Show M m 4 N NB 6 1 t I N B Y AnT t tH H U R STRINGER 1 v 4 THE TILE STORY SO FAR To help save 0 Norland Airways Alan Slade agrees to fly a supposed scientist named Frayne and his assistant Karnell to the Ana Ana- river In search of the trumpeter swan With the proceeds' proceeds Slades Slade's part parL- partner ner Cruger buys a new Lockheed which lj 11 s stolen tolen When Slade returns from the he starts out to find lind the plane aided by an named Uma Uma- nak oak and by his old prospector friends Zeke Zelie and Minty Slade goes to Frayne's camp where he be learns that the missing plane Is being used by Frayne to take t. el something out of the tho country Slim Turn Tam stead tead a good no-good flyer who has lost his license Is Frayne's pilot When Slade attempts to Investigate the tho planes plane's caro car car- go o 0 he Is knocked unconscious by Karnell He Is b rescued by only to tobe tobe tobe be abandoned by him on a deserted Is is b. land Zeke and Minty find lind Slades Slade's plane and stay to guard coard It Slade escapes to the mainland Is found exhaust exhausted ed by Dr and his daughter Lynn and he tells them ho he has hu found the missing plane He Ho has also brought a sample of the planes plane's cargo which turns out to be pitchblende source of a anew anew new kind of power They decide to take t home bomo and then look for Slade Now continue with the story I CHAPTER XVI But taking home had its difficulties No like devil-bird devil was his stubborn stubborn stubborn stub stub- born protest But the Flying Padre was insist insist- ent And Lynn after much talk and ond argument finally persuaded the theold theold old DId to climb into the cabin There he crouched down in a corner corner corner cor cor- ner with his hands covering his face He moaned aloud as the plane took off He continued to sweat and shiver on the trip back to In In- let And once there disdaining Lynns Lynn's help he disembarked with unexpected celerity to be surrounded surround surround- ed td by an admiring group of natives whose exclamations of envy did much to restore the old mans man's shattered shattered shattered shat shat- morale But Lynns Lynn's father was no longer Interested in Our next job he said is to get in touch with Corporal McGarry at ot Great Bear This begins to look like a case where the territorial authorities authorities authorities au au- au- au ought to get busy Lynn showed no active interest in that suggestion Our first job she maintained is to find Alan Some unlooked-for unlooked timbre of determination determination determination de de- de- de termination in her voice brought the Flying lying Padres Padre's glance about to her face But I feel we ought to swing over overto overto overto to Echo Harbor first an Eskimo and you can of course discount dis- dis count his story a little But i if hes he's found round what he says there it ought to tok tole le k confirmed That can wait said Lynn Lynn studied the country over which r the faded blue wings of the Flying lying Padres Padre's plane drifted like a shadow It was country that was pew new to her yet in its general aspects aspects as as- it was oddly familiar She sighed as the Flying Padre banked tanked and turned and settled down downin in sn a watered blue-watered lake where the fowl scuttled away at their ap ap- roach She remained silent as the t r. r ens move d s l ow l in n t d pen tuvu WAk IrV All VJ V YoU V U TV A y J IU 1 UA a E pebbled shore fringed by a scattering scattering scattering scat scat- of driftwood all for today said the theman theman theman man at the controls He sat for a moment in silence His face looked tired and dispirited But when he glanced at Lynns Lynn's equally dispirited lace face he roused himself This is exactly what were we're lookIng lookIng lookIng look- look Ing for he said with a forced smile mile Firewood waiting for us usand usand usand and a clean shoreline without mos mos- But we haven't found Alan said the he still motionless girl Well Vell find him was the others other's quietly assured response to that f After ter getting out his mooring line he rummaged through his cabin equipment for a jointed rod which he kept there He ignored Lynns Lynn's clouded eyes as she sat watching him Mm make ready his rod and tackle Theres fish in these waters he announced And if you'll get things ready well we'll have a beauty or two tor lor or supper But we haven't found foun Alan she repeated to herself as she tally lally set about her work The question of Alan's whereabouts whereabouts where where- was still in her mind as they look took off the next morning and headed headd head- head td ed d deeper into the land of stunted spruce boles and empty ridges A Atense tense sense of timelessness crept through her as they flew on Then she saw how the plane was veering eastward eastward eastward east east- ward and her father was leaning forward forward for for- ward to study the course of a river that wound sullenly in and out between between be be- tween the shadowy hills That must be the he tailed out She took her turn at studying the terrain over which they were dron dron- ing The to her looked malignant like a snake She found BO so little that was consoling in its aspects aspects aspects as as- that she was glad when they temporarily swerved away from its ever-changing ever course and headed for a district of bolder ridges interspersed with lakes that lay like pools of sHyer in hi the morning sun fome Iome of them were small and some of them were large But the heavier tree-growth tree along their shores told her they had left the Land of Little Sticks behind them Some of them she also saw were studded with conical small islands One larger lake held the ghost of an islet in its very center like a tiny pupil at the he center of a wider iris of azure i ii 17 F j I n K-i K Kis KiI I s- s y M r i t I 1 t cI 16 IS Its you who mustn't take chances she reminded him Lynns Lynn's eyes were on that island as they bore down on it It lost its vagueness as they drew nearer and took on a new irregularity of outline Then she saw it was not a adot adot adot dot of land It was a winged gray-winged plane floating there in hi its bath of blue She could feel her heart come up in her throat The ghost plane she cried aloud But the Flying Padre apparently had also sighted the gray wings against the blue of unruffled northern north north- ern water He turned and circled the lake dropping lower as he looked Its Alan's plane he shouted as his pontoons took the water the Snow-Ball Snow Baby Lynn could feel her heart pound as they drifted nearer But no sign of life came from the plane so lazily dragging at its mooring line queer he observed Ill edge closer and climb aboard But an abrupt interruption came cameto cameto cameto to that movement A rifle barked from the lake bank and a bullet went whining over his head As he looked up arrested a second detonation echoed out over the lake water and a second bullet whined perilously close to his ear Then a voice husky but authoritative tive called across the water Keep off that plane it commanded commanded commanded com com- or Ill I'll drop you where you stand The Flying Padres Padre's eye searching the shore made out an unkempt and ragged old figure with a leveled rifle On a rock point behind him a moment later he detected a second second second sec sec- ond bewhiskered old figure also with witha a leveled rifle Keep down was the Padres Padre's warning cry to the girl in the cabin These fools are firing at us Then he turned to the threatening figures on the shore Stop it you idiots Not on your life was the huskily huskily huski huski- ly shouted response You back away from r fr-r m that P lane nn and a ta ci in in n J u u. u w t u here or well we'll blow you out o o 0 the water The indignant man of medicine considered that threat But it failed to stir him into action Wheres Alan Slade he de de- de- de that to you was the shouted response Were Vere friends called back the Padre who want to find him He could see the rifle-barrels rifle at that waver and lower Then you'd best swing in here and prove it was the call came back to him Its all right Lynn was saying from the cabin hatch They must be Alan's old miners from the Kasa- Kasa kana She dropped into the pilots pilot's seat and started the motor her still indignant indignant in indignant in- in father balanced on one of the floats as she veered about and taxied in to the shore line There as he waded ashore the theold theold theold old man with the rifle r regarded him with a skeptical eye Now whore who're you was that old oldmans oldmans oldmans mans man's prompt challenge not important an an- announced the Flying Padre Id rather know who you are are Were a couple o o 0 peace lovin lone who've been prospect- prospect in back on the I answer answer answer an an- to the name o 0 Zeke Pratt And this is my bunkie Minty Buck- Buck man Then you know Alan Slade cried Lynn I Sure we know Alan conceded the embattled Zeke And that boysa boys boy's boysa a bit of all right But what's worry- worry in us is why he aint back here herewith herewith herewith with his plane She's been there empty day after day and I dont don't like the looks o 0 things why were we're guardin her concurred Minty From whom questioned the Padre From them damned swan hunt ers whore who're up to some devilment round here we cant can't figger out They've got a landin dock and a plane o 0 their own hidden under a pile o 0 brush over the hills there And when we tried to sleuth em out they started lead like a bunch of Sioux The Flying Padres Padre's face remained thoughtful a moment Could you take me to the camp of these people with the plane Sure said Zeke if youre you're ready to dodge bull bullets ts on the way And you have no idea why those people are in this territory pursued pursued pur pur- sued the Padre From the way they've been and dikin and along the ridges I out they was after gold But they aint work n in the right rock for color Supposing said the Padre they were after pitchblende That failed faile l to impress the two old lone-fire lone prospectors Theres pitchblende in this neck I o 0 the woods all right conceded Zeke but what in heck would they be doin with it out here The Flying Padre had his own ideas about that A plane ferrying a aton aton aton ton a trip could carry a amount of from that uninhabited uninhabited uninhabited un un- inhabited interior to tidewater But what good would that do Germany asked Lynn or any other country on the other side of the world From an unmolested port like Echo Harbor the Padre pointed out a disguised Japanese whaler or even evena a furtive Russian freighter could pick up the cargo and quietly carry it on to Yokohama or to Vladivostok where it could be transshipped and hurried on to the reducing plants north of the Rhine This thing goes a trifle wider than you think proclaimed the Padre as his gaze went from the two eyed empty-eyed old sourdoughs to the disappointingly unresponsive face of his daughter But this isn't helping us to find Alan she objected The Padre studied the deepened hollow in her cheek and the sharpened sharpened sharpened sharp sharp- ened line of the valorously poised chinI chinI chinI chin I know it he agreed but one seems to weave in with the other And Im I'm wondering which approach will the bring best results If you take the one we took interposed Minty git results all 1 1 aU UI right UI You ll u git 1 gu 11 em in III the LUC shape snape o 0 ounce four-ounce slugs o o 0 lead Then well we'll look em over from the air first said the Flying Padre He turned to the two ragged figures beside him Have you timers old-timers ever flown Sure was the prompt response But again Lynn interrupted what we should both be doing she insisted While you take Alan's ship I could take ours and be looking for him Where will you look asked her father I cant can't be sure yet was her none too satisfactory answer But Buthe Buthe Buthe he wouldn't be away from his ship without some good reason She stared out over the lonely spruce ridges And hed he'd come back to it ithe if he could That means hes he's somewhere somewhere somewhere some some- where out there waiting for us The Padre stood silent a moment She had as a rule been singularly dependable And the best antidote for anxiety he had learned was activity U All All right he acceded you cant can't stand around idle at a time like this any more than I could But keep some system in your scout scout- ing He smiled at her prompt nod of understanding Ie And no overnight overnight overnight over over- night stuff remember Not if Li I can help it Youve got to help it said Lynns Lynn's father We cant can't afford a second searching party in these wilds Mark this as your base and keep a close check on your course And if the weather gets bad head back here One of these men will willbe willbe willbe be keeping a signal-fire signal going But the important thing remember is isto isto isto to spot your landmarks and know your lakes He found something reassuring inthe in inthe inthe the girls girl's quiet smile smite Its you who mustn't take chances she reminded him For just a moment the firm young jaw quivered with some darker emo emo- tion Youre all Ill I'll have left if anything's anything's anything's any- any things thing's happened to Alan The Flying Padre forced a laugh Im still betting on that bush hawk he stoutly maintained He comes out of too hard a school not notto notto notto to know how to take care of him him- self And today remember is the tomorrow we worried about yester yester- day TO HE E CONTINUED |