Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-12-08
CHAPTER TX,
Jean and Jan.


sloped up gradually from the forests and
swamps of the plain, a team of powerful
malemutes We're running at the head of
half-Cree woman. Now beside the sledge.
whip and shouting joyously. ran Jean de
Gravois
us it not beautiful, my Iowaka?' he
cried for the hundredth time in Cree.
leaping over a three-foot bowlder in his
bOundlesS enthusiasm. rs this not the
glorious world, with the sun just rising
of there and spring only few days
away? 1t is not like the cold chills at
Churchill, which come up with the ice
bergs and stay there all summer! What
do you think of your Jean de Gravois
and his country now"
Jean was bringing back with him a
splendid young woman, with big. lustrous
eyes, and hair that Shone with the gloss
Of a ravens wing in the sun. She laughed
at him proudly as he danced and leaped
beside her. replying softly in Cree, which
Is the most beautiful language in the
world. to everything that he said
Jean leaped and ran, cracked his caribou
whip. and shouted and sang until he was
painting and red In the face. Just as
Iowaka had called upon him to stop and
get second wind, the malemutes drop
ped back upon their launches where Jan
Thoreau lay, twisted and bleeding, in
the snow.
What is this?" cried Jean.
He caught JAMS limp head and shout
ders up in his arms and called shrilly to
Iowaka, who was disentangling herself
from the thick furs in which he had
wrapped her.
ut is the fiddler I told you about who
lives with Williams at Post Lac Balm
he shouted. excitedly in Cree. He has
been murdered. He has been choked to
death and torn to pieces in the face, as
if by an animal!' Jeans eyes roved about
as Iowaka kneeled beside him. What a
fight" he gasped. "See the footprints
big man and small boy, and the
murderer has gone on a sledge!
He Is warm said lowaka- III may
be that he is not dead"
Jean de Gravois sprang to his feet, his
little black eyes flashing with danger
Gus fire. In a single leap he was at the
side of the sledge, throwing off the furs
and bundles and all other objects except
his rifle.
HE is dead, Iowaka. Look at the pur-
ple and black in his face. 1t Is Jean de
Gravois who will catch the murderer. and
you will stay here and make yourself a
camp. Hi-o-o-o-o" he shouted to the
malemuteS
The team twisted sinuously and swiftly
in the trail as he sped over the edge of
the mountain. Upon the plain below ne
knelt upon the tobosgan. with his rifle
in front of him: and at his low, kissing
commands. which reached no farther than
the dogs ears. the team stretched their
long bodies in pursuit of the missioner
and his huSkieS
Jean knew that whoever was ahead oi
him was not far away. and he laughed
and hunched his shoulders when he saw
that his magnificent malemutes were
making three times the speed of the
huskies. It was short chase. 1t led
across the narrow plain and into a dense
tangle Of swamp. where the huskieS mad
nicked their way in aimless wandering
until they came out in thick balsam and
Banksian pine. Half mile farther on
and the trail broke into an open. Which
led down to the smooth surface OF lake,
and twO-thirds across the lake was tiie
fleeing missioner.
The malemute leader flung open his
jaws in a deep baying triumph. and with
savage yell Jean cracked his carlpou
whip over his back He saw the man
ahead of him lean over the end of his
sedge as he urged his dogs, but the
huskies went no faster: and then he
caught the glitter of something that
flashed for a moment in the sun
Ali said Jean. softly. as bullet sang
over his head. He fires at Jean de era
vois," He dropned his whip. and there
was the warm glow of happiness in his
little dark face Is he leVeled his r,ile
over the backs of his malemutes. He
11reS at Jean dc CTTdNOlS, anu II ID jean
who can hamstring a caribou at three
hundred yards on the rum.
For an instant, at the crack OF his rifle.
there was no movement ahead, then
something rolled from the sled"e ard Law
doubled up in the snow. \ hundred yards
beyond it the huskies stopped in a rahble
and turned to look at the approaching
strangers.
Beside it Jean stopped. and when he So W
the face that star. d up at him he clutch
hi Ia, ,v1 1r,, 40. hot ~
and cried out, in shrill amazement and
horror:
THE saints in heaven, it is the mis-
sioner from Churchill.'
He turned the man over. and fourd
where his bullet had entered under one
arm and come out from under the other.
There was no spark of life left. The mis-
sioner was already dead.
1.-The missioner from Churchill,' he
gasped again.
He looked up at the warm sun and
kicked the melting snow under his moe
casined feet.
"It will thaw very SOON he said 10
himself. looking again at the dead man,
land then he will go into the lake
He headed his malemutes back to the
forest. Then he ran out and cut the
traces of the exhausted huskies and with
his whip scattered them in freedom over
the ice
.tGo to the wolves-' he shouted in Cree
'H1de yourselves from the post or Jean
de Gravo!s will cut out your tongues and
take your skins off alive
When he came back to the TOP of the
mountain Jean found Iowaka making hot
coffee. while Jan was bundled up in flrs
near the fire.
ut is as I said" she called. He is
alive"
Thus It happened that the return of Jean
de Gravois to the post was even more
dramatic than he had sche-ned it to be-
for he brought back with him not only
beautiful wife from Churchill, but also
the half-dead Jan Thoreau from the scene
of battle on the mountain. And in the
mystery of it all he reveled for two DAYS
for Jean de Gravois said not a word
about the dead man on the lake beyond
the forest. nor did the huskies come
back into their bondage to give a hint
of the missing missionary.