The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1933-02-10
journey too long to the House of the

journey too long to the House of the
| Sunset.
In turn Jim and Omar spoke to the
| hunters, warning them that Paradis
was now an outlaw, and inviting them
to Sunset House. Then shaking the
hand of the Indians, some of whom
| Stuart had reason to believe had
fought him and Omar on the portage.
trail, Jim and his men headed back
| to camp.
AS his paddle tore the water, he
laughed in his relief and joy: We've
| won't We've won! Aurore! D'you
hear, down there in the city? I'm COM
Ing back to you. girl; I've won't"
"You foxy old devil! You deserve
| the Victoria CROSSE"
For the twentieth time Jim huggeo
| the lean frame of the grinning Esau.
| as they stood at their campfire.
"You knew before we left the post
that Jingwak was this Makwa, with
| out ears, you had run out of Wolf
river years ago. But how in thunder
did you find it out; you never saw
| him?"
'W'en | hear dat Jingwak and Para
| dees scare de hunter from Sunset
House wild devil story, I remember
| dat ees de same talk dis Makwa max
at de Wolf riviere. Den some Indian
| tell me dat Jingwak wear hees hair
YER long. Makwa would do dat to
| hide de ear he lose, ah-hah! Wen
de people, here, tell me wat he look
| lak'-den / know he ees Makwa."
"And you played him like a mas
! ter! Wait till the story reaches Pipe
stone. l guess Andrew Christie's
eyesll open when he sees the fur
you'll get for us by this nights work."
And the grateful Jim again Rugged the
! old man, whose smoke-tanned face,
like old leather, beamed with his con-
tent.
"'Otchig, the strange shaman from
the west'!" chuckled Jim. you clever
rascal! When Jingwak saw that the
man who took his ears at Wolf river
had called his bluff, he hung to that
lodge of his like fox to his hole! Do
you suppose he had guessed before
this who you were?"
"Mebbe so. Jinaw say dat Paradees
look hard for me before eet grow dark.
1 know he do dis, so land on oder
side an cross de island tru de BUSH"
Il certainly thought we'd have to
fight, Esau. Why didn't you tell me
about this Jingwak? Did you cut off
his ears2"
mo, wan good frien' of me, at de
Wolf riviere-he do that" replied the
old man, and he met Jim's incredulous
grin with the guileless look Of child.
"And you ran those rapids?"
Esau told of his meeting with Para
dis and his men which had forced him
into the Rapids of the Windigo.
"How you got through the lord only
knows! And you did 1t for mel"
The eyes of the old man were bright
with emotion. "For you and your
fader. I tell heem wen he goin' to
die, not worry. TAX care Jeem."
"And you have-you and Omarl
Bless your old bones!'
"Umh!" grunted Omar bitterly.
"But let dat Paradees get away"
In the morning the peterboro from
Sunset House started on the long trail
south. Up the great lake on the way
| to the inlet travelled the canoe. An
interval Of mellow days-the early In
dian summer of the far north-would
companion it up the Sturgeon to the
Pipestone lakes
At the foot of the big rapids Of the
Sturgeon, Jim looked for. and found,
the footprints of Smoke. The absence
of rain, and the dropping Of the river,
had left the last traces Of the friend
he had lost as clear cut as on the day
after the fight on the portage.
"Good-by. Smoke!" said Jim, gazing
through eyes blurred by many a
poignant memory at the footprints of
the dog he had fed from puppyhood.
"Jim never had better friend than
you. All you had you gave him, and
now he's going home without his dog.
Good-by, Smoke"