The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1936-10-22

The ruddy face Of the millionaire
purpled. what is the connecticut"
Nothing invidious," Garth assur-
ed him. II had in mind only the fun
of the game"
$50? Well, young man, it has al
ready been admitted that you've so
far taken all the tricks. / gave you
credit for more sense, however, than
you showed when you cast loose the
plane. You had no need to walk up
like a dupe and permit Vivian to get
the drop on you. Easy enough for
you to've come out of cover with
your rifle up. Don't tell me you'd
rather travel afoot to the Mackenzie
than fly out in plane"
"That depends, sir. Perhaps I did
i not wish to part company with you
so soon. Over at the river, could OF
course have invited myself to fly
out to Fort Smith with you. But
that would hardly have given us
time to get acquainted. AS it is, in
the weeks of close companionship tc
come we may even learn to be
friends"
/ Mr.. Ramill frowned. 'Is that g
taunt, or maudlin sob stuff"
/ Neither"
"Then what's your game? If you
think, after NARROWING us here in
these id wilds, you can win oul
friendship or gratitude by guiding
us out, you're sadly mistaken
young man."
| Garth agreed. "It would be a stu
pid mistake to expect anything de.
cent from you or your daughter OF
Hubby. But think what fun I've al.
ready had, facing that pistol anc
telling Huxby he dared not use it.
Fun? You must be craZy!"
"Not at all. / had him sized up
The game was to let him think he
had me trapped, then give him the
laugh"
The big man chewed on this
'That's clear enough. But why wreck
the plane? Will your next joke be tt
walk off and leave us to starve?"
"Does it look that way?Two moose
make deal of eating"
. | AS Garth spoke, he pointed aheac
at the red chunks on the spruce
branches. Almost at the same instant
his rifle jerked up. The second sho
was followed by snarling squall
The squat shrilled into shrek tha
nipped off into silence.
/ When Mr.. Ramill rather hesitat
ingly followed Garth to the hanging
legs of moose, he saw a three-foot
stub-tailed wildcat with black-tuftec
ears lying under torn shoulder O.
moose meat. A second cat, slightly
larger, had leaped several yard!
away before dropping.
Garth drew his knife. "Only pail
of lynx Not much for two shots. W.
haven't any cartridges to throw
away. But we can use the skins, anc
the meat will make change from
. moose"
He flayed the bodies, bagged thu
best cuts of meat in the skins, ant
hung them high. The next move wa
to see if Mr.. Ramin could pack thu
hide of the cow moose. He made ;
game attempt to walk off under ii
but at once began to stagger. Gartl
relieved him of the load, and IL
place of it gave him one of the bag
ged lynx skins. He himself bagget
one of the bull moose quarters IL
. the cowhide and heaved. it upon hi
back.
They came back to the camp will
Mr.. Ramill painting and sweating
Garth swung lightly ahead of him
He slipped off his heavy pack ant
stood looking at the idle couple OF
the rill bank. They had eaten theil
fill of liver, and stretched out tt
rest. No smoke was rising from thu
embers of the smudge-fire. File
, were beginning to cluster on thu
moose tongues and other meat.
The girl met his look with con
temptuous indifference. Hubby star
ed with bloodshot hostility from be
tween his swollen eyelidS.
Instead of speaking to the couple
Garth addressed the girls father a
. relieved him of the lynx pack:
GAS I remember, sir, l told Mis-
RamiIl she could cook on thu
smudge-fire if she kept it going.
, will say now that I do not intend tt
shoot any more meat until use il
made of what we have. There art
; none too many rifle cartridges. I.
the three of you prefer rotten, mag
goty meat, I'll go you to the las
mouthful. I've lived for weeks at {
time on spoiled fish and rotten wal
rus"
Huxby's face and neck were as
swollen and sore as if covered with
boils His temper was no less sore
you're the one who put us in this
fix, you wood louse!"
| Garth gave him a pitving look