The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1918-02-14

you cans get dog food at Pelly, as you
probably expected The stranger start
| ed, and hiS.eyeS flashed, but he did cot
| interrupt. "YOu can't get an ounce of
| food for dog or man till you reach Five
Fingers, and that's a stiff 200 miles.
Watch out for open water on the Thir
ty Mile river, and be sure you take the
big cutoff above lie Barge"
"HOw did you know it? Surely the
news can't be ahead of me already
81 don't know it, and, what's more,
I don't want to know it, But you new
er owned that team you're chasing.
Sitka Charley sold it to them last
| spring. But he sized you up to me as
| square once, and / believe him. I've
seen your face. l like it. And I've
seen-why, d you, hit the high
places for salt water and that wife of
yours, and Here the Kid unmit-
tened and jerked out his sack.
"No; l don't need it." And the tears
| froze on his cheeks as he cOnvulsively
gripped Malemute Kids hand.
"Then don't spare the dogs. Cut
them out of the traces as fast as they
drop. Buy them and think they're
cheap at $40 pound. You can get
| them at Five Fingers, Little Salmon
and the Hootalinqua. And watch out
| for wet feet" was his parting advice.
keep a-traveling up to %, but IL 1t
gets below that build fire and change
your socks"
Fifteen minutes had barely elapsed
when the jingle of bells announced
new arrivals. The door opened, and
a mounted policeman of the Northwest
Territory entered, followed by two half
breed dog drivers. Like Westondale,
they were heavily armed and showed
signs of fatigue. The half breeds had
been born to the trail and bore it cas-
| lily, but the young policeman was bad
ly exhausted. Still, the dogg- d obsti
macy of his race held him to the pace
he had set and would hold him till he
dropped in his tracks.
when did Westondale pull out?" he
asked. "He stopped here, didn't he"
This was supererogatOry, for the tracks
told their own tale too well.
Malemute Kid had caught Belden's
eye, and he, seeming the wind, replied
evasively, "a right peart while back"
"Come, my man; speak up" the po
liceman admOnished
"Yeh seem to want him right smart.
Hez he bin gittin' cantankerous down
Dawson way?
Held up Harry McFarland's for for
ty thousand Exchanged it at the p.
| G.. store for check on Seattle. And
who's to stop the cashing of it if we
don't overtake him? When did he pull
out?"
Every eye suppressed it's excitement,
| for Malemute Kid had given the
cue. and the young officer encountered
wooden faces on every hand.
| Striding over to Prince, he put the
question to him. Though it hurt him,
gazing into the frank, earnest face of
his fellow countryman, he replied In
consequentially on the state of the
trail.
Then the officer espied Father Rou-
beau. who could not lie. "a quarter
of an hour ago." the priest answered.
"but he had four hours rest for him
self and dogs"
fresh. My God" The poor fellow
staggered back, half fainting from ex-
haustion and disappointment, murmur-
ing something about the run from Daw-
son in ten hours and the dogs being
played out.
Malemute Kid forced a mug of punch
upon him: then he turned for the door,
ordering the dog drivers to follow. But
the warmth and promise of rest were
too tempting, and they objected siren
uously. The Kid was conversant with
their French patois and followed it
anXiOusly.
They swore that the dogs were gone
up; that Siwash and Babette would
have to be shot before the first mile
was covered; that the rest were almost
as bad. and that it would be better for
all hands to rest up.
LEND me five dogs?" the officer ask
ed, turning to Malemute Kid.
But the Kid shook his head.
'I'll sign a check on Captain Con-
stantine for five thousand. Here's my
papers. I'm authorized to draw at my
own discretion"
Again the silent refusal.
"Then I'll requisition them in the
name of the queen
Smiling increduously, the Kid glanced
at his we'll stocked arsenal, and the