Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1918-02-08
The White Silence
Cold and Mute Witness to Human
:: Herosm Devotion and Tragedy ::


high-ten. twenty pines. Hi-yu skoO-
kum"'
He paused impotently, cast an ap-
pealing glance at Malemute Kid. then
laboriously placed the twenty pines
end Oh end by sign language. Male
mute Kid smiled with CHEEKY cyni-
cism. but Ruth's eyes were wide with
wonder and with pleasure, for she half
believed he was joking, and such con-
descension pleased her poor woman's
heart
And then you step into "a box.
and pouf, up you GO He tossed his
empty cup in the air by way Of Illus
tration and as he deity caught ii cried:
And biff. down you come. Oh, great
medicine men. You go Fort Yukon; !
go Arctic City-twenty-fiv sleep-big
string. all the time-I catch him string.
say: Hello. Ruth. How are yer
And you say. is that my good nus
handT And l say, Yes And you
say. NO can bake good bread; no more
soda Then | say: Look in cache, I'M
der flour Goodby.' You look and
catch plenty soda. All the time you
| Fort Yukon. me Arctic City. Hi-yu
medicine man.
Ruth smiled so ingenuously at the
/ fairy story that both men burst into
( laughter \ row among the dogs cut
short the wonders Of the Outside, and
| by the time the snarlng cOmbatants
were separated she had dashed the
sleds and all was ready for the trail.
"Mush. Badly. Hi! Mush on" Ma
/ son worked his whip smartly and as
/ the dogs whined low in the traces
/ broke out the sled with the gee pole.
! Ruth followed with the second team.
| leaving Malemute Kid. who had helped
her start. to bring up the rear. Strong
man. brute that he was. capable OF
telling an OK at a blow. he could not
bear to beat the poor animals. but hui
mored them as dog driver rarely does
nay, almost wept with them in their
misery.
Come. mush on there, you poor,
sore footed brutes-' he murmured aft
er several Intellectual attempts to start
the load. But his patience was at
last rewarded. and, though whimper-
ing with pain, they FASTENED to join
their fellows.
No more conversation. The toll Of
the trail will not permit such eXtrav-
agance And of all deadening labors
that of the northland trail is the worst.
Happy is the man who can weather a
days travel at the price Of silence,
and that on a beaten track.
And of all heart breaking labors that
Of breaking trail is worst. At every
step the great webbed shoe sinks till
the snow Is level with the knee. Then
up. straight up, the deviation of frac-
ton of an inch being certain pre-
cursor Of disaster. the snOwshOe must
be lifted till the surface is cleared;
then forward. down, and the other foot
is raised perpendicularly for the mat
ter of half yard. He who tries this
for the first time, If haply he avoids
bringing his shoes in dangerous pro-
pinquity and measures not his length
on the treacherous footing, will give
up exhausted at the end OF hundred
yards. He who can keep out Of the
way Of the dogs for whole day may
well crawl into his sleeping bag with
clear conscience and a pride which
passeth all understanding. and he who
travels twenty sleeps on the long trail
is a man whom the gods may envy.
The afternoon wore on, and with the
awe born Of the white silence the
voiceless travellers bent to their work
Nature has many tricks wherewith