Part 18 (2/2)

Norman, gazing at the struggling animal, brought the monoplane to the wide drifts of snow.

”You get out and finish him,” he exclaimed as the _Gitchie Manitou_ came to a jolting stop. ”It's getting colder. I'm going to put some alcohol an' glycerine in the radiator. This isn't a very good place to freeze up.”

”Why not wait till we get over to the camp?” asked Roy as he dropped one of the side sections.

”We've got enough of a load now,” answered Norman as he began to prowl around among the extra supplies. ”There isn't much snow among the trees.

We'll take all we can carry of this fresh meat and go to the camp on foot. There's no place to land there, anyway.”

Closing the machine, the two boys soon quartered the moose, and leaving a part of the carca.s.s in the lower limbs of a spruce tree, shouldered the remainder and made their way toward the Indian village. The snow and their heavy load made this a panting task and in the mile walk they paused to rest several times.

When they finally reached the edge of the Indian settlement and broke their way through the last of the trees, they found before them a picture that had escaped them from the airs.h.i.+p. In the distance lay the deserted looking cabins but, nearer by and as if seeking protection among the scrub spruce, rose a single tepee. Before it stood two men and two squaws.

”They must have seen us,” panted Roy, as he and Norman advanced, bending low under their burdens. ”They seem to be watchin' for us.”

In fact, one of the men had his arms outstretched. The cheerless group was made even more so by a small, almost blazeless fire, in the thin smoke of which was suspended a black kettle.

[Ill.u.s.tration: ”They must have seen us,” panted Roy as he and Norman advanced.]

”No wonder they let a moose almost stick his nose in camp,” was Norman's comment. ”The men seem to be as old as Methuselah.”

There was nothing dramatic in the arrival of the boys, for the Indians spoke no English and gave not the least sign of grat.i.tude when the quarters of the moose were thrown on the ground. Both the women sank on their knees and one of them eagerly bit into the raw flesh. After vainly attempting to talk to the men, Norman pointed to a knife in the belt of one of them and then at the freezing flesh on the ground.

While the boys watched them, this aged and emaciated Chipewyan also dropped on his knees and hastily cut off four strips of flesh. Without any attempt at cooking these the starving group attacked them voraciously in their raw condition. After a few moments, the boys took the other quarter and, motioning toward the other cabins, started toward them. They decided, if they found no younger men, to take the two old men back to the monoplane and deliver to them their other provisions.

Having reached the first cabin, the boys at once discovered that Chandler had not overstated the camp condition. Neither in this filthy structure, nor in any but one of the other half dozen did they find anyone but women and children. In each cabin there was heat in plenty, but signs of food were wholly missing. In each place the air was foul, and half-clad children made the situation pitiable. In one fortunate cabin, the children were chewing shreds of skin.

Still unable to find anyone who could speak English, the boys continued their work of rescue by cutting off a generous piece of moose and then continuing their investigation. Having reached the last cabin, which differed in no respect from the others, Norman and Roy came across a surprise that was a shock to them. Swinging open the door, without warning, they entered a chill interior that was reeking with new odors. A small fire burned in one corner and before it, on a pallet of worn and greasy blankets, lay the distorted figure of a man. He was the sole occupant of the almost dark room.

While the boys hesitated, choking with the rancid and stifling odors about them, they saw the figure turn its head with an effort. Then they saw that it was a man of about middle age, who was almost completely paralyzed. He could move neither his legs nor his body, but with the use of his elbows, he was just able to turn the upper part of his body.

He did not resent the intrusion but he did not give the young men the least sign of welcome. In his left hand rested a charred stick. With this he was able to reach the little fire at his side, in front of which was piled a heap of small sticks and branches--his firewood.

The fireplace and chimney, which was also inside the cabin, were made of clay and occupied the corner of the uninviting apartment. Near the fire stood a smoke-begrimed frying pan in which there was a piece of black meat of some kind. On the dirty clay hearth was a tin basin, in which were a few ounces of soiled looking meal or flour.

”The man's paralyzed,” remarked Norman in an undertone. ”But at that he seems better off than the rest.”

”He ain't starvin', at least,” answered Roy. ”But we'd better give him his share of moose.”

He spoke to the man and was surprised to receive a grin in return. It meant that the invalid did not understand. But the moment they offered the meat to the almost-helpless man, they were glad to see that he had the full use of his arms and fingers. Reaching for a knife that lay under him, he began to cut off pieces of fat with celerity. These he ate without cooking.

The close cabin was so crowded with articles of various kinds that the boys could not resist an examination before they took their leave.

”Somebody's been livin' here besides this man,” exclaimed Roy at once. He pointed to the opposite corner of the cabin where there were indications that some one had had a bunk. Then in the other end of the room they found the cause of the heavy odors. Hanging from the rafters were several dozen skins, stretched tightly on trappers' boards, and in various states of curing. There was also a collection of steel traps, a dog sled and a jumbled ma.s.s of dog harness.

Curing skins was not exactly a novelty to either of the boys but they knew a valuable skin from an ordinary one and they could not resist the temptation to look for a possible silver fox. They soon decided that the trapper who might have collected these furs was one of no great experience. Roy pointed to the skins, then made signs to the Indian as if to ask if the skins belonged to him. The man grinned in silence and punched up his little fire. Roy was examining one of the stretched hides when he suddenly called to Norman and pointed to a name written with indelible pencil near the bottom of the board.

”Well, what do you think of that?” exclaimed the astonished Norman.

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