The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1910-10-10

IFeplleu the proprietor cheerfully,
rising to go. "I'll send up for
your tray in half an hour or so,
Mr.. Rowland.
| Several hours later Rowland
crawled from his bed and bathed
his head in cold water. After
that he felt better, dressed him
self, and went below. His head
panied him considerably, but be-
You'd that and an occasional nau-
seous sensation the injury he had
received in the fight caused him
no very great distress. He went
in to dinner and by the middle of
the afternoon was so much i'm
proved that he lighted his first
cigar and ventured out into the
bracing air for a short walk. At
first it occurred to him that he
might make inquiries at the Chi
nese restaurant regarding the
identity of the girl whom he had
met there, but he quickly changed
his mind, and crossing the river
he followed the trail which they
had taken the preceding night.
For a few moments he contem-
plated the marks of the conflict
in the snow. Where he had first
seen the half-breed there were
blotches of blood on the crust.
Good for Croisset" Rowland
muttered; "god for Croisset. 1t
looks as though he used a knife"
] He could see where the wound
ed man had dragged himself up
the trail, finally staggering to his
feet, and with a caution which he
had not exercised a few hours be-
fore Rowland continued slowly
between the thick forest walls,
one hand clutching the butt of the
revolver in his coat pocket. Where
the trail twisted abruptly into the
north he found the charred re-
mains of a campfire in a small
.topen, and just beyond it a num-
Der of birch toggles, which had
Undoubtedly been used in place of
Itent-stakes. With the toe of his
boot he kicked among the ashes
and half-burned bits of wood.
There was no sign of smoke, not
a living spark to give evidence
that human presence had been
there for many hours. There was
but one conclusion to make; soon
after their unsuccessful attempt
on his life his strange assailants
had broken camp and fled. With
them, in all probability, had gone
the girl whose soft eyes and sweet
face had lured him within their
reach.
But where had they gone?
Carefully he examined the
abandoned camp. In the hard
crust were the imprints of dogs
claws. In several places he found
the faint, broad impression made
by toboggan. The marks att
least cleared away the mystery of
their disappearance. Some time
during the night they had fled byI
dog-sledge into the North.
He was tired when he returned
to the hotel and it was ratherI
with a sense of disappointment
than pleasure that he learned the
work-train was to leave for Lei
Pas late that night instead of thel
next day. After a quiet hours
rest in his room, however, his old
enthusiasm returned to him. Hell
found himself feverishly anxious
to reach lie Pas and the big campl
on the Wekusko. Croisset's warn
ing for him to turn back into thel
South, instead of deterring him,
urged him on. He was born al
fighter. 1t was by fighting thatl
he had forced his way round byI
round up the ladder of success.
And now the fact that his life wasI
in danger, that some mysterious
peril awaited him in the depths
of the wilderness, but added al
new and thrilling fascination tol
the tremendous task which wasI
ahead of him. - He wondered i'll
this same peril had beset Gregsonl
and Thorne, and If it was thel
cause of their failure, of theirI
anxiety to return to civilization.
He assured himself that he would
know when he met them at Lei
Pas. He would discover more
when he became part of the
camp on the Wekusko; that is, i'll
the half-breed's warning held anvil
Significance at all, and he believed
that it did. Anyway, he would
prepare for developments. So hel
went to gunshop, bought a Iong-I
barreled six-shooter and hol-l
ster, and added to it a hunting-l
knife like that he had seen carl
ried by Croisset.
1t was near midnight when he
boarded the work-train and dawn
was just beginning to break over
the wilderness when it stopped att
Etomami, from which point hel
was to travel by hand-car over thel
sixty miles of new road that had
been constructed as far north as
LIE Pas. For three. days the car
had been waiting for the new
chief of the road, but neitherI
Gregson nor Thorne was with it.
Mr.. Gregson is waiting for you'll
at lie Pas" said one of the menl,
who had come with it. "Thornel
is at Wekusko."
For the first time in his lifel
Rowland now plunged into thel
heart of the wilderness, and as
mile after mile slipped behind |,
them and he sped deeper into the
peopless desolation of ice andl'
n