The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1918-02-21

ken. who have much grub. 1t were
| well that we look to the law. Today,
Kah- Chucte and GOwhee, whom | COM
manded to break trail, forgot they were
men, and like frightened children ran
away. True, they forgot; so let us for
get But hereafter let them remember
If it should happen they do not He
touched his rifle carelessly. grimly.
Tomorrow they shall carry the flour
and see that the white man Joe lies
not down by the trail. The cupfuls
of flour are counted; should so much
as an ounce be wanting at nightfaIl-
Do We understand? Today there were
others that forgot. Moose-H Head and
Three-SalmOn left the white man Joe
| to lie in the snow. Let them forget
no more. With the light of day shall
they go forth and break trail Ye have
heard the law. Look well, lest We
break it,
Sitka Charley found it beyond him to
keep the line close up. From Moose
Head and Three-SalmOn, who broke
trail in advance, to Kah-Chucte, Cow
hee, and Joe, it struggled out over
mile. Each staggered, fell, or rested,
as he saw fit. The line of march was
progression through a chain of irregu-
lar halts. Each drew upon the last
remnant of his strength and stumbled
onward till it was expended but in
some miraculous way there was al
| 1nnfhnr
time man fell, it was with the firm
belief that he would rise no more yet
he did rise, and again, and again. The
flesh yielded, the will conquered; but
each triumph was tragedy. The In
dian with the frozen foot, no longer
erect, crawled forward on hand and
knee. He rarely rested, for he knew
the penalty exacted by the frost. Even
Mrs. Eppingwell's lips were at last set
in stony smile, and her eyes, seeing,
saw not. Often, she stopped, pressing
mittened hand to her heart, gasping
and dizzy.
Joe, the white man, had passed be-
yOnd the stage Of suffering. lie no
longer begged to be let alone, prayed
to die; but was soothed and content
under the anOdyne of delirium. Kah-
Chucte and Gowchee dragged him on
roughly, venting upon him many saw
age glance or blow. To them it was
the acme of injustice. Their hearts
were bitter with hate, heavy with fear.
Why should they cumber their
strength with his weakness? To do
so, meant death; not to do so-and
they remembered the law of Sitka
Charley, and the rifle.
Joe fell with greater frequency as
the daylight weaned, and so hard was
he to raise that they dropped farther
and farther behind. Sometimes all
three pitched into the snow, so weak
had the Indians become. Yet on their
backs was life, and strength, and
warmth. Within the flour sacks were
all the potentialities of existence. They
could not but think of this and it was
not strange, that which came to pass.
They had fallen by the side of great
timber jam where a thousand cords of
firewOod waited the match. Near by
was an air hole through the ice. Kah
Chucte looked on the wood and the wa
ter, as did Gowhee; then they looked
on each other. Never word was
spoken. GOwhee struck q fire; kah-
Chute filled tin cup with water and
heated it; Joe babbled of things in an
other land, in q tongue they did not
understand. They mixed flour with
the warm water till it was thin paste,
and of this they drank many cupfuls.
They did not offer any to Joe; but he
did not mind. He did not mind any
thing. not even his moccasins, which
scorched and smoked among the Goals.
| A crystal mist of snow fell about
them, softly, caressingly, wrapping
them in clinging robes of white. And
their feet would have yet trod many
trails had not destiny brushed the
clouds aside and cleared the air. Nay,
ten minutes delay would have been
salvation. Sitka Charley, looking back,
saw the pillared smoke of their fire,
and guessed. And he looked ahead
at those who were faithful and at Mrs.
Eppingwen.
$50 my good comrades, We have again
forgotten that you were men? Good
Very good. There will be fewer bellies
to feed"
Sitka Charley retied the flour as he
spoke strapping the pack to the one
on his own back. He kicked Joe till
the main broke through the poor devils