.
He held 'em like a rock. He worked
on 'em till one day the tribemen came
to me in q body and said, Coz
"'Give me the girl, and WILL says
l.
"Orloff sneered. She was mine for
a month before ye came says he with
the fiend shown back Of his eyes. DO
We want her now?'
For a minute l believed him. II
struck once to kill. and he went down.
They closed on me as fast as shook
'em of. / was beat back to the blum
and battled with my heels over the
edge. Then ! heard Meta calling
softly from below:
"'Jumpi' she said. Big one. Jump
she had loosed a canoe at the land
ing and now held It In the boiling cur
rent underneath. padding desperately.
AS thsy ran out OF the tents with
their rifles leaped.
"A long drop and cold water, but Il
hit feet Arst. When ! rose the little
girl was alongside. I got In and wei
padded away.
THE next winter we were ut Holy
Cross. That was the winter Of the |
famine. though every winter was the |
same then, and went to Anvik for
grub-took all the strong men and
dogs In the village. was afraid when
left, too. for twas the time should
haua haan NTH her hint fhara waa M