Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1914-10-01

child.
another man came after ScarfaceI
had gone. See how his tracks over
lie the others in places. The man
bore load and was very weary, and
his shoepacks were torn. Look at,
these marks! The man certainly
took that which was lying on. the
moss"
Then followed the second trail. It
was very plain to both, although in
many places none but tried hunter
of the wilderness could possibly have
followed it.
Mashkaugan stopped again. puz-
zled.
"I had thought this man came
after Scarface," he said. "Yet they
must certainly have met and the
Nascaupee gave him strong drink In
plenty.
"See for thyself that he walks like
drunken man, swaying from side to
side. And here is fiat stone, con-
venient to put foot upon, yet the
track is in deep mud near it.
And here is another sign that the
man was drunk, for he has fallen
on his knees and arisen again, with
the sinking also of one hand deep in
the muck"
1t so happened, Of course, that
Mashkaugan was mistaken, yet no
follower OF trails could have come to
q better conclusion from the marks
so plainly imprinted before him.
The two walked on for some dis
tance until they were delayed by a
great rocky ledge, on which the trail
was utterly lost.
This, however, was but tempo
rary check. Mashkaugan carefully
Flowed the edges of the great fiat
rock. In another moment he had
found the tracks again and called
Ameou, who had sunk wearily on the
ground while he searched.
But she rose again eagerly, for
the inaction only was killing. AS
fatigue, no distress of the body, only
the huge longing to go forward
"See again how drunken this man
must have been," said Mashkaugan.
"Here we come to a blazed trail near
this short of the lake. An old marten
set lies there. See the stump where
are piled the boughs of deep snow
from the trap. The path is as clear
as day, and yet this man walks just
one step to the side of it, tearing
through alders because he is too
drunk to know clear trail. Drunken
he surely must have been-or crazed
as are men who become lost in the
woods"
They noted other detail. Of the
staggering walk as they went on, but
suddenly Mashkaugan stopped and
peered ahead, like a hunter who sees
distant game and stops to consider
the best way to approach, studying
the direction of the wind and the ma
ture Of the ground for possible con-
cealment from his prev
"Wait thou here for moment"
he told Ameou, who sank again to
the ground exhausted.
The hunchback hurried on He
knew that he was near the fishing
camp of Indians who used it for
taking whitfsh, but what he saw he
could not explain.
1t was an uncanny form of man
sitting on log. His head sank
upon his chest. He seemed to be in
hopeless misery, like some very aged
and feeble individual abandoned to
die, as tradition has it that in Pc
RODS of famine Indians were forced
to do with the old and useless they
could no longer feed.
Closer and closer the hunchback
approached the bent figure He
stepped with wonderful timidty, as
If he were in the presence of some
strange, unhallowed being.
Then Mashkaugan saw a tent; but
no one was near it and it seemed
abandoned.
Nervously he put out his hand and
touched the man, who seemed to be a
being of mystery that woke all the
hunchback's superstitious fears.
Slowly the form moved, the head
turned toward him-and Mashkau-
gan beheld face that was wild
caricature of the one he had last
seen uptumed in the flood of the
great White Rapids.
With a gasping shrek Mashkau-
gan turned and fed, crashing
through shrubs and underbrush like
defeated moose fleeing from a ri
val's antlers.
He reached Ameou, who had
arisen when she heard his cry, and
seized her by the arm.
Gomez he beloved hoarsely.
"This is place where curses fall on
men-where maledictions .'ertake
themw q
He was wild with terror. His
pdiilC affected ATleOu already over
wrought nerves, and both fled in
CONSERVATION toward the canoe.
When they reached it they threw
themselves in it and showed off as if
the evil spirits of the whole world
had been pursuing them.
With chattering teeth the hunch-
back piled his paddle desperately.
Ameou also bent every effort to aid
him. She was the first to recover,
not understanding the reason Of all
this fear.
"But surely my child must have
been there" she sobbed. "Let us re-
turn and will go alone, if thou art
afraid. What are spirits and devils
to me? would fight with them for
my bahvp
To Re Continued.