Show STRINGER TIIE THE STORY SO go ran although Altho uh hi he suspects inspect him of at being up to something alan slide slade has agreed to fly a clent lf named brayne and his partner karnell to tho the Anaw otto river to look lor for the breeding ground ot of the trumpeter wan swan frayne ha has I 1 paid thera well enough to enable alan abang partner cruger Cri iBer to buy a lockheed that will help norland airways airway meet the crushing competition of 0 the larger companies compan let before leaving alan helps lynn daughter of the fly ay ins ing padre give ive first aid treatment to an outcast flyer named slim humsted and learns that bumstead Tum stead knows about the pline plane and about Fr fracnes Fray aynes neg expedition during that night the tee new plane li Is bolea stolen by a masked man who heads northen route to the Anaw otto plane runs run out of 0 gas gaa and they spend the a night lit at the cabin of at isis prospector pm friends lends Ir ze acke ke and minty where slade keeps keep I a gas gai cache drayne shown no interest in either gold bold or pitchblende the litter latter a newly discovered source of power but the next morning when they have been in the air only a short time frayne decides to land and stay there on the Kai Kas akana instead ol of going to the Anaw otto now while alan li Is on hi ids way back lynn and her lather father are planning to operate oa am a blind eskimo in the hope ot of restoring his light lynn has just suggested lug that they try to reach alan and have him ILI m bring the supplies they need for or the 0 operation 1 era tion now continue with the story CHAPTER vin VIII so while the radio searched the barrens for the whereabouts of alan slade the abandoned ivick inlet store shed had been taken over as an emergency hospital it had been scrubbed and dis infected and fitted with a homemade operating table and instrument stand lynn turned from the sea front and walked up the slope to its rough boarded walls she tried to tell herself that it for theman the man with the viking eyes that she was waiting no she stubbornly contended it for alan she was waiting it was for those needed supplies he was bringing in to them her thoughts a moment later went to other things she crossed to the door convinced that she had heard the faint and far off hum of a motor she scanned the gray blue sky and searched the long line of the lilac tinted horizon above the southern muskeg fields but all she bhe could see was an arrowhead of blue geese winging silently northward she was still at the door when she ehe observed that dogaluk afas was leading old through the huddle toward her you hear urn um dogaluk sur her by asking hear what questioned the girl still again searching the horizon it was who answered the devil bird that comes from nowhere and go nowhere I 1 hear um go for two days now what does he mean lynn inquired of the slant eyed dogaluk Ko galuk the young eskimo woman found it hard to explain um a plane a ghost plane she finally asserted but your father cant see lynn persisted bosee no see said but hear um hear um two three days now cow but it just melt away said eaid lynn it must have gone somewhere Koga luks braided head nodded unexpected assent um go to echo harbor she asserted that harbor on sea full of devil voices echo harbor taboo to our people but what could it do there it was who answered if have good eyes him go see me no afraid devil voices he squared his sturdy old shoulders when was the last time you thought you heard this ghost plane asked the young white woman they were she knew countless miles away frond from any possible air route me hear um today said urns uma pak nak and he said it with conviction lynn gave some thought to this she was still trying to persuade herself that these credulous and child hearted people were merely fabricating a mystery out of something that could and would be quickly reduced to the commonplace but even as she stood there she could see old stiffen in his tracks me hear um now was hia abrupt cry of triumph ills his hearing apparently was keener than the others for when lynn stepped forward with willi strain ing ears she could hear nothing me hear um repeated the old eskimo but lynn disregarded his cry for as her coasting gaze wandered back and forth along the southern skyline she ehe caught sight of a small mall speck that grew bigger as she watched no ghost plane uma nak 11 she cried alan slade with his snowball snow ball baby and the supplies weve been waiting for the tha flying padre waiting at the waters wat rs edge as slade came ashore promptly noted the sense of strain on the bush pilots face wrong promptly questioned padre A bit of bad luck said slade weve lost our lockheed A crash the tired face beca became me grim what I 1 have to find out slade ind indicated his armful of pack jil t the young eskimo woman found it hard to explain um a ghost plane 11 ages 1 I be here but I 1 knew you needed this stuff the flying padres smile was an understanding one yes lynns waiting for it he casually observed he also observed that a little of the shadow went from the viking blue eyes then ashes here ho he asked the padre nodded shell be anchored here for a cou couple ale of weeks with an eye case but ashes been worrying about you the gaze of the two men locked for a moment slade was the first to emerge from that moment of abstraction 1 I caught up this mall mail for you at yellowknife he said as he handed letters and papers to the older man slades eyes rested on that older man bareheaded and gaunt in the revealing arctic sunlight as the letters were examined lynn was right her father was not so young as he had once been yet if there was any inner weariness weariness there it was masked by a quick decisiveness of movement that spoke of a mind still active and a will still strong these are for lynn the flying padre was saying as he inspected two bulky envelopes embossed with english stamps come a long way observed slade yes from barrett hes at al dershow now slade felt a little of the warmth go out of the sunlight and these are the drugs and things he explained as they mou mounted nt the knoll to the plain boarded little surgery slade blade pushed through the cluster of natives about the door disturbed by the quicker pounding of his heart then he saw lynn all in white she was boiling something in a test tube over an alcohol lamp heres alan announced her father hes brought you two letters from barrett she took the letters not unconscious that two pair of questioning eyes were resting on her but her gaze remained abstracted as she glanced at the bulky envelopes and placed them on the window sill have to wait she said then her face lost its abstraction as she smiled up at slade and youve got our supplies she cried with a note of relief that brought no particular joy to the bush pilot bearing them that means we can get gel busy the plying flying padre proclaimed I 1 slades frown deepened as he stood watching the nondescript line of insults that formed hutsi outside de the door of their the fir improvised surgery when is this bread line of 0 the igloos over he asked why asked the busy nurse because I 1 rather wanted to talk to you y ou asserted the flyer touched with a feeling of jealousy at the renewed discovery of how th this as white hite clad reliever of pain could remain so immersed in her work then for a moment she emerged from the shell he saw or thought he saw a fleeting look of hunger in her eyes but that look vanished as the flying padre called out Is ready not yet she answered dont you think its rather worth while lynn questioned 1 I suppose so troubleshooter trouble shooter he responded lightly it was worth something to be there at her side thin thi n you can help me scrub up old Uni anak lynn said with a smile dads going to do that cat arac temy on him this morning and something tells me its the first hot water bath he ever had well probably have to hold hol d him down said slade but to their surprise was not averse to his bath um good he murmured what kept you late lynn asked as she toweled her patient dry and pro preceded ceded to robe him in flannelette pajamas that were much too long tor for him then you were waiting for me mea I 1 he challenged there was a tinge of hope in his voice for our supplies was her response I 1 had to swing back to jacka inc point to refuel slade said in a slightly hardened voice theres a f gas thief loose somewhere in this district my cache at wolf lake was ca cleaned out but who could have done it questioned lynn its such empty country what I 1 intend to find out slade told her with determination lynn stood upright fixed by the sudden thought of the ghost plane but before that thought was put into words the flying padre appeared in his pontifical looking surgical gown it if youve time to sit in on this he said with one eye on the flyer and one on his waiting instruments instrument sp you can wash up and help its a rather interesting bit of work will the old boy see again what were counting on said the man of medicine but speaks a little english remember me see the devil bird that go nowhere after you make eyes good proclaimed the patient there was sureness in the delicate movements of the doctors fingers but slade rid his mind of the thought that one small slip might mean disaster one wrong move could mean blindness for life he was glad when the bandages were about the swarthy skinned old face concealing what had been done to it Is that all you do slade inquired ile he tried to make the question seem a casual one but he found himself touched by a new respect for a calling which he had so recently been tempted to disparage all we can do said the flying padre for the present but lynn is going to stay on an and look after ive a couple of meningitis cases at cape morrow that be neglected and hell be able to see again persisted the skeptic minded layman of course hell see again was lynns low noted reply as she tucked a warmed four pointer about her patient me see devil bird that go nowhere murmured slade stood suddenly arrested by those murmured words he knew well enough what a devil bird was to a native what does he mean by that he keeps saying he can hear a ghost plane a devil bird that comes and goes along the coastline coast line lynn explained and his daughter rog kog aluk claims ashes seen it flying low between bet veen here and echo harbor it was dr who spoke next 1 I suppose he said as he checked over instruments and bottles and stowed them away in his abraded bag be heading south tomorrow slade crossed to the window and looked out along the empty and interminable skyline no he said im not going south tomorrow what are you going to do asked lynn startled by the grimness ne ss of his face 1 I think ill look into this business he said as his narrowed gaze rested on the horizon for just above that horizon he caught sight eight of a small and ghostlike gnat of silver winging its resolute way southward above the dark line of the muskeg country it looked as insubstantial as a soap bubble but slade as the silver fleck finally vanished told himself that he knew a plane when he saw one cherell Wh erell that take you the flying padre was asking 1 I dont know yet said slade but ive an idea end up somewhere along the Anaw otto ill go down to the plane with you she said as she joined slade in the doorway when she returned to the knoll top surgery a few minutes later her waiting father detected both a new light in her eyes and a deeper line of thought between her brows she had the look of a woman who had been kissed and having been kissed found the world a different shape the padres own face took on a deeper line of thought how about alan instead of answering lynn crossed to the window there after a glance out over the empty rock ridges she took up the two letters lying on oa the sill lets see what barrett has to say eay the she observed with a forced casualness TO 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