Coulee City dispatch. [volume] (Coulee City, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1941-09-18

P1o11h dUOVe Iuc uOOI tHe name y :.
Cotter.'
Approaching the half-breed, he
called: "Fine EVENING""
The other grinned, Shaping Wig
orously at his face and neck. Good
night for bug, al-so!"
Finlay lost no time in getting to
the point. "You know the river to
the Bay?"
The breed nodded. "You headin'
for de Bay on survey?" he asked.
eyes, we're heading for Rupert.
The river runs pretty hard for a
hundred miles below here, I hear"
"Plenty strong water on all desc
riviere! Two men drown last year!"
Finlay closely watched the flick
ering eyes as he said: "And four the
year before, but that was on the
Waswanipi, they tell mel"
"Ah-hah!"
II see that the Hudson's Bay and
Jules Isadore have depots here" OBJ
served Finlay, nodding at the store
houses beside the track. ''Who is
this Isadore?'
The half-breed CAPPED in surprise.
"You nevare hear of heem?"
''No."
oval, you not see hees place on
Nottaway Trail"
'He does a big fur business, l
judge, by the size of his depot"
ever beeg business" he agreed.
ever beeg! Mcleod, he talk wild
you bout Isadore?"
Finlay laughed inwardly. "No, he
says he's new here, doesn't know
Isadore."
"Ah!'
AS yet the man who had evidenced
such curiosity concerning the survey
party had not shown his hand. Then
Finlay abruptly brought the matter
to a head. "You work for Isadore?"
eyes
"My name is Finlay. What's
yours?"
"Louis Batoche."
"You handle his freight"
eyes. Now M'sieu' Finlay," re-
turned the other with grimace, II
ask you question. Wy you go by dis
way to Rupert and not by easy trail
to Moose?"
Finlay laughed. So that was the
niger in the woodpile? They wanted
to know why the survey party was
taking the Nottaway Trail to the
Bay. He answered disarmingH:
"Oh, we're going to make a new sur
vey of the Nottaway from Lake Mat
agami to Rupert Bay. Otherwise
we'd have gone by Moose"
Garry narrowly watched the effect
of his explanation. The haf-breed
lifted his brows in seeming surprise
as he replied: "Ah-hah! see!"
The answer appeared to satisfy
Batoche's curiosity. His eyes
dropped to the river shore where
the smoke from Blaise's smudge fire
hung in the spruce tops. Then his
gaze shifted to a tent above the
bridge.
"Who are those men camped
there, prospectors?" asked Finlay.
Batoche laughed. "Dey head for
de Rouyn contree.
"Not interested in trying for the
Chibougamau?" Finlay watched the
other closely.
Batoche's eyes glittered. "Chib-
ougamau?" he sneered, "Onlee fool
head for de Chibougamau from
here!"
"And they paid for it by drowning
in the Waswanipi rapids-all of
them"
Batoche's pale eyes probed the in
scrutable face of the white man,
then shifted to the spruce ridge, be-
yond the river.
"Onlee Montagnais Indian travel
dat Waswanipi. It ees bad water.
De prospector all go in from Lac
st. JEAN"
81 hear that Isadore's people
found piece of canoe"
"For sure! All smash up below
beeg rapide on Waswanipi!"
(which party was that?"
"Two young fallar who go in last
year wild Peterboro cano'."
Finlay's eyes chung for an instant
to the purple ridge as pain lanced
through him. '"That's all they found
no bodies or OUTFIT"
Batoche shook his head. Oats
ALI"
"Well, Pm much Obliged" said
Finlay. GIVE got to see my man,
Brassard. Well be pushing off in
the morning."
"Bo'-jo'!" replied Batoche as Fin
lay left him and started for the
camp on the river shore
In the meantime, down on the
river shore, Blaise Brassard had
been smoking in the lee of his
smudge fire before a small A tent
with cheesecloth mosquito drop.
Near him lay the big airedale.
Flame" said the Illuminating
Brassard, exhaling a cloud of pipe
smoke, "you and Blaise got big job
dis summer. Wat you t'ink?"
The dog raised his head. His
three-cornered eyes gazed fixedly
through shaggy brows as if he I'M
derstood and agreed. Then he sud-
denly stiffened, ears cooked, rose to
his feet and stood with head thrust
e 49,