Glacier County chief., 1939-02-17


Noel pointed to the rugged I'm
gavas painting on the trail, still in
.he pink Of condition, their coats
shimmering with vitality. Look at
deml Dey are good as wen we
start! Dat ees from plentee grub.
Zen tree four day, dey show Nc
Queen how dey can travel"
But that day the sun set in a lead
en- sky and, later. the warning of
the ringed moon flicked the men
with fear. In the night they were
walked by the roar of the ''drifter"
that drove across barrens and river
valley burying their camp in snow.
When they rolled cut of their drifted
sleeping-bags, the fire was out and
four white mounds marked the spots
where the dogs slept, and from
which they burst, when called, in
showers of snow, as salmon leaps
from water.
To-day we gain on you, Nc
Queenl" cried Alan, starting his
dogs. To-day, you won't travel with
your tired dogs, but old Rough and
the pups'n show you what bone and
beef'n do through the drifts!
Marche. boys!"
Steadily, hour after hour, with the
white slant of the norther on their
backs the snow-sheathed Ungavas
plodded up the river ice. In places
the boys broke trail ahead of the
team through drifts heaped shoul-
der high by the wind, but most Of
the river ice was brushed clear of
snow as if swept by giant brooms.
Later, the treacherous ice over
strong rapids drove them ashore
over tumbled boulders, up steep
banks, to buck and founder through
the drifts, and the heavy sled cru
ely Slapped the strength of men and
dogs. Lashed to the bow by thongs
Alan and Noel strained and pulled
with the willing Ungavas as they
fought with their load, until ex-
haustion forced them to camp.
Through the night the "drifter"
pounded the valley. In the gloom of
the bitter dawn, two lean-faced,
tightly belted men again hitched the
dogs and started into the snow
smoke. With his exhausted dogs
Mcqueen would never wallow
through the shifting drifts which
blocked the portages. He would wait
and rest his team, thinking the men
behind would do the same, until the
wind blew itself out Here was the
chance to gain on the sled ahead
with his stronger huskies and Alan
made the most of it. On through
the short day he mercilessly drove
himself and his team, trotting over
the good going of the swept river
ice and lifting and hauling at the
heavy sled up over the boulder
piled shores where the river was
still open or the ice dangerous.
Blinded by snow constantly masking
their tortured faces, bucking the
deep drifts of the portages, pant
ing men and dogs pushed on and on
until the black night fell like tent
and drove them to shelter.
At dawn the wind had blown it.
self out and the snow stopped. Stiff
in every muscle from the long
strain, Alan dragged himself out of
his sleeping bag, the pinched face in
his hood black from frostbite and
his lips cracked from the two days
in the singing wind and snow.
How far do you guess we trav-
eled in that drifter, Noel?" he asked
the Indian who limped as he brought
wood fCT the fire.
"Eet was all gain! Mcqueen ne
vaire move. We travel t'irty-forty
mile for sure. Oh-oh!" groaned No
Ell, dropping the wood to rub leg
II got de mal-racquette!"
I'm stiff as spruce stick, my
self" replied the other. "Wrenched
my shoulder with all that lifting!
Lets have look at the dogsl Here,
Rough. Shoti''
Slowly the dogs responded to the
calls of their master. One after an
oti'er they broke from their snow
blankets to shake themselves but
the iron bodies Of the Ungavas were.
sfter all, but blood and thews and
lone and, along with the men,
they had paid the penalty of the two
Tays' battle with the drifts and the
uphill slavery of the river shores
Poor Shot, who had never faltered
when asked for the last ounce Of
lis strength, limped around with q
vrenched shoulder. The foot-sore
I;ogue and Powder, growing thinner
cay BY day, hobbled on stiff legs.
The veteran Rough, lean as lynx.
still carried his plume Of a tail
hTavely arched above his back, but
he failed to frisk and roll in the
snow at the call Of Alan. The drift
er" had taken ns toll Of the I'm
gsvas.
They're pretty sti6, Noel. but
we've got 70 60 ou--onl" insisted
Alan.
He made the dogs IL on their
psscks, 1eet ID the air, while he and
Mel examined their shaggy bodies,
ben6e1 viii muscles Ike wire ca
HI. md ssarehed their pawn for
- creeks and bhlIed anov botWeen