CHAPTER XX A MESSAGE FROM THE AIR
A cup of perfect coffee, followed by a dash into the bracing Arcticmorning, completely revived Marian's spirits. Casting one longing lookbackward at the mysterious treasure of ancient dishes and old ivory,throwing doubt and discouragement to the winds, with energy and courageshe set herself to face the problems of the day.
The passing of the rapids by the overland trail was all that their hosthad promised. Struggling over rocky, snow-packed slopes; slipping,sliding, buffeted by strong winds, beaten back by swinging overhangingbranches of ancient spruce and firs, they made their way pantinglyforward until at last, with a little cry of joy, Marian saw their ownsleds in the trail ahead.
"That's over," she breathed. "How thankful I am that we did not attemptto make it with the sleds, or with our treasure on the backs of the deer.There would not have been left a fragment of our dishes as big as a dime.As for the sleds, well it simply couldn't be done."
"_No-me_," sighed Attatak.
"I wonder how he could have brought them by the rapids?" Marian mused asshe examined the sleds. There were flakes of ice frozen to the runners.She could only guess at the method he had used, only dimly picture thestruggle it must have taken. Even as she attempted to picture the nightbattle, a great wave of admiration and trust swept over her.
"The treasure is safer in his hands than in ours," she told herself.
"But, after it has left his hands?" questioned her doubting self.
"Oh well," she sighed at last, "what must be, will be. The importantthing after all is to reach the station before the Agent has started onhis way."
Again her brow clouded. What if there was no one to go back with her?
To dispel this doubt, she hastened to hitch her deer to her sled. Soonthey were racing away over the trail, causing the last miles of theirlong journey to melt away like ice in the river before a spring thaw.
In the meantime a third startling revelation had come to Patsy. First shehad discovered that at least one of the persons connected with thestrange purple flame was a girl. Next she had found the red trail ofblood that apparently was made by one of Marian's slain deer, and whichled to the door of their tent. The third discovery had nothing to do withthe first two, nor with the purple flame. It was of a totally differentnature, and was most encouraging.
"If only Marian were here!" she said to herself as she paced the floorafter receiving the important message.
This message came to her over the radiophone. It was not meantparticularly for her, nor for Marian. It was just news; not much morethan a rumor, at that. Yet such news as it was, if only it were true!
Faint and far away, it came drifting in upon the air from some powerfulsending station. Perhaps that station was Fairbanks, Dawson or Nome. Shemissed that part of the message.
Only this much came to her that night as she sat at their compact,powerful receiving set, beguiling the lonesome hours by catching snatchesof messages from near and far:
"Rumor has it that the Canadian Government plans the purchase of reindeerto be given to her Eskimo people on the north coast of the Arctic. Fiveor six hundred will be purchased as an experiment, if the plan carries.It seems probable that the deer purchased will be procured in Alaska. Itis thought possible to drive herds across the intervening space and overthe line from Alaska, and that in this way they may be purchased by theCanadian Agent on Canadian soil. A call for such herds may be issuedlater over the radio, as it is well known that many owners of herds havetheir camps equipped with radio-phones."
There the message ended. It had left Patsy in a fever of excitement.Marian and her father wished to sell the herd. It was absolutelynecessary to sell it if Marian's hopes of continuing her education werenot to be blasted. There was no market now for a herd in Alaska. In thefuture, as pastures grew scarcer, and as herds increased in numbers,there would be still less opportunity for a sale.
"What a wonderful opportunity!" Patsy exclaimed. "To sell the whole herdto a Government that would pay fair prices and cash! And what a gloriousadventure! To drive a reindeer herd over hundreds of miles of rivers,forests, tundra, hills and mountains; to camp each night in some spotwhere perhaps no man has been before; surely that would be wonderful!Wonderful!"
Just at that moment there entered her mind a startling thought.Scarberry's camp, too, was equipped with a radio-phone. Probably he, too,at this very moment, was smiling at the prospect of selling six hundredof his deer. He wanted to sell. Of course he did. Everyone did. He wouldmake the drive. Certainly he would.
"And then," she breathed, pressing her hands to her fluttering heart,"then it will be a race; a race between two reindeer herd; a race overhundreds of miles of wilderness for a grand prize. What a gloriousadventure!"
"If only Marian were here," she sighed again. "The message announcing theplans may come while she is gone. Then--"
She sat in a study for a long time. Finally she whispered to herself:
"If the message comes while she is gone; if the opportunity is sure to belost unless the herd starts as soon as the message comes, I wonder if I'ddare to start on the race with the herd, with Terogloona and withoutMarian and Attatak. I wonder if I would?"
For a long time she sat staring at the fire. Perhaps she was attemptingto read the answer in the flames.
At last, with cheeks a trifle flushed, she sprang to her feet, did threeor four leaps across the floor, and throwing off her clothing, creptbetween the deer-skins in the strange little sleeping compartment.