Show P R U i J r c jI jIE t E Diy II D' D iJU NN I Yi Service y o right hi by by Robert Ames I I i g 1 T G YN d- d M I emu 0 C 0 CHAPTER IX IG Murder I In the morning Garth for or the first time showed haste The dawn was vas far too beautifully rose He lIe made sure that blankets were back In her cockpit before he handed her aboard He Be fitted the glass wind cowl to the cockpit rim which came up almost level with her eyes It If we ve strike Into a n blizzard get your tour cap over your ears and blanket yourself head bend and all he warned You Tou dont don't want to lose lese your ears and nose The constable was already snug un un- under under der his own cowl Garth swung Into his bis pilot cockpit Old TobIn gave the propeller a n spin for him This time Garth needed no circling In order to trace the air route Aboard the cabin monoplane he had watched i Instruments and noted the landmarks from rom above He lie now knew the way In by air lIe He did not even have to follow the zigzag zo course that he be had been forced forcell to grope along In guiding His ills mental map mal of all those turns bearings and distances i enabled him to draw a direct air line to the lost valley valle lie He headed along It as straight ht as fiS the crow flies By the time the lovely lovel rose dawn glared Into an angry nn ry red sunrise the I roaring plane had flown nil all the way across that weary wear desolation of ot mus mus- muskegs muskegs kegs and ridged broken cd lower moun Close ahead loomed the last lastrange range e In front of the The that had reared up so bare and brown under the summer sun now V gleamed with a white mantle mantie The only dark spots were precipices too steep to hold the snow Thickening clouds foretold another storm Hut But Garth had outraced It Instead of swinging log In around the out out- thrust mountain to the pass he banked and drove e past last the east enst side of the mountain on a long I A few v miles north from the pass j be banked to the west and aoel headed for forthe forI forthe I I I the lowest notch In the Jagged Ja ed east east- eastside sIde aide wall of the valley Above the 1 I great barrier the plane bumped like I a boat In a choppy seat Garth paid no conscious heed to the I rough passage Ills hands and feet adjusted the controls with Ith automatic precision leaving his attention free to center upon what lay ahead His Ills first glimpse Into the valley showed III him in a column of smoke above e the black belt helt of spruce at nt the far ar end of the lake Inke Much thicker and darker than ordinary camp fire smoke It t stood out distinct against the vivid white of the snow-sheeted snow tundra slope As the plane drove clear above the saddle between the peaks peals he shoved sho the the stick forward and cut the gun un With the roar of the engine en lne stilled the plane swooped 1 down at the lake lale like lIle a monstrous bird of prey Relatively speaking It t was driving at Its quarry quarries es as noiselessly as a great horned owl of ct the North Korth stoops to strike strlla a rabbit Also by entering the valley over o this distant saddle Instead of through the pass Garth felt sure the plane would not Dot he be seen spen Ills III next nest problem was to effect a landing without the roar of the re re- restarted started motor He lie had already alread made mad e out big bl cabin plane moored at the mouth of the glacier stream That was the only safe mooring place The lake lale had already skimmed over ove r with thin Ice except where the out out- rushing glacier torrent kept a water Ovate r lane free well hell ell out from shore y undoubtedly had been shrewd enough h to foresee a freeze up If it he moored his hi s plane below belo the foot of the placer place r trough Absence of uny any smoke near the plane plan e told that the miners were wele camped at atthe atthe a athe t the placer plater The stream mouth was too to far from flom the diggings dl for the hurried hurrie d workers to tramp back hack and forth e ev every v. v ery night and morning there tiger C would be snowdrifts to wade through t From every Indication the claim m r Jumper could be lie surprised and taken take n before he realized that nay any an other party part y than his own had come to the valley vane y The one tweed need was to avoid using the planes plane's engine Its roar would be heard for miles Garth calculated the angle anle with his utmost skill If he hit the water too soon SOOIl the propeller would have to be used to pull the plane In Into Into into to the landing If f he lie held on too long lens there might aught be he a crackup I It was a matter of fractions of sec see I ands He lie allowed for the fact that the i slight Blight sll ht wind was abeam Instead of ducking Bucking down from the late glacier Ills His V one failure was teas to notice In time the Shrunken volume of the jl glacier stream strelln i i The plane took tool to the water smooth H ly at almost t y the exact distance otT- otT J j shore that he lie luau hod planned The culty was the current lacked the force he expected Instead of slowing down or stopping short the I three seater drove In hard at the cabin plane The stream mouth lacked width enough for the small plane to squeeze past the large Inre one Nor was there th re room to tl maneuver between the off off- o offshore IT shore rork Garth acted with Instant decision He tie swerved the three seater l to clear toe tall of the cabin cahl n plane Illane As AsI J h ha stripped oft off his I goggles and swung 1 Ill 1 down from his cockpit with the moor moor- mooring ing In ng line the flue pontoon stems smashed like Ike eggshells eg ells on a rock across the narrow channel from the tall of ot the ether other plane Before the current could float the seater three back Into deep water Garth leaped ashore had opened the cowl of o her cockpit and was start start- staring starting Ing ng to climb out Garth glanced at the threatenIng sky She has settled down hard and fast Miss Hamill Better netter stay snug aboard until we return The girls girl's reply was to scramble for for- forward ward ivard en on the shoreward wing of the plane Garth waded out In the Icy water and had her hand down his rifle rIne the he three pairs of snowshoes and all the he blankets He lIe tossed everything to Dillon then took tool the girl on his shoulder der The fhe policeman had started upstream with the outfit lie Ile walked walled across the now shallow ford without getting a td drop of water over the tops of his heavily greased shoepacks Garth slung slun Lilith on his shoulder er like Ilke a sack of meal and Splashed across after Dillon OlIon At the far bunk Dillon stopped to put on n a pair of snowshoes Garth lowered the girl upon a n bare rock and ran down the left bank to swing aboard the he cabin plane With him he lie took tool the he blankets When he lie came ca me ashore he lie had on dry socks anti and moccasins lie III 11 frowned at Lilith She was flop flop- flopping flopping ping pIn awkwardly along on D snowshoes behind the policeman Take Ta ke off oIT those webs and get Into I Ithe the he cabin he lie ordered I I will not she refused Im go go- gong going o. o Ing ng with you rou I came to see that thai beast arrested Dont be a fool Well We'll be there and i iback back before youve you've more than get got started Theres There's no time to wait walt for you rou ou Blizzard may swoop down any minute He fie had slipped on the third pair of snowshoes now shoes He took his rifle rille from rem Dil- Dil Dillon lon Ion on and nOlI started off as guide The con con- constable stable liable followed at ot the clue same sante rapid gait lIe le was an experienced snowshoe run run- runner I ner Lilith tried to Imitate their deft left swinging stride with the tile webs She I tripped ripped and plunged face down Into a adrift drift Instead of turning back hack at the girls girl's cry of appeal Garth quickened his stride to a run A severe blizzard would thicken the skim Ice and close the he water lane out from the stream str mouth That would mean a wait walt un un- 11 the stream ran dry with the freeze freeze- lip ip of the glacier Not until then would the he lake Ice become thick enough forthe for forthe the he cabin planes plane's pontoons to be chopped free and pried up on the sur sur- face ace Above e the site of his old camp halted and signed sl ned for his companion to listen Down through the snowy stillness came a 8 clear ring of metal on metal drilling below the line frost frost to blast a n shaft be he said Richer Riche gravel ra vel on bedrock at the foot of the placer trough Dillon forged for ed Into the lead trail me now sir Without any an protest Garth fell In lii behind The Law was now In com mand nand A few strides brought brou ht them t to the dyke dyle of Igneous rock that walled walla d the lower end of the placer trough trou h From behind a stunted spruce the they peered across the treeless width of o f rock to where a large fire was flaming at the edge ed e of or the matted timberline e scrub Over er the fire hung hun three big bl Iron ket ket- tIes lies Reside Beside e It stood a small cradle for rocking gravel grae But there was no noone noone n o one working the rocker nor was there tiger e anyone In sight Even Hven the ring of o f sledge e on drill In the newly dug du pit Just beyond the flee fire had hart ceased Not Nol so good Garth murmured Im not so sure Its It's a surprise stay here sir No Xo Constable Dillon spoke with cool coo l logic If Its It's a surprise I 1 need no n as a s. s If he Is warned and prepared prepare Il to resist better hetter for you OU to support m me e from cater co Co er Vell ell Is The only WilY way sir You stood re re- responsible for or bringing the young lady lad That clinched the argument nr against a Garth Having ln brought ht the willful girl Irl with him he now had to look out for her herVery Very cry well Dillon he agreed Walt Wait till I take position lie He shifted to the left side of or the stunted spruce and crouched down where he could peer ller between the lower branches brunches At the other side the con con- constable constable stable stood up lip and stepped out Into the open pen Hardly was he clear of cover er when a harsh shout came from the flip scrub the tire fire Unit Halt I Throw up your OUr hands Garth caught the menace In s voice and leveled his rIlle rifle There was nothing of the flue four four-flusher about the engineer lie He was a n killer Constable Con stahle Dillon paused But he did not put up his hands The Northwest police do not surrender Dillon merely swung the barrel of his carbine back back- backward backward ward under his arm and made quiet reply I 1 have ha ha e here a warrant for the ar nr arrest arrest rest r st of or Vivian lan Husby for theft and assault to murder Any persons who I Interfere with his arrest will make mal e themselves cs liable Bah nah you rou cock capped red jay you cant can't bluff me gibed Yule Youre covered Move lo and you OU get et n a bullet through h you Jou Drop that gun and shove up your hands A sideward Jumping thrown down down thrown would have put the constable back In cover But he was a member of the Northwest mounted police Retreat could no more be considered by him than surrender Also he had no DO nu au authority to shoot his man The warrant called only for the arrest of the ac ac- ac He tie had to lo do de his duty duly at what what- whatever whatever ever risk You will be well advised not Dot to lo re reo resist he said suld With that he raised his right rl ht snowshoe snow snow- snowshoe shoe and slid It II up a low drift cross In Ina Inn ina a n forward step As he bent forward to bring up the other web a rifle roared In the dense scrub Garth fired Into the faint haze puff haze puiT i of smokeless powder Back came come a bullet that clipped a branch at his left elbow He lIe shifted sideways towards the tree trunk and rose to lo peer through h a higher opening A slight sli IH movement of a spruce spray In the scrub brought his rifle to his shoulder He lie paused a n moment to peer over Ofer the sights his finger fin er kissing the trigger trl ger Another twitch of that thai spruce twig His Ills finger tightened lightened tI on the trigger trigger- er- er Crash rash Crash I 1 He lie hurled down on his right rl ht side The first thought that flashed Into nto his mind was that his rifle rille had burst His Ills right arm had gone numb as If broken by the shock Luckily he did not at once try to spring up As he paused to lo feel atthe at al atthe the numb arm with his left hand the lark hark flew fiEw from a limb close over ever his head The scar of white wood showed that the bullet hullet had been fired from frow oreto ore off to his left lIe He flattened down and crawled Into Inlo the snowless hollow alongside the tree Iree trunk In the hollow bellow lay his rifle Ity It ItHe ItHe y 44 He Swung the Body of the Constable Con Con- Constable stable Across His H Is Shoulders had not burst But that was no con con- The first shot from off orr to lo lothe the left had struck square against a the Ithe side of the breech and smashed the magazine One look at nl the weapon showed that II It t was ruined lIe He wormed past It to lo the HIP far ar side of the tree trunk During all the many seconds that had bad passed since the firing of the first shot he I had heard no cull nor any sound what what- whatever whatever ever v r from constable Dillon He lie peered out under toe low drooped spruce boughs on that side of the tree trpe As he expected the worst had hap hap- The policeman lay la on his back bud lie had been shot through the heart One glance told lold Garth the fact act that his companion was beyond all nil aid add for the constables constable's car car- bine It was nowhere In sight Thelow The Thelow low drift behind which Dillon had fallen gave Garth enough h cower cover to crawl out beside the flue body But nut the carbine was not under Its owner Garth pulled lulled the snowshoes from the I feet of the dead man mun On the heel of one cue web he perched the constables constable's I cap lie He reached out sideways and lifted the cap so MI that It peeped leel d above e the top tOI of the drift The cap lipped flipped back off oIT the snowshoe by hy a n bullet hullet from Irvin the scrub beside the tire the theAt At Al the roar of ot the shot Garth bobbed up three feet fuel to the left to look for fOt forthe forthe the missing carbine It lay half burled buried In the snow sno snoa a long Ion 10 feet away When shot Dillon must have flung out his hauls hands as ns he pitched over backwards In the midst of the clue convulsive e Jerk death had loosened his grip on the carbine had proved he could shoot shoN u rifle with deadly accuracy and his men were nearly as expert To 10 make a dash for the carbine would be equiv equivalent alent to committing suicide To lie quiet would give gl the killers time to realize there tt was wa wano aa no rifle rIlle waiting to meet their attack The fourth man wan might already be circling to creep In from the rear With his knife Garth slashed cut ut the webs of Dillons Dillon's snowshoes Then worming his way backwards he start SHut started started ed to drag dra the body down The fhe tree put him under cover cr from the flue two killers near the fire A drift enabled him to crawl to another tree without being seen by the tile man off elf to the leftA left A sideward shift brought him to the shallow channel of the frozen spring rill Down the channel a few yards ards an nn up jut of rock offered a complete cover He Ile swung the body of the con COil constable stable across his shoulders stepped I Into his snowshoes and ran aslant I II Every few eu seconds that passed with with- without without out the roar of n a rifle rIne behind him meant a n widened margin marln of safety I The pursuers must have failed to tt no no- notice notice notice tice his broken rule rifle |