Page:The trail of the golden horn.djvu/284

280 “In hills. Bad white man bring hootch. Injun drink. Tom say ‘stop.’ Injun hit Tom on head. Tom go ’way, die, mebbe.”

“Where are the white men now, Kate?”

“P’lice ketch ’um. Injun bring white man to Gap.”

“Are they here?” Marion eagerly asked. “Have the Police come in?”

“No P’lice come,” the woman replied. “Injun bring white man.”

“Do they know where the Police are?”

“Injun no savvey. Chase Bill, mebbe.”

Although Marion was interested in the coming of the Indians, she was greatly disappointed because the sergeant had not returned. Hugo noticed this, and whispered a few words to the doctor, and together they left the building. They were gone for about an hour, and when they returned they explained where they had been.

“We’ve been interviewing those white men,” the doctor announced, “and a queer story they relate. They told us that they were trading with the natives when two policemen came upon them, seized them and sent them to The Gap under a strong Indian guard. That was their yarn. But we learned from several natives that they were hootch pedlars, and had stirred up a large camp of natives to wild frenzy, and were making things lively. They also cast out Tom, the Indian, when he tried to show them the error of their ways.”

“Did they harm the sergeant and the constable?” Marion anxiously asked.

“Indeed they didn’t,” Hugo replied. “From what we gather those two men struck terror into the hearts of the entire band by their stern and prompt action. How I wish I had been there. Trust Sergeant North