The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1923-01-12
Copyright by Little, Brown, and Co.

none. You have waged a war agains
me, you have escaped me many time:
you have won the love of the woman
love-and this is to be my answer
His voice dropped note, and h
spoke more quietly. "Im going to xii
/ you, Bruce"
'Then try It." Bruce answered stead
lily. I'm in hurry to go back t.
Linda"
! Simon's smoldering wrath blazed NJ
at the words. Both men seemed t,
spring at the same time. Their arm.
failed, then interlocked; and they
rocked long time-back and fortf
in the snow.
For the first time Bruce had full
realization of Simon's mighty strength
With all the power of his body he
tried to wrench him off his feet, bu
it was like trying to tear tree from
the ground.
| But surprise at the others power
was not confined to Bruce alone
Simon knew that he had an opponent
worthy of the iron of his own muscles
and he put all his terrible might into
the battle. He tried 60 reach Bruce's
throat, but the mans strong shoulder
held the arm against his side. ST.
mons great hand reached to pin
Bruce's arm, and for the first time he
| discovered the location of his weak
ness.
He saw the color sweep from
Bruce's face and water drops that
were not melted snow come upon it.
1t was all the advantage needed be-
tween such evenly matched contest
ants. And Simon forgot his spoken
word that he wished this fight to be
test Of superiority alone. His fury
swept over him like a flood and eff
faced all things else; and he CEN
tered his whole attack upon Bruce's
wound.
In moment he had him down, and
he struck once into Bruce's white
face with his terrible knuckles. The
blow sent strange sickness through
the younger mans frame; and he tried
vainly to struggle to his feet. Flight !!
Fight on" was the message his mind
dispatched along his nerves to his
tortured muscles, but for an instant
they wholly refused to respond They
had endured too much. Total I'M
consciousness lowered above him,
ready to descend.
Strangely, he seemed to know that
Simon had crept from his body and
was even now reaching some dread
full weapon that lay beside the dead
form Of the horse. In an instant he
had it, and Bruce's eyes opened in
time to see him swinging it aloft. It
was his rifle, and Simon was aiming
a murderous blow at him with it's
stock.
There was no chance to ward 1t off.
No human skull could withstand its
SCATTERING impact.
But that war of life and death in
the far reaches of Trails End was
not to end so soon. At that instant
there was an amazing Intervention.
A great gray form came lunging
out of the snow 1urries. Their vision
was limited to a few feet, and so
fast the creature came, with such in
credible. smashing power. that he was
upon them in a breath. 1t was the
Killer in the full glory Of the charge;
and he had caught up with them at
last.
Bruce saw only his great figure
looming just over him. Simon, with
amazing agility, leaped to one side
just In time, then battered down the
rifle stock with all his strength. But
the blow was not meant for Bruce.
1t struck where aimed-the great gray
shoulder of the grizzly.
Then, dimmed and half -obscured
by the snow fiurries, there began as
strange a battle as the great pines
above them had ever beheld. The
Killers rage was upon him, and the
blow at the shoulder had arrested his
charge for a moment only. Then he
wheeled. snarling, fighting monster,
with death for any living creature in
the blow Of his forearm, and lunged
toward Simon again.
1t was the Killer at his grandest.
Simon had no chance to shoot his
rifle. In the instant that he would
raise 1t those great claws and fangs
would be upon him. He swung it as
club, striking again and again,
lodging the sledge-hammer blows and
springing aside in the second of, the
Killers lunges. He was fighting for
his life, and no eye could bemean that
effort.
Simon himself seemed exalted, and
for once 1t appeared that the grizzly
had found an opponent worthy Of his
might. They were of one kind, and
they seemed to understand each other.
The lust and passion and fury Of bat
tie were upon them both.
The scene harked back to the young
days Of the world, when man and
beast battled for dominance. Nothing
had changed. The forest stood grave
and silent, just the same. The ele-
ments warred against them from the
clouds-that ancient persecution Of
which the wolf pack sings on the
ridge at night, that endless strife that
has made of existence travail and
scourge. Man and beast and storm
those three great foes were arrayed
the same as ever. Time swung back
ward thousand-thousand years.
The snow seemed to come from all
directions In great clouds and flurries
and streamers, and time after time
1t wholly hid the contestants from
Bruce's eyes. At such times he could
tell how the fight was going by sound
alone-the snaris Of the Killer, the
wild oaths of Simon, the impact of
the descending rife butt. Bruce gave
No fhauobt of fokfpo mart Roth woro