CRIME AND MYSTERY.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 138, 12 June 1926, Page 25

CRIME AND MYSTERY.

CONSTABLES OF THE CLOUDS.

RENEGADE COOK'S CRIME.

Man Who Robbed His Mates.—The Blur in the Sky.—Real Movies. Uncharted Country. —A Government Party.—The Cook Who Vamoosed. A Deserted Camp.—An Extra Pair of Boots The Chase.—Trekking Through the Woods.— Burning His Boats—-A Campfire Council. — We've Got Him, Boys ! Whizz in the Sky. The Policeman's Descent. Cooked I

Ik magazines and In the movies thrilling tales have been told of heroines rescued from the clutches of villains and of desperadoes run to earth through the instrumentality of the airplane, one of the latest erms of the law. The capture Is not hard when it is all planned beforehand by the author or scenario writer. But here Is the story of how a criminal was actually brought to justice and the comrades he had wronged redressed, when the air patrol of the Ontario Government took a hand in the game and outwitted a fugitive who had made careful plans for escape and felt secure in the vastness of the North. Out in uncharted country south of James Bay a little party of Government workers were camped. Their task was to survey the territory in that region, much of it never before trodden by the feet of white men. Camp had been struck close to a little lake where, when the day's work had been done the met could enjoy the twilight hours fishing from their canoes or snapping yarns as they sat smoking by the lake side, with backs to the pine trees, as they watched the sun westering in a cloudless sky. Hard by, the waters of the Bilibi River rolled northwards to the bay. The party had been at work a few days when, on returning to the camp one evening with appetites whetted for supper, and the smell of coffee invitingly suggesting itself to expectant nostrils, they ound instead of a tasty meal a deserted camp and a cold cook stove. The camp cook was missing. There was naturally some disappointment, and conjecture as to what had happened. Many strange things do happen in the North, and it was thought that perhaps the cook had taken a little jaunt on his own and had lost track of the time. Camp life teaches one to accept these and other things philosophically, and so the men, most of whom were as handy with a frying pan as with a theodolite, soon prepared their own meal and appeased their hunger, and then, lighting their pipes, waited to fling some good-humoured banter at the cook when he should return. Instead, one of the party, going into his tent for some tobacco, found that his coat was missing, along with a watch and other artic'es. He inquired among his comrades; perhaps he had left it in another tent. Search was made and then it was discovered that the most valuable belongings of all the men were missing. The camp had evidently been thoroughly ransacked. From the cook's quarters everything had gone, Including extra pairs of boots. No boots were missing in the other £ents, and it was pretty clear that the man who had taken the extra pairs of boots was the owner of them. Decide To Give Chase. Indignation boiled up In the men at the trick that had been played on them. The articles that were missing were not of great value, but their loss meant much to these men. There was a certain amount of money gonej but fortunately they wen paid by cheques from the Government and not in cash, or the thief's haul might have been greater. However, once the theft was discovered, it was decided to give chase there nnd then, although it was recognised that the man would have several hours* start, having apparently laid his plans with that end in view. It was not hard to imagine where he had gone. Trekking it through the forest with the amount of loot that he had taken was obviously out of the question, as he might not hit a civilised post for a hundred miles or more. The only feasible way of escape was the river, and here again the possibility narrowed itself down -to an alternative. Either he had gone downstream to James Bay and Fort Moose or upstream In the direction of Old Ontario. The latter supposition was most feasible, as there would be more chance of detection in the sparsely populated territory of the north, whereas if the man got to Cochrane he would soon be.able to cover his tracks. Was there any chance of catching up with him? It was decided to try, anyway. But the cook (for the party was pretty well decided this was Who the marauder was) had almost literally, "burned his boats" behind him. He had, as a matter of fact, as subsequent investigation showed, cut all the remaining canoes loose on the Abitibi River and left them to float. down stream to James Bay, while In the remaining canoe he had paddled southwards. All hope of following him on the river had therefore to be abandoned, and.vnight drawing on the party had, perforce, to sit on their heels for the time at least. A :■:■. mpiire council was held, however, as - 'might have imagined in the long ceii....;c.'s before, Indian pow-wows were held. And as might have happened at tbe Indian council when some novel Idea for a raid or hunting expedition was born, bo from the white men's council seat, which was a fallen tree, a man sprang and executed a little dance in the council chamber, whose walls were the tapering pines and. whose dome the darkling sky. "We'll get him, boys," he exclaimed, "We're not beaten yet. Send Out' S.O.S. So it was that on the next day from the banks of the river three columns of dark smoke curled upwards, at fairly long intervals. It was not the blue smoke of dry wood, but the thick, acrid smoke of damp wood and leaves. Three lofty towers reared their heads to the sky. - It was the S.O.S. of the North visible for great distances on a clear day. The surveying party had gone about its labours again, for though black flies bite and cooks decamp, work has still to be done, and one man had been left behind to tend the fires and lookafter the camp. Away to the north, somewhere In the region of Missakami Lake, a Government one of the trusty H.S.Mj.'s, with its 400-h.p. Liberty engine, pushing it along at a leisurely fifty miles an hour, was travelling south-eastwards almost Into the eye of the sun. Nearly due north tbe waters of James Bay glistened in the sunshine. Southwards the thin line of the Little Abitibi River could be seen winding its way Irom the silver expanse that was Little Abitibi Lake. A placid waste of forest, land and lakes, threaded with silver streaks that were rivers, stretched out beneath the observer's gaze. Then, further to the south, his eye detected three wisps of smoke in the clear sky, Tha pilot was quickly communicated with and the nose of the machine veered from south-east to south. The roar of the engine Intensified. The landscape began to skim by faster and faster. The machine crossed and recrossed the Abitibi River in its southward course and within forty minutes, having covered as many miles, the flying boat was skimming to rest on the water. - The surveying party, a few miles away, had heard its welcome hum and \ extended mutual congratulations on the speedy response to their message.

A few minutes later the familiar note was again heard and the party in the woods rightly surmised that the story of the theft had been told and the pilot was out to add the duty of policeman "to his many other tasks. Rising to a good altitude, he turned his machine in the direction of Remy Lake station, headquarters of the northern patrol, reaching his destination in a short time. Law Grips The Cook. Meanwhile on the Abitibi River the erstwhile cook was piloting his canoe southwards upstream, taking his paddling quite leisurely, as one easy in mind that he had shown his campmates a clean pair of heels. Par away to the south a blur in the sky indicated where Cochrane was located, but that was the only sign of human life In the vicinity. The August day wore on and then, as the cook was thinking of pulling in under a clamp of to enjoy a meal from the ample stock of provisions he had provided for himself, he noticed another canoe glide out from behind a spur In the bank and he found himself side by side with a determined-looking provincial policeman. There was do beaming about the bush. The law had Its grip on the cook. He was safely lodged in gaol,- and In due time received his ientence. But the story does not quite end there. The conclusion came a cay after the capture of the fugitive cook, when the H.S.2L. once more glided down alongside the surveyors' camp, to unload the stolen goods, and, best of all, a supercargo in the shape- of a first-class cook, who gave efficient service until the season's work was .done. Profuse were the thanks of the party to those who had brought assistance from the sky, oct the pilot waived them aside as he clambered back into the machine. "It's all in the day's work," he commented, and amid the shouted good wishes of the assembled men the machine too!- off on its northward trip to make ready for the work of the morrow.