Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1922-07-22


heart, fluttering like a wounded bird,
stopped under his hand. Joe sighed
once, but he never stirred again. The
bullet had passed clean through Joe
Bostock's heart from the back And.
as he tried to raise Joe's body, Wilton
realized that the same bullet had
broken his left arm, which hung limp
from the shoulder.
He sprang to his feet, a mad
wrath giving back to him his ebbing
strength. He glared about him, but
1t was impossible to ascertain from
where the shot had come. He could
not even locate the direction within
hundred degrees, for Joe had been In
the act OF turning. Nobody was In
sight, and the woods were silent.
His believing call Of fury that went
echoing through the trees ELECTED no
answer. He tore strips from his hand
kerchief, holding it between his teeth,
and, with his left hand on his knee
knotted them about a stick and i'm
provised a tourniquet The blood wa9
squirting down his sleeve in Jets the
pain was intense, and ii was lmpOS-
sible to take Off the mackiuaw and
hope to replace his arms In 1t; but
he twisted with all his force until the
diminishing flow showed that he had
compressed the artery. Thrushng the
longer end of the stick beneath his
armpit, he passed the other through
the buttonhoe of the garment. and,
STOPPING, managed to get Joe's body
upon his shoulder and to hold it with
! his right arm.
His impulse was to carry Joe's body
would be impossible to make the dis
lance Yet to leave 1t would mean
the certainty Of mutilatiOn by bears
/ or timber-wolves unless he could
build a calrn of stones. And Of that
he was equally incapable. He set
Joe's body down, and, In the first full
realization Of his loss and his predica-
ment, he shouted curses to the sky.
That murder had been intended he
did not believe; no doubt the shot had
| been a bullet fred at some nearer
mark, perhaps a hare, and by one Of
the half-breeds. He suspected that
the transit-bearer, following them up,
had fired the shot, and, seeing the IA
tality, had fed.
But the thought that this might be
the explanation was only a feeuag
one. Joe was dead and his body must
be cared for, just as II he were alive
taken back to the camp and thence
out Of the woods There was no pos
sibility Of leaving Joe's body there.
Yet it seemed to him that he could
not hope to reach the camp And
now another idea came to him.
II vas seven miles back to the camp,
but only five to the portage over the
frozen swamp. Upon the other side
Of the portage was a trail that came
out Of the prairie southwark and
wound into the unknown north
Along this Indians brought their win.
ter catches to the trading-store OF
Mcdonald, the factor Of the Hudsons
Bay company.
Travelling was hard along the shore
Of the great Muskeg, but II woIlc
inean two miles less. and Il was US
possible to make the store Melon
aid was a queer taciturn, sometimes
venomous old man, and had evincei q
strong dislike o. Wilton on the oaca
sion Of their last meeting. Yet Nc
Donald would shelter him and receive
| JOe's body. And then there was NJ .ly
his daughter.
Wilton, having made his choice sct
l5sd or II At once. with great effort
hs raised Joss Stifenlng form upon