XXII
PICKING UP CLUES
"Make your mind easy on that score, Uncle Jimmy," Perk went on to say ashe bent over the wounded man, "we'll get up to the river post and my ol'haunts in a rush, pullin' out inside the hour an' either fetch thedoctor back with us in the ship or on hossback, all that dependin' onhow things happen to be with Colonel Ascot, who I understand is still incharge o' the Mounties."
Perk gave his mate a questioning glance as he said this, and was pleasedto see Jack nod in the affirmative, as though thus putting the seal ofhis approval to the plan as given by his assistant.
"An' now, ol' friend," Perk continued in a soothing fashion, for he knewthe Scotch nature of the other and could understand how the McGregormust be inwardly fuming concerning the robbery that had taken place andthe losses to the great fur company of which he was an old and efficientofficial, "'fore we pull outen here you must let my boss take a look atthem cuts an' bruises. It happens he's a fair surgeon--amatoor one, Imean--an' could fix you up to carry on till the reg'lar doc gets here.How 'bout that, Jack?"
If either the factor or the ancient trapper noticed the rather oddfamiliarity existing between Perk and his supposedly wealthy employer,it did not strike them as strange--away up in this jumping-off place, asfar as civilization was concerned, men were more or less equals, beingjudged more from what their accomplishments might be than from theirmoney and besides, they doubtless remembered that Perk had always been asort of free and easy independent fellow when with the Mounties.
"That's just about what we aim to do, Perk," Jack immediately told theother. "I don't claim to be much of a surgeon, but if there's anything Ican do to stop the bleeding, or bind up the cuts, I'll be only too gladto lend a helping hand, Mr. McGregor."
He was as good as his word for inside of five minutes Jack had strippedoff his coat, rolled up his shirt sleeves and commenced to examine theinjuries suffered by the determined old factor when he dared take hislife in his hands and try to defend the property of his employers.
It turned out that there were some pretty bad cuts and it was a wonderno fatal blows had been given for there could be little doubt that theaggressors shot and stabbed in a most reckless fashion. But evidentlythe factor's luck held good and Jack did not feel as though there wasmuch danger of a fatal ending to the affair, providing no bloodpoisoning set in.
He called for warm water and clean cotton, which, being provided, hestarted to cleanse the wounds and apply some healing salve. Soconfidently did he work that the quaint looking old trapper, Birdseye,watching everything with wonder, might have been seen to nod his shaggymane approvingly as though in his private opinion the young fellow wassome surgeon indeed.
As he thus worked Jack entered into conversation with the factor, havingtwo good reasons for doing so. He wished to distract the attention ofhis patient from himself and also to extract as much information aspossible covering the recent raid. A description of the miscreants wasgiven and especially of their savage leader known as the Hawk because ofhis faculty for striking a swift blow in one place and being heard of inanother in such a short time as to make people believe he could fly likethe speedy bird of prey.
"As far as I could say," Old Jimmy told him in answer to a question,"he's along about thirty years old, a shortish sort o' a man, quick as aflash in his movements and with eyes that bore in like a gimlet might.He's had his nose broken at some time or other, which gives him a bit o'a look like an eagle or a hawk. It may be he got his present name fromthat. But he's a devil, I'm thinking and ready to do anything, law or nolaw when he smells rich booty in the game."
Jack gave Perk a knowing look accompanied by a wink for thatdescription, brief though it might be, coincided with what had been inthe secret information sent by his chief at Washington--the broken nosestamped it as a positive thing that the man he wanted was close at hand,engaged in his same old line of business, that of a hold-up man, robberof banks and payroll bandit with a record for masterly exploits secondto none.
So too with regard to the sudden surprise and attack--it seemed asthough the marauders must have had accurate information as to when thetrading post would prove to be a rich prize and also weakly defended.
"They had their plans a' set, I am fain to believe," the factor told himas though he had somehow figured this out during the time he lay thereon his cot, "for ye ken it is only a few days now when the customarySpring clean-up o' the posts come to pass so they would know we had richpickings on hand. They lookit over the whole o' the bales an' picked outa' the high-priced pelts like they might be connoiseurs in that line,for I recognised two former trappers in the gang--Squatty Bings an'Welchy, as tough an' hard drinkin' lads as ever lived."
"I've been told they left here just about three hours back--is thatcorrect, Mr. McGregor?" asked Jack, wishing to make certain, for a greatdeal might depend on the question of elapsed time.
"I am no so sure, for I have not looked at my watch since being carriedin the house," the factor informed him, "but Birdseye here would know,for he and the others were being herded in a bunch and kept underseveral guns. That was after I had been so badly mauled and lay helplesson the ground outside. They were in no great hurry--took their time,feasted on a' the food they could stow away--did a lot more up inbundles and wi' the choice pelts as well as a stock o' ammunition,finally pulled out, leaving the few men next to helpless since theirguns had been carried awa'."
Taken in all, with a little imagination thrown in for good measure, Jackcould picture the stirring happening as the outlaws, having accomplishedall they planned to do, pulled up stakes and with jeering shouts as wellas waving their hats defiantly, left the scene of their daring foray.
"They certainly had their inning," he observed as he finished his fairlydecent surgical work and rose to his feet, "but I've an idea they're duefor a little surprise before long when the tables may be turned. I cameup here to hunt big game and if it happens to run on two legs, why,what's the odds? A lot depends on how the colonel of the Mountieshappens to figure when he learns what's been going on around here--howthese scoundrels are snapping their fingers and saying to the devil withthe Mounties, whose glory has departed. I'm wondering just how it comesthe Hawk and his crowd have been able to stave off arrest this long andif the reputation of your famous Northwest Police force has indeed beeneclipsed."
"Don't you b'lieve that for a second, Jack!" cried the aroused Perk,jealous concerning the fame of the organization of which he used to be aproud member, "chances are they've been after this bunch right along an'even now may be settin' plans to net the hull gang--how 'bout that,Uncle Jimmy?"
"There have been a number of fierce fights within the past year betweenColonel Ascot's troopers and the Hawk's gang--indeed, two of theMounties have lost the number of their mess and three others had to besent to the hospital at Winnipeg, seriously wounded in the encounters.This Hawk is said to be the toughest nut ever doing business in all thisgreat region. He seems to bear a charmed life and bullets fail to bringhim down. The chances are, when you reach the post, it will be to findthat some sort of expedition is off on a seemingly warm trail forwhenever the Hawk plans to make one of his brilliant raids he alwaysfixes things so that the troopers will at the same hour be many milesaway, heading for some threatened post and out of communication."
Jack seemed very well satisfied with what he had gleaned--having beendispatched these many hundreds of miles just to apprehend this bandit,it pleased him to know what a thorn in the flesh Leonard Culpepper wasproving to be in the lives of the guardians of the Northwest Territory.
Perk too, was grinning as if his thoughts might be rather pleasant.
"Huh! if that skunk could be picked up an' carried back to the Stateswhere he belongs," he went on to say with a chuckle, "I kinder guessColonel Ascot he'd sleep some sounder. Wall, let's hope it'll come topass afore many more days slip by."
Apparently neither Old Jimmy nor yet the ancient skin-ga
therer Birdseyenoticed how Perk, a new-comer, seemed to know something they had neverbefore heard, about the Hawk having drifted up from across the borderbut then in all the excitement taking place within the last few hourssuch a slip could pass unnoticed.