The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1923-01-05

They were speeches. a long time.
Beatrice watching the swift leap OF
the shore line. Ben guiding. with
steady hand. the canoe Neither OF
than could guess at what speed they
Travelled this first wild half-hour, but
he knew that the long miles-Ho
heart breaking with their ridges and
brush thickets 20 men and horses
ware whipping past them each In a
few. little brcatha Ever they plunged
deeper into the secret. hushcd heart
OF the wsid-a land unknown 20 tho
tread OF white men. a region 30 stili
and changeless that Il seemed ex-
Guided from the reign and law Of
TINA The spruce grew here. straight
and dark and tall. stRiwart army
whose measureless march no human
eyes behold Already they had como
farther than pack train could
travel. thru the same region. In
weary days
Already they were at the border Of
Back There. They had cut tho last
ties with the world Of men. There
were no trails here. leading slowly
but immutaoly 20 tho busy oentcrs
OF civilization. not a blaze on "A tree
for tho eyes OF woodsman riding
on come forest venture. not the ashes
OF n dead camp fire or charrcd
cooking rack. whore an Indian had
broiied his caribou flesh Except by
the slow process Of exploration with
pack horsca travelling a few miles
each day. fording unknown rivers
and encirciing impossible ranges. or
by waiting patiently until the fall
rains swelied the river. they might
never leave this land they had 80
boldly entered They could not 60
out tho way they had come-over
those sccthing wRtcrs-and the river.
falling swiftly. would soon DO too low
TO pcrmit them to push down 10 its
lower watsr. where they might md
Indian encampmentS
Nothing was iafs but the wilder
Mesa ancient and unchanged The
spruce forest had depth and
darkness that even Ben had never
seen. tho Wild creatures that they
sometimes gilmpscd on the bank
stared at them wholly without
knowledge a. TO what they were. and
likely amazed AZ tina strength where
by they had hraved this seething tor
home. Here was n land where tho
grizzly had no, jet learned OF a might
greater than HIS. where he had not
yet surrendered his sovereignty to
man. Here the moosc-rnightfess Of
the antiered herd-rsached fun ma
turity and old age without ever mis-
taking the call OF q hirch-hark horn
for that Of hts ruttinx COW. Young
bulls with only Bo-inch spread of
horns and 10 points on each did not
Lad the herds. as In the more Access
sibis provinces Of the North. All
things were In their proper balance,
nfnce the forest had gone unchanged
for time immcmcriai: and ~ the
head-hunters had not yet come the
bun mooes aid not rank ~ . full
grown warrior until he wore 10
points and had i've feet Of spread.
and he wasn't . patriarch until he
could no longer walk fres between
two three trunks 10 inches apart
Certain Of the lessor forest people
were not in unwonted numbers b.
cause that fierce little hunter. the
marten. had bean exterminated by
frsppers: the otter. yet 70 know the
feel Of cold iron. fished 10 his hearts
content In rivers where an artificial
ny had never fallen and tho trout
swarmed In uncounted numbers IN
the pools.
Darling down the rapids ben felt
the beginnings Of IN exquisite ex-
hilaration- Part Of n aross from the
very thrill and excitement OF their
headiong pace: but partly n had a
deeper. more portentous origin. Here
was his own country--this Back
Thera While AL the spruce forest
In which he had lived had been his
natural range and district--his own
kind Of land with which he felt close
and Intimate reIafions-this was
even more his homo than his own
birthplace By light OF q secret quail
ny. hard TO recognize. he was Of II.
and n was Of him He felt the Joy
Of one who SOS the CLEAN OF his own
hearth thru q distant window.
He knew this land: II was a. n he
had simply bean away. thru the con-
nirieA and had come homa The
shadows and the stiffness had the
exact depth and tone that was true
and rg1nt: the forest fragrance was