Show 0 l g V m r- r a r By ARTHUR STRINGER op m THE STORY SO FAR To keep NorLand Norland Nor Nor- Land Airways In business Alan Slade a agrees to fly a called so-called scientist named r e re ll Frayne and his partner Karnell to the river In search of the trumpeter trum tram d peter swan With the proceeds Slades Slade's partner Crager Cruger buys boys a Lockheed plane which Is stolen When he returns from frolo the Slade starts out to recover the plane In this he Is being helped by an eskimo named and by his old prospector friends Zeke and Minty Acting on a bunch hunch Slade Blado has gone rone to Frames Frayne's camp and has discovered that the missing plane Is hidden there Slim sUm a flyer Oyer who has bas lost his 11 cerise cense for drinking and and andIs Is little more than an outlaw has been flying It for Frayne But when Slade attempts to examine the planes plane's cargo he Is knocked unconscious by Karnell Kamell saves him from being killed by Karnell Kamell only to abandon him later on a deserted Is Is land because he knows too much has Just taken oft off again if after alter leaving leam Slade with only a knife a pound of German army chocolate a can of bully beef beet anI and what looks liko like an empty tin On Now continue with the story IS s CHAPTER RIVa XIV RIV a 7 He placed the knife on the shore r slope Beside it he placed the pound of German chocolate and beside that again ag in the tin of bully After After After Aft Aft- er studying them for a long time he reached for the tobacco tin This when he opened it proved not to be entirely empty In it to his surprise he found half a dozen steel fishhooks He stared at them for a full minute minute minute min min- ute remembering how more than one bush pilot had the habit of carrying carr care Tying such things in his emergency equipment They gave a promise of food in case of a forced landing inn in ina ina a n wilderness threaded with water water- ways Then with a gasp of apprehension sion 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 knotted knot knot- ted together they would provide him with willi 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 westerly westerly west west- erly shore where the slopes ended in meadows his gaze came cameto cameto cameto to rest on a wide field of bulrushes That gave him hue new hope He was alone in an empty world But as he stood straight on his lonely lonely lonely lone lone- ly ridge of rock he told himself that he hadn't yet reached the end of his rope L iwu wu ana dilu figures groped their way northward between the muskegs and the rocky hogbacks that stretched out to the skyline beyond Lake A Each man carried a rifle and arid a cartridge t 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 lax ax from the waist of the other swung a skillet and tea pail They went on stoically slapping jat at flies black-flies and mosquitoes until weariness overtook them and a lowering lowering low- low ering sun told them it was time to I 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 bei be- be become become i come fewer as they advanced into a country of bolder rock ridges with witha I a scattering of tamarack along their southern slopes They saw the shadows shadows shadows shad shad- lengthen and the light once more thin out And once more they made camp and slept and pushed Jon on again Were on the proper trail all allright right fright observed Minty as he mounted mount- mount Jed ed a knoll and surveyed the surrounding sur- sur surrounding surrounding rounding landscape Theres the hl 1 T Ll a u nu U VU Ul uJ way back Theres been folks here before jus us asserted Zeke pointing to where scrub spruce had been cut along the h hill ll slope From the first crack out o 0 the box said Minty I III had a queer about that two eyed swan swan- hunter I knew he wasn't edgin up into this district of ours for any good Then whys why's he here g what Im I'm go a-go goin a in to find 5 out retorted the grizzled old prospector pros- pros il before he gits another shot at my carcass I It was as they were circling m cautiously cautiously cau cau- along the westerly arm of 1 the lake that Zeke stopped short on ona ona ona a ridge crest that ended in a deepwater deepwater deepwater deep deep- water bayou For moored close in i under a cliff there he saw the scarred and sun-bleached sun wings of ofa a plane the Snow-Ball Snow Baby was Minty's sudden exclamation hats Lindy's old crate all right t agreed the perplexed Zeke But t Wheres Where's our puddle-jumper puddle They still hesitated in their a ap ap- p But curiosity finally overcame overcame overcame over- over came them When they found no noB B pilot there after invading its cabin cabo cab cab- o Sin in they regarded each other for a 0 f moment of silence r i yMa y W S 1 r i i a 4 14 I If they want to do it style said Minty l its okay with me I dont don't like the look 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 Theres grub and extra gas in there he reported when he rejoined rejoined rejoined re re- re- re joined his companion Theres even blankets and fly nets and one o 0 them new air mattresses Then you'll see him headin back here pronto Minty persisted But at the end of an hours hour's wait the azure of his optimism was shadowed 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 quarter o water between herand her herand herand and shore Howd you git her there asked Minty as he studied the plane I always had a for knowin knowin knowin know- know in how to handle one o 0 them con con- And right now that hank hank- erin is 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- de- de Minty Id blow up that air mattress of ofT T a 1 4 i A J LIun 7 i nUIe e. e lulu ina 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 free will But the shifting of the Snow-Ball Snow to its new berth was no easy mat mat- ter And even with the plane safely anchored in mid-lake mid Zekes Zeke's troubles troubles troubles trou trou- bles were not over The inflated air mattress from the first proved a precarious craft When halfway to shore in fact Zeke lost his balance and went overboard with Minty's anxious eyes watching his struggles as he floundered about and finally resumed his perch on the little raft of 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 shore slope His teeth were chattering chattering chattering chat chat- and his language was blas blas- Quit cussin admonished Minty Minty Minty Min Min- ty and git out o 0 them clothes before before before be be- fore they chill you to the bone Zekes Zeke's shirt was dry by the time time he was ready to drink his tea And his ill temper had departed by the time tune the dignity of clothing was restored restored restored re re- re- re stored to his sinewy old body We cant can't squat round these embers embers embers em em- bers no longer he announced What weve we've got o 0 do is sleuth out them white skinned whore who're in m on our domain Lead me to em said Minty as ashe 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-misted slopes between him and the lowering lowering lowering lower lower- ing sun He squinted long and closely closely closely close close- ly at the wooded crest across a wide valley studded with glacial hardheads And as he looked he saw a n puff of smoke bloom for a moment against the top hill spruce gloom at the same time a bullet whined over his head hend His reaction to that was auto auto- matic matico He dropped to the he far side of the ridge where he lay shouting for Minty to get under cover But Minty Minty Minty Min Min- ty disregarded that advice He stood with his rifle at half-arm half 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 he cried as he leveled his rifle along the stone top Well they'll git it a I But after a two-man two council pi of I war they realized that closing in inon inon in inon on the enemy was not so simple as asit asit I it might seem I If flU they want to do it style said Minty l its okay with me Theres There's no reason why two cant can't play at that game But dodgin round rock corners I aint goin to find Alan Zeke pro pro- tested And our first job is to git trace o 0 that boy If they declined to retreat however however however how how- ever they made their advance a amore amore I Imore more circuitous one When nightfall nightfall nightfall night night- fall came they quartered off at an I angle advancing craftily from rock shadow to rock shadow their old eyes searching every ridge slope and hollow But they encountered no sign of life When weariness overtook them one would sleep for two hours while the other kept watch I dont don't like this lull in things observed Zeke as he blinked about the silent ridges Makes me suspicion suspicion sus sus- suspicion sus- sus them swan hunters might be something over on us Let em try it barked Minty after a look into his cartridge cham cham- ber Zekes Zeke's weathered old face fate remained remained remained re- re 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 Snow 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 I Ive 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 11 nis roll rou and anti tightened his belt I reckon youre you're right for once he conceded Seated on the barren shore of his sub arctic island nd Alan Sla Slade le 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 circle of his world the only world that remained to him His steps grew steadier as ashe ashe ashe he mounted the shore slope and worked his way up to one of the bolder ridge crests From that vantage point he carefully carefully carefully care care- fully studied his island That island he found was not so large as it had first seemed So far as he could see it was empty of animal life And this seemed confirmed confirmed confirmed con con- firmed as he explored its irregular shoreline Along th the rockier shore to the east where he had hoped to stumble on driftwood he found nothing nothing nothing noth noth- ing beyond a tangle of bleached boles and branches the best of them little thicker than a caribou I n oc nl co o rn fe n J 01 ww v 4 V UA u y u CIO Cl U of firewood The thought of a fire reminded him that one of his first needs was wasa a shelter of some kind He knew the north too well to nurse much fear of marauding animals More than wandering bear or wolf his enemies enemies' there would be the voracious voracious voracious vora vora- cious arctic mosquito and the black- black fly that left a burning ring of poison about its bite Under one of the higher crests he found a rock-jut rock with an overhanging over hang ing lip that made a shallow cave The floor of that cave he saw he ho could bed with dried moss and sedge grass The face of it he could close in with loose rocks and a matrix of timber scrub r branches from the near-by near slopes It would not only protect him from wind and rain but with a smudge fire going in its entrance entrance en en- trance it would be a defense against I mosquitoes and black flies It would for the time being be his home To it he carried his tin beef-tin and his chocolate his sheath knife and his precious little can of together together together to to- gether with every carefully s salvaged foot of the equally precious cord cordI that had been cut from his wrists and ankles For on those strands of cord he remembered might yet hang his hope of deliverance With the evening coolness deepening around him he felt the need of a fire He regretted not having anax an ax TO BE CONTINUED |