The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1925-12-11
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RexBeEtaeh 4 !

show his trail-nlatc how to travel,
and that promise he had made good;
all day he had held the lead, and
without assistance from the lash.
Even now his dogs. while not fresh,
were ia, from exhausted. As for
the man himself, Rock began to
feel conviction that the fellow
could go on at this rate ctcrnally.
Luck finally seemed to break in
favor Of the pursuers: accident ap-
,pearcd to work in their behalf. The
day was done. night was again upon
them. when Dorct sent back CRY
OF warning, and. lcaping upon his
SEED. turned his leader at right all
giles toward the bank.
His companion understood the
meaning of that move. but the Po-
lice team was less responsive to
command, and before Rock could
swing them he felt his feet sink into
soft slusll.
Dam overflow" Dorct painted
when the two teams were safely out
upon the bank. "You wet your
feet. ch:'
Apprchcnsivcly tho officer felt OF
his moccasins; they were WET to the
touch, but as yet no moisture had
penetrated his socks. you yelled
in the nick of time" he declared, as
he dried his soles in tho loose snow.
Dem teller got in it anklc-decp.
| bet we fin campfire soon."
This prediction came true. As tho
travellers rounded tho next bluff they
sp,c!lcd the odor of burning spruce
and came upon a tranplcd bed OF
boughs beside which some cmbcrs
we're still smolderins.
"Jovc! That gives US chance,
doesn't it," Rock painted. -,
His companion smiled eve 60
in start travel now, for sure. Dey
can't be more III a mile or two
ahead" .'
Down upon tho rivcr-bcd the
teams rushed. With biting lash and
sharp commands the drivers urged
them into swiitcr run. Rock vas
forcing his dogs now; lie made the
smoke fly from their hides when
they Jagged. He vowed that he
would not permit this French Ca
madam to outdistancc him. He
sworc 4 good deal at his malamutes;
he cursed himself as a wcakling. Il,
gutter; anger at his fatigue ran
through him.
The travellers were up arions tho
hills by now. Occasionally they
passed a deserted. cabin, home OF
some early golddigger. Valley
dark with nigh, opened up to Sis'"
and Left as the Forty Mile wound
higher, deeper into the maze OF
rounded do,ncs: the Boundary was
close at hand. The hi1lsidcs hid
their feet in black thickets OF spruce,
but their slopes were thinly tim
bcred, their crests were nearly bare,
and the white snow gave off a dim
radiance that made trascling posi-
bic even after the twilight had deep
cned. By and by it grew lighter
and the north horizon took on a.
rosy fusl, that spread into tremen-
dous flare. The night was still,
clear, crackly. it was surcharged
with some static force. and so calm
was the air, so dcathlikc the hush,
that tho empty valley rang Nike a
bell. That my stcrious illumination
in tho north grew more and more
impressive; great ribbons, long
pathways of quiycring light, un-
rolled themselves and streamcd
across the sky; they famed and
they writhed and melted,
disappearing, reappearing, rising,
falling. 1t was as if the lid had
been lifted from sonic stupendous
caldron and the heavens reflected.
the radiance from its whitc-hot con-
tents. Mighty fingers, like the
beams Of polar scarch-lights, CROPPED
the ,voids overhead; tum-
bling waves Of color rushed up and
dashed themselves away into space;
the whole arch Of the night was lit
as from a world in flames, Red,
yellow, orange. violet, ultraviolet
the tints merged with one another
bcwilderingly and the SHOWS threw
back their flicker until coarse print
would have been readable. Against
that war of clashing co1ors the
mountain-crests stood out in sillou-
cite and the fringe Of lonely wind
twisted trunks high up on their sad
dies were etched in blacklist ink.
It was a weird, an unearthly ef-
feet; it was exciting, too. As. al
ways when the Aurora is in full
play, the onlookers marvcled that
sucl, a tremendous exhibition of en-
crgy coufd'continucA in such silence.
That was the oldest, the most i'm
prcssive feature of all, for the crash
Of avalanchcs, the rumble Of thur,-
der, the diapason Of hundred
Niagaras should have accompanied
such ! appalling phenomena. 1t
seemed odd indeed that the whine
Of sled runners, the scuff Of moe
casins, the painting Of dogs, should