THE CLUE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21905, 14 September 1934, Page 4

THE CLUE

BUCK MCCLINTOCK

"Murder?" said Sergeant Fraser of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. 44 What was the motive, sir? " " From what Bill Morgan tells me," laid the Superintendent, "it is the old story of two men and one woman —the eternal triangle of sex. Rasmunsen was a fool, of course. A fool for bringing the pretty, cultured white woman, whom he married, out into this country. And a bigger fool for making a partner of Johnny Danvers. The woman could see how it would end." " According to Bill Morgan, who stayed over one night at their shack when on a prospecting trip, she was •cared of .Danvers. Danvers wns away at the time, and Bill slept in his bunk, which was in the living room of the cabin. He was tired and soon went to sleep, leaving Rasmunsen and his wife Bitting by the stove, talking. They were still talking when Morgan awoke feome time later, and he could not avoid overhearing their remarks." "The woman was pleading with her husband," continued the superintendent. " She asked him to take her •way from the Northland —' It is so cold, so lotaely, I can't stand it, and I'm frightened,' she said. Rasmunsen did not look at her, but stared at the stove —' It's a question of money, my dear,' he answered, ' I can't take you south until we have scraped this creek clean of all its gold. There is nothing to be afraid of. There are two of us -to protect you-—myself and Danvers.'. She shivered —' Yes .. . Danvers .. .' ■he said/ and it was the peculiar way in which she said it, that told Bill Morgan the truth. She feared for both her own and her husband's safety. She knew Danvers desired her. And her intuition was right. Danvers murdered Rasmunsen." * " And the woman ? " queried Fraser. lt She was found dead in the snow, five miles from the cabin," was the quiet reply. " I will spare you the brutal details, but it was obvious that she had fled from Danvers,.that he had caught up with her, that she was too wes,k"from exertion to resist him . . •" 1,1 What news of Danvers, sir? " "He left the woman to die, and from information received I hear that be is somewhere up in the Kluane Lake country", probably hiding among the Indians," said the superintendent. He rose to his feet, and extended a hand—- " Well, good luck, sergeant." " Thank you, sir—" and Fraser passed through the door on the trail of the murderer. •#•• # ' * Thud-thud-thud! Thud-thud-thud! FaSntly' down-wind came the vague, thunderous drumbeat that for over two hoars had lured Sergeant Fraser as a magnet lures steel. Two months had passed since the atart of his quest, and now on a late snmmer afternoon, be was drawing near his quarry. Danver's trail was plain to follow. Fraser was puzzled. It is instinctive in all guilty things, be they human or animal, to hide, to- cover their tracks. Why did Danvers disdain such aatsnres? What gave him such confidence of escape P It was clear that the murderer was making for . the Indian village at/ Kluane; beyond that the . ban-en lands began. What was there at Kluane that could save Danvers from the,/ clutching arms of the White Kan's Law? He would soon know, for his shaggy polioe pony, picking its way along a shadowed forest trail, emerged suddenly into the blinding glare of the •unset. Puckering his eyes, Fraser •tared down at the valley below. j Kluane ! Ring upon ring of smokegrimed, conical teepees, a huddle of painted, befeathered figures crouched round a vast oval arena in whiph other figures leapt and pranced in fantastic gyrations. /

Harsh, savage sounds reached his ears—the roar and crackled the fires, "" the staocaio rattle of sticks, the booming of skin drums, and'thewild, hoarse clamour of chanting braves—" Hi — yah—yah—yah! Hi—yah—yah I Hi ' yah!" 1 Loosening his guns in their scabbards, Fraser. rode leisurely down the slope toward the encampment. Squaws •tared at him apprehensively, as he tethered his pony and moved toward the dancing arena. Loudly Fraser demanded to see the. chief, whose name be knew to be Tumasook. As he .Waited, frenzied tribesmen went skimmihg, hopping, leaping over the ground; every dancer was masked, the face completely hidden behind a carved piece of wood, painted and ' fashioned to represent a totem. Then—- " Why come you here, Wearer of the Bed Coat? " asked a voice, derisive, mocking. /A. stalwart Indian in the trappings of a chieftain stood behind Fraser. The sergeant turned, and — 'VOh, there you are," said Fraser, cooHy. -I supfwse? I have come for Danvers, the white man." "We are?not white men," was the reply. " We are red." " His trail led me here," said Fraser. 04 Give me this man. He killed a man, bis friend, took his possessions, and despoiled the man's wife, leaving her also to die. He must return to answer for it to the gods of the White Men. He has no place here." The chief's reply startled him. " He has a place here that none can take from him," said Tumasook. " What do you mean?" tasked Fraser. , Tumasook told him. Ten years before it chanced that Johnny Danvers had prospected for gold in the Kluane territory. He had found a native boy lying wounded ffi the bush, victim of mauling by a bear. Danvers had dressed the wounds and carried the boy into the encampment, undoubtedly saving the boy's life. "That boy was my son," said the chief, " and in gratitude to the saviour of my son I made him one of the tribe." Fraser frowned, and whistled softly through hip teeth. " This man whom you seek is my blood-brother," said Tummasook. " By the gods of my nation I am his protector. I do not -deny that he is here. But you will never find him." # Patiently, persuasively, Fraser continued his argument. "Back in the land of the white meu, beyond the Big River, two people . lie dead. We know that this man killed them. Let me take him."., Tumasook grunted. His voice was scornful as he answered: " Have I not told you that you will not find him?" Fraser persisted. "If I find him will you give meja, clear path to take him r" " Find him," said the chief, mockingly, " then we will talk of it." Fraser took up the challenge. Boldly ho searched through the village, and found a shod horse—Danvers'; in a teepee he found Danvers' clothes; but of Danvers himself there was no sign.

_ f A SHORT STORY.

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At last, completely baffled, Fraser returned to the scene of the dance. The violet shadows of evening were creeping down from the hills. Fraser seated himself on'a log, and scrutinised the seated figures round tho arena, swaying and moaning to tho syncopation of the tom-toms. He was certain that Danvers was not among tho spectators—if anywhere he would be among the dancers! • That was it I The problem was, which mask hid the white man's face. An hour passed. Alternately, feasting and dancing continued. But Fraser sought no food. Watchful as a cat he sat and stared at the swaying men round the fires. He dare not tear tho masks from all their faces —that would be suicide. How was he to find out which was Danvers? # A voice spoke behind liitti. Have you discovered him?" It was Tumasook, sarcastic, and enjoving Fraser's perplexity. "Not yet," said Fraser, "but I will." ■ Another half hour went by. Then Fraser suddenly smote his hand upon his breeched thigh. Lifting a revolver from its holster he advanced into the arena toward the chief._ " Have you found him?" was the mocking question. " I have," said Fraser. " Point him out," sneered Tumasook. . Fraser moved slowly round the circle of leaping men until he reached one wearing the.mask of the Eagle totem. His hand leapt out and he touched the dancer on the arm. " I want you, Danvers, for the murder of Eric Rasmunsen and his wife," said Fraser. " Come on." The firelight gleamed on flashing steel, as the man in the eagle mask whipped a knife from his belt! " Stick up your handßl" rasped out Fraser. And as the other did not comply he shot the knife out of his hand! Then hut hand reached out and tore the mask away. Danvers' livid face glared at him! As the crash of the revolver shot died away, Fraser raised his voice in a mighty 6hout, speaking in the Chinook jargon that i& understood by all tribes of the North-west. -> " I demand the life of this man! It is forfeit to the white man's law! Thunder and lightning, from heaven shall witness that I am right !";, His hand dipped into his pocket. Only those nearest saw him toss something into the fire. Came a mighty blast of sound as a detonator cap exploded, and a short stick of dynamite let loose its energy! The concussion-flung them all flat on their faces, stunned and singed by flying' sparks. But' Fraser was soon on his feet. He had dropped flat to the ground in readiness for the explosion. Jerking Danvers to his feet he hustled him away to where two ponies waited—his own and Danvers, fed and saddled, tethered at a convenient spot close- by. Hoisting the half-conscious murderer to the saddle, Fraser tied .his hands to -the paddle horn, lashed his feet below the pony's belly, and seized the reins. None stopped them as they passed from the encampment into the shadows and rode up the slope toward the timber. , A*day later: * • " i" Something puzzling you, Danvers?" smiled the sergeant. " You are wondering how I found you in that disguise," said Fraser. " It was luck," burst out Danvers. " You took a chance, that's all!" Fraser shook his head.

" You are wrong. I was watching the ground,-and there I found my due. The tracks of .the Indiara are straight, inclined to turn in at the toes. Those of a white "man always turn outwards. Your feet betrayed you, Danvers."