The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1944-10-02
North To Danger.
By TOM GILL

dry logs until it glowed cherry red.
Snug and warm, they sat around
the fire, smoking, while Colin helped
Alec skin the two otter and red
fox caught that morning.
It was an old tale to Colin and to
Blair, but Trina was vastly inter
ested and with the fascination of a
child fondled the soft fur. "What
happens to them now?" she asked.
"Alec dries them" Colin an
swered, "and sells them to the Hen
drinks Bay Company. They're bum
died up and sent to New York to be
auctioned off - millions Of them,
from all over northern Canada.
Then they go to the four corners
of the world, so that men can do
what men have been doing since the
world began - clothe their women
in furs."
Trina looked up at him. "You
make it sound very primitive"
He laughed. at is. But so are
love and hate and war"
Walking across the room, Colin
pointed with his pipe to large map
on the wall. "See this dot, almost
in the shadow of the North Pole?
That's a trading post. It's already
a six-months' winter night up
where that dot is, and one white
man is living there alone, with q
dog team and a short-wave radio.
Once a year a boat comes in with
food and supplies and to take away
the furs he traded from the Eski-
mos.
"See these other dots! They're
all trading posts Of the Bay Com
pany, and there's just one reason
for their existence-fur. The desire
of men to please their women-the
desire Of women to be alluring in
mems eyes. So we have you ladies
to thank for every dot on that map,
and for the fact that all this coun-
try isn't empty of human life"
Trina looked across at Blair Ben
edict. as he always so philosopher"
Blair was pulling down the blan-
kets of the farther bunk. "It's just
his way of signing off. He's leaving
us with his shining thought for the
day. At least I hope so. I'm dead"
Colin knocked the ashes from his
pipe. 81 gather we're being thrown
out, Alec" Followed by the Indian,
he went out into the nigtt.
The snow had slackened, and a
few stars we're glittering coldly as
the two men crossed the clearing
and entered the smaller cabin. The
penetrating chill Of disuse filled the
room, and, pulling off his boots
Colin rolled up among the blankets
while the Indian laid . fire ready
| for morning.
The sight Of q dozen furs drying
made Colin ask, "Alec, what do the
trappers think about Dover"
"He gives good prices-the white
trappers don't like him."
what about the Indians?"
"Our old men don't trust him."
"Do you7"
81 wouldn't know" Alec blew ou,
the lamp. Something funny about
Dove" the Indians voice came
through the darkness. "How can he
pay better prices than the company
when everybody says the company
is losing money!"
"Why doesn't someone ask Dove"
"They did. Dove said the com.
pany makes plenty. says they've
been robbing the trappers for two
hundred years"
Colin lay back and pulled The
blankets higher. He could hear the
wind in the treetops above and
through the window saw a solitary
shaft of moonlight, and his thought,
flashed back to another night wher
the moon was shining and Dove
walked by him, smiling. In the
darkness Colin closed his eye,
against that memory.
All that was past, and nothing
could be done about IL: the thing
that mattered was the future, and
whatever happened. he had left
Dove behind him in Winnipeg
Thanks 10 two women. he had
gained the one thing he needed most
time -.