The Daily Alaska empire., 1933-12-13
4I FORBIDDEN VALLEY
S4 WRGam Byncn mowgu4

tween the eyes and not get killed instantly. The fellow certaiLly was hard-fghting grizzlies and surviv- iEg a shot in the head!
 He brought water and washed thu Indians race. A granite pebble, no larger than pea, was lodged in the forehead wound. Curt pried if out with his knife point, examined the wound and the granite pebble, and suddenly understood what had happened to the Klosohee.
 One of those heavy Winchester bullets had splduted into the gravel in front of him. kicked that stone against his head, and knocked him senseless. Stretched out limp, with a hole between his eye s-no won der the others had thought him Geadi
 The cold water on the Klosohee's face brought him to in {. few mo- ments. When he saw that white Ian was bending over him. ais eyes turned suddenly cold. His glance fell upon the hunting knife in Curtis fand, and his expression changed to a stony tight-lipped defiance. Too weak to move, he merely stared up at his enemy. and waited.
 h,,fr ha hot way, Curt?" Sonya asked. She had stopped down to hold the flash.
 Good heavens, he thinks Pm go- ing to kill him!' He hastily pocketed his knife. Well, he's certainly a stoical cuss!"
 LIE spoke in the Jargon to the h. l dian: Don't be afraid. l am friend. l hear you say hLrt-cry, and come over here. take you now to my tepee and make you no-sick. You understand I am friend?'
 The Indians look slowly changed to bewilderment. He had expected the white-skin to gloat over him be- fore finishing him off, and the stranger was speaking in tones of sympathy and kindness!
 What name you?" Curt asked.
 "Hai-ee-Tenn-Ogs5amowam."
 Curt smiled. "S'pose 1 call you Tenn-Og, huh? Now we take you to tepee"
 In the tent he gave the Klosohee drink of diluted brandy to brace him, and then began dressing the wounds. The shoulder bullet had gone almost entirely through. Curt extracted 1t, stopped the bleeding, bandaged the wound, and stuck cross of plaster on the forehead cut.
 Feeling stronger, Tenn-Og leaned back against a pack, watching the three.
 q guess he's convinced we're not going to kill him, at least not i'm mediately," Curt remarked. Now let's try out his lingo, Paul, and see if he speaks anything besides grizzly bear and porcupine."
 They managed three-cornered conversation. The Indian talked readily enough, freely answering all their questions about his people and giving them some invaluable bits of information about Siam-Klale and LeNoir.
 Curt was surprised that he should do this and should seem so indiffer. ent to his own clan. It was only later. when he knew Tenn-Og better and had heard his strange tragic story, that he understood.
 He learned that the southern band had broken away from the main group because of Siam-Klale's tyran- ny. Middle-aged, apparently having some queer twis: of cruelty in his makeup. the tribe leader ruled with brutal hand. Within Tenn-Og's memory he had killed three men outright and made broken cripples of several others. Besides that. he possessed shaman power of deal ing some quick mysterious death to anybody he dlsliked.
 Sounds like poison" Curt re- marked to Paul. q shouldn't be sur prised to find LeNoir is slipping him that powder Say. l wonder if this isn't the explanation of LeNoir's stand-in with Siam-Klale."
 Let's ask him about the man we're interested in," Paul suggested.
 Better not, Paul. He might get back to his band and report our questions"
 He turned to the Indian and went on with his questioning LeNoir had planned the attack that evening. Tenn-Og said. but had stayed on the mainland shore and taken no part in the fight. He had ordered that the men should be killed. their bodies sunk in the lake with rocks. and their canoes set adrift down the Lilluar, to give the appearance of rapids disaster; but the white girl must not be hurt, if they could pos sibly help it.
 Curt wondered why LeNoir had given those orders about Sonya. Certainly he hadn't intended that she should return to Russian Lake. for she would report how the party had met its end. Had he wanted her spared for himself?
 fCopyriOht. I9ss Wiiliam B. MouerU)