THE SEA FOG.
"I wonder if we"ll see anything of that mystery of Hudson Bay?" Teddy chanced to remark, while they were eating later on.
""Tis me that cares mighty little whether we do or not," Jimmy admitted, which change of tone caused the other to turn upon him and say:
"What"s all this mean, Jimmy? A little while back you were telling us that you sure hoped we"d run up against a mystery, because we"ve always been so lucky in solving such things in the days gone by. Now you seem to have changed your song."
"Lots of things have changed since you heard me pipe up that way,"
suggested Jimmy, as he poured himself another cup of coffee, which was taken black, since they had no milk, all of the condensed kind having gone with the canoes.
"But don"t you feel anxious about that queer, disappearing fleet?"
demanded Teddy.
"I"m a heap sight more concerned right now about the disappearing grub,"
he was informed. "The shape we"re putting it away tells how soon it"ll be down to the last crumb. If we keep on as we"re doing, I figure we"ve got just enough for, say two more days. Then it"s going to be a case of hustle, or go hungry."
"Oh! with our bully guns, and such clever shots along, we"ll get all the meat we want, I shouldn"t wonder. Coffee we"ll have to do without; likewise, lots of other good things. But we won"t starve, Jimmy."
"As an explorer, Teddy, I reckon you"ve read that often Dr. Kane and his Arctic expedition had to cut up their deerskin boots, and make soup out of the same. S"pose"n we had to come to that now, how"d you like it?"
and Jimmy chuckled, as he saw the other shudder.
The meal ended, and the small fire was extinguished, for these scouts had long ago learned never under any circ.u.mstances to leave a smouldering fire when breaking camp. They knew only too well that often a sudden wind arising has carried live coals from such into the dead leaves near by, and started most disastrous conflagrations.
"One good thing about this hike is that we go light," Ned told them, as they began to gather their few belongings together.
"Nothing like seeing the silver lining to the cloud," added Jack; "though, if it was put to a vote right now, I rather think every scout would agree to tote even a tent on his back, if we could in that way get our belongings again."
"Just try me, that"s what," said Jimmy. "All that fine grub wasted on a measly lot of half-breeds, who can"t appreciate a jar of orange marmalade any more"n they can olives or imported cheese. But then there"s no use crying over spilt milk, and it might have been worse."
"Yes, think of what a pickle we"d be in right now, if they"d managed to hook our guns as well as the boats and blankets?" suggested Teddy. "We"d just have to throw up our hands and surrender, then, I suppose."
"Not till we"d tried everything we could think up to beat them at their game," was Frank"s way of showing his determined nature.
Of course, once they had finished eating, there was really nothing to keep them there; and as they had no tents to take down, or dunnage to pack, it was an easy task to get started.
Francois led them straight into the south. They felt sure that they must arrive on the sh.o.r.e of the bay before a great while, for there was a decided salty tang to the air that greeted them, very gratifying to boys who had been brought up near the ocean, as these scouts had.
So far nothing had been seen or heard of the miners, whom they looked upon as their enemies. At the same time, the boys believed that the others must be diligently searching for them, and should they happen to come across their trail, a warm pursuit must follow.
In consequence of this fact, they were advised by Ned to keep on the alert.
"Let every fellow have his eyes open to discover suspicious movements,"
he told them, "and report the same to me without a second"s delay.
There"s no telling how serious it might turn out to be. But, Jimmy, don"t fancy every frisky squirrel or curious old c.o.o.n, if you glimpse any, is a spy hiding behind a tree, and ready to let loose on us with his battery."
"You"ll find that when I sound the alarm, it"s going to mean business,"
Jimmy retorted, drawing himself up proudly.
It was hard to entirely crush their boyish spirits, and while the future did not look so very bright, still they felt that they had accomplished the main object that had drawn the expedition to these parts, and could not complain. So every now and then some half-humorous remark would be made calculated to draw out an answer. Thus, in a measure their troubles were forgotten, though no one ventured to troll a ditty, as might have been the case under ordinary conditions.
The character of the country was changing again, and from what they had noticed on the former occasion, they knew that they must be drawing near the water.
There was no air stirring to blow away the damp fog wave that grew more and more dense as they advanced.
"If it rains down on us here we"ll just have to grin and bear it," Jimmy was saying, as he tripped along beside the other scouts.
"No hollow trees to crawl in, because none of these would be nearly big enough, even if we found one that was partly rotten," added Teddy.
"Make up your minds that it isn"t going to rain any until the wind comes up and drives this mist away," Jack informed them, and as he claimed to be something of a weather prophet they believed him.
"I"m wet, as it is, from the fog," said Frank.
"Listen!" exclaimed Jack, just then.
Jimmy started to turn his head around so fast that it seemed in danger of coming loose.
"Where, what, why, how?" he spluttered, as he half-raised his rifle, as though taking the alarm.
"Oh! I only meant that I could get the lazy wash of the water rolling up on the sandy beach," replied Jack, grinning to see how his innocent exclamation had excited Jimmy.
"Next time," mumbled the other, "I"d thank you to tell what you mean right away. It would save a poor feller from havin" palpitation of the heart, which they tell me is bad for the appet.i.te."
"Then let"s all get it, Jimmy," chuckled Frank, "because no appet.i.te means that we wouldn"t have to bother looking up new supplies of grub.
But that is the sea you hear running up on the sh.o.r.e, Jack, which shows how close we are to the bay."
A minute later and they could see signs of the salt water, though the fog was so dense that it was impossible to look out further than a dozen or two yards.
"I suppose that happens quite a lot of times up here?" remarked Jack, as they stood on the bank and stared out into that sea of mist, which hid everything as with a blanket.
"They have fogs along off the coast of New Foundland, where the cod banks lie," Ned observed, "which comes from the fact that the cold currents of air from the Arctic meet with the warm Gulf Stream there, as it turns and heads toward Europe. That makes the fog, you know; but I never ran across a thicker one than this."
"Huh! looks like pea soup to me," suggested Teddy.
"Well, pea soup is a mighty fine dish, don"t you forget it," retorted Jimmy, "and if I could get a bucket of the same as easy as I can this old fog, I wouldn"t be doin" any kicking, believe me, boys."
"You said we must turn to the left, didn"t you, Ned?" inquired Frank, who did not see the sense of wasting any time in standing there and staring into that impenetrable sea of gray fog.
"That would seem to be our best and only course," was the reply. "In the first place, it will save our crossing the mouth of the Harricanaw, and, as we have no boat, that counts for something. Then, from what I can see on my chart, by crossing one small river, called the Masakany, we ought to reach a place called Moose Factory. I don"t know positively, but I"ve reasons to think that we"ll find some sort of post there where we can get help. It"s situated on a bay that several other rivers empty into. I believe that"s our one best chance, and that"s why I"m taking it."
"If you say it"s so, we believe it, Ned," remarked Jack, with emphasis; and it was such confidence as this, placed in him by his chums, that had helped Ned accomplish so many things in the past.
"That mining camp was situated on a creek, wasn"t it?" asked Frank.
"Yes, I haven"t forgotten that, and I see what you mean, Frank," the patrol leader a.s.sured him; "but it was only a narrow affair, and I figure on finding a fallen tree trunk that we could throw across to serve us as a bridge."
"Always a way where there"s a will," chanted Teddy, as they once more started off, with the mist-shrouded bay on their right.
The going was not all that heart could have wished. Lots of obstacles arose to give them trouble, though as a rule these were of a minor character, and easily surmounted. In some places the land was inclined to be marshy, so that they were compelled to go back some distance in order to get around. Then, again, they found that the ground rose into rocky elevations, with the bay lapping their bases; and here again the scouts were put to more or less exertions, in order to keep moving toward the west.