The Silver Horde

during the summer season," Emerson r

and the fish begin to run in

renewed her efforts to cheer him up, seeking to stir him out of the gloom that imprisoned him. With the healthy optimism and exu

nteresting," he obse

tasted the waters of their birth they never touch food again, never cease their onward rush until they become bruised and battered wrecks, drifting down from the spawning-beds. When the call of nature is answered and the spawn is laid they die. They never seek the salt sea again, but carpet the rivers with their bones. When they feel the homing impulse they come from the remotest depths, heading unerringly for the particular parent stream whence

that way," said Boyd. "Y

d forward, eager, undeviating, one-purposed. It's quite impossible to describe it-this great silver horde. They are entirely defenceless, of course, and almost every living thing preys upon them. The birds congregate in millions, the four-footed beasts come down from the hills, the Apaches of the sea harry them in dense droves, and even man appears from distant coasts to take his toll; but still they

of men do

nd noisy with clacking tongues. On one side of the village streets the Orientals burn incense to their Joss, across the way the Latins worshi

does it

leep, and the breezes waft them out into the August haze, after which Kalvik sags back into

reciatively. "But I don't see how those huge plan

they pay tremendously; sometimes a

as now thoroughly arous

ad it ready to operate by the time the run started. They made their catch, and sailed away again in August with enough salmon in the hold to pay twice over for

is

residential election the fish are shy and very scarce; that lifts prices. Every

ore interest in politics than I do. I wo

red salmon, I dare

," laughe

d forth. "And you mean to say the histo

tain

were such profits in

as never failed once; that's why the Companies guard it so jealously; that's why they denied you shelter. You see, it is

vision of almighty dollars that was needed to release the hidden spring that had ba

mention are on re

they are

stall and operate a cann

lieve one can mortgage his catch or borrow money on it f

ng eyes for a moment, then asked: "What's t

ngs. Have yo

ly. Wha

sit

ght to b

get, because there are natural conditions necessary, fresh flowing water

burning logs. All at once he gripped the arms of his chair, and muttered through set jaws: "God, I'd like to take one more chance!" The girl darted a swift look at him, but

ou one. I suppose, of c

ai P

d it?

st route to the coast, but it has a record of some thirty deaths. I should advise you to cr

no hurry. I wish there was some way of repaying you for your

imed. "If you endured a few months

e. Again she played for him, but he refused to sing, maintaining an unbroken taciturnity. After they retired she sat long alone, her brows furrowed as if wrestling with some knotty problem. "I wonder if he would do it!" she sai

the lift of an eyebrow or the tone of a voice; times when life-long associations are severed and new ties contracted purely upon intuition, and this woman felt

team and have it waiting when breakfast was finished. Then she

ow you if you will take

rear, whip in hand. Constantine freed the leader, and they went off at a mad run, whisking out from the buildings and swooping down the steep bank to the

ved, as he glanced over the double row of undu

smiled back at him. "They are g

ountry to an unknown destination by a charming girl of whom he also knew nothing. He watched her in silence; but when

no curio

but satisfactio

She had mapped out a course of action during the night in which it was her purpose to use this man if he proved amenable, but the success of her plan would depend largely

ed to be taken by t

you told me there were

a site, the best one available. When Willis Marsh learned of it, he took up all of the remaining places

where we

get in on a new chance, so I am taki

se? I can't b

to you if you had the money; but if you will build a

can't say yes or no. It's a pretty big propos

p a hundred per cent. in a year. Do you think

hy friends," he said, cauti

n try? That's al

g about the business. I c

ay to make success certain. I believe you

." His broad shoulders went up as he

is scanty capital and started a saltery on his own account. That suited Marsh exactly; he broke George in a year, absolutely ruined him, utterly wiped him out, just as he intends to wipe out insignificant me! Thinking to bide his time and recoup his fallen fortunes George came back into camp; but he owns a valuable trap site which Marsh and his colleagues want; and before they would give him w

ss; it's all he knows. He considers himself the father of this section; and when he sees others rounding up the task that he began, it breaks his poor heart. Why, every summer when the run starts he comes across the marshes and slinks about the Kalvik thickets like a wraith, watching from afar just in order to be near it all. He stands alone and forsaken, harking to the clank of the machinery

forever crossing the tr

had listen

vindictive enemy ever man had; make no mistake about that. It's only fair to warn you that this will be no child's play; but, on the other hand, the ma

y just then, nor for the dangerous enmity of M

is business from the

inite courses, year after year, just as if they were following a beaten track. At certain places these courses come close to the shore where conditions make it possible to drive piling and build traps

n enterprise, with five cha

erry laughed.

m the sled, and, running forward, seized the leader, guiding it into a clump of spruce, among the boles of which

on every feature with the fervor of a land agent bent on weaving his spell about a p

nd dollars! That's a tremendous sum to raise, even for a fellow with a circle of wealthy friends. Second, there's the question of time. It's now early December, and I'd have to be back here by the first of May. Third, could I run the plant and make it suc

," Cherry interrupted, with decision. "Every difficulty can be met when

lready knew the vanity of human hopes, and it was his nature

eflected, "for this country isn't like any other. It is cut off fro

't casino, by any means. This is worth while. Every man who has done anything in this world

f previous judgment. For every obstacle I have mentioned, a thousand unsuspected difficulties will arise, any one of which-" The

ision is merely a lack of decision. I never saw anything yet of which I was afraid-and you're a man. The deity of success is a woman, and she insists on being won, not courted. You've got to seize her and bear her off, instead of standing under her window with a mandolin. You need to be rough and masterful with her. Nobody ever reasoned himself out of a street fight. He had to act. If

cated itself to the young man and galvanized him into acti

or you're young and intelligent, cool and determined. I am giving you this chance to play the biggest game of your life, and erase in eight short months every trace of failure. I'm not doing it altogether unse

e had lost the settled look of dejection, and was all aglow with a new dawn of hope. Even his shou

id, firmly. "We'll se