River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1915-03-04

upon the luuldIS, ola VI LASA4s Wiling
toward him. They were travelling light,
without dogs, and On each mans back
was the smallest of outfits.
Surrounding Smoke, they immediate
ly gave him several matters for sur
prise That they were looking for him
was clear. That they talked no Indian
tongue of which he knew q word was
also quickly made clear. They We're
not white Indians, though they were
taller and heavier than the Indians of
the Yukon basin. Five Of them carried
the old fashioned. long barreled Hud-
son Bay company musket, and in the
hands of the sixth was a Winchester
rife which Smoke knew to be Shorty's.
Nor did they waste time in making
him a prisoner. Unarmed himself.
Smoke could only submit. The contents
Of the sled were distributed among
their own packs, and he was given a
pack composed of his and Shorty's
sleeping furs. The dogs were unhar-
messed, and when Smoke protested one
of the Indians by signs indicated a
trail too rough for sled travel. Smoke
pOWGu W LuS IlCF lIdOlC, CtIuSu LL4O
sled end on IN the snow on the bank
above the stream and trudged on with
his captors.
The first night was spent in q camp
Which had been occupied for several
days Here was cached a quantity Of
dried salmon and a sort of pemmican,
which the Indians added to their packs.
From this camp a trail of many snow
shoes led off-Shorty's captors, was
Smokes conclusion-and before dark
ness fell he succeeded in making out
the tracks Shorty's narrower snowshoes
had left.
Always in the days that followed
they pointed north, and always the
trail, turning and twisting through
tumble of outstanding peaks, trended
north.
In six days they gained and crossed
the central pass, low in comparison
with the mountains it threaded, yet
formidab Bile in itself and not possible
for loaded sleds. Five days more Of
tortuous winding, from lower altitude
to lower altitude, brought them to the
open, rolling and merely billy country
La Perle had found ten years before.
Smoke knew it with the first glimpse.
Far as he could see rolled the open
country. High in the east the Rockies
still thrust their snowy ramparts heav-
onward To the south and west eX-
tended the broken ranges of the pro-
jecting spur system they had crossed.
And in this vast pocket lay the cOun-
try La Perle had traversed-SnOw
blanketed, but assuredly fat with game
at some time in the year and in the
summer a smiling. forested and flow
cred land.
Before midday, travelling down
broad stream, they came upon the site
of q large camp, recently abandoned.
CHANGING as he went by it, Smoke es-
timated 400 or 500 fires and guessed
the population to be in the thousands.
So fresh was the trail and so well
packed by the multitude that Smoke
and his captOrs took off their snow
shoes and in their moccasins struck
swifter pace.
In the long twilight no sign was man.
ifested Of making camp. They held
steadily on through deepening gloom
that vanished under a sky of light
great glittering stars, half yelled by
greenish vapor Of pulsing aurora bore
ais. His dogs first caught the noises
Of the camp, pricking their ears and
whining in low eagerness. Then it
came to the ears Of the humans-a
murmur dim with distance.
The men about him quickened. The
legs that had lifted through d dozen
strenuous hours lifted in a still swifter
pace that was half u run and mostly
a running jog. Through a dark spruce
fiat they burst upon an abrupt glare of
light from many fires and upon an
abrupt increase of sound. The great
camp lay before them.
And as they entered and threaded
the irregular runways OF the hunting
camp a vast tumult as in wave rose
to meet them and rolled on with them
cries, greetings, questions and an
swers, jokes and jokes thrust back
again, the swapping snarl of wolf dogs,
the scolding Of squaws, laughter, the
whimpering of children and wailing Of
camp of nerveless, primitive wilder
ness folk.
They halted in the trampled snow by
an open fire, where Shorty and two
young Indians, squatted on their hams,
were broiling strips of caribou meat.
Three other young Indians. lying in
furs on a mat Of spruce bows, sat up.
| Shorty lOOlxo6 a0rnCS tho fro his
partner, but with q sternly impressive
face. like those of his companions,
made no sign and went on brOiling the
meat.
whats the natter" Smoke de-
handed, half in irritation. Lost your
speech?"
| The old familiar grin twisted on
Shorty's face. Nope" be answered.
I'm a Indian. I'm learnin' not to
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