Tomahawk Trail

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 189, 12 August 1939, Page 8 (Supplement)

Tomahawk Trail

By Harry WiHidms

•.Inc-f what I think!iprecd Wvatt. "• 1 " 1 '"I I lie same irr< 1 uiuls. I've _ r i\i - n the colonel in v ideas mi the ■ ' i l ''' ■ . aml suppe-i c] ul' clisingc •• •• I 1 -i i'- I"'" « iiUci iiiir. '|•" 111' - had that trouble ' ' i lh'' 111«1 i. 11we'd ]i,i \ma,|r it 'I' 1 " -h t' i tin- I Viicr |'i ji c <•<■vl nt r v • '•i ,,! > • !,llt l"-iii' 4 111 a t t in,'., mil I lif lii'r.-r-< ire| t i irj- tl, ( , I(ii( f nin k'l" i-• I "'il "I tlii'in, nirans that we ' '• II -11, >Hie-. .In,| ' ul '' H " Iwr'.l have with all ' women and kids. No cabin*. N" '1 > • M«v:ir a .-(►<■!! ~f i ;ji, l»'l"W 'I'l'n. No. it"- t(„, miiirh uf a '•I Mi-'e-tcd. and thr colonel ••""'■•'•'l. I ' l ■ 1 1 «<" -Innild <i" only as I II- as t iir Yellow-tone. We'll inakr it in a. week over thi* country. Tlirrr i"' l ' '-''">d hay meadow * alonjr tho liver lirnehrs. j.lenl y of .rood luiildinp M "d it s -rent panic country. We could throw up a ealiin tor each family arid a penrral mpetinp hou*c, •' ll d cut cuoujii hay to see half a do/en teams I h thr winter. The others can rustle out well all winter i" lli.it country. Malionry rouhl huiid a Icw -rt- ot Meiphs a lid thru v e'd l>r all com fort a hie and set for the w inter. What do you think?"

'He pave you pood directions?"

1 travel through thr pass, mid when I sec on my left hand a mountain with a crest like a lodpc i out and a slim peak at t lie we-t end. 1 m to look for a narrow milly | i-ht oppo-i'e on in\ ri-lit hand. _\t ,tlie head of the puily I po tilrouuh ; i. little pa.--, and somewhere alonp i' Mi liml a. pile of elk a lit lers. I hat * thr southern end of the trail."

"Sound- plain enouph," admitted Wyatt. "Now. when you pet to thr pa.-s. keep all the j-ruh you can carry ami -cud the turn hack with the outtil. I lies |[ | l( . aide to to]low their own tracks, and from here on t.ioy'll have the wapon tracks to follow."

"Hut, can you easily spare two other-'.' - ' quest ioned Kml.

"Mnc. We've only jilll>llll>r week's trawl. hiul t hoy should be back i rir-iijf 11 ill o or ten days. Xow comes llu- important part. ' If you should lind tho initio, don't show yourself it' you ran help it. If you" run into anyone, forget that vou are H<ml hale—be Bill Brown or anyone else you wish— but don't let t lie name of (iale escape you. When you've .-ecu all you can see. strike back for the head of the Yellowstone and follow it down till you bit our camp. It you do lind anything you can connect with your dad, or come aero** mine workings with or without. le Mean, we'll ;jn back t ojr,.| on snrm-hdiN and have a showdown. If you're not back inside three weeks I'll come after you." He live and stretched himself with a yawn. "Now have you jrot that all clear, and do you njrroe?" "\.'s, I've everything straight. And, Caleb, thanks for working it for me. T know you must have put your word in." " That's all right, lad. I know you won't let me down by getting into trouble. And if trouble should come looking for you ju«t u-e those long legs and run like the devil." CHAPTER XII. A thin, mean wind was whipping into Snake Pass. A thousand feet above timber line there was shelter for neither man nor beast in all the 10-mile strptch of desolation. Rod's shoulders hut lied under the light pack a.s he "lopped briskly along the

"It. certainly is (he w Uer |ilnn." fl .rood IJ ■ '11. • I lit 1 f ,>f tho m would (ho tryi n c Id winter in tin* wagons. It 1 1 11 111 I> O H 11111 It* I H s 11; 111 f I >[* Iho men I rviii;; to l.uild -hacks in the MIOW. .\k iit-li;i 1. when (ho rr11i,]o made one uf lii> I«• \\ liiiii; .- |htc)iiv. lie had allowed his |>iI»<• t,i die. He slicked fit it < I i-;;n I e<l Iy. then fi whorl about the lire t'"r n. suitable ember.

" I his is where \ nil mine in.** he refiiinied. "T t"M Ihe eolonol ill.out V""' wanlin;; to hii\e a look »oe lll.out the Siuiko He ivns a bit *1 ;l it led. of eoi.rse. said :il.oii| *i\ '|>v j..\eV on ond." related W'valt with a arrifi. '"hut he certainly onn't hoar to way 'no' to you ovor anything: scorns to think you can't put. a foot wronjr. Still, ho makes this condition. nnd T fav tlio name thin<j, too, that you >ir> ho says and con fine yourself to ju<t lookinjr things over thi.s trip. In it a deal?" "Suits me," agreed Rod, jjlad to pot away on any terms. "What are the conditions?" "You are to take two men and two packhorses as far as the AVhatV. the trail like from there?" "Skookum said I could travel one more hun by horse, but the Tomahawk Trail itself was otily a man trail."

A. Fine New Serial By An Old Favourite