Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1911-03-01
The Danger Trail
By James Oliver Cu.~ood rs :sgss@s sa ssF
Oliver

north that he saw the wilderness in all
Of its grandeur. AS the a stopped
he sprang TO his feet with a joyous
cry, his face afame with what he saw
ahead of him. Stretching away under
his eyes, mile after mile, was the vast
white desolation that reached to Hud-
son bay. In speechless wonder he
gazed down on the unblazed forests.
saw plains and hills unfold themselves
as his vision gained distance, followed
a frozen river until it was lost in the
bewildering picture. n let his eyes
rest here and there on the glistening,
aforementioned bosoms of lakes,
trimmed In by walls of black forest.
This was not the wilderness he had
expected it to be, nor as. he had often
read Of in books. 1t was not the will
derness hat Gregson and Thorne
had described in their letters.
1t was beautiful, 1t was magnif-
cent, His heart throbbed with pleasure
as he gazed down on it, the flush grew
deeper in his face, and he seemed hard
ly to breathe In his tense interest.
One of the four on h car was an
old Indian, and it was he, strangely
enough, who broke the silence. He had
seen the look in Howland's face, and
he spoke softly, close to his "a
Invent ~t'ousand moose down there
twent' t'ousand cartbou-oo, No man
no house-more twent' t'ousand miles!
Rowland, even quivering in his new
emotion, looked into the old warrior 9
eyes, filed with the curious, thrilling
CLEAN of the spirit which was stirring
within himself. Then again he stared
straight out into the unending distance
as though his vision would penetrate
far beyond the last of that visible DESC
lation-on and on, even to tho grim
and uttermost Businesses Of Hudson
Bay: and as he looked he knew that
In these moments there had been born
in him a new spirit, a new being; that
no longer was he the old Jack How
land whose world had been confined by
office walls and into whose conception
of life there had seldom entered things
other than those which led directly
toward the achievement of his ambi-
tons.
The short northern day was nearing
an end when once more they saw the
broad Saskatchewan twisting through
a plain below them, and on its south
ern shore the few log buildings OF LIE
Pas hemmed in on three sides by the
black forests of balsam and spruce.
Lights were burning in the cabins and
in the Hudson Bay Posts store when
the car was brought to a halt half a
hundred PAGES from a squat, log-built
structure. which was more brilliantly
Illuminated than n of he others.
That's the hotel" said one of the
men. "Gregson's there"
A tall. fur-clad figure hurried forth
to meet Rowland as he walked briskly
across the open. 1t was Gregson. AS
the two men gripped hands h young
engineer stared at the other in aston
ishment. This was not h Gregson he
had known in the Chicago office, round
faced full of life, as active as a
cricket.
Never so glad to see any one in my
life, Howland!" he cried, shaking the
others hand again n again. AN
ether month and I'd be dead. Isn't this
a hell of a country"
I'm falling more in Low with it at
every breath. Gregson. What's the
matter? Have you been sick?"
Gregson laughed as they turned to-
ward the lighted building. It was a
short. nervous laugh, and with it he
rave a curious sidewise glace at his
companions face.
"Sick-yes, sick of the job. If the
old man hadn't sent us relief Thorne
and I would have thrown up the whole
thing in another four weeks. I'll war
ram you'll get your everlasting fill Of
log shanties and half-breeds and moose
meat and this Internal sno and ice
before spring comes, but ! don't want