The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1933-02-03


from hundred rocks, he fought his
way until, suddenly. the river widened
into an unbroken barrier of white
water. With groan, Esau read his
doom written in the buried boulders
which barred his path. He had made
the fight, taken the long chance for
Jim, and now it was over! But Esau
Otchig would go down fighting!
Into the chaos of foaming boulders
dropped the canoe, "snubbed" by the
bending pole. The bottom grounded
on a rock, was lifted off by the pole /;
the boat was caught and swung into
another by battling cross-currents but
still the old man fought-unconquered
in the face of certain disaster. AT
last, the unleashed river caught the
shattered canoe, like a straw, and
dropped it on huge boulder, over
which the water mounded. Pivoting
on the rock, the canoe rolled and
started to fill. 1t was the end!
With a desperate leap Esau was in
the water, his feet braced on the SUBJ
merged rock. A heave, and he freed
the rapidly filling boat, swung her
with the current, and fell gasping on
his knees inside, clutching his pole.
Shortly he was clear of the shadows.
Then on down, through the riot of
plunging river, the bent figure in the
stern steered his boat, the glitter of
victory in his black eyes. He had
hung, for space, on the lip of death.
But he had won.
Then his heart sank as he saw a
canoe below him. Desperate, he took
his rife from where it lay at his feet
in the water, and boldly drifted down
on the waiting canoe.
AS he neared the craft, the faces Of
the occupants watched him with awe.
Are you a Manitou, a spirit"
gasped an Ojibwa, "that you pass
alive through the Rapids of the Win
digo?"
Esau put down his gun. II am a
great shaman in the land where the
sun goes to sleep. / fear no rapids.
Here was an opportunity to impress
the Indians of the Sturgeon country,
and the keen-witted old man swiftly
made the most of it.
"The spirits are your friends, for
the Windigo allows no man to pass his
rapids"
Esau gravely nodded. ''Enh-enh.
yes, the spirits are my friends"
The Indian exchanged frightened
looks with the awed squaw who cow
cred in his canoe.
"Jingwak, the shaman, fears to pass
these rapids in his canoe. Your medi-
cine is stronger than his"
A look of contempt crystallized on
the face of the old man. "Jingwak is
a wabeno, who deceives the Ojibwas
to get their fur for the trader Paradis.
The spirits do not know him."
you go to the Lake of the Stur-
geon?"
Eyes. Tell the people there that
you saw the shaman from the land of
the setting sun, who comes to talk to
them, pass unhurt from the Rapids
Of the Windigo. l have Travelled
many sleeps to find Jingwak, the false
shaman who speaks with a double
tongue to the OIbwas, and drive him
from the country" With a sweep of
his paddle, Esau left the spellbound
hunter and his squaw, and continued
down the river. Going ashore behind
the first bend, he rested, then carried
Al
a fire to dry his outfit, and with pitch
and spruce roots started the necessary
repairs.
AS he worked over the rock-scarred
craft, the wrinkled face of the old
man lit with smiles of satisfaction.
He had beaten Paradis and lived
through whitewater that no canoe
had passed, to start on its way the
story of his charmed life and mirac-
ulous powers, which would travel
swiftly from tipi to tipi up and down
the lake. For time he would hide
while his mysterious appearance
swayed the talk around the supper
fires. For he Knew his people. Then
he would strike.
For three days Jim and Omar
camped near Jinaw while the infec-
tion in the arm of the old squaw rap
idly cleared under Stuart's care. Then
when she could travel the grateful
Indian started down the great lake to
endeavor to learn the fate of Esau.
Two nights later. the canoe from SUM-
set House waited at the rendezvous
the Rattlesnake had set in a deep
cove near the foot of the lake.
Restless from days of doubt and
forced inaction, in which the absent
Esau might have so sorely needed
their aid, Jim and Omar sat beside
their hidden canoe.
"Dere ees Jinaw," announced Omar.
as black shadow slid in toward the
shore
"Esau is here, on the lake" began
the old man, who spoke no English. "I
have talked to the hunters at many
camps. A strange story has passed
down the lake. Seven sleeps ago an
Indian and his woman saw a canoe
pass out of the Rapids of the Win.
digo. In it was great shaman who
told them his name was Otchig and he
sought the sorcerer, Jingwak."
"He ran those rapidsl" Jim peere1
triumphantly into Omar's startled
face.
"By gar!" grunted the surprised
half-breed. "How he do dat?"
mo canoe has ever before passed
the Rapids of the Windigo," added
Jinaw. 1.-The woman who saw it SAYS
the boat had wings, and never rode
the water"
tTo BE CONTINUED,
Our Confidence
The desire of being nitied or az