Evening star., 1933-12-27
Ii FORBIDDEN VALLEY
|-4e&,sAsa~ S4 ltlGaem Bynom (Ilo,D0Y

miles farther and they could reach it
by dawn. Now when the end Of her
long quest was in sight, she wanted it
and its narrowing uncertainty over
with.
In spite Of the hard trip that day
she did not feel tired. Che was at too
high tension. While the Indians were
broiing trout for a meal, she walked
back the trail to an overfalls around
which her party had just portrayed, and
sat down on the lip of the rock 80 feet
above the plunging water.
Dusk was creeping into the noun
tain valley. The poorwills were begin
ming to call, and owls drifted on noise
less wing through the heavy timber The
twilight, the solitude, the song of the
waters, seemed to her kind of pause
and self-communion before tomorrow
came.
With a secret rejoicing she had heard
how Curt and Paul had beaten of those
IA canoes. But she had known they'd
do it! Tenn-Og no doubt had taken
them boat after the attack, and they
were safe now. But where were they?
1t was possible that Ralph had weak
ened when she left, and had told Curt
the truth about her journey.
In that ca; =, would Curt follow her
north and try to help her out? She
wanted to think SO. Even the faint
possibility Of it buoyed her up. Alone
now, with her bridges burned and Ut
terly on her own resources. she realized
how completely she had depended on
him. She felt lost without his protec-
ton, lost and defenseleSs and woefully
inadequate to cope with wnat lay ahead.
In wishful fancy she tried to imagine
him there with her. his rife between
his knees, his lean. hard face between
herself and danger; but the memory Of
his change and his whitening coldness
drove the fancy away He had even
| ignored her overture to him that last
evening. Her cheeks burned at the
thought Of her confession, and his silent
scorn of it; and yet she knew that if
she came out of this alive she would
write to him and ask him to come to see
/ her.
A few yards down the portage trail
/ two Indians unexpectedly came swing
( ing around buckbrush thicket They
! were carrying a loaded canoe, and be-
/ hind them came others, large party.
Sonya started to her feet in Surprise.
The churning overfalls had muffled the
noise; she had not known they were
about till they suddenly appeared.
They were Klosohees. Why. they
we're the main band!-there were Siam
IAldlc dllO 1c NOu n SuOOCll 1Cdl
surged through her Ralph and Curt
and Paul-wha. had happened to them?
This band had intended to stay down
there AMI hem that little iland In till
they had killed the three men. Had
they made another attack, successful
this time?
she went up to camp with the party,
he told her the news. Nichols had been
wounded, he said; the other two had
made a shelter for him the next day
and he had not been seen walking
about. Shortly after dark that evening
they had escaped, in some unknown
fashion.
They had whipped south; an uniden-
titled canoe had slipped through that
bottle neck and it must have been
theirs. They probably were getting out
of the country, but on the cha-ce that
they might swing north again he was
taking the main band home to protect
his chief.
Sonya guessed that Curt and Paul
were hurrying Ralph out to civilization
where he could get medical attention.
She prayed he was not badly hurt.
She was glad of their escape, but in
another way the news plunged her into
a black detection.
Hitherto she could feel that Curt was
within two or three days swift travel of
her and that she might possibly get
back to him. She had even hoped that
he might be coming north on her trail.
But now when he was heading south,
out of the Lilluars, she felt completely
and finally abandoned.
At the camp lie NOir sent Tenn.OgS
ahead to take Karakhan the news
The main party was to travel on that
night, too; but they would have to
pause for supper and go slowly and SO
could not reach the lake till morning
Sonya wondered why LIE Noir insisted
on travelling that night. For some
reason he seemed in great hurry to
deliver her to Karakhan.
He commanded her gruffly, as he
brought her some fish and dried meat;
Tonight, on res of dis treep, you stay
close by me: Don step into de dark:
belt wen We walk cross any portage.
OnderStand?"
Sonya promised to obey him. During
the hasty meal she was aware Of Siam
| Klale ogling her with narrowed eyes,
as he had done at the Lilluar forks;
but now his stare was so braZen that
it unnerved her.
AS the party was setting the boats to
| water, he trundled over to LIE Noir and
said something to him and Jerked
thumb In her direction. Immediately
violent quarrel sprang up between them,
and Sonya gathered that Siam-Klale
was demanding she should go in his
canoe.
lie Noir won the argument and she
stepped into his canoe. She was CRATE
full to him in way, but she could read
his secret thoughts and they frightened
her. His proprietary attitude was veiled
now, because he was afraid Of Karak-
han; but what about the time, only a
few hours ahead, when Karakhan would
lie dead in his cabin? That incident
at Russian Lake showed her what she
could expect from 'Teeste lie Noir.
In that whole band she had but one
friend, Tenn-Og's half brother. Like
Tenn-Og, he seemed less bound than
the others to the benighted customs
of his tribe; and he appeared to have
certain influence with the other men,
For an Indian, he had been good to her
on the trip. He might possibly take her
across the mountains by q secret trail
and hand her over to some treaty band
who would get her back among white
people. But it was slender hope.
Sonya meets the man she hopes to
kiJl-in tannnrrow's cnanfer