The Bossier banner., 1918-04-18

LIT purSuef Knew tnat Gld Holt was
wise as a weasel He could follow
blindfolded the paths that led to every
creek in the gold-tields. 1t might be
taken as a certainty that he had not
plunged into such desperate venture
without having 4 plan we'll worked out
beforehand. Elliot had high grade
OF intelligence. Would they try to
reach the coast and make their get
away to Seattle? Or would they dig
themselves in till the heavy SHOWS
were past and come back to civiliza-
ton with the story of lucky strike to
account for the gold they brought with
them? Neither gold dust nor nuggets
could be identified. There would be
no way of proving the story false The
only evidence against them wouid be
that they had left at Kusiak and this
was merely of q corroborative kind.
| There would be no chance of convict
ing them upon 1t.
To strike for Seattle was to throw
away all pretense of innocence. Fugi-
tives from justice, they would have to
disappear from sight in order to es-
cape. The hunt for them would con-
tinue until at last they were unearthed.
| One fork of the road led to compara-
| tive safety; the other went by devious
windings to the penitentiary and per-
h;sps the gallows. The Scotsman put
himself in the place Of the men he was
trailing. Given the same conditions,
he knew which path he would follow.
Macdonald took the trail that led
down to the river, to the distant gold
creeks which offered refuge from
man-hunters in many a deserted cabin
marooned by the deep SHOWS.
Even the iron frame and steel
muscles of the Scotch-C Canadian pro-
tested against the task he had set them
that day. It was time to sit snugly
inside by a stove and listen to the
bowling of the wind as it hurled itself
down from the divide. But from day
light till dark Colby Macdonald fought
with drifts and breasted the storm. He
got into the harness with the dogs. He
broke trail for them, cheered them,
soothed, comforted, punished. Long
after night had fallen he staggered into
the hut OF two prospectors, his parka
so stiff with frozen snow that 1t had
to be beaten with hammer before the
coat could be removed.
''How long since q dog team passed
seven huskies and two men?' was
his first question.
mo dog team has passed for four
days." one of the men answered.
''You mean you haven't seen one" I"
Macdonald corrected.
II mean none has passed-unless it
went by in the night while we slept.
And even then our dogs would have
warned us"
Macdonald flung his e-coated gloves
to table and stopped to take off his
mukluks. His face was blue with the
cold, but the bleak look in the eyes
came from within. He said nothing
more until he was free of his wet
clothes. Then he sat down heavily and
passed a hand over his frozen eye.
brows.
'Get me something to eat and take
!
them on the sled," he said.
While he ate he told them Of the
bank robbery and the murder. Their
resentment against the men who had
done it was quite genuine. There
could be no doubt they told the truth
when they said no sled had preceded
his. They were honest, reliable pros
pectors. He knew them both well.
The weary man slept like log. He
opened his eyes next morning to fn(
one Of his hosts shaking him.
"six o'clock, Mr.. Macdonald. You
for the huskies."
Half an hour later the Scotsman
gave the order, "Mush." He was of
again, this time on the back trail a:
far as the Narrows, from which poin
he meant to strike across to intersec
the fork of the road leading to the di
vide
The storm had passed and when tn,
late sun rose it was in a blue sky. Fin'
enough the day was overhead, but th'
, slushy snow, where it was worn thil
; on the river by the sweep of the wind
: made heavy travel for the dogs. Mac
. donald was glad enough to reach th'
, Narrows, where he could turn from tn,
I river and cut across to hit the trail o
, the men he was following. He hat
I about five miles to go before he woult
, reach the Smith Crossing road ant
I every foot of it he would have t
break trail for the dogs. This was SLOW
\ business, since he had no partner a
the gee-pole. Back and forth, bacl
\ and forth he trudged, beating down tn
, loose snow for the runners. 1t was
4 hill trail, and the drifts were in mos
I places not very deep. But the Scots
< man was doing the work of two, ant
I ut u killing pace.
Over ridge the team plunged dow
I into little park where the snow wa
) deeper. Macdonald. breaking trai
i. across the mountain valley, found hi
. feet weighted with packed ice slush s
x that he could hardly move them. Whel
D ut last he had beaten down path fO
I his dogs he stood breathing deep at tn
2 summit of the slope. Before them la
the main road to Smiths Crossing
. scarce fifty yards away. He gave
4 deep whoOp of triumph, for along
. ran the wavering tracks left by a sleC
He was on the heels of his enemy q
2 last.