The Project Gutenberg eBook of Arctic angels This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this ebook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook. Title: Arctic angels Author: A. DeHerries Smith Illustrator: Clarence Rowe Release date: April 25, 2024 [eBook #73460] Language: English Original publication: New York, NY: The Butterick Publishing Company, 1928 Credits: Roger Frank and Sue Clark *** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ARCTIC ANGELS *** A Story of the Northwest Mounted By A. DeHerries Smith ARCTIC ANGELS ------------- Howls floated out on the thin Arctic air, filling rock-walled Kannequoq Inlet with dirge-like notes. A dozen gaunt huskies padded to and fro near the red boulders to which they were tied; they eyed one another in murderous speculation, straining uselessly at the tethering sticks fastened to their shaggy necks. Occasionally one of the animals halted its ceaseless trotting, squatted and, elevating a long wolf snout, sent out another wail to echo and re-echo back from the granite cliffs. “Rotten! Rotten! Rotten!” Sergeant Richard Cleaver muttered to himself, striding up and down the narrow confines of the Mounted Police detachment building. “That brute Scarth is torturing those dogs just for pure devilment; can’t be any other reason that I can see. For five cents I’d go down there and shoot up the whole works.” Peering through one of the little windows, he gazed down at the trader’s roof, set on a lower rock ledge, and then at the whimpering blurs beyond. A moon faced halfbreed, lounging in the post doorway, glanced up at the huskies and spat contemptuously. Apparently the man saw something humorous in the situation. Yellow teeth showed momentarily when the native tore off another mouthful of tobacco from a black plug. Thin columns of smoke continued to well up undisturbed from the huddle of skin _tupiks_, sheltering beneath the cliffs from the ever present winds. But beyond the curling smoke there was no movement; none of the Eskimo inhabitants took any notice of the starving animals’ plea for food. With a curse, the sergeant swung away from the window to glare at Constable Timothy Noonan’s thick frame stretched on his bunk. “Helluva lot you care, you fat lobster!” Cleaver threw out at the slumbering man’s round, freckled face. “You don’t give a hoot about the prestige of the service, do you? Said you’d never make a dog man, and that goes! Blah!” An angelic smile stole across the sleeper’s features. He rolled over lazily, grunting his contentment. Sergeant Cleaver snorted and stamped out of the cabin, crashing the door behind him. * * * * * Sergeant Cleaver shrugged his khaki service tunic up on wide shoulders, staring across the inlet at the precipitous coastline beyond. Already the brown hillsides were showing red where the lichens were commencing to take on their summer hue. There was a faint hint of green at the blue white glacier’s foot. A brilliant sun shone down out of an amazingly blue sky. “Spring, all right,” he mumbled to himself as gray eyes roved over the ice pans and bergs tinkling together in the bay. “Another eight months’ winter over, and I ought to be tickled pink. Damn Scarth and his dogs, anyhow!” The supply ship would probably be coming in another month or so, but he couldn’t go out on leave with all these sick and starving Eskimos on his hands, the sergeant ruminated, when his gaze swung about to the huddle of _tupiks_. Had to look after the poor devils somehow. “I’ll make him feed those dogs, at any rate,” he said with sudden decision. Quick fingers fastened the glinting brass buttons of the faded tunic, as soft stepping sealskin boots carried him downward in long strides. A sudden chorus of expectant howls broke out from the watching huskies when Cleaver passed Scarth’s fish cache, and swung in at the trader’s open door. The sergeant’s keen ears picked up a low whistle when he stepped into the post’s dim interior and stood, motionless, waiting for his eyes to become accustomed to the gloom. “That you, Uluk?” he queried, blundering forward. Twin grunts answered and, following the direction, he made out two lounging blurs behind the wood heater’s rounded shape. “Look here, Scarth, you’ll have to feed those dogs,” Cleaver announced, pushing forward until he was looking down at the trader’s narrow face and flickering eyes. “Huh—huh,” Scarth grunted, giving the faintly grinning Uluk a soft kick on the leg with his sealskin mukluks. “What the heck am I goin’ to feed ’em on, eh? You Arctic angels goin’ to tumble down a bunch of manna, eh?” The trader’s narrow shoulders quivered slightly. To cover the motion he jumped erect, pulling up his ever slipping and dirty mackinaw shirt. A yellow hand waved toward his empty shelves. “Yes, I know you’re traded out,” Sergeant Cleaver agreed, ignoring the tone as he followed the gesture. “No grub left. You can fish though, can’t you?” “Nothin’ doin’,” Scarth laughed. “That’s a native’s job. Think I’m goin’ to have the Esks see me an’ lose my white man’s rep? Not so’s you’d notice it.” “Well, what about Uluk?” “Uluk?” Scarth replied, a note of feigned astonishment in his tone. “Why, the lad’s half white, ain’t he? Got to look after his rep too. Don’t want to have the Esks see him workin’. No, sir.” The halfbreed grinned faintly in response to the trader’s nudge. “Well if it wasn’t for the fact that you’d report it and I’d be replying to fool questions from headquarters for the next two years, I’d shoot your blasted huskies,” Cleaver rumbled. He wheeled away, pacing up and down the post’s earthen floor, followed by two pairs of amused eyes. Only just enough dog feed left to keep the police huskies going until the supply ship got in, the Mountie reflected. Out of the question to feed Scarth’s animals on his team rations. And the hungry Eskimos had eaten their sled dogs long since. “Hey!” Scarth’s thin voice came suddenly. “Lookit, Cleaver. That skin boat of your’n is the only thing left in Kannequoq that’ll float. There’s walrus out there on the floes. Red meat. Why don’t you go out an’ belt one down for the Esks? I’ll buy the scraps for the dogs. How’s that?” Again Cleaver sensed thinly covered insult in the little man’s tones and again he ignored it. Under other conditions he would have quickly removed the sneer from that weasel face, but now only one thought pulsed through his brain—how to feed the Eskimos and those yowling brutes up on the rocks. * * * * * Followed by twin grins of satisfaction, the Mountie padded to the door to stare out across the ice filled inlet. Yes, there were walrus out on the float ice; he had seen them through the glasses. It was as much as a man’s life was worth, though, to venture out among those razor edged pans in a frail skin boat. Cleaver clenched brown fists, swung away from the post and, padding across the ice polished rocks, reached the first of the _tupiks_. For a moment he stood with one hand on the caribou skin that served for a door, his sunburned face wrinkled in disgust. Abominable odors floated out on the crisp air from the _tupik_; the stench of unwashed humans, half tanned deerskins, moldy furs. Cleaver pulled out a handkerchief and, holding it across his mouth and nostrils, ducked his long body and came upright in the _tupik_. The foul smelling interior was littered with the Eskimos’ priceless possessions; they were too far gone now with the coast sickness to care. Wooden pans sewn with rawhide, and stone cooking pots were thrown about in confusion. The floor was a wild jumble of feverish natives rolling about on bearskins, sealing spears, snowshoes and mukluks. “By Christopher, they’ve got to have red meat or they’ll all kick out,” the Mountie said to himself, staring down on the emaciated, yellow faces. “Guess I’ve got to do it.” “Oh, Kanneyok,” Cleaver called in the Innuit tongue. “I come bearing a message. Listen well, O you people of the ice.” Three tousled heads were elevated for a moment above the skins; a thin arm waved to signify that the message had been heard. “Thus and thus,” the sergeant called in Innuit through his handkerchief. “There must be red meat or you will all pass to the shadow hills. Therefore, because the great white king does not forget his people, I and the fat one go to hunt walrus. With the new sun we bring meat. I have spoken.” Faint clucking sounded when the Eskimos passed this satisfying information along. A chorus of grunts. “That’s the way to shoot it to ’em,” Scarth’s nasal tones came suddenly from the doorway. “You police sure knows your onions. Fall for this white king stuff, don’t they? But, by cripes, you’d better make good, Cleaver, or the Esks’ll give you the hee-haw from Alaska to Greenland—” “_Anumlatciaq tamna oomiak!_” a laughing voice broke in on Scarth in the Eskimo tongue. There followed a crisp oath from the trader, the sound of a blow, and a yelp from Uluk. “_Anumlatciaq tamna oomiak!_ The skin boat it never goes out!” Cleaver translated the halfbreed’s phrase slowly, subconsciously aware that the sick Eskimos had heard and understood the words. Several of them were sitting upright, bony faces staring over at the door flap. “By God, I’ve stood all I’m going to take from you and that grinning breed of yours!” the Mountie roared, gripped by long suppressed passion. One leap carried him across the littered _tupik_. Two hard hands fastened on Scarth’s scrawny throat. The sergeant dragged the little man out into the glaring sunshine, shook him viciously for a long moment, and then sent him spinning with a well placed kick. The trader was on his feet again in a moment, close set eyes darting fire. He opened his slit of a mouth; then thinking better of it, he wheeled away and padded off for the post, mumbling to himself. Cleaver watched him pass out of sight; then once more he ducked back into the _tupik_, calling: “Oh, Kanneyok, I have made a true talk; I am a redcoat and you are the children of the great white king. The skin boat goes out. There will be red meat before the sun comes again. I have spoken.” “_Ai! Ai!_” A chorus of grunts answered him, but Cleaver sensed that the natives’ tones lacked conviction. Swearing softly to himself, the Mountie plunged out into the clean air and made his way up to the detachment building. * * * * * “Ain’t no way for a buck to talk to his superior, but that was a damn’ fool play,” Constable Noonan offered from his perch on the bunk. “You got us in dutch, Sergeant dear. We’ll never be able to handle the Esks again if we falls down on this job, an’ I got a hunch that’s what Mr. Scarth is after. Suit his tradin’ fine if the natives go wild an’ woolly. I ain’t no Sherlock Holmes, but if this ain’t a plant I’m a Hindoo philosopher.” “Oh, shut up!” Cleaver put in irritably. “I’ve got enough on my hands without scrapping with you. We’re going out in the skin boat in the morning, ice or no ice, and we’re going to bring back a walrus. I’ve given the king’s word for that. It’s getting dark. Any intention of feeding the dogs tonight?” “Thought you said I weren’t no dog man—” “You’ve got enough brains to feed them some tallow, at any rate,” the sergeant cut in on him. “Go out, Timothy Noonan, or I’ll throw you out!” Constable Noonan dodged about the heater, grabbed his parka off a peg and slid through the door. Once outside he listened for a moment to the ice pans’ tinkling and the mournful wailing of Scarth’s huskies. Then with an expressive shoulder shrug, Noonan made his way up to the little storehouse. The key grated in the lock, and with that well known sound eager whines burst from the dogs penned in the corral. Scarth’s starving brutes heard those expectant whimpers and filled the night air with agonized howling. It was a good three hours later when Noonan pushed in the door of the detachment building and grinned over at his chief. Cleaver was stretched on his bunk, khaki shirted, body bathed in yellow lamplight, and deep in “Soldiers Three”. The sergeant threw the book down and glared at the rubicund face. “Look here, you nighthawk,” he called. “Haven’t you got any savvy at all? You stay away from that girl, or I’ll—” “Nix on the gentle sentiment tonight,” the constable broke in. “Love’s off; murder’s on. Been prowlin’. We won’t possess any skin boat in the mornin’; the Esks will have it that the great white king ain’t the caribou’s chin whiskers no longer, an’ Scarth will be known as the very strong man from here to Hoboken.” “What’s the matter with you?” Cleaver boomed, jerking bolt upright. “Scarth wouldn’t dare break up that boat; not after that three months I got him for monkeying with our schooner last year.” “Oh, you’d be surprised!” Noonan mocked his superior. “There’s more ways of killin’ a polar bear than choking it with chocolate eclairs. Climb into your parka an’ mukluks an’ we’ll take in the movie. It’s a real fifty cent show. Come on.” * * * * * Mumbling uncomplimentary things regarding his companion’s mentality, Cleaver vaulted off the bunk, pulled on his sealskin boots and parka, and followed Noonan’s squat figure out into the night. A bright moon bathed Kannequoq Inlet, flooding the open spaces with soft radiance, softening the rugged coast’s raw contours. The two men stood motionless, ears filled with the subdued tinkling of the ice pans and the distant honking of some migrant geese seeking open water. Noonan caught the other man’s sleeve and pointed down to Scarth’s trading post. Cleaver nodded. Yes, the lights were out—and for the first time in a month the unfortunate huskies had ceased howling. He turned to peer down at the constable, but Tim avoided the glance, padding off and beckoning his comrade to follow. Swinging wide of the settlement below, the little man made his way over the moonlight bathed ridges until at length he arrived at one of the giant boulders that studded the beach. Beyond him, and less than a dozen yards away, the police skin boat lay overturned on the white sands. “Well?” the sergeant’s glance read as he lowered himself to the cold shingle alongside his comrade. Noonan made no offer to enlighten him, signaling for silence. The sergeant and the constable lay motionless, staring up at the stars. All at once the constable twisted over on his face, when Cleaver’s hard hand gripped his thick arm. A new sound had been added to the faint night noises. Both Mounties knew what it was; the soft slithering of sealskin boots over the rocks. Then suddenly two upright figures were blurred against the ice filled waters when Scarth and the halfbreed stepped down from the rocks and padded over to the skin boat. Each man was leading a number of the trader’s huskies. “_Pst!_” Noonan pulled Cleaver’s head down to him, whispering: “You’ve seen hungry dogs up here chewin’ the rawhide lashings off sleds, ain’t you? You’ve seen ’em eatin’ the sides outa skin houses, an’ gnawin’ old sealskin boots? Sure. Well, now they’re changin’ the diet; goin’ to scoff our old skin boat.” Cleaver’s right hand jerked back toward his revolver holster, but before it reached the weapon Tim’s fingers fastened on his wrist. “Not yet! Not yet!” Tim Noonan urged. “See the whole show. Comic’s comin’. Savvy what it is, Dick? We’ve given the king’s word that there’ll be red meat for the sick Esks in the mornin’ an’ Scarth has passed the talk around that there won’t be any. If there ain’t no meat our name is mud, frozen mud at that. An’ how the heck can we get walrus without a boat?” Cleaver glared down at the constable’s grinning face. What was he repeating that for, and why the blazes was he so happy about it? The sergeant wrenched his hand free, thrusting the revolver forward. At the same moment a low oath sounded from one of the two men, and Cleaver’s trigger finger relaxed. * * * * * Scarth tugged the lines off the dogs he was leading, kicking one of the starving brutes toward the walrus hide covering the _oomiak_. But instead of rushing forward and tearing at the skin the dog squatted on the shingle, staring up at its master. Three more of the released huskies lay down and curled up for immediate sleep. Some of the others commenced to wander along the beach. None of the animals took the least notice of the skin boat. Scarth’s rumbled cursing and the halfbreed’s clucking sounded dimly in the sergeant’s ears as he rolled over to stare in amazement at the bursting Noonan. “Oh, my fat sides,” Tim groaned. “Seventeen dried fish, eleven tins of bully beef, five lumps of tallow, an’ a chunk of pemmican as big as a battleship. An’ they polished off the whole works. An’ now Scarth’s offerin’ ’em a dried up old walrus skin for dessert. A dog’s life, that’s what it is.” Sudden realization stabbed Cleaver’s mind. Tim had sneaked out and fed Scarth’s starving huskies so that they would not attack the skin boat! “Listen,” Noonan’s voice came again. “Yesterday a big floe grounded beyond the point. There was a walrus on it as big as the side of a house. Uluk shot it. Get the idea? With the skin boat gone we couldn’t pull the Arctic angel stuff, and when we fell down on the job Scarth would lug in his walrus an’ get the glad hand from the Esks. Cripes, you’re in a hurry, eh?” Cleaver had vaulted from the icy ground with a catlike leap. As Noonan lumbered to his feet he heard Scarth’s surprised cry and the halfbreed’s yelp of dismay. The trader threw himself face down on the beach when the white faced sergeant raced across the slippery shingle. A single lunge brought Scarth to his feet. Then sounded the slithering of Noonan’s mukluks on the shingle as the little man raced after the grunting halfbreed. “I take it all back about the dogs, Timsy,” Cleaver yelled at the flying figure. “Damn it, I’ll recommend you for corporal’s stripes for this!” “Keep ’em!” Noonan’s voice panted. “I’m the detective sergeant of this man’s army, an’ that’s good enough for me. All right, you blubber chewer, try a taste of that!” _Whug! Whug!_ Cleaver laughed softly, turning back to the squirming Scarth. “Look here, you insignificant fragment of decayed whale meat,” he growled at the trader. “You’re too small to pound, but I have something nice in store for you. It’ll be daylight in an hour. You and the breed will cut up that walrus and bring it down here. Then you’ll keep on making soup for the Esks until they’re well again. On top of that you’re going to wash all their clothes and clean up the _tupiks_. That’s slow motion death, if you ask me. Not a word, you rat. Move!” As he shoved Scarth forward, Cleaver saw his comrade come upright and fan himself vigorously. Surrounding him were four of the satiated huskies. They sniffed gratefully at Noonan’s legs. THE END [Transcriber’s Note: This story appeared in the November 15, 1928 issue of Adventure magazine.] *** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ARCTIC ANGELS *** Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will be renamed. Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG™ concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use of the Project Gutenberg trademark. If you do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the trademark license is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and research. Project Gutenberg eBooks may be modified and printed and given away—you may do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks not protected by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the trademark license, especially commercial redistribution. START: FULL LICENSE THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK To protect the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting the free distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work (or any other work associated in any way with the phrase “Project Gutenberg”), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project Gutenberg™ License available with this file or online at www.gutenberg.org/license. Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works 1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg™ electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property (trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in your possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project Gutenberg™ electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. 1.B. “Project Gutenberg” is a registered trademark. It may only be used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg™ electronic works even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project Gutenberg™ electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg™ electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below. 1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation (“the Foundation” or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the United States and you are located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg™ works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg™ name associated with the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg™ License when you share it without charge with others. 1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project Gutenberg™ work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any country other than the United States. 1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: 1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg™ License must appear prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg™ work (any work on which the phrase “Project Gutenberg” appears, or with which the phrase “Project Gutenberg” is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, copied or distributed: This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook. 1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg™ electronic work is derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase “Project Gutenberg” associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg™ trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. 1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg™ electronic work is posted with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked to the Project Gutenberg™ License for all works posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work. 1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg™ License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg™. 1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project Gutenberg™ License. 1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg™ work in a format other than “Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other format used in the official version posted on the official Project Gutenberg™ website (www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original “Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg™ License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. 1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg™ works unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. 1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing access to or distributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works provided that: • You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from the use of Project Gutenberg™ works calculated using the method you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark, but he has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in Section 4, “Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.” • You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg™ License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg™ works. • You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of receipt of the work. • You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free distribution of Project Gutenberg™ works. 1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg™ electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the manager of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark. Contact the Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. 1.F. 1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project Gutenberg™ collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg™ electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain “Defects,” such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by your equipment. 1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the “Right of Replacement or Refund” described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark, and any other party distributing a Project Gutenberg™ electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE. 1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further opportunities to fix the problem. 1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you ‘AS-IS’, WITH NO OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. 1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions. 1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone providing copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg™ work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg™ work, and (c) any Defect you cause. Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg™ Project Gutenberg™ is synonymous with the free distribution of electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from people in all walks of life. Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg™’s goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg™ collection will remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure and permanent future for Project Gutenberg™ and future generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at www.gutenberg.org. Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal Revenue Service. The Foundation’s EIN or federal tax identification number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state’s laws. The Foundation’s business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up to date contact information can be found at the Foundation’s website and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation Project Gutenberg™ depends upon and cannot survive without widespread public support and donations to carry out its mission of increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be freely distributed in machine-readable form accessible by the widest array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations ($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt status with the IRS. The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate. While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who approach us with offers to donate. International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. Please check the Project Gutenberg web pages for current donation methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate. Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg™ electronic works Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg™ concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and distributed Project Gutenberg™ eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. Project Gutenberg™ eBooks are often created from several printed editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. Most people start at our website which has the main PG search facility: www.gutenberg.org. This website includes information about Project Gutenberg™, including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.