Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1914-10-08

again and find it. There was nc
track of bear of wolf or lynx thai
could have carried it away.
Therefore, the man who walked
drunkenly took 1t away with him. He
may also be dead, having fallen
somewhere with the child, or having
been slain by the spirits. And The
ghost of the father watched near
Yet l will find him and if any devil
comes after me, seeking my life, it Is
better to die at once than to be
racked as / am now.
II will find the child's body also,
and bring it back. Yet it might be
living, and then perhaps the glad
ness Of the mother might do some.
thing toward making these fiends
more merciful to me-"
At once the hunchback rushed to
his canoe, determined to face all
danger rather than prolong the ag-
ony Of his mind.
On the river he met some men re-
turning, who told him they had gone
north a good distance, but found
nothing.
They were discouraged, and told
him that. all searching was now ut
terly useless.
"At the coming in Of the other
river" said one of them, 1--WE
smelled smoke coming from the
northeast where Atuk must be dry
ing fish. Being weary, we did not
go there, since Ameou and thou were
at Many Beaver this morning and
must have spoken to him and his
wife,"
Maushkaugan merely grunted and
went on his way.
He padded more strongly. II
smoke had been smelled there surely
must be living people there, and so
there could be little danger.
If he had only gone and sought
these people, instead of fleeing in
terror when he had been at Many
Beaver in the morning, he might
have beard something.
Curran had told him that he had
not gone to their camp. He could
get Atuk, the Nascaupee, to help
him in his search.
He forced his canoe ahead, pad
ding with every bit of his power;
but the strong wind was hindering
him a good deal, and a canoe is an
Ill thing to paddle against a gale.
When he entered the other river
the left bank of the stream, thickly
grown with alders, gave him a good
deal Of protection.
Another hour of hard work
brought him to the outlet Of Many
Beaver, where the constantly in
creasing wind was lashing the sur
face in great whitecaps.
By all rules of prudent conduct,
Mashkaugan should have left his ca
noe there and taken to the shore on
foot. Had he been altogether in his
right mind he would doubtless have
done so, for in all the north country
there never was more capable voy-
ageur.
But at this time there was in him
strange spirit of exultation or de-
fiance. Death in the waters Of the
lake could not, no believed. come to
him until his work was finished, un-
less it had been decreed for him as
the swift vengeance of the windegos
OF the great waters. Then it would
be more swift ami merciful than the
torments they had already inflicted
on him. The fact that he could not
swim made,him certain.
Very few of the canoe Indians Of
the north can swim even a few
strokes. The long winter prevents
bathing, and in the summer the wa
ters are too rapid and the lakes al
ways icy-cold. The man who hangs
on to an upset canoe has chance Of
being saved, but the swimmer has
little or none. He is either dashed
against rocks or paralyzed by the
cold.
1t was an insane thing for any
man to tackle the short, choppy
waves, whose foam-crowned heads
were swept of spune by the bowling
wind. 1t is unlikely that any other
man could have battled against
them as did Mashkaugan upon that
day. The power that he put into his
uncanny and heroic.
ly, but, once he found himself in the
turmoil, the conflict became a tre-
mendous thing.
The fear of devils might easily
overcome him, yet in actual danger
he was absolutely dauntless. His
frail craft met the waves and rose
above them-standing on it's stern
and rushing bow on into the next
trough as if intent on burying itself
forever. Yet it rose again and
again, owing to the hunchback's
marvellous skill and great power,
and he seemed to joy in the battle.
But now the curling tops began
from time to time to rise little
above the gunwhales, just splashing
in few quarts at time. Again
and again this happened, and the wa
ter could not be bailed out.
The canoe began to rise more and
more sluggishly and to fall with a
heavier thud, refusing to answer
swiftly the mighty strokes of its oc-
cupant.
Although he was nearing the
shore, Mashkaugan began to realize
that only by miracle would he win
his battle. Yet his face showed no
sign Of despair.
Death in open conflict was a thing
he never dreaded. 1t was great,
joyous, lustful thing to affront.
AS the moment of defeat ap-
preached the deeply sunken eyes
CLEANED with the passion of strife
and the man looked ahead, bearing
an air of defiance such as his ances-
tcrs might have shown when tied to
Ial,