Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1918-05-01
CHAPTER XXI.

3A&fl rH >- ''t
& i; CHAPTER XXI.
j u klsssags From the Dead.
4 Macdonald drove his team into the
heeth Of the storm. The wind came In
gusts. Sometimes the gale was 20 stiff
khat the dogs could scarcely crawl for
ward against It: again there were mo-
jmenb Of comparative stiffness, fol-
lowed by squalls that slapped the
sdDaver In the face like the whipping of
i loose sail on catboat.
High drifts made the trail difficult.
Not once but fifty times Macdonald
left the gee-pole to break WAY
Through snow-waves for the sled. IT,
best he could get out of his dccsss W.
three miles an hour, and he knew that
there was not another team or driver
: In the North could have done SO well.
1t was close to noon when he reached
a division Of the road known as the
FofR, One trail ran down to the river
and up II to the distant creeks. The
other led across the divide, struck the
Yukon. and nointed way to the coast
White drifts had long s;nce blotted out
1.-THE track OF the sled that had pre-
lceded him. Had the fugitlves gone up
the river to the creeks with intent to
hole themselves up for the winter? Or
was it their purpose to cross the divide
and go out over the Ice to the coast?
I. The pursuer knew that Gid Holt was
wise as weasel. He could follow
blindfolded the paths that led to every
creek in the gold-felds. 1t might be
taken as a certainty that he had not
plunged into such a desperate venture
without having a plan well 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-
ttion with the story Of q lucky strike to
account for the gold they brought with
sthem3 Neither gold dust nor nuggets
could be identified. There would be
mo way of proving the story false. The
only evidence against them would be
that they had left at Kusiak and this
was merely Of 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 compare
tive safety; the other went by devious
windings to the penitentiary and per
ihaps 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
dawn to the river, to the distant gold
creeks which offered a refuge from
man-hunters in many deserted cabin
marooned by the deep SHOWS.
Even the iron frame and steel
muscles Of the Scotch Canadian pro-
tested against the task he had set them
that day. It was a time to sit snugly
inside by 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 it had
to be beaten with hammer before the |
coat could be removed.
4 'sHow long since 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"
Macdonald corrected.
II mean none has passed-unless 1t
went by in the night while we slept.
And even then our dogs would have |
warned u.s."
Macdonald flung his ice-coated gloves
to a 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 q hand over his frozen eye
brows.
"Get me something to eat and take
care Of my dogs. There is food for
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 1t 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 find
one Of his hosts shaking him.
"Six o'clock, Mr.. Macdonald. Your
breakfast is ready. Jim is looking out
for the huskies."
Half an hour later the Scotsman
gave the order, "Mushl" He was off
os,~ \