The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1911-03-17

prospect the country thoroughly and stake out ev-
erything 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 was near. 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. l can't
go back with you in the spring to stake the claims
want you to promise 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 a few weeks Of them told him that they we're
going to quit at certain time in the spring and
take long canoe 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" Canadians
call forest, and prepared to wait.
On the eighth day of his vigil as he was peering
out Of the bushes he saw the sight that he had
waited so long to Down the placid river came
two canoes, cutting their ways through the cool
waters and leaving fatron wakes in the rear.
Late in the afternoon Bill the two specks
disappear in what seemed to be an inlet
The first night there no fire, but the next
day Bill blue spiral Of smoke curling from the
bushes back of the lake
For five days and nights the fires burned. Then
there was no fire, day or night. Evidently the
men had gone Bill wanted to be sure, SO he waited
three days. Then he went down to the lake
where his canoe hidden, put it into the water,
took pains to observe that there the lake
sign of human life then slowly padded his way
along the shore, looking for the inlet
Bill padding quietly as he could when, at
the "knuCkle' of the water 1Dger-a point where
the inlet not more than so feet wide-he sud
denly saw on the left bank-the two prospectors
The next instant one of them threw at Bill 8
canoe that all but cut it in two and sunk 1t as quick
ly a mine could sink a batteshp.
Woodney doesn't know yet why he is alive. He
seemed to have chance to live 1t two
against one and the one in the water. So were
his food, his weapons and his tools II 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
sinking. He thought out nothing. All he did to
act first and think afterward A 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
The rest of this story can be told in short SEN
fences. Hunger. within the next forty-eight 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 at 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 sign of a claim He
couldn't even find anything himself that seemed
worth claiming.
The prospectors never returned Whether they
were upset and drowned in one of the many rap
Ids; whether they fell to fighting and killed each
other. no one knows Nor have they ever filed a
claim to ore bodies along Lake Abitibi