| Show By ARTHUR STRINGER THE STORY SO Because lie and his need the money to keep Norland Airways In Alan Slade agrees to fly a named Frayne and to the river In search of the trumpeter With the proceeds Crater buys a a which li When he returns from the Slade starts out to look for the ne has three one of which appears to have lead up a blind Slade thought the missing plane bad some connection with but when he returned to where he left the swan-hunter there was no trace of the and Frayne appeared to he hunting The second clue is the story of I the about a plane that lis supposed to come from Echo third clue Is hunch that if be finds a flyer named Slim I I he will the who knows about the Lockheed and about has Now and old prospector and arc all out looking for the Slade has Just learned that his hunch was Turn-stead Is with and they have a plane Now continue with the CHAPTER XIII the retorted the older will sail away quite comfortably on the when she takes out her You will be carried safe and sound to with money to give you three years of travel in Europe and all the vodka your heart may seemed to be considering why doesn't your show he will was the precise-noted we are ready for Ice conditions have not been of the And have been a little slow In getting our shipment in damned stuff won't be any use to While you're combing the icicles out of your hair the be commanded the steelier men of my race are taught to do what they are commanded to some of retorted the call uncommonly dirty is not for you to question the nature of my laugh was I'm merely a he I'm not the kind who can keep a ship going without It was the older man's turn to stand Is a he finally we must in some way repeated laugh was edged with I gathered in everything that's I lying round loose between here and the he the next pinch may put us all in the think said the we have a problem more snoopers which you spoke A means must be found to discourage The speaker's glance circled about in the uncertain light that surrounded may be closer than we As Frayne disappeared within the tent groped about for his fallen cup and reached once more for the watching i backed quietly away through the But his retreat was a brief He worked his way 1 down the hollow between the hills and slowly ascended the opposing seeking what cover he could he circled back toward the lake He from time to to listen and But as he came between him and the object of his That objective vas the shadowy tangle of spruce trees at the water's He as he drew how a rough ramp of spruce logs had been built out from the It was so plainly a landing to make easier the passing of heavy freight into a plane that no shock of surprise touched Slade when he peered under the matted standing there in the he saw the stolen He climbed to the rough-timbered ramp and advanced to where two filled ore bags stood together at its outer He stooped over one of the intent on determining its He failed to see the and burly figure that emerged from the tree shadows behind him and reached for a spruce bole as long as the long bare arm that wielded He failed to hear any movement as the newcomer crept as silent as a and brought the spruce bole down on the stooping flyer's Slade went down like a clouted as consciousness slowly returned to found it no easy matter to orient His head throbbed and his body seemed cramped into quivering Then the singing in his cars and the quivering of his frame merged into the throb and drone of a awakened to the fact that he 13 He failed to see the bare-shouldered and burly figure that emerged from the tree was In a and that plane was in He at that his bodily helplessness was due to being so tightly wedged In between soiled ore bags and the pilot's But it was he found after an effort or two to to the fact that both his hands and feet were Memory came back to him as he lay back trying to figure out the reason for all The final mists eddied away as he looked up and saw that the man at the controls was Slade made no effort to he quietly tugged and in the hope of freeing But his struggles were without The plane's must have become conscious of for his smile was sardonic as he glanced back over a shrugging he nonchalant ly called docs this demanded flew on for a moment or two of means you're lucky to be be finally bullhead who knocked you out went back for his He was all set to give you the Slade seemed to be giving thought to that are you going to do with he retorted what I'm trying to figure out The easiest of would be to drop you And that's where you'd all if we both weren't as one flyer to Slade did you steal this reply to that was a snort of my own he you should have known better than nose in on flying for said his you suggest anything Slade considered that he know something head back to Waterways with this while there's still a chance of saving your laugh hard and on your he your scalp you need to worry And it's going to be some time before you get back to do you say glance went over the terrain beneath his a little farther I'm going to drop you where you'll stay anchored for a considerable stretch of he Slade's response to that was to struggle against the cords constricting his wrists and But those he still were we over the questioned embittered by the thought of his answered it's sure empty Slade's trained ear told a minute that they were dropping But from where he lay he could see nothing of the outside He from the length of time that taxied along the that the waterway on which they had landed was by no means a small He could hear the of the pontoons on a gravel cried He half-swung and half-tossed his prisoner where with a still deeper sense of helplessness Slade tumbled full length along the pebbled after taking a shuddering breath or he writhed and twisted about until he was able to light his way back to a sitting you're going to leave me he said I can't waste time on why are you doing persisted you got too Slade watched the plane being warped around in the A suree of desolation over him as he glanced about at the ice-scored and barren-ridged island surrounded by its lonely reaches of open That he had little to offer Any scrub timber that grew between its he would be too small for the making of a raft And even with a raft to deliver him from that watery he further realized as he stared about at the distant blue-hazed he would face a wilderness quite empty of won't get he you know laugh was defensively hope for the he said as he turned back to He a moment with a sheath-knife in an and battered But as the other man unsheathed the knife Slade saw that the blade was keen-edged and His eye remained on as he stepped the knife in his The quick look of apprehension that came from his captive caused dark face to crease with a not that the latter announced as he stooped and cut the cords that bound Slade's wrists He was about to do the same with the cords that bound the But on second thought he drew back and replaced the knife in its moment's he tossed a few paces farther up the shore discreetly out of Then as Slade sat trying to work life back into his benumbed hands the older man coolly explored the other's From them he extracted a lighter and a package of A cynic smile played about his lips as he touched the little flame to a cigarette end and tossed the lighter back to its may need he seeing I've been out of fags for over a week I'll keep the that's all the chance you give said watching him as he luxuriously about all I can said as he swung about and glanced down at his No look of commiseration softened the older man's But for a moment a frown of meditation wrinkled his a frown followed by a small shoulder movement of was his curtly ironic exclamation as he turned away and climbed aboard his The man on the beach waited for the roar of the But that familiar crescendo of sound failed to greet What he was cynically indifferent voice calling down to At the same time a package was tossed a pound of German army announced as he tossed still another object toward the motionless figure on the shore here's a can of He shrugged when no word of gratitude came from that still motionless here's something for your was last curt call as he threw overboard an empty tobacco-tin which struck Slade on the shoulder and came to a rest between his throbbing Slade sat watching the plane as it taxied across the gray-blue water and rose in the He continued to watch as it headed northward over the blue-misted ridges and faded away along the empty He sat without moving until the ache in his tightly bound ankles reminded him of other Then he looked about for the He gave a gulp of gratitude when saw it lying within ten paces of It took him some time to worm his way to the But a little of the went out of his face as his fingers closed about the heavy haft He lost no time in sawing through the cords and freeing his feet When he attempted to stand he discovered that his benumbed legs were unable to support He had to sit for several waiting feeling to come back to rk |
