White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1925-09-25
"HAWk of the NORTH"
BY KENNETH GILBERT
Copyright, 1925, by Action Stories magazine

good two hundred and fifty yards
away, but Knowlton gave an exclama-
ton.
He took his time before he fired
again, and l guessed that he was not
plentifully supplied with ammunition.
At that distance it was folly for Null
yane or I to try with our automatics
1t was good shooting Knowlton was
doing. recalled that Jane had told
me her brother had served overseas
during the war. PROFESSIONALLY he
was a marksman..
Steady, now!" called Mulvane
sharply. Here they comet"
Apparently Knowlton, with his rifle
fire, had our antagonists stalemated,
and it was becoming too hot to suit
them. The hill where the firing had
come from suddenly debouched run
ming figures, half dozen Of them. I
guessed that there had been more,
but that Knowlton's shots had not
been without effect.
Four of them charged straight Up
the face Of the hill, while two others
swung around its base, headed for the
river. Mulvane and I could get into
action now, and we did. l kept tell
ing myself to keep cool, and take my
time, but all the while 1 had the i'm
pulse to pull the trigger as rapidly
as could.
l saw one of them pitch forward,
and lie there. A second went down,
writing, and the other two, disheart-
ened, dropped fiat in the deep grass.
Yet the two who had been headed for
the river were making the best of their
opportunity.
They were headed for the boat;
there could be no question about that.
Whether they knew we had gold
aboard is another matter; first and
foremost, they were determined to cut
off our retreat. Likewise they had
undoubtedly seen Jane.
Despite the distance, Mulvane, face
set and white, was tanning shot after
shot at them, although he knew his
bullets were dropping short. Then /
saw Herbert Knowlton, risen to one
knee, cheek laid lovingly on his rifle
stock. His shoulder jerked to the
conclusion, and my eyes went to the
two runners.
A clean miss; the men speeded on.
Mulvane swore. I heard the click IF
the repeater's mechanism and again
that whiplike crack. The leader
spun oddly, and fell, arms and legs
outstretched grotesquely.
1t was a cue for the second man TO
take cover, and he did SO, just as the
next bullet raked the grass where he
was lying.
Don't waste your shots!" cried
Mulvane. Hell be up in a minute
| But apparently the man believed
that death awaited him if he so much
as showed his head. And thus the
situation held, both sides waiting for
the break. In numbers we were even,
thanks to the good work of Knowl-
toms rifle.
| Jane, meanwhile, had crawled into
the boat. She dared not come to us,
and we did not dare go to her-just
yet. If the siege kept up much longer
we would need food and water, OBJ
tainable only at the boat.
Certainly we did not hold the upper
hand. Here we were, hundreds of
miles from civilization, menaced by
hostiles-The Hawks men, no doubt,
although we had seen nothing to indi-
cate that he was there in person-and
with enough treasure in our hands 10
make our lives worth less than puff
Of smoke. If The Hawks men knew
! the value of our gold hoard we could
expect to fight our way down-river TO
the schooner, If, indeed, it meant safe
ty when we reached it.
1t was Knowlton who pointed down
river.
what the devil is that?"
For some minutes it had seemed to
us, lying quiet and watchful on the
top Of that knoll, that the air was
filled with a distant, purring sound l
had spoken of it to the others, and
while they had heard it, too, they
were unable to account for it. Now,
following the direction of Knowlton's
finger, we deserted growing speck
against the horizon. Turning to Null.
vane, could see his eyes widen as
he studied it.
"Well, Mister Master-of-ceremon.
les" said to him jokingly, what
mystery does that signify?"
"No mystery at ALL Bellew," he
remarked quietly. That's The
Hawk"
1 jumped as if hit by a bullet.
"You will understand now" said
Mulvane, why the pirate has adopted
that name. He's been using a sea-
plane on his raids. / saw the thing
on the deck of that schooner we
passed.
whats worrying me now Is wheth-
err anything has happened to the Aleu-
tian.