The Flaming Forest

arrigan saw the dark face of Bateese, the half-breed. One after another he lighted the four lamps. Not until he had finished did he turn toward the bed. It was then that David had his first go

OIR, he looked more than ever like a pirate and a cutthroat to David. Such a man, he thought, might make play out of

, dead lak ze feesh I bring you, m'sieu. That ees wan beeg mistake. Bateese say, 'Tie ze stone roun' hees neck an' mak' heem wan ANGE DE MER. Chuck heem in ze r

the table beside Carrigan and proceeded to lay out before him the boiled fish which

se of ze fever. Bateese say, 'Stuff

e me dead. Is t

o longer grinning. He stood back and pointed at the food. "Yo

ran fresh water into the flower vases, picked up half a dozen scattered magazines, and then, to David's increasing interest, produced a dust-cloth from somewhere and began to dust. David finished his fish, the one slice of bread, and h

ociously with the cloth in his great han

was just thinking what a handsome chambermaid you

ore of Concombre Bateese. An' zat ees me. See! Wit' these two hands I have choke' ze polar bear to deat'. I am strongest man w'at ees in all nort' countree. I pack four hundre' pound ovair portage. I crac

ear

ze rock.' But MA BELLE Jeanne, she say, 'No, Bateese, he ees meestake for oder man, an' we mus' let heem live.' An' then she tell me to come an' bring you feesh, an' tell you w'at is goin' happen if you try go away from thees bateau. You COMPREN'? If you try run away, Bateese ee

d had no fear. He wanted to laugh, but he knew laughter would be the deadliest of insults to Bateese just now. He remembered that the half-breed, fierce as a pirate, had a touch as gentle as a woman's. This man, who could choke an ox with his monstrous hands, had a moment before petted a cat, straightened out rugs, watered the wom

ays that I am to make no effort to leave this bateau-that I am

lie, m'sieu? Concombre Bateese, who choke ze w'it

But I am wondering why she didn'

an' hard, lak you choke ze w'ite bear an' lak you pull down ze tree, so he mak' no meestake an' try get away.' An' she tell zat before all ze

rd that I won't try to escape-not until you and I have a good stand-up

then his face broke into a wide

scrap with a go

d slowly over the table and engulf

ve me zat fight, w'

ie a stone around my neck a

ze rivers ees no man w'at can whip Concombre Bateese!" Suddenly

me, Bateese. Right now I want to get up.

so-so-an' turn ze brain seek. I t'i

will he

e was a trifle unsteady for a moment. Then, with the half-breed close at his side, ready to catch him if his legs gave

mp?" he

, m'

ved from th

days down

ot camping over

laugh an' ZE CHANSONS. She say it disturb, an' zat it mak you worse wit' ze fever. She ees mak you lak de baby, Bateese say to her. But she on'y lau

eese. Where is St. Pierre,

ulders. "Mebby week, meb

an ol

. Pierre," he warned. "No mans talk 'bout St. Pierre. Only wan-MA BELLE Jeanne. You ask h

grunted David, walking slowly back to his bed. "Will you bring

David could not keep himself from chuckling at this feminine ingeniousness of the powerful half-breed. Once in the crush of those gorilla-like arms t

ny once more, is ee

hen we fight? But it isn't going to happen. I fight with my fists, and I'm go

ak w'ite bear, I t'row you ovair my should'r, I mash you lak leetle str

He pointed down at the bed. "I'm driving HER from that," he s

'sieu," growled Bateese

rrigan or speak to him again. When he Went out, David heard the click of a lock in the door. Bateese had not exagg

n spite of what physical effort he had made, his head did not hurt him, and his mind was keenly alive. He returned to the window through which he could see the fires on the western shore, and found no difficulty in opening it. A strong screen netting kept him from thrusting out his head and shoulders. Through it came the cool nigh

nd turned at least a third of the cabin into the privacy of the woman's bedroom. With growing uneasiness David saw the evidences that this had been her sleeping apartment. At each side of the piano was a small door, and he opened one of these just enough to discover that it was a wardrobe closet. A third doo

ing which he could not see or touch and yet which made his heart beat faster and the blood come into his face. It drew him, triumphed over him, dragged his hand forth until his fingers closed upon a lacy, crumpled bit of a handkerchief that lay on the edge of the piano keys. It was the woman's handkerchief, and like a thief he raised it slowly. It smelled faintly of crushed vi

the streaming flashes of electrical fire that blazoned the advance of the storm. The camp-fires across the river were dying down. One of them went out as he looked at it, and he stared into the darkness as if trying to pierce distance and gloom to see what sort of a shelter it was that S

rm. He closed the window to keep the rain out, and after that stood with his face flattened against the glass, staring over the river. The camp-fires were all gone now, blotted out like so many candles snuffed between thumb and forefinger, and he shuddered. No canvas ever made would keep that deluge out. And now there was growing up a wind with it. The tents on the other side would be be

him or challenge him to a fight right there. He beat against it, first with one fist and then with both. He

othes. In thirty seconds he had his pipe and tobacco. After that for half an hour he paced up and down the

aces. St. Pierre's wife had certainly had a good soaking. And in a way the whole thing was a bit funny. He was thinking now of a poor little golden-plumaged partridge, soaked to the skin, with its tail-feathers dragging pathetically. Grinning, he told himself that it was an insult to think of her and a half-drowned partridge in the same breath. But the simile still remained, and he chuckled. Probably she was wringing out her clothes now, and the men

ment when the rain ceased entirely. Then he slept. At least he must have been very close to sleep, or had been asleep and was returning for a moment close to consciousness, when he heard a voice. It came several times before he was roused enough to realize that it was

ce had cried out in the darkness the words which twice before had beat themselves mysteriously into

tened for the sound of another bre