id !
M alemute Kid Leaves the M a in
Question Unanswered
By JACK LONDON
C opyright by Jack^Loodoa
THEN Big Jim Belden ventured
same as so many gardens under the
the apparently innocuous sea. There it was, the anchor ice,
proposition that much Ice dingin’ an’ clusterin’ to ivery rock,
was “ rather pecooliar" he lit after the manner o f the white coral.
tle dreamed o f what It would
“ But the best o f the sight was to
• f f l i i
lead to.
Neither did I.ou come. Just after clearin' the tall o f
¡McFane when he affirmed that
an the riffle the water turns quick the
chor ice was even more so, nor did Bet color o f milk, un' the top o f it In wee
ties as he Instantly disagreed, declar circles, as when the graylin’ rise in the
ing the very existence o f such a form spring or there’s a splatter o f wet
from the sky. 'Tw as the anchor ice
to be a bugaboo.
“ A n ’ ye’d be tellin’ me this,’’ cried cornin’ up. T o the right, to the lift,
Lon, “ after the years ye’v e spint in as fa r as lver a man cud see, the water
the land! A n ’ w e eatin’ out the same was covered with' the same. A n ’ like
so much porridge it was, slickin' along
pot this many’s the day I”
“ But the thing’s agin reason,” in the bark o f the canoe, stickin’ like
sisted Betties.
“ Look you, water’s glue to the paddles. I t ’s many's the
time I shot the selfsame riffle before,
;warmer than ice” —
“ A n ’ little the difference once ye an’ it’s many’s the time after, but niv-
•r a wink o f the same have I seen.
{break through.”
“ Still it’s warmer, because it ain’t T w a s the sight o f a lifetime.”
“ Do tell!" dryly commented Betties.
¡froze. An’ you say it freezes on the
‘*D’ ye think I ’d b'lieve such a yarn?
Ibottom?”
“ Only the anchor Ice, David; only T d rather say the glister o f llght’d
[the anchor ice. A n ’ have ye niver gone to your eyes an’ the snap o f the
drifted along, the water clear as glass, air to your tongue.”
“ ’Tw as me own eyes that beheld U,
iwhin suddln, belike a cloud over the
{sun, the mushy ice comes bubblin’ up an’ if Sitka Charley was here he’d be
■an’ up till from bank to bank an’ bind the lad to back me.”
“ But facts is facts, an’ they ain’t no
[to bind it’s drapin’ the river like a
glttln' round ’em. It ain’t in the na
first snowfall?”
“ Unh hunh, more’n once when I took ture o f things for the water furtberest
la doze at the steerin’ oar. But it alius away from the air to freeze first.”
“ But me own eyes” —
Come out the nighest side channel an’
“ Don’t git het up over it.” admon
mot bubblin' up an’ up.”
“ But with niver a wink at the helm?" ished Betties as the quick Celtic anger
“ No, nor you. It ’s agin reason. I ’ll began to mount.
“ Then yer not after belavin’ me?”
leave it to any man!”
“ Sence you’re so blamed forehanded
Betties appealed to the circle about
Ithe stove, but the fight was on be about it, no. I ’d b’lieve nature first
an’ facts.”
tw een himself and Lon McFane.
“ Is it the lie ye’d be givin’ me?”
“ Reason or no reason, it’s the truth
'I’m tellin’ ye. Last fall a year gone threatened Lon. “ Ye’d better be ask
ftwas Sitka Charley an’ meself saw the in’ that Siwash w ife o f yours. I'll lave
[sight, droppln' down the riffle ye’ll re- it to her, for the truth I spake.”
Betties flared up in sudden wrath.
imember below Fort Reliance. A n ’ reg
ular fall weather it w as—the glint o’ The Irishman had unwittingly wound
Ithe sun on the golden larch an’ the ed him, for his w ife was the half
[quakin' aspens, an’ the glister o f light breed daughter o f a Russian fur trad
on lvery ripple, an’ beyand the winter er, married to him in the Greek mis
an ’ the blue haze o' the north cornin’ sion o f Nulato, a thousand miles or so
down hand in hand. It ’s well ye know down the Yukon, thus being o f much
the same, with • a fringe to the river higher caste than the common Siwash,
lan’ the ice formin’ thick in the eddies, or native, w ife. It was a mere north-
an ’ a snap an’ sparkle to the air, an’ land nuance, which none but the north-
r
a-feelin’ it through all yer blood, land adventurer may understand.
takln’ new lease o f life with ivery
“ I reckon you kin take it that way,”
ick o f it. ’T is then, me boy, the was his deliberate affirmation.
w orld grows small an’ the wandther-
The next Instant Lon McFane had
ilust lays ye by the heels.
stretched him on the floor, the circle
“ But it’s meself as wandthers. As I was broken up, and half a dozen men
(was sayin’, we a-paddlin', with niver had stepped between.
¡a sign of ice, barrin’ that by the cd-
Betties came to his feet, wiping the
[dies, when the Injin lifts his paddle t blood from his mouth. “ It hain’t new,
|an’ sings out; ‘Lon McFane. look ye this takln- an- payin’ o f blows, an’
ibelow! So have I heard, but niver don’t you never think that this w ill be
{thought to see!’ As ye know, Sitka squared”
¡Charley, like meself, niver drew first
,.An. nlver ^ me !Ife dld x teke the
[breath ^n the land. So the sight w-as jje f rom mortal man,” was the retort
» e w . Then we drifted, with a head courteous. “ An’ it ’s an avil day I ’ll
» v e r ayther side, peerin’ down through not be to hand waitin’ an’ w illin’ to
|the sparkly water, fo r the world like help ye lift yer debts, berrin’ no man
[the days I spint with the pearlers, ner o f way.”
IWatchln' the coral banks a-growln' the
“ Still got that 38-56?*’
K
y
iV
The Next Instant Lon McFane Stretched Him on the Fleer.
■ ■
i
The Men of Forty Mile
V
l.im nodded.
sto!cd priest in their midst gave to the j
“ But you’d better git a more likely function the solemn aspect o f a funeral. !
eg Miter. Mine’ll rip holes through you It was a warm winter’s day for Forty :
the size o f walnuts.”
Mil«-—a day
which the sky, filled
"N iver fear. It ’s me own slugs smell with heaviness, drew closer to the * 1
their way with soft noses, an' they’ll earth, and the mercury sought the un- j
. **«. j *
spread like flapjacks against the com- wonted level o f 20 below. But there
S 4
j in’ out beyand. An’ when’ll I have the was no cheer In the warmth. There
pleasure of waitin' on ye? The water was little air in the upper strata, and
j hole's a strikin’ locality.”
the clouds bung motionless, giving sul- !
“ 'Tain’t bad. Jest be there in an len promise o f an early snowfall. And
hour, an' you won't set long on my the earth, unresponsive, made no prep
| cornin’.”
m
r
aration, content in its hibernation.
Both men mitteued and left the post,
When the water hole was reached
their ears closed to the remonstrances Betties, having evidently reviewed the
! o f their comrades. It was such a little quarrel during the silent walk, burst
thing, yet with such men little things, out in a final “ ’T w a ’n’t called for,”
nourished by quick tempers and stub while Lon McFane kept grim silence.
born natures, soon blossomed into big Indignation so choked him that be
things. Besides, the art o f burning to could not speak.
bedrock still lay in the womb of the
Yet deep down, whenever their own
future, and the men o f Forty Mile, wrongs were not uppermost, both men
; shut in by the long arctic winter, grew wondered at their comrades. They
| high stomached with overeating and had expected opposition, and this tacit
! enforced idleness and became as irrita acquiescence hurt them.
It seemed [
ble as do the bees in the fall o f the more was due them from the men they
: year when the hives are overstocked had been so close with, and they felt •
with honey.
a vague sense of wrrong, rebelling at |
There was no law in the land. The the thought o f so many o f their broth
mounted police was also a thing of the ers coming out, as on a gala occasion,
future. Each man measured an o f w’ithout one word o f protest, to see
fense and meted out the punishment. them shoot each other down. It ap- j
Inasmuch as it affected himself. Rare peared their worth had diminished in 1
ly had combined action been necessary, the eyes o f the community. The pro
and never in all the dreary history o f ceedings puzzled them.
the camp had the eighth article o f the
“ Back to back, David. A n ’ w ill i t ;
Decalogue been violated.
be fifty paces to the man or double
Big Jim Belden called an impromptu the quantity?”
meeting. Scruff Mackenzie was placed
“ Fifty,” was the sanguinary reply,
as temporary chairman and a messen granted out, yet sharply cut.
ger dispatched to solicit Father Rou-
But the new manila, not prominent
beau’s good offices. Their position was ly displayed, but casually colled about
paradoxical, and they knew i t By the Malemute Kid's arm, caught the quick
right o f might could they interfere to eye o f the Irishman and thrilled him
prevent the duel, yet such action, while with a suspicious fear.
in direct line with their wishes, went
“ An* what are ye doin’ with the
counter to their opinions. While their rope?”
rough hewn, obsolete ethics recognized
“ Hurry up!” Malemute K id glanced
the individual prerogative o f wiping at his watch. “ I ’ve a batch o f bread in
out blow with blow, they could not the cabin, and I don't want it to fall.
bear to think o f tw o good comrades Besides, my feet are getting cold.”
such as Betties and McFane meeting
The rest o f the men manifested their
in deadly battle. Deeming the man impatience in various suggestive ways.
who would not fight on provocation a
“ But the rope, Kid? It ’s bran’ new,
dastard, when brought to the test it an’ sure yer bread's not that heavy it
seemed wrong that he should fight
needs raisin’ with the like o f that?”
But a scurry o f moccasins and loud
Betties by this time had faced around.
cries, rounded off with a pistol shot, Father Roubeau, the humor o f the sit
interrupted the discussion. Then the uation just dawning on him, hid a
storm doors opened and Malemute K id smile behind his mittened hand.
entered, a smoking Cplt's in his hand
“ No, Lon; this rope was made fo r a
To o k a Flying Shot at Yellow Fang.
and a merry light -in his eye.
man.” Malemute K id could be very
" I got him." H e replaced the empty impressive on occasion.
men o f Forty Mile. The sky drew still fled. The Indian boy had tripped and
shell and added. “ Your dog, Scruff.”
“ What man?” Betties was becom closer, sending down a crystal flight fallen. Betties stopped long enough ta
“ Yellow Fang?” Mackenzie asked.
ing aware o f a personal interest.
o f frost—little geometric designs, per grip him by the slack o f his furs, then
“ No; the lop eared one.”
“ The other man.”
fect, evanescent as a breath, yet des headed for a pile o f cordwood already
“ The devil! Nothing the matter w ith
tined to exist till the returning sun occupied by a number of his comrades.
him.”
had covered half its northern Journey. Yellow Fang, doubling after one o f the
“ Come out and take a look.”
Both men had led forlorn hopes in dogs, came leaping back. The fleeing
’T h a t’s all right, after all. Guess
their time—led with a curse or a Jest animal, free o f the rabies, but crazed
he’s got ’em too. Yellow Fang came
on their tongues and In their souls an with fright, whipped Betties off hia
back this morning and took a chunk
unswerving faith in the God o f chance. feet and flashed on up the street
out o f him and came near to making
But that merciful deity had been shut Malemute K id took a flying shot at
a widower o f me. Made a rush for
out from the present deal. They stud Y ellow Fang. The mad dog whirled a
Zarinska, but she whisked her skirts
ied the face o f Malemute Kid, but they h alf air spring, came down on bis back,
in his face and escaped with the loss
studied as one might the sphinx. As then, with a single leap, covered half
o f the same and a good roll in the
the quiet minutes passed a feeling that the distance between himself and Bet
snow. Then lie took to the woods
speech was Incumbent on them began ties.
again.
Hope he don’t come back.
to grow. A t last the howl o f a w olf
But the fatal spring was intercepted.
Lost any yourself?”
dog cricked the silence from the di Lon McFane leaped from the woodpile,
“ One, the best one o f the pack—Shoo-
rection o f Forty Mile. The weird sound countering him in midair. Over they
kum.
Started amuck this morning,
swelled with all the pathos o f a break rolled, Lon holding him by the throat
but didn’t get very far. Ran foul o f
ing heart, then died away in a long at arm’s length, blinking under the
Sitka Charley’s team, and they scat
drawn sob.
fetid slaver which sprayed his face.
tered him all over the street. And now
“ Well, I ’ll be danged!” Betties turn Then Betties, revolver in hand and
two o f them are loose and raging mad.
ed up the collar o f his mackinaw Jack coolly waiting a chance, settled the
So you see he got his work in. The
et and stared about him helplessly.
combat.
dog census w ill be small in the spring
“
It
’s
a
gloryus
game
yer
rannin’,
" ’Twas a square game, K id,” Lon
if we don’t do something.”
K id,” cried Lon McFane—“ all the per remarked, rising to bis feet and shak
“ And the man census too.”
centage to the house an’ niver a bit to ing the snow from out his sleeves,
“ H ow ’s that?
Whose in trouble
the man that’s buckin’ ! The devil “ with a fair percentage to meself that
now ?”
himself
’d niver tackle such a cinch, bucked it.”
“ Oh, Betties and Lon McFane had
and d---- i f I do!”
That night while Lon McFane sought
an argument, and they’ll be down by
There were cnuckles, throttled in the forgiving arms o f the church, in the
the water hole in & fe w minutes to
gurgling throats, and winks brushed direction o f Father Roubeau’s cabin,
settle it.”
away the frost which rimmed the eye Malemute K id and Scruff Mackenzie
The incident was repeated fo r his
lashes as the men climbed the ice talked long to little purpose.
benefit, and Malemute Kid, accustom
“ But would you,” persisted Macken
notched bank and started across the
ed to an obedience which his fellow
street to the post. But the long howl zie, “ supposing they had fought?”
men nevefr failed to render, took charge
had drawn nearer, Invested with a new
"H a ve I ever broken my word?”
o f the affair. His quickly formulated
note o f menace. A woman screamed
"No, but that Isn’t the point An
plan was explained, and they prom
round the corner. There was a cry o f swer the question. Would you?”
ised to follow his lead implicitly.
“ Here he comes!” Then an Indian
Malemute
K id
straightened
up.
“ So you see,” he concluded, “ w e do
boy, at the head o f half a dozen fright "Scruff, I’ve been asking m yself that
not actually take aw ay their privilege
ened dogs, racing with death, dashed question ever since, and” —
o f fighting. And yet I don’t believe
into the crowd, and behind came Y el
“ W ell?”
“ W e'll Establish a Precedent“
they'll fight when they see the beauty
low Fang, a bristle of hair and a flash
“ Well, as yet I haven’t found the an-
o f the scheme. L ife ’s a game and men
“ A n ’ which is the one ye’d mane by o f gray. Everybody but the Yankee swer.
the gamblers. Th ey’ll stake their whole
pile on the one chance in a thousand. that?”
“ Listen, Lon, and you, too, Betties.
Take away that one chance and they
W e’ve been talking this trouble of
won’t play.”
TELLS OF THE CATASTROPHE el’s hair brush. Then I painted those
lips in a way that no man’s lips were
H e turned to the man in charge yours over, and we’ve come to one
W e know w e have no
o f the post. “ Storekeeper, weigh out conclusion.
Reformed
Druggist Explains H ow ever painted before. I Just dabbed the
right to stop your fighting’’—
collodion on by the spoonful. Pretty
three fathoms of your best half inch
Customer's Head W as Blown Off
"True fo r ye, me lad!”
son I hud them all fixed out, and th"Q
manila.”
When Gun Cotton Exploded.
—"and w e’re not going to, but this
the accident occurred. H oly Modest
“ W e’ll establish a precedent which
much w e can do and shall do—make
The Reformed Druggist was talking what un accident that was. Why, the
Will last the men o f Forty Mile to the
this the only duel In the history of
to the Man With the Cracked Lip. man's head was just blown clear ait
end o f time,” he prophesied. Then ho
Forty Mile, set p d example for every
“ Now, collodion,” he said, relutes a his shoulders and instead o f getting a
coiled the rope about his arm and led
cbe-cha-qua that comes up or down
writer, “ collodion is Just the thing to half-dollar for my job I was out It)
his followers out o f doors, Just in time
the Yukon. The man who escapes
put on that lip o f yours. It Is a great cents for telephoning for the uinbulauca
to meet the principals.
killing shall be hanged to the nearest
thing to promote the growth of new to come and tuke him away.”
“ What danged right'd he to fetch
tree. Now, go ahead!”
“ I don't think I catch the d rift o f
my w ife in?” thundered Betties to
skin. Just brush thut Up with collo
Lon smiled dubiously; then his face
the soothing overtures o f a friend.
dion, and it will be well In no time. your remarks,” said the Man W ith
lighted up. “ Pace her off, David—fifty
“ ’T w a ’n’t called for,” he concluded de
But,” he continued warnlngly, “ you the Cracked Lip. “ Did I understand
paces—wheel an’ niver a cease firin’
you to say that the man’s head was
cisively. “ 'T w a'n 't called for," he re
till a lad’s down for good. Tis their ' want to be very careful. One o f the
blown off?”
iterated again and again, pacing up
hearts ’ll niver let them do the deed, worst ac?<*e“ t8 *
®nw wo* the dl‘
and down and waiting for Lon Mc
“ You did,” replied the Reformed
an’ it’s w ell ye should know it for a re^ . re*“ lt
c" n" dl0" ’ ,
,
lt
Fane.
true Yankee bluff ”
The Man W lth thp Cr“ cked Lip shlv- Druggist. “ His head was blown clean
And Lon McFane—his face was hot
H e started off with a pleased grin on ere,i apprehensively. “ H ow was that?” from his shoulders.”
“ But how; did he have a dynamite
and tongue rapid as he flaunted in his face, but Malemute K id halted him. ^e asked
cartridge
in his mouth or something o f
surrection In the face o f the church.
The
Reformed
Druggist
lighted
a
“ Lon, it’s a long while since you first
‘Then, father,” he cried, “ it’s with an knew me.”
fresh cigar and stuck his feet upon the that kind?”
aisy heart I ’ll roll in me flamy blank
"Ob, no." The Reformed Druggist
radiator. “ Yes,” he continued, reflec
“ Many’s the day.”
ets, the broad o f me back on a bed of
tively, "that was u bad accident, and laughed a bit. "You remember I said
“ And you, Betties?”
coals. N iver shall it be said Lon Mc
the worst o f the whole thing was that thut he had protuberant teeth and that
“ F ive year next June high water.“
Fane took a lie 'tw txt the teeth with
I also said I put a great deal o f collo
“ And have you once in all that time I was responsible fo r lt In a way.”
out lver liftin' a hand! A n ’ I ’ll not known me to break my word or beard
“ But what was it?” Insisted the Man dion on his lips? Well, collodion is
ask a blessln’. The years have been o f me breaking it?"
made o f gun-cotton and ether, and
W ith the Cracked Lip.
wild, but it's the heart was in the
“ It was just like this: One day be when It got in the sore he kinder
Both men shook their beads, striving
right place.”
fore I reformed and while I was keep brought his teeth together with a snap.
to fathom what lay beyond.
“ But It's not the heart, Lon,” inter
“ W ell, then, what do you think o f a ing a drag store, a man came into the Some way or other those teeth struck
posed Father Roubeau; “ It's pride that promise made by me?”
store with the worst pair o f lips I a spark, that set off the gun-cotton,
bids you forth to slay your fellow
“ As good as your bond,” from Bet ever saw. Why, that fissure in that lip and there was a big report and the
man. "
o f yours wasn't a mark to the gully that man’s head was blown Into bits.”
ties.
“ Yer Frinch,” Lon replied, and then,
The Man With the Chapped Lip sat
“T h e thing to 'safely sling yer hopes was in his lower lip. I saw in a min
turning to leave him, “ An' w ill ye say o f heaven by,” promptly indorsed Lon ute that he must be suffering a good fo r a moment in silence. Then he suld,
a mass If the luck is against me?”
deal. H e was a great, big man, and s lo w ly : " I don't wonder that you got
McFane.
But the priest smiled, thrust his moc-
“ Listen. I, Malemute Kid, give yon his teeth were rather protuberant. I out o f the drag business. Your proper
caslned feet to the fore and went out my word—and you know what that asked him if he wanted something for place is press agent for a fishing
upon the white breast o f the silent means—that the man who is not shot those lips, and he told me that I bad club.”
river. A packed trail the width o f a stretches rope within ten minutes aft guessed rig h t Then I told him Just
sixteen Inch sled led out to the water er the shooting." He stepped back as what I have been telling you. I ex
Canadian press statements report
bole. On either side lay the deep, soft Pilate might have done after washing plained to him the action o f collodion, the acquisition by American Interests
snow. The men trod in single file bis hands
and he told me to put some on his llpe. o f copper-bearing lands in New Bruns
without conversation, and the black ; ▲ pause and a silence came over tbs I got the bottle and picked out a cam
wick.
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r
öfters
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