Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1941-09-26

eofe's mes w0 soso atsenpe - n 0en.
"A little man held the torch in
the bow?"
YES. a small man."
1T was Tetu. his shadow. who
obeys him like a dog-even to kill
ing those he hates" Wabistan
kicked at a pebble with his mecca
sin, then he lifted q face scanned
with the hate that glowed in his
eyes. "Iste! Tete-Blanche is hunt
ing you," he said in Montagnais,
land he comes here to find Kline
blk, the wabeno, who is my enemy"
He is 4 conjuror. this Kinebik?"
The old Indian laughed. kline
blk, the Serpent. is 4 false shaman.
Tete-Blanche uses him to put fear
into the hearts of the foolish ones
who listen to his medicine. He tells
my people he talks with spirits"
Blaise interpreted Wabistan's re-
marks to his friends. But Wabi-
stan is treaty-chief and the Montag
nais will not listen to Kinebik," de-
INJURED Finlay.
Wabistan turned to Finlay and his
breath Kissed through his teeth.
There are many who will listen!
There is trouble among my people!"
where is this wabeno, Kinebik,
now?" asked Blaise in Cree.
He hides somewhere in the is
lands from my sons"
"You are hunting him?"
"Enh-enh! Yes!" The old Indian
glared savagely into Brassard's
square face This Tete-Blanche will
ruin the Montagnais! He gives them
whiskey to steal their fur. He has
come to the head of the lake to
find you. He is Isadore's neshiwed,
his killer"
Brassard's Sits of eyes glittered.
His moment had come. "Tete-
Blanche will not return to Isadore!"
He seized Wabistan's bony hand.
HE is your enemy! He is our enc
my! We are brothers! You and your
sons will lead US to the grave of the
white men who you say were shot on
the river last year. Then we will
hunt Tete-Blanche and Kinebik.
When we find them Wabistan will
again be happy"
With growing wonder. Finlay and
Malone watched Blaise draw his
knife. Facing the chief he stiffened,
raised the knife and touched the
steel hilt to his forehead. Straight
as a spruce, his burning eyes on
Brassard's solemn face, Wabistan
drew his own knife and repeated
the ceremony. Then the hands of
the two joined over their crossed
knife blades in consummation of the
Montagnais oath of brotherhood in
common cause.
Blaise rapidly interpreted his talk
with Wabistan and the two white
men took the oath with the old chief
and his sons.
The following day Peterboro and
two birch barks entered the mouth
of the Waswanipi River. In their
rear, on either shore, travelled son
of the chief to watch for following
canoes and possible ambush. Three
days o; polling, tracking and carry
ing around rapids brought them to
the roaring mile of falls, chutes and
boiling reaches climaxing in the
Frying Pan, the white chaos which
gave the rapids its name. After
search in the birch scrub of the
high shore Wabistan raised his hand.
at is here" he called, "the gravel"
Red glanced at Finlay's bitter
face. at will be hard, Garry, to see
him now. You'd better leave it to
Blaise and me-"
"You can't identify him! They'll
want to know, back home, that l
saw him. I've got to see the evil
dence that he was shot,"
Red nodded and Finlay joined
Blaise and Wabistan beside a heap
of small boulders. 1.-The carcajou
let dem Sleep" said the Indian. de
rock too heavy to novel"
While they removed the boulders
protecting the shallow grave, Finlay
was tortured with memories of the
younger brother who had come so
far to die. The year previous he had
received a letter from Bob that he
had decided to join the Chibouga-
mau gold rush, with a partner, the
following summer. That was all Bob
had left North Bay and the family
had had post card from Nottaway
announcing that they had decided
to take the Waswanipi Trail. That
! had been the last of Bob Finlay.
( The ruthless North had swallowed
him. No word of his fate had reached
the waiting father and mother at
North Bay until there had come
the anonymous letter Garry carried
in his wallet, with its sinister final
sentence: Il don't believe these six
| men were drowned"
The man who had written that let
ter had guessed only too well
Following this it had taken weeks
of wire-pulling for Finlay to obtain
from his superiors the Nottaway as
sienment for himself and Malone.
But in the end the letter from the
| unknown writer had brought il about