Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-12-10
Continued from Saturday,

The sullen dawn of the Northern
winter had broken when she lifted
the blanket again. They were still
in the forest, having lost the trail
in the darkness, and presently
fresh halt was necessary, and whilst
two of the men prepared a meal, her
chief captor went off through the
woods as she guessed to discover
their whereabouts. He returned in
the course of half an hour and said
something to his companion which
Helen did not understand; and after
a rather leisurely meal they har-
messed up once more.
After a time the forest began to
open out. They struck a frozen river
and descending the bank and taking
to its smooth surface their speed
accelerated. The banks of the river
widened, a.-d in little time they
swept clear of them on to the open
plain of what she easily guessed
was a frozen lake. They turned
sharply to the right, and few min
utes afterward a whirl of snow
caused her to cover her face. Some
considerable time passed before she
looked forh again. They were trav-
cling at a great rate. The snow was
flying from the shoes of the man
who broke the trail. The half-breed
who was acting as driver was urging
the dogs with both whip and voice,
and occasionally he cast an anxious
look over his shoulder. Wondering
why he should do so, Helen also
| looked back. Then her heart gave a
great leap. Behind them was an
| other dog-team with two men. Was
1 II Of oil
! breed was mistaken, or that he had
| told her lying tale?
She did not know, she could not
| tell, she could only hope, and her
hope was fed by her captor's evident
anxiety. He whipped the dogs
| cruelty, and his glances back be-
| came more frequent. Helen also
| looked back and saw that the sled
behind was gaining on them. Was it
| indeed her lover in pursuit, or were
| these men who had witnessed the at
! tack on the cabin, and had fred the
| shots which had, compelled the at
tackers to take flight. Anything now
| seemed possible, and as the half
! breeds anxiety grew more pro-
nounced, her own excited hopes
mounted higher
The snow came again, a binding
| whirl that blotted out the whole
landscape, then the half-breed gave
| a sharp order, and the Indian in
| front breaking trail turned ashore.
! The half-breed looked back, and
then forward, and gave grunt of
satisfaction. The girl also looked for
ward. They were approaching a
tree-crowned bluff, which was ap-
parently their goal. Then suddenly,
bewildering in its unexpectedness,
came the flash and crack of a rifle
from the bushes in shore.
"Sacreew cried the half-breed,
and the next moment three rifles
spoke, and he pitched over in the
snow, whilst the man at the gee
pole also fell
The man breaking the tail in
front, swerved from the bluff, d
the dogs swerved after him, almost
upsetting the sledge. Again a rife,
and the remaining man went down.
The dogs, in excitemepesor or fear, still
moved forward, and Helen strove to
free herself, but a moment later the
sledge halted abruptly as two Of the
dogs fell, shot in their traces. She
had mementary vision of two men
running towards her from the shore,
then the snow came down In thick
veil. Dimly she caught the outline
of one of the men by her sled, and
the next moment voice she remem-
bered broke on her ears through the
clamer of the wind.
"Thank God, Helen! I am in
time.'
And she looked up incredulously
to find Gerald Ainley looking down
at her.
CHAPTER XXI
ChIgmol's Story
When Stane set his face to the
storm he knew there was diff
cult task before him, and he found
1t even more difficult than he had
anticipated.
Hs came to sudden descent in
the trail that he was following. II
was made by a small stream that In
spring flooded down to the lake but