Show 1 STRINGER r J i iTIlE TIlE THE STORY so FAR Alan Slade has bas greed farced eed to ft fly a scientist named Frayne FraDe I. I o 0 river to look for the theo o 0 0 reeding ground of the trumpeter swan 1 Is bleak country and Alan suspects Wayne Mayne ayne of having something up his leue but Norland Airways needs the Jib gib b. b Slade stade and his partner Cruger have haveL L' L lieD een en having trouble competing with the thet t i irger r companies and Frayne has paid t ough to enable Cr Cruger to buy the planey plane icy y need When he thought Norland as s going to have to quit Slade applied ad heir hw overseas service with the army air His Ws application was rejected but fU disappointment has been lessened ep l by the brighter outlook for forbe fortt be be business and by the fact that Lynn tt to tol l the local doctors doctor's daughter fI s decided not to go to England with 8 t cr r Red Cross unit Now he has gone gonet t f fth th Lynn while she gives first aid aidan tta treatment to an outcast flyer er named Slim h stead who has been hurt in a a. fight I r ey learn that knows about It fayne Layne and about the new Lockheed a few minutes later and they arc are about their plans for the future Dl feels feel that she must think first of r rr ei r fathers father's happiness NOW continue with the story 40 i CHAPTER IV But you mustn't forget Slade a ak- ak tended that you have your own live tn m al a to n aa laet That's what Im I'm trying to rebe re- re be ember was Lynns Lynn's vibrant- vibrant o e e e iced Aced reply I s SEd They ey came to a stop in hi front of he e ti tie fa foSi e hospital steps te J c 1 Some day he said with a wave G recklessness Ill make you see ic ico my way tY If H it sounded like a threat it 1 l Brought rought no touch of concern to the f iZel el eyes searching his face A of o ile even hovered about her lip ids 1 I Youve You've got a harder job than l lat at t she retorted if youre you're flying to the tomorrow Then 1 e smi smile e disappeared By the n I saw that ornithologist who's g in with you He was asking 1 1 s e what I knew about the country I firth rth of t the he Q Is Is he as screwy t as he sounds i ked ed Slades Slade s 's far from screwy was yens yen's slightly retarded answer a struck me as being cold and ie rd and shrewd And I cant can't fige fig- fig re e out what hes he's after It rather akes kes me wish someone else was wasU U Noting him into that wilderness nl Slade lade was able to laugh as they II- II look ook hook hands Dont Don't lose sleep over that he j jj Then he laughed again flown nuts into re some queer a e North 71 Slade hurrying down to the air arbor could see his moored plane a ing ng warped in to the landing dock aim the dock itself he could make fit t Cassidy of the Norland staff fid nd d two strange figures one more than the other But what zw ld his eye was the amount of L' L biffel piled along the docks dock's edge lAs As Cruger had told him they were Diving iving him a load all right Even assidy's broad face broke into a amile amile mile mile as he handed him the scales- scales ip p For Slades Slade's glance at the moment mo mo- ent ment was directed toward the two Ip jien en n already interested in getting equipment aboard He resent- resent the offhand way in in which the big- big r of the two strangers was clam b ring about his ship The worn i coat that covered the wide boulders of this stranger made him d ook ok shabby and subordinate Y When the turned to his ten pilot sec- sec jl d passenger he experienced a aa Dense a I. I ense nse of disappointment touched ith shame For there seemed noth- noth eg pg sinister about the straitened and scholarly figure confronting him J hat at figure even failed to look fool- fool sh h. h Slade saw a man considerably y ass ss aged than he had expected a anan P. P nan n with sloping and narrow u w. w r ers and an abstracted gaze that 1 out on the world from behind ocal glasses I I Slade stepped closer Quite a load youre you're giving me e ventured as the man in the biJ bid bi- bi d J cal glasses continued to divide his between the duffel pile and checklist in his hand The The abstracted eyes lifted lilted and re re- him for a moment of silence t t was the glasses more than any any- lung liing g else Slade decided that gave e e stranger his look of delibera- delibera ion on on f I Why does that interest you the I tranger stranger inquired His tone was mild nd nd without hostility But the voice i toned toned ow-toned and remote seemed I Its ts by an exotic precision of intonation It persuaded Slade that ohe tie he was neither an Englishman nor norin yan in fan American i 9 j t This happens to be my ship the the pilot explained as he rested a ad d fraternal hand on the sun-faded sun fuselage IAh H I Ah then we shall shaIl see much of oft t each other said the other His smile was friendly but abstracted 1 I am Doctor Frayne And this is ismy 1 my my mate camp-mate my good man Fri- Fri say Iday Caspar Karnell ill No responsive word came from fromi i the he bodied big-bodied man in the coat oat He merely stood above the cabin hatch his eyes expression expression- less labin Caspar is not shall not shall I say say vol vol voluble uble observed the Doctor A mild mildd and d smile wrinkled the I scholarly face behind the glasses I a And that I might also explain is I why we travel together t Slade after an inspection of the bland emptiness of Karnell's face nodded his understanding IS s I i i. i i I l r trl l Quite an arsenal youre you're taking in he observed They tell me Im I'm to take you into into in into to the prompted the bush pilot That is my desire answered Dr Frayne It may so happen that we shall winter up north Down north Slade corrected We speak of it here as down north The man with the abstracted eyes ventured a shrug With time become become become be be- he said I shall 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 that statement he lifted a case of 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 licher the two holstered bolstered Lugers the pair of shotguns of different different dif dil- dif dif- ferent gauges and weight that rested rested rested rest rest- ed between a scattering of cartridge cases u Quite U an arsenal youre you're oure taking taking tak- 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 Itis It Itis Itis is is well in case of the unexpected to be able to live off the land Of 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 signal flares and cased instruments and even two carrier pigeons in a hooded hooded hooded hood hood- ed cage Youre 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 re re- re- re gret I had hoped on arriving here to purchase a plane But they are not to be bought I find Th Theres eres ere's use for em just now observed the pilot Were Vere in the war you know The eyes behind the bifocals became became became be be- came less opaque But here at least observed the theman theman theman man of science I shall not see it come between me and my re re- re- re search The liThe office tells me youre you're after trumpeter swans said Slade I am seeking the nesting ground of that noble bird acknowledged I Ithe the ornithologist They are extremely extremely extremely ex ex- ex- ex shy and hard to find in hi 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 feIt the need of proving proving proving ing 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 for trumpeters there not so far back A refuge which will be a failure was the prompt response Your trumpeter is a child of the wilds He cannot be adjusted to confine confine- ment His new friend Slade admitted seemed to know his bird life all right His squint eye-squint deepened as he noticed noticed noticed no no- two heavier cases being lifted aboard By UBy the way are you 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 dlf- fused That may not be necessary he finally explained We Ve shall perhaps perhaps perhaps per per- haps work our way through to what are locally known as the Barrens and come out along your Hudson Bay coast It is a country you may happen to know 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 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 hed he'd wintered there But you wont won't get swans as far east as the bay he pointed out instead At least not trumpeters Frayne's smile became 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 asserted assert assert- ed the pilot who had his own memories memories memories mem mem- ories of the That murmured the swan hunter hunt hunt- er is entirely to my liking Rut But Y vr oure Mr not entirely fn to my mv J J 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 as Cruger had expressed it He had 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 the It looked spick and span in its new coat of aluminum He realized as he swung about that the man in the bifocal glasses was also studying the Lockheed An UAn attractive ship the scientist observed It was my intention to own her But in hi that I was forestalled forestalled forestalled fore fore- stalled by your friend Cruger Slade smiled at the sharpened note in hi 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 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 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 coffee But there was no lighted bright-lighted 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 it was in faith was a rough-and-ready rough off jumping place for a lot of lunatics lunatics lunatics luna luna- tics who wanted to dig holes in a wilderness where the frost went deeper than the gold It could never never never nev nev- er be classed with those 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 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 water- water riffles against the floats of the Post- Post craft that would be going out in three hours' hours time Beside it the only remaining ship in the harbor loomed the new Lockheed that looked more like the ghost of a plane in the uncertain starlight than a workaday framework of metal metal metal met met- al and linen well covered with aluminum aluminum aluminum alu alu- minum paint It startled him as he stood watching watching watching watch watch- ing it that anything so quiet could give bir birth th to movement But as he watched he saw a shadow detach itself from the shadowy fuselage He saw that shadow drop to the by near float and then leap quick-footed quick to the dock edge TO BE CONTINUED |