The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1937-04-22

taken enough 10 last until d0oTnS-
day. So I've got that extra team"
Eyes, know" the girl said. They
had begun to walk again. 81 saw it
over at Siwash Jim's.''
"Siwashes may not be pretty or
clean, but they know dogs"
cts good-looking team. Except
for the leader"
Had to take what / could get.
Say" he asked quickly. what do
you know about dogs7"
II come from dog country" the
girl said simply.
"Where?"
She hesitated. Then, us that es-
sential?"
I'm sorry" More than once In
this conversation. Hammond had
caught hint Of background; good
use of English. meditation in tones
as though she possessed a sense of
values. Too, he had found lack OF
brazenness, yet quality OF deep
determination, almost of despera-
ton. The causes he could only
guess. At last he said, Then you
can drive dogs7"
81 used to drive them lot-until
year or so ago.
They were nearing the more pop
ulous regions of the camp. Ham,
mond turned to her.
Lets be frank. You want me to
get you past Sergeant Terry. Is that
it,"
"That-was in my mind"
"In other words, take that extra
dog team Of mine, and the supplies
| had intended to leave behind, and
say they're your own"
1T was just desperate idea. To
ask you to let me pretend to the
sergeant that these things were
mine, drive them through and then
turn them back to you
after that?" asked Hammond.
She shrugged her shoulders.
81 spent almost my whole life In
the North-until short time ago. II
the world has to come to an end"
She halted, as though she had said
too much. Hammond was silent.
They reached a fork of the icy
trail: one led to Hammond's tent.
Good night" she said.
A sudden wave OF impulsiveness
shot through Hammond. His nit
tened hand touched her shoulder.
you've given me an idea," he
| announced. Get up early tomor-
row. I'll have the dogs and that
| sled full OF stuff at the restaura ant
| a little before daylight"
He hurried on, with her gasp OF
| gratitude family following him. The
next morning, in the dull gray OF a
snow clouded dawn, Hammond
walked to the all-but-dismantled
camp with Sergeant Terry. Tobog-
gans were packed; already team
| after team of dogs, squatted in their
harness, were spotted about the
lake, the upper reaches OF which led
to the valley of the Caribou There
was shouting and hurried prepara-
| tons.
II see that girls supplies came In
all right last night" the sergeant
said.
"Oh, yes" Hammond's voice was
casual.
Mice hitch OF dogs she's got. !"
The sergeant grinned broadly.
well, / guess II I owned river
bed full Of gold, I'd be doing the
same fool things myself" Dismiss
ing the subject, he shouted, Hey,
Annie, all set7"
More and more men--and wom-
en--with pack sacks, more dog
teams, more sleds and toboggans
assembled on the lake, until the
foreground was black with humans.
Hammond Involuntary Look e d
about for Jeanne Towers. She was
there, and the man saw from the
way she handled her dogs that she
had told him no falsehood.
AT last the sergeant raised his
| gun. The barking reverberation Of
the long barreled revolver broke
crisply against the sharp morning
A cheer came from prospector' s
throat, to be taken up by other mer
and punctuated by the high cries Of
women. A trapper remembered thai
he too had gun, and fred 1t into
the air. Immediately dozen 9th
ers joined him; the cries and shouts
and Incoming OF firearms rose to Z
Numbering peak. Then as quickly
| CAME dead silence, as ii these PEG
ole had remembered the gaunt
cruel journey before them. Ham
mond's voice sounded crisply.
| "All right, string outl slip into thu
trail and start mushing. Don't tr,
to rush--you'n be long time get
ting there"
| A driver yelled to his dogs. ON
by one, others followed. What hat
been an indiscriminate mass o
cheering humans became long
black, crawling line. 1t twistes
across the lake, writhed into tn
valley OF the Caribou which lay be
yond and crawled laboriously to
ward the first rise OF nearly ivy
hundred miles of mountains, OF pls
teaus and valleys and lakes and ic
streams, along the great white ira
to a new bonanza.
Two weeks later. they were sti