Four Flush Island

Taranaki Daily News, 26 April 1935, Page 13

Four Flush Island

(by

CHAPTER XXXVI (continued.) She cleansed lire billy-can from all trace of .Tew, refilled it with water, and Heated it over the fire. With this, her handkerchief, and infinite patience, she succeeded in drawing the fabric from the wounds, both of which had been caused by bullets. She was surprised to find how healthy in spite of everything, they were The one that had penetrated the thigh had passed clean through at the other side, and was so nearly healed that it was surprising it should have left him so lame. The shoulder wound was largei and more jagged. “Bullet still there, Johnnie Bill?” she inquired in a low voice, and he shook his head. “I get it,” he said, and indicated the sharply pointed . hunting-knife at his belt. < '. ‘ She looked at him in amazement. “Do you mean you probed it out — with that?” she demanded, and once more he made a sign of agreement. ' “Sure,” he said, adding, naively: “Scared of poison.” She had heard much of Indian stoicism, and even moreof thdir national ignorance of anything approximating to hygiene, and felt she could not have been furnished with a more authentic combination of the two than that provided by Johnnie Bill digging a bullet from his chest with a hunting knife. Further, she had an increased . respect for the constitution that was capable of withstanding such an assault of microbes as must have been introduced by the operation. She made him rest for a couple of hours, during which he slept. When he awakened she was bending over him with a further supply of stew. He ate it with the same appetite as before. When it was finished he scrambled stiffly to the upright. The pain it caused him to set foot to ground was palpable. “All right now,” he said calmly. He looked at her narrowly. “How do you come here? 0 he demanded. e

She saw that he was both strong and clear-headed;' that his weakness had been caused less from wounds than from starvation. . Mentally she sang a song of thanksgiving for the comfort of his presence. "Platt brought me,” she said, and pointed to the bole of a near-by tree. “Sit down there, Johnnie Bill, while I make some'tea. Then you shall tell me all about it. In the meanwhile—smoke,” and she threw him a cigarette that was one of those remaining of a box that was included in the stores abstracted from Stagsden.

Both the story and its relation were simple, the only personal element the Cree allowed to obtrude in the telling was a cold implacable venom that in the light of her own greater. sophistication the girl found rather terrible. In setting off with Kit’s report to headquarters Johnnie Bill had obeyed instructions to the letter by paddling over from Fourflush Island to the mainland, under cover of which he had worked his way to the Grassy River, Even then he had not switched’on the engine, but continued to use his paddle until he should reach a point beyond the possibility of being overheard. Two miles of this, and from the cover of the high green reeds a canoe shot clear in front of him, and he discovered himself looking into the muzzle of an automatic. “Paddle to the bank," Platt instructed, “if you don’t want the top of your head blown off” As the story proceeded Natalie was able to realise how materially the fat criminal’s treatment of Johnhie Bill had differed from that meted out to herself; being an Indian only the most drastic methods would be effective. . As later events were to prove, opposition would have been met by action, swift and decisive, and this Johnnie Bill was wise enough to perceive. The bank reached, Platt drovte the Indian at pistol’s point to a tree that grew witbin twenty yards of the water, and to this tightly bound him. , “If those yeller-legs think they re gettin’ old man Barraclough’s gold away in the dark,” he said as he went dexterously through the Indian’s clothing, “they’ve another guess cornin’. This is the seventh night I’ve stuck around—just in case, an' now it looks like it s goin’ to pay for all the trouble.” Finding nothing concealed about Johnnie Bill’s person, Platt turned his attention to the canoe and it’s contents. When he realised that nothing of moment was concealed there was the moment of danger. , Savagely and at length he questioned Johnnie Bill, as to what information he had concerning the gold, the efforts that had been made to discover it, and the success or otherwise of these, the Indian would say nothing. Half an hour of this sterility convinced Platt that his captive had something material to conceal. Bv this time he was rabid. In the dark of the small hours he paddled the still tied-up Johnnie Bill to the island where Stagsden awaited mm, and leaving the younger and fainterhearted crook to carry on the work of revealing their presence to those on Fourflush Island, transported his cap--11 As h to what transpired immediately following their arrival Johnnie Bill was vague and unilluminatmg. All Natalie could discover was that the cross-ex-amination continued without cessation for a period of two days and nights, and that under it the Indian had not given wav. What was clear, however, was that'the end . came through Platt understanding the physical strength of his captive r.n error that if he had not taken the precaution of having his revolver to hand, was likely to have caused him considerable inconvenience when with* supreme effort, the Cree. burs free. As it was Johnnie Bill felled him with his fist, but even as he lay his fat hand closed over the butt volver in his belt. Observing the movement Johnnie Bill made off. Flatt shot and missed; shot a second

L. C. Douthwaite)

■ time and again the bullet went wide. By this time Johnnie Bill was struggling i painfully towards the tree. It was .■when he turned to see if Platt was following that he received the bullet jn his shoulder. Even with this additional handicap he managed still to struggle forward. Once under cover of the trees he would be safe; in that inextricable maze neither Platt nor anyone .else would -find him. Within teh yards of security he was hit for the second time. He fell, lay helpless for a few moments before gaining strength to struggle to his feet. In another fifteen seconds he was safely within cover of the trees. He heard Platt panting after him; watched him pause beside the blood his shots had caused, look hastily about him, and then lumber on. Johnnie Bill, spent and faint from pain and loss of blood, turned sharply to a angle, and through his knowledge of woodcraft found himself, eventually, on'the beach of what he knew must be the westerly portion of the island. There, established in a place of concealment, he had relapsed into unconsciousness. From thenceforward he had kept himself alive by making periodic essays into the wood for the berries that were his only food, a slow and infinitely painful process, that seemed to take more toll from his strength than the fruit supplied. He had seen no more of Platt. Natalie thought it probable the blood satisfied him that his victim had crawled away only to die of wounds or starvation. Colour was lent to the theory by the furtive something she had observed in his manner on the two occasions she had cross, examined him concerning the whereabouts of Johnnie Bill. Nor was his anxiety to leave the island without significance, nor the close watch that both he end Stagsden had kept on the woods. By a happy accident Stagsden had left the tent behind. If she could transport Johnnie Bill to her camp his nursing would be comparatively simple. Johnnie Bill acquiesced in the attempt with the placidity with which he was accustomed to fall in with her wishes. Taking the shore route she estimated the distance at about three miles, in his condition a formidable undertakiSetting off about nine they reached the camp towards one in the morning. That four hours ot torture, when with the sweat standing upon his forehead in drops of sheer agony, and the flesh about the tightly compressed lips grey with pain, he uttered no sound that might add to her distress, was the ultimate triumph of spirit over flesh. The quality of courage knows neither race nor class nor creed, and in that Gethsemene Johnnie Bill the Indian proved himself a very gallant gentleman. The journey accomplished, she cooked more rabbit and made tea, a meal which, being faint with hunger, she shared. 7'hen after she had bathed and dressed his wounds she established her patient comfortably in the vacant tent. Though it was obvious he still found walking painful, three days of rest restored the Indian to something of his old vitality. The rabbit was finished on the second day, but Natalie went out to gather crawfish, and on her way home was fortunate enough to shoot a partridge. Somehow, now that Johnnie Bill was here, she did not think it so necessary to conserve her ammunition, though as there were two to feed instead of one this struck her as more than a little illogical. ' When the Indian was strong enough for additional assistance in getting about, Natalie used the axe to cut him a crutch from a nearby tree. It was this axe, incidentally, that ultimately was the means of saving the situation. In the afternoon she missed both the Indian and it. While she was looking for him the sound of chopping came from the wood. . Investigation showed Johnnie Bill cutting down a young tree. “What’s the big idea?” she asked as she approached. He greeted her unemotionally as ever, but the expression on his face was intriguing. “Wait,” he said laconically, and went on with his chopping. CHAPTER XXXVn. THE RAFT. By supper he had felled a dozen or more trees, all of which were practically of the same diameter. Afterwards she heard hammering in his tent. Going over she found him breaking up the packing case and carefully removing the nails. The next morning he was in the wood chopping trees again, and carrying the result of his work to the beach. Then came compensation. “Johnnie Bill, you’re making a raft!” she exclaimed. "Finished to-morrow,” he said.

When complete it was adequate to carry them. Rough paddles propelled them to the shallow water under the lee of the farther shore, after which they poled down the coastline to the point where lake and river met. At best the passage was precarious. Fortunately there were no rapids, but many times they were obliged to manhandle the raft from shallows to deep water, worst of all were the reeds that cut off the Grassy River from its tributary. Here it was necessary to land, carry the raft piece by piece to deep water, and there reassemble it. Down the Grassy River progress was more rapid. Natalie calculated that the return journey would take at least twenty-four hours, or with allowances for sleep, two full days. Actually this was an underestimate, for it was not until noon of the third day they passed into the lake wherein was Fourflush Island. And, five minutes after they sighted it they saw, rounding the coastline of one of the nearer islands, and coming directly towards them, a birchbark canoe. (To be continued.)