Evening star., 1933-12-24
CHAPTER XXXVIII.
THE ESCAPE.

80 " try the West. But under
~ stand this, If anything hap
Il n pens it can't happen too
quick to keep me from put
ting a bullet between your eyes, friend.
You understand"
Tenn-Og nodded. without a flicker
of expression on his dusky face.
They went back past their camp
island and padded on West toward the
mainland. They were not challenged
Three hundred yards from the shore
they swung South. Still they heard no
signals, saw no shadowy mottles.
Curt hardly knew what to think.
Twice now the Indians advice had
proved right, very right. By the route
he had suggested they had got free OF
the island and through the Gordon Of
canoes. That didn't look like treachery.
Furthermore it was Sonya who had sent
him with that boat; and certainly she
had not wanted them to meet harm.
With the wind pushing them along
they dropped down toward the narrows
where Francois and Jocku had been
killed. The memory of that death cry
was still vivid with Curt. AS the dark
bottle neck loomed up just ahead, he
touched Tenn-Og.
ANY men guarding that?"
Tenn-Og nodded and held up six
fingers. when they call, I answer,
you say nothing"
They skirled into the entrance. The
dark timber fitted by, close on either
hand Five hundred yards down, down
at the narrowest part, they were sud-
denly challenged. The voice came from
a clunp of jumpers, ahead of them and
on the right-hand bank. An instant
later another voice rang out on the
left. Two hidden parties. with less than
a hundred feet separating them-no
wonder Francois and Jocku had met
doom there.
Tenn-Og stood up and answered. Curt
held his rifle at alert, with the trigger
safety on red. The canoe came in be-
tween the two parties. Nothing hap
pened. 1t drifted on past. Still moth
ing happened. Before they could make
the gantlet, safe-with the open river
ahead!
A mile down, when they breathed
freely again and were speeding South
as fast as three paddles could take
them, Curt crept forward and laid his
hand on Tenn-Og's arm.
Il make mistake" he said slowly, in
the jargon, save white-man friends. I'm
sorry. You understand"
Tenn-Og shrugged his shoulders and
grunted, with no more expression on his
claw-scarred face than when they had
suspected him of treachery and hao
threatened to shoot him.
Sometime after midnight they came
to an island where Curtis party hao
,amped on the up trip. Whipping ashore
they ate part of the food which Tenn
Og had brought and flung themselves
down on the sard for g five-minute
rest
That camp site held memories fol-
Curt, poignant memories OF the eve.
ming his party had stayed there. "A
cluster of wilted anemones, the imprint
of small dainty moccasin along the
landwash, made him recall how Sonya
had wandered lonesomely about the
camp. trying by a dozen little kindneSseS
to get friendly word out of him.
AS he stared up at the stars and
thought of her going North with those
| .t5c-ee Indian guides, it came home to
him that in sending Tenn-Og to them
with the canoe she had run big risk,
closely guarded as she had been. 1t was
pretty fine of her to do that. II 1t
hadn't been for her, he would have
gone across to the Klosohees camp and
! likely got killed in his attempt to steal
o boat.
The incident made him look back on
their whole relationship with less bit
terness and more honesty, and he had
to acknowledge that from first TO last
she had shot square with him. She had
not asked for his help on the trip: he
had volunteered it, that morning at the
mountain torrent.
And later, when she saw he was
falling in love with her, she had said
and done everything that a girl could
do to halt it, At least she had a con-
science, thoughtful regard for other
peoples feelings Rosalie Marlin would
never have tried to stop him. Rosalie
would have taken pride in having an
other scalp at her belt.
The more he thought about her join
ing Karakhan, the more 1t seemed to