Jackson County journal., 1919-08-29
CHAPTER TX.
The Fungus and Snow Blindness.

The Fungus and Snow Blindness.
My rest was miserable. In success
sion of brief dreams l fed with Jacque-
line over a wilderness Of ice, while In
the distance, eve1 drawing nearer, fol-
lowed Leroux, La'roix and Pere An
tome.
I must have fallen sound asleep at
last, for when l opened my eyes the
sun was shining brightly low down
over the Riviere dor. The docy OF
the tent stood open and Jacquen2s
was not inside.
With the remembrance of my dream
still confusing reality ran toward the
trees, shouting for her in fear.
"Jacqueline! Jacqueline!" I called.
She was coming toward me. She
took me by the arm. "Paul!" she be-
gan with quivering lips. "Paul!'
She led me into the recesses OF the
| pines. There, in little open place,
clustered together upon the ground
were the bodies of our dogs. All were
dead
| Jacqueline sank down upon the
|
would break. I stood there watching.
my brain paralyzed by the shock Of
| the discovery.
Then l went back to the sleigh, on
the rear Of which the frozen fish was
piled. I noticed that it had a faint,
slightly aromatic odor. l flung the
hard masses aside and scooped up a
pOwdery substance with my hands.
Mycology had been a hobby OF
mine, and it was easy to recognize
what that substance was.
1t was the amanita, the deadlies,
and most widely distributed Of the
fungi, and the direst of all vegetable
poisons to man and beast alike. The
alkaloid which it contains takes effec
only some hours after it's ingestion
when it has entered the blood streams
and begun it's disintegrating actor
upon the red corpuscles. The dog.
must have partaken Of it Oh the pre-
ceding afternoon.
/ knew this was Leroux's work. Fl,
had tricked me again. l was mad will
anger. l meant to kill the man now
and without mercy. l would be as un
scrupulous as he. He would be in thi
place by the afternoon; I would wal
for him outside the trail. My pistols
Jacqueline was looking up into m
, face in terror. The sight of her re
, called me to my senses. Leroux after
ward-frst my duty to her!
paul, What is the matter, Paul
she cried. 81 never saw you look lik
that before"
l calmed myself and led her ava,
and presently we We're standing befor
the fire again.
"Jacquelne," I said, at is easier t
go on than to turn back now"
She watched me like a lip reade
eyes, Paul; let us go on" she al
swered.
SO we went on. But our journe
was to be very different now Thel
was no possibility of taking much ba
gage with US. We took q few thins
out of our suitcases and disposed the
about US as best we could.
We must have covered at least
] QOZen miles or more, Wnen we StODD(
:, for brief midday meal. I was lit
| fatigued from carrying the pack ar
my ankles ached from the snOwshoe
:. but Jacqueline, who had evidently BET
4 accustomed to their use, was as fre:
\ as when she started.
7 Suddenly we emerged from amor
q the trees upon an almost barren pl
Il teau, and there again we halted for
breathing spell.
y I resolved to take my bearings acc
: rately, and telling Jacqueline to WE
for ne few minutes at the base of
hill and setting down my pack, beg
the ascent alone. The climb W
longer than / had anticipated. \
eyes were aching from the glare Of t
- snow. l had left my colored glass
81 behind me in the tent and gone
"a saying nothing, though l had realiz
~ my loss when I was only mile or
"a away.