Evening star., 1933-12-10
Chapter XIV.
ERRAND OF MERCY.

w YHEN they got down to camp
n they found the place badly
| NV shot up. Arrows bristled in
the canoes. stuck out of the
packs and sleeping bags, and
| both tents had been riddled.
Paul went into his tent for fash
light and came out, holding his left
arm queerly Give me hand with
this. partner"
whats the trouble7"
lone of those mosquitoes bit me-"
Curt leaned forward. Good Lord!"
! An arrow was sticking In Paurs left
I forearm. It had struck him just below
the elbow and passed clear through, the
head standing out inches on the other
side.
paul! Why didn't you tell me about
this before? When did it happen?"
When I was going back to those
boulders to make Francois and Jocku
quit shooting"
Curt whirled around in a rage and
looked for the two guides. But they
had wisely sidled away into the dark.
Did 1t break your arm, Paul?"
mo. 1t slid between the bones. Pull
it out, won't you?"
"It's going to hurt. Paul Can you
stand it?"
Paul braced his foot against Curtis.
Sonya steadied his arm. With firm
pull Curt drew the arrow, as gently as
| he could A spasm of pain swept across
the young Canadians face, but he did
not say q word A tricklet of blood
followed. surprisingly little for so bad
q wound.
I'VE ought to be thankful it didn't
hit that large artery in there, Paul.
I'll fix this up properly. and then you
want to take care of it till 1t starts
| to heal A wound like that can be
| ugly If it gets infected"
While he was bandging Paufs arm
he heard q low groaning sound from
somewhere out in the night. A mo-
! ment later 1t came again, more dis
tinctly. .,-.-.-
Sonya exclaimed. Paul, did you catch
the direction?"
cover on that willow island"
Then 1t must be the man they shot!
Those others thought he was dead and
left him."
Finishing quickly with Paul. he got
q canoe ready and carried it down to
the water. The anguish in that low
moan tugged at him.
| Sonya followed him to the water
edge. Please. Curt" she begged. don't
run a big risk like this"
| "'Risk'- What dyou mean?"
"Those others might still be over
there. This might be q trap Don't
GO" She was visibly afraid for him.
/ "Wait till 1t gets light"
"But Paul saw them leave, Sonya.
We can't let the poor devil lie over
there and die"
you're sure there's no danger?"
"Step In" he bade her, by way OF an
swer. "You can 60 along, If you like.
You know I wouldn't take you If there
was any risk"
At the willows edge Kloshohee. clad
| in moccasins and deerskin trousers, lay
sprawled on the gravel, face down. his
body twitching In pain.
Curt knelt down and gently turned
him over. The Indian was about his
own age. a well built and rugged man,
his hair coarse black and his skin the
color of smoked leather. All in all he
was the widest looking fellow that Curt
| had ever run across much wilder than
the outlying Sikanni nonads or the
primitive Dinneh men of the Nahanni
Mountains.
Yet there was something hkable
| about his untamed fierceneSs. He was
cleanly OF person, as hard as an oak
knot and his smoke e-tanned clothes had
| the pleasant odor Of mountain pines
and innumerable campares.
Curt pointed at five long whitish
weals which scored the Indians left
cheek and ran down his shoulder to
his breast. Look at those, Sonya. He's
been In a fight with grizzly some time
or other"
| He examined the Indian to see how
badly he had been shot. One bullet
| had struck him in the shoulder, q pain
| full but not critical wound, for 1t had
not shattered the bones. Another had
hit him squarely in the forehead.
That forehead wound astonished
Curt. It was the first time he had ever
seen q man take bullet between the
eyes and not get killed instantly. The
| fellow certainly was hard-hghting
grizzlies and surviving shot in the
| head
He brought water and washed the
Indians face. A granite pebble, no
| larger, than pea, was lodged In the
| forehead wound. Curt pried 1t out with
his knife point, examined the wound
and the granite pebble and suddenly
understood what had happened to the
| Klosohee.
One of those heavy Winchester bull
lets had splaated into the gravel In
| front of him, kicked that stone against
his head and knocked him senselesS.
Stretched out limp, with hole between
his eyes-no wonder the others had
thought him dead!
The cold water on the Klosohee's face
brought him to In few moment. When
he saw that . white man was bending
over him, his eyes turned suddenly cold.
His glance fell upon the hunting knife
/ In Curtis hand, and his expression
changed to Q stony. tight-lipped de-
iance. Too weak to move, he merely
stared up ct his enemy, and waited.
why's he looking at you that way,
Curt?" Sonya asked She had stopped
down, to hold the Hash.
"Good heavens, he thinks I'm going
to kill himir he hastily pocketed his
knife well, he's certainly . stoical
cussi'
He spoke In the jargon to the In
dian: Don't be afraid am friend.
hear you say hurt-cry and ! come over
here. take you now to my tepee and
make you no-sick. You understand. ]
am friend?.
The Indians look slowly changed =
bevildermsnt ne had expectsd The
twhits-skin u eloat osr him before nm
M y q III 8 ssssss