The Daily Alaska empire., 1933-12-01
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grade-2 otter for a fanged bear ! jumper.
 At that first sweeping examina- tion Curt selected four names as meriting suspicion. On the next time through. three of them dropped out. Only one remained-the name Of Teeste LeNoir.
 'Teeste-Baptiste. the fellow was half-breed. He was trapper and he lived some distance from Russian Lake. for he did not get in often: from six to eight weeks elapsed be- tween his visits. Btu when he did come in. he traded very freely. He was by easy odds the best customer that Higginbotham had.
 Very plainly the fellow was buy ing for somebody in addition to him. self. His food items were double and triple the needs of one man, and he bought cartridges for two rifles. Savage 1903 and standard Mann lcher-S -Schoenauer. Was he buying for some other trapper or crony of his? The items | proved he was not. Cigarettes lG cans of five hundred each. radio, a score of unnecessaries that cost heavily-no trapper would ever pur- chase those things. This unknown whom LeNoir was buying for had the luxury tastes of a city man and | plenty of money to indulge them.
 With his suspicion definitely fo- cused, Curt turned again to the be- ginning of the record and startedl down across the LeNoir transac- tions, scrutinizing each item. In | August the fellow had been hanging around Russian Lake. making little daily purchases like the other breeds idling there. His entries then were "charge."
 The record gave perfect picture of breed loaflng away the open season. But in late September the whole situation suddenly changed. He seemed to have come into money in a twinkling. for he not only began buying heavily and paying cash, but he settled up a two-years' account in full Where had he got the money for that? No guide was ever paid such wages. Late Septem ber-that was about the time when Igor Kar- akhan had come north into the Lil- luars!
 Half an hour before daybreak Curt strengthened up from his long cramped study of the ledger and re- placed the book where he had got it. Smoothing out all signs of his midnight visit. he joined Paul out side.
 Paul, We've done it!"
 "What? Noi"
 Cant be a doubt in the world! ! found out who his contact man is. l That trade record was dead give away"
 Oblivious of the beating rain, they shook hands over their great luck. DACK at camp. Paul smoked a O cigarette and then turned in. Curt could not sleep: too much had happened in the last few hours. Lighting pipe. he started back to old Johns tent. wanting to find out something about 'Teeste LeNor so that he could strike up friendship with the breed.
 At the fiap-front he asked. Hello, John; still up?"
 Come in, by. I'm down but ain't to sleep"
 Curt stepped in. Old John was stretched out on his cider poke, reading fur-company almanac by light of candle.
 Wont keep you awake, will l, John?"
 Not a speck. 1 do most of my sleepin' in the winter time. like an ole bar. Sides. Pm goin' out to run my fish net dreckly." Curt sat down on box. John, you know the Klosohees better than any body else: what do you really think about this trip the Nichols are plan ming up the Lilluar?"
 "Son, I don't think about that prop persition: l know. Sonya an Ralph air goin' to git inter peck of hot water. If they tempt to go above the pass. they're like to never git back to Roosian Lake a-tall." He groped in a pack and pulled out a curious bow. Know what this is, by"
 Curt examined the strange wea. pon. It was made of two matched horns. with the butt ends fitted to- gether. wrapped with sinew and ce- mented so cleverly that they looked like one piece.
 "It's a ram-horn bow, John. saw couple of them once at Fort Nel- son."
 Old John nodded. "It's the stand by weepon of the Klosohees. It's list ordinary acc'rate but the most pow erfu bow you ever seen. Jist fex er once. Takes good arm. don't it? That how'll plunk an arrer clean l through a moose at fifty yard!"