The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1933-11-28
Chapter IA
soNYA APOLOGIES

soNYA APOLOGIES
C0NYA must be Russian. exiled
~ BY the revolution and therefore
bitter against it. That was why she
had lared out at him when be mild
~ praised the Leninists. Her man
ners indicated that she had come
from welI-to-do family. possibly
from the aristocracy.
But what about her brother7
Ralph didn't appear Russian. or an
allen at all His name was English
and he seemed to be an ordinary
Canadian citizen. OF course he
could have changed his name. and
1t was possible that he had lived in
the Dominion longer than Sonya;
but even SO they were vastly differ
ent people to be brother and sister.
Altogether there was something
odd about the relationship Of those
two. something that he could not
quite fathom.
Old John took the trout from the
balsam slab. divided It: and an In.
dian girl handed the portions
around on strips Of birchbark. with
an oolichan and Piece Of bacon to
each portion. AS Curt passed out
hts cigarettes and chocolate squares.
he purposeIy stopped with Nichols.
crouched down, and fell into talk
with the entomologist.
81 understand you're not staying
at Russian Lake much longer,
Ralph"
mo. Mr.. Higginbotham here has
hired two guides for US and we're
leaving tomorrow morning"
Making a trip into the bush?"
aYes. up the Lilluar.s
a young trapper cut in bluntly:
"NIchols. IL you try to go into the
Klosohee ranges. it'll be just too
bad. that's all! Those Kiosohees
Amt any tame treaty Siwash. What
mean. I'd ruther fight q grizzly
bar with q pine branch than argy
with them boys. When ! first hit
this country four years ago. /
thought this. talk about 'em was
mostly nonsense. but | found out
Different"
You may be a scientist, Nichols.
an after nothing but harmless bugs.
but they won't know you from q
human bein'. an they don't have
any more use for you than for any
white man. You'll. git to the pass
all right. but II you go any further
yon'll float back down. so full Of
arTers you'll look like a pincushionl
Aln't | right. Jshng"
rThey don't let whites IN" old
John corroboraied. They'll give a
man far caution, an II q prospector
happens to stray inside. they'll take
IN out peace'bIy. I'm list meanin'
to say they shoot sQuar' with a per.
son at first. an then II he don't
take warnin' they shoot straight"
The city sportsman winked know.
ihgly at Sonya. Scare talk, Miss
Nichols. They've repeated 1t so
much that they've got to believing
Il themselves. You'll find those
Smokes as tame as tabby cats"
Sonya quietly Ignored the sports
man and spoke to the men who knew
what they were talking about. II
don't deny there's danger. But
we're going to try and get on friend.
~ terms with the Klosohees. II they
understand we're altogether pence
full. they probahly won't object And
we do want 70 work in that coun.
try. One week In there would be
worth year in q country that's
been comhed and combed.p
HURT took no part In the discus
~ sion. BY linking up Jamieson's
account of the wild Lilluar tribe
with Sonya's sketch OF their history.
he could see the whole story OF the
Klosohees pretty clearly. Their hos
tiiity toward white people undonbt.
edly sprang from the brutal treat.
ment they had received from the
Russians. In so isolated q tribe.
traditions would hang on for genera.
lions.
Now Sonya and Ralph were going
into that pot OF trouble. with no pro
lection except q pair Of guides who
would desert at the first real danger.
For q city girl and man to venture
into territory where experienced
hush.lopers stayed strictly out was
sheer suicide. and not . very
pleasant kind OF suicide AZ that,
At eleven.thlrly the hrss spatter
Of rain broke up the party. The In
dams faded into the darkness: the
factor amhled home; the missioner
wrapped his black robe about hin