The Canadian Northwest beckons Frank and Joe Hardy to mystery and adventure. It all starts when a French-Canadian trapper, Caribou Caron, makes a historical and valuable find -- a carved rune stone left by Vikings centuries ago near Great Slave Lake. When Caribou Caron attempts to sell the artifact to a representative of a museum, it is snatched by thieves. Like the intrepid Vikings of old, Frank and Joe, with their close pal, Chet Morton, set off on a perilous quest in the Northwest Territories to recover the valuable artifact before the robbers can decipher the runic symbols telling the location of a buried treasure. A series of dangerous obstacles confront the boys as they scour the lake-dotted northland by plane and trek through the vast wilderness searching for the elusive criminals. By clever deduction and dogged determination the young sleuths pinpoint the robbers' hideout and close in for the showdown, only to be imperiled by an onrushing herd of stampeding buffalo. Again, Franklin W Dixon has woven a suspense-filled story that will thrill his worldwide legion of fans. - Flyleaf.