The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1933-01-27

"Will the old men listen to us II we
talk to them?"
"They viii. listen, but Paradis will
find you with his young men and kill
you"
Omar grimaced in Jinaw's grave
face. 1.-THE medicine Of this white
man laughs at knife and bullet. Ask
Paradis what he did with his nine
men," Then Omar's swart face hard
ened into a menacing mask. 1.-THE
fangs Of Jinaw seek the trader Para
dis and this wabeno. They. also. are
our enemies. Jinaw is old, his son has
left him, and he needs friends. We
will be his friends"
The three filled their pipes and sat
down by the fire, while Omar, now
convinced that the old Indian was
sincere, lost no time in planning to
make use OF him In their search for
Esau. AS an earnest of their friend
ship, Omar brought from the canoe,
flour. sugar, tea, and tobacco. none
Of which the old man had, and gave
the sick squaw dipper of stimulating
tea, which she gratefully swallowed.
Then. heartened by the good fortune
which had led them to the tipi of
Jinaw, the Rattlesnake, they padded
mile down the shore and hid canoe
and outfit as the young moon broke
through the clouds above lake drift
ed with shadows.
While the sky cleared and, here and
there, the mirror Of the lake picked
up the stars, one question harassed
the thoughts of the two men who had
been told by Jinaw that their canoe
would never turn south up the racing
Sturgeon: Where was Esau?
AS the night deepened and the moon
dipped toward the black buttresses of
the spruce ridge flanking the western
shore, its beams touched two blurred
shapes stretched in an open space be-
side a stony beach. Far out on the
lake the funereal night wall of loon
lifted from the shadows. Then, for a
long space, forest and lake slumbered,
until, at last, on the heavy silence Of
the timbered shore broke the deep
toned "whoo-hoo-hoo, whooo-whooo
of the horned owl. But the shapes In
the blankets lay like dead men.
Again the hush of the tomb returned
to the forest, while the moon rode
from sight behind a drift Of cloud,
and murk swallowed the muffled fig
ures on the shore. For time the
patrols of the forest night gave no
voice, then the hunting call of the
feathered assassin of the shadows
again married the deep peace. But the
shaggy sentinel, Smoke. no longer
kept guard beside his sleeping master.
The sinister sound was unheard. The
blanketed heaps did not stir.
Time passed and the moon broke
from it's curtain of cloud to light the
lake shore and touch the wrapped
shapes near the hidden canoe. Then,
close by, like the stealthy movement
of padded feet, sounded faint rustic.
For long space, silence; and the
sound was repeated. Again, silence,
while the night grew older; until,
with the noiselessness of a snake,
something left the packed gloom of
the scrub and writhed into the moon
light.
Near the two still shapes now lay
third.
Again movement in the black murk
of the brush, the swift progress of
dark body, and where two had lain
now lay four.
Heavy with silence the forest slum-
bered on.
Then a moonbeam touched bright
metal in the lifted hands of two
kneeling men as they struck at the
huddled figures between them-struck
again. But their knife hands did not
lift for the third blow at the sleeping
men, for, like the rush of stalking
wolves, the impact of two heavy bodies
the skinning knives of Omar Boisvert
and Jim Stuart drove deep into their
backs.
Leaving the tricked henchmen Of
Paradis stiffening beside the blanketed
heaps which the men from Sunset
House had cunningly arranged to
simulate the shapes of sleeping men,
Jim and Omar listened in the murk of
the shore willows for the sound of
muffled paddles or men moving in the
forest in the rear of the camp.
81 tole you de trick would work."
Omar breathed into the ear of his
chief. "Jinaw, he fool me. but have
fear JUS de same. He tole dem we go
little piece down de lax to Sleep"
"Old Jinaw! To think he would
betray us!" murmured Jim, bitter
with the thought Of the treachery of
the Indian whom he had befriended.
"Dey see US from de lax vile we
talk to de Rattlesnake at de fire.
Hees fangs weel spit no more poison
wen Omar squeeze hees t'roat."
'And his squaw-poor old SOUL"
"Ah-hah She ees de moder of wan
ov dose who come to keel us cen our
sleep, mebbe. You sorry for herr"
"Yes, | am sorry for her. She was
so game when | hurt her. l believe
could have saved her, too. Now
she'll def you put Jinaw out of the
way"
"Shishi"
The steel-hard fingers Of Omar
closed on Jim's arm as the straining
ears of the two waited for the repeti-
ton of a sound back in the forest.