The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1936-12-24
Caught
in the
Wild :
BY Robert
Ames Bennett
a WNU Service
Copyright By
Robert Ames Bennett

But then he made out vaguely a
white shape against the white of the
snow-covered ice. A short dash
brought him close to the grounded
plane. It lay in shallow water, sur
rounded by freezing slush. The biz
zard had hit the lake hard enough to
break up the sheet ice and crack it
into pieces too small to grind thru
the sides of the pontoons.
The plane had been driven across
into this corner of the lake, along
with the sludge. Tia Shoreward-
swung tail was only a sbieuit toss
out from the solid bank. Garth hast
ened to fetch small trunks and
pieces of rotted logs from the down
timber under the nearest trees. By
tossing out chunks of log on the
snow-covered sludge and bog, he
as able to make slender foot
idge with pairs of trunks.
SThe last extension proved touch
and 60. Cross pieces and stringers
drove down under his weight into
the sludge-filled water and the mud
beneath. But he had made dash of
it. His hands clutched hold of the
rudder before he could sink.
He climbed upon the tail, ran for
ward to the cabin, and swung in
board. The frozen body of Constable
Dillon lay on the floor where he had
placed it. He buckled the cartridge
belt with its holstered pistol about
his own waist, took the keys and
handouts from billions pocket, and
climbed out to scramble forward in
to the cockpit
The side of the cockpit had been
pierced by several bullets. But when
Hubby fired at the drifting plane,
in his attempt to kill the supposedly
hidden fugitives, he had aimed with
great care to avoid damage to the in
struments and controls and the mo-
tor.
After removing the breaker points
from the magnetic, Garth ran back to
the tail of the plane. Here came the
greatest of his risks The bridge poles
had risen to the surface again, but
the outermoSt cross logs remained
embedded in the mud under the wa
ter.
He let himself down sideways. AS
his moccasins touched the slender
trunks, he let 60 of the rudder and
leaped. Though the ends of the poles
hot downwards, his swift dash cAr-
led him up their sharp slant to the
next pair of trunks.
The rest of the improvised bridge
was fairly firm. A single misstep
anywhere along it would have landed
him in deep bog; but he had done
far too much canoeing and rough
ground running to lack balance or
sure--footedness.
Safe back on solid ground, he at
once stepped into his snowshoes and
headed straight away from the shore
into dense growth of spruce. There
he circled to the right towards the
glacier gulch, keeping well back
from the lake.
Midway to the stream channel he
stopped where, through separate Wis
tas, he could see both planes. The
gray dawn had frightened enough
to make them visible at a distance.
He sat down on log to wait. In the
Eskimo suit, the cold was neglible.
A look at the constable's pistol
showed it to be full loaded. He took
off the belt and buckled it on again
up under the loose fullnesS of his
parka. Holstered between the Carl
bou skin and his rabbit-fur under
suit, the oil in the pistol mechanism
would become warm. Cold oil is apt
to jam gun.
After making sure of the pistol, he
had nothing to do except give his
face an occasional rub to prevent
frostbite. He sat restfully relaxed, as
patient as an Eskimo hunter beside
a seal hole Very slowly the gray
dawn frightened. It at last began to
mellow into gold.
TFrom across the lake came the
crack of rifles-three shots in quick
succession. Garth told himself that
Hubby or his men were hunting
moose He SurmiSed why The engi-
neer planned to cover the shattered
ends of the three-seater planes
floats with rawhide.
The sun glared over the jagged
barrier mountains into the FROST
gripped valley Quite while later,
Garth saw one of his four enemies
come out of the trees near the lake
shore, on the far side of the frizen
glacier stream. The man carried
big folded hide on his left shoulder.
He held his rifle ready for a quick
shot, and as he advanced, he peered
around at the brush and trees.
A shout turned the mans steps up
towards the ford. Othe shouts came
from the slope above. Garth smiled.
It was as he had foreseen. In coming
to repair the floats of the three-seat-
er plane, Huxby and his men had
formed line from the lake shore
to timberline and searched the
spruce woods.
But the hunter had found no
trace of their quarry all the way to
the bank of the frozen glacier
stream. There, however, the snow
shoe tracks coming down from the
tundra made plain sign even for
|chechahcos. Hubby came running
along the trail, followed by the man
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