Coulee City dispatch. [volume] (Coulee City, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1941-12-04
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& 4 GEORGE MARSH !
By GEORGE MARSH


THE STORY so FAR: Bound for the
Chibougamau gold country, SIX men lost
their lives ON the Nottaway river. Red
Maiene, Garrett Finlay, brother Of one
Of the six, and Blaise, half.breed guide,
arrive at Nottaway posing as surveyors.
x 4
'I'u bet his liquor comes in by
air." said Red.
Exactly. So he tried to wipe you
out-tried to stop government sur
vey party? Now wonder just why?
What's back of it all?"
"Of course, they must have de-
cided that we were only prospectors
posing as surveyors"
Shooting prospectors is not so
dangerous as firing on government
men but it's still murder, amt it,"
snorted McNab.
"True!" laughed Finlay trading
wi11ks with Red behind the back of
the outraged McNab. The traders
hatred of Isadore would be useful.
He knew much about Waswanipi
which they would learn, for the eve
ming would be long. eff you've
heard he flies stuff in from some
where south in the Province, posi-
bly, you've heard about the August
plane from the Bay" suggested
Garry.
"From the Bay?" demurred Nc
Nab. 'Now what in thunder would
he be-Wait a minute!" The trader
scratched his jaw as his half-shut
eyes squinted at gun-rack in a
seeming effort to recapture a vague
memory. give got it'll" he explod-
ed. North, at Rupert House, two
summers back, they were talking
about a strange schooner some trav-
cling Crees had told of seeing off the
mouth of the Hurricanaw. The In
dams said a sea-plane was lying in
the lee of an anchored ship. Later
the plane headed south and disap-
peared over the muskeg of the main
land. They've been trying to figure
that out, at Rupert, ever since"
Finlay glanced triumphantly at
Malone. Lise's story was corrobo-
rated. ''Was it spring, summer or
fall they saw it?"
McNab nursed his chin. "Why,
let's see! I was at Rupert in early
September. 1t must have been in
the summer"
Finlay's face frightened with sat-
isfaction. "McNab, that plane was
bound for Waswanipi. Every Au-
gust a plane from the North stops
there, then heads SOUTH"
"Waswanipi?" blurted the puzzled
trader. whats the reason for it?
What could it carry?"
Finlay leaned toward the Scotch
man chewing nervously on his pipe
stem. "McNab, that's just what
Constable Malone and I would like
to know"
After cleanup and shave, Finlay
and Red joined the trader at his
house for supper. A shy woman
whose face wore lines etched by a
life of isolation and worry, and an
excited girl with an unruly red-gold
bob, and the height and vitality of
her father, welcomed them.
MARY, this is Mr.. Finlay and
Mr.. Malone" said the trader. Gen
tlemen, my daughter, Thistle!"
The quick violet eyes of the girl
swept Finlay's erect figure and
clean-cut features with a passing
glance of approval. But it was to
Reds freckled face with it's in
fectious grin which barred his regu-
lar teeth that the girls dancing eyes
chung. AS she laughed at Malone's
sallies, dimples denied her brown
cheeks.
"What a pair!" thought Garry.
eff 1 know the signs, she's fallen
for the devil already"
Far into the night three men sat
in a cloud of smoke in the trade
room.
Sergeant" demurred McNab.
Its fiat suicide for you to 60 back
there now. l tell you you haven't
a chance. But if you do hang on
until that plane shows up from the
Bay, how are you going to learn if
she carries gold south, with that In
dian mob of Isadore's watching her?
Man, it's ridiculous!"
Malone laughed. you've never
seen Sergeant Finlay operate"
''McNab," said Finlay, quietly,
''if we're there when that plane ar
rives, we're going to learn what all
this mystery's about"
McNah's blue eyes snapped. Eyes,
l think that's just what you two
would start to do in the face of
them all. You've got the nerve all
right. But have you ever seen what
whiskey will do to bush Indians?
Tete-Blanche and that crew'l wipe
you out, then hide up in the Bitter
Water sWamps.
Between muskeg and water and
swamp there's fifty miles of it. It's
absolutely impossible except for an
Indian trail or two. They'd never
be found there, Sergeant. l don't
want you to 60 back until you have
help"
The gray irises of Finlay's eyes
were rings of steel circling the pu-
pills. "That's our hard luck, then.
It's our job to get this crook. Well
start; someone else may have to