Show STRINGER W THE S stoby ORY SO FAR to help his all partner anger keep norland airways all wayn tn business bulae alan slide airee agrees to ay a sc it a U to named frayne and his tl as S tl tnt karnell to the Anaw otto river W la in search 0 of abe th trumpeter pa win swan with S the proceeds proceed cruger has ha bought a new plant plane a ek beed which li Is stolen while slade is I 1 away the th plane pa must bt be found or norland airways airway li Is through when be returns slide slade starts out again with only two men meager g er clues to recover toe the plane the fir ant it clue cine Is I 1 the ildea devil il bird the eskimo believes believe I 1 comet comes from echo harbor the second 1 slades slid hunch that at the lost loit plane and ys the wan swan bunter frayne are somehow connected he files back to where he left frayle only to find that frayne is if apparently J ant us t hunting swans there li is BO sign ilen ot of the lost plane now continue with the story CHAPTER X ile he would be glad he knew to ta J hear the roar of that engine again 1 he even quickened his pace as he ji recognized the cove where his ship y was anchored 1 then his gladness vanished and a tingle of apprehension went through h i his body for as he glanced down t at the waterfront he saw that his mooring lines had been cast off and his plane was adrift he could see it moving in the freshening breeze circling slowly about until the pon grounded on a gravel bar his response to that d discovery is covery was both immediate and unreasoned he went sliding g down the ridge side and splashing through the shallows as he rounded the cove end the intruder aboard the plane must have seen him as he went slade could make out a wide shouldered figure clambering down to a float a figure that hesitated for only a moment and then leaped into the shallow water and waded ashore once ashore he slipped away into the spruce slopes and was lost to sight slades first impulse was to race after him but the most important thing he remembered was his plane ile he went splashing out and climbed aboard there his quick eye inventories inventoried invent oried his instrument board assessed engine and controls and discovered no damage 19 his ship his smile was grim as he replaced the breaker assembly which was essential to the life of his motor its absence he suspected had kept that wide shouldered intruder from taking off and disappearing into the unknown and that wide dered he had every reason to believe was fracnes Fr aynes mar karnell indignation was still burning through slades body as he gunned the motor and rose into the air he circled twice over the lakeside spruce slopes searching without reward for any sign of life there then he veered back and circled twice over the island studded water where he knew fracnes Fr aynes observations observation post to be but the only sign of life he caught from that quarter was the sudden wing flutter of a huge male trumpeter who interrupted his watchful drift ings to lift his long neck and fling a cry of de defiance flance up at the cloud cleaving wings of his rival slade caught the sound of that trumpeted challenge even through his engine roar as he turned south south and headed for the camp at the mouth of the kamakana Kas akana slade had the feeling of being in more friendly territory when he saw lake once more under his floats but no welcoming figures emerged from the shack as he circled over it in the evening light no kindly old voice called out to him as he moored beside the landing stage that left him both puzzled and depressed until his eari ear caught the sound of a distant detonation he knew well enough the meaning of that blast it meant that zeke and minty had foregone their usual supper hour to keep on with their mine work delving like badgers along some new drift or pounding rock at the bottom of some new test pit slade standing back between the shadowy ore piles could see zeke crimp crempa a mercury cap with his teeth and stick it into a dynamite cartridge before disappearing in the pit mouth it was that old sourdoughs fixed rule ruler he remembered never to use powder until down to hard rock their methods may have been those of a passing generation but they had found something worth while forajter Fo for rafter after a second detonation and a second scrambling down the pit mouth slade could hear min tys cackle of triumph as he inspected a fragment of blue quartz which zeke aekes zekes s tremulous fingers held just under his nose ashes rich all right cried minty minify you can see sec her with the naked eye ashes the best yet zeke agreed as he continued to squint at the ragged quartz slab and now we know ashes there you old thimble ribber its about time to call it a day it was then that slade called out to thim them that call through the long doured evening light caused minty to wheel about with a startled grunt at the same moment that zeke aekes zekes long ng arm swung out to catch UP a rifle that had rested unseen against the windlass frame put it down you old quartz chip per put it down was slades cry as he advanced toward them the two taut figures relaxed the A figure that hesitated for only a moment and then leaped into the shallow water hostility went out of their faces but zekes aekes eyes remained troubled you do things like that lindy I 1 might ve given you a air hole through the esophagus id rather you gave me a meal said the newcomer new comer as they shook hands and headed toward the shack youre too old to keep to a sixteen hour day like this minty pointed an accusatory finger at the flyer so youre givin us the go goby by these days he questioned ed what does that mean asked slade as they trudged sh ackward you in this neighborhood two nights ago slade stopped in his tracks why do you ask that cause I 1 heard you when you came down to pick up them gas drums and I 1 heard you the day before over the hills minty as asserted wait a minute cried slade you dont mean my gas is gone you know its gone you night prowling prow lin puddle jumper but why in heck did you tote oft off them two dozen 0 old id ore bags slade studied the two old faces so wrinkled with concern you say you heard a plane he questioned we sure did said minty and heard it more n once more I 1 seen it this said slade is going to need a little looking into zeke agreed with him we dont want no strangers sno round this territory he proclaimed how about that nincompoop in specks chos out swans nests questioned minty hes the only outsider within a crow flight 0 this camp but he has no plane said slade and no need for one well hed better keep clear 0 this claim croaked the embattled minty but two can play at that game minty slade pointed out and theres something going on between here and echo harbor that needs a bit of looking into t 1 I seen a plane all right maintained the scowling minty but I 1 cant figger out why hed be alyin across empty country or what in heck hed swipe two dozen ore bags for added zeke apprehensive eye rested on the young flyer looks to me son as though you was the bird to do some needed s coutin round here that snowball snow ball baby 0 yours could co cover er the whole barrens while minty and me was bootin it through fifteen miles 0 muskeg youre right zeke slade acknowledged and after I 1 swi swing n 9 south sout tomorrow im coming coining back to do a little investigating along the Anaw otto slade it for his home port on an the headed southward with a sense of something unfinished a contradiction a problem unsolved his first move after landing and having a few hurried words with the redoubtable cassidy was to hurry over to cruger and his plain boarded administration building what held you up was that officials curt demand stolen gas said slade theres somebody robbing our emergency caches cruger at that announcement wheeled about on on him at what stations at wolf lake and later at avi kaka the pilot could see his chiefs mouth harden with exasperation so were getting it from all sidell exclaimed cruger you know of course we spotted a trace of that lost lockheed slade nodded 1 I talked with cassidy down at the dock id a question or two I 1 wanted to ask him it help much nothing from cassidy has helped much said his partner but a plane cant be carried off like a snatched pocketbook it cant be hidden away and it cant be sold and it t cant he passed on to others then the answer asked slade something still ahead of 01 us said cruger every ship in this dominion has to pass governmental inspection and carry a license it cant make a move without being checked and counter checked it land aar across 0 ss the line without customs permits and it stay there without being reported its a pretty big country was slades altogether unsatisfactory reply not to a cloud dodger who can go from here to aklavik in fourteen hours contended cruger who added not without acerbity and keep his eyes open slade was willing to let that pass did you ever stop to think about motives he asked in the i swiping of that lockheed im not a mind reader retorted the older man but I 1 know this much a crackpot crack pot high jack a plane like that would always be ready to take chances in the air he must have known how to fly crugers brugers Cru gers eye became meditative as it went up to the wall map you mentioned the Avi kaka he said well on nowara toward the Anaw otto it slade acknowledged that it was about as empty country as youve got on your run its not on my run but its empty all right mostly bird life and barrens its the district I 1 dropped your swan hunter hanter in crugers brugers Cru gers gaze became reflective oh yes the swan hunter he told us he wanted to stay anchored there until after the freeze up and perhaps later said slade 1 I saw him on my way south all he seems to want just now is to be left alone it just add up said cruger slade tried to make his smile a casual one how about me trying to make it add up he suggested he had as he stood there been doing a bit of rough and ready mathematics of his own what could you do after dropping my pay load at conjurors conjurers Con jurors bay slade suggested 1 I might scout around where I 1 felt it would do the most good I 1 mean scout around in earnest crugers brugers Cru gers glance went up to the wall map again the fields too big he said no one man could fine comb that territory andin a couple of weeks wed have you to look for id take a chance on that said the man with the viking eyes but you even know what you were looking for dont be too sure of that w was as the delusively casual reply ive a hunch or two id rather lik like e to sound out about what first about that Anaw otto country this company cant opera operate to on hunches cruger averred in a voice that was less friendly than his gaze and a fine country to ge get j lost in I 1 1 I dont think id get lost slade said 1 I know the layout lay out there a little better than most bush I 1 hawks and if I 1 went in id go with camp equipment and extra fuel and rations and grow whiskers and go native observed cruger and leave us with two planes out of ser service vicel I 1 slade ignored the note of mockery 1 I usually get back he announced noun ced crugers brugers Cru gers face lost its frown you do he acknowledged but a trip like that would mean two wa way radio to keep in touch with us 1 I want radio said slade that would be spilling the beans to everyone between edmonton and point barrow Bar rov what id rather have would be a belt ax and an air mattress and perhaps a fish net and a magazine rifle and an extra mosquito bar the flies are arc bad in that section these days sounds to me lindy as thOu though lh you wanted to follow up that looney bird lover and look for swans no I 1 wont be looking for swans said slade it will be wr something bigger than a trumpeter I 1 TO RE BE CONTINUED |