Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-08-07
BigSnOWS
Author Of 1.-The
Danger 1Tral''

tiplied. until on all sides the Paul
veres of the wilderness carried ne
that the Red Terror was at their heels, .
and the chill of a great fear swept like .
n shivering wind from the edge of CIV
ilization to the bay.
Nineteen years before these same ru- /
mors had come up from the south. and
the Red Terror had followed. The hor-
ror of it still remained with the forest
people. for a thousand unmarked
graves stunned like n pestilence and
scattered from the lower waters Of
James bay to the lake country Of the
Athahasca. gave evidence of the toll it
demanded.
From DuBrochet. on Reindeer lake.
authentic word first came TO Lac
Balm early in the winter. Henderson
was factor there. and he passed up the
warning that had come to him from
Nelson House and the country to the
southeast.
There's smallpox on the Nelson" his
, messenger informed Williams, and it
has struck the Crees on WollastOn lake.
God only knows what it is doing TO the
bay Indians. but we hear that ii is wip-
ing out the Chippewayans between the
| Albany and the Churchill" He left
! the same day with his winded dogs.
! I'm Off for the Frenchmen TO the west
( with the compliments of our company"
! he explained
/ Three days later word came from
/ Churchill that all OF the company's
servants and her majesty's subjects
west Of the bay should prepare them
selves for the coming Of the Red Terror.
Williams thick face went as white as
the paper he held as he read the words
/ of the Churchill factor
1t means dig graves" he said.
That's the only preparation we can
make"
lie read the paper aloud to the men
at Lac Balm. and every available man
I was detailed to spread the warning
/ throughout the posts territory. There
was a quick haruesSing OF dogs, and on
each Sled=e that went out was roll of
red cotton cloth.
Jan went over the Churchill trail
and then swung southwark along the
Hasabala. where the country was
crisscrosSed with trap lines of the
halfbreeds and the French. First tie
struck the cabin of Croisset and his
wife and left part of his cloth. Then
he turned westward. while CroiSSet
harneSSed his dogs and hurried with u
quarter of the roll TO the south. Be
tween the HaSabaIa and Klokoi lake
Jan found three other cabins. and at
each hc left 4 bit of the red cotton.
Forty miles 20 the south. somewhere
on the Porcupine. ne found the cabin
Of Henry l.anGloiS. the posts greatest
fox hunter.
Over it. hanging Imply 10 sapling
pole. was the red signal Of horror.
With a terrified cry To the dogs. Jan
ran back. and the team turned about
and followed MIN in Il tangled mass.
Then ne stopped There was no
smoke rising from the clay chimney
on the little cabin its one window
wGs white with frost. Again and
again he shouted but no sign Of lie
responded To his cries He fired his
rifle twice and waited with his nit
tened hand over his mouth and nos
: trils There was no reply Then.
abandoning hope. ne turned back into
the north and gave his dogs no rest
until ne had reached Lac Balm.
. Ills team came in half dead Both
Cumuiins and Williams rushed cut to
, meet nim as He drove up before the
. company store.
, The red flag is over LangIois'
, cabin" he cried.
: Il fired my rife ana shoutcd There
: is no life! LanGlois Is dead"
Great Cod gruaned Williams.
4 His req face changed to a Sickly
, palior. and he stood with his thick
j. hands clincned while CummIns took
e charge OF the dogs and Jan went into
: the store for somethiu" to eat
e MHSee ana Perez returned to the
: post the next day. Young Williams
!. followed close after them. filed with
= terror. He had found the plague
( among the CTees OF the Waterfound
Each day added to the gloom AT Lac
4 Rain. Death Ieaped from cabin ia
p cabin IN the wilderness TO the west
a By the middle OF the mouth Lac
Balm was nemmed in by the plague
+ Oh all sides but the north.
The posts trap lines had been short
: ened; now they were abandoned en-
+ tirely. and the great tight began. vii
Iiams assembled his men and told then
r how that same battle had been fought
,, nearly two decades before. For sixty
r miles about the post every c. bin anC
a wigwan that fOated red tag must bt
visited and burned II the occupants
4 were dead. In learning whether life
or death existed in these places lay the
:, peril for those who undertook the task
: IL was a dangerous mission. IL meant
-. facing a death from which those whC
: listened TO the Old factor shrank witt
: dread. yet when the call came they re
: spOnded TO a man.
Cummins snd Ian ate their last sup
per together. with Melissa sitting be
tween them and wondering at their 81
Ience. When ii was over the two wen
outside
Nuke wasn't at the store" SAID
!, Cummins in q thick, strained voice
Il battling Jan In the gloom behind III,
cabin. WILLIAMS thought he was of
: to the south with his dogs But 81
isn't ! saw him drag himself into hi