The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1927-09-16


| Souci from the tent delivered the ad-
monitions of the spirits, he would
brand the old man as the hireling Of
| Mcdonald, friend Of devils. If the
outraged Saul dared to start trouble,
this might be dangerous with the
Crees in a high state of excitement,
but the arm of the company was long,
its hand heavy, and Etienne Savanna,
its servant, feared as a fighter the
length of the coast. So the prospect
of trouble gave Etienne little concern,
but the loss of twenty thousand dol
lars in fur, which the Crees had with
them, would be little short of calam-
ity. On his return to his tent, his
active mind CROPPED for the best meth
ed of, that night, hanging the shaman
with his own rope.
"Well, what did you hear?" asked
Garth. did you see Saul?'
mo, he keep YER quiet. De Cree
have mOOch fur, and nance of de men
would go to McDonal', but de squaw
have fear Of devil. A Teller by de
name of Savanna, he tell de squaw
down on de Ptarmigan some bad story,
also up on de Rabbit, an eet max
dem squaw YER nervous" Etienne
smiled at the success of his efforts.
THAT was certainly a good bit of
strategy, Etienne, but you say the men
are now wabbling in favor of the
schooner"
"Ah-hah. 1 t'ink dat SOuci, wild
hees spirit, weel beat us tonight"
We've got to think of something to
dove can't let him get away with
all the fox in this camp, man. urged
Garth, handing his friend a heaping
plate of beans and bacon.
AS Etienne ate, his swarthy face
WAS grave with the problem confront
ing him. What could be done? He
even considered secreting himself in
the medicine tent downstream, bind
ing and gagging the old man as he
entered, and playing shaman himself.
But the danger of discovery by the
outraged CreeS would be too great.
Failure would make matters even
worse.
The medicine rite was to take place
under the moon, which was late, so
deep in council of war fingered white
man and half-breed, until the silver
disk rode above the white tundra al
ready lit by lOw-swinging stars. Then
Etienne returned from a short recon
naissance to report the hunters and
squaws already moving to the rendeZ-
vous downstream where a fire glOwed.
in the spruce. Small and cylindrical
in shape, its tanned caribou-hide walls
painted in red and black with the
shapes of animals, the sun, and girl
macing faces of the spirit friends of
the conjurer, the medicine lodge stood
a short distance from the fire. Gath
cred in the warmth of the blazing
logs, shawled women and hooded
hunters, heads together, conversed in
low tones.
Higher over the tundra above the
valley, the moon uswung through the
star-incrusted heavens. 1t was
night for magic, and as his curious
eyes shifted from the awed Crees to
the medicine tent, Guthrie despaired
of the efforts Of Etienne, in such a
setting to nullify the necromancy Of
old Saul. Moon and stars and the au-
rora joined with the purple shadows
to lend invincible enchantment to the
arts of the sorcerer. These simple
children of the SHOWS, bewitched by
the mystery and magic of the night,
would fall willing victims to the
voices of the spirits.
The muttered exclamation of Eth
enne at his side aroused him. "Dere
he co.
Family, to the measured tapping of
a caribou-hide drum, from the tent
lifted low wailing. Selling the arms
of their men, the women at the fire
stiffened. Swart faces went gray.
Gradually the wailing drifted into
a sing-song, which, accompanied by
the shell rattle, rhythmically swelled
and died. Suddenly the song ceased.
Growls and snarls, whines and new
ing-the pickering of beasts-filled the
forest. Shrieks of a mating wolver-
inc followed the caterwauling Of
lynx. A wolf howled, lonely for his
kind. From September ridge drift
ed the moaning call of COW moose.
In swamp a bittern chugged, a
whoOping crane startled with his from
bone-like blast. From the gloom
drifted the boot Of the snowy owl.
Down wind, in full cry, swept WAVES
and Canadas, blue geese and brant.
Through repertory of the voices of
the night and the sunlit forest wan
dered the ventriloquist in marvellous
imitation of nature.
Guthrie turned in surprise to Eth
enne Hes wonder!"
"WaitI' was the laconic reply.
Then, amid groans and eerie cries,
shrieks, as of souls in torment, the
whimper of children, sobs Of women
in anguish, men tortured, the voice of
the shaman addressed the spirits he
had conjured from the world of de-
mons. His kinsmen, the Crees, were
in great doubt and perplexity, and had
begged him to call upon his familiar
spirits, who saw into the future as
one looks from hill; to whom the
devils seeking to destroy the Cree
were as children-harmless. 1.-The
hunters" continued the shaman, pos
sessed much fur"
Etienne's hand gripped Garth's arm,
as he interpreted the speech of Saul.
"Now he mex de spirit tell dem to
go to McDonar."
Fur of much value which they
have toiled for on the cold barrens