Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-22

was fn Q great hurry, with his gun on his hip.
his yellow moecasined feet pattering on the
hard snow or Ice There was the air of great
mystery about his whispered conversations.
had already heard Of Q settler who had been
murdered just over the line in Saskatchewan
before we left The Pas. This Mountie must
be hot on the trail of this murderer. He must
be sure the villain was working in one of those
big gangs building the railroad.
It was not until after he had disappeared
in the blizzard ut the end of steel up in the
Barren Lands that heard from one of the
officials of the railroad what his real mission
was. He had told me about having q large
family Of daughters who had to be provided
with clothes and educated, and how he must
hustle to do It He was hustling, all right, up
into that desolate eountry-but not for the
criminal had imagiend. He had heard from
Q good source that placer gold had been discov-
cred somewhere along his route beyond the
end Of steel He was searching for the man
who made the discovery, so that he could md
out where It was and also stake claim!
THAT bulge you see there" said the thin,
why young man from Massachusetts,, who was
wounded In the right Leg during the war, SIS
machine gun bullet" He was pointing TO O
metal safety razor case. ut would have pierced
my heart but for the case"
He, too, had heard about the Fin FIon gold
oAAAA OOtkSA AAAAA1GS WAACbG SVVVVVVVV was UStIlB
expended In building q railroad spur and o
town. sinking shafts, driving tunnels and erect
ing snelter. He had heard of the fabulous
fortune the discoveries Of that Ell Dorado had
made. He was coming North to cook through
the cold Winter months. But he was going 20
quit IS soon a. he knew where the next rush
would be In the Barren Lands.
After we left the end Of the steel In biz
card we had 70 mush some IA miles through
n
which YVES used aS base for the Manitoba
Flying Corps. They had flown men and sup
plies from Jack Fish Island into Churchill for
the building Of that terminal for the govern
ment railroad. They had used floats in the
Summer and now their ships were equipped
with skis for Winter flying.
One Of the myers told me he was going to
buy . plane and Ay with an old prospector
up around Baker Lake, where he was sure they
Would ind plenty Of the precious metal
How DO you know there Is any there?"
asked.
well. every time few out Of my way over
that section the old compass needle would
Wriggie back and forth for fully eight miles.
Only great deal Of metal IN the ground would
do that"
WHEN We returned 10 the end Of steel an
other blizzard was blowing. stfn hun
treds Of men were laying ties and rails. They
looked like 50 many ghosts. But they were all
tremendously excited. News had just come By
the way freight that Q beautiful blonde girl
had eloped with Q French Canadian trapper
and proSpectcr and that they were on this
train and about to mush out into the Barren
Lands to some place where he had discovered
gold In great quantities. The woman's hus-
band was IN The Pas. OF course, he could not
BET out BY train after the clippers until the
4 A6uskeg Special started IN three daysi a.,'