The Daily Alaska empire., 1933-11-28
Chapter IA
SONIA APOLOGIZES

SONIA APoLoGIzES
 GONNA must be a Russian, exiled O by the revolution and therefore bitter against it. That was why she lad fared out at him when he mild ly praised the Leninists. Her man. ners indicated that she had come from a well-to-do family, possibly from the aristocracy.
 But what about her brother? Ralph didn't appear Russian. or an alien at all. His name was English and he seemed to be an ordinary Canadian citizen. Of course he could have changed his name, and it was possible that he had lived in the Dominion longer than Sonya; but even so they were vastly differ ent people to he brother and sister.
 Altogether there was something odd about the relationship of those two. something that he could not quite fathom.
 Old John took the trout from the balsam slab, divided it; and an h. dian girl handed the portions around on strips of birchbark, with an oolichan and riece of bacon to each portion. As Curt passed out his cigarettes and chocolate squares, he purposely stopped with Nichols, crouched down, and fell into talk with the entomologist.
 q understand you're not staying at Russian Lake much longer, Ralph"
 No. MT. Higginbotham here has hired two guides for us and we're leaving tomorrow morning."
 Making a trip into the bush?"
 "Yes, up the Lilluar."
 A young trapper cut in bluntly: Nichols, if you try to go into the Klosohee ranges, it'll be just too bad, that's all! Those Klosohees ain't any tame treaty Siwash. What I mean, I'd ruther fight grizzly bar with a pine branch than argy with them boys When l first hit this country four years ago. thought this talk about 'em was mostly nonsense, but l fouvd out different!"
 "You may be a scientist, Nichols, an after nothing but harmless bugs, but they won't know you from human bein'. an they don't have any more use for you than for any white man. You'll git to the pass all right, but if you go any further you'll float back down, so full of arrers you'll look like a pincushion! Amt I right, John?"
 "They don't let whites in," old John corroborated. They'll give man far caution, an if prospector happens to stray inside, they'll take m out peace'bly. I'm jist meanin' to say they shoot squar' with per. son at first, an then if he don't take warnin' they shoot straight"
 The city sportsman winked know ingly at Sonya. Scare talk, Miss Nichols. They've repeated it so much that they've got to believing it themselves. You'll find those Smokies as tame as tabby cats"
 Sonya quietly ignored the sports man and spoke to the men who knew what they were talking about. "I don't deny there's danger. But we're going to try and get on friend ly terms with the Klosohees. If they understand we're altogether peace ful. they probably won't object. And we do want to work in that coun- try. One week in there would be worth a year in a country that's been combed and combed."
 CURT took no part in the discus A sion. By linking up Jamieson's account of the wild Lilluar tribe with Sonya's sketch of their history, he could see the whole story of the Klosohees pretty clearly. Their hos. tility toward white people undoubt- edly sprang from the brutal treat ment they had received from the Russians. In so isolated a tribe, traditions would hang on for genera tions.
 Now Sonya and Ralph were going into that pot of trouble, with no pro tection except pair of guides who would desert at the first real danger. For a city girl and man to venture into territory where experienced bush-lopers stayed strictly out was sheer suicide, and not very pleasant kind of suicide at that.
 At eleven-thirty the first spatter of rain broke up the party. The h. dians faded into the darkness: the factor ambled home; the missioner wrapped his back robe about him