The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1927-09-02
CHAPTER VII-Continued

-11-
"Mokoman lies :" stormed the start
led half-breed. but the germ Of a
suspicion of the old conjurer's loyalty
Quickened in his brain. Are there
camps at the head of the river in the
barrens?" he asked, keen TO catch the
Ojibwa and old Saul, the traitor, at
their work
''Yes, you will see them before the
light dies, and there are more on the
north fork"
Remember" cautioned the puzzled
half-breed, as he turned to his dogs,
"'the boat at Seal cove is full of de-
mOns-bewitched Those who 90 will
never look again with joy on their
wives and children" And with this
parting shot, the shrewd Savanna
called "Bo'-jo'!' and Joined his chief.
As they again took the river trail,
from here on ice-hard from constant
use by the teams of the hunters,
Etienne gave Guthrie the gist of his
talk
"Old Saul-at the schooner? It's
only lie of that Ojibwa," objected
Garth, unable to reconcile the old
mans simplicity and directness with
this deceit "A lie to weaken the
effect Of Saul's coming to the island to
work for u.s."
''Mebbe so, but t'ink something YER
strange here. Dees camp ees near de
shOre-why has Saul not come here?p
They may have lied. He may have
been here" suggested Garth. Etienne
shook his head. mo, he nevaire cum
here or dey talk more bout heem. He
ees medicine man and de squaw would
talk mooch eef he cum"
"WeIl, let's see what the people
above here say. Then we can compare
the stories and judge better what to
believe, and what our next move is.
If Saul has turned yellow-we're sure
ly done"
Facing the man riding behind him,
Etienne nodded. "Eef Saul work for
de schooner. he weel TAX de Elkwan
Cree wild heem." Then the lean fea-
lures of the half-breed frightened. His
small eyes closed to Sits, as he
viciously cracked his whip. But dat
oil shaman weel max heeS las medi-
cine" he rasped.
The hate in the face Of the dog
driver was so intense that Garth OBJ
tected: You can't shoot him up for
that, you know. 1t would only re-
act on Marie and the children, and
on me-"
Etienne's mouth curled in an in
scrutable smile. mo one but Saul
Souci weel know who meet heem on
oe trail"
Il guess you'd be capable of am
bushing him for this, but we're not
dead yet. Let's see what the hunters
at the head of the river say"
In the scrub trimming the shores Of
the first lake from which the tundra
Undulated to the skyline, the men in
quest of Saul SOuci found the tipis of
the hunters. 1t was camp of three
families and smoke from the supper
fires already lifted above the spruce
when the arrival Of the dOg-team
raised a general alarm from the hus-
kies fastened in the scrub.
''Kequay. kequay!' called Etienne,
and a shock of black hair was thrust
through a door flap, as curious Cree
emerged TO meet the strangers.
Hes not from Elkwan," dropped
Guthrie disappointed, as the Indian
approached TO shake hands.
"'Allo, Achille." And Etenne
warmly gripped the hand Of the In
dian, who then greeted Garth. "Achille
Laguerre from Kapiskau, and me, OF
fr'en'," announced the patiently
pleased head man to his chief.
Well learn something now, thought
the factor, as they drove the dogs into
the spruce, fed them their frozen
whitefsh, and chained them separately
TO. trees. AS the December sun was
long down and their tent dashed IN
der the toboggan cover, Etienne &C.
copied the hospitality Of Laguerre's
smoksfiled tipi. There, with eyes
weeping from the unaccustomed
smoke, Garth ate boiled rabbit and
lake-trout from the copper kettle hung
above the fire, from which the wife
and numerous children of Achille
Rorged in common. But the appetite
sharpened by the ride up the valley
in the keen air was impervious TO
the informality Of Cree table manners
and Garth's tin cup went back to the
steaming stew and the tea pail with
the regularity of his smoke-tanned
host and hostess, until his belt warned
of surfeit
He passed to each of the Crees a
twist of company nigger-head, and
pipe smoke swiftly added to the
opaqueness Of the tipi air. Then
Etienne, who had avoided the subject
of Souci and the schooner in his gos-