The Ely miner., 1927-07-29

he had no doubt.
The York boat reached the open
water of the bay as the sun lifted,
bringing an easterly breeze. As they
worked up the channel to the post, a
sense of loneliness chilled the heart OF
Guthrie. There would be no welcome,
which, through the weeks of the sum-
mer, he had grown to cherish, on his
homecoming-no joy In the wistful
eyes of the girl who waited. All that
remained to him now was the memory
of n-self-immolating COM
plete. Poor little Nlnda
Old Anne and the wife Of Etienne
stood on the shore while the voyagers
mace the boat fast to its buoy. As
the men padded In, 1t was evident
that news awaited them.
"Somet'ing happen" said Etienne.
Marie ver' mooch excite wen she not
stan STILL"
Bon jour, ladies!" called Guthrie,
as he approached the chattering wom-
en- on the beach. "What seems to be
on your minds?''
"Oh, dey have come here-dos
men!" crieG old Anne.
"What men?"
"De man in de beeg boat-she was
here. Dat one wild de bad face-Mc-
Donald Ha Ha! de Injun call heem."
Guthrie and Etienne started incred-
ulouSly at the speaker.
"What did he wantT"
"He want talk wild you. He leave
dis" Old Anne handed Guthrie folG-
ed sheet of paper. Opening it, he
read:
''The Hudson's Bay Company, Elkwan :
''This is to save you trip to the
island after the stuff left on the beach
by that walrus-faced geologist, Quar-
rier. / can use most of 1t, and will pay
st. Johns prices for it on my return
home Have made an inventory
MCDONALD" .
"Well, he's a cool one!" commented
Guthrie.
Etienne shook his black head. "He
steal dat stuff, he steal all de fur on
Akimiski."
mot If / know 1t If he thinks he's
going to get our share of the Akimiski
hunt, he'll have to fight for 1t. He'll
find he can't bluff us" replied Guthrie,
with increasing irritation at the
thought of the high-handed methods
of the unknown. In the north a cache
was inviolate, and the stores of Quar-
rier on the Akimiski beach had not
been abandoned, but cached, to be re-
covered later. McDonalds appropria-
tion Of them under the circumstances
was q distinct breach of northern GUS
tom. If this was sample of what
could be expected from him later, In
the fight for the Akimiski fox trade,
the winter and spring would hardly
be dull on the west coast. AS soon as
they had shot their winter supply of
geese, he would have talk with Gra-
ham and Boucher, at Attawapiskat
and Kapiskau.
"Too bad, Etienne, we were not
here to meet Mr.. Laughing Mcdonald.
What did you think Of him, Anne
He's a big man with red hair, isn't
her.
"Oh, YER beeg, strong man, wild hair
lax fire. Hees facet" Anne stopped to
shudder. "He got de crazy face all
tam, from hees hurt mout'."
"Poor devilv' thought Guthrie
branded for life with that grin
Then he asked: "Who came ashore
with himw
The question was signal for an
emotional outburst from Marie. "Dey
were bad men, M'sieu Guthree. One
beeg one wild de barbe noir, black
beard, he try KEGS me, Ge femme OF
Etienne Savanne" The black eyes
Of the comely wife of Ftienne flashed
with anger at the memory.
"W'atl Dey try dat wild you, dees
people," The sinewy fingers Of the
half-breed worked nervously as II
cropping for knife handle. swat you
do, MarieY he demanded.
"McDonar Ha i! Ha broke in Anne
"he talk YER cross to de black beard
give heem push lax he was littl
boy. Dis McDonar, dey all scare OF
heem, dose men. Den dey paddle out
to de boat"
Good enough! Mcdonald seems to
he boss all right" laughed Guthrie
"Black beard; that must be the New
foundland whaler, Etienne, the cap
tain of the schooner"
The face of Etienne hardened. "He
max mooch troubr on dis coast-dis
McDonal' Ha! Ha !-mooch troubr."
'It looks like lively winter for U.S.
eh, Shot2" And the factor of Elkwan
bent to rub the ears of his dog.
1t was early October on the west
coast, hunting weather, when the
geese restlessly crossed and recrossed
the wide flats between the timber and
the sea, and the duck, in fiocks OF
thousands, enmessly rose from the
shadows to skirt for space, the rim
Of the tide, only to settle again, and
shortly repeat the flight. When they
had shot two back-breaking loads,
Euenne and Guthrie started for their
camp out where boulder-strew
sandspit thrusting seaward rendered
the launching Of loaded canoe pos
sible at the height of the tide. A mile
from the tent on the sandspit, Etienne
lifted his lowered head banGed by the
tump-line which held the flour bags