The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, February 23, 1994 - C1

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MALCOLM BAXTER € 638-7283

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 SKEENA. ANGLER
ROB BROWN

The cabin; Part Il

F THERE IS a native myth explain-
ing how the look acquired its bluesy
call, I haven’t heard it. But there

must be one. ,
There is simply no way aboriginal bards could
‘have missed the power of that plaintive, rever-
berant wail sticking their universe together with
tales of how things came to be the way they were.

“T'll never tire of that sound,”’ J said to Kenny
as the calls of a loon trio carried through the mist
enveloping everything but the lallest tree tops.

“Yeah, nice,’” Kenny replied, intent on rowing,

‘He was still thinking about the strange. cabin
that had popped up, lke a. garish mushroom, on
the west side of our Lost Lake.

Reeds and weeds signalled the approaching
_ shore. We'd navigated well: ‘There it is,’’ I said,
as the structure became more distinct with each
pull of the oars,

The cabin, if you may call it that, was even
more bizarre close up. Neither of us wanted to get
nearer, but finally Kenny’s curiosity overcame his
apprehension. I followed him up the path.
- This really was a replica of mansions found in
the southern U.S., but lacking their grace. Blood
red curtains hung in the windows. Kenny touched
the miniature columns as if they were electrified.

“It’s Fake,’ he said. ‘Some kind of phony
‘alabaster. And it ain’t white, it’s off-pink,”’

On the door hung an outsized pilt lion, fangs
bared in an impotent snarl. I knocked, we waited,
there was no answer. I lifted the lion and let it

drop again, Still no sound of movement inside.

“Let's fish,”’ said Kenny.

. He wanted to. get out of there. “You don’t often

knock ona door hoping nobody answers.

“Okay,” Isaid, “‘Let’s go.”

We left more quickly than we'd arrived and
were soon rigging up for another memorable day
on Lost,

By 11 o'clock the sun had burned the mist from
the lake. Dragons, some a brilliant green, others a
red nearly as brilliant as the gaudy curtains we'd
seen earlier, were on the hunt,

‘You're not going to believe
this, there are bright red and
yellow teeth on that beat.”’

The mist thinned. A boat broke through the
curtain of gauze. We froze.

" “Two guys,’” whispered Kenny, lifting the
binoculars,

“You're not going to belicve this,” he said,
“There are teeth on that boat,”’

“Teeth?”

“Yeah, bright tecth, like tiger’s teeth, painted
on the bow in yellow and red.”

I though of the feline knocker and the red
curtains. ‘‘What do the guys look like?’”

“The guy on the oars is wearing a suit,”’ Kenny
said. ‘No kidding. And sunglasses and a dressy
hat. God, he looks like a hit man for the Mafia.”

“The other one,’’ I asked.

“Bright clothes. A cowboy shirt, maybe. And
he’s glassing ras,”!

Like an hallucination, the intruding boat dis-
appeared into the mist, We rowed in circles, not
daring to approach the spot where we'd seen the
phantom ship, then retreated toward the side of

‘the lake where camp was set up.

When the sun was directly overhead and the
mist vanished, it became apparent the mysterious
interlopers had headed in the opposite direction.

The king-sized trout were feeding viciously and

‘often now. We fished, or rather went through the
motions, more interested in the actions of the
- other craft than the fish.
' Kenny hoisted the glasses often to find the other
anglers —or angler, for only one had a rod —— ap-
peared to be doing likewise,

‘So it went until late in the afternoon. We played
cat, they played mouse; they played cat and we
‘played mouse. Until Kenny’s cat-like curiosity
got the better of him. ©

“Row toward them,” T obeyed.

It is impossible to corner someone in a lake as
long and wide as Lost Lake, especially when your
quarry has a sleeker boat, but I worked up a sweat
trying as Kenny navigated.

They pursued evasive tactics in the face of our
aggressive approach, but we achieved hailing dis-
tance.

““We've pot a comfortable camp at the other
end of the Inke,”’ bellowed Kenny. ‘You'll see
our fire tonight. You're welcome to join us,”’

The elusive fishermen said nothing as they
rowed briskly away.

“Are they really weleome,”? I asked,

Kenny shrugged. °

‘You raw back to amp,” I said, stretching my
aching ams, °°

(Next wed, the th ind and a frat installment)

Skeena Number i!

TT WAS a moment that summed
up why the Skeena Jr. Girls bas-
ketball team were about to be
crowned zone champs,

With the clock almost out, Lin-
nae Bee gathered the ball under
her own baskel, back to the court.

Even as she started the turn that
would end in the ball sailing the
length of the court, Bee let out a
yell,

‘Felecia!’

Felecia Arbuah took two more
sleps on her headlong charge for
the Charles Hays net, glanced
over her shoulder as the ball ar-
rived and potied the final points
as the buzzer sounded.

Tt was the kind of teamwork,
“‘reading’’ of each other, that had
marked the entire Skeena game.

And when that buzzer sounded,
they were zone champions, hav-
ing snuffed out the Hurricanes
69-16.

The Tsimshians had got off to a
slow slart, taking half the first
quarter to put up five points.

Not that it helped Hays as a
deep blue defensive blanket kept
them well away from scoring
position.

And as the Terracites started to
hit their scoring stride, the Hurri-
canes found themselves en-
veloped in a whirlwind.

An early example of Skeena’s
co-ordination and attacking speed
came late in the first quarter.

Kathieen Gook fed Arbuah
frorn the tip-off, a quick pass to
Becky Heenan and the
hometowners had two more on
the way to a 16-0 lead at the
break.

Different quarter, same story in
the next cight minute stanza as a
harried Hays squad were forced
to hurry their shots, most from
well out.

It was also a quarter where Bee
cut loose, scoring eight including
three solo baskets and adding
four assists. ;

Hays finally got on the board
with 3:49 left but went into the
half facing an insurmountable 34-
5 deficit.

However, the quarter had seen

the only chink appear in the
Skeena armour,

After that first Hays marker,
they gave up another almost im-
mediately and were momentarily
knocked off stride.

McDougall repeats in Valentines

WINNING THE Valentines last
year was so enjoyable, Kim
McDougall’s rink decided to
Tepeat the experience.

Facing Helen Joseph of
Nanaimo in the ‘A’: event final,
the hometown quartet found
themselves in a tight game from
the start.

SKEENA SOARED at Saturday's Jr. Girls zone 9 playorts, sweeping ali before them as they
had done all season. Above, Julie Gillanders sinks another two-pointer during the semi-final
rout of Prince Rupert Rainbirds. Skeena went on to overwhelm Charles Hays in the final,

The breakaways started to lack
their earlier authority and the
Hurricane attacks were being al-
lowed to penetrate deeper. —

However, a quick timeont call
by coach Bil] Gook followed by a

McDougall didn’t open auspi-
ciously, missing a chance for
three In the first when her al-
tempted hit bung out to allow
Joseph to steal a single.

McDougall quickly recovered
with a deuce in the second,
Joseph replying in the next with
an excellent cross-house double

smooth Roxanne Chow to Lee-
Anne Critchley to Bee two-
pointer, and everything was back

"on track. ;
Entering the final quarter 46-7

clear, Skeena’s scoring machine

for two or her own.

The quartet of McDougall, Joan
Kuchakyshen, Leanne Derow and
Cindy Dumont leveled it at three
in the fourth, then stole a lead of
one.

After blanking, Joseph took the
lead back with a hit and stick for
two in the seventh, but that was to

eee ee a a lll

KIM MeDOUGALL keeps a close eye on her stone during. the ‘A’ event final at the Ladies
Nal entines bonspiel, The Terrace quartet took the title for ihe second straight year. :

went into overdrive.
Arbuah sank 11 of the 23
points, Julie Gillanders added an-
other five and Bee and Critchley
notched three assists.
Next stop, the provincials!

~

be it-for the ex-Cassiar rink.

Having tied it up again in the
fifth, McDougall got early pres-
sue on in the next and kept It
there,

Facing three reds on her ham-
mer shot, Joseph was a touch too
heavy on the attempted draw to
give up two,

McDougall’s foursome then ran
the visitors out of rocks o clinch
the tiile 7-5.

And that was to be the Jone Ter-
race win at the Feb, 13 finals. ©

After a shaky start, Irene

Ritchey had appeared on the way

in ‘B’ event when she scored in
four straight ends to go 5-3 up.

However, the wheels fell off the
cart in the sixth, Val Johanson of
Prince Rupert nailing a three,
then adding steals of one and lwo
for a 9-5 victory.

It was another tight one in‘c?
event where Denise Sawtell and
Kitimat’s Patil Wier were Hed at
four after six. | :

Wier broke the jam. with. a big ,
four in the next, but Sawtell’s
quartet stayed in the kunt to the
end,

Down three “going into the
tenth, the home squad even got a.
break.

Sawtell’s apparently | over-
thrown first picked something up,
obligingly slowed and swung in
behind cover to lle three,

Ignoring. the open hit and roll
that would have ensured an extra
end at worst, Wier. trled and.
freeze draw and came ipa shade
short, -

That left Sawtell with a chance 7
at a chip and stick forthe game
but she ‘cane: up oulside and tous
heavy... re

“Cont'd on o12 .

ee ate cemented mm nm