James French Dorrance

Never Fire First James French Dorrance

Constable La Marr of the Royal Mounted Police took no chances. A murder had been committed two days before at Armistice, almost within the shadow of the police post. He had not a doubt that the Inuit approaching was his culprit. He wondered if the slogan of the Mounted applied in case one had to deal with an insane native. It would be easy to fire upon the oncomer, undoubtedly unaware of the nearness of a Nemesis. But the training at the Regina school of police that a "Mountie" never fires first is strict. Constable La Marr could not, and did not, take a pot shot even with the intent only to wound the flounderer. This decision, as he came to find out, was wise, for the murder was far from solved.