Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1916-04-13

cooked meal Tor TWO ana began 10
look for Shorty's return. An hour lat
er he strapped on his snowshoes ana
went out on his partners trail.
The way led up the bed OF the stream
through a narrow gorge that widened
suddenly into n moose pasture. But no
moose had been there since the first
snow OF the preceding fall. The tracks
OF Shorty's snowshoes crossed the pas
ture and went up the easy slope OF @
low divide At the crest Smoke halted
The tracks continued down the other
slope The first spruce trees. In the
creek bed. were mile away. and II
was evident that Shorty had passed
through them and gone on. Smoke
looked at his watch, remembered the
oncoming darkness. the dogs and the
camp and reluctantly decided against
going farther.
Until midnight Smoke maintained u
huge dre for he guidance OF Shorty
And In the morning. waiting with
camp broken and dogs harnessed for
the first break OF light. Smoke took up
the pursuit In the narrow pass Of
the canyon his lead dog pricked up his
ears and whined. Then Smoke came
upon the Indians. six OF them, coming
toward him. They were travelling light,
without dogs. and on each mans back
was the smallest OF outfits
Surrounding Smoke. they immediate
iy 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 a 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 barreied Hud
son Bay company musket and In the
hands OF the sixth was q 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 O
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
tran too rough for sled travel. Smoke
bowed TO the inevitable, cached the
sled end on in the snow on the bank
above the stream and trudged on with
his captors
The first night was spent In camp
which had been occupied for several
days. Here was cached q 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 be succeeded In making out
the tracks Shorty narrower snowshoes
had left
Always ia the days that followed
they pointed north. and always the
trail. turning and twisting through
tumble OF outstanding peaks. uended
north.
In six days they gained and crossed
the central pass. low In comparison
With the mountains II threaded. yet
formida BILE In itself and not possible
for loaded sleds. Five days more OF
tortuous winding. from lower altitude
10 lower altitude. brought them to the
open. rolling and merely billy country
La Perle had found ten years before.
Smoke knew Il with the hrst 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
1ecting 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 Cow
cred land.
Before midday. travelling down q
broad stream, they came upon the site
of a large camp, recently abandoned
CHANGING as he went by IL, Smoke es
timated 400 or 500 fires and guessed
the population to be In the thousands
So fresh was the tran and so well
packed by the multitude that Smoke
and his captors took of their snow
shoes and In their moccasins struck a
swifter pace.
In the long twilight no sign was man.
ifested OF making camp They held
steadily on through a deepening gloom
that vanished under a sky Of light
great glittering stars. half yelled by
greenish vapor OF pulsing aurora bore
ais His dogs hrst caught the noises
OF the camp, pricking their ears and
whining In low eagerness. Then IL
came TO the ears OF the humans-a
murmur dim with distance
The men about him quickened. The
legs that had lifted through a dozen
strenuous hours lifted In a still swifter
pace that was half a run and mostly
running jog. Through dark spruce
aat they burst upon an abrupt glare OF
hgAt 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
infants. all the pandemonium OF
camp OF nerveless. primitive wilder
ness folk.
They halted In the trampled snow by
an open ire. where Shorty and two