The Tomahawk. [volume] (White Earth, Becker County, Minn.) 1903-192?, 1918-01-17

and that on 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 a 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 bis shoes in dangerous pro-
pinquity and measures not his length
on the treacherous footing, will give
up exhausted at the end of a hundred
yards. He who can keep out Of the
way Of the dogs for whole day may
well crawl into his sleeping bag with
a clear conscience and a pride which
passeth all understanding and he who
travels twenty sleeps on the long trail
is 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
she convinces man of his finity-the
ccaseless flow Of the tides, the fury of
the storm, the shock of the earth
quake, the long roll Of heavens artil-
lery-but the most tremendous, the
most Supplying of all, is the passive
phase Of the white silence. All move
lnent ceases; the sky clears; the heav-
ems are as brass. The slightest whis-
per seems sacrilege, and man becomes
tinid, affrighted at the sound Of his
own voice. Sole speck Of life Journey
ing across the ghostly wastes Of dead
world, he trembles at his audacity,
realizes that his is maggot's life,
nothing more. Strange thoughts arise
unsummoned, and the mystery Of all
things strives for utterance. And the
fear Of death, of God, Of the universe,
comes over him-the hope of the res
direction and the life, the yearning for
immortality, the vain striving of the
imprisoned essence. It is then, If ever,
man walks alone with God.
So wore the day away. The river
took a great bend, and Mason headed
mis- team for the cutoff across the
narrow neck Of land. But the dogs
baked at the high bank. Again and
again, though Ruth and Malemutc Kid
were showing on the sled, they slipped
back. Then came the concerted effort.
The miserable creatures, weak from
hunger, exerted their last strength.
Up, up, the sled poised on the top of
the bank, but the leader swung the
string Of dogs behind him to the right,
fouling Mason's snowshoes. The re-
suit was grievous. Mason was whip
ped off his feet. One of the dogs fell
in the traces, and the sled toppled
back, dragging everything to the bot
tom again.
Slash! The whip fell among the
dogs savagely, especially upon the one
which had fallen.
Don't, Mason" Jentreated Malemute
Kid. ''The poor devils on its last
legs. Wait and we'll put my team on"
Mason deliberately withheld the whip
till the last word had fallen, then out
flashed the long lash, completely curl
ing about the offending creatures body.
Carmcn-for it was Carmen-cowered
in the snow, cried pitcously, then roll
ed over on her side.
1t was a tragic moment, a pitiful in
cident of the trail-a dying dog. two
comrades in anger. Ruth glanced So
lcitously from man to man, but Male
mute Kid restrained himself, though
there was a world Of rcproach in his
eyes, and, bending over the dog, cut
the traces. No word was spoken. The
teams ware double spanned and the
difficulty overcome; the sleds were I'M
der way again, the dying dog dragging
herself along in the rear. As long as
an animal can travel it Is not shot,
and this last chance is accorded it
the crawling into camp, If it can, in
the hope of a moose being killed.
Already penitent for his angry &C.
ton, but too stubborn to make amends,
Mason toiled on at the head Of the
cavalcade, little dreaming that danger
lowered in the mir. The timber clus-
tered thick, in the sheltered bottom,
and through this they threaded their
lowered lofty pine. For generations
it had stood there, and for generations
destiny had had this one end In view.
Perhaps the same had been decreed Of
Mason. rs
He stopped to fasten the lootened
thong of his moccasin. The sleds came
to a halt, and the dogs lay down in tic
snow without a whimper. The, still
ness was weird. Not a breath rustled
the frost encrusted forest. The cold
and silence of outer space had chilled
the heart and smote the trembling
lips of nature. A sigh pulsed through
the air. They did net seem to actually
hear it, but, rather, felt it, like the
premonition of movement in a motion
less void. Then the great tree bur
dened with its weight Of years and
snow, played its last part In the trag-
edy of life. Mason heard the warning
crash and attornn Mod fo SDrinp nm bnt