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

death grimace, of-Joe Mokoman.
Ambush US, eh?" snarled the half
breed. You do fine job. Joe Moko-
man." And he spurned the body with
the bow of his snowshoe.
$50 he meant to get that fur If he
had to bury US in the snOw?" said
Garth, turning from the ugly picture
TO his dog, still whining with the heat
of battle. Good old ShOttie!" And
the man Rugged the hairy shoulders
of his friend. You tracked him down
for Garth, didn't you, old comrade Of
mine?
HE dam good dog, Shot, eh?" cried
Etienne, slapping the shaggy back.
He know more dan some men; he
know Joe, he hunt u.s."
HE thought Joe was a German
sharpshooter, didn't you, ShotT'-~ And
seated on the snow, Garth rocked to
and fro, rubbing the ears Of his dog,
soothing his excitement in the low
notes Of a language none but the
wriggling airedale understood.
''Wal, we buree dis skunk cen de
snow and let m'sieu' fox deeg him
out"
That's all we can do. He must
have heard from the travelling Indians
we were bound for the Canoe and de-
cided TO stop us. Do you suppose that
Mcdonald knows we are here and
Sicked him on us?"
Etienne shook his head. "He bin
up dis end de islam, so de hunter say"
I'm sorry this happened" said
Garth. There's no telling what kind
of a tale they'll make of it. wish
sled would show up so we could show
our evidence"
''Eef we stay on islam after Nc
DonaP hear hees man eeS dead, we
have to fight for sure"
"Tm not afraid of Mcdonald"
laughed Garth, but I don't want the
Indians drawn into the fight. We're
here for fur, not trouble, and I'll have
to answer to my superiors for what
happens. That's why l want you TO
be careful when we meet SOuci. No
fighting-understan
Savanna nodded. de hunter know
Etienne Savanna" said the half-breed
with finality. "Dey weel not start
troubp wild heem."
"All right Now let's make tracks
for the Canoe and that medicine lodge
of Souci's."
With their snOwshoes, they heaped
mound Of SHOW over the body of the
skulker in the spruce, to be found by
tho lNnY anh fnvpS QnH Cta
noon the team turned down into the
valley of the Canoe.
In the windbreak Of the spruce on
the shore Of the frozen river, the men
from Elkwan found the tipis of the
hunters. From north and east and
south had come the fox trappers with
their families for the great medicine
making Of SOuci, the shaman. The
wigwams hummed with gossip of the
crossing Of the strait by the tall fac
tor of Elkwan to fight for the trade
with Mcdonald Ha! Ha! From val
ley to valley MokOman had travelled,
urging the hunters to go to the
schooner. Black Breault, too, and
Skene had visited many of the camps,
Jul yet Tic WHY Hdu SOlu
little fur, hoping by their seeming re-
luctance to obtain higher prices. Also,
In the last few days, rumors, vague
terrifying, had been adrift. A hunter
from the Ptarmigan claimed he had
been down to the hills above Seal cove
and seen fire dancing on the masts of
the boat at night; that black magic
h.
face of a mad wolverine. Another
swOre that his cousin, trapping on the
Calling river, had been to the schooner
and heard devil music from a box. An
old squaw had already planted panic
among the women with story that
bewitched hunters would leave Nc
Donald's ship to desert their wives
and children.
All this and more the industrious
Etienne gathered from the gossiping
Crees from the Elkwan while Garth
made camp and fed and chained the
dogs. His seeds, planted with such
care In the camps of the Ptarmigan
and Rabbit, had indeed sprouted, We're
in fact already bearing fruit. The
Crees were i'll at. assumptions of
these strangers who had come to the
island with their smiles and trade
goods, and In the conjury of old Saul,
that night, they hoped and waited for
the advice and assurance that it
would be safe as well as wise for
them to carry their fox pelts to the
schooner at Seal cove. sd.
AS for the old shaman, Etienne
learned that he was camped down.
stream, beside his medicine lodge,
alone, preparing himself for commun-
ion with his confreres, the spirits
which, that night beneath the stars,
he would summon with his magic to
speak to the CreeS, and remove from
their hearts the doubts and fears
which harassed them.
"Ah-hah!" unused Etienne as he
returned to Garth, busy cooking sup
per. "Old Saul, he keep away; he not
see Etienne Savanna" But, crafty
ing as was the news he had picked up
among the gossiping hunters, Savanna
knew his Indians, and feared wha
the night would bring forth For the
old wizard was past master in the art
of playing on the superstitions of the
Crees, and with his incantations and
mumbo-jumbo would doubtless per-
suade them into starting at once for
SealcoYe.~ q. slr.s.a,.z -
But Etienne had no intention of Civ