Trouble in the Pipeline Read Online Free Page A

rifle casually at waist level, the man trotted toward them with the dog at his side.
    "Hello!" the man greeted the boys. "You had a little scare there, eh?"
    As he got closer Frank and Joe could see that he was a native Alaskan. His face was a perfect circle of copper-colored leather that had to have taken many years outdoors to acquire. Squinting in the sunlight, his shiny black-pebble eyes were surrounded by deep lines.
    "I thought we were dead. Thanks," Frank said simply, and extended his hand in greeting. "Boy, were we glad to see you."
    The man laughed and then shook his head. "Not much you can do when a bear's hungry."
    "I guess not," Joe said, glancing upstream to make sure the bear had really gone. He saw only the river and the endless barren hills.
    "Are you hunting?" the man asked, looking them over skeptically.
    "Uh, not exactly," Frank said.
    "I hope not. Not in those clothes," the stranger remarked, pointing to their sneakers. "Need some help?"
    They nodded eagerly. "Guess you could say that. We don't even know where we are. We had an emergency and had to jump from our plane."
    The man scanned the area without speaking. He thought he might see the wreckage of a crash. "Too bad. You both okay?" was all he said. He obviously didn't want to pry.
    "Yeah, we're okay. Just a little tired. We'd like to get to Prudhoe," Joe said. "Do you know the way?"
    "No problem. I'm a hunting and fishing guide. My name's Virgil Asuluk."
    Frank and Joe breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm Joe Hardy, and this is my brother, Frank."
    "Pleased to meet you. This is Tanook. He's a lead dog. Very good animal." Tanook was a large, silvery husky, with the big chest and broad head characteristic of his breed. When Virgil began to walk off, Tanook sprang to his side.
    They picked up their parachute and followed Virgil along the river. He explained that one of his fishing camps was at the mouth of the river. "My helicopter is there. I'll fly you back to Prudhoe."
    "Helicopter?" Joe asked.
    "Times have changed. We have planes and snowmobiles. But we also keep our good friends, like Tanook."
    The dog barked once at his name, and a helicopter circled them lazily.
    The Hardys explained why they were in Alaska as they trudged along.
    "Those companies are not good," Virgil said, shaking his head when he'd heard their story. "Often they won't hire the Aleut or the Athapas-kan, and we make complaints." He explained to the Hardys about the different tribes of Indian and Eskimo peoples in the north. "Sometimes you have to pay to get a job." His eyes were open wide to emphasize the shock.
    "That's what our friends found out. And one got chased home, and the other one has disappeared. Now we've been kidnapped and almost killed. It looks as if it might be more serious than just kickbacks for jobs." Frank was grim as he marched along, matching his pace to Virgil's.
    "Not good, not good." Virgil shook his head and paused. "You must find your friend."
    An hour later they came to a small flat plain at the mouth of the river. Across the open space a dozen tethered dogs barked happily to greet their master. Strips of raw fish were hung out on large wooden racks to dry in the sun. A fishing boat lay on its side in the grass, and a red and white helicopter stood off by itself like a giant, futuristic insect.
    Virgil led the Hardys to the chopper. He climbed up on the strut and put his rifle inside. Then he turned the ignition key to activate the battery. Rock music boomed out of the open door. Virgil grinned. "New speakers—put them in myself."
    "Great." Joe's eyes shone. The thought of whipping through the sky on the wings of full-blast rock 'n' roll was kind of exciting.
    "I have lots of tapes. You can pick what you like for the trip later." Virgil shut down the system. "But right now let's get you something warm to drink."
    He led the way toward a small sod hut that had grass sprouting on its roof. Some rough wooden beams framed the door and the small windows on each