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- ™ Pshaw,
PUBLISHED
Vol. 22, No. WEEKLY,
2. 4
] ty of one,” de-
. clared Bruce
McCrae, shutting
his lips firmly,
“Oh, yes, I’ve quite
my mind to go!”
“expostulated
‘orton, Sedo you think it’
into the’ Abitibi countr
Tye been down the
Riy er a dozen times with dad!”
“Yes, but be always ~ took experienced
guides ‘with bin.”
“JT know, but really, Ned, ['m familiar
with the route, for T’ve made all the port-
ages. No, old chap, you can't shake my
resolve ;
with snowshoes and dog-team.”
“YT wish you wouldn't make such a dark
secret. of it. all,” complained the other.
“Tell me exactly’ what’s the mattey.””
“The matter is. that) my; father is lost
4 there, vand.so is my- chum, Alec Best.
There must have been some foul play, for
such experienced. bushmen are not likely to
miss their way, - The .Tadians who came
ymade, wp,
his
friend, Ned
fe to go alone
Abitibi
out a month ago said my. father was in a>
sort of mixup with some strange prospect-
ors, ~ Alec test went up to see! what was
wrong, and he hasn't come back.”
“Looks bad,” commented Ned. “ But
tell me just what they’re quarrelling about ;
it has something to do with striking. a
new oil field, hasn't it?
“ Pyerybody knows the “Abitibi country
‘is rich in minerals and in oil, and now
the building of the railroad has awakened
everybody. They all want to rush in
and make a fortune. For years the In-
dians ‘have told dad about a lake that
would not freeze; they are superstitious
about the queer way it bubbles up. of
course we know it is oil: so we've told
Long Tom, our very best friend up there,
to guard the secret till we ‘come to claim
it for ourselves and the other people who
bave helped open up this part of the coun-
e mean to protect the rights of
“those who- have done the real, pioneering.
But lately a young chap. called Murton,
who worked last fall on bridge-building
for the railroad, heard of the oil find and
told his friends, and now it’s a race who
ean claim it first. I think Murton may
aid our party to prevent them
ng a claim until he can stake
the claims, for himself.”
“ Beastls trick!” Ned’s blue eyes were
set in ‘a stare toward the northern hills.
Then with a quick jerk of his shoulders,
“See here. if youre bound to go, you've
sot to take me along!”
Bruce had not realized how much he
dreaded to make the trip alone until he
received this offer of company, “Do you
mean it? Good old pal! It would be
great to have company, for I had rather
disliked the idea of going alone.”
The start was made next morning at
daybreak, On the river, headed northward,
trotted the fine dog team of the McCrae's,
led by a splendid white animal, Prince,
The two. boys. wrapped in furs to the
throat, enjoyed the sting of the keen north-
ern vir, Their trail for many miles was
to be the river bed, wherg, the hard snow
made n firm trac’
For several hours. the dogs tinde good
progress, trnee wasia
for
"M a search pare
I'm starting tomorrow morning ~
skillful driver.
Corraicnt, 1922, By DAVID C. COOK PUBLISUING COMPANY,
M. Burkholder
who did pot let them’ waver from their
task. They must make the mouth of the
Jawbone River for their first camp site.
“ How long-do you intend to follow the
river?’ questioned Ned. “You'll © never *
find the lost party: here.”
“We follow the river all day tomorrow.
Then we strike off across country, and
the real fun begins, It’s a great secret
“s: where the oil-lake lies, for it’s just a little
eup in the hills which no white man has
ever found alone.” ~
“Then what makes you think that we—”
“We'll press on ns near the place as
we can,” encouraged: Bruce, “and we'll
take chances on seeing somebody or hear-
ing something to our advantage as we go
left the viver at Rabbit Rapids
and followed a. chain of .small frozen
‘streams and lakelets. Some of the port- <
ages were difficult, for soon they came to
the place where there were: no well-marked
‘trails. Packing the sled on their backs,
with the unharnéessed dogs nosing ahead,
they pushed through the trees wherever
they could. But in most places the snow
-lay so deep that it covered the tops of the
underbrush,.and being as firm as a road,
it bore dogs, sled, and hoys on its gleam-
ing -surface, .
There was not a foot track over the
shining expanse. nothing to suggest that
a human being had ever been there before.
The boys bad only a compass to point out
the direction, Brvuce’s single clue was
that he knew his father would try to reach
Long Tom's shack, and he felt sure it
nestled here among these hills on the out-
skirts of some Indian settlement.
“Tt’s impossible to trace your father or
Alec Best in this country,” complained
Ned rather piteously on the third morning.
He choked back further murmurings
when he caught sight of his companion
looking over the grubstake with anxious
eye,. Was it possible their eatables were
running low? Bruce made no reference
to it at breakfast. but he ate only half a
meal. . After that Ned gritted his teeth
and closed his lips to complaints.
.3
The heavy machine broke through
ELein, ILLiNors.
They were camped on high ground over-
looking a fine -valley, when “Bruce . cried
out, “I knew something would direct us. .
There! See that smoke curling up among
the trees, That's the place: ‘that’s Tang
Tom’s shack.” .
Though they fairly raced down tbe hill-
side, the boys.did not come to the shack
in the valley all that morning. Once off
the high ground, they lost sight of it and
could not. tell which of the crossing trails
would lead. them to it.. At noon they ate
t last of their. meager store,
sting to make shelter before dark,
Then... they trudged on again with dis-
couraged spirits—when lo, a sudden turn
in the trail brought them almost to. the
door of Long Tom's log hut! They had
heen circling about it all day.
Ned stayed behind with. the dogs, while
Bruce went quickly to the door to make
inquiries. A young man came out on the
path ond faced him with a curiously sus-
Picious manner, “So you've come at
last!" he muttered, .in a hoarse whisper.
“Where did’ you leave the machine?"
As this was-like so much Greek to
Bruce, he replied. “We want. food and ~
shelter for the night. Is this Long Tim's
shack
The face of the other showed erent dis-
appointment. “Tlumph ! Micht have
heen at one times He's not here now."
*My father was lost up here »bout six
weeks ago,” explained ‘Bruce, “ and a little
later a young fellow ealled Alee Rest dis-
appeared, teo, T am searching for them.
Can vou give mo any news?
“Tlow in thunder should T know when
gets lost in this wilderness?”
growled the inhasnitable stranger,
Rruce turned to Ned. who hed come up
quietly behind him. As ther stood there
in considerable, uncertainty as to what to
do next: a mnuMed sound from within the
but startled both boys. The man. trem-
Mine with anv excitement -they could not
understand, retreated into the shack and
slawmed the door in their faces with this
parting shot. “Move on: you'll get no
‘grub here. [T ain’t got «nongh for myself.”
“No true northerner would act so.” de-
clared Broce. “ Thet fellow has some-
thing to conceal, What did von make of
thet aueer muffled noise inside?”
“Sounded kind of human.”>ventured the
other,
Their main desire being to find sbelter
before dark, the boys pushed, on toward
the Indian settlement, which they decided
4 counle of miles distant over the
fext hill, What they saw from the hill-
top was not reassuring, Clearly ther were
lost again. and -the elusive settlement was
>
3
and stopped with such a jerk that its young pilot was thrown
fram his sea:
. through
January 13, 1923.
nestling behind some of the other hills ~
that circled near, .Immediately * before
them was a deep gorge, and through an
opening at the other end was the smooth
surface of a lake.
“Good sledding at. Jeast,".. murmured
Bruce wearily, as he prepared to drive
the dogs across it.
Just then a queer sound in the air, like
the whir of a big bird, caused. both boys
to look up. An aéroplane was swiftly
approaching; then, as it came above the
was shut off, as thous
decided .to light on its
lake, the engine
i ator had
face,
what the man in the hut
back there expected!” cried Bruce.
Like a flash he realized that the un-
gracious stranger was the’ young = bridge
builder who was trying to clatin the -new
come at last!
Where did you
ave the machine?"
“So you have
le,
oil find, This arrival in the airplane was
his helper. When they had staked their
claims, no doubt, they would be) off. by
the air route to the nearest government
station, There they would file their claims
and secure them forever,, The, work of
a lifetime in the McCrae family ‘would le
undoné by that “Swift fying machine!
Bruce shook his fist at it as it’ settled
over the bosom of the lake. “I think that
those precivus regues know where the lost
party is,’ he hissed into Ned's ear,
Meanwhile the airplane was swinging
in Slow circles above the lake. As’ they
watched it, it lit, and then they saw a
wonderful thing. The surface of the Iake
not solid, the heavy machine broke
and stopped< with such a jerk
that its young pilet was thrown from his
seat and sent sprawling ahead. Even he
could not s on top of the Jake, but sank,.
to his ankl
“The lake that will not freeze !”. gasped
Bruce.“ This ‘is the wonderful oil Jake,
and we did not know it!”
The black, viscous substance had- the
power of sucking in its vittints. Jike quick-
sand, The young pilot was slowly sink-
ing to his knees. and all his frantie at?
tempts at escape only sent 4 him down
deeper,
Reuce and Ned stoo@® as if transfixed
on the shore; the dogs jumped and whined
une about, them. They ,noticed that
the lake was frozen at, the edge where
they stood, and this gave them confidence
te venture out with a rope toward the un-
fortunate victim, .
king their lives. to reach him, the
boys Tound it impossible to keep solid font-
ing. Again and in’ they were forced
to retreat, and approach the victim from
a new angle, In the end it was the splen-’
did white husky, Trince.. that solved the
problem, ing the rope in his tecth, he
dashed so quickly e soft surface
that he gained the seene af the wreek in
(Cortinned on page
wrs
es,
