The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1914-12-10
CHAPTER ".
MANY Waters.

CHAPTER ".
Many Waters.
Overhead, through a rift in the
foliage, sky was visible whose ebon
darkness called to mind a thunder.
cloud.
The heat was nearly intolerable;
the voice Of the fire was very loud.
A heavy, broken crashing near by
made Alan turn his head, and he saw
a brown bear break cover and plunge
on into the farther thickets-forerun.
ner Of mad rout Of terrified forest
folk, deer, porcupines, a fox or two, a
wildcat, rabbits, squirrels, cartridges
"a dozen more.
Two minutes had passed Of the ten.
Something was digging uncomfortably
into Alan's right hip-the automatic
pistol in his hip pocket, Of which
Jacob had neglected to relieve him.
Then a sharp, spiteful cracking
brought him suddenly to sitting posi-.
ton, to find that the Indian had
thoughtfully touched a match to the
pyre before departing. At Alan's feet
the twigs were blazing merrily.
It would have been easy enough,
acting on instinct, to snatch his limbs
away, but he did not move more than
to strain his feet as far as their bonds
permitted. Conscious of scorching
heat even through his hunting boots,
he suffered that torture until tongue
Of fame licked up, wrapped itself
round the thick hempen cord and ate
1t through.
Immediately Alan kicked his feet
free, lifted to a kneeling position, and
crawled from the pyre.
As for his hands-Alan's hunting
knife was stfll in its sheath belted
to the small Of his back. Tearing at
the belt with his hampered fingers, he
contrived to shift it round until the
sheath knife stuck at the belt-loop
over his left hip. Withdrawing and
conveying the blade to his mouth, he
gripped It firmly between his teeth,
and sawed the cords round his wrists
against the razor-sharp blade.
Before Alan could turn and run he
saw q vanguard Of flames bridge 50
yards at a bound and start a dead
pine blazing like torch.
And then he was pelting like a mad
man across the smoked.filled clearing,
and In less than two minutes broke
from the forest to the pebbly shore Of
= wide:bosomed lake: and within q
few hundred feet Of a substantial
dam. through whose spillway a heavy
volume Of water cascaded with a roar
rivaling that Of the forest-fire itself.
Two quick glances showed Alan two
Things: that his only way Of escape
! was via the dam; that there was q
solitary canoe at midlake, bearing
swiftly to the farther shore Judith
Trine and the 1ndian-the latter WELD
Ing the paddle.
In the act Of turning toward thu
dam he saw Jacob drop the paddle
The next instant q bullet from Win
chester 80 kicked up squirt of peb
bles only few feet in advance o.
Alan. ..... ..-.~-
He quickened his pace, but the mex
bullet fell closer, while the third &C
tually bit the earth beneath his run
ming feet as he gained the dam.
Exaggerated, he pulled up, whipped
out his pistol and fired without aim
At the same time, he noted that tn
, distance between dam and canoe ha,
lessened perceptibly, thanks to tn
strong current sucking through th
spillway.
His shot few wide, but almost II
: stinctively his finger closed agai
r upon the trigger, and he saw the pa
l die snap in twain, its blade fallin
> overheard. And then the Indian fire
again, his bullet droning past Alan
ear.
AS he fired in response Jacob star
ed, dropped his rifle and crumpled
in the bow of the canoe.
= simultaneously earth and HEAVIER
u rocked with terrific clap Of thu
It der.
He turned again and ran swift
along the dam, toward two heavy til
"a hers that bridced the torrent of q