The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1927-09-02
By George Marsh
Copyright by The Penn Publishing Co.
WNU Service.

sip with the curious and perplexed
Laguerre, opened with:
you know de strait ees froze?"
Achille, who spoke English. grave
ly nodded. You cum to de island.
Eet mus be So"
"Oou, mon ami. We are here. Eet
ees enough. Why, Achille Laguerre,"
he went on, probing the small, half
shut eyes of the half-breed, do
Msieu' Guthrie and /, Etienne Sd
vanne, cross de ice to max talk wild
you?" Etienne paused and blew a
cloud of smoke along the stem of his
pipe, which his teeth gripped.
Achille grinned widely. You cum
to max fight for de fox" he chuckled.
You are mos smart man, ma fr'en,'
but you max beeg meestake. We cum
to TAX de fox back to Elkwan wild de
peopp for beeg tam at la bonnie aimee,
New Year"
"Ah-hah"
You go to Kapiskau, Achille?"
The Indian slowly shook his head.
81 go to de beeg boat. He pay beeg
price for pelt."
Garth leaned eagerly forward to
hear the counter stroke which
Etienne was waiting to launch.
"Ah-hah!'' For a space, the crack
ing Of a spruce knot was the only
sound in the tipi. Then Savanna be-
gan: You not YER smart man,
Achille. You Lessen to dat 'Jibwa
Wabeno, Mokoman. Ah-hah, you not
so smart man. . We TAX heem
TO dis island wild old Souci. You know
why?" Etienne paused dramatically
to relight his pipe. $50 McDOnar put
de devil into heem."
Nervously twisting her hands, the
sQuaw of Achille stared at the speak
er from awe-filled eyes. The stolid
features of the half-breed reflected
curiosity, doubtful no fear.
81 put dat Mokoman undair de fee
up de Elkwan-he max troubr for us;
but we weesh TO have devil put cen
heem by McDOnaP Ha! Ha!' .
'Mokoman was here" dryly coun-
tered Achille.
"Was Souci wild heem?" snapped
Etienne, as a dog bone, and Garth's
pulse quickened as he waited for the
reply.
NO, Souci ees ovair de hill, nord."
gwen you say Saul was at de
schooner"
Again Guthrie leaned to catch
Achilles return.
The half-breed waited, spat into the
fire, then said: You hear dat?"
Etienne nodded. Now he would
learn the truth from friend who, in
the old days of their comradeship,
had never lied; but, in his extremity,
he himself launched brazenly into
outrageous fabrication. 1--WE SEN old
Saul to de schooner to talk wild de
devil of McDonar."
The self-possession Of Achille fell
from him like a leaf from tree. you
SEN heem dere?" he demanded ex-
citedly.
Etienne was relieved. He had
pierced the armor Of his friend-was
at last making progress.
Amazed and delighted at the re-
source of his head man and wonder
ing where his astounding imagination
would further lead him, Garth watched
the changing expression on the dark
features of Achille.
"Ah-hah!" casually assented Etienne.
1--WE know dis McDonaP Ha! Ha
max bad medicine an de pore Injun
who go to hees boat nevaire love dere
familee any more, but travel far away
and leave dem to starve-"
"Ahuah! ahuah!' walled the terri
fed squaw, and launched in Cree n
delirious outburst of entreaty and ap-
peal.
Achilles attempts to sooth her hys-
terics succeeded only in increasing the
lamentations of the superstitious
woman. At length she Gained to a
low moaning, which was joined by the
wailing Of the awakened children.
Under cover of the dusk of the tipi,
sinewy fingers gripped Guthrie's stock
inged foot. With the skill of a sor-
cerer, Etienne had planted the seeds
of superstitious terror in the tipi of
his friend. The work of Saul and
Mokoman was rapidly being undone by
the shrewd Savanna. Then voices out
side announced the coming of the
hunters from the neighboring tips.
Crowding through the doorflap of the
Snow-banked tent, three Indians from
the Kapiskau river entered and sat
down. ...
The fire was freshened and briefly
Achille explained the situation which
had aroused the fears of his wife.
With the faces of stoics the men
smoked, while the story of Etienne
was repeated, but when they heard
that Mokoman had been brought to
the island with Saul because of the
witchcraft of Mcdonald, they, too, lost
their gravity and their calm. For
that this mutilated stranger should
be the intimate and crony of the
spirits of darkness was not beyond
the credulity of the impressionable
Cree. And did not Achille vouch for
this Savanna, his old comrade. from
Elkwan? 1t was true, they argued, the
big man with the unspeakable face
offered high prices for fox pelts, but
if he were in league with devils-as he
might be with that leer, which never
died-of what uSya wOuId ha tho trado