The Daily Alaska empire. [volume] (Juneau, Alaska) 1926-1964, 1934-01-05
Chapter SO
THE ESCAPE

a LII right" Curt agreed, "wel
a try the west. But understan,
this, If anything happens it can
happen too quick to keep me from
putting bullet between your eyes
friend. You understand"
Tenn.Og nodded, without flicker
of expression on his dusky face
They went back past their CAM
island md padded on west towart
the mainland. They were not chal
lenged Three hundred yards from
the shore they swung south. Still
they heard no signals, saw no shad
owy notifies.
.urt hardly knew what to think
Twice now the Indians advice had
proved right. very right. By the
route had suggested they had got
free of the island and through the
Gordon of canoes. That didn't look
like treachery. Furthermore it was
Sonya who had sent him with that
boat; and certainly she had not
wanted then to meet harm.
With the wind pushing them
along. they dropped down TOWARD
the narrows where FRANCOIS and
Jocku had been killed. The memory
of that death cry was still vivid With
Curt AS the dark bottle neck doomed
up just ahead. he touched TennOg
ANY men guarding that?"
Tenn-Og nodded and held up six
fingers. When they call, 1 answer,
you say nothing"
They skirled into the entrance.
The dark timber fitted by, close on
either hand, Five hundred yards
down. down 1T the narrowest part,
they were suddenly challenged. The
voice came from a clump of lunip
ers. ahead of them and on the right.
hand ban', An instant later another
voice rang out on the left. Two hid
den parties, with less than a hun
dred feet separating them no won.
der Francois and Jocku had me-,
doom there
Tenn-Og stood up and answered.
Curt held his rife at alert, with the
trigger safety on red. The canoe
came in between the two parties.
Nothing happened. 1t drifted on
past. Still nothing happened. Be
fore they could make themselves be
lieve it, they were through the CANT
let. safe with the open river
aheadi
A mile down, when they breathel
freely again and were speeding
south as fast as three paddles could
take them. Curt crept forward and
laid his hand on Tenn-Og's arm.
Il make mistake" he said slowly,
in the jargon. Tenn Og talk
straight, save white-man friends.
I'm sorry. You understand"
Tenn-Og shrugged his shoulders
and grunted, with no more express
sion on his claw SCARED face than
when they had suspected him OF
treachery and had threatened TO
shoot him.
COMETIME after midnight they
~ came to an island where Curtis
party had camped on the up trip,
Whipping ashore, they ate part Of
the food which Tenn-Og had brought
and flung themselves down on the
sand for five-minute rest.
That camp site held memories for
Curt, poignant memories of the eve
ming his party had stayed there. A
cluster of wilted anemones, the i'm,
print Of a small dainty moccasin
along the landwash. made him re
call how Sonya had wandered lone
somely about the camp, trying by a
dozen little kindnesses to get a
friendly word out of him.
AS he stared UP at the stars and
thought of her going north with
those three Indian guides, it came
home to him that in sending Tenn
Og to them with the canoe she had
run = big risk. closely guarded as
she had been. 1t 0as pretty fine OF
her to do -ha, II it hadn't been for
her. he would have gone across to
the Klosohees camp and likely got
killed in his attempt to steal boat
The incident made him look back
on their whole relationship with
less bitterness and more honesty,
and he had to acknowledge that
from first 20 last she had shot square
with him. She had not asked for
his help on the trip; he had volun-
teered it, that morning at the noun
tain torrent.
And later, when she saw he was
falling in love with her. she had
said and done everything that girl
could do to halt it. At least she had
a conscience. a thoughtful regard
for other peoples feelings. Rosalie
Marlin would never have tried to