(he Mystery of the
lood-S tained Snow

*

By
DON MUNDAY

*x

Back in the Fastnesses of British Columbia’s Rugged Coast Line Mysterious
Things Can Happen—Here’s the Story of Two Desolation Sound Settlers
Who Found Themselves Faced with a First Rate Mystery—A Mystery with an

“NOTEBOOK LISTS these happenings
ler the title of “The Mystery of the
od-Stained Snow”. I had almost for-
en the story until the news of large
e draft evasions in this war recalled it
nind. You will not find it mentioned in
records of the British Columbia Police,
ough they had a little to do with it
rectly, and the fact that it was solved
hout their help, in no way reflects upon
n.

Yraft-evaders doubtless will have some
| experiences during their periods as
itives from the law, but probably few
| rival the unique quality of mystery
ich went unsolved for nearly 20 years
sr one such man fled from military

vice in World War I.

My uncovering of the one mysterious
ture of his term of hiding is a story
itself.

With my wife and my then small daugh-
I was bound for Vancouver in an open
t with an outboard motor, after a voyage
many hundreds of miles along the moun-
10us shoreline of British Columbia. Most
the place-names appearing on our charts
rinded us of the daring of the British
| Spanish seafarers who first charted the
st.

Perhaps we would not care to be so bold
to suggest that the spirits of those old
riners still visit the scenes of their ex-
its, but we do think they had something
do with our sudden decision to turn aside
a channel quite unknown to us.

Had we been wise we should have used
h a windless afternoon to continue home-
rd. In less brilliant weather the pre-
itous mountain sides seem to crouch, as
ugh minded to block the passage along
- winding channels, with dark shoulders
ust out aggressively. But today even the
sterious snow peaks inland smiled toler-
tly at man and his works.

Now and then, miles apart, we noted
ns of habitation of some of those not-
en-remembered folk who have the cour-
> to maintain a foothold along the
yusands of miles of challenging shoreline
British Columbia. These farthest-West
meers differ as much from city folk as
> sturdy trees on the stormy headlands
from the trees in the sheltered forest.

IRTEENTH EDITION

Interesting Sequel.

We passed fairly close to a settler’s clear-
ing behind one of the typical little red
freight sheds on log floats, at which the
smaller coastal steamers discharge passen-
gers, mail, and freight at many points along
the coast. The smoke from clearing fires
made us wonder if a fire permit had been
secured in such dry weather.

A sudden glimpse of a long line of
granite cliffs ahead, coupled with a realiza-
tion of coming nightfall, led us to make
another quick decision. We swung our
little boat into the small bay to camp for
the night, feeling sure of a welcome.

We learned later that this quite innocent
change of course roused suspicions in the
minds of two stump-ranchers who watched
us intently from beside their clearing fires.

Now they quickly rounded up their flock
of fine goats and strode down the slope to
stable and house. Their only garments
were black bathing suits, hardly darker than

smoke and charred wood and sweat had
made the rest of their persons.

Town Visitors Not WELCOME

The younger of the bachelor brothers
stalked down the path through the orchard.
Hostility bristled all over him. The coastal
dwellers nearer Vancouver suffer from visi-
tations of what they call beach hobos, but
this far up the coast we had always enjoyed
the utmost hospitality. Radio fills what used
to be a big gap in the lives of such isolated
people, but a receiving set has not yet been
designed to take the place of a new and
sympathetic audience for the telling of one’s
hopes and fears and strange experiences.

“We only wish to light a small cooking
fire here on the gravel,” we explained to
the big fellow. ;

“You'll find a fine place to camp across
the channel,” he retorted pointedly. “The

| PRITISH COLENBIA

_ POLICE —

oa oe,

Kimberley Detachment: Pictured here from left to right are Const. J. B. Pringle, Miss M. D. V.

Howey and Const. D. H. Howell who look after the policing problems of Kimberley on British,

Columbia's south eastern border. Const. Howell, who is in charge of the detachment was formerly

at Ucluelet, on the West Coast of Vancouver Island. Miss Howey handles the office work and the
issuance of motor vehicle licences.

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