The Coolidge examiner., 1938-12-22
WNU SERVICE


found them at the camp. But to
the food caches the snow lay un-
marked. There the boys took the
team and loaded the sled. Mcqueen
had got all Alan held dear, but he
had not found the food that would
keep the great Ungavas strong as,
day after day, they followed his
sled-trail up the Koksoak. The gold
that Mcqueen carried would be a
dead weight on his dogs and Alan
smiled grimly-smiled as he real
lied that that 160 pounds of gold
would only the sooner bring Heath
er back to him-nearer, day by DAY,
as the Ungavas travelled like wolves,
eating up the white miles on Nc
Queens trail.
In the scrub they found the dogs
bowling dismally beside the body of
haf-breed, Boyette, shot with the
ambushed McCord's automatic. Ev-
erywhere the snow was trampled
down where the mortally wounded
giant had fought for Heather and his
gold. Then, back in the spruce,
the dogs found a Montagnais shot
through the body with a As.
Dat ees wan we see on de Talk
ing Riviere! John do good job on
heem."
Shot in the back and weak as
he must have been," said Alan,
proudly, ''he fought it out to the
last! They must have left him for
dead"
Now we've got three, maybe
four men ahead of US, with Heather,
Noel. They won't dare to try for
Chino with the gold. They'll head
up the Koksoak." ;"
Before they covered the body of
John McCord with a cairn of boul-
ders heavy enough to cheat the VOL
verines, standing beside the dead
man in his hooded parka, Alan said:
Your hand, Noel!"
Noel reached across the body of
their friend and took Alan's hand.
With their left hands they held
the hats of their knives against
their foreheadS in consummation of
the ancient oath Of the Montagnais
as, followed by Noel, Alan solemnly
recited:
I'VE, Alan Cameron and Noel Le-
loup, blood brothers, swear that we
will follow Mcqueen until we meet
him face to face and make him pay.
Sleep well, John McCord and Ma
payol Your friends will not forget!"
They placed the body Of John Nc
Cord beside that Of Napayo and COW
cred it with the stones, for the
ground was frozen too hard to ad-
NIT of digging. The personal be-
longings that Heather had been
forced to leave behind, together with
her tent, they added to the sled al
ready loaded with food and outfit,
lashed down the skin wrapper, and
started the impatient Ungavas on
their 400-mile race up the frozen
Koksoak. AS they reached the riv-
er ice, Alan stopped and faced the
graves on the terrace above them.
Raising his mittened hand in fare
well, he called:
"Good-by. John! Wen get herl
Rough and Noel and I'll get her,
Johnl Good-by, partner!"
1t was 400 uphill miles to the
cache at the headWaters, and,
tempted as Alan was to risk starva-
ton and follow Mcqueen night and
day with light sled until he over
took him, it would have been sheer
| madness in gameless country. For
Heather'S sake as we'll as their own,
it was necessary to carry sufficient
food for men and dogs to reach the
high plateau. Gradually, the power
full Ungavas, well fed, would wear
down the fleeing team ahead with
its light load. For it was evident
from McQueen's trail that, together
with the gold, he was not carrying
enough food to reach the head of
the river where he probably had a
| cache.
ITO BE CONTINUED