VALLEY OF NO ECHO.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 60, Issue 134, 18 March 1940, Page 7

VALLEY OF NO ECHO.

2 By T. C. BRIDGES.

:: (Copyright). |

I Thrills and Perils of Canadian Police Work,

CHATTER X.

are not allowed to trap on Indian reservations, and the Indians, who are usually good trappers', get a wealth of fur. An Indian, sober, knows the price of his furs as well as any white man, and gets it either from travelling fur buyers or from the nearest Hudson Bay Post. But the average Indian will sell his soul for whisky so, for the price of a sledge load of rotgut spirit, those dopo merchants acquire twenty, thirty, even fifty times its value in furs.” Ho stopped to relight his pipe then went on.

CHET JOINS UP.

Keith saw a good deal of Chet Wilson during the last few days of his leave and came to like him greatly. Miss Wilson, summoned. by telephone from Quebec, was with Celia, and Celia was slowly mending. But it would be some time before, she could leave the hospital.- - On the day before Keith’s leave was up Chet came to see him in his room at the hotel, and found him packing. The boy sat silent a while, smoking, then snoke suddenly. "--Keith do you think they’d take me in the Force?.” Keith laid a folded sliirt in his suit case, and faced the other. “No reason wliv they shouldn’t unless the list is full. But this is a bit sudden, Chet.” “It isn’t. I’ve been, thinking of it for three days past and I spoke of it to mother. She was quite pleased.” “It’s a hard life,” said Keith. “It’s a man’s life,” Chet answered. “I’d go to seed in an office. See here, my notion is to come to Regina with you and see if I can enlist right away,” Keith nodded. “So long as your mother approves I’ve no objection. Can you bo ready for the night train?’ ' “I’ll meet you at the depot,” Chet said and went off. There are always plenty of candidates for the Royal Regiment, which now number 2,500 men and 300 officers, but recruits of the quality of young Wilson aro not too plentiful. On arrival at Regina Keith went straight to Inspector Curtis and told him all about Chet. Curtis himself interviewed the bov and approved of him and next day Chet was. sworn in and began to' learn his drill. , Chet had the advantage of having been a member of the cadet force at liis university and of being able to ride well. He also had his pilot’s certificate. v The result was that within a few weeks ho was out of the rookie class and put on regular duty., Keith was pleased to see that Chet was popular .. with the other men and that he wins gaming weight and strength rapidly. Even after Dranner’s"trial and conviction Keith was still kept at Regina

“But the damage is worse than this. Give the Indians drink and they don’t work. Then they face the winter without fuel or food. All suffer, especially tho squaws and children. I’ve been told, and I believe, it is true, that sometimes the wretched people are driven .to cannibalism and eat their own children.” Chet shuddered. “How can men be such brutes?” he asked. His lips tightened. “But I know ono who is as bad as any. Keith do you think it is possible that Paul Marrablo has anything to do with this gang?” Keith took his pipe out of his mouth.

“It’s possible, Chet. Tho police in Montreal told me that all this dope business in Canada is controlled by one ring. But don£k get tho idea in your head that we are going to run into Marrable up here in the wilds. That gentleman is too fond of his creature comforts to rough it up here.” “I’m not so sure.” Chet said slowly. “Don’t forget that they use aeroplanes Remember, too, that Marrable can’t live any longer in Montreal.” “DOPE MERCHANTS?” From headquarters at Edmonton north to the Arctic Sea and west to the borders of tho Yukon Territory lies the so-called “G” division of Northern Alberta. It covers an area larger than tho British Isles, France and Germany put together, and is controlled by 120 Mounted Police whom whites and Indians alike look to as The Law.

This is mainly a country of tundra, muskeg, lakes and rivers, jbut to the West rises to the slopes of the Rockies in a tangle of hills, valleys and swift-ly-running creeks. It was in this direction that Keith and liis partner marched through the cruel cold of the last part of the Arctic winter. Now and then they crossed the trails of other mushers and twice they stopped for the night at police posts. Apart from that, they never set eyes on a human being. . But on the very morning after the conversation mentioned in the last chapter a, ’plane came oyer. A singleengined cabin monoplane fitted with skis for landing on ice. They stopped and gazed at her, expecting at least a wave from her occupants. But there was no sign and she soon dwindled to a dot, then swept out of sight. “Think those are our dopo merchants?” Chet asked. Keith laughed.

and this puzzled him for he had expected to be sent back to Sundance. ' It was not until the end of March he learned the reason for the delay. Then Curtis told him that no news had come from Harman and Bishop and that he was to go up to the Kuchin Country and find out what had become of them.' “I am sending you, Marlow,” said the Inspector, “because you have been ou the edge of that country while in pursuit of Dranner, and because I think you have the tact needed to deal with these Indians. I have no doubt ■whatever that they have been getting ■whisky and probably drugs. If you can discover and arrest the scoundrels who are trading v with them you will have done a very 1 real service.” “I’ll do my best, sir,” Keith said

quietly. T “I’m sure of that. Now you must have another man with you. .Have you any preference?” pMay v i have. Wilson, sir?” ■‘“Wilson! But he is still only a recruit.?’...... “All the same'l would rather have him' than anyone else.” said Keith earnestly. “I know I can depend on him.” Curtis smiled. “Yes, I know what you mean. Very good. You can take Wilson and the sooner you get off the better.” Chet’s face glowed when he heard that he was to go with Keith. “I never dreamed of such luck. It’s frightfully good of you, Keith.” Keith laughed.

“You have those fellows on your brain, Chet. The odds are that the machine is taking stores; and mail to some mining post.” “It wasn’t a mail ’plane,” was all that Chet said.

As the days passed they travelled faster. The dogs, as well as they themselves, had become trail-hardened and, with the diminishing of their supplies, the load on tlie long komatik sledge grew less. They came to the mountains and the going grew worse. The snow was like powdered ice and every yard of trail had to be broken. Then came the first bad storm since leaving Mackay, and they were forced to hole up in a clump of willows for thirty hours until it blew over. That day they did not get started until afternoon so, as the moon was nearly full, decided to push on for a couple of hours after their usual camping time. Progress was slow at first for the fresh snow was piled in great drifts along the hill sides, but presently they came to a slope where the wind had almost cleared the ground. Suddenly the lead dog, a steady old fellow called Starek, lifted his head and growled. Keith looked round sharply and saw two dark forms emerge from the brush above the trail. Then a couple more showed on the other side.

Nm!GHT be, marrable.v

“You may change your mind before you’re much older, Chet. It’s no fun travelling at this time of the year. We shall be bucking the spring blizzards after wo leave Edmonton.” “I won’t Jet you down,” Chet promised. Keith clapped him on the shoulder. „“I wouldn’t have asked for you if I’d thought you couldn’t stick it,” he I said. “Now pack up. We leave in the morning. There was no flying this trip. The first part of.the journey was by rail through Edmonton to a post called Mackay. There Keith and Chet spent three days making preparations for their journey. Tfchey left with a team of sis good dogs and a well-loaded .sledge and pushed north-west on their way to Sundance. For the first few days Keith took it easy. This was partly for the sake of the dogs and partly on Chet’s account. March is one of the coldest months in the North West, with a temperature of 20 to 30 degrees below zero there is always the risk of a greenhand getting his lungs frozen if he is driven too hard. For another thing there is much trail lore that cannot be learned in barracks and Keith had to teach Chet a dozen lessons; how to handle the dogs; how to break trail in soft snow; how to choose the proper spot for a camp, how to build a cooking fire and'another that will last all night. Ho could not have found a better pupil. Chet had a quick brain and rarely forgot anything after once being shown. He was good with the dogs and, in spite of his rather plight physique, was tough and tireless. Keith found, too, that he was a marksman. With a rifle he was beter than Keith, and he was distinctly Useful withr-ar.revolver. -• Best of all, from. Keith’s , point of view, was the steady good nature of his companion. The discomforts of travelling in extreme cold are so groat that tempers are apt to fray and men quarrel easily and sometimes reach a point where they no longer speak to one another. Chet had naturally a quick temper, but had self-control and a keen sense of humour so he and Keith got on famously together. In camp at night they sat over their fire and talked, and so came to know one another extremely well. Chet was tremendously keen for the success of their expedition and asked endless questions about the Indians they were visiting and the men who sold spirits to them. Ho wanted to know what these white men got in return for the big risk they took in breaking the Liquor Contrpl Act. “Furs/ Keith told him. '‘Whfce men

“Wolves,” Keith said to his companion as he stooped to get his rifle from the load.

“But only four,” said Chet. “Four I” Keith repeated. “Move like forty. Look round!” Chet looked and, sure enough, many other slinking forms were now visible behind the sledge. “Gosh, you’re right. I say, arc they going to tackle us?’.’ “Looks like it,” 'lveith implied. “See hoAV they’re spreading out to head us off.” “Well, I’ll ho darned! I always thought these yarns about wolves attacking people were hunk.” HEADING FOR THE ROCKS. “So did I until I had the real stuff from some of the old-timers.” '‘Then what do wo do now?” Chet asked, and Keith was secretly pleased that the hoy’s voice, was as steady as his own. “Push on, I think. Wo can’t stay here with all this bush round us. If we “can make those rocks,” —he pointed as ho spoke to a mass of .rough boulders lying at the foot of a bluff a mile or so ahead —“wo ought to be able to hold them off.” “But won’t they rush us if we run away?” ‘ ‘They may but I have a trick up my sleeve—one that Duncan Maclaine showed me.” He began to uncoil a long rope to the loose end of which he attached a small piece of tarpaulin; the other ho fastened to the sledge.

“Ugh, how the brutes howl!” Chet muttered, but Keith' called to tile dogs and the sledge started. The wolves ceased howling and, bundling together, followed.

The way was downhill, the dogs travelled fast, but the wolf pack came on at an easy lope. Yet they kept their distance. A wolf is the most suspicions of beasts, and that long rope twisting and curling, over the snow held them off. “It works 1” Chet cried. Keith did not answer. He was not easy ini his mind for now they wore coming to lower ground where the snow was deep and soft. When the dogs struck this heavy snow the pace slackened and the X’ope dragged instead of dancing. The

wolves came closer. They had fanned out in a wide semi-circle and were yapping like hounds on a trail. Keith stopped and swiftly pulled off his gloves. The frost stung his bare hands and ho wasted little time in aiming his rifle at the nearest 'molt. With tlie ringing report the brute shot, up in the air, came down sprawling and instantly the rest of the pack gathered and fell upon him tearing him to pieces. “Good business!” Chet called out, but Keith said quickly: v “Save your breath. Tlie worst is to come. Take the rifle and trv to shoot a couple more. But don’t .get your hands frosted.”

It was amazing how quickly tlie pack finished every fragment of the dead wolf, bolting even the bones. As Chet wised the rifle he could see the gleam of their eyes and the saliva dripping from their yellow fangs. He fired and a. wolf rolled over. As the others mobbed it Chet shot two more.

Keith’s whip snapped, and this time they gained a good distance before their enemies came again. But the snow grow deeper and now it was all up hill to the rocks. The; pack had gathered and were close on their heels. The wolves had tasted blood and were out for a. kill. Chet pulled up and turned.

“Go ahead with the dogs Keith. I’ll hold them,” lie said. (To be continued), 5