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Show where I rested so recently?" questioned Nest-er, Nest-er, as the young riders looked look-ed with relish in the direction of the aroma of his meal upon the fire. "Hasten and remove re-move yourself from your steeds and join me in an humble feast," chuckled Nester, with a twinkling of his blue eyes. The young men eagerly complied, nodding nod-ding their heads in answer to his question. "We had a visitor late last evening and Father sent us forth to find you," stated the lad with dark hair, as they finished their meal. "And by chance did it concern those goons of the Kaiser?" asked their host. When they agreed, heightened height-ened the muscles in his jaw. "Nester," hesitantly spoke the blonde boy, "We are accompanied ac-companied by some supplies on our pack animal and a message from Father. He respects the fact that you have been prospecting for many years, but the times are fast changing. Coming into existance are a great many new rules and regulations." regu-lations." Nester snorted and exclaimed, "I do not abide by the rules and regulations of fools! And I managed to cure some unregulated business busi-ness only yesterday." His eyes snapped in anger, but softened to amusement as he related to them the sight of the fleeing intruders. "Father was not jesting when he said you would be difficult to convince, regarding regard-ing the new proclamations," complained the dark-haired lad. Both young men began to unload their pack animal and as the measured posts were tossed to the ground, Nester approached and asked, "For what purpose did yourFather sendthese?" Reaching into his cloak, the blonde boy thrust a parch- Stirring a Boiling Pot KJ I !' By Effie Siedentopf Spicer ' ing." Galina stopped and strenuously stren-uously gave her effort to the sound of her specie. "Augh-hee "Augh-hee -haw -hee-haw, " she said, turning her rump to her companion and looked pointedly down into the valley below. Nester followed the direction of her gaze and saw evidence of something far below, moving slowly toward his location. Concentrating his vision, he recognized two. figures astride proud steeds and remarked, "Some time will pass before be-fore they arrive. In the meantime, my fire has burned burn-ed low and stomachs will be in need of provisions." He made the proper arrangements arrange-ments and when the two ' riders came into view, leading lead-ing a pack-animal behind them, he seemed not surprised when they called, "Greetings, Nester." Loosening a leg from the stirrup, they each waited for an invitation to dismount. "Are you not from the settlement set-tlement of the Merchant, . . .When last we met, Nester Nest-er had strayed across the borders of the Kaiser of the Land, while prospecting. Coming to the attention of two brown-shirts on patrol, and who attempted to put him under arrest, Nester turned the situation with fearlessness fearless-ness and they ran away . . . In the early dawn, Nester stood listening to the echo of his blasting. As the dust settled, he unsnapped the lead rope of his burro and remarked, re-marked, "It is safe for you now, my pet," and strode purposefully up to the site of his prospect. Noting the quality of the samples his blasting had uncovered, he began to gather in piles the rocks he would use to mark, at intervals, his claim to the area along the strike zone. Galina, grazing upon the brush near by, suddenly raised her head and flicked her long ears. Shetrottedup the incline where Nester was laboring. "Lonesome?" he called as she came closer. "It is a question what those two nink-a-poops that made, our acquaintance yesterday will be conducting this morn - ment document to Nester and remarked, "Father was almost al-most certain you would still be making use of stone cairnes for marking your claims. You may read, with your own eyes, the rules that now recognize only posts such as we have provided." "Forsooth," exclaimed Nester, as his eyes quickly scanned the offending document. docu-ment. "Has our kingdom become so overburdened with regulations that we will soon require a perm it to spit in the direction of our own choice?" Still angry, he continued, "However, your Father seems to possess extreme ex-treme presence of mind." Gently he stated, "Very well, we will replace my cairnes with the posts before I escort you back to your Father's settlement. I wish to speak further upon these matters, with him." Turning his attention at-tention to the task at hand, and with the willing assistance assist-ance of his young friends, they began to accomplish the project. All at once, Galina began to bray, her head stretched up in the direction of the late ' afternoon sky. Followingher gaze, they made sight of, and then heard the sounds of the chopping blades of a flying machine with the crest of the Protectorate of the Air em -blazoned upon the side. "It is going to land here," cried the dark haired lad . . . To be Continued |