THE LADY OF NORTH STAR

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12711, 5 August 1919, Page 8

THE LADY OF NORTH STAR

By OTTWELL SINKS.

CHAPTER. XXI. Continued

As she gave the warning, Mias La barge lifted a hand, in signal for silence, and bent forward* in a listening 'attitude. The other two listened too, but ■ lieard/nothing save the splutter and hiss of the logs on the fire. '‘ AYhat is it?" whispered Bracknell.

” Someone walked round the cabin. -1 heard him quite plainly. Ah—- ‘ ffigain." They’listened. Crunch! crunch! came the sound of footsteps in the frozen snow outside. All round the cabin the steps. passed, slowly, .as if someone .making an inspection, and whilst fh'sy Mill sat listening, the steps recoded and passed cut of earshot." They looked at one another and Bracknell w&.fthe first to break the silenceAA pretty cool customer, whoever he ‘is | He was spying out the land.” J“*i 7 es ! M answered Miss La Fargo in ■ arhalf whisper.

“vT wonder what he will do?” said

•“■Nothing, if he is wise,” answered .bracknell slowly. Hawing walked

round lie’ll liave made the discovery that We keep our wood at the rear of the cabin, and he’ll easily guess that we have no great stock inside. He has onlyto wait until the necessity for replenishing the stock arrives, and then he can get one of us at any rate. . . . He’ll know we have no dogs, and that w«? are tied to the cabin ”

“But are wef’ ‘ interjected Joy. “Well, ‘the open trail without dogs is a risk that few men would care to undertake. I’ve been at it on one or two occasions, carrying my own stores, and it’s not a course to be recommended. ..The trail—

But we’ve very few stores to pack!” said Joy obstinately, “and if we stay here we shall he driven out by hunger. Do you know of any tribe of Indians in the neighbourhood'?” Bracknell nodded. “There’s an encampment tliirtv or forty miles to the north on the Wolverine. Joe was talking to me about them the other day. and wo considered once over whether we’d pay them a call or not. In the end wo decided against it.” “Why?”

“Well,” was the reply, “ they’re i rather a pagan lot. and not overscrupulous. Joe was telling me that- in times of scarcity they sometimes offer sacrifices—-”

“ Sacrifices 1 What kind of sacrifices?”

- j man- There are some queer things done i\orth of the Barrier, 1 can tell yon. ihe tyorld up hero is stili primitive I world, and the police patrol up the 1 MacKenzie to Herschell Island can’t I possibly take note of anything that doesu t come right under its nose.”

“But the Indians cannot possibly he worse than Adrian Raynor!”

“No!” Bracknell laughed hoarsely- “ He’s a tiger, for certain. Though I will own he didn’t look it when lie was here the other day.” He was silent for a moment, then he said slowly, “Of course if wo decide to leave the cabin and if we go North, we may stumble on my Cousin Roger. . It’s only, a chance, but ” He. broke, off again,, and looked at Joy as if wondering how she would take the suggestion, then added, “Well, we .might .take it. if we can manage to get away from here. What do vou think?” Joy hesitated. Her face, flushed a little, then, she said quietly, “I pin; myself in your bands.” “Thank yon. 1 am—-—” A fit of coughing broke in on his speech, and when it, had passed he did not, attempt to complete his sentence, but as his eyes from time, to time fell on her there was a. soft glow in them, which revealed an unspoken gratitude'. They sat for a Jong time discussing tlie desperate situation, and late in the afternoon prepared for departure. Such food as the cabin held was made up in three packs, and when that was done, and all was ready, they vested, waiting for the hour of departure, Joy reflecting on the strange irony of circumstance.-, which now made her dependent for help on the man who had so wronged her, and of. whom.she had lived m feat.

All was quiet outside and Babotte was ottering a tentative suggestion that perhaps alter all the enemy outside had withdrawn, then• again thjpy caught the crunch! crunch ! of cautious feet on the frozen .snow, and as all three grew

alert, they heard the steps pause hy the door, and the next moment there was.a rustling sound on the rough woodTvork.

Somebody feeling for the latchstring," whispered Bracknell, then he nailed the intruder, as the latter liavfound the string thrust a heavy shoulder against the barred door. ‘Hallo! Who goes there?” To this challenge there was no replv, but a second or two later they again heard the steps receding across the snow.

‘'.Came to make sure we wer© still here/ - ’ commented Bracknell in a low voice, “ and whoever lie was he has made a bee lino from tho door. That means that the cam]} they’re sitting in is someu l6l - 6 front j and in all probabilitv they ve forgotten the window at the back, -or as it’s blocked with enow haven’t notioedit. We shall be able to quit that way.” They waited a little time longer, and then removed the moose hide from the window and very cautiously began to cut away the snow with which it had been blocked. That done they listened. £o sound whatever was to be heardBracknell put out his head and peered • *i_ 19 darkness. There was nothinrr visible save the foreground bf enow and the shadowy background of the forest. He climbed out, and very cautiously crept to the corner of the cabin to reconnoitre. ■ In .the. shadow Of the trees on the other side of’ the. creek lie caught the glow of a fire and discerned three men sitting round it. At that sight he crept hack, and, whisper--InSnS to the two girls to he very careful, ■assisted them out of .the narrow window. Then without pausing they stole quietly- across to the - shadow of the sheltering woods.

CHAPTER XXII. isibou, there is some one coming up the trail!” As he sp’oke to his native companion, Corporal. Bracknell pointed down the river. The Indian paused m the very midst of what ho was doing, and looked in : , the direction indicated, then lie nodded, and in his bwn speech replied— ‘ ~ Tes, one man and a dog-team.” I. wonder if by any chance it can be tiie man we are looking for, the man wno was with you when the trail was destroyed before Rolf Gargrave.’’ ■“■■\Vho_can-say?” answered the Indian. He has been long on the trail. He inarches wearily.” • -It will be as well to take no chances. If he sees our. hre he is almost certain to make for it, and if wo nt ie treus il - httle wav wo shall be able to inspect him before he s®®? bs- Then if he is our man- ” -n-m + t l fil get hini? Tes! And we twil take bun down to the Great White Olnet at Regina, who will hang him i ’. s Sood. See. he has seen the fire’ he m tnriimg-unwurd. tb this bank.” then wo will withdraw.” Corporal Bracknell stretched a hand for his rifle, and together they retreated to the undergrowth' behind their camp, where, crouching low.’ thev watched the advent of. the stranger • As .the newcomer’s dogs moved diorewards they began to yeln, and their own dogs, leaping up, , gave tongue menacingly. The driver of the tcani hmvever moved in front, and as one ot the .huskies .flung himself upon the harnessed dogs, brought, the stock of his whip down so smartlv on it, that yelping agony, it retreated.: The rest <ol . the corporal’s ,t3k>gs.. undeterred sfrfng forward, and'for a moment the nev comer was the centre of a huddled tangle oE snarling- and-‘vetoing do-s He laid about him valiantly with Ins clubbed whip, but the brutes,were too much for him, and at last he cried aloud for help. At the cry.Sibou rose suddenly to bis feet.

not white man." no said He Indian!”

Thus assured, Bracknell and he ran to help the new-comer, and within two minutes the tangle of dogs'was separated, and the three men found, time to look at each other. As the stranger’* eyes fell on the corporal, be gave a sudden cry of joy and relief, and ran to him.

You know me ! 1 come from .North

I Jim, Miss Hargrave’s maul iiie corporal looked at Km and then recognised him- ‘ Fes,” he said, “ I know you. You ar ®. Ge'orge’s son. What ” - j was interrupted by a stream of words, half incoherent, naif intelligible, which, as it flowed on made his face go very white. Ho listened oarefully, trying to get a clear idea of the story which the lud was telling him, and as it ended he nodded' “I think I understand what you arc trying to tell me, Jim. Some one has killed your father. Some one fired a gun at you, and you are afraid for your mistress and Miss La Fargo and you want me to help. That is so? Very good! We are .just about to have supper and you will join us., We will eat first-, and afterwards talk. I have no doubt you are very ..impatient, but your dogs are fagged and so are mine. It is impossible to travel until they are rested- Feed your dogs and come along.” Himself the prey of. consuming anxiety, he helped to prepare the evening meal, forced himself to eat. and not until he had Ijt his pipe did he refer to the story which the. Indian lad had told him so incoherently. “Now, Jim,” lie said, “let us get at the facts if we .can. , Yon say that vour mistress and Miss La Fargo are Inere in the North, and that they are on trail?’ “ Tea, sir!” “But I thought they were in England?”

“They returned suddenly, fourteen days ago!” “ But what were they doing oh trail, so far from home, with the spring coraing?” “I do not know clearly. But they were looking for you. They had news for you, More than that was not told my father.” And you say that Tester morning n. strange Indian came to your camp with a message from a white man?”

“Yes. The white man was sick. He desired to talk with Miss Gargravo; so whilst we—my father and 1 struck camp, Miss La- Fargc and roy mistress went to the cabin which wa« on a creek— —” “Ah!” interrupted the corporal. “ Was it on tho left bank?” “Yes' The left bank. The word was that we should pack and bring the dogs and the sled to the mouth of the creek there to wait for Miss Gargrave. We did so, and were standing, stamping our feet for warmth, when ray father gave a. cry like that of a man whom death strikes and fell into the snow. I was a little way from him, and ran towards him- As I reached, him bis spirit passed, and looking down I saw that he had been struck with an arrow.”

“ Indians 1” ejaculated the corporal. "I cannot tell. I looked abort and I saw three men in the shadow of the wood. Their face? were hidden from me, and I could not see them clearly. On© carried' a rifle which he fired at rne. Our rifles, mine and that of my father, were lashed on the sled and I was helpless?” “What did you do?’ asked the corporal. (To be continued.)