Show 0 0 PA HO 1 1 zi 11 STRINGER w H U SEF unciL Is STORY 80 90 FAR FAB A Leck lockheed it Is abu tolen from us norland a airway alao abu blade qipei coviss k elB nadi nadin nUit mined it I 1 who I 1 to be as twain ant as who out la be b 11 bill bler fus un ha 1 in the plan ud Is ij biln it as to as es pitchblende burc ar 1 I po power to is ur conn tot ter sic to se calne by A pilot firmed smas tom lars tadd asid it I 1 for hint am fis theli camp in sd it is mocked ancon do b by IF uil dant caniell Ka niell and to Is tat taken to deenik by ld md left hit thes then when ha tall I 1 to as esna lyno lynn iu k ot of th binig itara is son out in as as her ta Is thefil plue to Is dud and him hie whir anile his her ta fa ther ad two se old prospector I 1 friend of f AIM darned zeaf i ud bod sibber aul to as ficht it out with crowd lynn cladi blade d ad bas and as nearly k starved sea and they return to 11 frayne a camp to as red usi zeko and a briety mint ar is ID Us ur ol of boht 1 with 1 earnell sea tb P Is I 1 is ID blade ad a pan looking sial for 1 s lynn R slad did od Us th 11 hicl hav cornered a karnell nd ad ra ca ezaila aim into bac ur bic NOW 0 with 1 she story CHAPTER why do you say kamen Karnell 9 slade asked as he strode a on at M ntY Rde side 1 I its t kamell ell all right averred averre d oke M maty t y Z zeke told me that when I 1 he sidled ed back for a handful a 0 shells good said aid slade 1 I want to in meet beet up with karmen kamell M make ake sure it aint an unexpected expected ca meeta betin minty maty warned him ive got my eye peeled said slade ile he stopped short and blinked across the ridge crests more a I 1 thin think a our friend zeke crawling along that hogback minty stared in the du direction the ther other pointed zeke all right he admitted he sees us cried minty as he started rounded a sheltering rock but this Is enemy territory son and wed we d best keep beep under what cover we can find yet slade he soon saw was malting making agno no effort to keep under cover the taw tawny y head headed e ci bush pilot was advancing down the slope that led to the matted veined with open water for far out on an that soggy tundra plunging along from tussock to tussock was a heavy shouldered man with a rifle in his bis hands karnell kamen cried slade 1 dont let him get away minty promptly dropped on one knee kince and took a pot shot at the fugitive but kamen kamell ducked in tun time to hear a bullet whine over his head then he clambered up on Is an n island fringed with shrub willow illow and faced his pursuers both sl slade a de and minty when they saw the leveled rifle flung themselves flat on the wet at soil they lay without phout moving until the gunshot echo died away karnell kamen looking into to his rule rifle chamber saw that his last shell had been fired his shout however was noi redi one of defiance ce ce HE as he turned and leaped ft from his willow fringed is land to a runway of broken sedge tufts leading deeper into the muskeg he shouted again hoarse hoarsely as he a went panting onward ft from sedge i tuft to sedge tuft he in looked I 1 ked for islets with Is a showing howing b g of f clump willow for in those root bound spaces he knew h he a could always find the promise of if support across two of these he leaped then in his haste he sprang tor for an island of wire g grass it we vish a sizable looking island and i to the ey eye a it had an aspect of if so solidity id I 1 I 1 but instead of being an island it was merely a floating raft of t tangled vegetation a tissue of fiber bound peat that parted and sank D under his weight jt it went do down slowly but as it went ent it left nothing for the groping long arms to catch at the churning water rose to the wide should shoulders r it rose to the screaming throat then hen it c ea closed ased over the back flung head and a few bubbles bubble appeared between the tatters of fiber b bound it peat that floated on the water slade clinging to a willow clump saw the stirred up water grow quiet again go lets get back he said ive still got bumstead Tum stead to deal with then he stopped short arrested b by the laminar drone drome ol of a distant plane one he watched the plane as it passed a overhead that a the padre he said as maity came up with him the old sourdough blinked after f t the he passing wings that dippel dipped and circled for a lending landing and then were lost to sight I 1 thought debbe she was that ghost plane there as so much talk bout about aade laugh was harsh therell be less talk about ghost plan planes a he proc proclaimed lanne w when c an I 1 get my y hands on cm bumstead Tum Turn stead istead slade held out a warning hand as he came to the crest of the ridge for above the scrub that furred the valley alle slope lope before him he detected a lisp wisp of smoke what a worrying wor you son demanded mindy as he leaned on his rifle slade instead lead of answering moved forward until he had Is a better view of the valley bottom there in a rock bowl be beside in dc a purling true brearn he saw campfire squat I 1 I 1 k zi 7 14 its bumstead Tum Tuma stead tead he said he was ready read to give up ung ting over it was a ragged figure holding Gs a sk skillet in at with a stick tied to Us its h handle dle why its zeke gasped maty zeke eke startled by their adva advance ca scrambled for his rule rifle but the poised barrel slowly lowered as he identified the intruders slade felt a we wave of we weakness k n ess go through rough th his b body ody he rca realized h ed as 86 he subsided beside the fire where the tea pail bubbled that he was very tired fired why lindy you look all in cried zeke conscious of that sudden slump sa s1 slade ads stiffened his shoulders but it took an effort im all right he prot protested Sted wheres frayne lwell well go into that said zeke after ter ive bucked you up with a swallow 7 a 0 hot tea and some sowbelly wheres Wh erea Fry frayne nel repeated slade zeke busy over his fire caught the its determination t er mation in the other a query what id ilive give an arm to to know he admitted adlitte there am aint t been a pop out a 0 him for two hours now B but u abow how about that orangutan mate 0 his hisa zeke sho showed w ed no emotion when told of 1 Kar karnell mells s a end it he merely directed a reproving eye at lo 10 his shack k lia par partner to er you should ve go got t that hit bur buzzard ard OR on the wing slade lade S found his boiled to tea strong and bitter but it washed away to his is w wess weariness ess H how ow about the other man turn TOM stead zeke bunked blinked about at the encircling spruce ridges that burd bird seems to be bid hiam out on us same earne as his boss slade was on his feet again 1 I ve got to save that lockheed he be said as he reached for rifle a lockheed queried zeke our stolen plane the plane been ferrying that pitchblende out with zeke reached for the battered tea pail and drank from it then he w wiped pe d his mouth month and essayed a head jerk toward the west ashes there he announced and aind shell stay there what does that mean questioned the startled slade it means I 1 snaked through the scrub and climbed aboard her and bem bein there jus us to make sure i 0 tb things ga I 1 twisted her fuel line re out you on ahat barked slade 1 I us GS anchored her where she lay answered zeke by out her feed pipe I 1 emptied her tank son on and I 1 aint got that smell 0 atell g gasoline alsol out of my par pants y yet and A d you dian didn 1 see frayne a not t hide nor hair 0 turn him S slade de stood load thoughtful a m moment eminent then he up to toa he ca can t get out of this acra territory r y tt without i h ut a pone plane 1 y yet at h he a can cant t u use e that t L lockheed k and he cant can t skulk back in these hills tor for long we ve got to know where he is it was zeke who spoke next t thatis that s what whal your flym 1 padre my says he and oil his girl A s busy on do they two way adi radio ove over there at the h lakeside kes be yi n to call edmonton and churchill and mountie headquarters at Copp ermone said he reckoned it was about time for the air patrol to edge in on an this we cant can t wait for that an bounced slade and if I 1 know frayne he wont wait for far it A happy thought lightened seamed old face hoare you t know he aint lym out there with a bullet fi hole ole through his head bead he was sniped at considerable by zeke had and me even it if our eyes am t what they used to be that would still leave turn tum stead lead said slade 1 I in m going to get my plane place and scout over ever these ridges adge zeke proceeded to mix a fresh portion of flapjack batter well I 1 hope you round em am up p pronto conw he announced for grubs grub s gittin low in with us two lindy lady and ive I 1 ve a hankens han keno to amble back to that kamakana Kas akana shack of on ours and know Is a considerable spell a 0 peace rod and quietness slade made no response to that he merely swung a rifle over his shoulder and started up the slope that stretched between him and the take lake where his plane res rested it his it glance at the a sun told h him the Is b longi g northern afternoon would it soon b bel merging into its equally long eve bj J jl ning nag and there ther e were things to be beb it done one b before the brief hours of darkness set in it was on the crest of the second ridge that he caught sight ol of lynn she hesitated apparently be bewildered as to what course to take R but u t once she heard slades blades shout s she h e quickened her steps rod and came pant ME ing up the slope what is it he asked arrested by the alarm on an her face its 11 she he 1 said I he came to father just a now with ft a white rag on an the end of bat a stick it he said he was ready to issY g give dp P frayne he claimed vr was lying ing wounded ended ovin over the hill bill and had to have help blades 1 1111 face darkened did your i lather father believe that berhe said he had to we was lynna pealed panted reply he a gone out t to frayne he said he let a ran man the die w without phout help 1 I dont like the look of this A said d slade where is he bumstead Tum stead R now he pretended to 9 go book back with father but something tells me he wheres where your yaw plane slade promptly questioned at the lakeside there said lynn leading him to slightly higher ground and pointing painting to the expanse of blue water that could be seen sea through the spruce tops we d been working on an our radio eatherd Fat herd been having trouble in sending and found a transmitter fuse had crystallized and had to be replaced I 1 was back in the cabin testing out the set when bumstead Tum Tuni stead strad came down the bank rod and talked to father slade peered through the trees to a lower arm am of the lake the te tension n went from his face when h he saw the snow ball baby still moored there lets go he proclaimed go where asked lynn back to your ship answered slade or to mine I 1 ve got sam some quick scouting to do around amund thi this neighborhood ala alan you cant fly she told him you on cousin t slade looking down at her smiled at the determination in go he her face I 1 1 I ve e got to fly he announced aba ayt that 1 s m my bu business Z he we was ts moving on along the ridge crest to ward toward the lake disregarding the restraining hand she linked in hi his arm but youre as foolish as father ar she ma maintained i tamad you re in no condition t to n fly youre tired and worn out youve got to have pro proper P er food and sleep be before f re your you re fit for taking o g chances 1 like 0 k a this the tremor in her voice brought him to a stop he stood looking down at her again but this time he looked looke it down at ier her as though he were seeing her after long absence T through imah his dull fog of fatigue and anxiety the he love loveliness aies of her face ca came T I 1 slowly home to him 1 I go used to taking chances he said witha with a little of the earlier ring ot of noto iron gone from his voice then I 1 otake take them with you she announced announced if you go up I 1 go too his thin face softened with as a sini smile a A arn I 1 worth it he asked conscious of how little room morn for kindliness life had been 1 leaving them you are to me she said with the forlorn and final candor that walks walk hand in m hand with cl derpera pera tion she even moved a little closer cven to in him 1 I love ove c you he forgot hunger rod and weariness as he took her in his arms and held her close 1 I have to be worth it he told bove her A as A he a smoothed back her hair then his laugh was brief and bitter they haven t left us much room to for this sort of thing t have they lugt og hag W we m must make room she protested ci c clinging ginging to him but as h he lifted his head bead she could se see th the hardening light in the viking blue a eyes 7 let lets go he be said for the second time TO BE |