Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1925-08-12

| hopeless and they started back.
ct has been e. wild goose chase for
| fair" Lorimer told Mashkaugan.
"Still, I'm glad enough to have seen
| all this country"
ing was easier. The provisions were
gradually diminishing, and the ca
noe rode lightly on the water, while
more rapidly. They again took what
seemed to be desperate chances in
boiling rapids, but always went
through them in safety.
They crossed the big lake again.
1t was long journey. The frail
craft could not be trusted far from
land. Big squalls came up very sud-
denly and compelled them to follow
to point when the water was calm
enough.
Finally they reached the outlet of
the big lake. They were obliged to
halt for one day while gale abated.
Lorimer felt more contented now
than at any time since the beginning
of the trip. Was he not going back
to the cherished woman he had
learned to love so dearly? The flood
bore them so swiftly that in three
hours they covered ditance that
had taken long day or he upward
trip.
Lorimer for some time had been
conscious that Mashkaugan was
watching him in a strange way.
Over rapids and in dangerous places
the halfbreed would hesitate at
times, seeming to have lost some of
his nerve.
One day, in camp, the hunchback
had taken up Lori -.Ier's gun ostensi-
bly, 60 clean it with a greasy rag,
but when the young man changed to
look at him he had an uncomfortable
feeling that the Indian was staring
at him strangely and that some
queer notion possessed his mind.
Mashkaugan put the gun aside
quite suddenly and busted himself
with the making of batter for flap
jacks.
1t was on the day after this that
they reached the great White Rap
ids again. They shot a part of it at
tremendous speed, but stopped in a
bit of dead water above the place
where the narrowing river seemed to
rest for an instant before it entered
the chasm and took thirty-foot leap
into the turmoil below.
Here they landed on a great, fiat
rock and unloaded. Mashkaugan
found small leak in the canoe and
built tiny fire to heat some gum.
When everything was ready Mash
kaugan lit his pipe. His hands were
somewhat unsteady. Lorimer made
up his pack, which consisted of his
own war-bag and partly filed fif-
ty-pound bag of flour.
leave that behind" grunted
Mashkaugan. 81 come back for it. j."
But Lorimer had already swung
the load to his forehead.
81 can easily take that across" he
said "The going is good enough,
and you have plenty to carry
He looked about to see that moth
ing was left behind, AMI noted that
a little -four had been spilled on the
rocks. He put his load down to in
vestigate. There was small hole in
! the bag.
Fro his own pack he took spare
bag of waterproof canvas and trans
ferred the flour to i, tying up the
neck with strong cord.
Better leave tn / -four" Mash
| kaugan said again.
The half-breed, while always will
! ing to do far more than his own
! snare of the work without the slight
! est complaint, had never before OBJ
/ jected to Lorlner's packing all he
! wanted to carry. This lnSlStence
seemed strange to the young man;
out the halt-Dreed was a queer chap,
anyway.
Without paying further attention
Lorner startsd off, closely followed
/ Dy Mashkaugan, who was carrying
! the canoe.
Their way was ovel some loose
rccAs and small boulders until they
clam5ered up to a rather marrow
leQge which gave secure footing to a
steady man.
Below them, to the right, the wa
ter was swirling into the chasm, ris-
NC IN angry ~~tes that seemed to
eNploQe In the air as if some magic
force blasted them to pieces. The
| thunderCus roar drowned all other
sounds.
AL length they came to place
where the patti was very narrow and
| where a long step had to be taken
across a cleft that had split the huge
rock.
The hunchback, with glazing eyes,
watched his chance. lie was very
close to Lorimer, who was stepping
cautiously, yet without the slightest
lQea OF danger.
For a second before taking the
long stride, Lorimer stepped to as
sure himself of his balance.
At this moment, just as he began
to move, the point of the canoe that
was born on the great shoulders of
the half breed touched his left side
very lightly, yet hard enough to push
him slightly to the right.
Lorimer staggered and clutched at
the air helplessly. With cry that
i was unheard he pitched down thirty
feet into the caldron beneath.
Mashkaugan stepped back quickly
and laid the canoe on the rocky
shelf.
Then he hurried forward and