k."

A little after twelve o'clock, a boy arrived from the other side of the
river, carrying Norman's dinner in a basket. The messenger was from the
Alberta Hotel and he also carried a note from Paul announcing that no
answer had yet been received to Colonel Howell's telegram.

As the afternoon wore slowly away, Norman became more and more
apprehensive. It was nearly six o'clock when Paul came in sight,
breathless and exhausted from his rapid climb up the hill. Norman could
not resist a sigh of relief when he saw that the delay was not due to any
new indiscretion of the young Austrian.

"I don't blame you," panted Paul, "and I bet you've been sweating blood.
I don't deserve anything else, but you're going to save a lot of time if
you'll just forget what I used to be. I ain't going to make any promises,
but I'll show all of you that I'm not what you all thought I was."

Norman only smiled, but he gave his young friend a look of sympathy. Then
he announced a little variation in the general plan.

"We're so late now that it's goin' to be dark before we get back and a
little further delay won't do any harm. Just back of the new H. B.
Company store I remember there's quite an open space on the other side of
the town. We're flying pretty light and I think we'll cross the river,
make a landing there, and get a couple of tins of gasoline. We want an
extra supply on hand."

This flight was easily accomplished but it involved an experience that
Norman had not anticipated. Having made a safe landing, while he visited
the trading post and arranged to have oil delivered at once, nearly
everyone in Athabasca Landing seemed to learn of the arrival of the
airship. When he came riding back to the monoplane, in the delivery
wagon, the _Gitchie Manitou_ was the center of a mob of curious people.
The sergeant of police was there, as well as the people from the hotel.
It was impossible to leave at once. Politeness demanded decent replies to
many inquiries but Norman almost felt repaid when he noted that this was
the first meeting during the day between Paul and his old friend, the
Mounted Policeman.

Yet, in the midst of the general greeting, the boys finally took their
leave. As they swung over the city and the river, the mist was beginning
to rise from the latter. For a part of the return trip at least, Norman
knew that he would have to resort to his compass or to the guidance of
the varying air currents that marked the river cours