The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1936-12-10

CHAPTER Tx
Murder
In the morning Garth for the first
time showed haste. The dawn was
far too beautifully rose. He made
sure that Lilith'S 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 blan-
ket yourself, head and all" he warn
ed. "You don't want to loose your
ears and nose"
The constable was already snug
under his own cowl. Garth swung
into his pilot cockpit. Old Tobin gave
the propeller spin for him.
This time Garth needed no circl-
ing in ordeS 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 zigzag
course that he had been forced to
grope along in guiding Hubby. His
mental map of all those turns, bear
ings and distances enabled him to
draw a 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 deSolation of
muskegs and breckenridge lower
mountains. 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 man.
tie. The only dark spots were preci-
pices too steep to hold snow.
Thickening clouds foretold anoth-
er storm. But Garth had OUTRAGED it.
Instead of swinging in around the
outhrust mountain to the pass, he
banked and drove past the east side
of the mountain, on long upSlant.
A few miles north from the pass,
he banked to the west and headed
for the lowest notch in the jagged
eastside wall of the valley.Above the
great barrier the plane bumped like
a boat in choppy seat.
Garth paid no conscious heed to
the rough passage. His hands and
feet adjusted the controls with auto
matte precision, leaving his attention
free to center upon what lay ahead.
His first glimpse into the valley
showed him a column of smoke
above the black belt of spruce at the
far end of the lake. Muck 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 stock forward and cut the gun.
With the roar of the engine stilled,
the plane swooped down at the lake
like a monstrous bird of prey. Rel
atively speaking, it was driving at
it's quarry as noiselessly as great
horned owl of the North stoops to
strike a rabbit. Also, by entering the
valley over this distant saddle, in
stead 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
outrushing glacier torrent kept a
water lane free, well out from shore.
Hubby un doubt idly 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 every 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 an
gle 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
It was matter of fractions of Sec
onds. He allowed for the fact that