Hardy Boys Mystery Series

THE ARCTIC PATROL MYSTERYBy FRANKLIN W. DIXONNo. 48 in the Hardy Boys series,This is the original 1969 text.The Hardy Boys go to Iceland to locate a missing man and foil a plot aimed against theNASA moon project. As of 2002, this is the only version of this book.From the inside cover:Private investigator Fenton Hardy enlists the aid of his teen-age detective sons in asearch for a missing man being sought by an insurance company. All leads to the sailor'swhereabouts have petered out and the boys fly to Iceland, the man's native land, hoping tofind a new clue.From the moment Frank and Joe arrive in Reykjavik, the capital city of Iceland, they arein constant danger. They are shadowed by a mysterious blond man who is later responsiblefor the crash landing of their chartered plane on a vast glacier. Stranded in a fierce blizzard,the detective brothers narrowly escape death. Other perils confront them when their friendsChet Morton and Biff Hooper vanish under alarming circumstances.In the spine-chilling pursuit that follows, Frank and Joe uncover a diabolical espionageplot that threatens the life of a U.S. astronaut and NASA's moon project.The Hardy Boys series by Franklin W. Dixon, the first 58 titles.The first year is the original year. The second is the year it was revised.01 The Tower Treasure 1927, 195902 The House on the Cliff 1927, 195903 The Secret of the Old Mill 1927, 196204 The Missing Chums 1927, 196205 Hunting for Hidden Gold 1928, 196306 The Shore Road Mystery 1928, 196407 The Secret of the Caves 1929, 196508 The Mystery of Cabin Island 1929, 196609 The Great Airport Mystery 1930, 196510 What Happened at Midnight 1931, 196711 While the Clock Ticked 1932, 196212 Footprints Under the Window 1933, 196213 The Mark on the Door 1934, 196714 The Hidden Harbor Mystery 1935, 196115 The Sinister Sign Post 1936, 196816 A Figure in Hiding 1937, 196517 The Secret Warning 1938, 196618 The Twisted Claw 1939, 196419 The Disappearing Floor 1940, 196420 The Mystery of the Flying Express 1941, 196821 The Clue of the Broken Blade 1942, 196922 The Flickering Torch Mystery 1943, 17123 The Melted Coins 1944, 197024 The Short Wave Mystery 1945, 196625 The Secret Panel 1946, 196926 The Phantom Freighter 1947, 197027 The Secret of Skull Mountain 1948, 1966

28 The Sign of the Crooked Arrow 1949, 197029 The Secret of the Lost Tunnel 1950, 196830 The Wailing Siren Mystery 1951, 196831 The Secret of Wildcat Swamp 1952, 196932 The Crisscross Shadow 1953, 196933 The Yellow Feather Mystery 1953, 197134 The Hooded Hawk Mystery 1954, 197135 The Clue in the Embers 1955, 197236 The Secret of Pirates' Hill 1956, 197237 The Ghost of Skeleton Rock 1957, 196638 The Mystery at Devil's Paw 1959, 197339 The Mystery of the Chinese Junk 196040 The Mystery of the Desert Giant 196141 The Clue of the Screeching Owl 196242 The Viking Symbol Mystery 196343 The Mystery of the Aztec Warrior 196444 The Haunted Fort 196545 The Mystery of the Spiral Bridge 196646 The Secret Agent on Flight 101 196747 The Mystery of the Whale Tattoo 196848 The Arctic Patrol Mystery 196949 The Bombay Boomerang 197050 Danger on the Vampire Trail 197151 The Masked Monkey 197252 The Shattered Helmet 197353 The Clue of the Hissing Serpent 197454 The Mysterious Caravan 197555 The Witch-Master's Key 197656 The Jungle Pyramid 197757 Mystery of the Firebird Rocket 197858 Sting of the Scorpion 1979NEW YORKGROSSET & DUNLAP

Publishers

Printed in the United States of America

CONTENTSI Icelandic SecretII Thug for HireIII An Ancient CustomIV Astronauts' SaluteV The Boiling PitVI Tricked in the SkyVII A Harrowing BlizzardVIII Something FishyIX Man of the SeaX The Arctic PatrolXI Over the Waves

XII A Mysterious OfferXIII EavesdroppersXIV A Perfect DisguiseXV A Bad BreakXVI The BoxesXVII Shut InXVIII Divide and Conquer!XIX Hijackers!XX Cool Hand ChetCHAPTER I

Icelandic Secret

"How would you boys like to fly to Iceland?" Mr. Hardy asked his sons.Frank and Joe, seated in their father's study on the second floor of the Hardy home inBay-port, looked stunned."Iceland? Up near the Arctic Circle?" asked blond-haired, seventeen-year-old Joe.Frank, dark-haired and a year older, had the same incredulous look as his brother, buthe realized that his famous detective father was not joking. "Of course, Dad! What's thepitch? Another mystery?"Fenton Hardy rocked slightly in his high-backed swivel chair. "I would call it a mildmystery compared with some others you've handled. But it could develop into the mostdangerous one yet, provided . . ." Frowning, he paused for a moment.12 The Arctic Patrol MysteryJoe queried excitedly, "Provided what, Dad?""That depends on another assignment I'm not at liberty to reveal. It's top secret-for themoment at least. Your job is to find a man named Rex Hallbjornsson. An insurance companywants to pay him fifty thousand dollars."Frank smiled. "That's not hard to take. Who left him that tidy little fortune?""A person whose life he saved at sea.""Then this Hallb-what's his name-is a sailor?" Joe asked."Right. Probably one reason why Hallbjornsson hasn't been found. And I have a hunchhis long Scandinavian name might have something to do with it, too."Mr. Hardy quickly outlined the important facts. The missing man's last known addresswas a London steamship company. That was before his ship was sunk by a drifting mine offthe coast of France. European detectives tracked him to a family on the coast of Brittany,but Hallbjornsson had long since gone from there. He did leave a clue-a scrap of paperwhich bore the word 'Island.'"Island is the Icelandic word for Iceland," Mr. Hardy explained. "Hallbjornsson would bein his sixties by now. My guess is that he returned to his native land. Your mission-track himdown. There's a direct flight from New York to Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland."Icelandic Secret 3"What about Chet?" Joe asked. "Can he come with us?"Chet Morton was the Hardys' best friend. He was a stout boy, great as a lineman on theBay-port High football team, but less than enthusiastic as a sleuth. Chet would side-stepdanger, if possible. However, when the chips were down, he always proved to be a true pal.He was fond of food and hobbies, the latter changing as often as the weather.Mr. Hardy pondered the question about Chet in silence for a few moments. "Yes," hesaid finally, "Chet might be of assistance as well as good company. But you must warn himto be silent. Premature disclosure of our plans could prove disastrous."Frank and Joe made careful note of their father's warning, because Fenton Hardy was