The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1911-08-10
THE DANGER TRAIL
Continued from page 6.

our udItlot III ofhls hNAt - a.
ready death below US in the plain, or 1t
Is TO come very soon. must tie your
hands"
HowIand thrust his wrists behind
him, and about them Jean twisted a
thong Of babeesh.
Il believe / understand" he spoke
softly, listening again for the chilling
wall from the mountain top. You
are afraid that | will kill you"
at is a warning, m'seur. You might
trv. But | should probably kill you.
AS 1t is"-he shrugged his shoulders as
he led the way down the ridge-"as it
is, there is small chance Of Jean CrOis-
set answering the call.
'May those saints of yours preserve
me. Jean. but this is all very cheerful"
prunted Rowland, half laughing In
spite of himself. Now that I'm tied
I'D again. who the devil is there to die
but meE"
THAT is hard question, m'seur,'
replied the half breed, with grim seri-
BUSINESS. Perhaps it is your turn. !
half believe that it is"
Scarcely were the words out Of his
mouth when there came again the
moaning howl from the top of the
ridge.
You're getting on my nerves, Jean
you and that accursed dog"
"Silence, m'seur!"
Out of the grim loneliness at the
foot of the mountain there doomed
shadow, which at first Rowland took
10 be a huge mass of rock. A few
steps farther and he saw that it was a
building. Croisset gripped him firmly
by the arm.
"Sray here" he commanded. u will
return SOON"
For IA quarter of an hour Rowland
waited Twice in that interval the dog
howled above him. He was glad when
Croisset appeared out of the gloom.
1T is as | thought, m'seur. There is
death down here. Come with me-"
The shadow of the big building
shrouded them as they approached.
Rowland could make out that it was
built of massive logs and that there
seemed to be neither door nor window
on their side. And yet when Jean hest
tated for an instant before blOtch Of
gloom that was deeper than the others
he knew that they had come to an en-
trance
Rowland could feel the half breeds
hand clutch him nervously by the arm
as they went step by step into the
black and silent mystery of the place.
Soon there came a fumbling of CrOis-
sets hand at a latch, and they passed
through a second door. Then Jean
struck a match.
Half dozen steps away was table
and on the table a lamp. Croisset
lighted it and with quiet laugh faced
the engineer. They were in low.
dungeon-like chamber without a win
dow and with but the one door
through which they had entered. The
table, two chairs, a stove and bunk
built against one of the log walls were
ali thar Rowland could see. But It
was not the barrenness of what he i'm
agined was to be his new prison that
held his eyes in staring inquiry on
CroiSset 1t was the look in his com
panion's face. the yellow pallOr of fear
"a horror-that had taken possession
of it. The half breed closed and bolted
the door and then sat down beside the
table. his thin face peering up through
the sickly lamp glow at the engineer.
'Mseur. it would be hard for you to
EIess where you are"
Rowland waited.
IF you had lived in this country
long, mSeur, you would have heard
of la MaisOn de Mort ROuge-the house
of the Red Death. as you would call
1t. That is where we are-in the dun
geon room. 1t is a Hudson Bay post
abandoned almost since | can remem-
Der. When | was a child the smallpox
plague came this way and killed all
the people. Nineteen years ago the
red plague came again, and not one
lived through it in this Poste de Mort
Rouge Since then it has been left
TO the weasels and the owls. 1t is
Stunned by every living soul between
the Athabasca and the bay. That is
why you are safe here
"Ye gods" breathed Rowland. as
there anything more, Croisset! Safe
from what. man? Safe from what?"
From those who wish to kill you,
m'Seur You would not go into the
south. so Ia belle Meleese has compel
led you to go into the north. Compre-
nez vous? You would have died last
night, m'seur, had it not been for Me
leeSe. You escaped from the coyote. !
but you would not have escaped from
the other. That is all | can tell you.
But you will be safe here. Those who
seek your life will soon believe that
you are dead, and then we will let you
go back. Is that not kind fate for
one who deserves TO be cut into bits
and fed to the ravensT"
You will tell me nothing more. |
Jean?" the engineer asked.
Nothing. except that while would /
like to kill you l have sympathy for
you. That perhaps is because | once |
lived in the south. For six years l
was with the company in Montreal
where l went to school"
Than ba ,pbo1taI and ODeDpl the /