The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-08-24

for his ordeal. while Fraser. bandagcu and smarting. was his old shrewd self.
 Have you heard about the mail boat?" asked Emerson.
 "No."
 We've missed her."
 "What d'you mean?" demanded Big George blankly.
 'I mean that that storm delayed us just long enough to ruin us."
 "Why-er-kt's wait till the next trip" offered the fisherman.
 Emerson shook his head. "She may not be back here for eight weeks. No! We're done for"
 Bait was like a big boy in distress. His face wrinkled as if he were about to burst into loud lamentations. Then a thought seized him.
 "Where in blazes is this steamer ?'' he cried. "Out to the westward somewhere"
 "Well, she's a mail boat, ain't she !? TheE why don't she stop here coming back? Answer me-" The rotund man shrugged his fat shoulders. She's got to call at Uyak bay going east"
 Emerson looked ur quickly. Where is Uyak bay?"
 lover on Kadiak island"
 "When. is the boat due at Uyak?' Emerson asked.
 "Most any time inside of week"
 How far is that from here?" z "It ain't so far-anly about fifty ir,~ Er1 hot famed into the miners eyes, Petellin hastened to observe: "But you can't get there. It's across the straits-Shel- ikof straits.'
 What of that! We can hire sail- boat and"--
 q ain't got any sailhoat. I lest my sloop last year hunting sea ctter."
 "We can hire small bf.et of some sort, can't we. and get the Datiyes 10 put us across? There must be plenty of boats here.'
 Nothing but skin boats, kyaks and bidarkas. you know. Anyhow, you couldn't cross at this time of year it's too stormy These straits is the worst piece, of water on the coast. No; you'll have to wait"
 Emerson stared hopelessly at the fire.
 The disheartened man started at this iuncture as if sudden thought i'm pelled him and followed Bait out into the cold. He turned down the bank to the creek, however, and made care eul examination of all the canoes that hn uil in utes later he had searched out the dis gruntled fisherman and cried excited ly:
 i've got 1t! We'll catch that boat yet"
 How" growled the big man sourly
 "There's a large open skin boat. ar oomiak. down on the beach. We'll hire crew of Indians to put us across to Uyak."
 Cant be done." said Big George, still gruff1y. Its the wrong season. You know the Shelikof straits is a bad place even for stea nships at this time of year They're like that pass up yonder, only worse"
 .'But it's only fifty miles across"
 Fifty miles of that kind of water in an open canoe may be just as bad as 5O0-unless you're lucky. And I afn't noticed anything so darned lucky about us.'
 Its our only chance, Are you gamer"
 Come on.' cried Big George; '1et's find Petellinw
 That worthy uttered shriek of de nial
 "In summer, yes, but now-you can't do it. It has been tried too often. The straits is always rough. and the weather is too cold to sit all day in an oorniak; you'd freeze"
 "We'll chance it-
 ''No, no, no. If it comes on to storm you'll go to sea. The tides are strong; you can't see your course and"-
 wen use compass. Now. you get me enough men te handle that oomiak; that's a good fellow. I'll attend to the rest"
 But they won't go." declared the little fat man. 'They know what it means. Why
 "Cal them in I'll do the talking" |" And accordingly the storekeeper went in search of the village chief, shaking his head and muttering at the mad ness of these people.
 But it all proved useless. The na- tives would not risk it. Desperate. the three men fitted up a boat themselves and resolved to make the attempt