Newark leader. ([Newark, Ohio]) 1917-1946, 1926-02-26

voice on the ridge had toiled long and
suffered much for this moment, but at
their heels moved a short figure whose
flesh was cold with the chill Of fear
Little Jacques gripped his rifle grimly
and followed, thinking of the wife and
children back at Wailing River.
At the foot of the ridge Michel and
David left Steele to make their stalk
from two directions while he worked
to the rear with the dog and Little
Jacques. Once on a fresh trail the
hound would hang until he ran down
his quarry. In the soft snow his pace
would be slow, so the men on shoes
in time would come up with him.
And he would need them if the thing
turned and waited at bay-hOW great
would be his necessity the torn body
at STOPPING river only too well indi-
Gated.
They had Travelled for an hour when
the hound abruptly stopped, shifted
the snow at his feet, and eXcitedly
strained at his leash To Steele's
eyes the flat floor Of the snow lay un
broken in the darkness but the Indian
on his knees whispered in terror:
Get ees beeg trail !"
Good !" And the hound free.
plunged ahead into the murk. Short
Iy, his deep voice doomed through the
forest and the hunt was on.
AS they swung through, the blue
gloom of spruce was less deep, the
great dog left them. Again, as they
followed the voice ON the shoulder Of
the hill defiled the night. AS it rose
in creScendO, a rifle shot sliced 1t
short off. Far above, the hound gave
voice. Then silence fell on the forest.
They've seen him" said Steele,
"He may back track keep lookout.
Don't shoot too quick or Wen turn
himl"
There was no reply. He looked for
his companion, but Little Jacques had
gone.
Throwing the bolt Of his Mannlicher
to clear 1t Of frost and ease the action
Steele kept on up the ridge. For min
utes now, he had not heard the voice
Of the hound, when again the resonant
bass doomed through the silence
above him. The dog had turned The
thing was headed back. LoOsing his
skinning- knife in its sheath, the man
cooked his rifle and waited, kneeling
on a SHOE his eyes boring into the
blackness
ing in the timber. Again, the hound
bayed-closer now. The beast was
taking his back tracks. Then Steele
saw it,
Bounding from the cover of the
scrub on the edge of the opening, a
dark shape stopped, and reared up
eight, as if listening-when the Mann
Iicher spat.
The beast leaped back into the
black wall of spruce. Again, the rifle
famed into the murk.
Still crouched on a knee, the man
listened, rifle rigid Sights useless,
he had fired by instinct There had
been no thud Of bullet in flesh. Could
he have missed?
Slipping two shells into the maya
zine, he circled in the timber, lifting
his shoes to avoid the click. Blind
now, for the moon was masked, he
listened for heavy breathing in the
scrub he faced-then the hound
plunged past and he knew he had
missed.
Following the dog, Steele turned
down the ridge, but in an hour was
C9stanced. SO he stopped in a cedar
swamp, cut wood with his belt AK,
and scoopMg out the snow with his
shoe, Lighted fire.
In the cover of the thick cedar the
hot fire soon warmed him and with
back against a trunk he dozed, only
to Waken with a start as a hand
touched his shoulder. He blinked into
the faces Of David and Michel.
"Fooled us again!" groaned the dis
heartened Steele.
"At daylight we takG de trail and
see heem soon. De dog weel tree
heem."
Heaping up the fire the three men
dozed until daylight, then took the
trail of the beast and his pursuer
through the snow.
Somewhere ahead, Steele felt that
the pursuit was over. Somewhere,
miles away, the beast had tired in the
black hours and turned at bay to bat
tie in the snow with his relentless
foe or else in terror Of the voice of
the thunder which he could not shake
from his heels, had treed.
Up over ridges and into creek bot
toms Travelled the anxious men, stop
ping to listen for the voice of the dog
But the cold silence Of sunrise gripped
the forest.
At last the tracks led into a heavy
stand of young spruce. The men sep
arated, and cautiously made their way
through the close growth.
Smd1nnlX the blood of Steele chilled