Nogales international., 1936-07-18
AuToCAsTEe sEpN.


But I'll be getting your sled-load
ready"
Speed listened in silence, his mind
less occupied with the
story than with the PEI
culiar circumstance Of their max
ing a haul for the police.
The snowfall continued in hurries
as they sledded on toward Lake
Lebarge. Between the canyon rap
ids and the Takhim they passed a
creek that cut into the left bank of
the river. 1t appealed to Speed as
a site for winter camp. The tim
Der around it was good enough forj
cabin logs, and they could haul in
the fner-grained wood they needed
for the boat.
The solitude of the region re-
manned unbroken. Feathering snow
had erased the track of a patrol
mans mount, which they had noted
occasionally. So, when they were
returning to the horses after side
excursion to examine timber, Matt
land w"o surprised to see his part
ner stop suddenly and look down,
as if he had detected some mark
on blank rise of snow.
The shape of these marks was
not that of footprints but of some
moccasin-like foot covering. There
were other phantom dots and lines
that suggested sled track-unac-
countably to him.
Speed studied them with an alb
sent intentness, from which he was
recalled by question from the
other.
Must be the track of the lone
Siwash Drew's patrolman was Curl
Gus about" he said. Mysterious,
too, because there amt any native
settlements in this region, and
nothin' much to bring a wanderin'
Siwash in"
They made an uneventful trip
down the stretch of Lake Lebarge
to the Lewes and delivered their
consignment to the inspector in
charge, without meeting the other
official personages. Nor did Speed
show any desire to do so. He lost
no time in getting rid of the order,
and putting miles of lake ice be-
tween them and the Lewes.
Retracing their lonely route with
the empty sleds, they loaded I'D
with logs they felled along the wav.
Prospecting for timber sometimes
led them far apart. They had been
separated in this way for some
hours when Maitland became aware
that it was turning dark. A wolf
howl, weird in the distance, deep
ened it still more.
Some minutes later his ears were
stung to alertness by the muffied
double crack of rife.
Wondering what game Speed
would consider worth that number
of shells, he pulled the horses into
a faster gait.
Presently, through the snow
drizzle, he discerned a dark lifeless
bulk on the snow-blanketed ice. He
found it to be a stray woodland
caribou-the first he had ever seen.
1t had been dropped by a clean
head shot, and its blood, still warm,
stained the snow. Speeds bullet
had stolen a feast from the timber
wolves.
In answer to his shout, his part
ner came toward him out of the
shadow of clump of cottonwoods.
"What were you looking for?"
Maitland asked.
The other had an oddly distracted
look and was still scanning the shore
line. "I must be gettin' mental" he
said. II got a dim sight of this
caribou crossing the river mouth,
and had to shoot twice to stop it.
Then it seemed like Like some
thin else was moving in the timber" ="
Maybe "a wolf was trailing the
deer you shot2"
They put the deer on the sled and
kept trailing till they camped in the
shelter of some timber above the
river mouth. When they had skim
ned the game and cleaned up, dark
ness had closed around them with a
bitter night cold. Maitland broke
limbs from fallen tree for the camp
fire, while Speed was cooking Carl
bou steaks on some wood Goals. Re-
leasing the axe for a moment to
blow on his fingers, Maitland hap
pened to glance across the river, and
was arrested by yellow gleam from
a dark, sinking shape of fur.
There's your vol" he called to
his partner.
Speed gave another turn to the
steak he was browning.
That's no wolf" he muttered.
"It's Siwash dog. And lame. Must
of strayed from the team of that
disappearin' Indian. Or the Siwash
cut it loose"
The cruelty of leaving a lamed
dog to starve seemed extreme to
Maitland. But while the steaks
were cooking, Speed mentioned
some harsher examples of the law
of survival in the snow country. The
topic did not dull their appetite.
Having appeased it, they lolled in
the fires warmth.
Speed took deep drag at a wan
ing cigarette and tossed the stub in
the fire. Then he got up and
sleepily stretched his arms. AS he
did so, his eyes came sudder''' and
sharply awake.