 | #096 "The North Woods Mystery"
Vol. 16, No. 6 Published: 02/15/36 Submitted: 08/09/35 as "The Shadow in Canada" Author: Walter Gibson Review date: Jul 19, 2002 |
THE NORTH WOODS MYSTERY was originally published in the February 15, 1936 issue of The Shadow Magazine. With a title like that, one of the last things I expected was a visit to Chinatown. But, yup, that's how we start out. It seems that Chinatown is being flooded with counterfeit money by the evil Kai Luan. Phoney mazuma, brought in by Mongols who are being smuggled into the country from China via Canada.
Kow Loon, the curio dealer, has been murdered. His body has been discovered by The Shadow's good friend, Dr. Roy. Tam. Little realizing that the killer, a giant Mongol, is still hidden in the curio shop, Dr. Tam is attacked by the murderer. The sudden attack can only be stopped by one person: The Shadow! And sure enough, The Shadow arrives in the nick of time to save a friend. For of those in Chinatown who owe allegiance to The Shadow, none is more loyal that Dr. Roy Tam.
As the dying murderer lies on the floor of the curio shop, The Shadow speaks to him in his own tongue - Mongolian Chinese. Yes, add another language to the long list of languages that The Shadow has mastered. The dying man speaks the name of his master: Kai Luan. This strange Kai Luan is a mystery person of whom Dr. Roy Tam has heard only rumors. He is a friend of the evil. He sends money to those who would harbor his Mongol fanatics who would do murder.
In the dead man's pockets, The Shadow finds a roll of crisp counterfeit bills. With this clue, The Shadow will follow the trail far from Manhattan, off to a pristine wilderness in rough, unsettled country. He will track far into the North Woods of Canada and seek out the source of the smuggling and counterfeiting ring.
Assisting The Shadow in this outdoor adventure are Harry Vincent and G-Man Vic Marquette. Also appearing, while the story is centered in Manhattan, is Moe Shrevnitz, cab driver deluxe. Brief appearances by Rutledge Mann and Burbank round out the cast. There is no mention of The Shadow's other agents, or of the law's Weston or Cardona.
It's nice to see The Shadow in different surroundings. And it's assuring to see him as the master of the outdoors as well as master of the night. He's an accomplished woodsman who can paddle a canoe silently and stalk through the underbrush without sound. And again, we see The Shadow's mastery over animals, as he has strange control over the forest creatures. Before, we've seen his mastery of dogs. In this story, he has a strange familiarity with animals of the forest. Does he really speak their language? You'll have to read the story to find out.
Walter Gibson submitted this story to his editors at Street and Smith with the rather uninspired title "The Shadow in Canada." I'm glad they chose to change it to "The North Woods Mystery."
And one last thing. That strange clock in The Shadow's sanctum is once again briefly mentioned. I'd sure like to get a better description of those strange concentric moving wheels. But here we just get a tantalyzing glimpse.
It's the return of "Ying Ko" and "L'Ombre," otherwise known as The Shadow! Whether spoken in Chinese, French or English, it's the name of mystery and adventure.