diff options
| -rw-r--r-- | 43230-0.txt | 390 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | 43230-0.zip | bin | 108361 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 43230-h.zip | bin | 142084 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 43230-h/43230-h.htm | 416 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | 43230.txt | 6480 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | 43230.zip | bin | 107690 -> 0 bytes |
6 files changed, 5 insertions, 7281 deletions
diff --git a/43230-0.txt b/43230-0.txt index c7e52ed..3dd4400 100644 --- a/43230-0.txt +++ b/43230-0.txt @@ -1,34 +1,4 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Johnny Longbow, by Roy J. Snell - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: Johnny Longbow - -Author: Roy J. Snell - -Release Date: July 16, 2013 [EBook #43230] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK JOHNNY LONGBOW *** - - - - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Rod Crawford, Dave Morgan -and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at -http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 43230 *** _Mystery Stories for Boys_ @@ -6119,360 +6089,4 @@ Here are the titles of the Snell Books: End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Johnny Longbow, by Roy J. Snell -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK JOHNNY LONGBOW *** - -***** This file should be named 43230-0.txt or 43230-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/3/2/3/43230/ - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Rod Crawford, Dave Morgan -and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at -http://www.pgdp.net - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, -set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to -copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to -protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project -Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you -charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you -do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the -rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose -such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and -research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do -practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is -subject to the trademark license, especially commercial -redistribution. - - - -*** START: FULL LICENSE *** - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project -Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at - www.gutenberg.org/license. - - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy -all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession. -If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the -terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or -entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement -and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation" -or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the -collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an -individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are -located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from -copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative -works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg -are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project -Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by -freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of -this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with -the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by -keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project -Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in -a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check -the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement -before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or -creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project -Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning -the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United -States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate -access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently -whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, -copied or distributed: - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived -from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is -posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied -and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees -or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work -with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the -work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 -through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the -Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or -1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional -terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked -to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the -permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any -word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or -distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than -"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version -posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org), -you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a -copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon -request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other -form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided -that - -- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is - owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he - has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the - Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments - must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you - prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax - returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and - sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the - address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to - the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation." - -- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or - destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium - and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of - Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any - money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days - of receipt of the work. - -- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set -forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from -both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael -Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the -Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm -collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain -"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or -corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual -property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a -computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by -your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with -your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with -the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a -refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity -providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to -receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy -is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further -opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO OTHER -WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO -WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. -If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the -law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be -interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by -the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any -provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance -with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, -promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works, -harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, -that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do -or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm -work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any -Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause. - - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers -including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists -because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from -people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations. -To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation -and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 -and the Foundation information page at www.gutenberg.org - - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive -Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent -permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S. -Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered -throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at 809 -North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email -contact links and up to date contact information can be found at the -Foundation's web site and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -For additional contact information: - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To -SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any -particular state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. -To donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate - - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm -concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared -with anyone. For forty years, he produced and distributed Project -Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S. -unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily -keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: - - www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. +*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 43230 *** diff --git a/43230-0.zip b/43230-0.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 789d349..0000000 --- a/43230-0.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/43230-h.zip b/43230-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 292f680..0000000 --- a/43230-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/43230-h/43230-h.htm b/43230-h/43230-h.htm index 789646a..7440dde 100644 --- a/43230-h/43230-h.htm +++ b/43230-h/43230-h.htm @@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> <head> -<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=utf-8" /> +<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=UTF-8" /> <!-- terminate if block for class html --> <title>Johnny Longbow, by Roy J. Snell</title> @@ -147,43 +147,7 @@ p.t15,div.t15,.t15 { margin-left:19em;text-indent:-3em; margin-top:0; margin-b </style> </head> <body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Johnny Longbow, by Roy J. Snell - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: Johnny Longbow - -Author: Roy J. Snell - -Release Date: July 16, 2013 [EBook #43230] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK JOHNNY LONGBOW *** - - - - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Rod Crawford, Dave Morgan -and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at -http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -</pre> +<div>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 43230 ***</div> <div id="cover" class="img"> <img id="coverpage" src="images/cover.jpg" alt="Johnny Longbow" width="500" height="734" /> @@ -7045,380 +7009,6 @@ a wide and interesting scope.</p> <li>Silently corrected palpable typos; left non-standard spellings and dialect unchanged.</li> <li>Relocated promotional material to the end of the book, and completed the list of books in the three series (using other sources).</li></ul> - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Johnny Longbow, by Roy J. Snell - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK JOHNNY LONGBOW *** - -***** This file should be named 43230-h.htm or 43230-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/3/2/3/43230/ - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Rod Crawford, Dave Morgan -and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at -http://www.pgdp.net - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, -set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to -copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to -protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project -Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you -charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you -do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the -rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose -such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and -research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do -practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is -subject to the trademark license, especially commercial -redistribution. - - - -*** START: FULL LICENSE *** - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project -Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at - www.gutenberg.org/license. - - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy -all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession. -If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the -terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or -entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement -and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation" -or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the -collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an -individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are -located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from -copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative -works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg -are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project -Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by -freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of -this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with -the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by -keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project -Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in -a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check -the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement -before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or -creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project -Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning -the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United -States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate -access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently -whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, -copied or distributed: - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived -from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is -posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied -and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees -or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work -with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the -work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 -through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the -Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or -1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional -terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked -to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the -permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any -word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or -distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than -"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version -posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org), -you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a -copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon -request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other -form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided -that - -- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is - owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he - has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the - Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments - must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you - prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax - returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and - sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the - address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to - the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation." - -- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or - destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium - and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of - Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any - money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days - of receipt of the work. - -- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set -forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from -both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael -Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the -Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm -collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain -"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or -corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual -property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a -computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by -your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with -your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with -the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a -refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity -providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to -receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy -is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further -opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO OTHER -WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO -WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. -If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the -law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be -interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by -the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any -provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance -with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, -promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works, -harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, -that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do -or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm -work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any -Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause. - - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers -including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists -because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from -people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations. -To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation -and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 -and the Foundation information page at www.gutenberg.org - - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive -Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent -permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S. -Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered -throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at 809 -North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email -contact links and up to date contact information can be found at the -Foundation's web site and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -For additional contact information: - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To -SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any -particular state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. -To donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate - - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm -concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared -with anyone. For forty years, he produced and distributed Project -Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S. -unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily -keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: - - www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. - - -</pre> - +<div>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 43230 ***</div> </body> </html> diff --git a/43230.txt b/43230.txt deleted file mode 100644 index c43c4a3..0000000 --- a/43230.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,6480 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Johnny Longbow, by Roy J. Snell - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: Johnny Longbow - -Author: Roy J. Snell - -Release Date: July 16, 2013 [EBook #43230] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK JOHNNY LONGBOW *** - - - - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Rod Crawford, Dave Morgan -and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at -http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - _Mystery Stories for Boys_ - - - - - Johnny Longbow - - - _By_ - ROY J. SNELL - - - The Reilly & Lee Co. - Chicago New York - - - _Printed in the United States of America_ - - _Copyright, 1928_ - by - The Reilly & Lee Co. - _All Rights Reserved_ - - - - - CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER PAGE - I The Last Arrow 11 - II Mysterious Fear 36 - III The Knife in the Tree 54 - IV Green Gold 64 - V A Mad Moose 70 - VI A Strange Meeting 80 - VII A Look Beyond 95 - VIII A Haven of Refuge 105 - IX A Moving Island 121 - X Treachery in the Night 135 - XI The Dancing Shadow 148 - XII The Great Banshee 153 - XIII The Answered Challenge 164 - XIV A Mysterious Visit in the Night 169 - XV On the Trail of the Great Banshee 182 - XVI Down with the Avalanche 188 - XVII The Giant Hunchback 202 - XVIII Saved by a Line 216 - XIX Gordon Duncan's Story 233 - XX Adrift in the Night 243 - XXI The Battle of the Bears 251 - XXII The Hunchback Leads On 264 - XXIII Three Bear Skins 271 - XXIV Left Behind 279 - XXV Adventure in Pantomime 285 - XXVI Into the Ice Jamb 293 - XXVII Green Gold at Last 304 - - - - - CHAPTER I - THE LAST ARROW - - -Johnny Thompson caught his breath as his feet shot from beneath him and -he plunged into a rushing torrent of icy water. Thoughts flashed across -his mind, mental pictures of homes and firesides. Echoes of laughter -sounded in his ears. - -Yet in this wilderness there was no laughter save the boisterous roar of -an Arctic stream. There were no homes save those of the muskrat, the -beaver and the white owl. The nearest cabin was fifty miles or more back. -An all but impassable forest of scrub spruce, fir and pine lay between. -There was time for but a flash back before Johnny found himself fighting -for his life against the torrent that was dragging him over rocks and -sunken logs, splashing, ducking, pulling at him and threatening every -moment to make an end of him. - -But Johnny Thompson was not one to be beaten at once by this rushing -torrent of northern Canada. Swimming strongly, warding off overhanging -branches here, dodging great protruding boulders there, he still watched -for a gently shelving bank that might offer him so much as a moment's -rest. Since no such haven offered itself at once, he shot the rapids like -a salmon. - -A long, slender oiled canvas sack hung at his back. Twice this threatened -to prove his undoing. It caught upon a tough willow branch and dragged -him beneath the surface. Hardly had he freed himself than this same sack -that apparently contained some stiff and stubborn affair of wood or steel -caught in a rocky crevice to throw him high and wide. This involuntary -pole vault left him with breath quite crushed out, but still struggling. - -Suddenly, straight ahead, he caught sight of that which must prove his -salvation or his undoing. Undermined by the torrent a green spruce tree -lay squarely across his path. - -Ten seconds to wonder. Would he be caught in the branches and drowned, or -would he mount those same branches to freedom? - -Sixty seconds of terrific battle and the splendid muscles of the boy won -against relentless nature. Panting, triumphant, he sat astride the -branches. - -He was saved. There remained but to climb back to land. He was cold and -wet. A roaring fire would remedy that. His blanket roll lay where he had -tossed it on this side of the stream before he attempted to ford the -treacherous tumult of water. The way back to his blankets would be rough -going. He'd manage that. - -But suddenly the smile on his face faded. His eyes had fallen upon the -long sack that had hung at his back. - -"Gone," he muttered, "torn open by the same branch. And they're gone, all -gone but one." - -After adjusting the torn fastenings as best he could, he worked his way -over the swaying tree trunk to solid earth. Then with sober face, he -began making his way back over the rocks to the spot where his blanket -roll lay. The situation was a serious one. - -An hour later he sat before a roaring campfire of fir and balsam boughs. -Dressed in a change of clothing and wrapped in a blanket, with his -costume of an hour before sending clouds of steam toward the sky, he -might have seemed the picture of contentment. He was far from contented. -Presently he removed a small coffee pot from the fire and poured a cup of -dark brown liquid. The aroma of coffee seemed good. He smiled. Then, -without sugar or cream, he gulped it down black and hot. Nor did he eat -after that. There was nothing to eat. - -Had you chanced to look into his pack you would have found there neither -firearms nor ammunition. The nearest cabin that he knew of in all that -vast northern wilderness was fifty miles back over an ill-defined trail. -That cabin was deserted. He had slept there four nights back. - -So Johnny sat by the fire meditating, thinking on matters of greater or -less importance. And as he meditated, at a point somewhat more than a -mile downstream, as the crow flies, a figure appeared among the rocks -that kept the rushing stream in tumult. - -A girl in her late teens, she moved out from among dark pines into a -patch of light. The touches of sunset, lighting up her dark brown hair -and adding a touch of gold to her ruddy freckled cheeks, transformed her -for the moment into a goddess of the forest. - -Sensing the change, she stood motionless as a statue for a full moment. -Then, into that glory of the sunset she smiled, and the smile made her -seem more alive than any wild thing that had ever ventured to the brink -of that tumultuous stream. - -In her hand she held a rustic bucket. Its handle, a thong of caribou -sinew, its bottom a circle of wood cut from some fallen spruce tree, its -sides white birchbark, this bucket seemed a part of the wilderness. - -As she stooped to fill the rustic bucket, her eyes caught sight of some -unusual object bobbing up and down in the water. - -One moment, a flash of red and gold, she saw it. The next it was lost in -a rush of foam. In a twinkling the bucket was dropped among the rocks and -she went racing downstream in hot pursuit. - -A hundred yards, leaping from boulder to boulder, she plunged onward -until, red-cheeked, panting, she came upon an eddy, a still dark pool, -twenty feet across, and at its very center, moving serenely about, was -the coveted prize. - -With the aid of the slow current and a long dry pole, she succeeded at -last in coaxing the thing ashore. - -As she grasped it, a trio of bright feathers bound to a slender shaft -came to view. She caught her breath again. And as she pricked her hand on -the broad head sharp as a razor at the other end of the shaft, her face -lost some of its heightened color. - -Turning, she raced back to the spot where the crude bucket still rested. -There, without pausing to complete her errand, she dashed up the slope to -a spot where a tumbled-down cabin rested among the trees. - -A man, very tall, very straight and quite old, a bearded patriarch, rose -at her approach. - -"Grandfather!" she exclaimed, almost in a whisper. "We must leave this -cabin at once." - -The old man threw her a questioning look. For answer she held up the -arrow she had found floating feather up in the stream. - -Taking it from her, he examined it closely in the waning light. - -"White man," he pronounced at last, as if reading from a book. "Somewhat -new at the game, but possessed of a considerable knowledge of the art. A -very good arrow. - -"We must go up," he said after a moment of silence. "We will go up at -once." - -They entered the cabin together. Some twenty minutes later, with well -arranged packs on their backs, they emerged from the shadowy interior to -go marching briskly down toward the banks of the rushing stream. There -they began leaping from rock to rock. In this manner they traveled a -considerable distance without leaving a single tell-tale footprint -behind. - -So they moved on into the twilight, a powerful old man and a short, -sturdy girl, marched on into a wilderness that is acquainted only with -the voice of the wolf, the caribou and the white owl. - -Once as they paused for a moment's rest beside a great flat rock, the -girl removed some object from her pack and held it up to the uncertain -light. - -"It's strange," the old man rumbled. "An arrow, a well-shaped, -well-constructed arrow with a death-dealing steel point! Had it been a -shot gun shell, that would not have seemed strange. But an arrow!" - -"But Grandfather, we----" The girl stroked a strong longbow that hung at -her side. - -"Yes, I know." The old man's smile was good to see. "But we are of a -bygone race, at least I am. This is 1928. Except for such as we are, the -bow and arrow are of the past. But see!" He started up. "It is getting -dark." - -A few yards farther down the strange pair left the stream's bank to go -clambering up a rocky run. Even here they avoided snow. And so, marching -sturdily forward, they faded into the gathering darkness and deep shadows -of pines. - -You have perhaps guessed that the arrow found bobbing its way downstream -came from Johnny Thompson's quiver. In fact at the very moment when the -old man and the girl left the cabin, he was engaged in the task of oiling -two stout bows and waxing their strings. Having done this, he looked -sorrowfully at the single broadhead arrow that remained in his quiver, -took one more long gulp of hot black coffee, then set to wondering what -lay before him. - -To be facing a wilderness alone with bows and arrows as one's sole means -of securing food might seem bad enough. To have but one arrow; what could -be worse? A missed shot, a shattering rattle against the rocks, and this -arrow might be gone forever. - -And then? Blunt arrows, sent crashing into the side of resting rabbit or -sleeping ptarmigan would be as deadly as spear point when fired from -Johnny's sixty-pound bow. There was wood all about for shafts. But what -of feathers and weights for the tips? One might come upon a sleeping owl. -Here would be feathers. - -"And yet," he told himself, "I have not seen a living thing for three -days. The country is deserted. But no, not quite. There was the caribou -track." - -Ah, yes, that very afternoon he had come upon the trail of a caribou. It -had been this very caribou that led him to disaster. The beast had -crossed the river. In attempting to follow he had come near losing his -life, and had lost all but one of his arrows. - -"Ah, well," he sighed, "to-morrow my luck will turn. A single arrow is -enough for a caribou and I am now on his side of the stream. I will take -up the trail in the morning." - -With that, after replenishing his fire, he rolled up in his blankets and -prepared for a night's repose. - -Was it the coffee? Was it hunger? Or was it the silence of the night in -that strange land that robbed him of coveted slumber? For long his eyes -remained closed. Yet sleep did not come. - -At last, yielding to the inevitable, he opened his eyes wide to stare -upward through sighing pine branches to the infinite heavens above, where -a myriad stars twinkled and beamed as they appeared to leap across -tossing clusters of pine needles. - -Like a story told by a poet, a picture thrown on the screen, his life of -the past few months moved before him. - -Arriving from dreamy tropical seas and deep tangled swamps of Central -America, he had in late Autumn arrived at the mid-western city which was -inseparably linked with his childhood. - -There, as he felt the crisp tang of autumn mornings and caught the gleams -of frost on the corn, he felt again the lure of the North. - -Months of hot tropical sun lay behind him. He had come to loathe the soft -warmth that saps men's energies, thins their blood and weakens their -wills. He yearned now for the long white trail, the screaming of sled -runners, the song of dogs that is an Arctic night. - -But at this moment a fresh fancy seized him. Burton Bronson, an old-time -friend, had by chance shown him a hunting bow with which he had performed -marvelous feats. The wolf, the wild cat, mountain lion and bear had felt -the bite of his broadhead arrows. - -Johnny had been skeptical. Bronson had demonstrated his power. Johnny had -come to believe. He was at once fascinated by this new form of sport. The -longbow, the arrow, and wide open spaces took him in hand. - -Long weeks they led him over sand dunes, across broad prairies, through -silent forests. - -When weather became too bleak for out-of-doors sport, he had retreated to -the cover of the North Shore Archery. There he had so perfected his form -that no small game was safe from his straight speeding arrow. - -Then it was that his longing for the North returned. On top of this came -the resolve to stake his fortune for the immediate future on his recently -acquired skill. He would go into the North with no other weapon than the -bow and arrow. With these alone, as the savages had done before him, he -would make his way northward through Canada until, fortune attending him, -he should reach the headwaters of the mighty Yukon in time to witness -that greatest of nature's panoramas, the Spring breakup on the river. - -So here he was. Over many a long mile Fate had been kind to him. Indians -and white men alike had treated him well. They had laughed good-naturedly -at his weapons, but had admired the strength and skill he exhibited in -using them. The Indians of the first trading post had dubbed him "Johnny -Longbow." Johnny Longbow he was after that. He was not ashamed of the -nickname, nor the things for which it stood. - -Beside him now, there in the midst of the great white wilderness, lay his -two bows. One was of yew wood, backed with calfskin thin as parchment; -the other an affair of his own making. Carved from the hardest and -toughest of wood, osage orange, this bow was the pride of his life. He -loved and trusted it as a friend. It had never failed him. - -"If only I had arrows for you!" he whispered now. "But we will have that -caribou to-morrow." - -With that he closed his eyes and fell asleep. - -Johnny Longbow's breakfast next morning consisted of two cups of black -coffee and a handful of sour berries he found clinging to their stems -just as a premature winter had found them. - -Placing his pack in the crotch of a tree and marking the spot well, he -slung his handmade osage bow across his back, thrust his lone arrow -sword-like through his belt, then marched forth into the crisp glory of -Arctic morning, to seek out the lost trail of that lone caribou. - -It was late afternoon when, with heart pounding painfully against his -ribs, he stood neck deep among scrub spruce trees. - -The scene before him was one to inspire an artist's brush or lend fire to -a poet's pen. A young buck caribou, a superb creature of shining brown -and glistening black, stood before him in a narrow circle of green. -Walled in on every side by dark young fir trees, the wild creature's -miniature pasture seemed to have been planned by some famous director for -the setting of a scene in a wildwood drama. - -The caribou was feeding toward him. - -"Another minute, just one more," he told himself. - -His watch ticked loudly. It seemed certain that the wild creature must -hear. The snap of a twig off to the right came near spoiling it all. The -caribou lifted its head. Johnny's unnerved hand all but lost its grip on -his bow. - -The day's trail had been long and tiresome. Over rocky slopes, down icy -streams, across treacherous snows, the caribou had led the way until the -boy, weak from lack of food, was near to the point where one gives up in -despair. Twice, as if to tempt him, a snowshoe rabbit leaped from his -path, only to pause among the rocks and stare at him. Twice he had strung -his bow, twice nocked his single arrow for a shot. Twice he had told -himself that a miss among those rocks meant a shattered shaft, that at -most the rabbit offered but a meal or two of indifferent food. Twice he -had slipped the arrow in his belt, had unstrung his bow to take up the -task of dogged tracking. - -"It's to be the caribou or nothing!" he had told himself. "A month's -provision, or famine." - -And now, here, just before him, feeding peacefully, was the caribou. For -the moment he was well over at the far side of his narrow pasture. A few -moments more, and he would be close enough for a sure shot, and then! The -boy caught his breath as he thought what the speeding of that single -arrow meant to him. - -Closing his eyes, he saw himself, a load of meat across his shoulders, -beating his way back to the last outpost of civilization where were -feathers, wood and steel for the making of many arrows. Then again the -picture went dark. He saw the shadow of his present self, struggling over -long lost trails, eagerly sucking bitter bark or grubbing into frozen -earth for some crude substance with which to allay his hunger. - -"I must win!" he told himself stoutly. "I must not miss!" - -And still, as the moments passed, as the caribou moved nearer and nearer, -the zero hour came closer to hand, he found his faith wavering. - -"One arrow," he thought over and over, "only one." - -But "Now! Now!" he breathed at last. "Can't wait any longer." - -As the antlered monarch of the far north raised his head to stand there -silent, listening, still as a statue, Johnny's bow twanged, his arrow -sped. - -With a bound high and free the wild creature leaped away. - -One, two, three bounds, and he had cleared the spot of light green. -Another, another and yet another, he went thrashing breast deep in the -young firs. - -"Missed!" Johnny groaned. "Missed! And he carries into the forest my only -arrow!" - -But what was this? Just as his head fell in dejection he saw the caribou -make one more leap, high and wide, then come to a sudden stand. Still -breast deep in darkest green, he appeared to view the scene before -another wild dash. - -"Oh, for one more arrow!" the boy groaned. - -"There is no other, so what's the use?" - -In the forlorn hope that his lone arrow might by chance have glanced and -fallen on the green, he moved toward the narrow circle of wild pasture. - -Then suddenly he stood still. There had come to his sensitive ear a sound -of movement in the brush. - -"Not the caribou either," he told himself as his heart skipped a beat. -"Some wild beast of prey, a bear or a wolf." - -But no, a greater surprise awaited him. Before him, much closer to the -caribou than to him, a khaki clad back appeared. A boyish head, an old -cap, a pair of stout arms held high, a bow, a quiver of arrows. A -second's suspense, and an arrow flew straight and fair at the statuesque -caribou. - -"'Twon't do," Johnny told himself, rubbing his eyes. "This is Nineteen -Twenty-eight. Strange enough for me to be here. But a girl with only a -bow and arrow in these wilds? It can't be!" - -And yet it was. As he looked again the girl was still there. So too was -the caribou. - -"Two arrows, and still he stands there motionless. That creature, this -place is bewitched. I'll break the spell." - -He was about to lift his voice in a loud "hello" when the girl, turning -half about, fitted a second arrow to her bow and let fly. - -"Straight to the mark, as I live!" - -Johnny spoke his thought out loud. "And still he stands." - -The girl wheeled about to stare at him in blank surprise. Then, as -surprise and fear left her, she exclaimed: - -"The beast is surely charmed! I've shot him, and yet he does not stir!" - -Suddenly the shining black antlers sank low. The whole head of the -caribou disappeared in the brush. Still his body remained erect. - -"Mystery here!" Johnny sprang forward. - -The girl, as if in fear of losing the prize, started forward. - -"It's all right," said Johnny. "He's yours. I missed him fair enough." - -"You--you missed?" The girl's tone showed surprise. - -Johnny did not hear. - -"Mystery solved!" he shouted back a moment later. "When he made that last -leap he landed so squarely on the tops of a half dozen young fir trees -that they did what his legs no longer could. They supported him. - -"But say!" he called. "It's queer. Come here, please." - -As the girl advanced he had time for a brief study of her fine, strong, -khaki clad figure. - -"Eighteen or twenty. English or Scotch. An outdoor girl," was his mental -comment. - -"Question is," he smiled as the girl came close, "Who's caribou is it? -Three arrows, all quite near the heart. Two are yours, one mine." - -"You--yours?" The puzzled look of a moment before returned to the girl's -face. - -"Yes. I shot first. You did not see me. But there's my arrow. - -"But really," his tone changed as the girl seemed suddenly crestfallen, -"there's no need of mine and thine in the forest. I am glad as I can be -to know that there's a fellow creature near. That was my last arrow." - -"And you are alone?" - -"Quite alone." - -"You look hungry," she said suddenly. - -"I am, a little. Haven't really eaten for--well, for some time. Luck went -against me. Couldn't even get a fish." - -"We'll take the caribou to camp," she said. "It's only a half mile, all -down grade. Grandfather--" - -She broke off quite suddenly as one does who has found himself in danger -of saying too much. - -"You--you have a camp of your own--" she hesitated, "perhaps--" Again she -paused. - -As Johnny watched, he read in her face signs of conflicting emotions. -Native hospitality, a longing for companionship, youth calling to youth, -were battling with fear. This much he understood. But why the fear? She -had spoken of a grandfather. Surely then there could be no objection to -his joining them in a feast off the venison they had secured. - -"Perhaps," she began again. "Here," extending her quiver filled with -arrows, "take these. We have others." - -"I'll dress the deer and we'll divide it," said Johnny, exasperated by -what seemed to him cool effrontery. He did not so much as look at the -proffered arrows. - -Hanging her quiver on a spruce bough, the girl assisted him in lifting -the caribou to a strong bough and stringing him up. It was then that -Johnny came to know of her superb strength. - -"Like a man," he told himself. - -She sat watching in silence as he performed his task. When, however, he -had dressed the deer, severed its head from its body and was studying the -problem of a fair division without an axe or butcher's cleaver, she spoke -again. - -"Lift the fore parts to my shoulder," she said quietly. "I think we can -carry it to camp." - -That she had arrived at some decision as he worked Johnny guessed. What -decision, and why? This he did not know. - -The girl led the way. The going was rough. More than once she slipped and -all but fell. Yet each time her recovery was that of the perfect -woodsman, like the spring of a creature made of steel. Once she fell -forward, and the caribou dropped to earth. Before Johnny could come to -her aid she was up with a low laugh and lifted the burden to her shoulder -once more. - -"She's wonderful!" he told himself. "I hope----" - -He was not quite sure what it was he hoped. He had been a long time in -the wilderness, had been facing starvation, too. He had not realized -until this moment how bleak and lonely it had been. - -"But now--" - -His thoughts were broken short off by the girl's actions. She had come to -a sudden stop. - -"Drop--drop it down here." Her words came uncertainly. - -Johnny obeyed. The next instant she had disappeared into the brush that -surrounded them on every side, nor had he seen which way she had taken. - -"Gone," he told himself. - -Dismay overtook him. She might not return. There was something altogether -strange about the whole affair. But half a caribou in a wilderness! Yes, -she would return. So he sat down to wait, and as he waited, there came to -him, wafted along by a gentle breeze, faint odors of campfire smoke and -bacon frying. - - - - - CHAPTER II - MYSTERIOUS FEAR - - -In spite of his great hunger and the maddening odors that came to him, -filling his heart with a wild desire to break his promise, to wait no -longer, but dash into the strange camp, Johnny had fallen into a doze -when the girl, silent as a snow bunting, returned. - -She touched his arm. He jumped, stared blinkingly, then smiled. - -"You are American," she said quietly. - -"Yes." - -"Do you know much of Canada?" - -"Nothing much. Been over the border a month; came in from the northwest." - -"I told Grandfather. Come." - -She made as if to take up her share of the burden. - -With a quick move Johnny threw the entire weight of the caribou squarely -across his own shoulders. - -"Lead on," he said. - -She led the way in silence. Carefully pushing the branches aside, -indicating by a downward glance a spot where the footing was uncertain, -testing a half rotted log and rejecting it as treacherous, she played the -part of a perfect guide until, with an air of finality, she parted the -spruce branches to exclaim: - -"There!" - -As Johnny lowered his burden to the earth he found himself astonished at -the sight before him. He had expected to see a hunter's lodge of some -proportions, at least a homeseeker's cabin in fair state of preservation. -Instead he found a mere lodge built of poles, bark and boughs. Walled in -on three sides, with one side open to the campfire, it formed but a -temporary abode. - -"What can these people be doing in such a place and so far from the -haunts of man?" he asked himself. - -He was destined to ask that question many times in the weeks that were to -come. - -But now his thoughts were broken off. The girl was speaking. - -"Grandfather, this is the young man," she said simply as she nodded -toward Johnny. "He's bringing his own venison." - -"She had a hand in it," said Johnny modestly as a great, grizzled -six-foot Scotchman, stooping low that he might pass out of the lodge, -gave him a smile and offered a hand. - -"He killed the caribou." The girl's laugh was low and pleasing. "After he -had killed him I shot him twice just to make sure he was dead." - -Then in a few words she narrated the adventure. - -"Rather strange," the big Scot rumbled. "But see here, young man, you are -an American, are you not?" - -"Yes, sir." - -"Then how is it that you are hunting with bow and arrow?" - -"It's a bit of a fad, I suppose," said Johnny, not wishing to overplay -his part. "But even in America we feel that some traditions and arts -should be preserved. There's a lot of sport in really shooting straight -and true with one of man's most ancient weapons. Don't you think so?" - -"I do!" the old man's answer was emphatic. "And, furthermore, I believe -the world would be better off if it had never smelled gunpowder. We as a -generation--" - -"But, Grandfather," the girl broke in, "he has not eaten for three days." - -"No? Is that true?" - -"Well,--nearly," Johnny admitted. - -"There'll be time for talking by the evening campfire. Faye, bring out -the broiler. I'll stir up the fire. We'll have you a broiled venison -steak you'll not soon forget. - -"Inside the cabin by the door you'll find a basin," the old man went on. -"There's water in the brook and soap in the little box under the eaves. -In the north woods one lives the simple life. But you're welcome to such -as we have." - -Corn cakes fried in bacon grease, a rich, juicy steak broiled over the -coals, made the feast all that Gordon Duncan, the old Scot, had promised -it should be. - -The meal over, pine chips that had been used in lieu of plates were -tossed into the fire, aluminum cups, spoons and forks were cleansed at -the brook, then for a space of time the three sat silently contemplating -the fire. - -As he had entered the shelter in search of the basin, Johnny had allowed -his eyes to rove about the place. In one corner, tightly rolled up and -tied with thongs, were two sleeping bags. In another stood a canvas -receptacle which, he concluded, must contain bows and arrows. A single -bow of powerful proportions stood against the back wall. Not a single -firearm of any sort was in sight. - -"Strange," he had thought to himself. "Our meeting seems to have been -arranged by some great director of destinies. And yet--" - -He was thinking now of the uncertainty and great secrecy that had -attended his entrance to their inner circle. - -"What can one fear up here?" he thought. - -At once the answer came back, "The law!" - -Who has not read of the far reaching arm of the law in this land, the -Mounted Police? - -"Can they be fugitives from justice?" The thing seemed absurd. And yet? - -As he sat by the fire, now watching its leaping flames and now staring -into the mystery haunted darkness that lay all about him, he wondered -anew, but most of all he listened, waiting for a word that would bid him -join them here in the heart of the wilderness. - -He realized as never before how lonely life in the Arctic could become, -how uncertain life's span. He had been on the verge of starvation. Now he -was fed. His arrow, shot into the heart of the caribou, had not been -broken. He had salvaged that. It lay close beside him. Yet this was his -only arrow. There had been a little thawing of snow on sunny slopes, but -winter was still here. The low swish and sigh of the pines suggested a -cold wind from the north with a possible blizzard. To be alone in such a -storm, with but a single arrow-- - -As if reading the boy's thought, the old man spoke. "We can offer you -little protection and no bed, but you are welcome to a place before our -fire." - -"I--I've got blankets." Johnny's tone was eager as he sprang to his feet. -The smile he had seen on the girl's face returned. He believed that she -too was pleased. - -"Be a great pal," he told himself. "Strong as a man. And how she can -shoot!" - -To Gordon Duncan he said, "I'll go for my blankets." - -"Are you sure you know the way?" - -"It's by a bend in the river where three great pines shade the stream." - -"I know the place," said the girl, springing up. "I--I'll take you as far -as the river. You'll have no trouble after that. There's something of a -trail." - -Together they left the narrow circle of golden light cast by the campfire -and plunged into black shadows. - -As her eyes became accustomed to the darkness, the girl appeared to -experience no difficulty in following the mere suggestion of a trail that -led down the hillside. Johnny noted the habit she had acquired of leaping -from rock to rock and avoiding snowbanks. Hardly knowing why, he followed -her example. - -As they came to the bank of the rushing stream that even the winter's -cold could not conquer, they paused for a moment to watch the moonlight -play across its surface. - -The girl moved quite close to him. Their shoulders nearly touched. He -seemed to feel the splendid strength, the abounding life that was in her. -She somehow seemed a part of it all, of the forest, the night and the -rushing river. - -"Do you know," she said quietly, "I'm glad you've come. I--I hope you'll -like us. Grandfather is a little queer, and he has bad spells with his -heart. And--and we can't go back, not--not just yet. - -"There's your trail." Her voice changed suddenly. "You won't get lost. -But if you do, just cup your hands and shout like this: 'Whoo Hoo.'" - -Her voice rose clear and penetrating above the rush of the river. An owl -rose from a nearby tree and went flapping away. There was a scratching of -feet on the hard packed snow. From above came the answering boom of the -old man's voice. - -She was gone. - -Johnny turned to hurry on his way. Still his mind was not all on the -uncertain trail. She had said they could not go back, not just yet. "Go -back to what?" he asked himself. "And why not?" Surely it was strange. -Yet he was very sure he was going to like them. He'd go where they went. -Why not? He was adventuring, living in the wilderness with bow and arrow. -Curious they should be doing the same thing. Yes, he'd go with them. - -An hour of difficult tracking and he was at his camp of the night before. -Feeling not the least desire to loiter here, he slung his pack across his -back and went trudging away toward that other camp. - -As he neared a certain spot on the river trail, the moonlight seeping -down through the overhanging boughs showed him footprints leading up the -slope. It took but a single glance to enable him to recognize them. They -had been made by the girl's moccasins. - -Curiosity led him to follow this fresh trail. In a space of three minutes -he was at the door of the substantial cabin, deserted but the day before -by the girl and the old man. - -"They were living here. They left this for a temporary shelter. I wonder -why?" - -He read the answer. They had discovered that some person besides -themselves was in the country. How had they made the discovery? Why were -they afraid? - -"Time unravels all mysteries," he told himself. "Enough for to-night that -I have found human companions and a place beside a campfire." He returned -down the slope. A half hour later, he was lying propped by one elbow -against his blanket roll, staring at the campfire of his newfound -friends. A little way from him sat the girl. - -On his return she had greeted him with one of those rare smiles. That was -about all. Ten minutes passed into eternity as they sat there in silence, -encircled by the dark mysteries of night and brooded over by the hush of -a wilderness. - -Johnny's mind was never idle. It was busy now. He was asking himself -questions. Who was this girl, so ruddy and strong? And who was her -grandfather? Had they always lived thus in the wilds, supporting -themselves with bow and arrow alone? His fancy pictured them so; yet -reason told him it could not be true. Why were they afraid? Afraid of -being discovered? Whom did they fear? - -"Oh well," he said to himself, "it is evident that they no longer fear -me. I am from the United States and have not been long in Canada. That is -enough." - -A half formed resolve entered his mind, a resolve that was to gain in -strength as the days passed. He would not leave the company of this -strange pair until he had solved the mystery that hung over them like a -ghostly fog in the night. - -The fire burned low. The north wind swept in sharp and chilling. Rising, -he took a small axe that lay close by and went into the outer darkness. -The girl rose and followed silently. - -Soon they returned, dragging heavy pine logs after them. He had noted -with admiration that she chose a log as large and heavy as his own. - -Three times they retreated into the darkness; three times returned -heavily laden. Then, each working at the end of a log, they replenished -the fire. Logs were piled high. Small branches were thrown on. As the -fire leaped up the girl spoke. - -"Where were you going?" she asked. - -"Why, nowhere in particular. Just bumming, you might say." - -She looked at him in a peculiar way. - -"Well," he said half apologetically, "it wasn't exactly that. Been in the -North before, but not with bow and arrow; not Canada either. Alaska. The -North called me back." - -"I know." Her voice was low and deep. "It always does." - -"As for the bow," he spoke again, "I'm a mere novice. But there's a charm -to such hunting that does not come with firearms. And these primeval -forests always have seemed to call to me. The wilderness has voices, a -thousand voices." - -The girl nodded. - -"I took the dare that nature threw down to me," he said abruptly, "and -here I am." - -"But your arrows? You had only one." - -"Lost the others yesterday in the river. It was deeper and swifter than I -thought." - -Rising, she went into the birchbark cabin. She returned at once with an -arrow. She held it out to him. - -"This," she said, "I believe is yours." - -"Yes," said Johnny in great surprise. "You found it." - -"It came bobbing along to me on the surface of the river. It's a fine -arrow. I've asked the fairies of this northwood to bless it. Take it -back; it may bring you good luck." - -"So that--" Johnny broke off abruptly. He was about to say, "So that is -how you knew I was near?" He would make no attempt to surprise these new -friends into divulging their strange secret. No. He would try to prove -himself worthy of their friendship and confidence. - -As if conscious of that which went on within his mind, the girl lapsed -again into silence. - -When at last she spoke again her tones were deep and mellow like the low -notes of a cello. - -"Grandfather and I," she said, "have gone into the woods every year since -I was ten. The bow and arrow are his hobby. They have become mine. He -never uses firearms. He has dreadfully sensitive ears. The explosion of a -shotgun drives him frantic. - -"Always before," she went on after a pause, "we have come to the -wilderness for pure pleasure, the joy of the out-of-doors. But this -year--" She paused again as if for reflection. "This year we have gone -farther than before." - -Johnny caught his breath. He had thought she was about to reveal a -secret, and didn't more than half want to hear it. A mystery half ripened -is no mystery at all. He need not have feared. - -"To-morrow," she said, "we will go farther north." - -"Why?" The word slipped out unguarded. - -She looked at him in silence, then said quite calmly, "I don't know why, -not quite all together. This year Grandfather acts quite strangely. He -tells me he sees signs." - -"Of what?" - -"He--he doesn't tell me that. Perhaps he doesn't quite know. He is very -old; yet his mind is bright, clear as a bell. He--" - -Suddenly the girl put out a hand to touch Johnny's lips. She had caught a -sound that had escaped him. The old man was returning. Ten seconds later -he came tramping in through the brush. - -"Everything is splendid," he beamed. "Been five miles downstream. The -trail is good. Country is opening up. To-morrow we will go on. - -"Ah!" he sighed as he dropped on a bed of pine needles. "You know how to -make a fire, you two. It feels good!" He rubbed his hands together with -great satisfaction. - -That night, ere he made up his bed of pine needles before the fire and -rolled up in his blanket for a few hours of perfect repose, Johnny -witnessed a curious and impressive ceremony. - -As they sat there before the fire, the three of them, Gordon Duncan took -from his pocket a small, well worn volume. After thumbing its pages for a -moment, he found a place and began to read. The words of a very ancient -poet, who had learned centuries ago to place his trust in a power that -was higher and greater than all earthly things, came from the lips of the -venerable Scot like a benediction. - -When at last he closed the book and lifted his voice in petition, it was -as if they were savages, children of nature, an old man, a girl and a -boy, as if the earth were new again and they were asking the All Seeing -One to send caribou, rabbit and ptarmigan, to withhold the cunning of the -wolf and the power of the bear, to hold the bitter north wind in check -and send the gentle south wind to fan their cheeks. - -When it was over, when the old man and the girl had retired to their -frail shelter for the night, and Johnny had wrapped himself in blankets -before the fire of pine logs, he felt within him a glow of warmth and a -sense of security such as he had not experienced before in all his -wanderings. - -The next day a strange discovery was made. A fresh mystery pressed itself -upon them. In the unraveling of this mystery, Faye Duncan was to take a -fair part. - - - - - CHAPTER III - THE KNIFE IN THE TREE - - -Next morning as they sat munching corn bread and strips of caribou -broiled on the coals, Gordon Duncan put down his coffee cup and turned to -Johnny. - -"Young man," he began, "in the home of my childhood on the crags of the -Scottish Highlands, the word stranger spelled welcome. Here we have no -home worthy of the name. Even this we are leaving for the unknown that -lies just beyond. Your way leads down the river; or if you can so shape -your course that it may be so, we would be glad to have you join us." - -There was a gentleness and a warmth in the old man's tone that went to -the boy's heart. Before making reply, however, he turned toward the girl. -At once he was rewarded by that frank and friendly smile. - -"I am going nowhere in particular," he said. "I am thankful for human -companionship, more thankful than I can tell. Yesterday I was in a bad -way. It may be that you have come between me and starvation. I should be -ungrateful indeed did I not remain with you with a hope that I might in -some way repay your kindness." - -"Young man," in Gordon Duncan's eyes shone a gleam of light, "in this -world one seldom repays a kindness, an act of courtesy or a friendly lift -along the way, but one may always pass it on to some other member of the -great human family. He--but we are talking too long. The trail beckons." - -Packs were soon made. Johnny was surprised at the lightness of the -sleeping bags used by his friends. "Scarcely five pounds apiece," he told -himself. Bacon, cornmeal, coffee, a few dried beans, three cans of -condensed milk, such was the food supply of these wanderers. Each took in -his pack as much caribou as he could comfortably carry. When Johnny saw -that the girl proposed to carry a full third of the load, he offered to -carry her caribou meat. - -As she received his offer, her face flushed and her lips parted as if -with a quick retort. Then, seeming to sense the spirit in which the offer -was made, she allowed those same lips to open in a friendly smile as she -said: - -"I am used to the load. Without it I should not be hungry at noontime. It -is enough if you break trail for us." - -Johnny soon realized the truth of this last remark. The effect of the -slight thaw of two days before was gone. The snow on the sloping -hillside, hard packed as it was by many an Arctic blast, offered a -surface so smooth and hard that more than once his feet shot from beneath -him and he went speeding straight down to the gentler slopes a hundred -feet below. - -To avoid following his example the old man with his hunting knife cut -steps across the perilous places. - -Noon found them nearing a clump of pines. As they came close to it, some -object quite like a rolling ball of snow moved swiftly before them. - -At once Faye's pack was off her shoulder and her stout arms stringing her -bow as she whispered, - -"Birds. Ptarmigan. A whole covey of them!" - -Next moment she and Johnny were off in swift pursuit. - -After a half hour's exciting chase, they returned with four of these -white quail of the Arctic. To Johnny's chagrin, Faye had out-shot him -three to one. - -"But you are not used to these birds," she said generously. "You'll learn -soon enough." - -The days were growing long. There seemed little reason for haste. For, -where were they going, after all? They took time to build a fire and -prepare a hearty meal. The birds they saved for supper. For the present -they feasted on caribou meat. - -"It is well," said Gordon Duncan, "to build up muscle, fat and bone while -you may. So you will be able in the time of want to withstand the pangs -of hunger. Savage people everywhere know this. We in our sleek -complacency of plenty too soon forget." - -It was mid-afternoon when the thing happened which was destined to change -the entire order of their lives and carry them away on a mad quest that -might well end in disaster and death. - -It often happens as one travels along life's pathway that he comes of a -sudden to that which is to change the very nature of his being. But does -he know it? More often than otherwise he does not. It was even so now. As -the wandering trio came over the crest of a ridge and began to descend -into a valley down a narrow run that led them back to the river, they saw -before them a scraggy pine of unusual height. Surrounded as it was by a -low growth of cottonwoods, it seemed a beacon. - -To one member of the party it was a beacon. Hardly had Gordon Duncan's -eyes fallen upon it than he suddenly pressed a hand to his forehead to -exclaim: - -"The tree! As I live! The very tree!" - -"Why Grandfather! What--" The girl looked at him in alarm. - -He was gone. Leading on at a pace that was hard to follow, he headed -directly for the lone pine. - -Once there, he dropped on hands and knees to point at some object -protruding from the gnarled trunk of the giant tree. - -"The knife!" he said hoarsely. "The knife!" - -At that he fell backward, panting for breath. - -All the splendid color left Faye Duncan's cheeks as she bent over his -prostrate form and began struggling with the buttons of his mackinaw and -shirt. - -"It's his heart," she said. "There's nothing much we can do. He'll come -round presently. But some day--" - -She did not finish, but the wrinkles that came in her brow told all. - -"But what does it mean?" said Johnny pointing to the hilt of a hunting -knife that protruded a short two inches from the trunk of the pine. "Must -have been there twenty years. A few years more and it would have been -completely buried." - -If Faye Duncan knew what that knife meant and why it had stirred up such -violent emotions in her grandfather's breast, she did not say so. She sat -staring at the thing that had brought tragedy so near. - -Giving up the problem, Johnny kindled a small fire, then put water on to -boil for coffee. - -Presently the old man sat up to stare dully about him. The instant his -eyes fell upon the knife hilt they were alight once more. - -"Twenty-one years!" he muttered, pressing his forehead once more. -"Twenty-one years! All these years, and now I have found it--perhaps too -late." - -At that he began fumbling at an inside coat pocket. In the end he drew -forth a small square packet. Having unrolled a wad of thin oiled cloth, -he unfolded a square of soft white skin. On this, done perhaps in pencil -and later traced with India ink, were many lines and strangely shaped -figures. Here and there words were written. - -Drawn involuntarily to his side, the boy and girl stared at the map with -surprised and eager eyes. - -Johnny read words written there: "The river," "Mountains," "The Pass," -"The cabin," he read. And last, but not least, "Green Gold." - -Apparently quite unconscious of their presence, the old man placed a -trembling finger on a certain spot and mumbled: - -"We are here. The trail leads downstream, four miles perhaps. The river -forks there. We cross the river below the fork, and ascend the upper -fork. The trail leads over the mountains. The cabin lies beyond the -mountain, the cabin and green gold. A mine of green gold. That was -Timmie's dream. But then, perhaps he was mad. But there was green gold, -quantities of it, and so heavy, so--" - -He looked up and for the first time became conscious of Faye and Johnny. - -"We've found the tree," he said simply, as if they should know all about -it. "The trail leads downstream a little way, then across the river." - -By the haunted look in her eyes, Johnny read that Faye Duncan knew little -regarding the strange turn affairs had taken. - -"It's his heart," she whispered. "We must keep him quiet." - -"Yes," she said to Gordon Duncan, "the trail leads downstream. We will -take it to-morrow. For the night we will camp beneath this friendly old -giant of a tree and rest." - -"Rest!" said Gordon Duncan, a great weariness overtaking him. "Rest. -That's what we need. And then," with a fresh eagerness, "then the long, -long trail. Green gold it was, green like the copper in the bed of the -stream, but gold, real gold." - -Johnny assisted in arranging a comfortable resting place for him, then he -nursed his small fire along until it was a laughing, roaring young -conflagration. - -"The trail leads downstream and across the river," he thought to himself. -"Fine chance!" He could catch the rush of waters a hundred yards away. -That was the river. He had tried crossing that rushing torrent once, and -had come near losing his life. - -"Never again!" he told himself. "Unless in a boat. And where in all this -wild land does one get so much as a birchbark canoe?" - -As if reading his thoughts the old man sat up quite suddenly. - -"Somewhere down the river," he said, "the land slopes away into low -hills. Here the river is less rapid. It freezes over. If we get there -before the breakup, we may cross on the ice. But that," he added, "is a -long, long trail." - - - - - CHAPTER IV - GREEN GOLD - - -"A long, long trail." The old man's words echoed in Johnny's ears as half -an hour later, he sat before the fire of great glowing logs. Chilled by -the cold and the dark, warmed by the golden glow of human companionship, -he sat there half asleep, when the girl spoke. - -Strangely enough, her words echoed his thoughts. - -"A long, long trail," she was saying in a tone that was resonant with -mystery and longing. - -"He has come upon something," she said after a moment of silence, "from -out his past." She turned to nod at the rude brush shelter beneath which, -deep in his sleeping bag, the old man slumbered. Worn out by excitement -and his sudden heart attack, he had yielded to his granddaughter's -entreaties, and retired early. - -As for the girl and the boy, nothing was further from their thought than -sleep. They had come to a valley of decision. This they knew. - -"He will go," the girl said, glancing again at the sleeping one. "That -trail has to do with his past. More than twenty years ago, with a partner -called Timmie, he went into these mountains prospecting. I know little -enough about it. What I know my mother told me. She's dead now; been dead -eight years. He is all I have, and I am his only grandchild." - -Once more, save for the little circle of light sent out by the campfire, -all was darkness. Save for the snap and crack of burning logs, all was -silence. - -A light wind stirred the branches of the giant pine beneath which they -had camped. As if endeavoring to tell the secret of the hunting knife -buried deep in its heart, it sighed and whispered with the breeze. - -"He came back once, my mother told me," the girl went on at last. "It was -a whole year later. Someone found him wandering in the forest. He was -snow-blind and delirious. In the long weeks of sickness that followed he -babbled of Timmie, of a mine of green gold, and of a knife driven into a -tree. - -"That," she said, pointing to the giant pine, "is the tree. It must be. -And that is the knife." - -"But what of Timmie? What of green gold?" Johnny's voice was low. - -"I don't know. I only know," she said slowly, "that he will go all the -way over that long, long trail. It is his last great adventure. He may -not live to complete it. There is his heart. He may--" - -She became silent. Cupping her chin in her hands, she stared at the fire. - -"Do you know," she said at last, without changing her position, "our home -is a wonderful place. It's only a cottage. But a cottage may be quite -wonderful. In summer vines grow all over it, and old fashioned roses -bloom by its side. The song sparrow, quite unafraid, builds her nest in -the vines and squirrels come from the woods to sit on our doorstep. It's -home." - -She repeated the word softly, "Home. Nothing in the world could be more -wonderful than a home." - -Again silence, and the night closed in upon them. - -"You are thinking," said the girl at last. - -"I was thinking of you and of your grandfather." - -"Grandfather is well worthy of your thoughts. He gave his two sons to his -country. The war, that terrible war! They never came back. One was my -father. I--I think my mother died of grief. But Grandfather, he just -carried on." - -Yes, Johnny believed Gordon Duncan worthy of his thoughts. For the -moment, however, he was thinking of the girl, following her in his mind's -eye over that long, long trail marked out on Gordon Duncan's map; saw her -making her way forward staunchly, fearlessly into the great unknown with -an old man as her only companion. - -"And then death overtakes her grandfather," he whispered to himself. - -He tried to picture her making her way alone, back over those endless -perilous miles. - -"It can't be done," he told himself again. - -A sudden resolve brought him sitting bolt upright. - -"That green gold interests me," he said in as quiet a tone as he could -command. - -"You don't believe there is such a thing?" - -He read incredulity in the girl's words. - -"Stranger things have been discovered." - -Of a sudden the meaning of his words came to her. - -"You will go with us?" - -Her hand was on his arm, her eyes searching his face. - -"I have nothing more worth while to do." - -"Oh!" she breathed, and again, "Oh!" He felt the pressure of her hand on -his arm, that was all. - -For a long time after that there was silence. - -The next day they took up that long, long trail, and the day following -saw one member of the party very near to the end of all trails. - - - - - CHAPTER V - A MAD MOOSE - - -Johnny Thompson was tired. He was hungry, and was feeling down on his -luck. He had hunted the rugged hills since early morning, yet no game had -gone into his bag save one great white owl. - -"I wonder where Faye is?" he thought to himself. "Hoped I'd meet her on -this ridge." - -He still hoped this. It was a long, lonely tramp back to camp, and he was -a sociable being. Besides, he felt rather sure that she, like himself, -had met with little luck, and misery loves company. - -On the morning of that second day after the momentous decision they found -themselves below the fork of the river, standing on the bank of a -tumultuous stream. Beyond this ice-rimmed torrent lay Gordon Duncan's -promised land. How were they to bridge the chasm? It seemed certain that -Gordon Duncan was right. Once the stream left the high, rocky hills, its -mad rush must be abated. They might then cross upon the ice, or at least -on a raft. - -But their supply of provisions was low. The way was long. Gordon Duncan -was not yet restored to his full strength. Having found a rocky shelf -walled in by nature on three sides, they decided to give the day over to -hunting. Gordon Duncan would make camp and prepare a supply of wood. -Johnny and the girl would hunt with bow and arrow. The ground seemed -suited for the chase. Here and there were treeless spots overgrown with -blueberry bushes. Where the wind had swept the snow, frozen berries clung -stubbornly to their stems. Ptarmigan might be feeding here. Willow bushes -close to the river bank showed fresh markings done by snowshoe rabbits. -Once during the previous day they had chanced upon a spot where a caribou -had come gliding down a steep slope to swim the river. - -"He may have recrossed lower down," Johnny had said. - -So they had gone hunting, the two of them, but not together. A narrow run -led away to the left from their camp. It was agreed that Johnny should -take the left slope of this run and Faye the right. They might meet on -the ridge above. - -Since he was ready first, Johnny had struck out alone up the slope. He -had heard nothing, seen nothing of the girl all day. - -Little game had come his way. Once a ptarmigan had gone fluttering out -from a clump of blueberries. He had lost himself at once in tall brush. A -great white owl hooted at him. He had bagged him at once, not for food, -but because of his broad feathers. He must make more arrows. There was an -abundance of wood. Gordon Duncan had offered him steel points. He must -provide his own feathers. - -The land where he stood was rough, rocky and rolling. In places dark -tamarack stood so thick in the narrow bottoms that it was impossible to -pass. To his amazement, as he stood there looking, listening, the sound -of a tremendous tearing and thrashing suddenly smote his startled senses. -No sound came to him save the crashing of brush and rending of branches, -yet even as he looked he caught a gleam of bright red among the tamarack -trees. - -"That's strange," he told himself, involuntarily tightening his grip on -the six foot bow. "Can't be a bird. Too big. I'll see what's going on." - -Catching at a branch here, another there, without a sound he let himself -down the slope. As he dropped lower the spot of color was lost to his -view. This did not disturb him. His sense of location was splendid. A -tree taller than its fellows, a branch twisted off by some storm, a pine -squirrel's nest, these were his beacons. If he needed further guidance, -the surprising tumult continued. - -Then of a sudden as he rounded a clump of trees he saw it all at a -glance. With a checked cry of surprise he stepped swiftly back to grip -his bow and draw an arrow. - -His movement was not missed. For a space of ten seconds silence reigned -in that bit of northern wild. Then, as his bow sang taut a red-eyed fury, -a giant of that wilderness, a bull moose, plunged head on, straight at -him as he crouched for a shot. - -A bull moose, interrupted in his display of anger, is a terrible creature -to behold. As the boy looked into his bloodshot eyes, as he took in at -once his huge head, his broad spiked antlers, his powerful neck, he -wondered about his chances for life, and in the flash of a second knew as -never before what a glorious possession life was. Yet he did not waver -for an instant. Another life was at stake, the life of one without means -of defense. - -In that tense ten seconds before the moose charged he had seen that which -caused him to doubt the accuracy of his vision. The flaming red spot in -the top of the young tamarack tree was a red sweater worn by Faye Duncan. -He had not seen that sweater before. She had worn a gray mackinaw in -their travels. - -But now, still crouching, he waited his shot. It must be well aimed, back -of the shoulder, a perfect shot, or-- - -Twang! The arrow flew. The next instant, with agility born of long -training, he dropped sideways and backward. He was not a second too soon. -The terrible impact of that powerful head, the awful rending of those -spiked antlers; what chance had a boy against these? - -With all the force and fury of a crazed elephant, the moose went -thundering straight on. - -With his senses reeling, the boy fought his way into a standing position -in the tangle of briars and young trees, then drew another arrow. - -It was well that he found himself so prepared, for the moose, having -checked himself in his mad career, turned and charged again. This time, -only Providence could have saved him. Enmeshed as he was in the -underbrush, he was in no position to dodge. A small tree, directly -between him and the charging terror, saved him. - -Blinded by rage, the moose charged straight into the tree. The sound of -the impact was like the dropping of a pile driver. The stout tree snapped -off at the roots. But the great beast was stopped. - -It was enough. Again the bow twanged. A moment later the giant moose lay -beating the brush in his death throes. - -"Well," Johnny said, turning to the girl, who by this time had climbed -down from the tree, "that's what I call close." - -The look on her sunbrowned face was deeply serious. "Yes, it was. I am -sorry to put you in such grave danger." - -"Oh, that!" he said, shrugging. "It wasn't great. I could have climbed a -tree. Then there would have been two of us." He laughed. - -"But you didn't." The look on the girl's face was still serious. "I have -to thank you for that." - -"It's all in a day's adventure," said Johnny. "Mystery and adventure add -to the joy of life. Meanwhile, between us, we have a supply of food." - -"Yes, and such a supply!" - -"We had better take as much as we can carry," Johnny sighed. He was -thinking of the weary trek back to camp. "The part we can't carry away on -our further journeys we can hide up in the rocks where foxes and -wolverines can't get at it. It's a good thing to have a storehouse to -which one may return." - -The girl agreed. Drawing her hunting knife, she assisted him quite -skilfully in skinning the great beast and preparing the meat for packing. - -Once as she straightened up, he read in her eyes a question. She was -looking at the skin which he thought of only as waste product. - -"I've seen pictures of boats made of skin drawn over a framework of -wood," she said. - -"The Eskimos make them so. Large ones. Thirty-five feet long." - -"This skin is tough," she said. "It's large, too. I wonder--" - -"Hate to trust it," said Johnny. "Ice might cut a hole in it, then -where'd you be? Fresh water ice isn't like salt water ice. Salt water ice -is crumbly. Fresh water ice is like flint. It gets a cutting edge." - -She said no more. - -"Guess we're ready," Johnny said a few moments later. - -Wrapping a great piece of dark red meat in a square of skin, he lifted it -to her shoulders. - -"Carry it?" he said. - -"Easy." - -"All right. Let's go." - -He felt like a brute, loading a girl so; yet in future their lives might -depend upon that meat. Night was approaching. To return in the dark was -out of the question. And who could say what the little foxes, the wolves -and wolverines would do to that dead moose during the night? - -So they trudged on with weary limbs, but light hearts. As the darkness -deepened there came over Johnny a feeling that was hard to analyze. It -was a pleasing sensation, and had to do with the girl. He was her -guardian, her protector. This day, with his bow and arrow he had saved -her life. There could be no question about that. The tree she had climbed -was partially dead. In time, under the mad bull's wild onslaught, it must -have fallen. - -"And then," he shuddered at the thought. - -"Do you know," she said quite suddenly, "I didn't do a thing to that -moose? Not a thing." - -"Except invade his territory in a bright red sweater," Johnny chuckled. -"That was enough." - - - - - CHAPTER VI - A STRANGE MEETING - - -"That moose was very far north," said Gordon Duncan, as they sat dreaming -by the fire after their first meal of moose steak. "One seldom finds them -here. He was alone. Moose and men are like that sometimes. They prefer to -live alone. Timmie was that way. He longed for solitude." - -The old man's eyes were half closed. He appeared to be living in the -past. "Yes," he mused, "Timmie liked me. He promised to wait for me back -there behind the mountains. But he liked to be alone. He's waiting there -still, behind the mountains." - -Johnny's lips were parted for a question regarding this long lost partner -and the green gold, but feeling the pressure of the girl's hand on his -arm, he left the question unasked. - -"She's afraid of getting him excited and bringing on another attack," he -thought to himself. - -That night as he lay rolled in his blankets and the others slept farther -back in the cave-like shelter, he fell to wondering about the strange -pair. Why had they gone so far into the wilderness? Why had they appeared -to be afraid of other human beings? Why, in the end, had they lost all -their fear of him and accepted him as a traveling companion? How much was -to be expected from the future? Was the old man's partly told tale of a -lost partner and the finding of green gold purely a work of the -imagination, a fairy story, or was it all true? Would they find Timmie? -Was he waiting still? Would the green gold be there? Was there much green -gold? Was it valuable? Was-- - -So, wondering on and on, he fell asleep. - -Next day, as they entered a narrow valley, after toiling down a -treacherous slope, they came quite suddenly upon a well marked trail. -Trees had been blazed here and there, and brush cleared away. True, there -were no marks of recent travel. Only here and there were signs that told -of someone passing weeks, perhaps months before. This trail came from the -left, down a narrow ravine, then paralleled the river on its way -northward. - -For a long time after discovering this trail, Gordon Duncan stood quite -motionless, apparently buried in deep thought. - -When at last he led the way onward, it was to take up this trail. This he -did in silence. Not a word was uttered by any member of the party. - -To Johnny this silence was eloquent. What had passed in Gordon Duncan's -mind? Had he read in this freshly discovered trail signs of danger? Had -he feared that his plans might be brought to nought? Had he, in the end, -decided to risk it, to take the chance, to follow the trail? To all these -questions Johnny could find no certain answer. - -Noon came. They ate a cold lunch, then pressed forward. This day the old -man seemed eager and tireless. - -"There's more to him than I thought," Johnny told himself as he mopped -his brow. "He may have a trick heart, but he certainly can cover the -miles, may live to see us all in our graves yet." - -By mid-afternoon they were passing over a level stretch of forest. To the -right, the left, before, behind, short stout fir trees stood like -sentries. The silence about them was oppressive. Not a branch quivered, -not a pine needle stirred. When a white owl rose and went flap-flapping -away, his wings beat noisily. - -In a moment he was gone, and only the steady pat-pat of feet on the trail -was to be heard. - -Then slowly, as in a dream, there came to their overstrained ears a -sound. Faint, indistinct, it seemed at first but the approach of wind -through the treetops. - -As they marched straight on this sound took form, the sound of many small -tinkling bells. - -"Bells!" the girl whispered, stopping short in her tracks. "Sleighbells. -A dog team." She clutched at her mackinaw as if to still the beating of -her heart. - -Without a word, the old man turned and marched away at right angles to -the trail. There was no concealing their tracks here. The ground was -level, the soft snow ten inches deep. Soon, however, they came to a -barren ridge. Here they might walk upon rocks. Soon they were lost from -sight in a dark clump of fir trees. - -There, breathing silently, uttering not a word, they waited. - -"Why all this secrecy?" Johnny asked himself. "They know; I do not." He -felt annoyed by it all. He turned to the girl, and was about to speak -when, putting one hand to her lips, she pointed with the other. - -A stout dog team had appeared down the trail. Behind the sled, clad in -the blue trousers and red jacket of the Mounties, trotted a strapping -six-footer. - -"It's all right." A look of relief spread over Gordon Duncan's face. -"It's Corporal Simons of the Mounted. He has been in the wilderness for -months. We'll go to meet him. He may be able to tell us of a way across -the river." - -"Queer business," Johnny thought to himself as he followed Gordon Duncan -back to the trail. - -"My old friend Gordon Duncan, as I live!" exclaimed the sturdy Corporal -as he caught sight of them. "And Faye. But Man!" he exclaimed. "Why so -far back into this great beyond? Is it safe? You with your bows and -arrows." - -"No place is far in this fair land of ours," said Gordon Duncan. "As for -the bows and arrows, you'll find fresh meat in our packs." - -"That's more than you'll find in mine," said the Corporal, "but I've been -traveling light and fast on the King's business. Sad business it is to -be, I fear. But say! The sun is about down. Back on my trail a half mile -or so is a cabin of a sort. There's a rough fireplace and a Dutch oven on -the hearth. I thought of putting up there for the night. Since you're -here I'll turn back. When a man's been on the trail among Indians and -Eskimos he welcomes a woman's hand at the cooking. I've a few supplies -back there." He gave Faye a warm smile. - -"But who is this?" There was a note of distrust in his tone as he spoke. -He had seen Johnny for the first time. - -"Only another nimrod we picked up by the way," said Gordon Duncan. - -"Well, we'll be getting on. Gee!" the Corporal spoke to his leader. The -team whirled about. Grasping Faye's pack, the driver dropped it on the -sled, then tossed her after it. - -"No sort of thing for a girl to be doing," he grumbled, "packing her way -through these wilds." - -An hour later Johnny found himself seated at the corner of a rude stone -fireplace. Before the fire, enjoying their pipes, sat Gordon Duncan and -the Corporal. From the hearth came delicious odors. From the Corporal's -meager supply of stores Faye had secured the proper ingredients for a -cake. It was now browning to a turn in the Dutch oven. - -As the boy sat there dreaming and wondering about many things he caught -the voice of the Corporal. He was telling of some recent happening. - -"What do you suppose happened to the trader?" he demanded of Gordon -Duncan. - -"Anything might. Snow-blindness, blizzard, wolves, an overflow on the -river." - -"Fact is he didn't arrive." The Corporal's voice rose. "Those Caribou -Eskimos have come to depend upon him for ammunition. So there they are. -And there they'll be starved in their tents. I can do nothing for them. -Should I try to return with supplies it would be too late." - -"It's as I have always said," Gordon Duncan's tone was low and deep. "The -natives are better off without us. They lived before we came. How? By the -bow, the spear, the snare and the deadfall. But now we have taught them -to use firearms and if there is no ammunition they must starve. - -"Two hundred miles, did you say?" He rose and began pacing the cabin -floor. "It is incredible that men should starve when we are so near. -There must be a way." - -"But there is no food here," said the Corporal. "A dozen rounds of -provision here in this cabin. You chanced on a moose yesterday; otherwise -you would be hungry, too." - -"But the caribou will be flooding in from the Southwest." - -"In another month, perhaps sooner. What does it matter? I do not have -ammunition. Neither do you. You have only your bows and arrows." - -"Corporal Simons," the old man paused to bang the table with his fist, -"with bows and arrows we will save them. This young man, if he will, and -Faye will go with me. We will show you what primitive weapons will do." - -"Calm yourself." The Corporal's tone showed consternation. "You wouldn't -drag a young woman into that barren land. I tell you they are starving. -Desperate. Who can say what they might do? And after all," he added, -"they are but Eskimos, mere savages. It is sad, but the world will not -miss them." - -"There are no savages," said Gordon Duncan, resuming his place by the -fire. "In the eyes of the All Seeing One, all men are the same. In the -past many a white man, many a member of your force, has owed his life to -these simple people. Is it not so? Then we owe them their lives in -return." - -It was evident to Johnny that the Corporal knew something of Gordon -Duncan's state of health, for at a look from Faye he said no more. - -A half hour later they were seated round a rough board table graced by -such a feast as only a Scotch girl accustomed to the wilds could have -spread before them. - -The evening meal over, Gordon Duncan dropped into a great rustic chair -before the fire. As Johnny watched he saw the old man start as a change -came over him. A battle of conflicting emotions played across his -expressive face. Twice he half rose in his chair. Many times he clenched -his fists tight. Three times he turned to speak to the Corporal. At last, -as he sank down deep in his chair, a look of resignation came over his -face. Peace now reigned where a battle had raged. He was soon sleeping in -his chair. - -Johnny could not read all the story that had been recorded there. He knew -too little regarding the two possible courses of action that lay before -them and the purposes and emotions that were back of them. He did know -that an idea had taken possession of Gordon Duncan. He had had a partner -in the past. They had found some metal. He called it green gold. Was it? -Whatever it was, the whole soul of the old man had been bent on finding -that partner and his treasure. - -Now a man, an officer of the law, had told him of a starving people. He -had at once conceived of a plan for helping them. Just what those plans -were Johnny did not clearly know. Of one thing he felt certain. Having -observed the old man and understanding something of his deep convictions, -he felt sure that he would feel compelled to go to the aid of those who -faced starvation. - -"Faye will go," the old man had said. - -"Will I?" Johnny asked himself this question in all seriousness, but did -not attempt to answer it. He had seen much of life, had lived in many -climes; but to go into the great white wilderness to a desperate tribe of -starving half savages in the company of an old man and a girl, armed only -with bows and arrows-- - -"What good could we possibly do?" he asked himself. - -The simple household duties of the cabin done, Faye joined them beside -the fire. - -She had been sitting there but a short time when a great shaggy dog, one -of the Corporal's team, rose from the floor and approached her. After -kissing her hand he laid his shaggy head in her lap. - -"He knows you," said the Corporal in surprise. - -"Yes," she said. "He used to belong to a next door neighbor. You must -have bought him from that man. We are great friends," she said, -addressing the dog. "Aren't we, Tico?" - -At the sound of the name Tico, the dog gave forth a low woof, then stood -staring intently into her eyes. - -"Tell you what," the Corporal said quite suddenly. "I'll give him to you. -Then if you go--" he hesitated, "wherever you go, he'll be company, -protector and guide. - -"He's not much account in the team, anyway," he added half -apologetically. "Too old when I took him. Dogs need to be trained young." - -"I--I--why, thank you! That would be grand, wouldn't it, Tico?" - -The dog woofed again; then, as if he had understood everything that had -been said, dropped to a place at her side. - -"So now we are four," Johnny thought to himself as, rising from his place -he took up the axe and went out into the night to gather a fresh supply -of fuel. - -When he returned Gordon Duncan was still fast asleep. Sitting quite close -to the girl, the Corporal was talking in low tones. As Johnny took his -place he caught the word cabin. A little later a boat was spoken of, then -timber and a broad tundra. - -Taking the stub of a pencil and a sheet of paper from his pocket, the -officer drew what was likely to be a rough map. - -Johnny understood in a general way what was happening. The Corporal -realized that he had, without intending to do so, stirred up in Gordon -Duncan's breast a fire not easily quenched. He had so worked upon his -almost exaggerated sense of duty that he would be driven to attempt the -seemingly impossible. Without adding fuel to the flames by giving the old -man a detailed description of the route to be taken, he was imparting -that knowledge to Faye Duncan. - -"Well thought out and mighty decent of him," was Johnny's mental comment. -With that thought uppermost in his mind, he went about the business of -preparing for a night's repose. - - - - - CHAPTER VII - A LOOK BEYOND - - -The Corporal was up and away before dawn. Having assisted him with his -dogs, Johnny returned to the cabin. - -In his sleeping bag on a rude bunk in the corner Gordon Duncan still -slept. Before the fire sat Faye Duncan. She had thrown fresh fuel on the -fire. The flames were leaping up the chimney. - -"I suppose you know," she said as he took a seat beside her, "that -Grandfather will accept this new mission." - -"I had supposed he would." - -"He doesn't want to. The finding of his long lost partner and the green -gold has obsessed him for years. It is natural that he should want to go -on. But he is deeply religious and, what is better, has a great heart. -There are those who suffer. It is possible for him to give them aid. Duty -calls. He must go." - -"But only three of us!" said Johnny. "How can we help? We may starve, -ourselves. In their ignorance, superstition and great need they may -attack us." - -"We have eight bows between us," the girl said quietly. "A bow weighs -very little. We always carried a good supply. Never as many as now. -Providence must have directed us. We have many arrow points. Thongs, -feathers, material for shafts may be had in the wilderness. A bow is a -precious thing. Its wood must be of the best and seasoned many months. We -are fortunate in having so many." - -"After all, we can use but three bows at a time," Johnny said. - -"Grandfather believes that there are old men among the Eskimos who have -been archers and have not forgot. If he can arm these with our extra -bows, if we can somehow ambush the caribou when they come, we may save -those starving ones yet." - -Johnny looked at her in silence. His mind was in a whirl. Here was an old -man and a girl who but a few days before, as if guilty of some crime, -were hiding in the brush. Yet, at this moment they were planning a long -and dangerous journey far out on the tundra in the hope of saving the -lives of a few half savage people. - -"Queer folks," he told himself. - -"So here we are," the girl went on after a moment's silence. "In an hour -we shall be on our way. Before us is the wilderness, after that a river, -the land of little sticks and the silent, white tundra. We carry only our -precious bows and arrows. It seems a foolhardy and futile undertaking. - -"But think!" Her voice became vibrant with emotion. "Unless someone comes -to them, men, women and cute little brown babies will starve--starve!" - -She cupped her chin in her hands to stare at the fire. "I don't fear for -myself," her tone was deep and solemn. "I only fear for him. He is old, -though he has the heart of a boy. - -"I hear him stirring," she said softly, springing to her feet. "I must -prepare breakfast. He is always impatient of delays." - -"Listen," said Johnny. "I promised to go with you. I'll not turn back -now. Count me in." - -The girl did not speak. She put out a hand. It was a good, strong, -capable hand. Johnny gripped it heartily. And there in the dawn was -sealed a compact that was to live through many a long day of wild -adventure. - -Noon of that day found the little party looking down upon a scene of -surpassing beauty. This was one of those days of crystal-like clearness. -From the promontory on which they now stood, the crest of the range, -their vision stretched mile on mile, seeming never to end. - -Spreading out a roughly drawn map, Gordon Duncan traced for Johnny the -course they were to take. He had gotten it from Faye, who in turn had it -from the Corporal. Here, down the ridge, they followed the blazed trail. -There, where a huge black tamarack tree stood, they bent to the right. A -short way farther, and they came to the boiling and tumultuous stream -again. Following this as best they might over rock pile and ledge, -through dense forest and thicket, they would come at last to a broad, -tree covered valley. - -"At the entrance to that valley," the old man ended, carefully refolding -his map, "unless we have gone wrong, we will find a rude shelter and -close beside it an Indian dugout canoe. The canoe was left there six -months ago, but the Corporal thinks it is still in condition." - -"Here's hoping," said Johnny. "For if it is not, our journey ends there." - -"And with its ending the fate of many human lives is sealed," said Gordon -Duncan solemnly. "It is strange that so much should depend upon so -little. But we must do our part. We are enlisted in a great cause, the -welfare of a vanishing race." - -As Johnny stood there looking away to the north, where even now it seemed -he caught the gleam of a snow blanket, strange thoughts passed through -his mind. - -In a spirit almost of bravado, he had one morning slung his quiver of -arrows over his back, bound his pack together, seized his bow and walked -away into the wilderness. - -"I meant to be away a month," he told himself. "I would remain in the -wilderness a month and receive no support save that which came from my -bow and arrow. Well," his face twisted into a doubtful smile, "it will be -a month right enough, probably two, perhaps three. And the bow and arrow -must support us, not one but three. There is no other way." - -"Two months! Perhaps three!" He said the words out loud. "Why, they'll -think me dead! I must go back. It isn't treating them right. I must go -back!" He was thinking of his own people. - -"And yet--" As he closed his eyes to think he saw a group of little brown -people, many groups, seated round the fast vanishing lights of crude -tallow lamps. He saw the wan faces of mothers, the eyes of children that -gleamed the bright gleam of death by starvation. - -"One must always think of the highest good of the greatest number." He -quoted the words of a great teacher. - -"Are we ready?" said Gordon Duncan. - -"We are ready," said Johnny. "Lead on." - -Once more they marched on. - -Two days later the girl and boy stood upon the crest of a high hill. -Gordon Duncan was back some distance on the trail. Johnny would have gone -back for his pack. But the aged Scotchman was still proud of his -strength. This was the last climb for the day. Their camping place for -the night was at the foot of the hill just before them. - -Here there were no trees, only rocks. Their view was not obstructed. Far -away behind hills that had turned to pure gold and mountains that -appeared to smoke with the snow driven far and wide by the wind of their -summits, the sun was setting. Far below was the river, a golden ribbon -winding across a field of white satin. - -So they stood there, the boy and the girl. Life, beautiful, glorious -life, surged through their beings. It was inconceivable that anyone in -all the world could be starving at this moment. - -Spring was in the making. They did not see it. The willows by the river -were not budding. The snow of the trail was hard as the rocks on which -they now stood; yet spring was coming. They could feel it in their blood. - -Youth, spring, life. The night before they had stood for a moment beneath -the starry heavens wondering what life could exist in those great -distances beyond. - -"Whatever it may be," Johnny told himself, "it could not be more -wonderful than life here and now." - -Life! The great cities with their noise and dirt, with their -artificiality, their fraud and sham, were far away. The girl that stood -at his side was real. From toes to fingertips, she was genuine. Her -mackinaw was faded, her knickers frayed in spots, but the color in her -cheeks, the smile on her lips, the glint of pure joy in her eye, were -real. - -"Real!" - -He said the word aloud. She heard and understood. - -It was well for them that they enjoyed this perfect moment together, for -the days that were to come were such as require strong and beautiful -memories to lessen their pain. - -Gordon Duncan came toiling up the hill. Seeing the halo of sunset glory -that had been cast about them, he said; - -"It is truly wonderful. Who could believe that less than two hundred -miles from this spot men, women and little children may be starving? -There are men who will tell you that nature is God. A cruel God indeed -who could furnish us such beauty and offer to them only death." - -The sun sank from sight. Darkness and a sudden chill overtook them. -Turning, they marched down the hill in silence. - -Several nights later, with only a shelter of poles covered by boughs, -Johnny slept again in his blankets before the fire. His was the sleep of -one whose burdens are heavy, whose trails have been long, but whose heart -is light. - -"The canoe is fit," was the last word of Gordon Duncan before they went -to rest. "Fit as a fiddle. To-morrow the river takes us on the way." - -"But remember," said his granddaughter, "that there are rapids in the -river." - -"There are never rapids in any life till we reach them," said the rugged -old Scot. "And when we do reach them we can but do our part. God will see -that all is for the best." - - - - - CHAPTER VIII - A HAVEN OF REFUGE - - -"It is going to storm." The old Scot dropped his paddle to the bottom of -the dugout long enough to turn up the collar of his jacket, then he took -up the mechanical swing of his brawny arms that had done so much in the -days that had just passed to speed the three adventurers on into the -Northland. - -"Going to be a bad one!" Johnny threw a fleeting glance at the girl -before him. Like her grandfather, she performed wonders. She had kept up -the steady, monotonous swing of paddle until Johnny thought she must be -working in her sleep. The muscles of her arms had grown hard as a man's. - -They had found the Corporal's cottonwood dugout a good one. For three -days it had carried them straight on into the great unknown. - -"After all, she's only a girl," he told himself, thinking once more of -the girl. "This storm will be a bad one. Wish we'd come to shelter. The -map shows a cabin or something down here somewhere. Be easy enough to -pass it in the storm. Map don't show which bank. Wish--" - -Just then the advance guard of the storm struck. A rattling drive of -cutting snow, a sudden gust that set their canoe on side, and it was -gone. - -"But there will be other blasts and worse ones," he told himself. - -In this he was right. A half hour had not passed before they were -shooting along through a veritable wall of driving white. One of those -sudden and terrible storms that haunt the Arctic had come driving down -from the North. - -"Have to go ashore and try to get up something of a camp," said the old -Scot, as with the greatest difficulty he unbent his benumbed fingers. -"Can't stand this. Cold and damp will get us. Wind off that ice water is -terrible." - -Once more Johnny looked at the girl. Gripping her paddle, she still swung -her arms in rhythmic motion. - -"Half froze," he thought, with a tightening of the throat. "She's doing -and enduring all for the good of people she has not seen." - -Just then there was a stir in the prow of the canoe. Tico, the dog given -to Faye by the Corporal, had crept from his snug corner to lift his nose -to the air, point toward the farther shore, and let out an unhappy wail. - -"Something over there." The girl spoke now for the first time in a half -hour. "Maybe game. That's something. Our food supply is very low. Better -go over." - -Neither the old Scot nor Johnny questioned her judgment. Turning the -canoe half about, they struck for that distant shore. - -It was a perilous journey. The moment they left the sheltering bank, -waves began crashing over the gunwale. - -The boat was half filled when the girl, dropping her paddle, began to -bale. The men toiled unremittingly at the oars. - -"Wind's with us. Be there soon," Johnny said cheeringly. - -"Wa-roo!" answered the dog. Standing high in the prow, he appeared to -direct their course. - -They were still half a boat length from shore when with a mighty leap the -dog, clearing the boat, landed on the ice that edged the water and at -once shot away into the forest. - -"Tico! Tico!" the girl cried. "Come back! Come back!" - -Wind and water drowned her cries. The dog did not return. - -"All we can do is to follow him," said Johnny as he made the boat fast to -a bough that hung far out over ice and water, then tested the ice with an -axe. - -"Here, let me have those," he said as Gordon Duncan was about to throw -his bundle of bows and arrows ashore. - -"Guess you better carry them," said Gordon Duncan. "Can't be too careful -of your artillery in such a land." - -After a dangerous slide or two they were on land. - -Following the dog's steps in the snow, Johnny led the way into the -tangled brush. To his great joy he found indications of a rough trail. - -"May have been made by moose or caribou, for all that," he told himself. - -"What was that?" the girl exclaimed suddenly, stopping short. - -From behind them had come a cracking sound. - -Dropping the bundle of arrows he carried, Johnny sprang back over the -trail. - -"It's gone!" There was a touch of despair in his voice as he called to -his companions. "The boat's gone! The branch tore away." - -Never in his life had he felt more miserable. No food, no blankets, no -shelter in a strange land, hundreds of miles from known human habitation, -with a blizzard tearing at them. - -"And it's all my fault," he said. "It was I who tied the boat. I should -have tested the moorings." - -"No," said Gordon Duncan. There was force and dignity in his tone. "It is -not entirely your fault. We were there to offer counsel. And this is not -the end. It is but the beginning. We have bows and arrows. There is game -here as elsewhere. There is always a way to prepare a shelter and make a -fire." - -"But first we must find Tico," said the girl, who had just come up to -them. "I can't imagine what madness has seized him." - -"Dogs," said Gordon Duncan, "are sometimes wiser than humans. There may -be something in his actions that is worth investigating. Let us be -going." - -In this he was more right than he knew. - -They had not gone a hundred yards when the trail widened. Another hundred -yards, and a dark bulk loomed through the whirling snow. - -"A cabin or a boulder," said Johnny a little breathlessly. - -"Either will prove a boon," said the old Scot. "A shelter in the time of -storm." - -"A cabin! A cabin!" the girl cried joyously as the dog came bounding back -to meet her. - -And such a cabin as it proved to be! Built of massive logs, with a door -that required the strength of two to swing it wide, what a haven! It was -equipped with rude bunks, a hand hewn table and chairs and a massive -stone fireplace. - -"This," said Gordon Duncan, a note of deep, silent joy creeping into his -voice, "is the very place we were to leave the canoe and strike away -across the tundra. Truly we have been guided by a great good God." - -"God, and Tico," whispered the girl as she sank down upon a chair. There -was no suggestion of irreverence in her tone. - -"Aye, and the dog," said the old Scot. "I doubt not that many times the -great Creator finds a dog's course more easy to direct than that of a -human." - -A hasty survey of the cabin revealed many delightful surprises. Built, no -doubt, by some trader and trapper of bygone days, it had been fashioned -to shut out the rigor of winter and the tearing rush of wild northern -gales. It had been equipped with massive iron cooking utensiles which -were still serviceable. It had, beyond doubt, been used by the Mounted -Police as a temporary station, for, hidden away among the rafters were -blankets, a coffee pot, a small quantity of flour and baking powder, a -can of coffee, a sack of beans and a square of bacon. - -"Man! Did I not tell you?" exclaimed the joyous Scot. "'Twas God's hand -that led us. 'Tis a royal feast we'll have. - -"No better fritters were ever made than those moulded by the hands of the -bonny lassie here. Bacon, fritters, coffee beside a fire that laughs up a -generous chimney. Who could ask for more?" - -Johnny joined with the old Scot in his rejoicing. He had not, however, -forgotten that their boat was irretrievably lost and that it was many, -many weary miles back, even to the cabin where they had enjoyed their -last real night's sleep. - -Being young and strong, possessed of a healthy body and a vigorous mind, -he did not trouble about the future for long, but springing out into the -storm, began dragging in dry brush and logs. - -"Ah, now the storm may laugh and the wind crack her cheeks!" exclaimed -the Scot as he attacked the branches with an axe he had found in the -corner. - -Bacon, fritters and coffee might seem a meager feast. But to those who -had lived for days on caribou steak, rabbits, partridge and squirrel, it -was indeed a rich repast. Even Tico enjoyed it beyond his power to -express. - -When at last the feast was over and the heavy pots and pans hung in their -places Johnny piled three great spruce logs in the center of the -fireplace, thrust dry branches and wind wrecked splintered fragments in -the niches between, then with his friends sat down to watch with dreamy -eyes the leaping, laughing, roaring flames. - -The old Scot was soon nodding in his chair. Lower and lower his head sank -upon his breast until only the tangled gray of hair and beard were -visible. - -Softly, on tiptoe, the girl went to bend over his chair. As she tiptoed -back to her place beside the boy, she whispered: - -"Sleeping." - -Johnny nodded. - -For a long time, save for the roar of the wind outside answered by the -crackle of the fire within, there was silence. But who can say what -communion may be had between hearts loyal and true in moments of silence? - -When the girl spoke her tone was deep and low. "I am afraid for him. His -heart," she said, glancing toward the sleeping patriarch, "Some day--" - -She did not finish, but once more sat starring at the fire. - -"This," she said at last, "is to be his one great adventure. He has the -heart of youth, of a knight, a Crusader. We have always lived quietly on -our farm, except for these trips into the forest. Always since he was a -boy, he has told me, he has longed for an opportunity to render a great -service. He believes this is his great opportunity, his crowded hour, -this and his final search for old Timmie and his green gold. What a -triumph it will be if he accomplishes all!" Again she stared at the fire. - -Johnny nodded. He understood. - -"We will do all we can to help him realize his highest hope," he said -huskily. - -A moment later, as the wind shook the cabin, the girl's mood changed. She -found herself longing for the home of many simple comforts she had left -to follow her grandfather on this strange and uncertain quest. - -"You have never seen our home," she said dreamily. "It's not a palace, -but it's home. Just a cottage with vines climbing up the front and with -fine old fashioned roses, yellow, pink and red, on either side. There's a -cozy little parlor with a reed organ in one corner. Grandfather loves to -sing to it on a Sunday afternoon, those old, old fashioned tunes that are -so quaint and so--so sort of wonderful. You should hear him boom them -out. - -"My room," she went on as if speaking to herself, "looks out upon a field -of red clover at the side, and at the back is a clump of forest. The -squirrels are so tame that they come to perch on my window sill and beg -for sweets and nuts." - -As she ceased speaking Johnny looked at her and realized as never before -that she was, despite her rugged face and splendid untiring muscles, only -a girl very far from the nest that she called home. - -"But," she exclaimed suddenly as if waking from a dream, "we must not -turn back! We must go on! Go on for him!" She nodded toward the sleeping -grandfather. "And for the little brown people who, but for us, may -starve." - -Three days the storm raged on. Restful days these were, but not idle -ones. Some of their arrows had gone downstream with their ill-fated -cottonwood boat. Fortunately they found within the cabin two steel sled -runners and a home-made feather duster. The dusters were made of wild -goose feathers. No better for arrows can be found. With the aid of fire -and such tools as were at hand, they succeeded in cutting the sled -runners into bits and fashioning them into arrow heads. Dry fir furnished -them shafts for the arrows. Long hours, working side by side over the -table, the boy and girl, directed by the old man, worked at the task of -making arrows. Cutting, scraping, shaping, pounding, forging, binding, -with grimy hands but gleaming eyes they worked on and on until when the -storm broke and the sun came out they found themselves better armed than -ever before. - -"So we may say the storm was a blessing in disguise," said Gordon Duncan. -"To-morrow we must be on our way," he said as he gazed upon the fading -tints of their first red sunset in the wilderness. "We must hurry. The -caribou may come and pass to their northern feeding grounds before us. -Then indeed our little brown friends will starve." - -"And we with them," Johnny wanted to add, but did not. - -That night, by the light of the fire, Johnny spent a full hour studying -three maps he had spread out on the table. More than once a sudden -exclamation escaped his lips. At last he rose and began pacing the floor. -The old Scot was asleep in his chair. Faye Duncan had watched Johnny with -keen interest. Now as she caught the light of a quizzical smile playing -across his face, she said, - -"What is it?" - -"Why look!" he replied, leading her to the table. "See, here are three -maps, the one done on white leather by your grandfather so many years -ago, the roughly drawn one by the Corporal to guide us on this trip, and -an old general map of the country which I found here in the cabin. - -"It's strange," he said, straightening up, "but when you trace the two -routes out, the one your grandfather proposed to follow in his search for -that more or less mythical partner of his--" - -"Don't say that!" Her finger touched his lips. "It's all very real to -him." - -"Well, anyway, we are now across the river, and if we follow the route -the Corporal has marked out for us we will be going almost directly -toward the spot your grandfather has marked for Timmie's cabin. - -"So," he said, reading the surprise and joy in her eye, "the longest way -round is the shortest way home, after all! See!" He pointed to a spot on -the map. "See. There is the camp of the Eskimo. And here, just a short -way across the tundra, then over these low mountains, is Timmie's cabin -and the--the green gold." - -"So in choosing to be of service to the natives, Grandfather was really -serving himself," the girl said as they returned to their places before -the fire. "How often life is like that." - -"Green gold." She repeated the words thoughtfully after a time. "Do you -suppose there is any such thing?" - -"Yes, of course there is," said Johnny. "They use it for making jewelry, -rings, watch-cases and the like. But where it comes from I haven't the -least notion." - -"Is--is it very valuable?" - -"Why yes, it must be." - -"And if there was a lot of it, a mine or something, and Grandfather has a -share, we would be--might be--" - -"Quite rich." - -"Oh!" Her eyes shone. - -"You know," she said after some time, "we are quite poor and -we--Grandfather might need money badly to--to defend--" - -Johnny waited long for the rest of that sentence. It never came. - -"Well," he said at last, "to-morrow it's the long, long trail once more." - - - - - CHAPTER IX - A MOVING ISLAND - - -"They're coming!" - -Johnny Thompson thought he heard the beating of Faye Duncan's heart as -she whispered these words in his ears. - -They lay close together on the snow against a little rise of land. From -this place they could see nothing before them. A faint crackling sound -was all that told them that a moving island of brown, a great herd of -caribou, was moving up the narrow valley and would, within the space of a -quarter of an hour, be abreast of them and within easy bow shot. - -Their position was not without its element of danger. Johnny's heart -missed a beat at the thought. The caribou, when they had last seen them, -were moving with the steady precision of an army. There were thousands of -them. - -"But if a mother wolf and her pack appears to the right of them, then -what?" Johnny asked himself. He knew how broad and sharp were the hoofs -of the caribou. It was these very hoofs that made the steady click and -crash as of a thousand batons beating on wooden rails. Visions of that -vast herd stampeding and rushing down upon them like a relentless sea -passed before his mind's eye. - -"Perhaps we shouldn't have come," he whispered. - -"It was our only chance," the girl whispered back. "Our chance for the -Eskimos and for ourselves." - -In this she appeared to speak the truth. Johnny lapsed into silence. - -Four days had passed since on that bright morning they had left the -abandoned trapper's cabin. - -Borrowing blankets and a little food from the cabin, they had started -out. - -The going had been heavy from the start. The forest had disappeared -almost at once. Guided by the dog Tico, they had found themselves -following a northerly course over a flat and trackless tundra. - -Day after day they had tramped on. For a time there had been plenty of -game, ptarmigan on little ridges, rabbits in the bottoms. - -As they advanced these had disappeared. And now for an entire twenty-four -hours they had eaten nothing. - -An hour before they had mounted a narrow rise of land to find themselves -gazing upon a curious sight. A broad brown island, long and narrow and -weaving in and out, had been moving toward them. - -"The caribou! We are too late!" The excitement had been too much for -Gordon Duncan. Seized by a sudden heart attack, he had fallen upon the -snow. All he could do as his stout hearted companions assured him that -all was not lost was to lie flat upon his blankets and struggle painfully -for breath. - -"We will take our bows and arrows and hide in one of the little runs," -Johnny had explained. - -"When that throng is passing we surely can pick off a number of caribou. -The Eskimo village must not now be far away. We will build a cairn for -the meat and can return for it." - -Johnny wondered now as the sound of thousands of crackling hoofs grew -louder, whether his words would prove true. Was the Eskimo village near? -Would they succeed in shooting enough caribou to be of real service? -Could the meat be kept away from the wolves? - -"At least we shall eat again," he whispered stoutly. - -"Yes," the girl whispered back, as with nervous fingers she gripped her -bow. She had been loath to leave her grandfather back there alone on the -tundra. He had insisted. So here they were. And here, coming closer, ever -closer, was the moving island of brown. - -"There! There is one!" she whispered as a pair of massive antlers -appeared above the ridge's crest. - -A splendid young buck, having climbed the ridge, had risen above the -snow. There for a moment he stood, head high, sniffing the air. That -moment was his last, for with the speed and precision that would have -done credit to a daughter of William Tell, the stout hearted Scotch girl -sent an arrow unerring to its mark. - -The next instant Johnny and Faye were on their feet making the most of -their opportunity. - -That the opportunity was poor enough they were soon to learn. Like a -mighty stream that breaks its bonds to race over land, this mass of brown -flowed away before their very eyes. - -A dozen arrows shot, half of them lost forever, and only two caribou to -show for it all. This was their score. - -"Well," said the girl, dropping to the snow, weak with excitement, "as -you said before, we will eat to-night. As for the Eskimos, there must be -some other way." - -"Yes," said Johnny, "there must be some--some other way." He seemed -suddenly to have grown very weak and old. - -"We-l-l, it's not so bad." It was the voice of an old man grown suddenly -strong that sounded in Johnny's ear. A moment more and Gordon Duncan, -with Tico hitched to an improvised sled, stood beside them. - -"As for yonder little brown people, God will provide in his own good -way," he said as he led them down the ridge. - -That night between the sheltering banks of a narrow gorge, they built a -shanty of willow bushes. The beds they slept on after a royal feast of -roasted caribou steak were made of rustling willow leaves. - -Next morning, after cutting a draw line from a caribou skin, Johnny piled -all the remaining meat on the sled, and putting his own shoulder to the -harness, bade Tico lead on. - -It was hard, grinding toil, but he hung to the task until, after climbing -a slight elevation, Faye let out a cry of joy. Before them in the valley, -pitched in an irregular circle, were a half dozen skin tents. - -"The Caribou Eskimos." The words that came from the old Scot's lips spoke -volumes of joy. What did it matter now that the way had been long and -hard, that they had faced death by water, storm and cold? What did he -care that they had but two caribou on their sled and that the great -caribou band had passed northward? They had found the people they had -come to serve. God would find a way to perfect their labors. - -"But where are the people?" Faye asked. - -Where indeed? Not a living creature was stirring about the tents. Not a -film of smoke curled up from the tent poles. - -"It's like a village of the dead," Johnny said in an awed whisper. In -this he was more nearly right than he knew. - -"Gone hunting," said Gordon Duncan. His words carried no conviction. - -"Come on. Let's hurry," said the girl, springing forward. - -Once more Johnny put his shoulder to the sled. Gordon Duncan and Faye -also seized the strap and together they went racing away down the slight -incline that led to the village. - -No sadder sight had this trio known than that which met their eyes as -they peered within the first low, circular tent. Sprawled upon deer -skins, sitting bent over as in a stupor, or lying prone like dead men, -nine Eskimos greeted their entrance with not so much as a mumbled word or -a stare. - -"Dead," was Johnny's mental comment as he felt the girl's impulsive grip -on his arm. - -"No," he said aloud, "they're not dead; only in a stupor from lack of -food." - -"Hello!" he shouted. - -"Hello!" came back in a hollow tone as if from a tomb. One of the -squatting figures attempted to rise. His knees doubled up under him and -he rolled upon the deerskins. - -"Food!" Johnny said. "We have caribou meat." - -It seemed certain that but one of the Eskimos understood, the man who had -made a futile attempt to rise. - -"There is no caribou meat here," he mumbled hoarsely. - -"We have caribou meat for you, a sled load." - -Rolling himself into a half sitting position, the English speaking Eskimo -said a few words in his own tongue. - -The effect was electrical. It was as if a strong current had been sent -through the motionless bodies that lay about on the deerskins. With one -accord they began creeping, crawling, tumbling toward the entrance to the -tent. - -For this Johnny was prepared. Quickly unlashing the sled, he produced a -quantity of roasted meat. This he cut into little squares and handed to -the Eskimos. - -They ate like famished wolves. Yet, in this extremity they did not forget -their fellow villagers. When each had eaten a little they waved their -hands toward the other tents. - -Fortunately the remaining tents were not so crowded as this one. Sad to -relate, two of the occupants were beyond human aid. - -When night fell upon the white sweep of the tundra and the three rescue -workers, worn out by the day's excitement and labor, sought the little -tent and the pile of deerskins that had been surrendered to their use, -the dead had been carried to their last resting place and the living had -been made as comfortable as possible. Then it was that they took stock of -supplies and cast about for signs of the future. - -"Looks rather hopeless," Johnny said as he sank down upon the deerskins. -"Food we have can't do more than revive them. What next?" - -As if in answer to his question, the English speaking Eskimo came -creeping into the tent. - -"Have you cartridges?" - -"No cartridges," said Gordon Duncan. - -The man's face fell. "White man," he mumbled, "no got cartridges. No -cartridge." - -"Listen!" said Gordon Duncan, with eyes alight. "Before the white man -came, how did your people live?" - -"Caribou meat. Plenty caribou." - -"How did they kill them?" - -"Bow and arrow." - -"Where are your bows and arrows now?" - -The man shrugged, then went through the motion of breaking something over -his knees. "No good, bows and arrows. Rifles better, think mine. Think -that every Eskimo." - -"What could you do now if you had cartridges for your rifle?" Duncan -asked. - -"Get caribou." The Eskimo's eyes were alight with hope. - -"But they have gone far north." - -"Some caribou. Not all caribou. Come more soon." - -"What?" Gordon Duncan was on his feet. - -"Yes. Come more. Not tell lie, mine. Come more. Mebby to-morrow. Mebby -next day. Can't tell. Come, that's all." - -"Then, see here!" Gordon Duncan unbound his bundle of bows. "They'll all -shoot true and strong," he said. "Just give me the right man to draw -them. There are old men among you?" - -"Three," said the Eskimo. "Kit-me-suk, Teragloona, Omnakok." - -"Send for the wisest of them all." - -The man was brought in. There followed two hours of talking, relating, -explaining, planning. Through the young interpreter the aged Eskimo -related adventures of long ago, tales of mighty caribou hunts he had -known before the white man came with his firearms. - -Gordon Duncan in his turn outlined a hunt for the caribou that were yet -to come, which, if his dream came true, was to be the mightiest hunt of -all time. - -In the end, with their splendid imaginations on fire, the old man and the -young interpreter returned to their people to inspire them in turn with -high hope and with dreams of wild adventure. - -A long time that night Johnny lay awake among his deerskins. There were -thoughts enough to keep him awake. A whole tribe of little brown people -now were dependent upon the skill and prowess of Gordon Duncan in -organizing a hunt. Most of the actual execution must fall upon Johnny's -young shoulders, for Gordon Duncan was old. Little wonder, then, that he -did not sleep. - -"We are trusting all to this one grand endeavor," he told himself. -"Little of our caribou meat is left. If the next drove does not pass this -way, if we fail in the hunt, then we too must starve." He thought of Faye -Duncan and her aged grandsire and wished they had not chosen to come. - -"We must succeed," he told himself. "We must! MUST!" - -The plan they were to follow, the ancient plan used by the Eskimos, was -not a complicated one. Yet it required skill and prowess. As the drove -came in from the rolling hills to the south they were to be directed by -native drivers on a course that would take them across a narrow, shallow -stretch of water that lay between two lakes. - -As they neared this narrow stretch of water the caribou would find -themselves cut off by native drivers and imaginary natives built of stone -piles and deerskins. They would then take to a deeper, broader stretch of -water which would force them to swim. At the far bank, in ambush the -hunters would wait with drawn bows. - -"If we succeed," Johnny thought. "If we do." He had visions of a long -journey over hard packed snow with meat aplenty on Tico's sled, and after -that a long, long rest in a cabin somewhere on at the back of beyond. - -"And after that?" He thought of Timmie, the old man's one time pal, and -his green gold. The season would not be over until that mystery was -solved or abandoned forever. - -"If we succeed?" he thought again. He remembered the fear that Gordon -Duncan and Faye had shown on meeting white men. Would they return to that -cottage that Faye called home? Who could tell? - - - - - CHAPTER X - TREACHERY IN THE NIGHT - - -"I hear them! They are coming! Oh, Grandfather! Johnny Thompson! They are -coming! The caribou are coming!" - -As on that other occasion, the girl's words were uttered in a low -whisper, yet so tense were her feelings that her whispered words left in -Johnny Thompson's mind the impression of a sharp, shrill cry. - -At once the boy's mind was in a whirl. Had she heard them? Were they -truly coming? Faye Duncan's ears were keen as a fox's. Her imagination -also was keen. Had imagination deceived her? He had heard nothing. - -"If they are coming, they may not pass this way." This he whispered to -the girl. "We must not hope too much." - -"No, we must not," she answered quietly. "But I did hear it distinctly, -the crack-crack of their hoofs! The wind brought in the sound. It's died -down now. I can hear it no longer. But," she whispered tensely, "they -must come! They must!" - -To this Johnny agreed. Three days had passed since they arrived at the -Eskimo camp. In that time, enheartened and strengthened by the white -man's caribou meat, the Eskimo had killed with bow and arrow five -rabbits, three foxes and eight ptarmigan. But what were these among so -many? The caribou meat was gone. Rabbit, fox, ptarmigan, all were gone, -and starvation stared both Eskimos and whites in the face. - -As the caribou had delayed their coming, there had been grumbling among -the Eskimos. An aged witch doctor had said that the presence of the white -men in the village had offended the spirits of all dead caribou and that -they had told the living caribou to go north over some other route. - -"We shall all starve," the Eskimo had said, shaking with fear of the -future. - -"If only they were not such children!" the old Scot had said to Johnny. -"If they had more courage and determination they might live a long time -on small game. But, having become accustomed to living upon game taken by -the rifle, they see only death ahead when no ammunition is to be had." - -In the midst of all this waiting and doubting an Eskimo had come running -in from a long hunt in the distant hills. He had seen a band of caribou. -They were coming. - -"How many?" Johnny had asked eagerly. - -"Desra! Desra!" (plenty! plenty!) The man had spread his arms wide. - -At once all was noise and confusion. It had been with the greatest -difficulty that Gordon Duncan had silenced their noisy chatter and had -organized the hunt that was to mean life or death to the whole band. - -Women and children were sent away into the hills. One band of men was -stationed at the right of the lakes. These were to rush in at the proper -time and urge the caribou on. A second group was concealed in a clump of -willows close to the narrow neck of water which the caribou would expect -to cross. These, at the proper time, would turn them to another course -and force them to a swimming passage. - -Carefully concealed in a second clump of willows on the opposite bank -were the true hunters. Seven Eskimos, the older men who retained some -skill with bow and arrow, were here. So too were the three whites. - -"It's not going to be easy," Johnny told himself, "especially for the -girl. We will be wading deep in stinging water. And these natives have -been able to provide us with no waterproof skin garments for our -protection. The sea Eskimos could have given us hip boots of sealskin." - -With this thought he was led to wonder that a people who had dwelt for so -long a time upon the border of the sea should have come inland to live. - -"It's not so strange, after all," he told himself. "It is so in other -lands. In Borneo there are the sea dwellers and the mountain tribes. In -Siberia are the Reindeer Chukchees and the Sea Hunting Chukchees. It -seems--" - -His thoughts were broken off by a sharp whispered, - -"There! There! Don't you hear them?" - -Johnny listened and, as he held his breath, above the dry rustle of dead -willow leaves, he did catch the unmistakable crash and rattle of an -oncoming army of caribou. - -"God grant that they may not turn back!" said Gordon Duncan as he -whispered a fervent prayer to his God that He might prove that day that -He, the great Father, and not the spirit of some dead animal, directed -the flight of wild birds and the courses of the herds of all wild -creatures. - -Johnny thought again of the chilling water where a film of thin ice was -forming, and shuddered. - -Knowing that their wait might be long, he had spent much time in -preparing a comfortable place of concealment. He had cut armfuls of -slender willow shoots to which the dry leaves still clung. From these he -had made a soft cushioned resting place. About this he had built a tight -wall of leafed branches. This wall kept out the wind. Here, huddled close -together, they were comfortable indeed. Compared to this, the very -thought of the sweeping north wind and the cold black water sent a chill -to his very marrow. - -"Perhaps," he whispered hesitatingly, "perhaps it might be that you'd do -well to stay here." He was speaking to the girl. - -"Stay here?" The girl's tone showed surprise. - -"It--it's going to be hard out there, and--and a bit dangerous. There are -enough native hunters. We have supplied them with weapons." - -"I--" The girl hesitated. There can be no doubt but that there was an -angry retort upon her lips. She, after all, was but human, and the -moments that had just passed had been tense ones. - -One look at Johnny's honest, earnest face, and the remark died unuttered. - -"I would not be worthy of my Scotch ancestry," she said after a moment of -silence, "nor of my grandfather, if I did not go when the call comes." - -After that, for a long time, as the click of hoofs and clash of antlers -grew louder, there was silence in the place of hiding. As the girl sat -half hidden by willow branches the dry leaves rustled to the time of her -wildly beating heart. - -"There!" Johnny whispered at last. "There! They have taken to the water. -Now is the time." - -Creeping through the bushes until they were at the brink of the water, -they plunged silently in. - -"Good!" Johnny exclaimed hoarsely, "The Eskimos are doing their part -nobly." - -It was true. A thin line of hunters, hip deep in the water, stood -awaiting the great drove of caribou who had come too far to turn back. - -A half minute more, and an arrow sped; another and yet another. Came a -great splashing and thrashing of waters. In his dying frenzy a caribou -beat an Eskimo into the freezing water. The Eskimo, bow in hand, was up -in an instant and drawing to shoot again. - -So went the battle. Drenched to the skin by water thrown upon him by the -rushing herd, the vanguard of which had even now reached the bank, the -old Scot stood his ground and drew such a bow as never in his life had he -drawn before, while back to back with him the girl did her part. - -Ten minutes of nerve wrecking strain, and all was over. Not, however, -until food for many a long moon was supplied for every member of the -strange little band. - -"We-e-l-l," said the old Scot as a half hour later, dressed in dry fur -garments, loaned him by an Eskimo, he sat beside a willow bush fire, -"with God's help we won. And our God must be thanked." - -At that he dropped upon his knees and offered up a prayer of thanks to -the God who provides all that is good. The Eskimos saw and marveled, -though perhaps not one of them all understood. To this remote tribe no -missionary had ever come. - -It was during the feast following the hunt that a surprising and -disturbing drama was played out before the great roasting fire of the -tribe. - -A hammer of perfectly good American make lay upon the ground at Johnny's -feet. He sat munching a delicious bit of broiled steak and wondering how -that hammer had come all the way to these barren lands, what dog team or -boat had brought it, how many fox skins it had cost the Eskimo owner, and -what use it had ever been put to in a land where there are neither boards -nor nails, when of a sudden he conceived of an immediate use for it. A -young Eskimo was attempting to obtain the juicy marrow from the bones of -a roast leg of caribou. He was pounding the bone with a round stone. The -stone slipped from his grip. The bone did not break. Again he tried -without success. - -"Here, let me have it." Seizing the bone, Johnny laid it upon a flat rock -and crushed it with a single blow of the hammer. - -But what was this? As Johnny glanced about him, he found a dark frown -upon the face of every Eskimo. As he offered the broken bone with its -rich marrow exposed to the Eskimo boy, who a moment before had appeared -so eager to possess it, he was met with a sudden; - -"No me! No me!" Then the boy turned and walked away. - -It was strange. Johnny could not fathom the mystery of the tribe's -actions. From that very moment they stood aloof. The joyous noise and -chatter of feasting was at an end. They gathered in little groups, to -speak to one another in mumbled gutturals. Soon they went to their tents, -leaving only the three whites by the dying embers of the feast fire. - -"What did I do?" Johnny asked. "Crushed a bone with a hammer, tried to do -the boy a kindness, that was all." - -"You may never know," the old Scot's tone was low and serious. "We'd -better be getting away. Morning will do. We'll sleep. Then we'll go." - -"It's a queer way to treat us," Johnny grumbled. "Here we have saved -their lives, helped them secure food to tide them over, and at once they -turn their backs upon us." - -"You must not judge them," said Duncan slowly. "Let God do that. They are -but children. To them every living creature and every dead one too has a -spirit. If you offend the spirit of a dead caribou or a musk-ox or wolf, -he may do you great harm. There are a hundred things you must do and a -hundred others you must not do. You who have lived all your life in the -light of civilization know little enough of the torment that comes from -being a heathen. But we must sleep if we are to travel to-morrow." - -Faye Duncan realized the truth of these last words quite as well as her -grandfather did. Yet, for some reason, as she lay among the deerskins -with her grandfather breathing in peaceful slumber nearby, she found -herself unable to sleep. The day had been an exciting and trying one. The -great crisis, in so far as the Eskimos' needs were concerned, had been -reached and passed. - -She was about to fall asleep when she thought again of Johnny's strange -experience with the young Eskimo and the hammer. - -At that very moment she caught a slight sound outside the tent. The -sound, coming as it did in the silence of the night, was disturbing. -Parting the tent flaps, she looked out. The next moment she barely -suppressed a scream. The tent in which Johnny slept was not ten feet from -their own. Moonlight made all bright as day. At that very moment an -Eskimo with a long knife in his hand was lifting the skins at the back of -Johnny's tent. As he turned half about the girl recognized the young -Eskimo of the evening, he who had refused to accept the marrow bone -crushed by Johnny's hammer. - - - - - CHAPTER XI - THE DANCING SHADOW - - -The tent Johnny slept in was a small one. He slept in it alone. There -could be no mistaking the intent of the Eskimo with the long knife. - -"He will kill Johnny," the girl told herself, gripping at her heart. - -Her first impulse was to cry out. The cry was stifled by the thought that -the whole village would be awakened. - -"They might all turn upon us. Then what chance have we?" - -All this flashed through the girl's mind. The next instant she shot -silently out of the tent. Her bare feet left tracks in the snow but made -no sound. - -Just as the Eskimo was creeping into Johnny's tent, he felt himself -seized from behind and dragged violently backward. The next instant a -heavy body came crashing down upon him. The knife flew from his hand. His -breath was knocked from him. He uttered one low grunt and that was all. - -Thirty seconds later, powerful hands gripped his shoulders while in a -hoarse whisper a voice spoke. - -"What was he doing?" It was the old Scot. - -"Try--trying--" The girl struggled hard to retain her composure. "He had -a long knife. He was trying to kill Johnny." - -For a moment the old Scot sat in silent meditation. - -"They are ungrateful beasts!" The girl's low whisper was tense with -indignation. - -"No, no, girl, you must not think that! They are but children, frightened -children. Afraid, that's what they are. Afraid of the trees in the -forest, of spirits that do not exist at all, afraid, afraid. You must not -blame them." - -Lifting the young Eskimo to his feet, he pointed away toward the little -village of native tents, then gave him a gentle shove. - -"Johnny!" he called in a low tone. - -There came no answer. - -A new terror gripped the girl's heart. What if, after all, she had been -too late? - -"Slept through it all!" the old Scot grumbled. "Have to shake him a bit." - -He disappeared within the tent. A moment later, to her intense relief, -Faye heard the two conversing in low tones. - -"We'll pack up," said the grandfather as he emerged from the tent. -"Something has gone amiss. Can't tell what. There's no use to stay. Let's -get away as soon as we can." - -An hour later, with a glorious yellow moon hanging low in the sky to -light their way, and with Tico to lead them on, the little party pushed -off into the night. - -All through the remainder of the night and the greater part of the day -they moved forward. A strange spectacle, a dog, an old man, a young man -and a girl moving over an endless expanse of white, doing a forced march -to escape from those whom they had come to save. They were following an -entirely new course, one which Johnny believed would bring them to their -journey's end, Timmie's cabin and green gold. - -"Forgive them, child. Forgive them," the old Scot said as he read the -look of unhappiness on his granddaughter's face. "Learn to pray the -prayer of one much more worthy than we, 'Father, forgive them; they know -not what they do.' Some day a missionary will come to them. He will teach -them. Then they will understand." - -Strange to say, as they traveled away from the tundra toward the forest -at the foot of the mountain, a brown spot like a drifting shadow or -prowling wolf followed them. When at last they came to the edge of the -forest and began making camp, this shadowy figure did not enter the -forest, but sought out the shelter of a cut bank of earth, to drop down -upon a flat rock and remain quite motionless for many hours. - -Later he wakened and prowled as a wolf would have prowled. He did not -come too near the party of three, for all through the long hours, as the -girl slept curled up in her blankets, the old man and the young man took -turns at making fire and guarding camp. - -Toward dawn as Johnny sat half asleep by the fire, the girl, waking from -refreshing slumber, sat up blinking at the fire to talk softly of a vine -clad cottage where squirrels came to eat from one's hand, where daffodils -cast their fragrance to the air in the springtime, and old fashioned -roses bloomed in summer. - -"I hope I may see you there some day," said Johnny huskily. But as he -recalled the way they had come, it seemed very, very far away. - - - - - CHAPTER XII - THE GREAT BANSHEE - - -Next day they marched straight away over the white expanse. A fog, -hanging low over the tundra, hid all but a narrow circle from view. They -traveled by the compass and the ancient map Johnny had found in the cabin -by the river. That it was a long chance the boy admitted to himself. What -if the map were wrong? Few maps of this country are accurate. - -"Can't turn back now," he told himself. "Have to take a chance. Take a -chance." As he repeated the words, to his surprise he found that he was -beginning to hate them. All his life, so it seemed as he looked back upon -it, he had been taking chances. And what had he gotten out of it? -Precious little. - -He thought of the cozy cottage the girl had described to him so often. -"That's the life," he told himself. "And yet they left it for this. They -took a chance. And here they are." For the hundredth time he wondered -why. - -The land became more rolling as they advanced. The tundra was left -behind. This the boy took for a good sign. "Coming to the mountains," he -told himself. But were they? - -As night fell the fog thickened. "Going to be dark as a dungeon," Gordon -Duncan mumbled. "Tough luck. No wood for a fire. No place to camp." - -What he said was true. For the first time Johnny felt regret for the -course they had taken. All about them was rolling ground. Snow blanketed -all. Cropping out here and there were bunches of last year's grass, but -these poor wisps of wind-shrouded straw would provide neither fire nor -bed. - -When darkness had fully come, they yielded to the inevitable. Having -scooped away the snow as best they could from a narrow patch of turf, -they spread out their blankets, sat upon them while they ate a cold and -cheerless supper; then with Tico in their midst, huddling together as -best they could, they prepared to defy the damp chill of a late winter -night in the Arctic. - -It must have been some time past midnight that Johnny, wakened by a low -growl from Tico, sat up to peer into the inky darkness and listen. - -What he heard caused his blood to run cold. A faint chopping sound -drifted in from the dark. Now coming from the right, the left, before -him, behind, it seemed all about him at once. - -Putting out a hand, he shook the shoulder of Gordon Duncan. - -"Listen! Wolves!" he said in a tone that was low and deep. - -"What is it?" the girl asked, sitting up. - -"Listen! Wolves!" Johnny repeated. - -At once, above the chop-chop of the distant enemy, he heard the girl's -teeth chatter. - -"Get out the bows and arrows," said Gordon Duncan. "If only we had a -fire." - -"If we only had!" the girl echoed. - -"But we'll do for 'em!" the old man declared stoutly. - -"Here! There! Stop him!" The girl sprang to her feet. - -She was too late. Tico had leaped away into that darkness and fog. - -A moment of suspense, then from out that shadow-land came sounds of a -terrific encounter. - -With a cry of dismay the girl leaped to her feet and would have gone to -the aid of her faithful friend. But Gordon Duncan pulled her back. - -"No! No! child!" he exclaimed. "It won't do. We must stay together. It's -our only chance." - -"There are many," he rumbled on. "More than I have ever known before. -They do not as a rule travel in packs, these white phantoms of the -Arctic. They go about in families. But when caribou are passing they are -sometimes thrown together in packs. This is the time when they are most -dangerous." - -"Listen!" Faye caught her breath as the growl and howl of Tico was -blended with the yip-yip of wolves. "They'll kill him. What can we do?" -She gripped Johnny's arm until it hurt. - -Fortunately this question did not need answering. Fierce as the battle in -the dark was, it ended quite suddenly. A moment later the dog came -limping back. One shoulder was terribly torn. His strength was completely -gone. - -Torn and bloody as he was, the girl gathered him in her arms to wrap him -in a blanket and lay him down beside her. - -"Brave old boy!" she murmured. - -For a half hour after that they sat there back to back waiting, -listening, staring into the dark, but seeing nothing. - -Then a sudden gust of wind sweeping in from the great unknown before them -rolled the fog away, to leave them gasping at the size and ferocious -appearance of the gray-white creatures that surrounded them, a grim, -silent circle. - -As if this were the sign for an advance, the wolves rose each in his -place and began a slow advance. - -"Now!" said Gordon Duncan. "When I give the word, shoot the one before -you, and for the good of all, don't miss. It may mean death." - -Poised each on a knee, back to back, they set their bows and nocked their -arrows, then waited breathless for the old Scot's whispered command. - -To Johnny it seemed that he caught the glint of a gray beast's eye before -the whisper came: - -"Now!" - -Five seconds of suspense for steadied nerves, then Johnny's arrow sped. -Before him a gray streak reared in air to fall sprawling and clawing at -nothing. The arrow had gone clean through him, then glanced away over the -snow. - -"What luck for her and for the old man?" he asked himself. There was no -time for looking. - -In this warfare there was no frightening din. The wolves who had escaped -the biting arrows came straight on. A particularly ferocious creature -came stealing upon the boy. Now he was ten paces away, now five, now -three. A spring and-- - -Again his bow twanged low. A second arrow found its mark. - -But now, before he could turn, before he could as much as realize his -danger, a gray streak launched itself upon him. - -Down he went. Snapping teeth and tearing claws, and after that a shock. -He was beneath a combat, not a part of it. One frenzied effort and he was -free. - -A glance told him much. The wolf had leaped upon him. Maimed as he was, -Tico had come to his aid. The brave dog was down now, the wolf at his -throat. - -Lacking better weapons, the boy seized the wolf by the throat and gripped -him hard. Trained as they were for every form of combat, the grip of the -boy's hands was like steel. - -The struggle that followed was a terrific one. Not daring to release his -hold, yet fearing every instant that he would be frightfully torn by the -beast's claws, Johnny hung on like grim death. - -Of a sudden the sight that appeared before him drove him to desperation. -As the girl sprang back, a wolf leaped for her throat. They went down -together. - -Quite forgetting self he released his hold on the first wolf to seize the -axe that in the struggle had been thrown from their kit, and with a -single blow dispatched the beast that threatened Faye Duncan's life. - -And through it all, like the ancient warrior he was, Gordon Duncan -remained in his place calmly nocking arrows and sending them crashing -into the ribs of his enemies. - -"There are more," Johnny panted, helping the girl to her feet. - -"More," she panted, "More!" - -But what was this? Just when the tide seemed set against them there came -a strange roaring sound from the distance. This resembled more than any -other the call of a wild beast, a challenge to battle. - -Pausing, the gray streaks appeared to listen. Then, one by one, they went -trotting away into the night. - -Hardly a moment had elapsed before there came a sharp yip of pain, -another and yet another. A moment of silence, then the night was made -hideous by the noise of battle. - -"Wha--what can it be?" The girl's words came in stifled whispers. - -"Can't tell," said Johnny. - -"Get your bows and arrows," commanded Gordon Duncan. "They may be back -upon us at any moment." - -"And--and that other monstrous thing!" Faye Duncan's nerves were -shattered. - -"Five out there." Gordon Duncan's voice was calm. He was pointing in the -direction his arrows had sped. - -Johnny was feeling a little ashamed of his record when his eyes fell upon -the wolf that had attacked Tico. He was dead, strangled. - -"Not so bad," he thought as he once more gripped his bow and sought out -an arrow. - -There was, as it turned out, no need for further worry. As they sat there -shivering, gripping bows with hands benumbed with cold, they listened to -the distant tumult rise, then fade away into the night. - -"All over," Johnny said at last, rising to ease his stiffened limbs. - -"Who--what could it have been?" The girl gripped his hand hard as he -assisted her to rise. - -"That," said Johnny, "as far as I can tell was the great banshee." - -"But look," he said suddenly. "Over there not a quarter of a mile away is -a small forest." - -What he had said was true. Had they marched but a quarter of a mile -farther they might have slept warm by a roaring fire which would have -served to keep the wolves away. - -Needless to say, they were not long in packing up and moving to this -place of greater safety and comfort. - -A half hour later, seated before a fire that fairly blistered their -cheeks, the boy and girl, conversing in awed whispers, discussed the -strange happenings of the night. In the meantime, rolled in his blankets, -and quite as if nothing had happened, Gordon Duncan slept the sleep of -the just. - -"Heart, did you say?" Johnny nodded toward the sleeping one. "Did you say -his heart was bad? Mine was in my throat all the time." - -"So was mine. But he--he's different. He--he's a Bruce," the girl -whispered back. "His ancestry goes back to the famous Bruce of old -Scotland." - - - - - CHAPTER XIII - THE ANSWERED CHALLENGE - - -Had one chanced to have been passing over that vast white expanse over -which the three, Johnny, Faye and Gordon Duncan, traveled next day; had -his eye caught sight of the dark figure that, ever pressing forward in -the fog, continually dogged their footsteps, he must have paused in -amazement. A stranger creature could scarcely be imagined. - -Stooping low, lurching forward, moving in little jerks, perhaps on four -legs, perhaps on two, his form at times seemed grotesquely human. At -others it seemed that the impossible had happened, that some huge gorilla -from tropical wilds had found his way to this land of ice and snow. - -Had curiosity led one to inspect his footprints in the snow, his -amazement must have grown. Measuring full twenty inches from toe to heel, -they resembled nothing quite so much as the footprints of a fair sized -polar bear. Yet as everyone knows, the polar bear lives upon the ice of -the ocean. Seldom does he wander more than a dozen miles inland. To look -for him here some hundreds of miles inland was to give credence to that -which has never been. - -This fearsome creature it was that uttered a challenge to the wolves who -were rapidly getting the upper hand in the battle with Johnny and his -friends. - -What was it that had turned them away? Was this challenge but a call -telling of the past? Did the memory of other bloody frays spur the wolves -on? Or did they see in this lone figure an easy victory and a toothsome -feast? - -Whatever their hopes, they were soon enough dashed to earth, for hardly -had they arrayed themselves in a grinning circle than one after another -of their number began biting, clawing, snapping and yip-yipping in mortal -pain. When, in mad desperation they charged, it was no better. Two of -their number, being seized by their bushy tails, had their brains -speedily dashed out against a rock. A third was thrust through, and a -fourth trampled into pulp. Whereupon those few who remained found safety -in flight. - -After tramping about for some little time in what appeared to be wild -fury, the strange and terrible creature had seized five dead wolves by -their tails and, turning sharply to the right, climbed the hill. - -Before entering the dark fringe of scrub forest, he had paused to stand -blinking at the campfire some distance away. Dropping the wolves, he had -taken a dozen steps toward the fire. Then, appearing to take other -counsel, he had returned to his dead wolves, had given them a vicious -kick, had seized them again by the tails, then disappeared into the dark -depth of the evergreen thicket. - -As for the trio by the fire, they had realized that some strange creature -was afoot; but being once more in possession of strong bows and plenty of -arrows, with bright flames dispelling the darkness about them, they had -felt quite at ease and secure from any manner of sudden attack. How -little they really knew of the ways of the wild in this strange -wilderness! - -Next evening, as they lay before a roaring campfire, chins propped on -elbows, watching, dreaming, half asleep, the two of them, the boy and -girl, they heard the old man stirring in his sleep. Of a sudden he sat -up. By his staring eyes they knew that he spoke as one in a dream. - -"I told him the things were copper." His voice was pitched and strained. -"But Timmie said 'No, they are green gold.' And he must have been right, -for he had worked with a silversmith and had helped make alloys. - -"He said they were copper, gold and silver, melted together. - -"I said the natives had melted them together. - -"He said 'No, they're too ignorant for that. God and nature made the -alloy. Somewhere in a great caldron of a volcano, long ago when the earth -was new, gold, silver and copper were melted together and poured away in -a stream of green gold. And somewhere in the hills there is a placer mine -of green gold. We'll find it.' - -"Timmie said that, and he's back there behind the hills waiting still, -and he knows where the mine is. I've dreamed that many times, and it's -true." - -Johnny's lips were open for a question, but the girl held up a hand for -silence. - -"The day has been hard," she whispered. "He is half asleep. Don't excite -him." - -A moment later the old man had dropped to his place deep among the -blankets and save for the crackling of the fire silence lay upon hills -and tundra. - - - - - CHAPTER XIV - A MYSTERIOUS VISIT IN THE NIGHT - - -Next morning they opened their eyes to a new world. The fog was gone, the -sun shone bright. Up from the south had come a gentle wind that brought -with it the breath of spring. - -Far away before them, like the jagged teeth of a worn out saw, was a -range of mountains. The tops of these mountains still appeared to smoke -with the snow swept over the summits. - -"I wonder what it's like up there," the girl said to Johnny. - -"In time you are sure to know," he said. "Our trail leads over that -range. May God grant us a low pass." - -"You may well say that." Gordon Duncan's eyes seemed to see things far -distant and remote. "But as you say, the trail leads over those -mountains. There is no other way." - -The week that followed will linger long in the memory of Johnny Longbow -and his smiling companion of the trail, for it was spring, and who could -forget such an occasion? - -In the Arctic winter lingers long. Spring is thrice welcome. This year, -creeping up behind a veil of fog, it appeared to burst upon them like a -revelation. - -The snow grew soft beneath their feet. Little rivers began coursing away -to the north. The surfaces of lakes, long locked with ice, glistened with -water that buried the solid depths of ice that still lingered. - -Little snow-buntings, silent for long, began their cheerful chee-chee, -and far above in the bluest of skies an early covey of wild ducks winged -their silent way. - -The first touch of spring brought out small game in abundance. Snowshoe -rabbits, leaving their hiding places, hopped about in a leisurely -fashion. Ptarmigan were so numerous that the wandering bowmen grew expert -in the art of beheading them with a well shot broadhead arrow. And what -could be sweeter than a ptarmigan roasted over a glowing bed of coals? - -Once, creeping through tall dead grass of a year's standing, they came -upon a flock of gray ducks that had come all the way from the southland. - -As he smiled over the breast of a fine duck that evening Johnny's face -suddenly sobered. He had bitten upon something that had nearly cost him a -tooth. - -"A shot," he said as he produced a mashed bit of lead. "Someone shot at -him way down there where there is no ice and snow, and he brought this, a -message from another land." - -For a moment as he sat dreaming, eyes half closed, he thought of himself -as a young native of the land, the old man the last patriarch of his -tribe and the girl the last link of a vanishing race. - -"Huh!" he smiled as he wakened from his revery. "Strange world! In a -month we will be with white men, living as they live." But would they? - -With all the hunting and their keen enjoyment of the spring, they did not -neglect the trail. Each day brought them nearer to the range of snow -blown mountains. Each hour hastened the time when they must try the pass. - -Sometimes at night by the campfire they spoke of it in awed whispers. At -other times, under bright midday skies, they laughingly talked of the -long slide they would take when they reached the other side. How little -they knew of that which lay before them. - -Gordon Duncan thought only of Timmie and his green gold. Faye Duncan -lived most for the care and protection of the kindly old man she loved -more than her own life. Johnny dreamed strange dreams of gold, fortune, -and a dark haired handsome Scotch girl. At times he wondered why they had -feared to meet a fellow human being. That wonder was fading. Growing ever -stronger was his desire to solve the mystery of Timmie and his green -gold. - -"Just over the mountains, and we'll know," he told himself many times. - -So at last they reached the foothills of those vast and silent mountains, -and their troubles began. - -As they passed the lower levels game vanished. Only once in two days did -they see a rabbit. Then it escaped into the brush. - -At the end of three days, after skirting many a spring-born freshet and -creeping about a score of cliffs, they arrived at the base of a mountain, -the lowest of all the range, but startling in its whiteness and -immensity. There, sore footed and weary, they built another campfire and -sat down to a meal of steaming coffee and frozen berries. - -The girl looked at Johnny. There was a question in her eyes. "Dare we try -the mountain?" - -"It is three days' travel back to the land of game," he replied. "Can it -be worse ahead? Will he turn back?" - -He looked at the grizzled old Scot, who as ever sat dozing by the fire. - -"He will not." - -"Will he live to--to see the other side of the mountain?" - -"We can only hope." - -For a long time after that they sat there in silence. What were the -girl's thoughts? Johnny would gladly have known. As for himself, he was -thinking of the possibility of sudden tragedy for the old Scot and of -their battle to win their way back to the haunts of civilized man. - -"What a burial place for such a man!" he thought to himself. "A whole -unmolested mountain for a tomb! - -"But," he thought a moment later, "as she has said, we must hope. It -would break her heart." - -Next day they started early. There was hope in each heart that they might -make the pass before sunset and camp for the night on the other side. - -One thing was in their favor; they soon passed from the zone of spring -into the high level where winter still reigned. No longer was the snow -soft under their tread, no longer were they obliged to skirt the banks of -streams for a safe passage. There were no streams. All was ice and snow -and barren rocks. - -"Look at it," Johnny said after an hour of desperate struggle up an all -but perpendicular wall. "Not a shrub, not a scrub birch or fir. Barren as -the hills of doom. No living creature could be here. Tonight we go -supperless and without a fire." - -Faye Duncan shuddered. It was mid-afternoon, and the smoking mountain -peak still loomed far above them. - -"No wood, no food, no shelter!" Gladly would she have turned back. But -one look at the grim look of determination on the old Scot's face sealed -her lips. - -"He crossed these mountains in his prime," she told herself. "He will -cross them again or die." - -"Look!" Johnny pointed excitedly toward a sloping waste of barren rocks. - -"What is it?" - -"Something moving over there." - -"I can't see--" - -Turning her about and pointing over his shoulder, he said, "See! Just -beyond that great boulder, something white." - -"It is!" she exclaimed. "A mountain goat! Oh, Johnny, can we?" - -"We can, or my name is not Johnny Longbow." - -Vision of a feast of wild goat's steak done to a turn floated before his -eyes. In his excitement he quite forgot that they had no wood. - -Carefully they prepared their attack. He would climb the narrow ledge to -the right and come out above the goat. She would work round to the left -and station herself among the rocks prepared to cut off his retreat up a -narrow run. - -For a half hour after that Johnny climbed from rock to rock until, with a -deep intake of breath, he bent his bow, nocked his arrow, then of a -sudden stood up. - -His heart went wild as he saw the goat not fifty yards away. As he stood -there hope, despair and high resolve fought for first place in his soul. -The result was a bad shot. Or was it? He could not tell. All he knew was -that the nimble beast leaped high in air, then went racing away. - -A second arrow followed the first. On such slopes, among such rocks, -there could be no hope of recovering an arrow. - -Sitting limply down upon a rock, the boy watched the great bobbing horns -disappear from sight. - -"Missed!" he muttered, then turning, began making his way back. - -Sitting in a sheltered spot at the back of a great rock that overlooked -the narrow gorge, Faye Duncan, as she waited and watched, thought of many -things, of her grandfather and Johnny Longbow, of Timmie and his -mysterious green gold, of her home and her own cozy room there. Her heart -warmed at this last thought, but chilled again as she looked up at the -smoking crest which they must cross. - -"Will we make it? Can we do it? Well--" - -Of a sudden she sprang to her feet. There had come to her alert ears a -sound. It seemed close at hand. - -"The goat!" Seizing her bow, she nocked a broadhead and waited. - -"Yes, there. There." Her hand trembled. The great horned creature was -making straight for her. - -Not a hundred yards away, he was coming straight on. - -"Has he seen me? Would a wild goat charge his enemy?" She did not know. -Her heart stood still. - -"Must be sure of my shot," she told herself. - -Bracing herself, she waited. Now he was eighty yards away, now sixty, now -forty, and now--now-- - -A second more, and her broadhead arrow would have flown. But of a sudden -the wild creature's forelegs crumpled beneath him and he fell with a -great rattling of horns, to go rolling over and over down a twenty-foot -embankment. - -Fleet as the wind, the girl leaped clear of her retreat and away down -that slope. "He may merely have stumbled, may be up and away." Little she -knew of wild goats, whose feet are surer than any other thing in life. -The goat was dead. Johnny's first arrow had pierced him through and -through. - -One look at the fallen creature was enough. His eyes were glazed in -death. - -Climbing to the top of a boulder, she cupped her hands to give forth a -long, shrill call. - -"Who-hoo!" - -Three times this was repeated. Then came the answer echoing back. - -"He has heard. He will come." She smiled. - -That evening they ate goat's meat prepared by cutting it into narrow -strips and allowing it to freeze. That night they slept huddled together -for warmth beneath a rude snow hut which Johnny, under the old man's -directions, was able to build against a wall of rock. - -"One thing is sure," Johnny said as he prepared for rest. "There is no -need for maintaining a watch to-night." - -He was destined to have another thought regarding this next morning. -Beside the pile of goat's meat they had left carelessly on a rock, he saw -a single footprint. The goatskin and a portion of the meat was gone. - -"Did us no harm," he told Faye as he pointed in astonishment at the -footprint. "We still have more meat than we can carry. And the skin was -worth nothing to us." - -"But that creature!" she said with a shudder. "Look! The footprint is -twice the length of a man's." - -"And there are no toe marks," he added. - -"Tell you what!" There was an air of mystery in his tone. "Remember that -creature that defied the wolves that night?" - -She nodded. - -"It's the same; the great banshee!" - -Here indeed was a mystery. But graver matters called for their attention. -In spite of all they could do they had come near perishing with cold. -They must be off the mountain before the end of the day, or tragedy was -sure to overtake them. - - - - - CHAPTER XV - ON THE TRAIL OF THE GREAT BANSHEE - - -Mid-afternoon of that day found them at the crest of the mountain, caught -in the grip of such a storm as one dreams of but seldom meets in real -life. - -A sixty-mile gale drove particles of snow fine as white sand and cutting -as steel into their burning cheeks. When they attempted to go forward it -was as if they were leaping against a fine meshed but unbreakable net. -They could but drop on hands and knees and crawl. When they went with the -wind they were appalled by the push and drive of it and by the sweeping -whirls of snow that leaping fifty, a hundred feet in air, appeared nearly -to reach to the very sky. - -"Now," said the girl in a half sob, "I know why these mountains appear to -smoke." - -"If only we could find a way down," said Johnny as he lent an arm to -Gordon Duncan, who was struggling against the wind. - -Of a sudden a burst of wind more terrible than ever seized the girl and -sent her whirling down the white slope toward the unknown abyss beyond. - -In the nick of time Johnny grasped the belt of her mackinaw. Throwing -himself flat behind a low rock, he clung there like grim despair until -the wind lost its power and the girl was drawn back to safety. - -"You--you remember," the girl panted, "we were going to try to slide down -on the o--other side. I nearly did." - -"Game to the last," Johnny thought. - -"But your face is freezing!" Snatching off her deerskin mittens, the girl -held snow against his cheeks to draw out the frost. - -"There," she said, "that's done for this time. And now--" - -"Now we must find a way down," said Johnny. - -"Tico," the boy said, speaking to the dog cowering at his feet, "show us -the way." - -As if understanding his mission, the dog began creeping forward along the -ridge. Knowing nothing better to do, his human companions followed. - -Ten yards, twenty, thirty, battered at and buffeted, faces cut by snow, -knees bruised from creeping over rocks and hard packed snow, they moved -forward. - -Now they paused to thaw cheeks and noses. And now, as a ruder blast -struck them, they flattened themselves against the snow and clung -together like grim death. But still they struggled on. - -But what was this? The dog had disappeared in the snow fog before them. -Plucking up hope, they redoubled their efforts. Another twenty yards -found them half sheltered by a ledge; another, and they were standing on -their feet pushing forward down a gentle incline. - -"Hurray! We win!" the boy shouted. "Good for Tico!" - -Ten minutes later, beneath a cave-like sheltering ledge they paused to -rest their trembling limbs and to take counsel for the future. - -They were resting there in silence when of a sudden, some distance away, -they heard the dog growl. - -"It's something dangerous or he wouldn't growl like that. Come on," said -the girl. - -"Only a footprint in the snow," said Johnny a moment later as they came -to the spot where the dog stood. - -"But such a footprint!" said the girl, shaking as if seized with a sudden -chill. "What can it be?" - -"It's the same as before," said Johnny. "It's the great banshee!" - -Then, seeing that the girl was truly frightened, he added: "That, I am -convinced, is the footprint of a man." - -"But look! Twice the size of our own!" - -"The Eskimos have many legends regarding giants. It has always been -supposed that these legends had to do with white men from the south. But -supposing--" - -"You wouldn't believe such things?" - -"What is one to believe? There is the footprint in the snow." - -"Come," said Gordon Duncan, who now joined them, "this is no time for -fairy stories. The night will be upon us. Let's be going down." - -As they descended they marveled more and more at the downward passage -Tico had discovered. - -"It is as if the giants had really cut the way through," said Johnny. - -"Look!" said the girl as they paused after an hour of steady tramping. -"There is another footprint in the snow." - -At that they all fell silent. Night was descending upon them. - -"If only we could have a fire to-night," the girl said wearily. "I feel -as if I should die of fear in the dark." - -"But look!" cried Johnny as they rounded a turn. "The good banshee has -granted your wish. There is a scrub forest not ten minutes away." - -It was true. The gnarled trees, twisted and bent, were scarce six feet -tall, but dead trunks were dry as tinder. Soon, in a sheltered spot, they -had built a roaring fire and were preparing to boil coffee and roast the -goat's meat they had packed across the mountain. - -"To-morrow," said Gordon Duncan, "we shall see the valley of green gold." - - - - - CHAPTER XVI - DOWN WITH THE AVALANCHE - - -The sun was setting over a wilderness of snow and winter-washed, bleak, -bare land, as late next day the three travelers, rounding a towering -granite crag, came at last into full view of all that lay beyond. It was -the promised land, the valley of green gold. - -For a full moment they stood there, motionless. The scene that lay before -them, glistening snow turned to a rosy hue by the setting sun, crags, -torrents, mists, rushing little streams, all that go to make mountains, -valleys and rugged hills, all that is the spring break-up in a land of -ice and snow was here. Many days before they had started for this divide. -Weeks of toilsome travel, weeks of perils and adventure had come into -their lives since Gordon Duncan had said, "There is the knife. The trail -leads up this ridge." - -Now they were at the divide, ready to descend into a wild valley. And -why? Perhaps Gordon Duncan knew all. Johnny and Faye knew little enough. -Yet, with the tender feeling of youth for an old man who was perhaps on -his last long journey, his final joyous adventure, they had followed his -lead. Now here they stood. - -"There's a great river yonder," said Johnny, lifting his field glasses to -his eyes. "Wouldn't be surprised if it were the headwaters of the Yukon." - -"But look!" he exclaimed. "There's something moving down there. Here, -tell me what it is. It seems to be marooned on that little island in -midstream. Water's overflowing the ice. Water must be rising. May flood -the island." - -The girl took the glasses and with steady gaze studied the spot he -pointed out. - -As for Gordon Duncan, he stood there erect, motionless, seeing all that -lay before him, mountains, rivers, hills and valleys. He appeared to -search for that which he did not see. - -"Should be to the right down there," he mumbled once. "Can it be that I -have mistaken the pass? No. That could not be. Yet if it were there one -would see a curl of smoke. It is growing dusk. Time for the evening -meal." He shaded his eyes to look again. - -"There _is_ something moving there," the girl said to Johnny. "I can't -make out what it is. Might be caribou; might be Indians. Can't tell. In -the morning light we can tell." - -"Indians." The thought gave Johnny a start. Even today in this wild -out-of-the-way corner of the world, Indians were not to be trusted too -far. In a fit of anger, in a moment of greed, they might kill. And who -would be the wiser? - -"We can't camp here," Johnny said as a cold wind, sweeping across the -perpetual snow of the mountain side chilled him to the bone. "Have to go -on down. May find a sheltering ledge." He slung his pack over his -shoulder, then motioned the older man to guide them on. - -"The way is down," Gordon Duncan said huskily. "That's all I know. Young -man, your foot is surer than mine. Lead on." - -So Johnny took up the task of trail blazer, and even as his eyes worked -out a passage here and a detour there, his mind went back to that day -when he first met Faye Duncan, the day on which they killed their first -caribou. Woven with his thoughts of that which had happened then were -wonders regarding the creatures moving about on the river island, and -Gordon Duncan's purpose in bringing them on this wild chase into the -unknown. - -An hour later in a sheltered nook they pitched their small tents and -built a crackling fire of scrub fir trees. Over the fire they cooked the -last of their goat's meat, and boiled coffee. - -After that for a time they sat over their crude table of rocks to stare -away over the moonlit mountains. Johnny and the girl were wondering about -many things. The great river, the island with living creatures moving -upon it, their strange mission in this stranger land, all these came in -for their share of perplexing thought. - -It was quite wonderful as they sat there thinking of all that had gone -before, and that which lay about them. On the far side was a storm, on -the crest a wild tumult, but down here was quiet and peace. - -There were no clouds. The moon came up. Everywhere were purple shadows, -silent and deep. Not a breath of air stirred. Not a wild creature in all -that land but appeared to be at rest. - -"It's like all of life," Gordon Duncan said solemnly. "At times we find -ourselves in the midst of terrible trouble, storms of life. We may have -companions in these troubles, or they may be hidden away, our own secret -troubles. In any case, it is quite wonderful to feel that about us, -standing shoulder to shoulder with us, are friends ready at an instant's -notice to reach out a helping hand. - -"Much of the meaning of life is just here." His tone became more -thoughtful. "Life, after all, is a storm and in a way the worst of -storms, for many of us haven't the faintest notion whither we are bound. -One thing alone we know, we must struggle on. The one thing that makes -the struggle far more than worth while is the splendid human -companionship we enjoy while we are in the midst of the storm. As we -travel on, it seems there is always a hand outstretched to guide us -home." - -"A hand outstretched," Faye said, thinking out loud. Before her mind's -vision she saw again the glistening slope down which she had been about -to glide when Johnny seized her and drew her back. - -"Back from what?" she asked herself. - -As if in answer, Johnny said, "Look!" - -Her eyes followed the direction of his arm. Then her cheeks went white. - -The moon, rising higher and higher, had brought out the upper ridges of -the mountain they had crossed. At the point where she had lost her -footing and had been saved from a sudden plunge by the boy, the snow, -blown over and beaten down by countless storms, had taken on the form of -an inverted saucer. The edge of this great saucer hung more than a -hundred feet over the edge of a gigantic precipice. From the outer rim of -this snow saucer to the rocky ridges below was thousands of feet. The -girl's head whirled, her heart went sick at thought of that which she had -escaped by so little. One second more of downward glide over that -glistening saucer, and she would have been lost forever. - -"An arm reaching out to one during the storms of life," she said in a -tone that was deep with emotion. - -"Let's not think of it," said Johnny. "See how the moonlight plays on the -river far below. It has painted a path of gold, a path that leads beyond -doubt to home and the little cottage you love." - -"If you'll excuse me," he said a moment later, "I think I'll take a -stroll along the ledge. Sort of want--want to think a little." - -For a considerable distance the shelving rocky ledge led upward. Johnny -followed it, to find himself at last standing upon a natural platform -twenty feet square. - -From this point the whole world seemed spread out before him in the -moonlight. White stretches of snow, black piles of rock, gleaming ribbons -of water that were creeks and rivers, all these he saw as in a dream. - -Throwing back his shoulders, he took in three breaths of fresh air. A -whirring of wings told that wild ducks were passing. Spring was here. And -with spring a young man dreams of work, success, power. The life he had -lived during the past few weeks seemed, as he looked at it now, quite -purposeless. - -He had been helping someone else solve mysteries and run down one or two -for himself. But one who spends his life running down mysteries gets -nowhere. One must think of his future. True, no one was dependent upon -his earnings. Yet, sometime, someone was likely to be. He meant to have a -home of his own. Money earned and saved paved the way to such a future. - -"And yet--" He saw the face of Gordon Duncan, and the eager, anxious look -of the girl who, without perhaps knowing it, had come to depend upon his -wisdom, skill and strength. - -"Huh!" he grunted. "What's the good of having a purpose to your every -act? What's youth for if not for adventure?" - -Turning his back upon the moon and the shimmering valley below, he went -tramping back toward camp. - -As he rounded a rocky point he came in sight of the cheery glow of their -campfire. He saw a short cut back. - -"Right over there," he said to himself, "straight across that broad -stretch of winter packed snow. What could be sweeter? I'll use my bow as -an Alpine staff. Not a bit of danger. Be there in no time." - -Having been raised on the plains, Johnny knew little of the mountains. -The great broad bank of snow he was to cross, ten feet deep here, twenty -there, was indeed hard packed by beating winter winds. But beneath it, -forces of nature had long been at work. Little trickles of melted snow, -working from pebble to pebble, had worn narrow beds beneath the bank. -These tiny trickles had become rushing rivulets. The great snowbank, -clinging there to the steep mountain side, was gradually being -undermined. - -Totally unconscious of all this, Johnny marched blithely along down the -white incline. - -Here the grade was steeper and he was obliged to move with care. There -the surface was like a great broad pavement. Here he paused to admire the -reflection of the moon in a dark pool of water, and there stood staring -away at a wavering light far out and below. - -"Might be on that river island. May be Indians," he thought. - -Faint and from some distance down came a disturbing sound. It was like -some heavy body plunging down. - -"What could that have been?" He quickened his pace. - -Coming to a broad break in the snow, he gripped his bow securely and -leaped the chasm. - -Was it the shock of his landing that loosened the avalanche? Who can say? -Enough that at this precise moment there came a solemn threatening -rumble, and the boy felt himself moving downward. - -With one last effort, he threw himself flat, gripped his bow, then -committed his spirit to the great Father of all. The next instant the -cutting of cold air across his face told him he was going down, down, -down--to what? - -This lasted for a space of seconds that seemed years. Then came a sudden -shock; after that silence and darkness. - -Faye Duncan and her grandfather, as was their custom before retiring for -the night, were partaking of a cup of tea when the sudden thunder of the -avalanche reached their ears. A serious, questioning look passed from the -girl to her grandsire as they sprang to their feet. The glance was -returned. Not a word was spoken. - -As they stood there listening, intent, motionless, a swift cold breath of -air fanned their cheeks, a thin film of snow gathered on their garments. -That was all. - -It was all over in a moment. Once more the vast silence of the wilderness -at night settled about them. - -Gordon Duncan was by nature a silent man. Suspense only served to deepen -that silence. For a full hour he sat there beside his granddaughter while -the firelight played across his immobile face. - -"If he comes to-night," he said at last, rising slowly, "he'll be late. -We'll heap the fire high. It will serve as a beacon. We--we can look in -the morning," he added slowly. "By night the mountain is treacherous. -Nothing is to be gained." - -Faye Duncan lay beneath her blankets a long time before sleep came. In -her mind many questions revolved themselves like the turn of a heathen -prayer wheel. Where was Johnny Longbow? Why did he not return? What was -it that had brought them so far into the wilderness? An old man's dream -of treasure. Her grandfather had said it should be near here. Was it? Was -their search to end so soon? Would Johnny return? If not, what then? What -of those moving creatures on the river island? - -"The river is rising," she told herself. "Soon that low island will be -flooded. They must leave it. If they are human beings, I hope they have a -boat." - -Then a thought struck her all of a heap. Her grandfather would find in -the need of these people, if need there was, a mission. Would this delay -their search, their return? She hoped not. Of late the wilderness had -seemed to be closing in upon her, shutting her from the world she had -known. She longed for the return to their cozy cabin where the first -snowdrops would be blooming and all the air fragrant with spring. - -"But I must see this through," she told herself stoutly. "One can not--" - -Her thoughts broke off. Gordon Duncan was talking in his sleep. - -"We found it together." His words were distinct. "I was sure it was a -great discovery. I urged him to help me bring it out. I talked of money, -of the name he would have. But he would not listen. He was a recluse. He -would not come. I went for food. He's there still--out there in the hills -alone. For long years I could not recall the way. But now I know. It all -came to me there by the tree of the knife. I shall see him soon. He will -still be there. He is a recluse--a recluse--he--" His voice trailed off -into nothingness, and again the oppressive silence of the mountains -brooded over all. - - - - - CHAPTER XVII - THE GIANT HUNCHBACK - - -Before she fell asleep that night Faye found herself wondering about many -things. Why had her grandfather brought her so far into the white -wilderness? Why had he not told her of the earlier chapters of his life? -Who was the man of mystery, her grandfather's friend of other days? What -was the treasure he had babbled of in his sleep? Above all, her mind was -troubled by the strange disappearance of Johnny Longbow. Had the -avalanche swallowed him up? Had he slipped from some ice encrusted ledge? -Had he fallen into the hands of unfriendly whites or Indians? - -In the midst of all these puzzlings she fell into troubled sleep to dream -of bleak mountains, rushing floods and wild Arctic storms. - -Day was breaking when on awakening she struggled to an upright position -to gaze wildly about her. - -Realizing at last where she was, she took a moment for recalling that -which had befallen them on the previous day, then sprang into action. - -After a hasty toilet she kindled a fire and put coffee on to boil. - -Next she took up Johnny's light field glass, and walking to a point of -vantage, began sweeping the horizon. - -She was searching for some sign of their lost companion. The wide -circling of her glass continued for a full three minutes. Then of a -sudden, as her lips parted and her face became tense, the glass remained -directed at one spot, far off in the river valley. - -"Grandfather! Grandfather!" she exclaimed after ten tense seconds, "Wake -up! There are people on that river island. They are marooned! The river -is rising. The floods will reach them and sweep them away unless help -comes. We must go!" - -Gordon Duncan was now on his feet. Seizing the glass, he studied the -situation for a moment, then said quietly: - -"You are right. We must help them. At once!" - -"But how?" said the girl. "We have no boat." - -"God will show us the way." - -Three minutes later, disregarding the water boiling for coffee, carrying -only their bow and quiver of arrows apiece, they went racing down the -mountain side. - -The memory of that race will remain long with Faye Duncan. Slipping, -sliding, now racing, now gliding and now creeping, they made their way -downward. Now their path was a plateau, now a cliff, and now the bed of a -boiling, rushing stream. Now they seemed about to send an avalanche -sweeping down. And now, as they attempted to cross a turbulent torrent -they appeared in greater danger than those whom they would rescue. - -In the end they won the race, only to find themselves standing at the -river's brink with a hundred yards of rushing water between them and -those whom they would save, and with no apparent means of rendering any -aid. - -"Well," said the girl, "what next?" - -"What indeed?" said Gordon Duncan, a look of despair coming over his -face. - - -Had Faye chanced to have wakened from her sound sleep of the previous -night at a time shortly after one in the morning; had the moonlight been -bright enough and her glass strong enough to enable her to see clearly -for the distance of a mile, she might have witnessed as strange a drama -as ever was played upon the white stage of the North. As it was, only the -eye of the All-Seeing One witnessed that which passed at the end of the -great snow pile created by the avalanche Johnny Longbow's foot had -loosened. - -By some strange bit of Providence the boy was not buried by the avalanche -that had carried him down. He was struck on the head by a block of hard -packed snow ice, and rendered unconscious. After that he was pitched and -tumbled, knocked, bumped and beaten until his body was a mass of bruises. -He was left at last, still unconscious and half dead, at the foot of the -now silent, inanimate avalanche that had been his undoing. - -At this hour two figures, approaching from opposite directions, came near -to the unconscious boy. One was a great gaunt brown beast. The other, a -short, squat, powerful figure, might at a moment's notice have puzzled a -skilled man of science. Was he man or beast? Was he an Indian of these -wilds, or was he some giant ape escaped from captivity? - -He wore clothes. This marked him for a man. - -Truth was, the creature was a man. Yet so bent and twisted was his body, -so bowed his crooked legs, so ugly and distorted his visage that one -might have traveled America from end to end without meeting with another -being such as he. - -As his small eyes caught sight of the unconscious boy, they gleamed like -twin stars. Johnny's stout hand still gripped his bow. This strong bow -was a prize in any land. How much more in a wilderness! Not less valuable -was the quiver of arrows that lay nearby. And if he were dead? But then, -too often in wild lands it matters little that one is not dead. If he -were to be found helpless, this is enough to excuse robbery. - -The curious deformed creature was bending over the boy when of a sudden -his alert ear caught some slight sound, a scraping perhaps, or a sniffing -breath. Looking up quickly, he found himself staring into the burning -eyes of a great gaunt bear which had, beyond doubt, been disturbed from -his hibernating sleep by the thundering avalanche. - -Some form of grizzly, a silver-tip perhaps, this bear promised to be a -formidable foe. At such a time of half stupor and intense hunger he must -be doubly dangerous. - -The Indian took one step backward. Then he paused. The next instant, with -hands that were as powerful as man has known, and fingers as cunning, he -wrenched the bow from the unconscious boy's grasp and sent an arrow -crashing into the gaunt beast's side. - -For a period of five minutes after that he stood motionless, watching the -dying throes of the bear. - -Then, with no apparent effort, he lifted the boy to a position of ease -across his deformed shoulders, picked up the bow and arrows, and went -marching away. - -He tramped doggedly on for the better part of the night. Just as dawn was -breaking he arrived at the door of a long, low, crudely built cabin. -Depositing his burden by the door, he went inside. - - * * * * * * * * - -Faye Duncan and her grandfather watched the movements of the frightened -natives on the little island for some time before anything like a -solution of the problem offered itself to their minds. - -That these people were natives they did not doubt. Whether they were -savage or half civilized they did not for a moment question. They were -human. That was enough. If a way offered, they must be saved. - -Racing along beside the men were several dogs. Close to the water's edge -were well packed sleds. The constant rising of the water was shown by the -fact that twice the sleds had to be drawn back. - -"It's a matter of an hour," said Gordon Duncan. "Perhaps not that. What's -to be done?" - -Suddenly the girl's face lighted with a gleam of hope. Quickly drawing -off her sweater that had protected her from many an Arctic gale, she did -a strange thing. Having cut the end of a sleeve squarely off at the lower -end to break the binding stitches, she began rapidly unraveling it and -dropping the yarn in a loose pile upon the ground. - -Not understanding at all, her grandfather stood watching in unfeigned -astonishment. - -When the entire sleeve became a mere coil of yarn on the earth, she -looked away at the rushing flood. - -She seemed to measure the distance with her eye. Apparently satisfied -with the results, she suddenly took up her quiver, selected an arrow, -then began tying one end of the yarn tightly about it. - -Then Gordon Duncan understood. - -"Good girl!" he murmured. "May God grant you success!" - -Setting the arrow to her bow, the girl, aiming high, sent the arrow with -the slender line attached speeding across the flood. - -That the keen eyed natives on the opposite shore saw and, to an extent, -understood, was shown by their sudden grouping beside a long pine that -grew at the water's brink. - -"Fell short," the girl murmured, a note of despair creeping into her -voice. - -The distance was greater than she thought. The arrow, having curved to -the flood, dropped with a splash and being caught in the grip of dark -waters, went speeding downstream. - -Faye drew the stout yarn line in slowly. It was wet now, heavy. No use to -make another try. - -But Gordon Duncan carried in his veins the blood of the mighty Bruce. He -was engaged in the business of unraveling Faye's other sleeve. - -"You're a fine shot, Lass," he rumbled, "but for a burst of power take an -arm of old hickory like Gordon Duncan's own." - -It was a great deal for the modest old man to say. That it was not too -much was proven when, a moment later, his arrow, with the last available -coil of yarn sailing fast and low, lost itself in the branches of the -lone pine on the opposite shore. A shout of admiration and triumph came -from the distant shore. - -That the natives knew what was expected of them was soon shown. After a -moment of wild scrambling in which dogs were trampled upon and sleds -overturned, they began the business of tying together a long cord of -their own. And this was of strong rawhide. - -"If only the yarn holds," Faye murmured breathlessly. - -"Never fear," said the old Scot. "'Twas a present to your mother from a -French Canadian granny. Homespun from native wool it is. Nae bit o' -shoddy there!" - - -That the curious creature who had sent Johnny's arrows crashing into the -gaunt bear's side, and so beyond doubt saved the boy's life, had not -carried him that distance to his own rude cabin without purpose, was -shown the moment he arrived there. What that purpose might be remained -locked within his own misshapen breast. - -Having entered his cabin, he took down first a rude soapstone jar of -water, and second a skin bottle half filled with some liquid. - -After feeling the boy over carefully, possibly for broken bones, he sat -up with a grunt of apparent satisfaction. He next poured the water over -Johnny's neck and bare shoulders. And now, with beady eyes searching for -signs of life, he removed the wooden stopper from the leather bottle and -poured a part of its contents down the boy's throat. - -What was this strange liquid? Native medicine, beyond doubt. Carefully -selected leaves, stems, roots and bulbs, boiled over a slow fire perhaps. -Who knows? That it was a potent drug one was soon enough to know. Two -minutes had not passed before the boy groaned, moved, sat up, stared -about him, then asked in a dazed fashion: - -"Where am I?" - -Without answering his question, if indeed he understood it at all, the -brawny hunchback lifted him from the earth and, with greatest care, -carried him inside to deposit him upon a litter of skins in the corner. - - -Of a sudden, as Gordon Duncan waited the results of the preparations that -were going forward on the river island, his eyes wandered to the -mountainside, and his gaze became transfixed. - -"The cabin!" he exclaimed. "Timmie's cabin! And smoke is coming from the -chimney! He is still there! Still there!" At once he became greatly -agitated. - -"He is a recluse!" he went on rapidly. "A natural recluse, but a good man -and a faithful companion. He once saved my life. And to think--" he drew -his hand across his eyes, "to think that this moment of all those long -years I am able to look upon that cabin again!" - -He took a step forward as if to scale the mountain. But Faye tugged at -his arm. - -"The natives," she insisted. "Without our aid they may perish." - -"Ah, yes." He became calm. "I must wait. Our duty is always to do the -greatest good to largest numbers. It's God's law. All things in His good -time." - -Turning, he watched with ever increasing anxiety the preparations that -were going forward on the little island across the waters. - - - - - CHAPTER XVIII - SAVED BY A LINE - - -Exactly a quarter of an hour, measured by Gordon Duncan's large and -ancient timepiece, elapsed before the natives on the island announced by -a wild burst of shouting that they were ready for Gordon Duncan and Faye -to haul away on the line of homespun yarn. - -Faye found her heart beating wildly as she seized the slender line that -spanned the rushing water. Well enough she knew that should this line -fail them, a half score of lives must be lost. - -"And life," she told herself as her lips moved in silent prayer, "life is -such a precious heritage." - -Slowly, steadily, they began to haul away. Moment by moment the tug on -that slender line grew stronger. - -Now as the current rising in mad fury redoubled its efforts to defeat -them, it seemed that surely the slender line must snap. - -"It--it's like landing a great trout," the girl told herself. - -And now, just as it seemed the line must break, the rush subsided. -Hauling away with a will they at last gave forth an exultant shout. -Gordon Duncan's hand gripped the end of the stout rawhide rope that now -spanned the flood. - -"We have won, child! We have won!" he panted. - -But had they? There was much work yet to be done. A stout line now -connected them with the imperiled ones. How would these work out their -salvation? - -Gordon Duncan dragged the line to a stout tree and fastened it securely -there. This done, his work for the time was over. - -It will not seem strange that his eyes wandered once more to that -mysterious cabin that had, beyond doubt, at one time been his home. -Hardly had he done this than he leaped to his feet with a wild -exclamation on his lips: - -"He's leaving! He--he--he's running away!" - -This seemed true. Certainly a tall, fur clad man, driving four huge -wolfhounds hitched to a long sled, left the cabin and was now racing -along a narrow plateau at top speed. And ever as he ran, he appeared to -urge his dogs to greater effort. - -"He's leaving!" Gordon Duncan said more quietly. "He's running away, and -he has the treasure on his sled. You don't think--" He turned troubled, -questioning eyes on his granddaughter. "You don't believe Timmie'd run -away with the green gold?" - -"No," said the girl without knowing why, "No, I don't think he would. He -probably does not know you are Gordon Duncan." - -"Unless it is the years. Man's mind is queer," said Gordon Duncan. "God -knew best when he said, 'It is not well for man to dwell alone.'" - -"But see!" the girl exclaimed suddenly. She pointed across the flood. - -A strange procession was taking off from the distant shore. Three dog -teams drawing three loaded sleds, lashed one before the other, went -fearlessly into the flood. Clinging to the sleds were ten or more human -beings, men, women and children. - -"Bravo!" exclaimed Gordon Duncan. "They will win yet. They can't swim. No -matter. Their dogs can. They will cling to the sleds. The rawhide line -will save them from the terrible flood and land them safely on this -shore." - -"But come on!" the girl shouted. "We must be downstream to help them." - -She sped downstream, closely followed by her sturdy grandfather whose -eyes ever and anon looked longingly away to the spot where the team of -great gray dogs was fast disappearing. - -As for Faye, her thoughts were all for the little brown people who had -put so boldly out into the racing white waters with only a slender cord -to save them from certain destruction. - -As the teams and sleds with their clinging human freight were caught by -the flood, they swung squarely about, facing upstream. It was then that -the little brown huskies proved themselves true heroes. Beaten back, -carried off their feet, buffeted at, half drowned by the racing torrent, -these dogs kept their small feet going at a feverish rate. - -Had it not been for these many pairs of little brown feet, each doing its -bit, there can be no doubt but that the rawhide rope must have snapped. -As it was, it held and like a great pendulum, dogs, sleds, men and cord -swung slowly, surely across the racing peril. - -Faye's heart stood still as, pausing at the point where they must arrive, -if indeed they were to arrive at all, she caught the slow sweep that was -bearing them on. - -Would they make it? Could they? Would the little brown beasts give up in -despair? Would the rope part? - -Now they were a quarter way across, and now a half. Here at the very -heart of the torrent, they appeared to hang suspended. - -"They do not move," she breathed. - -And yet, yes, yes, they must be moving. A tree on the opposite bank, -hidden ten seconds before, was visible now. - -Of a sudden fresh peril appeared. Beneath the water was winter ice that -had not yet thawed. Loosing its grip, a broad cake of this rose suddenly -to the surface. Twenty yards above the drifting band it appeared about to -ram them, to snap their support, to overturn their sleds and send them to -the bottom. - -But again, as if an invisible hand had reached down to shove them -forward, the pendulum swung faster. The ice, missing them, raced -harmlessly on. - -A moment later Faye was lifting a laughing brown child from his mother's -arms, and a joyous group of nomad people were clambering up the shelving -bank to safety. - -Faye's joy knew no bounds. They had been instrumental, with God's help, -in saving a half score of lives. While Gordon Duncan shared quietly in -her joy, his heart was in the hills. His eyes followed the trail over -which the four great dogs and their white bearded master had vanished. - -Sensing all this, Faye resolved at once to enlist their new-found friends -in a fresh endeavor to come up with her Grandfather's former companion, -and so to solve that which for her had become a great mystery. - -"But first," she told herself, with a fresh pang of pain throbbing at her -heartstrings, "we must try to find some trace of Johnny Longbow." - -The little brown people they had saved proved to be Indians from the land -of Little Sticks. In their search for food they had been forced farther -and farther north until they came to the upper reaches of the mighty -Yukon. Having killed three caribou, they had found their needs supplied -for the moment. This was enough. They had pitched their tents on the -little island. As they rested before the long journey back to their -accustomed hunting grounds, they had been caught unawares by the flood. - -Always a wandering people, ever grateful for kindness, they were ready -for any undertaking or adventure. There was still a supply of caribou -meat on their sleds. What next should be done? - -To the one member of their company who could understand English, Faye -explained the curious circumstances that had brought them so far north. -She told also of the misadventure that apparently had befallen their -traveling companion. - -No sooner was a simple meal of stewed meat and tea over than the entire -company spread out fan-shape in a search for the lost boy. - -Four o'clock found them returning to camp one by one with reports of -failure. Only one clue was brought to light. The three men of the Indian -party returned bearing on their shoulders great pieces of bear meat. This -bear, they explained, had been slain with a bow and arrow. They produced -the arrow as proof. And they explained further with many a strange -exclamation that the man who shot the arrow was the most powerful giant -that ever lived. No Eskimo, no Indian, no white man they had ever known -pulled a bow with such a force and power. They felt quite sure he must be -some strange spirit being, not human at all. - -"It is Johnny's arrow," said Faye at once. "But he was possessed of no -such strength. Who could have shot the arrow?" - -She suggested the aged recluse, but Gordon Duncan shook his head. - -"He was a rather frail man. Now he is old. It is impossible." - -Here, then, was fresh mystery. - -"We can do no more for Johnny Longbow," said Gordon Duncan. "He is in -another's hands. To-morrow we will follow the trail of my ancient friend. -Since this is true it is well that I tell you something of that which -befell me on this very mountain many years ago." - -Dropping upon one of the Indians' deerskins, Faye awaited eagerly the -strange story which she believed was at last to be unfolded. - -Gordon Duncan was slow in beginning. The girl's heart was sore. It is -little wonder that her mind should return to thoughts of her brave young -companion and his tragic disappearance. - -"Grandfather," she said suddenly, "God is cruel." - -Knowing full well that she was seeing in her mind's eye the tumbled heaps -of snow, earth and rock piled up by the avalanche, Gordon Duncan spoke -quietly. - -"You are thinking of God as if he were all nature. - -"God is not nature, and nature is not God. I think there can be no doubt -but that God often works through nature to do His will. Perhaps no man -living knows precisely God's relation to nature. Of one thing we may rest -assured, whatever God does through nature is sure to be just and kind." - -A hush settled over the mountain and something whispered to the girl that -all would be well. So, once more in perfect calm, she settled back to -await Gordon Duncan's story. - - -In the meantime, in a far away cabin, still weak from his terrible -experience, Johnny Longbow lay upon a bed of skins and watched a creature -of prodigious strength and surpassing ugliness boil a pot of broth over a -fire in a crude hearth set up in one corner of the cabin. - -"Where am I?" he asked himself. "What has happened to me? Where are my -friends? What is to become of me?" - -To none of these questions did he find a satisfactory answer, so once -more he gave himself over to thoughts of his strange host. - -"This," he told himself, "is the being we have called the great banshee." -A thrill coursed up his spine at the thought. Had other evidence been -lacking, the size and shape of the man's feet would be proof enough. - -"They'd fit those tracks we have been seeing to perfection," he told -himself. - -Truth was, the creature's feet were so deformed and long as to suggest -that a second foreleg which bent forward had taken the place of a foot. - -Long and anxiously Johnny studied this strange being. That he was human -there could be no question. Was he Eskimo, Indian or white man? There was -something of all these in him. His skin was the brownish copper of an -Indian. He dressed like an Eskimo. Yet he was a giant of a man in spite -of his deformity. - -"Were he able to stand erect as other men do, he would measure six feet -six," Johnny said to himself. "Who ever heard of an Eskimo that size?" - -Once more he took to studying the man, his face, his actions. - -"He seems bright enough and that stuff he's boiling smells good," he -mused. "Hope he gives me some. Wonder how he lives? Hunting, I suppose. -But what weapons?" - -As if reading his thoughts, the hunchback stepped to a dark corner and -brought forth two bows. - -One Johnny recognized at once as his own. - -"That's fine," he told himself. "When I am strong enough to leave this -place I won't starve at once. Shows some intelligence, his saving my bow -for me." His joy in this matter was destined to be short lived. - -But now his eyes fell on the other bow. - -"A back breaker," he told himself. "Never saw such a bow. Must take a -pull of eighty-five, perhaps a hundred pounds to shoot it. Man, Oh, man!" -His knowledge of the hunchback's powers was growing. Nor was it lessened -when this strange man nocked an arrow fully thirty-six inches in length -and, with the greatest ease, drew his bow to send the arrow crashing into -the opposite wall. - -The next move sent consternation into the boy's heart. Seizing Johnny's -fifty pound yew bow, the hunchback picked up a second arrow of the same -length and nocked it for a shot. - -Now Johnny used twenty-eight inch arrows. To bend his bow for a -thirty-six inch arrow was to court disaster. His mouth opened in a cry of -alarm. But too late. The iron arm of his curious host drew back. For the -fraction of a second the bow stood the strain, then, just as the arrow -sped, there came a rending crash, and the bow broke. - -Standing there, dazed, with the two fragments of the bow still in his -hand, the giant hunchback, as if expecting an explanation to this -startling affair, stared stupidly about him. - -Of a sudden, dropping the shattered bow, he seized his own bow and, -pointing at it, began jabbering in a tongue which Johnny understood not -at all. - -What he did understand was that the hunchback considered his own bow a -very superior affair, and Johnny's little more than a toy. - -"Well, that puts a long question mark after the probability of my getting -out of this land," Johnny told himself. - -"In the meantime," he thought a moment later, "how about a little stew?" - -He made some motions as of eating. The hunchback understood. Soon, like -friends of long standing, they were eating out of a single huge wooden -bowl. - -There was little enough ceremony about this meal. With their fingers they -took dripping morsels from the stew and ate them so. Ptarmigan and rabbit -meat with some dried roots and seeds of native growth had gone into the -stew. Yet Johnny thought he had not tasted a better one. When only the -thick broth was left, they took turns at tipping up the bowl and drinking -from its rim. - -"It's a curious world," Johnny told himself, "a very strange and -startling world. I wonder what is to become of me now?" - -As he looked about the rude shelter he saw no signs of a food store. "My -bow is broken," he told himself. "Without this queer creature's aid I -shall starve." - -At that he forgot his troubles in watching the hunchback. He was beating -his breast and repeating over and over, "Omnakok! Omnakok! Omnakok!" - -"Perhaps he's trying to tell me his name," the boy thought. At this he -pointed at the hunchback and said: - -"Omnakok." - -The face of this queer being expanded in a crooked grimace which Johnny -took to be a smile. Then, turning about, he took down a heavy slab of -wood. Having grasped a sharp instrument similar to a carpenter's -drawshave, he began making the shavings fly. - -"What now?" thought Johnny, as he dropped back to his place among the -skins in the corner. - - - - - CHAPTER XIX - GORDON DUNCAN'S STORY - - -"It was years back, so many I have fairly lost track." Gordon Duncan's -tone was deep and vibrant with emotion as he began his story of a recluse -companion and the treasure of green gold. "There had been some -discoveries of gold back of the Beyond among the hills and I went. I was -younger then. Went alone. That was my way. - -"I met with great misfortune. I found no gold. Food was scarce. I knew -little of the longbow in those days. In making a try for a mountain goat, -I fell over a ledge and broke a leg. - -"I might have died there like some maimed wild creature, had it not been -for him." His eyes wandered to the mountain side, to the lone cabin and -the trail that led away and away. - -"He was a recluse then, but a kindly soul. He found me, carried me to his -cabin and cared for me. - -"When I was well, he hunted for us both. It was he who taught me to prize -the longbow and arrow. - -"In time I grew proficient in the use of these primitive weapons. Then, -like him, I wandered far in search of food. - -"It was on one of these hunting trips that I came upon a strange sort of -grotto in the side of a cliff. There were ashes of a long burned out -campfire near the entrance. My curiosity was aroused by this. Making a -rude torch of dry willow twigs, I lighted my way back a hundred feet or -more. - -"There on a ledge, half buried in dust, I found some curious objects. - -"'Copper,' I said at once. 'Not worth much. Take some back for -souvenirs.' - -"I chose a crudely formed lamp for burning tallow, and a rudely fashioned -bowl. - -"But how heavy they were! I had not seen such copper before. - -"I carried them to our cabin and set them upon the hand-hewn table. When -Timmie returned, with half a caribou slung across his back, he looked at -my find with interest. - -"Once he had lifted them he became excited. Questions came thick and -fast. Where had I found them? Was it far? Were there many such? How his -words flew! - -"'Why?' I asked at last. 'They are only copper. There is no want of -copper here; whole boulders of it in the beds of streams.' - -"'Copper!' he exclaimed. 'Copper! That's not copper. Haven't you lifted -them? They're made of green gold.' - -"Green gold! I thought he was mad. But he was not." Again Gordon Duncan's -eyes wandered to the hills. "He was sane enough. He'd had a course in -such things at some University; worked in a jeweler's place, too. Seems -they mix some copper with gold. The result is a greenish combination -called green gold. - -"And there you are." His words became deeply reminiscent. "I had been -hunting gold for months, digging here, panning dirt there, but when I did -find gold I needed neither pick nor pan. And I didn't know it was gold. - -"The next day we made three trips to that cave. Each time we brought back -all the green gold we could carry. That cave must have been a goldsmith -shop of some ancient tribe. Every nook and cranny was crowded with green -gold. - -"'All we have to do now,' I said, 'is to take this out to civilization. -We are rich.' - -"'Civilization?' Timmie said, his eyes dreamy with thoughts of wide open -spaces, 'Who wants to go back to that?' You see he was a born recluse. -'Besides,' he went on, 'there's the gold mine. We must find that.' - -"Well, up to that time I hadn't once thought of the mine from which this -gold had been taken. But from that moment the finding of that mine became -an obsession with both of us. - -"We thought of nothing else until an unusually heavy snowfall drove all -game away and left us facing starvation. - -"I wanted him to come away then." Once more Gordon Duncan's tone was -mellow with memories. "He wouldn't come; but told me to go, to return -with fairer weather, and carry away my share of the treasure. - -"It was a hard trek back. I was lost many times. Then I went snow blind. -Before my sight was gone I drove my knife in the tree, as you saw it back -there. - -"'I'll find that and be able to make my way back,' I told myself. - -"But I never did, until just the other day. I reached the shelter of -civilization more dead than alive. My sight was a year coming back. Then -all memory of trails was gone. - -"Not until I saw that knife in the tree did it all come back to me. And -now," he said sadly, "he is gone!" - -"We must follow," said the girl. Her voice was husky. - -"Yes, we must follow, not for the green gold, but for him," said Gordon -Duncan. - -"I have learned since," said the old man, after a long silence, "that -those strange implements, dishes and ornaments, coming as they do from -the long lost past, are worth many times their weight in yellow gold. - -"It is this that I would tell him, and that it is not good for him to -live alone; that in the end disaster must befall him here, just as it did -to the lone moose back there in our native forest." - -Faye found herself greatly impressed by her grandfather's story. She was -as puzzled as he by the actions of the recluse, and as eager to follow -his trail. Only one thought dampened her ardor. Every mile that led away -from this mountain seemed to lessen their hopes of ever seeing Johnny -Longbow again. Yet fate is often very strange. - -She slept well that night, and woke early, to find herself on tiptoe, -filled with a desire to be away. To their great joy they found their new -found Indian friends eager to join them. - -"Their dogs will be of great service in following the trail," said Gordon -Duncan as he hurried through final preparations for what, they both felt, -was to be a long and dangerous march. - -Dangerous indeed it proved in the end. - -Dawn found Gordon Duncan and his granddaughter with two of the Indian men -and their best dog team on the up-bound trail. The Indian women and -children remained behind. They had a supply of food. Caribou would soon -be trekking northward. The air would be full of wild fowl, geese, ducks, -swans, cranes. Spring was on the way. They would not want. - -For the first hour and a half of the journey the native dog-team lagged. -They must be urged forward. But, of a sudden, as they reached a higher -level, they put their noses to the earth, sniffed two or three times, -then went straight away at a brisk trot. - -"Good!" said Gordon Duncan as a satisfied smile overspread his wrinkled -face. "They have found Timmie's trail." He always spoke of the recluse as -Timmie, the only name he had known him by. "Now they will not pause nor -lag until they have come up with him." - -All day they followed the team. Spring surely was coming. They saw it in -little rushing streams. They smelled it in the moisture that rose from -the rocky ledges. They heard it in the honking of the first flock of wild -geese. - -But the signs of spring only saddened Faye Duncan. "Spring means life," -she thought, "renewed life. And poor Johnny Longbow who came with us so -far, who in such an unselfish way gave up his own plans to aid -Grandfather in the realization of his life's dearest dream, lies beneath -the eternal snows." - -But did he? She could not be sure. She dared hope, for was not his arrow -found piercing the carcass of that monstrous bear? If his arrow had -escaped had not he? Who could have shot that arrow? - -To this question she found no answer. Of one thing she was certain--if -Johnny Longbow were free to come to them he would be at her side. Her -heart swelled with undefinable emotion at the thought. - -Still they traveled on. Over a ledge, down a ravine, across a plateau, -the trail led. - -At times they caught glimpses of the river, a bright blue ribbon, far -below. - -In places the river was white. This meant that ice had risen to the -surface. - -"Soon go out, that one ice," said the Indian who spoke English. "Then, -whooee! Big splash, big rush, plenty noise!" - -Faye found herself hoping that they might be within sight of the river -when the breakup came. That was one of Nature's dramas she had long -desired to see. - -Just at sunset the dog team plunged down a steep embankment and piled up, -sled and all, forty feet below. - -From that time until dark they went down. Down, down, down the trail ran -until, as camping time came, they were surprised to find themselves in a -narrow valley on a level with the river. - -"Can he be mad enough to take to the river?" Gordon Duncan asked. - -"Surely not," Faye answered. - -Gordon Duncan shook his head. - -As for the Indians, they looked from Gordon Duncan to the girl, then back -to Duncan again. Whatever thoughts passed through their primitive minds -remained unexpressed. - - - - - CHAPTER XX - ADRIFT IN THE NIGHT - - -The ways of the savage and the highly civilized man are vastly different. -One is tempted to believe at times that the savage has the better end of -the bargain. Civilized man, from the time he enters school at six or -seven, until he is able to work no longer because of old age, rises at a -certain time each morning, goes at a stated hour to an appointed place, -stays a specified number of hours for study or work, then returns to his -home. This program is seldom varied. - -The savage has no program. He rises one morning, comes upon the track of -game, begins a hunt that may lead him far and consume two days and a -night. The game at last run down and captured, he eats, then lies down to -sleep while the sun goes round the earth and returns to shine again. -Waking, he eats again. Then finding that some part of his hunting tog -requires attention, he consumes unlimited hours on the task. - -It was so with Omnakok, the hunchback. Johnny, lying propped up among the -deer skins, watched him shaving away at the slab of tough wood for two -hours before he realized what he was about. - -"He's making a bow," he told himself, "a bow, that's it. Wonder what sort -of wood it is?" - -To this question he could find no answer. Many strange woods were found -here. Besides, it is known that trade between the strange northern tribes -extends over thousands of miles. - -"May have come from Russia or Greenland," he told himself. - -When his bumps and bruises began to make themselves felt and his eyes -grew heavy he dropped back among the deer skins and, entrusting himself -to the One who notes the sparrow's fall, passed into the land of dreams. - -When he awoke, several hours later, the bow was fully fashioned but still -the hunchback stood bending over it. - -"He's backing it with some tissue," the boy told himself. "I know. It's -reindeer sinew. I've heard of that. A bow so backed will never crack." - -Then a thought struck him all of a heap. - -"He's making that bow for me!" His heart gave a great leap. Perhaps no -boy in all the world ever felt such real joy over prospects of a new bow. - -That it was intended for him he could not doubt for, though made on the -same lines and in the identical manner of Omnakok's own, it was much -lighter. - -"Fifty pounds, perhaps sixty," he told himself. "How well he has judged -my strength." - -Sitting up, he felt his bumps. "Not so bad. Guess I could walk." He stood -up, took a few steps, made a wry face, rubbed his legs, took a few more -steps, then gave vent to a low laugh. He was getting fit; be able to -travel soon. - -Having placed the damp sinew, well mixed with fish glue, at the back of -the bow, Omnakok placed the bow before the fire, then dropping into a -corner, with legs crossed and long arms hanging down, he fell asleep. - -On tiptoe Johnny wandered from corner to corner of the cabin. He had been -right. There was no food. The hunchback had shared his last meal. - -"Some old sport," he thought. "Not so bad for a savage." - -"When he wakes," he told himself, "my new bow will be dry. Then we will -go for a hunt. Wonder what the game will be like?" - -Had he known he surely must have shuddered. Had he known what was -happening to his good pal Faye Duncan, he must have rushed from the cabin -in a mad desire to reach her side and bring her aid. Knowing none of -these things, he replenished the fire, then sat down patiently to wait -the next move on the strange checkerboard of life. - - -Faye Duncan and her grandfather had joined the Indians in a meal of -stewed bear meat. Gordon Duncan had taken his place by the fire for his -evening nap, when Tico, who had been sleeping with nose on paws, suddenly -rose to sniff the air, then to go away into the night. - -Her fear of the unknown overcome by curiosity, the girl followed him. -They had not gone a hundred paces before they came to a trail in the -snow. Many hours old, even distorted as they were by the melting of the -snow, the footprints were unmistakable. - -"The--the great banshee!" the girl whispered under her breath. - -As for the dog, he lifted up his voice in a howl which was an -unmistakable plaint for a lost friend. Little wonder. The trail had been -made by the hunchback as he had carried Johnny to his cabin. - -Having completed his dirge of the night, Tico, nose to the snow, went -trotting away. - -"He's on the trail of the great banshee!" The girl gripped her breast to -still her heart's wild beating. "Sha--shall I follow? Dare I?" - -She answered her own question by again taking up the trail. - -A quarter mile farther on, she came to that which made her start and -stare. A little to one side of the trail, a dark spot stood out against -the whiteness of the earth's snow blanket. - -"A--a mitten," she said, picking it up. "It, why it--" again she strove -in vain to still her heart. "It's Johnny's!" - -Who can say what wild thoughts surged through her breast as she stood -there in the snow beneath the starry heavens, alone in a vast hostile -wilderness? - -Whatever they may have been, they at last urged her on at redoubled -speed. So, half walking, half running, she came at last to the brink of -the river. And there catastrophe befell her. - -At this point on his long journey the hunchback had descended a sloping -bank of snow to travel for a time upon the river's ice which was still -frozen to the bank. Since his passing, the ice had broken away. Many -yards of his trail had gone floating downstream. - -Knowing nothing of this, the girl tried in vain to discover the way he -had gone. - -"He can't have taken to the river," she told herself. "Still, there may -have been a boat. There--" - -In leaning over the bank for a better look, she loosened the undermined -mass of snow and together they plunged into the racing river. - -"It's the end," she told herself in despair as she felt the sting of icy -water. "No one can live in such a torrent." - -But what was this? Something touched her cheek. It was Tico. Seeing his -mistress adrift, he had plunged boldly in, determined to live or die with -her. - -"Good old Tico!" Her voice choked. "We'll die fighting." - -At that she put forth all her strength in an effort to regain the bank. - -"But what's the use?" she thought. "It's only a steep bank of snow. No -one could scale it." - -With that thought, hoping against hope that something might come her way, -a log, a snag, an overhanging tree, she gave herself over to drifting and -quiet strokes that kept her afloat. - - - - - CHAPTER XXI - THE BATTLE OF THE BEARS - - -Much sooner than Johnny expected, the hunchback awoke. Perhaps the pangs -of hunger were making themselves felt. Be that as it may, the night was -not half gone when, each armed with a stout bow and a quiver of arrows, -they stole out into the vivid moonlight. - -"Night hunting," Johnny thought. "Wonder what sort of game will be afoot -at such an hour? Have to be large. Can't see well enough for snowshoe -rabbit or ptarmigan." - -He was soon enough to know. - - * * * * * * * * - -As Faye drifted rapidly downstream, now threatened by floating fragments -of ice, and now caught and whirled around by mad swirls of racing water, -she expected every moment to reach the end of life. So long, however, as -the faithful Tico swam at her side she could not give up hope. So, with -the moon painting a mocking golden path to shore and all the starry -reflections dancing about her, she drifted on. - -But what was this? Something cut her face. Another. This time came a -stinging blow. Putting up a hand to protect herself, she grasped -something and held on for a second. - -"Willows," she told herself. "Overhanging willows. There's a chance--" - -Again her hand went up. At once it was struck a glancing blow. - -"Oh--Oo!" The pain in her wrist for the moment was intense, yet she -persevered. The next attempt was better. Arrested in her mad flight, she -swung round and hung there for a second. Once more her hold was broken. -Not however until her other hand had gone up. Before the current had -gotten her under way, she had gripped a stouter, stiffer branch. With a -supreme effort she threw herself half out of the water to grasp the -branch with her free hand. - -The branch was strong. It held her half free from the water. Another -struggle and she was astride the branch. At once the branch was -submerged. But riding so, she was able to look about her and to catch a -few fleeting thoughts as to how the affair would end. - -The branch, she discovered, had swung in quite close to shore. There was -a rim of ice before her, but by working her way down the branch she could -reach a position close to other and stronger branches. - -"I'll get hold of those and swing up," she said aloud. - -To her surprise she caught an answering sound. - -"Tico!" she called as she caught the dog's encouraging woof. - -By the moonlight she made out his form, dancing on the shore. How had he -made it? She was astonished. But leave it to a dog! - -Ten minutes of heart-breaking struggle and her hands gripped a stronger -branch. Even this dipped low, leaving her only abreast of the ridge of -ice. With one hand she gripped the slippery surface. For a second she -held on, then all but plunged head foremost into the tide. - -"I must!" she told herself. "It's my chance. My strength is leaving me." - -Once more she threw herself forward. This time as she felt herself -slipping back she was seized by the collar of her stout mackinaw and -pulled like a rag doll, up, up, up until she lay flat on the ice, -completely exhausted, but safe. - -"Good old Tico!" she breathed faintly. "Good Tico!" - -The dog licked her cold cheeks. - -When strength returned, she crept forward until she found herself on a -bank of soft snow. There she stood up and looked about her. Matters did -not seem much improved. She was on a narrow island in the midst of the -river. The night was cold. It had been thawing during the day. Now it was -freezing. - -"Got--got to get these things off." Her teeth were chattering. - -Struggling with her sodden garments, she got them off one by one and, -after wringing them out, hung them on the willows. At last, quite -undressed, she danced about and beat off the dampness that still clung to -her. Such garments as could be managed under the condition she drew on -again. - -As her hand touched the pocket of her mackinaw she felt something hard. - -"Matches," she laughed in spite of her despair. "And yet--" - -It was a little wooden box of sulphur matches such as are used in the -North. They had been wrapped in oiled cloth. - -"Might be a chance," she told Tico solemnly. "Nothing like hoping." - -After drying her hands on some dead willow leaves that still clung to the -branches, she carefully unwrapped the little box. - -"Seems dry." Her heart beat faster. - -With elaborate care she gathered willow leaves and small dry twigs, then -laid on larger branches. - -"If it works, Tico! If it only does!" - -The first tiny match turned blue, sent up sulphurous fumes and went out. -The second did the same. Hope was ebbing when the blue of the third match -turned to red and the dry leaves were kindled. - -"Whoops! Whoopee!" the girl shouted, dancing up and down. "We win! We -win!" - -So they did. Fifteen minutes later a roaring flame was mounting toward -the sky. Dry leaves and green willows make a hot fire. - -Before this fire, turning round and round like a top, was the girl, while -on willow branches, close as she dared have them, were her steaming -garments. - - -Johnny Longbow saw the light of that fire against the sky, but a hill lay -between him and the river. He believed the reflection to be a display of -Northern Lights. - -They were hunting, he and the hunchback, when he saw that light. A moment -after he saw it the hunchback showed him that which set his blood racing -and drove all thoughts of the light out of his head. - -It was strange, this hunting in the moonlight--strange and a bit uncanny. -From over the silver crested hills, the moon shone upon them. Shadows -black as ink were all about them. Every little depression in the snow -seemed a deep well of mystery. Beneath their feet the snow, softened as -it had been by the day's thaw, gave forth not the slightest sound. - -So, with bows unstrung and quivers swinging at their sides, they advanced -upon a low hill. Mounting this, they dropped down upon the other side. - -They were half way down the slope when the hunchback, stopping dead in -his tracks, braced his bow and nocked an arrow. He stood there, a -grotesque statue in the moonlight. - -"What has he seen?" the boy asked himself. Then, without knowing the -reason for it, he put the lower end of his bow against his instep and -bent it. After that he selected a broadhead from his quiver. Still he saw -nothing, heard nothing. - -"It's strange," he thought, "Strange and--" - -His thoughts broke short off. Down in the center of the valley, not fifty -yards before them where the shadow of the hill plunged all in midnight -blackness, something had stirred. After that had come a grunt. - -"Like a pig," Johnny thought. "But of course--" - -Again his thoughts broke off. A head had risen above the shadow line, a -great grizzly head with a red, lolling tongue. This was no pig. - -One instant it was there, the next it was gone. But the boy had seen -enough to set his heart racing. Squatting down with one knee on the snow, -he swung his bow into place and waited. - -He had not long to wait. The creature, a great northern grizzly bear, was -moving now. She was coming out of the shadows. Johnny's breath came hard -as he saw the size of her. His heart stopped beating altogether when he -realized that she was leading two half grown cubs. - -"Bows and arrows," he thought. Never had they seemed such frail weapons -as now, yet he was prepared to do his best. - -As these thoughts passed through his mind, the three bears moved out into -the field of light. - -Johnny felt a light pressure on his arm. He understood. They were to -shoot. Once more his heart raced. Yet his hand was steady as he drew his -bow. By instinct he seemed to understand that he was to shoot at the -larger of the two cubs. The hunchback would aim at the great beast's -heart. - -"Here's hoping!" Johnny's whole body stiffened. His arrow flew, and with -it another. - -In an instant there was tumult in the bears' camp. Having neither seen -nor smelled their enemies, both the cubs and the old one blamed his -companion for the pain that had leaped upon them from the dark. At once -they fell upon one another. Such growling and roaring, such cuffing and -scratching Johnny had not known in his life. - -It was all so ludicrous that he wanted to roll in the snow with laughter. -Yet there was a more serious side. Neither of the bears had received a -mortal wound. Tumbling about as they were now, there was little chance -for a good shot. How long would it be before they discovered their -mistake and came charging up the hill? Nocking a second arrow, he awaited -the next turn of events. - - * * * * * * * * - -From her island fastness Faye Duncan heard the noise of battle, and -shuddered. Growling savagely, the dog marched back and forth in the snow. -But neither girl nor dog knew what it was all about. - -One thought was uppermost in the girl's mind. She must get off the island -and rejoin her companions. But how was this to be done? She had saved her -Indian friends from a similar predicament, but now there was no yarn to -bring a rawhide rope to her. Besides, the rope was now far back in the -camp of women and children. - -A little ice was passing. Mere fragments, these would not support her -weight. She was interested to note, however, that swinging round a sharp -bend, the current brought these fragments very near the bank. - -"If only they were large enough to support my weight!" she thought. - -But the fire was burning low. The night chill was creeping in. Her -clothing was not yet dry. - - * * * * * * * * - -"More wood," she thought as she twisted away at a tough willow branch. - -In the meantime the battle of bears was slowing down. Seeing an opening, -the hunchback sent a second arrow crashing into the ribs of the old -grizzly. Was it this arrow that suggested a foe from without? As the -bear's great head turned about, the bristle hair on her neck and -shoulders began to rise. - -Johnny saw it as in a dream. He woke from the dream with a start when the -grizzly, at a pace not exceeded by the fastest horse, charged straight up -the hill. - -For this the hunchback was prepared. He had lain five of his best arrows, -tipped with points of volcanic glass, side by side in the snow. Now, as -if shot from some new form of repeating blowgun, one by one these arrows -went crashing into the charging monster. - -As for Johnny, his usually alert mind seemed frozen. Only after the -hunchback's third arrow had found its mark with the beast still plowing -forward did he get into action. Then, realizing that his arrow, a good -broadhead with razor edge, was in place, he wondered where to aim. - -There was no time to be lost. Instinctively he picked the beast's lolling -red mouth. Twang! The arrow sped. The next instant, to his vast -astonishment, he saw the beast rear high, utter one wild roar and drop -backward dead. - -Three shots from the hunchback's bow silenced the two younger bears -forever. Then it was time for investigation. The arrow that Johnny shot -had entered the bear's mouth, had pierced the thin bone at the top and -had entered the brain. - -As the hunchback realized this, he turned and looked at Johnny. A smile -overspread his face and he patted the boy clumsily on the shoulder. - -After that, leaving the old bear where she lay, he partially skinned one -of the cubs and, after slinging a good hundred pounds of meat across his -shoulder, beckoned the boy to follow. - - - - - CHAPTER XXII - THE HUNCHBACK LEADS ON - - -Someone else saw the light of Faye's fire against the sky. Sitting -crosslegged on their deerskins, the two Indians squinted at it for a time -in stolid silence. After that a few guttural exclamations passed between -them. Then, having drawn their moccasins on, they hurried away down the -river, leaving Gordon Duncan asleep by the fire. - -What words had they spoken? Had they judged the girl too long gone from -camp? Did they fear for her safety? Or did they suspect a hostile -encampment? - -Whatever it may have been, they traveled rapidly. Passing through a clump -of pine trees they chose two hard knots, then hurried on. By the time -they came within sight of the island Faye's clothes were dry. She had -donned them again, and might be seen moving about replenishing the fire. -Accustomed as they were to accurate observation of living things at a -distance, the Indians had no trouble in recognizing her. - -At once they lighted their torches. The girl saw, and her heart leaped -with joy. Her plight had been discovered. Here was hope. - -Noting that the ice fragments that drifted by were growing larger, she -endeavored to calculate the possibility of riding one to safety. - -"Won't do," she told Tico. "Not yet." - - * * * * * * * * - -Though Johnny Longbow had seen the light of his good friend's fire, and -she in turn had heard the noise of his battle with the bears, morning was -destined to find them once more far apart. To Johnny's great surprise the -hunchback, after replenishing their larder, did not lead the way back to -the cabin where they had last slept. - -Instead he struck away across the hills. When they had traveled for the -greater part of an hour and had come to a barren and rocky dry ravine, he -piled a heap of large stones in the form of a rude oven. Beneath this he -kindled a fire and roasted meat. - -After giving Johnny a liberal supply of bear meat and devouring great -quantities himself, he again took up his burden and led away over other -hills. - -"How is this all to end?" Johnny asked himself. "It doesn't much matter -where we go. I haven't the slightest notion which direction would lead me -to my friends." - -That the hunchback was pleased with him was shown by his actions as they -paused now and then to rest. At such times he went through the motions of -a charging bear. Opening his mouth wide he acted a pantomime of receiving -a mortal wound in the mouth, and falling backward dead. These actions -were followed by loud laughter. - -"This," Johnny told himself, "probably indicates approval." - -He was not the least bit displeased that the hunchback held a friendly -feeling for him; yet he was led to wonder many times and how long he was -to wander and how the affair was to end. - - * * * * * * * * - -Faye's escape from her island was less dramatic than that of the Indians -she had saved. As she waited, a surprisingly large cake of ice drifted -by. Seizing the opportunity, she sprang once more into the chilling -waters, swam a few strokes, clambered aboard, drifted close to shore, was -caught and dragged to land by the husky natives. Then, followed by the -dripping Tico, she raced away to camp. - -For a second time that night her garments were hung by a fire to dry. -This time, however, she did not dance away the chill, but creeping deep -down among the blankets and deerskins, fell asleep to dream of towering -icebergs and racing floods. - - * * * * * * * * - -As he tramped on and on, mile after mile over low ridges, down narrow -valleys, through sparse growth of fir and tangled masses of willows, -following his strange guide through the night, Johnny wondered over and -over what their destination might be. - -More than this, his mind was filled with wild speculations regarding the -future. What were the plans that revolved in the mind of this hunchback? -Had he any plans? His attitude amused Johnny. Of course he was only a -boy, but in the wilds where he so often takes a man's part a boy soon -enough gets to rate himself as a man. - -"He seems to think of me as a child," he told himself after the strange -being had finished patting him on the head. "No, not quite that either; -more like a cub. That's it, a bear cub." - -In a park where bears were protected and tame, Johnny had often amused -himself by watching the actions of mother bears and their cubs. - -"He seems a great hunter of bears," Johnny told himself. "No doubt, -living as he does in such isolation, he knows more about bears than human -beings. But am I to be his cub weeks on end?" - -He pictured himself living in the wilderness with this curious wanderer, -dressing in skins, hunting with bow and arrow, fishing with crude nets, -living the life of a savage. - -"No," he told himself. "It can't be." - -The hunchback heard. Turning about, he leered at him in a strange -fashion. Then they tramped on. - -Just as dawn was breaking they came upon a thick growth of fir trees -crowning the crest of a hill. At the very center of this they found a -cabin. - -This cabin was much more perfectly built than the other. The stones for -its chimney were cut in squares. The logs had been hewn off on two sides. -And beside the fireplace hung two heavy iron skillets and three -stew-pans. - -"Did he build it, or appropriate it after some trapper or prospector had -left it?" the boy asked himself. - -Too weary for thought, he went about the business of frying bear steak -over the fire kindled by his companion. After eating, he buried himself -in a great heap of furs and lost himself in the land of dreams. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIII - THREE BEAR SKINS - - -Early next morning, before Gordon Duncan was astir, and while the girl -still slept the sleep of exhaustion, the Indians crept from beneath their -caribou skins and journeyed forth in quest of food. - -Within the hour they returned. And such a load as they carried on their -backs! Three bear skins and two hundred pounds of meat they cast down -upon the ground. Then kicking off the hungry dogs, they cut away broad -slices to throw them in the midst of the fighting pack. - -"Three bears!" said Faye when she saw them. "How can they have killed -them so soon?" - -"Not kill," said the Indian who understood English. "Dead, that one, two, -three bear." - -"Dead! Then there is someone about." - -"No. Not anyone." - -"Then who killed them?" She was examining one of the skins. The marks she -found there had not been made by bullets, but by arrows. - -"White man no save," said the Indian, shaking his head. "That one -Indian," nodding to his companion, "how you say it? Him one doctor, one -shamin. Plenty spirits help him. Spirit eagle, spirit white fox, spirit -old man, long time dead, never shoot rifle, always bow and arrow, that -one help him. - -"So this one morning he say, that one (another nod toward his companion), -that one say, 'Spirit of old man, kill bear for my dinner. Kill one, two, -three bear. Kill him.' That's all. See old man's tracks, mine. So big!" -He stretched out his arms at full length. - -"He is trying to tell you," said Gordon Duncan, "that his companion has a -familiar spirit; that he is in league with the ghost of an old man and -that the ghost, at his request, has killed three bears." - -Faye shook her head. She did not believe it. - -"Neither do I." Her grandfather smiled. "But we have the meat. It is -enough. Now we may resume our journey in search of Timmie and the green -gold." - -Had Faye been alone she most certainly would have visited the valley of -dead bears. Had she done so, she must surely have recognized at once the -footprints of her lost pal and the "great banshee." - -But, looking at the drawn face of her aged sire and realizing what long -miles must still lie before him, she permitted him to have his way -without a word. - -All day the dogs followed the faint trail left by the fleeing Timmie and -his wolfhounds. That night they camped beneath a sheltering cliff that -lay at the foot of a heavily timbered hill. At the crest of that hill was -a cabin, and in that cabin Johnny Longbow slept. Had a shot been fired by -one of the Indians he must have heard it. No shot was fired. There was -food in abundance. Besides, there was nothing to kill. - -So, early next morning, they prepared again for the trail. - -"Wonder why they carry those raw skins along," Faye said to Gordon Duncan -as the natives lashed the three bear pelts to their sled. "They weigh as -much as our whole kit. And what possible good can they be?" - -"Faye," the old man rumbled, "to a native of this land a pelt of any kind -is a precious thing. All year round he dresses in skins, always he sleeps -beneath them. His home in summer is built of them, and in winter they -form the floor mat which protects his feet from the cold earth. His dog -harness is made of skins, his sled lashed together with them. To these -Indians a pelt is a thing of great value. To cast it away is to offend -the spirit of the dead bear." - -All that he said was true enough. Too soon he was to discover the real -reason these sturdy little brown men were willing to put their own -shoulders to the harness that the skins might remain upon the sled. - -As they broke camp that day, Faye found herself wondering about many -things. Would they come up with Timmie? Did he carry on his sled the -strange collection of green gold antiques? Was he truly attempting to run -away with the gold? If so, why? And what of Johnny, her good pal of the -long trail? They had experienced many adventures together. Would their -trails ever cross again? She could not quite believe him dead. - -"Adventures," she thought. "How little enjoyment one gets from an -adventure when he has no one to share it!" - -Adventure came soon enough that day. But first they arrived at that which -appeared to be an impasse in their journey. - -The trail that morning led for three miles across a barren tundra. There -it lost itself in a tangled wilderness of trees and bushes. The trusty -dogs did not so much as falter. Their senses were sure; their aim true. - -But what was this? After an hour of travel through the silent forest they -came to an abrupt halt. Before them lay a tangled mass of freshly cut -boughs. - -"He made camp here last night," said Faye as her heart gave a great leap. -"Per--perhaps he is still here." - -Certainly she hoped this might be true. The trail had been long, very, -very long, and she was weary. It was not the weariness that comes from -one day of strenuous toil, but the bone weariness of the long, long -trail. - -"He's gone!" Gordon Duncan said a moment later. "Gone down the river." - -"Not--not down the river!" Faye passed round the pile of brush, to drop -weakly to earth as she read unmistakable signs of a raft built and pushed -off from the shore. - -"To think," she said, her eyes reflecting the tragedy of her heart, "he -was here working while we slept! And now he is gone; gone forever. And we -have come all this way but to know defeat!" - -"We must follow," said Gordon Duncan. - -"The break-up will come. We will perish!" - -"We must trust God, and go." - -"But how?" - -The Indians answered this question. Producing their bear skins they began -cutting willows. - -"We make skin boat," they said. "Tie wood together so; stretch skin so; -sew it this way; not leak. Very good boat. Ride water. Ice not break. -Very strong. Very good." - -"Wonderful!" said Gordon Duncan. "God sent you to us." - -"Eh-eh, the Great Spirit," said the Indian. - -Late that afternoon, in a boat that might have been made by some -primitive man three thousand years before, they glided from the shore and -away through the water that ran above the surface of six foot ice which, -soon enough, would rise and go booming and crowding and grinding toward -the sea. - -Faye's heart missed a beat as she took her place in the prow. They were -facing grave dangers. Would this be her last ride? - -And yet it was to be a race, a race between a raft and a skin boat on a -turbulent river. Races are always thrilling. Soon her nerves were all -a-tingle. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIV - LEFT BEHIND - - -That the hunchback was a great sleeper Johnny was soon enough to know. -After their long journey he slept far into the day. Even after he awoke -he appeared to be in a dull stupor, produced, Johnny supposed, by eating -great quantities of bear meat. - -Grateful as he was for the rest, the boy found himself growing restless. -Longing to know more about his strange surroundings and especially eager -to discover whether or not he was in a region visited at times by white -men, he slipped out of the cabin, then went slipping and sliding down the -steep hill. - -He discovered little enough. In the scrub forest he found no mark of the -white man's axe. Had he chanced to go down the other slope he would have -seen plenty, as you well know. For two days, the while preparing his -raft, the aged recluse had camped at the far end of that slope. - -After a two-hour ramble, Johnny returned to the cabin. In one pocket was -a double handful of last year's blueberries. In one hand he carried two -grouse which had fallen before his bow. - -"These," he told himself, "will make a more appetizing meal than greasy -bear meat." - -The hunchback sat just as he had left him, doubled up in the corner, -asleep or at least dozing. - -"He hibernates like a bear," the boy told himself in disgust. - -"I could leave him," he thought later as he plucked the feathers from his -two birds. "Strike right away into the wilderness, be gone so far and so -fast that he'd never find me." - -There was a thought for you. But did he want to leave? Crude and -repulsive as the creature was, he had beyond doubt saved his life. Then, -too, he knew the ways of the country, was used to procuring food in it. -With no companion one might easily meet up with starvation on the trail. - -"Anyway," he concluded, "if he keeps this up, at least I will get out and -see more of the country. May find a way out. To-morrow I will go toward -the river." - -Had he but known it, at that very moment Gordon Duncan was lighting his -campfire at the foot of the hill. He did not know it. Since the scrub -forest was dense here, no gleam of firelight, no whiff of smoke announced -to him the presence of his friends. So once more, in the midst of rich -furs he fell asleep. - -Before his strange host was up and about the boy crept from the cabin to -go tramping away through the silent forest. The rise on which the cabin -stood was more a ridge than it was a hill. It ran for miles along the -river. - -The slope on the river side was steep and rocky. In places there were -sheer precipices of forty or fifty feet. To avoid a dangerous fall, he -continued along the crest of the ridge. - -Having caught a gleam of water far below, he realized that he was -following down the stream. At last, wearying of continual attempts to -find a way down, hoping to discover a pass, he climbed a steep rocky -pinnacle that gave him an unobstructed view of the river. - -There he saw that which brought an exclamation to his lips and set his -heart beating wildly. A boat had just pushed off from the bank and was -swinging out into mid-channel. Lacking efficient paddles, the men at prow -and stern were managing the craft with poles. A curious sort of boat it -was, crudely built and hard to navigate; yet these Indians managed it -well. - -"Indians," Johnny thought. "But the two in the center of the boat. One's -a girl. The other's too tall. He--" - -Of a sudden, like a revelation it came to him. The man was Gordon Duncan, -the girl Faye. - -With a sudden headlong rush, he was off the rocky tower and away down the -hill. Little matter now that the way was steep and rocky. This was a -race, a hurdle race for a precious prize. - -"If only they stall the boat. If only they turn back," he panted as, -gripping the bough of a spruce tree, he fairly hurled himself to the next -tree. Down, down, down. Now a rocky ledge, now a glistening bank of snow, -now a clump of trees, over, under, through he went until at last, ragged, -torn, bleeding, he reached level land and in time the river's brink. - -"Too late," he groaned as his eyes swept the river. Not a moving thing -was to be seen on its surface. - -"It--it--why, it's as if I dreamed that I saw them," he said aloud. - -As if to convince himself that he had not been dreaming, he followed -along the bank to the spot where the crude bearskin boat had pushed off. -There he found unmistakable signs; footprints told who had been there but -an hour before. - -"Left behind!" He buried his face in his hands. - -At that instant a sound from behind him caused him to start. Turning -quickly about, he found himself staring into the beady eyes of the -hunchback. - - - - - CHAPTER XXV - ADVENTURE IN PANTOMIME - - -On a river ever broadening as it made its way toward the far distant sea, -rode a crude skin canoe. In the canoe rode Gordon Duncan, his -granddaughter Faye and the two Indians. They had not left that canoe -since they entered it, and that had been sixteen hours back. - -To the white man and the girl this wild journey had been a constant -strain; to the Indians it was but the day's work. Many times before for -twenty, thirty hours they had ridden thus without sleeping. - -To land now was impossible; to turn back was out of the question. -Besides, who would turn back? Had they not, but a quarter of an hour ago, -caught a glimpse of that which they sought? - -They had rounded a rocky ledge where the river ran between low hills and -had come upon a long, straight stretch of water. At the end of that -stretch a dark object specked the water. - -Gordon Duncan had lifted the glass once to his eyes and said: - -"It's Timmie." - -The raft and the man had disappeared at once beyond a bend in the river; -yet there was now ground for hope. And here they were still driving their -boat forward, still hoping that before disaster befell that aged recluse -and his crazy craft, they might overtake him and save him from a terrible -death. For, should they fail, disaster from crowding ice, rushing rapids -and the mad spring upheaval must surely overtake him. - -"And he once saved my life," said Gordon Duncan. "We may have been hasty, -followed him too far. It's too late to think of that now. We can only -follow on." - -The journey thus far had been exciting, but quite safe. There was a wild -charm about it all, the racing water, the black, brown and green of -fleeting landscape, the occasional flocks of wild ducks that shot by -them, and the smell of spring everywhere charmed the young Scotch girl. - -Yet it was dangerous. They might meet disaster at any turn. Her -grandfather had told Faye this, and she believed it. The water they -passed over at first had seemed white. That was because the winter ice -still lay still beneath the surface water that had rushed down from hills -and mountains. - -"If it should rise beneath us!" she said with a shudder. - -When, after a half hour of dreamy half-sleeping, she looked at the water, -it was black. - -"Ice has gone out down here," her grandfather explained. - -"Then we are safe?" - -"Far from it. The ice before us may jam at any point. It will then pile -mountain high. If there are steep banks as here, we will face disaster." - -The girl did not say, "Then why not turn back?" She knew the man too -well. He had seen what seemed to him a duty. He could but go on. - -"If only Johnny Longbow were here!" she thought. - - * * * * * * * * - -Johnny Longbow was surprised and not a little frightened on seeing the -hunchback close beside him. - -"What now?" he thought as his heart skipped a beat. "He was not so sleepy -as I supposed. He's followed me. Did he believe me to be running away? If -so, what then?" - -Whatever might be the strange creature's feelings in the matter, the grin -he bestowed upon Johnny was friendly enough. His actions during the next -few minutes showed plainer than words that he knew more than Johnny did -about the whole affair. - -Selecting a smooth surface of snow, he scooped out a channel for a -distance of twenty feet. This channel was a foot wide and two inches -deep. Next, having searched out a bundle of brittle twigs, he began -breaking one up and laying the pieces side by side in the bottom of the -channel. When he had constructed a rude square some eight inches across, -he selected certain bent and twisted bits of wood and, with a skill that -seemed extraordinary, created a tiny image of a man with a paddle in his -hand. This he placed well to the front upon the small platform. Back of -this he built up a miniature sled and four dogs. - -All this was Greek to Johnny. When, however, with a few clever twists the -man had made a small boat and, after placing four figures within it, had -dropped it in the shallow channel, it all came to Johnny like a flash. - -"The snow channel represents the river," he told himself. "The figures in -the skin boat are my friends and the two Indians. But that before them -must be a raft. What of that?" - -He studied over this for some time without reaching a conclusion. That a -raft was passing on before his friends, and that it carried a man, a sled -and four dogs, this much was certain. But who was the man? - -"Don't matter," he told himself. "Might be anyone, a trapper, a -prospector, a lone Indian. But my comrades have gone ahead. How am I to -overtake them?" - -In his eyes as he tried in vain to catch some glimpse of those who had -glided from his field of vision was a glint of despair. - -The hunchback, who during all this time had been studying his face, did -not appear satisfied. - -Selecting larger sticks, he constructed on the ground a larger raft. With -infinite pains he built up a new wooden man, four dogs and a sled. - -Then, with equal care he began moulding small models from snow. One was a -rude cooking pot, another a flat pan, a third a prehistoric lamp. Other -figures were added. When all these were done, he piled them on the newly -made raft, and atop them all, a disc of metal taken from a pocket of his -skin trousers. - -Still Johnny did not understand. When he shook his head, the hunchback -seized the metal affair and pressed it into his hand. - -"Green," he told himself as he turned it over, "Green like copper, but -heavy as lead. What can it be? What-- - -"Green gold!" he cried excitedly. "And now I understand. It is Timmie and -his green gold they are following. He rides ahead on a raft." - -Seeing that he was at last understood, the hunchback roared with hoarse -laughter. - -After that, having seized Johnny's hunting knife, with a few clever -strokes he shaped a miniature canoe. In this he placed two sticks. After -pointing to one, he struck Johnny a light blow. Then, after touching the -other, he smote his own breast. - -Dropping the toy canoe in the snow channel, he moved it along until it -was abreast the skin boat. Then both boats overtook the raft. - -"That's plain enough," the boy told himself. "We are to get into a boat -and pursue them. We will overtake my friends. Then together we will -overhaul Timmie and his raft load of dogs and green gold. Only question -is, where's our boat?" - -As if understanding the question, the hunchback laid heavy hands upon -him, turned him half about and marched him down the river. - - - - - CHAPTER XXVI - INTO THE ICE JAMB - - -"Ah!" sighed Gordon Duncan, as once more they caught sight of Timmie's -raft. "We shall be up with him soon. Once we are close, when he sees my -face he will know it is I, his friend Gordon Duncan. We will bring him -and his treasure to the outside world. His last days shall be happy ones -after all." - -"But look!" exclaimed the girl, gripping his arm. - -One look, and he started to his feet. The white-haired man before them -appeared to leap and dance upon the water. Appearances were deceiving. -The raft leaped and danced over rapids. And mingled with the rapids were -broken fragments and great heaps of ice. Here the water boiled and -foamed, there it rushed like mad. - -"We shall all be drowned!" said the girl, gripping the old man's arm. - -"Trust God," the man murmured. "I only fear for Timmie." - -Then, of a sudden, things happened. They had been coming nearer and -nearer to the clumsy raft when, as they turned a sharp bend in the river, -they saw that the aged recluse faced disaster. Stretching all the way -across the river was ice piled forty feet high. Jambing, screeching, -rolling and tumbling, it threatened all life that came near. And there -was the white haired recluse headed straight for it. - -"He has only a pole. He can't guide the thing. He's lost!" groaned Gordon -Duncan. - -He did not know the skill of the man. Poking at a cake of ice here, -fanning the water with his pole there, jabbing, poling, fighting his -best, the raftsman drove his clumsy craft toward the western bank. It -seemed that he would make the bank before the gurgling waters drew him -into that maelstrom. Faye held her breath and hoped. - -Now he was thirty feet from the bank, now twenty, now--now he rose to his -feet as if for a try at a leap. His four dogs howled dismally. He looked -at them in dismay. That look was his undoing. An eddy caught his raft and -carried it toward midstream. The next instant a redoubled pull of current -shot him forward. - -Only one hope remained. By the left shore, crowding thirty feet out over -the water, was a glacier-like snowbank. Solidly joined to the shore as it -was, this bank did not heave and roll as did the free ice. Only beneath -it the black waters raced. Between the hard packed snow and the river's -surface was a broad dark line. This was an air space where the snow had -been worn away by higher water. - -"He can't go under," Gordon Duncan breathed. "He'd be killed. He must -jump for the solid snow. It's his only hope." - -The Indians in the skin canoe were battling the current to bring their -canoe ashore. As for Gordon Duncan and Faye, they had eyes only for the -drama that was being enacted there before them. - -"Bravo!" murmured Gordon Duncan as a great dog, leaping far and wide, -made the snow bar in safety. One, two, three, four, the dogs were away. - -And now, now! Faye breathed in little gasps. The recluse, standing erect, -motionless, prepared to leap. Now he bent low, now he sprang straight up -and away. - -"He--he's safe!" breathed Gordon Duncan. - -But now. What happened? Did the current give the raft a sudden turn? Did -the old man's strength suddenly fail? His leap fell short. He struck the -snow, tottered there for a second; then, as the raft with its load of -precious green gold shot into the darkness beneath the overhanging -snowbar, he tottered and fell full into the raging flood. - -"He's gone!" exclaimed Gordon Duncan. "Lost! Lost forever!" - -The next instant their boat, guided by the trusty natives, bumped on a -shelving bank and they were quickly drawn up to safety. - -In the meantime, as if to veil the catastrophe, a fog drifting down over -all, hid all, ice, snow and rushing river, from their view. Ten minutes -later a resounding roar told them that something terrific was happening -on the river. - -"The ice jamb is broken," Gordon Duncan said quietly. "The current is now -free. It came too late. We have lost!" - - * * * * * * * * - -Urged on by the impatient hunchback, Johnny fought his way forward -through tangled willows, over rock piles and down treacherous slopes of -melting snow until of a sudden, with an involuntary shout of joy, he came -plump against a large dugout turned upside down upon the ground. - -To launch this craft, clumsy as it was, required but a moment's time. -Such was the magnificent strength of the hunchback. - -And now they had entered the race. With a paddle twice the size and -strength of the white man's canoe paddle, the hunchback drove the dugout -forward in the rushing waters at a terrific pace. - -It was Johnny who first heard the roar of the bursting ice jamb. They -were nearly two miles away, but it filled his breast with a wild terror. -That his friends rode the torrent before him he knew. What had happened -to them? What was about to befall him? - -The current was swift. It bore them on rapidly. When the fog dropped down -upon them he realized that safety lay in seeking out shelter in some -quiet eddy close to the bank. - -That this thought was in the hunchback's mind soon became evident. He -began hugging the shore. - -So intent were they upon reaching a place of safety that they failed to -note a picture framed in fog that for ten seconds flashed into view, then -was lost forever. - -Without knowing why they did so, both Faye Duncan and her grandfather -stood upon the bank as they passed. It was Faye's keen eyes that caught -sight of the racing dugout. - -"Look!" she cried, quite beside herself. "Johnny, Johnny Longbow and the -great banshee!" She was quite beside herself with excitement. - -"Calm yourself," said Gordon Duncan. "You must be dreaming. A bad dream. -I see nothing." - -"I did see them!" she insisted vehemently. "They passed, they passed in -the fog!" - -"Then," said Gordon Duncan, "we shall doubtless see them later." - -"But will we? They are riding the flood. The ice jamb is gone. But there -may be others. And, he is with that terrible creature." - -"Humanity," said Gordon Duncan quietly, "is everywhere very much alike. -He is in God's hands. Beyond doubt the All Seeing One has provided him a -friend in this vast wilderness." - -"And to think," said the girl more calmly, a great joy expressed in her -tones, "he is alive! He is not dead. Johnny Longbow is not dead!" - -She did such a wild dance in the snow that Gordon Duncan could well have -believed they were home again and all their troubles over. - - * * * * * * * * - -In the meantime Johnny and his strange pilot had passed on into the fog. -They traveled a good three miles before they came to the haven of refuge -they sought, a quiet eddy by the bank of the stream. - -With a sigh of relief Johnny unbent his cramped limbs and went ashore. - -To his surprise he found the earth soggy with seeping water. - -"Been a flood," he thought. - -This was true. The breaking of the ice jamb had momentarily clogged the -stream. Water had risen rapidly. The bayou had been flooded. Sudden as it -had come, so sudden it receded. Not, however, until something had -happened. What this was, Johnny was soon to know. - -As he climbed the slope in search of a dry spot, to his vast -astonishment, stranded high and dry, he came upon a crude raft laden with -strange packages bound up in skins. And clinging to the raft, as if it -were still in motion, was a white haired old man. - -Johnny wondered at the packages and the man, but he did not wonder long. - -"This," he told himself, "is Timmie, the recluse. And the packages on the -raft!" His heart beat wildly. - -"But first this old man's needs must be attended to." - -After disengaging his hands from the raft, Johnny helped the hunchback -carry the old man up the hill to a dry spot. There they soon had him -stripped of his sodden garments and wrapped in their own deerskins before -a roaring fire. - -There, for the first time, he opened his eyes and murmured something -about "Green gold." - -It was four hours later that the boy was wakened from a short doze by the -fire by the ring of a rifle shot close at hand. - -"Someone near," he told himself. "Wonder who?" - -"Hello! Hello there!" he shouted. - -"Hello yourself," came back from the hills above. - -Three minutes later the boy stood staring in astonishment at four persons -who had just emerged from the brush, two Indians, a white man and a girl. -There were tears of real joy in his eyes, for the man and girl were his -long lost friends Gordon Duncan and Faye. - - -Their story was quickly told. No longer daring to trust themselves to the -treacherous waters, the party had pushed forward on foot in the hope, as -had been their good fortune, though in a manner quite unexpected, of -finding some trace of the aged recluse and his craft. - -As they followed an animal trail a young caribou had appeared before -them. One of the Indians had shot it. This shot had told Johnny of their -presence. - -So now, here they were all together again. And Timmie was with them. What -a joyous reunion it was! Even Timmie, who recognized his pal of other -days, seemed happy. - - - - - CHAPTER XXVII - GREEN GOLD AT LAST - - -The story of the aged recluse, Timmie, was soon told. After his companion -Gordon Duncan had left him, more than twenty years before, the caribou -had come and a fresh supply of provisions was at hand. That spring too, -other prospectors had come up the river. In return for his services as a -guide, they had supplied him with white man's food. - -As the years passed, he had given up hope that Gordon Duncan would -return; but even so, he guarded their secret well. - -Ever a lover of nature and her solitary haunts, he was content to dwell -alone at the foot of the smoking mountains. Every year, as the winter's -snow melted away, as the honking geese passed above the rivers and a -million flowers bloomed, he had shouldered pick and pan to begin one more -search for the mine of green gold. - -"I never found it," he whispered as, buried deep in warm deer skins, he -told his story. "But yonder on the raft, just as I was carrying it, you -will find the green gold, every piece. Every piece. Just as we found it -so many years ago. - -"Take it, Gordon Duncan." His whisper came from deep in his throat. "For -many years I have prized and guarded it. Now it must be entrusted to your -hands. I am soon to pass to that happy land where there are no spring -torrents, no snow, no cold, no smoking mountains and no night." - -"No! No!" said Faye Duncan, pressing his hand. "You are going to find -health in the spring sunshine. We will carry you from this dreary land to -the place where yellow roses bloom and the air is heavy with the -fragrance of daffodils." - -Timmie read the distress in her tone. He smiled and said no more. Yet he -knew what he knew, and was content. - -"But why did you run from us?" Gordon Duncan asked. - -A pained, puzzled look came over the face of the aged recluse. "I do not -know. I am growing old. When one is old he becomes afraid of many -things." - -The hoard of green gold on Timmie's raft was indeed a great treasure. -Johnny, who had traveled much and knew the value of such things coming -from a very remote past, reckoned their value in many thousands of -dollars. - -One day, two weeks later, having buried Timmie among the hills he had -loved so long, bidding an affectionate farewell to their Indian guides -and the strange hunchback, the party of three, Gordon Duncan, Faye and -Johnny, put off from shore in a new dugout which their friends had made -for them. - -Three days later, as they drifted down the silent river which was now -quite free from ice, to their great surprise they caught the distant drum -of an airplane. - -Straining their eyes, they saw it at last just clearing the mountains to -the north. Imagine their surprise when it went out of sight behind the -timber not five miles from where they were. - -When, two hours later, on rounding a bend in the river, they sighted the -camp of more than a hundred white men, their joy knew no bounds. - -Soon enough they were told of a fresh gold strike on these upper reaches -of the river. The passenger airplane which was bringing men into the -country was to start on the return journey in two hours. It was nearing -the lunch hour now. They might have dinner at the outskirts of the white -man's land if they liked. - -Their decision was quickly reached. After a royal feast of white man's -food, they bundled their precious relics of green gold aboard the plane -and, climbing in, sailed away. - -A week later Johnny stood in the doorway of a cabin. Before the cabin -yellow roses bloomed and the air was laden with the scent of spring -blossoms. - -Beside him stood Faye Duncan. No longer garbed in the dull brown and gray -of the trail, but in a gay red dress, she was the picture of health and -beauty. - -Much had been done in these days. A mystery had been cleared up and a -fortune assured. - -From Faye's own lips Johnny had learned the secret of their hiding away -in the north woods so many weeks before. Her grandfather was to have been -a witness in a murder trial. He believed the man being tried was -innocent, yet he realized that his own testimony would go far toward -convicting him. In order to avoid being called as a witness and in order -to give time for hot anger to cool and the real culprit to be found, he -had hidden away in the forest. - -"But now it is all more than right," Faye had said with tears of joy in -her eyes. "The real murderer has confessed; the other man is free." - -Gordon Duncan had sold half the green gold for a sum large enough to make -him comfortable for life. Timmie's half he had given to a museum, there -to remain as a monument to his lost comrade. - -Faye and Johnny stood in the doorway watching the sunset fade. Never -before had Johnny been so tempted to give up the life of a wanderer and -settle down. And yet-- - -"Letter for you," said Gordon Duncan. Coming up the path, he handed it to -Johnny. - -The boy read the letter with interest. It was from Curlie Carson. Perhaps -you have read about him. Johnny had heard of him. In this letter Curlie -proposed that the two of them join in a daring enterprise. Would Johnny -go? - -Would he? When one frank, daring, straight shooting adventurer says to -another of his kind, "Come, let's go," the answer is sure to be, "Lead -on." - -"But I'll be back," Johnny said to the ruddy-cheeked Scotch girl as he -bade her goodbye next morning. And who can say he will not? - -If you wish to read of the adventures entered into by Johnny Thompson and -Curlie Carson, you'll find them all written down in a book called, "The -Rope of Gold." - - - - - The Roy J. Snell Books - - -Mr. Snell is a versatile writer who knows how to write stories that will -please boys and girls. He has traveled widely, visited many -out-of-the-way corners of the earth, and being a keen observer has found -material for many thrilling stories. His stories are full of adventure -and mystery, yet in the weaving of the story there are little threads -upon which are hung lessons in loyalty, honesty, patriotism and right -living. - -Mr. Snell has created a wide audience among the younger readers of -America. Boy or girl, you are sure to find a Snell book to your liking. -His works cover a wide and interesting scope. - -Here are the titles of the Snell Books: - - - _Mystery Stories for Boys_ - - 1. Triple Spies - 2. Lost in the Air - 3. Panther Eye - 4. The Crimson Flash - 5. White Fire - 6. The Black Schooner - 7. The Hidden Trail - 8. The Firebug - 9. The Red Lure - 10. Forbidden Cargoes - 11. Johnny Longbow - 12. The Rope of Gold - 13. The Arrow of Fire - 14. The Gray Shadow - 15. Riddle of the Storm - 16. The Galloping Ghost - 17. Whispers at Dawn; or, The Eye - 18. Mystery Wings - 19. Red Dynamite - 20. The Seal of Secrecy - 21. The Shadow Passes - 22. Sign of the Green Arrow - - - _The Radio-Phone Boys' Series_ - - 1. Curlie Carson Listens In - 2. On the Yukon Trail - 3. The Desert Patrol - 4. The Seagoing Tank - 5. The Flying Sub - 6. Dark Treasure - 7. Whispering Isles - 8. Invisible Wall - - - _Adventure Stories for Girls_ - - 1. The Blue Envelope - 2. The Cruise of the O'Moo - 3. The Secret Mark - 4. The Purple Flame - 5. The Crimson Thread - 6. The Silent Alarm - 7. The Thirteenth Ring - 8. Witches Cove - 9. The Gypsy Shawl - 10. Green Eyes - 11. The Golden Circle - 12. The Magic Curtain - 13. Hour of Enchantment - 14. The Phantom Violin - 15. Gypsy Flight - 16. The Crystal Ball - 17. A Ticket to Adventure - 18. The Third Warning - - - - - Transcriber's Notes - - ---Copyright notice provided as in the original printed text--this e-text - is public domain in the country of publication. - ---Silently corrected palpable typos; left non-standard spellings and - dialect unchanged. - ---Relocated promotional material to the end of the book, and completed - the list of books in the three series (using other sources). - - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Johnny Longbow, by Roy J. Snell - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK JOHNNY LONGBOW *** - -***** This file should be named 43230.txt or 43230.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/3/2/3/43230/ - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Rod Crawford, Dave Morgan -and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at -http://www.pgdp.net - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, -set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to -copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to -protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project -Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you -charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you -do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the -rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose -such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and -research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do -practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is -subject to the trademark license, especially commercial -redistribution. - - - -*** START: FULL LICENSE *** - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project -Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at - www.gutenberg.org/license. - - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy -all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession. -If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the -terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or -entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement -and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation" -or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the -collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an -individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are -located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from -copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative -works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg -are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project -Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by -freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of -this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with -the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by -keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project -Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in -a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check -the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement -before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or -creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project -Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning -the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United -States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate -access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently -whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, -copied or distributed: - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived -from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is -posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied -and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees -or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work -with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the -work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 -through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the -Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or -1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional -terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked -to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the -permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any -word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or -distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than -"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version -posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org), -you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a -copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon -request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other -form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided -that - -- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is - owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he - has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the - Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments - must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you - prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax - returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and - sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the - address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to - the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation." - -- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or - destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium - and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of - Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any - money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days - of receipt of the work. - -- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set -forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from -both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael -Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the -Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm -collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain -"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or -corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual -property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a -computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by -your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with -your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with -the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a -refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity -providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to -receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy -is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further -opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO OTHER -WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO -WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. -If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the -law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be -interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by -the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any -provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance -with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, -promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works, -harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, -that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do -or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm -work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any -Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause. - - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers -including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists -because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from -people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations. -To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation -and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 -and the Foundation information page at www.gutenberg.org - - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive -Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent -permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S. -Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered -throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at 809 -North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email -contact links and up to date contact information can be found at the -Foundation's web site and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -For additional contact information: - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To -SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any -particular state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. -To donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate - - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm -concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared -with anyone. For forty years, he produced and distributed Project -Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S. -unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily -keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: - - www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. diff --git a/43230.zip b/43230.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index fa58f92..0000000 --- a/43230.zip +++ /dev/null |