Coulee City dispatch. [volume] (Coulee City, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1941-10-30

Malone, Garrett Finlay, brother Of one
of the six, and Blaise, half-breed guide,
arrive at Nottaway posing as surveyors.
4 4
'Here's piece of their canoe
Wabistan found on the shore and
buried with them. There's bullet
hole in it."
Garry took the shattered cedar.
well keep that for evidence" he
said, then followed Malone. While
the others stood with barred heads
he gazed into the shallow grave at
the havoc a year had wrought.
"Bobby!" Finlay dropped to his
knees and gazed at what had once
been the younger brother whom he
had carried in his arms; with whom
he had shared his bed. "It's Bob
and Andrew!" he muttered. "They
shot them through the head!" He
swallowed repeatedly at the tighten
ing in his throat but the eyes he
lifted to his friends were dry and
hard. "He wore ring of hammered
It's on the little finger of the right
hand, Red"
Malone leaned over the grave.
"The finger is-gone!"
Wabistan caught Blaise's eye and
nodded. "Tete-Blanche is a thief!
When he kills he steals"
"Good-by, Bobby!" Finlay's grief
was too deep for outward sign.
ut may be weeks! 1t may be
months! 1t may be years, Isadore!
But some day you'll pay to me for
that dead boy, there!"
The survey had been under way
for two weeks. Two of Wabistan's
sons were working for Finlay as
canoemen and the old Indian often
came to the camp with news of his
secret search for Tete-Blanche, Tetu
and Kinebik. But Isadore's private
assassin and the medicine man had
disappeared like river mist before
the sun.
"Tete-Blanche is somewhere in the
islands but none will say they have
seen him. They have fear" an
nounced Wabistan to Blaise as his
canoe slid in to the beach one day
in early July. "Your ears must be
ever listening for he is waiting for
chance to strike
''When he comes, we will fill him
with lead" laughed Finlay.
The Indian scowled Like otta-
wok, the gray owl, he will move in
the night and when he strikes there
will be no sound"
Finlay had mapped the head of
the great lake and was working west
toward the post.
1t was two hours before dawn of a
morning when Finlay had taken the
last watch. Stars and moon were
blanketed by drift. With Flame
sleeping beside him Garry sat, back
against birch, rifle across knees, in
gloom so velvet thick that it seemed
to the man on guard it could be
sliced with knife.
"What night for a stalk, Mon
sieur Tete-Blanche! muttered Gar
ry. eff you know where we are,
you're missing trick, my friend.
But it'll be just too bad if this sew
enty pounds of dynamite smells one
of you out and hops on him. You
won't see him but he'll reach you
plenty! Eth, Flame, old partner!"
Finlay reached hand to the wire
haired back of the sleeping dog be-
side him.
The airedale grunted with content
inent and, fora space, lay sprawled
over Garry's legs while the man he
worshiped crooned into hairy ear.
Then, of a sudden, the iron muscles
hardened along his spine and the
coarse back hair lifted.
"He's winded something's" Finlay
muttered, with quick tug on the
raw-hide running to the sleeping
Reds wrist.
AS two invisible shapes moved to
Finlay's side the aroused dog split
the thick silence with his brittle
challenge.
''Thatll worry 'em!" muttered
Red "Stop 'em in their tracks! Hear
anything?"
"Not a thing! Flame winded
them! You'd better stiffen up the
boys while Blaise and listen here"
Red moved silently away while the
enraged dog charged deeper into
the forest.
"Flame'l keep them guessing,
Blaise!" muttered Finlay. "He'll
rip chunks out of the first one he
noses out! They'll have no chance to
shoot or use knife on him tonight"
Presently Red returned "The
boys are all right. They're hot for a
fight! Hear anything?"
FLAMES working this way, now!
Hear that?"
There was the unmistakable sound
of something moving through thick
brush
''He's nosed some of them out and
turned them!" whispered Malone.
They're worried and don't know
they're headed straight for us!"
"Where's Blaise?" asked Finlay
But Blaise was not beside them.
1.-THE cat! He can see in the dark!
He's gone to meet Flannel You
move over near the boys while
take the shore!'