The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1916-02-10

was up tn1C creek. w nOeVeF Cney are.
they're there now. There's been no
travel for weeks. Now what's been
keeping them there all the time? Let's
follow the track up the creek. There's
plenty Of dead timber. We can camp
any time"
Sure, we can camp any time. but
we got to travel most of the time If we
amt goin' to starve. an we got to
travel in the right direction"
ut won't make the trip day
longer" Smoke urged. Possibly no
more than mile longer"
Men has died for as little as a mile. -
Shorty retorted. Get up, you poor
sorefoots, you-get up: Haw! You
Bright! Hawr'
The lead dog obeyed. and the whole
team strained weakly into the soft
snow.
"Whoa" Shorty yelled Its pack
trail
Smoke pulled his snowshoes from
under the sled lashings. bound them to
his moccasined feet and went to the
fore to press and pack the light surface
for the dogs. .a
1t was heavy work. Dogs and mer
had been for days on short rations. and
few and limited were the -reS.>sssee' OF
energy they could call upon. The
high rocky walls quickly drew neal
together. so that their way led up neal
the bottom Of narrow gorge.
TITS trap" Shorty said. "The
whole look of it is rotten. It's hole
in the ground. It's the stampin
ground Of trouble"
Smoke made no reply. and for hal
an hour they toiled on in silence tha
was again broken by Shorty.
She's a-workin'," he srumbled
She's sure a-workin'. an I'll tell yol
if you're minded to hear an listen"
Go on." Smoke answered.
well, she tells me, plain an simple
| that we amt never goin' to get out o
this hole in the ground in days an
| days. We're goin' to find trouble an
| be stuck in here long time an thel
some"
Does she say anything about grub
We haven't grub for days and day
and days, and then some. There's tn
beginning Of your trouble" Smok
said, hating on his snowshoes an
staring at an object that lay on on
si6e of the old trail.
Shorty left the gee pole and joine
him, and together they gazed down o
the body of Il man beside the trail.
well fed" said Smoke.
Look at them lips" said Shorty.
stiff as Il poker" said Smoke. lif
ing an arm that without moving move
the whole body.
The man lay on his side, solidl
frozen From the fact that no sno
powdered him it was patent that /
had lain there but a short time.
There was Il general fall Of sno
three days back" said Shorty.
Smoke nodded. bending over II
CORPSE, twisting it half up to fat
them and pointing to bullet wour
in the temple. He glanced to the sit
and tilted his head at revolver tn
lay on top of the snow.
A hundred yards farther on tn
came upon second body that lay IA
downward in the trail. Two thin
are pretty clear" Smoke sal
They're fat. That means no famtI
They've not struck it rich. else tn
wouldn't have committed suicide"
"If they did," Shorty objected
"They certainly did. There are
tracks besides their own. and each
powder burned" Smoke dragged t
corpse to one side and with the
of his moccasin nosed a revolver Q
u of the snow into which it had be
: pressed by the body. That's what c
the work. l told you we'd find son
thing"
From the looks of it we amt sta
ed yet Now, what'd two fat geez'
want to kill themselves for?"
9 when we find that out We'll ha
70 found the rest of your trouble" Smo
al answered. Come on. It's blow1
Il dark"
S. Quite dark it was when Smok
e, snowshoe tripped him over bo
- He fell across sled on which lay
~ uther body. and when he had dug
anow out of his neck and struck
match he and Shorty glimpscd til
- body. wrapped in blankets. lying
side partially dug grave; also.
the match tiickered out. they eau
sight Of half a dozen additional gra'
OF "B-r-r-r.." Shorty shivered. "Suit
ss Camp. All fed mp. I reckon the.
y all dead"