Mystery At Devil's Paw Part 3

An hour later, after loading their new pup tent and sleeping bags into the boat, the boys shoved off from Juneau. Ted steered down the Gastineau Channel between mountainous Douglas Island and the mainland, then southeastward along the coast. A tangy scent of spruce and cedar drifted down from the steep slopes.

"Nice boat you've got here," Frank remarked. Although it had obviously seen hard use, the craft looked powerful and seaworthy.

"It's part of Tony's outfit," the boy explained. "I've just been using it these past few 33 mornings to come to Juneau. Most of the time I scoot around in a little outboard."

"Doing what?" Joe asked.

"Beachcombing." The youth grinned. "I cruise around the beaches looking for old propellers, boat fittings, or sc.r.a.p metal. Doesn't sound like much, but I earn quite a bit selling the stuff."

"Sounds like a great outdoor life," Frank said. "How's Tony getting along?"

The boy's face clouded. "He likes his work fine, but he's plenty worried. He's been having trouble on his job and-Well, you'd better wait and get the whole story from Tony. I hear he sent for you fellows because you're good at solving mysteries."

"We've worked on quite a few cases," Frank admitted.

"Then I wish you'd solve a mystery for me," me," Ted said wistfully. "My father has Ted said wistfully. "My father has disappeared."

CHAPTER IV.

Cheechako Trouble immediately it occurred to Frank that Mr. Sew-ell's disappearance might have some connection with Tony's trouble. He decided not to mention it, however, until he learned more about the mystery.

"Tell us what happened, Ted," Frank said sympathetically.

"Dad was working for the Fish and Wildlife Service, same as Tony," the boy explained.

"About two weeks ago he left Juneau on a survey trip into the wilderness to check on upstream feeding conditions for the salmon. He was due back in five or six days but never returned."

"Was a search made?" Chet asked.

"Sure. The Service sent out a helicopter, also a ground party with an Indian guide, but they couldn't find the slightest trace of him."

Ted bit his lip and tried to keep his voice from 35 breaking. "They're afraid Dad may have been mauled by a bear or-or met with some other accident."

"We're sorry, Ted," Joe murmured gravely.

"Maybe," Frank added, "we can turn up a clue to your dad while we're helping Tony."

"Thanks, fellows."

The companions cruised along in silence for a while, past thick, mysterious forests of evergreen. The offsh.o.r.e waters were dotted with islands and the rugged coast line was notched by inlets and streams pouring out of the wilderness.

"These must be pretty tricky waters for a s.h.i.+p to navigate," Joe remarked.

Ted Sewell nodded. "There've been a lot of wrecks along the Inside Pa.s.sage to Alaska.

I'll show you one of them."

As they pa.s.sed Admiralty Island, Ted pointed out a rotting, salt-bleached hulk sticking out of the water. "That was a schooner named the Islander," Islander," he told the boys. "It was he told the boys. "It was wrecked years ago while carrying Klondike gold miners back to the States."

"What happened to the pa.s.sengers?" Frank asked.

"They jumped overboard. Most of them were so weighted down with their pokes of gold that they sank right to the bottom."

Chet shuddered. "Boy, I hope their ghosts don't haunt this neck of the woods!"

36 Friendly banter continued until almost noon, when they reached the mouth of the Kooniak River. Flanked by dense timber on both banks, its ice-cold waters flowed clear as crystal.

"The Kooniak runs from the northeast," Ted told his companions. "The headwaters are somewhere up in Canada." He turned the boat into the river and steered toward a small island about a quarter of a mile upstream. Ahead, the boys could see a plume of smoke rising from a camp-fire near a st.u.r.dy tent.

As they drew closer, a dark-haired lad rushed out and ran to the sh.o.r.e. He wore a T-s.h.i.+rt, dungarees, and leather jacket.

"There's Tony!" Joe shouted.

"Hi, fellows!" Tony called, waving his arms.

"I'm glad that he's all right," Frank said quietly as the trio waved back.

Ted brought the boat up to a small wooden dock which extended a few yards out into the water. One by one, the boys clambered out to shake hands happily with Tony.

"Welcome to Alaska!" Tony said, chuckling. "The forty-ninth state! Twice as big as Texas and-"

"Ten times as dangerous!" Chet cut in.

"It won't be for long," Tony went on. "Not with you fellows here to figure things out!"

"What's been going on?" Frank asked.

"Tell you about it later. Let's eat first. I figured 37 Ted would be back about this time, so lunch is on the fire."

"Mm, that's for me!" Chet crooned, sniffing the appetizing aroma of pork and beans.

Ted offered to set the rustic pine table while Tony showed his friends around the camp.

"Not that there's much to show," Tony added. "You can walk around this whole island in half an hour."

The young stream guard led the way toward the upper end of the island. Aside from a few clumps of trees and underbrush, it was barren of cover, permitting a good view in all directions.

"That's one reason I'm stationed here, rather than on sh.o.r.e," Tony explained. "This location enables me to keep a better lookout for poachers who might try entering the river."

"What's the other reason?" Joe asked.

"Bears. There are quite a few of them over on the mainland, but they never bother me here."

"Then I'm staying put on this island!" Chet declared firmly.

"Funny name, the Kooniak River," Frank mused. "What does it mean?"

"Search me," Tony replied. "It's an Indian name, I guess, but I haven't learned their lingo yet-except cheechako." cheechako."

"What's that?" Joe inquired.

"What you fellows are." Tony chuckled. "Newcomers, or tenderfeet. That's what the old-time 38 sourdoughs used to call all the greenhorns who came up here during the gold rush."

By this time, they had reached a point facing directly upstream. Here the river formed a sparkling six-foot waterfall. The swift-flowing stream filled the air with spray as it plunged over the rocks.

"The salmon jump those falls on their way upstream to sp.a.w.n," Tony said with a gesture.

"I'll show you tonight."

"Why wait?" Joe put in eagerly. "Can't we see 'em now?"

Tony shook his head. "When humans are around, the salmon travel upstream after dark."

Returning to camp, the boys found the meal ready. Ted ladled out platefuls of beans, and everyone ate with a keen appet.i.te. After a dessert of canned fruit and cookies, the boys leaned back with sighs of satisfaction.

"Now, Tony," Joe said, "give us the story of the goings-on here."

"Okay. The trouble started right after I arrived," Tony began. "A fis.h.i.+ng boat put in at the mouth of the river, and the crew tried to bribe me to leave my post."

"Then what?" Chet asked, wide-eyed.

"I told 'em to scram," Tony said disgustedly. "If I'd left this spot unguarded, those crooks would have seined all the fish out of the river. And it's 39 my job to see that they don't! This is protected water."

"Did you report the incident?" Frank inquired.

"Sure," Tony nodded. "I sent word to the authorities in Juneau and a couple of special agents came here. They staked out undercover and kept watch for three days, but nothing happened. Then, the very night after they left, someone took some pot shots at me while I was sleeping. You can see the bullet holes in my tent." He pointed to rents in the khaki covering.

"Wow!" Chet exclaimed. "You must be up against a dangerous bunch!"

"You're telling me!" said Tony. "Seems to me that ordinary fish poachers wouldn't risk a murder. The way I figured, something big must be going on and someone's awfully anxious to get me away from here. That's when I decided to send for you fellows."

Frank and Joe mulled over this information while Ted prepared to leave in his own small outboard motorboat. The others accompanied him down to the dock and unloaded the pup tent and sleeping bags from Tony's boat.

Ted shook hands all around before shoving off. "Nice meeting you fellows," he said earnestly. "If you get a chance, I hope you can solve the mystery of my father's disappearance."

"We'll try," Frank promised.

40 Later, after the pup tent had been erected and the sleeping bags stowed, the Hardys told Tony about their own adventures since receiving his telegram.

"I think you're right, Tony," Joe concluded. "There's a gang behind all this, and they're after something bigger than salmon. If that spy Stran-sky is mixed up in it, they may be a foreign group."

Frank's eyes narrowed and he snapped his fingers. "You know, Aunt Gertrude may have given us a valuable clue!"

"What do you mean?" Joe asked.

"That moon rocket she told us about. If it dropped in this area, foreign agents may be trying to find it before any Americans do."

"That makes sense," Joe agreed. "Maybe we've got a rocket search on our hands after all."

The afternoon pa.s.sed quickly while the boys busied themselves with camp ch.o.r.es. At seven o'clock they ate supper, then talked over their plans until nightfall. When it was dark, Tony said, "Come on. I'll show you a real salmon run!"

The boys crossed to the west bank by boat, then made their way along the sh.o.r.e to the falls. The moon had gone behind a cloud, so Tony aimed his flashlight toward the cascading waters. The others gasped at the spectacle.

"Oh, man! What I'd give to cast a line in there!" Chet exclaimed.

41 The river was alive with salmon! Glinting pink and silver in the beam of light, the fish were leaping and wriggling their way up the six-foot falls.

"Talk about a subway rus.h.!.+" Joe chuckled. "What makes them so anxious to get upriver?"

"Sort of a homing instinct," Tony replied. "When they're two to six years old, depending on the species, they head back to fresh water where they were born. Then they lay their eggs and die."

To keep from frightening the salmon, Tony used his light only in brief flashes. One of the flashes revealed a set of stone steps in the waterfall.

"It's called a ladder," Tony explained. "The Fish and Wildlife Service installs them in many streams to help the salmon make their leaps."

By the time they returned to camp, the newcomers were yawning and ready to crawl into their sleeping bags. The next morning, after a refres.h.i.+ng sleep, they ate a hearty breakfast of bacon, eggs, and fried potatoes. Then Frank suggested that they make a tour of the island to check for clues.

"Good idea," Tony agreed.

As they strode along, the Hardys kept constantly on the alert for any signs of a sneak visit by their enemies. Suddenly Joe let out a cry.

"Look!" he exclaimed, pointing to the ground ahead.

42 A fresh trail of footprints led from the underbrush down to the water and back! They had obi viously been made by two persons. Frank studied" the prints with keen interest and called hiar brother's attention to the heelmarks. Each contained a circle and star.

"The same kind of heelmarks Stransky made back at the Bayport airfield," Frank commented.

"Good night! You don't mean that same guy is here here too?" Chet burst out. too?" Chet burst out.

Frank shook his head. "Stransky couldn't have made both sets of prints, even if he managed to break jail. But they may have been made by men working with him or for him."

"The same guys who took those pot shots at me?" Tony asked with a worried look.

Frank shrugged. "No telling, but these prints aren't more than a few hours old. Whoever made them was here on the island last night!"

CHAPTER V.