The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-12-05
(contdnued.1

"Sam says that one night, four days after I left Eel island, he had just eaten his supper when he heard knocking on the door. Thinking it must be me who had returned, he opened it Seeing no one, he stepped out into the dark, when pair of arms were thrown round him, and a cloth that smelt like the stuff that made him go asleep in the hospital. (Sam's had most of his toes off on account of frost bite down to Va1dez) was clapped about his head He struggled, but he says he does not remember any more until he woke up on the beach here It was still dark, and the men and boat were gone.
 Toward evening he discovered a barrel of dried fish which had been tumbled ashore from the boat which nnarooned hirn-to keep him from starv- ing, I suppose. He went up into the scrub and made fire Since then he's been here and seen no one. That's all.''
 t.Then he didn't ever really see the faces of the chaps that Kidnapped him ?''
 Stafford translated the question to Sam and repeated the answer.
 'sOne had beard and was a big man; he wore a peaked cap. Anything else to ask him P
 sssYes. How long has he been here on this island ?''
 Flight days
 Whats he been doing all the time ?''
 .sJust wandering around. 7
 Where has he been camped ?''
 Stafford raised his thumb over his shoulder. sIn the scrub above here
 Joe nodded. ftWell, let's go to his camping place and boil the kettle. Hell sure have bit of fire there"
 Joe stirred the smouldering logs into life. but in doing so was so unfortunate as to oYerturn the kettle.
 That's bad" said he Best tell your man to get some more water"
 Stafford sent off Sam on his errand; but no sooner had the Aleut disappear ed than November was on his knees examining the charred embers and deIving among the ashes
 tsGeE rid of your hired man for a while longer, only so he don't suspect anything. ,, he said "I hear him com ing.''
 1sYou mean he's in the robbery ?''
 stHe sure is. And, what's more, it looks to me like he's your only chance of getting your foxes back Here he comes"
 A moment later Sam appeared in sight walking up the narrow track be- tween the rocks. kettle in hand. Staf- ford spoke to him in Aleut. Sam gTunted in acquiescence, and went off up the hill that formed the center of the island.
 CT told him to go gather some more wood while the kettles boiling. Now you can talk and tell me who you think [, tho T1oTfxs of my g
 ,ssYour foxes ain't dead.''
 aAinit dead? You've forgot their skinned carcasses!n
 ssI allow we saw some skinned car casses, but they was the carcasses of red foxes worth no more than $10 apiece instead of a thousand. I ex- amined those carcasses mighty careful Their eyes wasn't the right color for black foxes. That's one thing. For another, I found some red hairs. It ] afn't in nature you can take pelt off and not a hair stick on the body un- der'
 Stafford digested this in silence
 srBut why. in creation should the l chaps have taken the trouble to bring over red fox carcasses?'' he inquired at length.
 .@That's easy answered They was after your best stock. It's pretty like ly they didn't take them far, and the wouldn't want you nosing about foi your live foxes
 'sIs that it?''
 "Another thing. The robbers was six days or more on Eel island Now they could catch and kill all your fox es in two. But to catch them so they wouldn't be hurt would take time No, your foxes ain't dead yet, and they ain't far off, neither, and your A1eut knows who's got them. He told you he'd been eight days on this island, didn't he?''
 Stafford nodded. ..Eight days. that's what he said.''
 seHe lied. I knew it the mouaant I set eyes on his fire. Not enough ash to this fire to make heat to keep a man without blanket comfortable for eight days this weather And look! The boughs he's broke off for his bed. They're too fresh. Ag'in, he ain't got no ax here, yet the charred ends of the thicker bits on the fire has been cut with an ax. It's clear as light. The robbers ferrted Sam across here