Belt Valley times. [volume] (Armington, Mont.) 1894-1977, 1925-11-12
CHAPTER 1

mis- right mana ne Iree0 MS ear from
the head-plece of his tump-line and
stood listening. Surely. he thought,
those were the unmistakable notes Of
violin, clear above the noise OF the
rapids. Curious, he continued up the
steep portage; now convinced that
family through the beat OF broken wa
tiers. which the trail paraiteled. lioated
eerie music. now doubling his senses.
At length his alert ears failed to cap
ture the strains OF the magic violin
and he dismissed his Illusion as the
vagary OF nerves overtense from the
toll Of the trail over which he had
come.
For a space he went on, engrossed
IN other thoughts, when through the
roar Of the waters a violin sobbed
up to a wild crescendo then
ceased
Easing the top bag to the ground.
Steele swung the lower pack. with its
attached tump-line, beside 1t, and
waited. These were no fancied melo-
dies of summer whitewaters II was
no wrath music which a shift In the
August breeze had brought hIm-thls
mad playing.
Again the notes Of the violin were
audible; clearer now. Some magician
out there on the nelghboring shore |
was barring his soul. 1t was unbeliev-
able-here. In this lost valley of the /
north-pure wizardry. Enchanted,
Steele listened as the violin sang Of
yearning and despair, unutterable.
which genius has voiced to the world i
through the magic Of its strings. And
as he listened he wondered what tFaR-
edy lay behind that playing, what
trick of fate had buried this master
of the bow In q furpOst on the Wall
ing river.
wat you hear. de windigo seeing
In de strong-waterT"
Turning, Steele smiled at the bIocky
figure Of the speaker standing In the
trail, his head and shoulders bent I'M
der a canoe.
NO, David, but I've been listening
20 the violin Of a shaman--a medicine
man conjuring up the spirits OF the
rapids. Someone at this French post
Is a sorcerer."
Maybe you hear Windigo all de
same dryly suggested the half-breed,
easing the stern Of the canoe to the
trail to uncover a broad. swart face
wrinkIed with amusement up at
Fort Hope de peOpl' scared OF dis river
for sure. Dey tell me de strong-water 7
By de French pest bad place for de
devils an de Windigo"
yes. / heard that too, the valley
1as a bad name on the Albany. Fran
soIs, al Martins Falls, says Il was
.aIled the WailIng river because Of
ne moaning OF the rapids here in :
sInter. told him Il was only the
Wind, but he wouldn't have it--InsIst-
d that the place was bad country, !
,ewftched"
'Dey say plenty peopr drown there.
ong tam ago" gravely added David
$50 old Pierre once told me. down Il
i Henley house. He was travelling !,
rom OgOke to the Albany one winter =
nd struck this gorge about sunset n
SUIT the spirits scared him so with K
heir waIIing that be drove bis dogs !,
en- miles before be dared to make y
amp. can't understand why the
french built a place on a tabooed \,
liver. They must have known It's rep !
fati0n.~ =
-Wai.@ replied David with 6 gri-
laee, 4 nevaire hear one Of desc "a
gindlgo howl een De night. but eel "
see him now eat heem for sure 10
call dis de starvin' riviere-" ci
Steele laughed loudly At the remark Of
{ bis hard-hended companion, whose n
'gacy Of superstition from an OH ca
az mother had been heavily diluted ~
} the bleed Of = scotch father. WI
4 conld eat q caribou myself be Il
I'D. but weT hsve biw Seed at tina no.
ost tonIRhk Kon take Ehe canps over
hlle md cut who's playing that na
|DAan who womid @uesn fhn8 shnxs VI