Coulee City dispatch. [volume] (Coulee City, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1936-04-02
CHAPTER TX
-16-
Murder.

In tne morning Gaftn LOT the HrSl
time showed haste. The dawn was far
too beautifully rose He made sure
that Liliths blankets were back in her
cockpit before he handed her aboard.
He fitted the glass wind cowl to the
cockpit rim, which came up almost
level with her eyes.
eff we strike into a blizzard, get
your cap over your ears, and blanket
yourself, head and ALL" he warned.
you don't want to lose your ears and
nose"
The constable was already snug I'M
his pilot cockpit. Old Tobin gave the
propeller a spin for him.
This time Garth needed no circling
In order to trace the air route. Aboard
the cabin monoplane he had watched
Huxby's instruments and noted the
landmarks from above. He now knew
the way in by air. He did not even
have to follow the zgzag course that
he had been forced to grope along in
guiding Huxby. His mental map Of
all those turns, bearings and distances
enabled him to draw direct air line
to the lost valley. He headed along it
as straight as the crow flies.
By the time the lovely rose dawn
glared into an angry red sunrise, the
roaring plane had flown all the way
across that weary desclation of mus
kegs and broken-ridged lower noun
tains. Close ahead doomed the last
range In front of the Selwyns The
submits that had reared up so bare
and brown under the summer sun now
cleaned with white mantle. The
only dark spots were precipices too
steep to hold the snow.
Thickening clouds foretold another
storm. But Garth had OUTRAGED it.
Instead of swinging in around the out
thrust mountain to the pass, he banked
and drove past the east side of the
mountain, on long upslant.
few miles north from the pass,
he banked to the west and headed for
the lowest notch in the Jagged east
side wall of the valley. Above the
great barrier the plane bumped like
BOAT In cn0ppy seat.
Garth paid no conscious heed to the
rough passage. His hands and feet
adjusted the controls with automatic
precision, leaving his attention free to
center upon what lay ahead
His first glimpse into the valley
showed him column of smoke above
the black belt of spruce at the far end
of the lake. Much thicker and darker
than ordinary campfire smoke, it stood
out distinct against the vivid white of
the snow-sheeted tundra slope.
AS the plane drove clear above the
saddle between the peaks, he showed
the stick forward and cut the gun.
With the roar of the engine stilled, the
plane swooped down at the lake like
monstrous bird of prey. Relatively
speaking, it was driving at it's quarry
as noiselessly as a great horned owl
OF the North stoops to strike rabbit
Also, by entering the valley over this
distant saddle, instead of through the
pass, Garth felt sure the plane would
not be seen
His next problem was to effect a
landing without the roar of the re-
started motor. He had already made
out Huxby's big cabin plane, moored
at the mouth of the glacier stream.
That was the only safe mooring place.
The lake had already skinned over
with thin ice except where the out
rushing glacier torrent kept a water
lane free, well out from shore. Hubby
undoubtedly had been shrewd enough
to foresee freeze-up If he moored his
plane below the foot of the placer
trough.
Absence of any smoke near the plane
told that the miners were camped at
the placer. The stream mouth was too
far from the diggings for the hurried
workers to tramp back and forth ev-
cry night and morning. Besides, there
would be snowdrifts to wade through.
From every Indication, the claim
Jumper could be surprised and taken
before he realized that any other party
than his own had come to the valley.
The one need was to avoid using the
planes engine. It's roar would be
heard for miles.
Garth calculated the volplane angle
with his utmost skill If he hit the
water too soon, the propeller would
have to be used to pull the plane in
to the landing; If he held on too long,
there might be crackup.
1t was a matter of fractions of Sec
onds. He allowed for the fact that the
slight wind was abeam, instead Of
sucking down from the glacier. His
one failure was to notice in time the
shrunken volume of the glacier stream.
The plane took to the water smooth
ly, at almost the exact distance off
shore that he had planned. The diff
Guilty was that the outswirling current
lacked the force he expected Instead
of slowing down or stopping short, the
three-seater drove in hard at the cabin
plane.
The stream mouth lacked width
enough for the small plane to squeeze
past the large one. Nor was there
room to maneuver between the off,
shore rocks. Garth ected with instant
decision. He swerved the three-seater
70 clear tho fail of tho oohyn ,,1oro A -