Show y 11 g By ARTHUR STRINGER 6 W r TIlE STORY STOUT SO FAR Alan Man Slade has bas agreed alreed to Oy fly a scientist named Frayne to the river to look for the breeding ground of the trumpeter swan It n It Is bleak country and Alan suspects Frayne of ham having something up his sleeve but Norland Airways needs the j Job b. b Slade Slide and his Ws partner Cruger have bave been having trouble competing with the larger lArrer companies and Frayne has bas paid enough to enable Cruger to buy the plane pane they need When he be thought Norland was going to have bave to quit Slade applied for overseas service with tho the army air corps His application was rejected but buthis nil hit disappointment has been lessened considerably by the brighter outlook for forthe forthe forthe the business and by the fact that Lynn the local doctors doctor's daughter has decided not to go 10 to England with h her r Red Bed Cross unit Now he has hu gone ODe with Lynn while sho she gives rives first aid treatment to an outcast flyer dyer named sUm Stain who has been hurt In a fight They learn that knows about Frayne and about the new Lockheed It 1 Is li a few minutes mInute later and they are talking about their plans for the future Lynn feels that she must think first of her ber fathers father's a happiness Now continue e with the story CHAPTER IV rY But you mustn't forget Slade contended that you have your own life to live what Im I'm trying to remember remember remember re re- member was L Lynns Lynn's vibrant vibrant- voiced reply They came to a stop In front of the hospital steps Some day he said with a wave t 1 of recklessness Ill make you see It my way I If it sounded like a threat it brought no touch of concern to the hazel eyes searching his face race A smile even hovered about her lip ends Youve got a harder job than that that she retorted if U youre you're flying In to the tomorrow Then the smile disappeared By the way I saw that ornithologist who's flying in with you He was asking me what I knew about the country north of the Is he be as screwy as he sounds asked Slade Hes far from screwy was Lynns Lynn's slightly retarded answer He struck me as being cold and hard and shrewd And I cant can't figure figure figure fig fig- ure out what hes he's after It rather makes me wish someone else was piloting him into that wilderness Slade was able to laugh as they shook hands Dont lose sleep over that he proclaimed Then he laughed again Ive flown some queer nuts into the North Slade hurrying down to the air harbor could see his moored plane being warped In to the landing dock On the dock itself he could make out Cassidy of the Norland staff and two strange figures one more massive than the other But what held his eye was the amount of duffel dufIel piled along the docks dock's edge As Cruger had told him they were giving him a load all right Even Cassidy's broad face broke Into a smile as he handed him the scales scales- slip Blip For Slades Slade's glance at the moment moment moment mo mo- ment was directed toward the two men already interested In getting their equipment aboard He r resented resent resent- sent sent- ed eel the offhand way in which the bigger bigger bigger big big- ger of the two strangers was clambering clambering clambering clam clam- bering about his ship The worn coat that tha t covered the wide shoulders of this stranger made him look shabby and subordinate When the pilot turned to his secS second second sec sec- S ond and passenger he be experienced a sense of disappointment touched with shame For there seemed nothIng nothing noth noth- ing tag sinister about the straitened and scholarly figure confronting him That figure even failed to look fool fool- ish Slade saw a man considerably less aged than he had expected a aman aman aman man with sloping and narrow shoulders shoulders shoulders ders and an abstracted gaze that looked out on the world from behind bifocal glasses Slade stepped closer Quite a load youre you're giving me he ventured as the man in the bifocal bifocal bi bl focal glasses continued to divide his attention between the duffel pile and anda a checklist in his hand The abstracted eyes lifted lilted and regarded regarded regarded re re- him for a moment of ot silence It was the glasses more than anything anything anything any any- thing else Slade decided that gave the stranger his look of ot delibera delibera- tion Why does that interest you the stranger inquired His tone was mild and without hostility But the voice low toned low toned and remote seemed marked by an exotic precision of intonation It persuaded Slade that he be was neither an Englishman nor noran noran noran an American This happens to be my ship the pilot explained as he rested a fraternal hand on the sun-faded sun fuselage Ah then we shall see much of each other said the other His smile was friendly but abstracted I 1 am Doctor Frayne And this is ismy ismy ismy my mate camp-mate my good man FrIday Friday Fri FrI- day Caspar Karnell No responsive word came from the bodied big-bodied man in the coat He merely stood above the cabin hatch his his his' eyes expression expression- less Caspar is not shall not shall I say say vol vol voluble uble observed the Doctor A mild and smile wrinkled the I scholarly face behind the glasses And that I might also explain is why we travel together Slade after an Inspection of the bland emptiness of Karnell's face nodded his understanding r r may may- J JI JU I U r Quite an arsenal youre you're taking In he observed take into in into into They tell me Im I'm to you to the prompted the bush pilot That is my desire answered Dr Frayne It may so happen I that we shall winter up north corrected I Down north Slade We speak of it here as down north The man with the abstracted eyes ventured a shrug I shall become become be be- With time he said come better acquainted with your country His movement as he swung a bag of what had every aspect aspect aspect as as- of mining tools up to his companion companion companion com com- panion was almost a dismissive one Prospecting questioned Slade I am not interested in prospecting prospect prospect- ing was the deliberated answer I am a naturalist As though in confirmation of ot that statement he lifted a case of ot mounted mount mount- ed bird bodies up to his waiting companion Then again the forced smile showed itself It may impress you as a foolish profession But for many years now I have given my time to the study of bird life Slade glanced down at the Mann- Mann the two holstered bolstered Lugers the pair of ot shotguns of ot different different different dif dif- ferent gauges and weight that rested rested rested rest rest- ed between a scattering of cartridge cases Quite an arsenal youre you're taking taking taking tak tak- ing in he observed For just a moment the opaque eyes regarded himI himI himI him I am not unfamiliar with the North Frayne announced with a patience that seemed coerced It Itis Its is s well in hi case of ot the unexpected to be able to live off the land Of Ot course agreed Slade as he watched the firearms being stowed aboard They were followed by a tent bale and sleeping bags by condensed condensed condensed con con- foods with foreign labels by camp equipment and a box of ot signal flares and cased instruments and even two carrier pigeons in a hooded hooded hooded hood hood- ed cage Youve filling me pretty full observed observed observed ob ob- ob- ob served Slade Frayne's face remained Any inconvenience that I may cause he said I profoundly regret regret re re- re- re gret I had hoped on an arriving here lere to purchase a plane But they are not to be bought I find Theres use for em just now observed the pilot Were in the war you know The eyes behind the bifocals became became became be be- came less opaque But here at least least observed the theman theman theman man of science I shall not see sec it come between me and my re re- re- re search The office tells me youre you're after trumpeter swans said Slade I am seeking the nesting ground of that noble bird acknowledged the ornithologist They are extremely extremely extremely ex ex- ex- ex shy and hard to find In the brooding season That is why I go into an empty country like the Ana Ana- Slade not unconscious of the pedagogic pedagogic pedagogic ped ped- note felt the need of ot prow proving proving ing tug that his interests extended beyond beyond beyond be be- yond gas engines Ever try for them around the Red Rock Lakes in Yellowstone he asked They started a refuge I for trumpeters ers there not so far back A refuge which will be a failure was the prompt response Your trumpeter Is a child of ot the wilds He cannot be adjusted to confine confine- ment His new friend Slade admitted seemed to know his bird life all allright right His eye squint eye deepened as he noticed noticed noticed no no- two heavier cases being lifted aboard By the way are y you u taking taking taking tak tak- ing radio or wireless In with you Why should I do that Frayne questioned It is with the lady swan I wish to converse But howll you come out asked Slade Howll we know where to pick you up Frayne's gaze again became dif dif- fused That may not be necessary he finally explained We shall perhaps perhaps per per- haps work our way through to what are arc locally known as the Barrens and come out along your Hudson Bay coast It is a country you may happen to know J Slade smiled I know it all right As much as a white man can know such Ice Ice- fringed emptiness The bush pilot found himself being being being be be- ing Inspected with a new interest That is extremely good news averred his passenger As we fly north I hope you will give me information in information information in- in formation about a country that Is still distressingly unknown to me Slade resisted the temptation to observe that it wouldn't be so unknown unknown unknown un un- known to him by the time tune hed he'd wintered there But you wont won't get swans as far tar east cast out as the bay he pointed instead At least not trumpeters Frayne's smile became becam more friendly Already he announced you are helping me And there is another another another an an- other point on which you might enlighten enlighten enlighten en en- lighten us Is the River navigable No its it's not navigable answered answered answered an an- Slade Its blocked by too many falls and rapids That's what's kept the country closed Even Tyrrell Tyrrell Tyrrell Tyr Tyr- rell couldn't get into it But there were no planes when Tyrrell made his survey observed the scholar Its sure empty country asserted assert assert- ed the pilot who had his own memories memories mem mem- ories ones of the That murmured the swan hunter hunt hunt- er is entirely to my liking But youre you're not entirely to my liking was the thought that hovered hovered hovered hov hov- ered about at the back of Slades Slade's head Lynn he felt was right Yet he was their Santa Claus Glaus as Cruger had expressed It He had bad paid well for service and hed he'd get service Slade dismissed that thought and turned to study the winged silver-winged Lockheed that rested on the waters of ot the It looked spick and span in its new coat of ot aluminum He realized as he swung about that the man in the bifocal glasses was also studying the Lockheed An attractive ship the scientist observed It was my intention to own her But In that I was forestalled forestalled forestalled fore fore- stalled by your friend Cruger Slade smiled at the sharpened note in the others other's voice You have to scramble for em nowadays observed Crugers Cruger's bush- bush hawk partner So I am learning announced the swan swan seeker He said it casu casu- ally But some newer timbre In the speakers speaker's voice made Slade think of ofa a gun pit smothered in tree branches The brief northern night was at its darkest when Cassidy newly made watchman for Norland Airways Airways Air Air- ways shut off the radio He sighed as he reached for his thermos at the end of the deal table and drained it of its last cupful of coffee Then lighting his pipe he stepped out into the open and blinked about through the darkness He wished he could be having a second thermos of ot coffee But there was was no lighted bright eating room in that third-rate third outfit on the edge of Nowhere Its air lanes were as short of ships as its administration building was short of paint All AU it was in faith was a rough rough ready ready and jumping off place for a lot of ot lunatics lunatics lunatics luna luna- tics who wanted to dig holes in hi a wilderness where the frost went deeper than the gold It could never never nev nev- er be classed with those high toned high toned airports hed he'd heard many a far- far traveled pilot talking about No Cassidy decided as he made his rounds this was a melancholy place for a man of ot spirit He didn't like the quietness of the hangar where the twin-motored twin Grumman amphibian stood surrounded by the engine entrails the workmen had left scattered about He was glad to move down to the dock edge where there was a little sound of ot water water- riffles against the floats of ot the Post Post- craft that would be going out in hi three hours' hours time Beside It it the only remaining ship in the harbor loomed the new Lockheed that looked more like the ghost of ot a plane in the uncertain starlight than a workaday framework of ot metal metal metal met met- al and linen well covered with aluminum plu- plu minum paint It startled him as he stood watching watching watching watch watch- ing it that anything so quiet could give birth to movement But as he watched he be saw a shadow detach itself from the shadowy fuselage He saw that shadow drop to the near-by near float and then leap quick footed to the dock edge TO BE DE CONTINUED |