Show i G F 0 ti t t B By ARTHUR STRINGER STRINGER NGER rt a fete u THE TUE S S Sr Rr RY y SO fAR To keep Norland Nor ul land Al AJ Ys In business Alan Slade agrees t to fly By a so called scientist named Frayne and his partner Karnell to the elp river in search of the trumpeter tram trum peter swan With the proceeds Slades Slade's partner Cruder Cruger bays buys a Lockheed plane which Is stolen When he returns from the Slade starts out to recover the plane In this he be is beIng helped by an eskimo named and by his old prospector friends Zeke and Minty Acting on a hunch Slade has Ius cone gone to Frayne's camp and has discovered that the mis missing sine plane Is hidden there Slim SUm a flyer Oyer who has bas lost his li U license U. U cense cease for drinkIng and Is more than an outlaw has been flying IlyIn it for Frayne But Bat when Slade attempts to examine the planes plane's cargo he Is knocked unconscious by Karnell saves saes hIm from being killed by Karnell only to abandon him later on a deserted island Is Island is is- land because he be knows too much mach has bas Just taken off oft again after leavin leaving Slade with only a knife a pound of German army chocolate a can of bully beef and what looks like Uke an empty tin Un Now continue with the Ute story CHAPTER IV He placed the knife e on the shore slope dope Beside it he placed the pound of German chocolate and beside that again the tin Un of bully After studying them for a long time he reached for the tobacco tin This when he opened it ft proved not to be entirely empty In it to his surprise he found half halt a dozen steel fishhooks He stared at them for a full mia mia- ute remembering how more than tha-n one bush pilot had the habit of carrying carrying car car- such things in his emergency equipment They gave a promise of food in case of a forced landing ina in ina ina a wilderness threaded with water water- ways Then with a gasp of apprehension sion Lion he crawled about the slope carefully retrieving the scattered lengths of cord that had been cut from his wrists and ankles The best of them were only a few feet in length But he had proof enough of their strength And when knotted knotted knot knot- ted together they would provide him with a fish line that might land anything anything anything any any- thing from an inconnu to a five five- pound whitefish That gave him the courage to climb the rocky ledge behind him and examine his island There was growth enough about him he saw to make a shelter of some sort growth enough for firewood and the smoking of fish And along the westerly shore where the slopes ended end end- ended ed in meadows his gaze came cameto cameto cameto to rest on a wide field of bulrushes That gave him new hope He was alone in an empty world But as he stood straight on his lonely lone lone- lonely ly ridge dage of rock he told himself himsel that he hadn't yet reached the end of his rope Two embattled and odd odd looking looking figures groped their way northward between the muskegs and the rocky hogbacks that stretched out to the skyline beyond Lake Av kaka Each man carried a rifle and a cartridge belt that bristled with shells Each was further burdened down with a blanket roll and a grub bag From the waist of one dangled a belt belt- ax from the waist of ot the other swung a skillet and tea paiL I They went on stoically slapping at flies black and mosquitoes until weariness overtook them and a lowering low low- lowering ering sun told them it was time to call it a day Then they made camp cooked their bacon and flapjacks adjusted their mosquito bars and rolled up in their worn and smoke- smoke stained four When morning came they broke camp and once more hit the traiL They saw the sun climb higher inthe in inthe inthe the heavens and the muskegs become become be be- come fewer as they advanced into a country of bolder rock ridges with witha a scattering of tamarack along their southern slopes They saw the shadows shadows shad shad- lengthen and the light once more thin out And once more they made cam carna and nd slept and pushed on again VL Were Were o on n nhe i he proper tra trail all allright allright right as he mounted mount mount- ed a knoll j f surveyed the surroundIng surrounding surrounding sur sur- rounding landscape pe Theres the black water r lake I skirted on my way ba back k Theres been folks here before us us asserted Zeke pointing to where scrub spruce had bad been cut cutalong cutalong cutalong along the hill slope From the first crack out o 0 the box said Minty I had a queer celin about that two eyed swan swan- hunter I knew he wasn't edgin up into this district of ours for Cor any good Then whys why's he here That's what Im I'm a a to find tind out retort retorted d the grizzled old prospector pros pros- P ector before beCore he gits another shot at my carcass It was as they were circling cautiously cautiously cau along the westerly arm of i the lake that Zeke stopped short on ona ona ona a ridge crest that ended in a deepwater deep deep- water bayou For moored close in iA under a cliff there he saw the scarred and sun sun bleached bleached wings ofa of ofa a plane the Snow Ball Baby was Minty's sudden exclamation Lindy's old crate all aU allright allright right agreed the perplexed ed Zeke But Wheres Where's our puddle jumper They still hesitated in their ap ap- D roach But curiosity finally overcame over over- came th them m. m When they found no allot Ilot there after invading its cabin cab cab- Pi they regarded each other for a in n 1 moment of s silence il ence I- I r q 1 t f y 1 I e M i I t I a I i I 14 14 If they want to do it style said Minty its okay with me I dont don't like the look o o 0 this Zeke finally asserted Chances are hes he's round on foot maintained Minty as he clambered ashore But Zeke who remained to assess the cabins cabin's contents contents contents con con- tents shook a dubious head in Theres grub and extra gas there he reported when he rejoined rejoined rejoined re re- joined his companion Theres even blankets and fly nets and one o 0 them newfangled new air mattresses Then you'll see him headin back here pronto Minty persisted But at the end of ot an hours hour's wait the azure of his optimism was shadowed shadowed shad shad- owed by a cloud or two happened to that boy averred Zeke as his old eyes once more swept the silent rock ridges Then its it's up to us to roost here and keep an eye on his plane was Minty's suggestion I dont don't like the Idee o 0 that ship anchored close in here where any outsider could climb aboard said Zeke Where she ought to be is out in the middle o 0 that laKe with witha a quarter mile o 0 water between her herand herand herand and shore Howd you git her there asked Minty as he studied the plane I always had a 1 for Cor knowin knowin knowin know know- in how to handle one o 0 them con con- And right now that hank hank- erin is gern ever But Zeke had his own ideas about the matterI matter I could float her out and anchor her there with a couple o 0 rock- rock slabs tied to her lines he explained Then shed she'd be where no one could sneak up on her And howd how'd you git back demanded demanded demanded de de- Minty Id blow up that air mattress of Lindy's and paddle ashore And when our bush hawk shows back he can sail out to her in the same way he dont don't show back Then its it's up to us said Zeke to find out what's keepin him away from a ship hed he'd never desert of his own o free wilL But the shifting of the Snow Ball its berth mat mat- to new was no easy ter And even with the plane safely anchored in mid lake Zekes Zeke's troubles troubles trou trou- bles were not over The inflated air mattress from the first proved a precarious craft When halfway hallway to shore in fact Zeke lost his balance and went overboard with Minty's anxious eyes watching his struggles as he be floundered about and finally resumed his perch on the little raft of ot rubber Minty standing guard on his rock point knew what would be needed and needed at once He dropped his rifle and lost no time in gathering wood and starting a fire The flames were roaring by the time the wet and bedraggled Zeke crawled up the I shore slope His teeth were chattering chattering chat chat- t. t and his language was blasphemous blasphemous blasphemous blas blas- Quit cussin admonished Minty Min ty and git out o o 0 them clothes before before be be- fore they chill you to the bone Zekes Zeke's shirt was dry by the time he was ready to drink his tea And his ill III temper had bad departed by the time the dignity of clothing was restored re reo restored stored to his sinewy old body We cant can't squat round these embers em em- embers bers no longer he announced What weve we've got o 0 do is 15 sleuth out them white skinned whore who're in on our domain Lead me to em cm said Minty ashe as ashe ashe he shouldered his pack and took up his rifle But Zeke at the moment was busy mounting a near-by near ridge He stood scanning the misted blue slopes between him and the thc lowering lower lower- lowering ing sun He squinted long and closely close ly at the wooded crest across a wide valley studded with glacial hardheads And as DS he looked he saw a puff pull of smoke bloom for a moment against the top hill spruce gloom at the same time a bullet whined over his head His reaction to that was auto maticHe matic matico He dropped to the far side of ot the ridge where he hc lay shouting for or Minty to get under cover But Minty Minty Min Mm ty disregarded that advice He stood with his rifle at half arm studying the wooded crest across the valley But the whine of a second bullet sent him ducking behind the shelter of a hardhead They want eh h he cried as he leveled his ri rifle e along the stone slone r I top Well they'll git it a aplenty But after a two man council of war they realized that closing inon In Inon inon on the enemy was not so simple asit as asit asit it might seemU seem If U they want to do It style said Minty its okay with me Theres There's no reason why two cant can't play at that game But dodgin round rock corners aint go In to find tind Alan Zeke pro pro- tested And our first job is to git trace o 0 that boy If It they declined to retreat however however however how how- ever they made their advance a amore amore amore more circuitous one When nightfall nightfall nightfall night night- fall came they quartered of off at an angle advancing craftily from rock shadow to rock shadow their old eyes searching every ridge slope and hollow But they encountered no sign of l life e. e When weariness overtook them one would sleep for two hours while the other kept watch I dont don't like this lull in things things' I observed Zeke as he blinked about I the silent ridges Makes me suspicion suspicion suspicion sus sus- them swan-hunters swan might be something over on us Let em try it It barked Minty after a look into his cartridge cham ber her I Zekes Zeke's weathered old face remained remained remained re re- troubled But while were we're through these empty pine woods and in our personal appetite for lead- lead they might be back to Alan's Snow Ball Baby And I dont don't want o 0 see anything happen to that boys boy's ship It wont won't averred Minty while Ive I've still got a trigger to pull Then my vote said Zeke goes to gittin back to that plane and watch there until Alan shows up Minty adjusted his blanket roll and tightened his belt I reckon youre you're right for once he conceded Seated on the barren shore of his sub arctic Island Alan Slade knew a recurring pang of despair much sharper than any pain in his abused body His first task he told himself was to take in the the circle of his world the only world that remained to him His steps grew steadier ashe as ashe ashe he mounted the shore slope and worked his bis way up to one of ot the bolder ridge crests From that vantage point he carefully carefully care care- fully studied his island That Tha t island he found was not so large as it had first seemed So far as he could see it was empty of animal l life e. e And this seemed confirmed confirmed con con- firmed as he explored its irregular shoreline Along the rockier shore to the east cast where he had bad hoped to stumble on driftwood he found nothing nothing noth ing beyond a tangle of bleached boles and branches the best of them little thicker than a caribou They were useful only as a reserve of ot firewood The Thc thought of a fire reminded him that one of his first needs was wasa a shelter of some kind He knew the thc north too well to nurse much fear of marauding animals More than wandering bear or wolf his enemies there would be the voracious voracious vora vora- cious arctic mosquito and the black black- fly that left a burning ring of poison polson about Its bite bile Under one of the higher crests he found a rock jut with an overhanging over hang ing lag lip that made a shallow cave The floor of that cave he saw he could bed with dried moss and sedge grass The face of it he could close closel in im l with loose rocks and a n m matrix of ot timber scrub branches from the near near-by slopes It would not only protect him from wind and rain but with a smudge fire going in Its entrance en en- entrance trance It would be a defense against mosquitoes and black flies It would for the thc time being be his home To it he carried his tin beef and I his chocolate his sheath knife and II his precious little can of ot shooks together to together gether with every carefully salvaged foot of ot the equally precious cord that had been cut from rom his wrists and ankles For on those strands of ot cord he hc remembered might yet bang hang his hope of deliverance With the ilie evening coolness deepening around him he felt the thc need of a fire He regretted not having an ax J TO BE CONTINUED |