The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1941-05-09

" puzzled by the scolding Of two
Canada jays that hoped about
dwindled campfire beside which
stood skillet and coffeepot. Then
/ looked at the shoulder pack lean
ing companionably against the bal
sam bed on which I lay, and then
out at the panorama Of the snow
clad mountain peaks that sparkled
in the morning sunlight.
It wasn't until I studied and rec
ognized the second blanket that COW
cred me against the morning chill
that I was able to orient myself.
And then / remembered. That tar
paulined lean-to belonged to Sock
Eye. And that second blanket be-
longed to Sidney Lander. And that
stream which raced down between
the gravel bars and silt beds Of the
valley bottom was Big Squaw Creek.
It was running strong, at the height
of the summer thaw, and as it tun-
bled over bar and boulder could
hear the noise of its hurrying in the
clear mountain air.
Then a second sound intruded on
the morning quietness. It was o
faint and far-off drone that grew
stronger as it rose and fell with the
vagaries Of the breeze. It became
a throb Of power, a purposeful and
electrifying throb that promptly took
me out from beneath my blankets.
It took me scurrying down to the
open cliff edge that overlooked the
Big Squaw where the racing waters
tore at the base Of a cut bank.
There, between the towering peaks,
I could see the small and toylike
plane that grew bigger as it came
nearer, sometimes dark and some
times bright in the crystalline SUM-
light through which it arrowed.
shouted and waved, as It
throbbed overhead, for I knew it was
Slim Downey and his ship.
The solitude, Of sudden, seemed
less oppressive. I no longer wor-
ried as to the whereabouts Of my
two camp mates. For there above
me, defying time and space, was an
engined shuttle that could weave
mountains and rivers together and
carry us out of the wilderness.
But the plane went on, without
sign or signal. And, for q moment,
my heart sank. Then ! gave q lit
tie cry of relief. For saw how the
tilted wings were dropping lower,
banking and heading back into the
breeze over the irregular silver ex-
panse Of Cranberry Lake.
And even before its pontoons
heeled down on that surface Of ruff
fled silver I remembered that Slim
could come to a landing only on wa
ter. And Cranberry Lake was the
water that lay nearest the Chaki-
tana claim and the Big Squaw.
My first impulse, at that happy
discovery, was to find Sidney and
shout the good news to him. He
and Sock-Eye, I assumed, were
somewhere down along the claim
limits, probably checking up on
measurements and monuments. So
! moved out to the cliff edge, scam
ming the valley for some sign Of life.
I even gave a gulp OF gratitude
at the thought that monday would
see us joining Slim and his waiting
plane and night would see us
whisked back to world of men and
women and orderly life.
My searching gaze coasted the
valley bottom, and then the oppos-
ing hill slopes, and then the nearer
broken ground through which the
Big Squaw twined. But ! saw moth
ing.
! saw nothing until some obscure
sixth sense prompted me to turn
and study the rock ridge along which
] had edged my way out to the cliff
front. Slowly over the dark curve
OF that ridge I saw hand appear,
and cropping fingers feel for q hold
there. Then another hand showed
itself, followed by body that
quietly wormed its way up over
the ridge crown.
/ thought; at first, it was Sock
Eye. But in that, ] soon knew, !
was mistaken. For there was some
thing so malignant and reptilelike
in that crawling advance I felt It
must be the movement of an enc
my, even before I caught sight Of
the short-barreled rifle trailing be-
side the fiattened body.
At my instructive cry of alarm
that fiattened figure abruptly lost
its stealthiness. It dropped over
the ridge wall, caught up the rifle
and stood foursquare in front Of me,
with a low laugh Of derision.
] knew then it was Ericsson. And
my blood chilled as fell back step
by step as he advanced. He laughed
again when he saw me come to the
cliff edge, where ! could 60 no far
Their.
He looked gaunt and harried and
a little mad. But what troubled me
most was snakelike air of fortitude
about him, the careless persist
ent knowledge of some venomous
power in reserve.
''You can't get all the breaks,
bright eyes" he said as he confront
ed me with his crooked smile. And
the mOckery in il. the familiar old