The Pickens sentinel. (Pickens, S.C.) 1911-2016, 1914-11-05

knoWS-Where.
Crossing the st. Lawrence by night,
the two struck off quietly into the
hinterland Of the Notre Dame range,
then crossed the Maine border.
On the second noon thereafter,
trail-worn and weary, as lean as their
depleted packs, the two paused on a
ridge-pole of the wilderness up back
of the Allagash country, and made
their midday meal in a silence which,
If normal IN the Indian, was one Of
deep misgiyings on Alan's part.
Continually his gaze questioned the
northern skies that lowered porten-
tously, foul with smoke-a country.
wide confagration that threatened all
northern Maine, bone-dry with
drought.
Only the south offered a fair pros
pect. And the fires were making
southwark far faster than man might
hope to travel through that grim and
stubborn land.
Even as he stared, Alan saw fresh
columns Of dun-colored smoke spring
up in the northwest.
Anxiously he consulted the impas-
sive mask Of the Indian, FROM whom
his questions gained Alan little COM
fort. Jacob recommended forced
marches to Spirit lake. where canoes
might be found to aid their fight;
and withdrew into sullen reserve.
They travelled far and fast by dim
forest trails before sundown, then
again paused for food and rest. And
as Jacob sat deftly about preparing
the meal, Alan stumbled of to whip
the little trailside stream for trout.
Perhaps hundred yards upstream,
the back-lash Of a careless cast by his
weary hand hooked the state of Maine.
Too tired even to remember the ap-
propriate words, Alan scrambled
ashore, forced through the thick un-
dergrowth that masked the trail,
found his fly, set the state of Maine
free-and swinging on his heel
brought up, nose to sapling, trans
fixed by a rectangle Of white paste
board fixed to its trunk, a trey Of
hearts,Cof which each pip had been
neatly punctured by a 22-caliber bull
let.
He carried it back to camp, mean
ing to consult the guide, but on Sec
ond thought, held his tongue. It was
not likely that the Indian had over
looked an object so conspicuous on
the trail.
So Alan waited for him to speak
and meantime determined to watch
Jacob more narrowly, though~no other
suspicious circumstance had marked
the several days Of their association.
The first half Of the night was, as
the day, devoted to relentless prog
ress southwark; thirty minutes Of
steady jogging, five minutes for rest
and repeat.
No more question as to the need for
such urgent haste; overhead the north
wind muttered without ceasing. Thin
wells Of srooke drifted through the for
est, hugging the ground, like some
weird acrid mist; and ever the cur
tanned heavens glared, livid with re-
fected fires.
By midnight Alan had come to the
bounds of endurance; flesh, bone and
sinew could no longer stand the strain.
Though Jacob declared that Spirit
lake was now oaly six hours distant,
as far as concerned Alan he might
have said 600. His blanket once uns
rolled, Alan dropped upon it like one
drugged.
The sun was high when he awak-
ened and sat up, rubbing heavy eyes,
stretching aching limbs, wondering
what had come over the Indian to let
him sleep so late.
Of a sudden he was assailed by sick
ening fears that needed only the brief
est investigation to confirm. Jacob
had absconded with every valuable
item Of their equipment.
Nor was his motive far to seek.
Overnight the fire had made tre-
mendous gains And ever and anon
the wind would bring down the roar
of the holocaust, dulled by distance
but not unlike the growing OF wild
animals feeding on their kill.
Alan delayed long enough only to
swallow a few mouthfuls Of raw food,
gulped water from spring, and set
out at a dog-trot or the traillto Spirit
Lake.
For hours he blundered blindly on,
holding to the trail mainly by instinct.
At length, painting, gasping, half
blinded, b, staggered into little nat
ural clearing and plunged forward
headlong, so bewildere6s that ne could
not have said whether he was tripped
or thrown; for even as he stumbled a
heavy body landed on his back and
crushed him savagely to earth.
In less than minute he was over
come: his wrists hitched together, his
ankles bound with heavy cord.
When his vision cleared he found
Jacob within a yard, regarding him
with a face as immobile as though 1t
had seen cast in the bronze it resem-
bled.
Beyond, to one side, a woman in
a mans hunting costume stood eye
ing the captive as narrowly as the In
dian, but unlike him with a eounte-
nance that seemed aglow with fierce
eyultancy over his downfall.
But for that look, he could have be-
lieyed hers the face that had brought