The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1920-01-16
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and to remember Connell's counsel.
Pierre thought he was afraid. He
sneered openly.
Last time came here" said Hilary
calmly, disregarding the others trucu-
lence, Monsieur Leblanc was in
charge of this territory. Now l find
you here in Leblanc's place. l have
not hired you. Again / ask what you
are doing here"
II dom know what you mean," snort
ed Pierre, ''an' I got no time to waste
in damn foolishness. This here is the
| Ste. Marie limits. Monsieur BrOusseau
an Monsieur Morris run the Ste. Marie
limits. Leblanc he work for them las
year. Now got Leblanc's place"
"The Ste. Marie limits are on the
other side of the Riviere Rocheuse."
said Hilary.
"Holy Name, amt this side of Ri
Were Rocheuse? Didn' you cross him
coming here?"
'"That creek is not the Riviere Ro-
cheuse, as you know very well, Pierre"
Black Pierre thrust his face forward
into Hilary's. "Say, got no time to
waste wit you," he snarled. IF you
come to fight, say SCI
''Ill give you five minutes to get off
my land"
'You wan to fight, Ell? All right"
growled the other, suddenly stripping
off his short, open jacket.
Hilary had just time to fasten the
top button of his coat before Pierre,
with a below, charged him, his head
down, his arms working like fails.
Pierre made short, vicious stabs at
him; he was muscle-bound and could
not extend the elbow-joint with any
force, but any of his short blows, deliv-
cred from a shoulder like a mutton
joint, would have knocked a man sense
less.
Hilary stepped aside as Pierre pre-
cipitated himself upon him, and gave
him a short uppercut with the left.
Pierre went Keeling past him, tripped
over a projecting trunk of tree. and
fell sprawling to the ground.
A second later he was up again, rush.
ing at Hilary. Despite Hilary's blows,
which nearly blinded him, and covered
his face with blood, he managed to get
home two body deliveries which knock
ed the wind out of the American. Hill
airy was forced to give ground. He
had boxed at college a>good deal; that
was several years before, but the men,
DRY instinctively came back to him. "It's
foot-work WINS" his teacher had told
him. He stepped from side to side,
guarding himself against Pierre's furi-
Gus lunges dexterously, until the OPP
portunity for a telling cross-counter
with the right sent Pierre crashing
backward. Az
He rose, splitting the blood out of
his mouth, and rushed at Hilary again.
This time he managed to lock his arms
about him and, holding him securely
with the left. pummeled him. Hilary
forgot his science and shot his right
upward between the arm and the body,
landing on Pierre's chin, Pierre reeled,
but he did not let go his hold. He
grasped Hilary like bear, hugging
him till the breath was nearly out of
his body, and forcing the point of his
chin in under Hilary's collar-bone.
Pierre was several years the older,
and winded by fast living, but his mus
cles were as firm as young mans.
Knowing that his enemy's science was
more than match for his superior
strength he maintained the clinch, but
gradually shifted his grasp upward,
first pinioning Hilary's arm, then grip
ping his shoulder. until he had him by
the throat.
Hilary, gasping under the relentless
pressure, saw the faces of the lumber
men swim round him. He saw the tri-
umph and the JOY. the mockery and
the hatred on each; there was no pity
for the American; many an old land
question, many racial conflict had be
come incarnate in that fight under the
pines. Hilary realized that it was a
battle, not for the timber tract, but for
his own life.
Pierre's face grinned into his own
Indignantly, plastered with dust and
smeared with the sweat that drove
white burrows across it. Hilary let his