The Mena weekly star., 1907-07-18
FIGHTING THE
 COLD DEATH
By REX E. BEACH
Copyright. by Joseph B. Bowles.)
(A storx er AIa.kn.

the uTINeI, UT Seu IHem 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 a muffler. Some times he fell, plunging in the snow, rising painfully, and grooming with the misery of 'snow-bIindness."
 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 talisman to the chief he strode to him and snatched it.
 "Ohol It's Father Orloff, is 1t? D. himl' He gazed at the token, white spruce chip with strange marks and carvings.
 What does it mean, George?" said the blind man.
 It's long story, Captain, and black. You should have known it before we started. I'm a marked man in this coast coun- try. It's Orloff's work, the rem egade. Father he calls himself Father to these devils he rules and robs for himself in the name of the church. God help him when we meet" He shook his hairy claws at the hos tile circle.
 The Indians clustered before the portal of the mission house, with it's 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, eh? Does it occur to you how we're going to get out?'
 Never mind, we'll get out some how" said he. And that night, as
 
 and engineer. lay with eyes swathed in steaming cloths, the whaler spoke, and with the bitterness of great wrong
 Tt happened when we rocked the bars of Forty Mile. Into the big valley l went and got lost in the flats. l run out of grub We always did them days, and built raft to float down to the Yukon. A race with starvation, and dead heat it near proved, too, though I had a shade the best of it. l drifted out into the main river, ravin' mad, my 'Mvkluks' eat off 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 through me again.
 q mind seein' white man standin' around at times and hearin' him beg her to leave me to the old squ1ws. 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 blacker-hearted thief never wronged a child. He wanted the girl, Metla, and so did l. When l 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, Orloff is strong man. He held em like a rock. He worked on 'em till one day the tribemen came to me in body and said, Go!
 "'Give me the girl, and l will says l.
 "Orloff sneered. She was mine for a month before ye came, says he with the fiend showln' back of his eyes. DO ye want her now?'
 For minute I believed him. struck once to kill, and he went down. They closed on me as fast as l shook em off. l was beat back to the blum and l battled with my heels over the edge. Then I heard Metla calling softly from below
 "'Jump!' 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 they ran out of the tents with their rifles leaped.
 "A long drop and cold water, but l hit feet first When I rose the little girl was alongside. l got in and we padded away.
 The next winter we were at Holy Cross. That was the winter or 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. l was afraid when left, too, for twas the time should have been with her. but there was nc one else to go.
 "When you come back. she said there will be another-a little boy and he will grow mighty and strong like his father. She hung her arms around me, Cap, and 1 left with her kisses warm on my lips.
 Tt was a terrible trip, the river wei with overflows and the cut-offs drlfteo deep, so I drove back into Holy cross a week late with bleedin' dogs ano frozen Indians strainin' at the sieo ropes.
 e