Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1911-03-17

prospect the country thoroughly and stake out ev-
erythng in sight.
During the following winter the husband Of the
woman who to become widow was
seriously injured in mill. In few days he
realized that death He sent for the two
prospectors who had accompanied him to Lake
Abitibi. They came
Boys said he, Il guess I've got to die I can't
go back with you in the spring stake the claims.
I want you to promise me that if die you will give
the old woman third Of what we found last year "
The promised. The wife heard them. But
she didn't believe them
The widow had told Bill who the men were.
He knew them He knew where they were work
ing. Bill hired out in the place. In the course
of few weeks Of them told him that they were
going to quit at certain time in the spring and
take long and hunting trip in the country
far to the north.
That was good enough clew for Bill. Two weeks
before the announced time for the men to start
Woodney quit his job packed his kit and started
for Lake Abitibi himself.
When he reached the lake he drew his canoe
from the water, hid it in the bush" as Canadians
call forest, and prepared to wait.
On the eighth day Of his vigil, as he peering
out Of the bushes he saw the sight that he had
waited SO long to see. Down the placid river came
two canoes, cutting their ways through the cool
waters and leaving fatiron wakes in the rear
Late in the afternoon Bill the two specks
disappear in what seemed to be an inlet.
The first night there fire, but the next
day Bill saw blue spiral of smoke curling from the
bushes back Of the lake.
For five days and nights the fires burned. Then
there was no more fire. day or night. Evidently the
men had gone Bill wanted to be sure, SO he waited
three more days Then he went down to the lake
where his was hidden, put it into the water,
took pains to observe that there was on the lake
sign Of human life, then slowly padded his way
along the shore, looking for the inlet.
Bill was padding as quietly as he could when, at
tho E1o'n of no fins VIII
the inlet was not more than SO feet wide-he sud-
denly the left bank-the two prospectors!
The next instant Of them threw an at Bill
that all but cut it in two and sunk it quick
ly as a mino could sink battleship.
WoOdney doesn't know yet why he Is alive. He
seemed to have no chance to live. 1t two
against one and the one in the water. So were
his food his weapons and his tools. If he were not
murdered during the next second it seemed certain
that he would starve during the next month. Not
that he thought out all Of these things while he was
sinking He thought out nothing. All he did was to
act first and think afterward. few strokes with
his hands and few kicks with his feet put him
against the bank No rabbit took trail faster
than Bill took to the brush.
SThe rest of this story be told in short SEN
t~lces. Hunger, within the next fortyeight hours,
drove Woodney into the very camp of the men
who would have slain him. He crept up to them,
late at night, and stole their food. He could not
steal much ct time, but he stole enough to keep
him alive He stole, not once but three times The
next time he went to steal they not there.
They had pulled up camp and gone, bag and bag
gage He took his life in his hands the next day
and went down to the claims they had staked
He didn't find stick or a sign Of claim. He
couldn't even find anything himself that seemed
worth claiming.
The prospectors never returned. Whether they
were upset and drowned in Of the many rap
ids; whether they fell to fighting and killed each
other, no one knows. Nor have they ever filed
claim to bodies RSong Lake Abitibi.