Evening star., 1923-09-23
CHAPTER XVI.

armsrul or WOOD on the nre ana
waited.
CHAPTER XVI.
AS the heavy gray blanket of early
morning thinned and melted into the
cold glimmering white of day Pete
gathered more wood from the thickets
about him and once more miniStered
to the agonized Eliot. The ttful slum-
Der into which the breed had fallen
lasted only until the more urgent
demands of nature had been salts
fed, then II gave way to pangs OF
excruclating pain as Pete rubbed
snow with all the vigor his own eX-
hausted muscles would permit. At
first the entire right arm ana leg OF
the breed seemed done for, but as
Pete observed the pain increase In
intensity as he rubbed he began to
hope that the limbs might yet be
saved.
So ardently did he set to his work
that nearly an hour elapsed before
he renewed the vigil he had been
keeping on the white expanse of snow
that stretched away in the direction
from which he had seen the light In
the early morning darkness.
Now, with the sudden realization
that his quest for Hawkins and Tam
might soon be ended. he made once
and peered anxiously about. His eyes
were still swollen and dim, but as he
took in the country about him he at
length discovered that he and Eliot
| had indeed travelled through the bliZ-
zard in great circle, finally, return
| ing to the very edge of the, rough
mountainside from which Eliot had
been so reluctant to move. They were
fperhaps two miles below the spot
where the wolves had passed them
| Pete guessed, as he strained his burn
I ing ear-smeared eyes for some indi-
cation of the coming of the messen-
gers he knew must be on the way.
Family, as though looking through
a mist, he distinguished objects NOV
ing in the far distance. Closer and
closer they came, but yet he could
not describe them. For fully half an
hour he stood there with his gioved
hand shading his eyes against the
snow glare, which was already as
suming painful proportions as the
sun mounted higher and higher in
the wintry sky. Time after time he
| brushed the mist of icy tears from
hsi streaming eyes until they were.
sore and raw from the rubbing. At
| last he made out the distant forms OF
two men that loomed suddenly large
and vigorous against the white back
ground of snow. Now and again as
he followed their course they would
seem to be lost behind great hum
mocks and pillows of drlfted snow,
while in the clear spaces they glided
in long, graceful swing as though on
runners AS they approached he made
! out the outlines of a long and mar
row sleigh that trailed behind them
AS Pete watched the approach of
the men they seemed, on coming close,
J to slacken their pace and gaze un-
certainly along the fringe of cedar
and rock. as though not sure which
way to go. Seeing their evident con-
| fusion, Pete started for the open,
( hoping to find a vantage point from
which he could signal. AS he tried
to walk his limbs refused to obey
and seemed to hang like lead to his
body. Determinedly he dragged them
after him, half crawling and half
walking to the point he selected. not
| fifteen feet away. At length he reach
! ed the spot and with great difficulty
waved his arms and opened his
mouth to shout welcome. But his
lips were swollen and clumsy and
even his tongue seemed to forget how
to form the words he would say.
With another brace of his feet, as he
| made to wave his hands. the crust of
snow beneath gave away and he
! fine frozen snow beneath.
Nainly Pete tried to Chamber out of
the snow, but ii was no use. He
could only wait now for the coming
of the rescuers. who seemed still to
hesitate on their way. He worked
his body about and looked back at
| the pit in which the smoldering fire
must still be burning. AS he looked
! he observed a thin line of pale blue
! smoke rise above the level of the
snow, as though new dry wood had
i been added to the hot Goals. Seeing
I this, the signal he himself should
| have thought of sending, he gave up
| his efforts to regain the frozen sur
face of snow and watched the ap-
preaching men. who had apparently
seen the smoke and were now hurry
/ ing directly toward him.
Scarcely an hour elapsed before he
heard the swish OF snowshoes and
the strong voices of men talking. A
moment later he was looking up into
| the face of Brud Hawkins. For a
| moment the mountaineer stood there,
plainly puzzled at what he saw
Pete's long, bushy hair, falling in
snarled masses from beneath his fur
cap, together with the white mantle
of frozen beard, made a mask through
which no one could have recognized
the clean-cut features of Peter Al
! den as Hawkins remembered him
! Who are you. man?" the latter
shouted. MY God, you're frozenl
Here. Bannerie, let's get him out!"
! Hawkins. assisted by his companion,
grasped Pete's outstretched arms and,
/ after much effort, got him to the
/ solid surface of the snow again.
| Once on his feet. Peter threw his
/ arms slowly about Hawkins and NUT
/ tered, "Alden-I'm Alden--thank God
-I-fnd-you-alivs
y From the scene that followed il
/ would be difficult to tell which of, the
two men was the rescuer and which
the rescued. Long and fervently they
| shook hands. patted each other on the
| shoulders and tried to talk But
Pete could say little. and from sheer
emotion Hawkins could do no better.
AT length. first greetings over, Haw-
kins and his friend, who appeared to
Pete's misty eyes to be also a half
| Dreed-though a man much larger
and with finer features than those
possessed by either Eliot or his
brother Pierre-succeeded in getting
tDoth the badly frozen Eliot and him
selr upon the long, narrow sleigh
they had brought with them and. with
powerful sweeping strides, made once
more across the broad expanse of
snow. First Hawkins and then Ban
\ nerle would pull at the rawhide rsope
that held the sleigh as they sped
along, but more often it was neces-
sary, only to give it an occa asfonal
tug, so easily did it glide over the
frozen surface.
What would have been a half davis
Journey for Pete and Eliot Hawkins
and his companion now Completed in
less than half that time, and befora
Pete could realize the distance trav-
eleo ne observed the presence OF
powders, stunted trees and the sharn
slope of a hill that Indicated tbe-an1
preaching end Of the journey.
| (Continued in Tomorrow,s Star)
\