Boy Scouts on Hudson Bay; Or, The Disappearing Fleet

by G. Harvey Ralphson

  CHAPTER XI.

  A SUCCESSFUL SORTIE.

  The success which had attended Ned's efforts thus far encouraged thescouts very much indeed. Little things often carry considerable weight,especially when boys are concerned. Besides, there are times when even athistle down will point to the way the wind is blowing. And a smallsuccess spelled greater things in store for them.

  Accordingly, they all hurried as fast as the conditions would allow.Fortunately, there were few obstructions in the way to give them causefor trouble. Here and there they discovered a slight fissure, in whichNed warned them to be careful not to catch a foot, lest they get a badwrench that might even amount to a sprain.

  Once or twice Ned thought it best to make doubly sure by halting longenough to lower his light, and take another quick look at the floor.What he saw appeared to encourage him greatly; at least the other scoutsknew when he once more continued the forward progress, that it was allright.

  And it may be easily believed that the two experienced guides hadwatched all these goings-on with considerable curiosity, as well assatisfaction. It was in a line with their practical woods education, sothat they could appreciate what Ned set out to accomplish.

  The Indian had grunted his approval as soon as he saw the boy get downon his knees to look for a trail in the slight layer of dust; whileFrancois could have been heard chuckling to himself at a great rate,showing how tickled he felt over the smartness of the patrol leader.

  "Say, don't you feel something like a breath of fresh air?" asked Jimmy,when they had been pushing along for several minutes in this rapidmanner.

  "Yes, you're right about that," admitted Jack.

  "Oh, I felt it before Jimmy said a single word," Teddy remarked. "I wassucking it in for all I was worth, because after that dust got to going,it's been hard to breathe at all."

  "Must be the outlet, don't you think, Ned?" questioned Frank.

  "We'll all hope so," came the reply from the leader.

  "P'raps the three men may be hanging around meaning to keep us fromrushing the exit, if we happen to come along that way?" Jimmy nextadvanced; for his mind was so fashioned that he could think of moreobjections in a minute than would occur to any one else in an hour.

  "Well, they'll wish they had'nt, then," said Jack, belligerently. "Alltold, we're seven against three; and what with our guns, we ought to putup a pretty stiff sort of a battle."

  "Well, I guess so," grunted Jimmy, immediately appeased by the prospectof action, which always satisfied a certain longing in his soul; fordoubtless the ancestors of the Irish boy had once fought at DonnybrookFair in the Old Country.

  The atmosphere certainly grew fresher as they continued to push forward.This fact told them they must be approaching an opening where the outerair managed to gain ingress to the fissure.

  Then they noticed that it was no longer so intensely dark as it hadheretofore been. Ned concluded that it would be policy for them tolessen the illumination they were making with their torches.

  "Shut off your light, Jimmy, Teddy and Frank," he told them.

  Nobody asked why this must be done. They had learned the lesson ofimplicit obedience to those in authority, as every scout has to dobefore he can qualify for any honors, or medals, or rise from being atenderfoot to the place of a second or first-class scout.

  Indeed, doubtless, most of the boys guessed the answer as soon as Nedgave the order, for they were a quick-witted lot. They could reason itout that the less illumination they caused, the more chance for them toattain their end, which was to burst out of the back door of the mine,and make their escape.

  "I see it!" Jack exclaimed, as he caught sight of a dazzling mark ahead,which must be the sunlight shining beyond the black tunnel or fissure.

  The prospect of a speedy release cheered them wonderfully. It served toeven quicken their steps, though they had already been making fairprogress.

  "Only one thing to bother about now, eh, Ned?" Frank asked.

  "That's all," came the terse reply, for Ned was busily engaged keepinghis eyes fixed on the opening, that was gradually growing wider, andpossibly trying to make up his mind what chance there was of finding itunguarded.

  "If those three huskies are waiting beyond, ready to give us a volleywhen we poke our noses out, we'll have a battle royal on our hands, letme tell you," Teddy announced as his opinion.

  There was nothing new in that, for all the others had guessed the samething, before he spoke. At the same time it caused them to clutchtheir weapons with more determination than ever, after Teddy had voicedtheir sentiments in this way. They were now so near the exit that Nedfirst asked Jack to "douse his glim," and shortly afterwards followedsuit himself.

  There was no further necessity for artificial light, since enough of thenatural kind sifted in through that opening.

  Ned gave a word of caution just then.

  "Carefully, now!"

  They fairly crept up to the gap in the rocks, and looked out. It waspossible to see for some little distance beyond the opening. They sawbushes, and piled-up rocks in abundance, behind which there might beenemies hiding.

  Ned turned to Francois.

  "Find out if there is anybody waiting there, Francois!" he simply said,knowing that the other was perfectly capable of doing what he was told.

  It pleased the old voyageur to be called upon in a crisis. Heimmediately crept forward on hands and knees. They saw him take hisslouch hat from his head and fix it on the end of his gun barrel; afterwhich he thrust it forward until it was in plain sight without the exitof the mine.

  A prompt response met this challenge. They heard the sudden spitefulcrack of a gun, but as Ned had cautioned them to seek shelter behindvarious outcropping spurs of rock, no damage was done.

  "Gee! it knocked Francois' hat off all right, believe me!" exclaimedJimmy, after he had raised his head cautiously, much as a turtle wouldhave done.

  The guide made no effort to recover his headgear. He had instantlylooked out after the shot came, as meaning to learn where the marksmanwas located, so that he could return the compliment of his fire.

  A puff of gray smoke told him this fact, and without even waiting fororders Francois leveled his own gun and blazed away.

  "Oh! listen to that, would you?" cried Jimmy, as they heard a bellow ofmingled pain and rage break forth from the thicket into which the bulletfrom the voyageur's rifle had sped like a flash.

  "Down again, mebbe more shoot!" the Cree guide was heard to call out;and _apparently_ he read the signs correctly, for hardly had the scouts"ducked" once more than there was a crash of two guns, telling that theentire force of the enemy must be opposed to them.

  This time Jimmy could not be restrained. He had been fairly burning toget in some active work, and without even waiting for orders, he beganto rattle off the shots from his repeating gun, in rapid-fire style.

  He had taken pattern from the method adopted by Francois, and sent hislead in the direction where he saw wreaths of smoke curling forth. Teddyand Frank also felt savage enough at being fired on without warning togive back a single shot apiece, but the other two held theirammunition.

  If they meant to rush the exit now was the time to do it, Ned knew. Itwould be folly to wait until the enemy had recovered from the confusioninto which they may have been thrown by this volley.

  "Now, charge, and scatter all you can; so as to keep from being hit!"called out Ned, as he sprang for the opening.

  They burst out with a cheer, as though under the impression that in thisway it might be possible to send further dismay into the hearts of thethree men who had, of course, been compelled to either fly, or else lielow while the shooting was going on.

  There were a couple of shots, but sent in under such conditions thatthey failed to find a billet, and were wasted. Those who fired werepossibly more concerned about their own safety just then, than thechances of cutting down any of the exploring party.

  Led by Ned, they swept over the open space and plunged into thewildern
ess of rocks and scraggy brush beyond. One look the patrol leadergave, after they found themselves in the shelter of the screeningbushes.

  "Anybody hit?" he asked, anxiously.

  "Don't know for sure," spoke up Frank, "but something seemed to burn myleg, at the time they fired; and, by George! look what happened to myfine kahki trousers, would you?"

  He pointed to a tear that could be plainly seen, showing where a bullethad gashed the tough material in passing.

  "Sure you're not badly hurt, Frank?" asked Jack, solicitously.

  "Hardly brought blood!" declared the wounded scout, with a tinge ofdelight in his voice, for it was worth while to know that you had beentouched by a bullet, and even have the evidence to show for it, withoutany painful consequences to follow.

  "Lucky feller!" said Jimmy, somewhat jealous of the honor this was goingto bestow upon the other, when the story of the raid was told later on.

  "But we mustn't stay here," Ned told them. "Keep your eyes all around,and if you are sure you glimpse anybody following after us, give himyour compliments; only remember that you're scouts, and make it as easyas you can for the poor wretch."

  "He won't know it if I hit him!" Jimmy went on to say; nor did anybodystop to ask him to explain more fully what he meant.

  The fact that they were leaving the mine for good did not seem to causeany of the party the least distress of mind. They had come and looked itover, and Ned had learned all he wanted, in order to make acomprehensive report. The sooner they left the vicinity, the better allof them would be pleased.

  To reach their canoes again, they would have to cover considerableground; and that caused Jimmy to wince, for he was not reckoned as gooda walker as most of his mates.

  Secretly, he was hoping that some other plan might appeal to Ned, suchas hiding their trail, and resting up in some snug retreat over night,when they would be in good shape to complete the journey in the morning.

  It was now a question as to just how they were to conduct their retreatso as to avoid the risk of being pelted with bullets by the threeminers, reinforced by any others who may have been in the tent village.

  Ned was only too glad to leave this pretty much in the hands ofFrancois, whose practical experience was worth much more than any theorythat could be studied out of scout books.

  The French Canadian voyageur quickly understood what was expected ofhim, after he had received the signal. Although the boys had been in hiscompany for weeks now, they had never seen him so alert and active. Heseemed to be watching every angle of the compass at the same moment, andtwice raised his gun and fired backward, as though he had discoveredsome lurking foe.

  That this was far from imagination they saw when the second shot came;for hardly had it echoed through the hills than a form was seen to rushinto view, and a man in rough clothes flashed across an open space,holding to his left arm, as though he might have received the guide'slead in that shoulder.

  "You pinked him, Francois, sure you did that time!" cried Jimmyexcitedly; "don't I just wish I had your quick eyes, though? I didn'tsee a single thing moving up there; but you did, Francois. Old Eagle EyeI'm going to call you after this. Oh! why don't one of 'em step out, andlet me take a snapshot at him?"

  It seemed as though the others were not that obliging, for while severalshots were fired, without doing the explorers any damage, Jimmy couldsee nothing of the men who used their guns. He, finally, being unable tostand it any longer, sent a couple of shots at the spot where he sawsmoke rising, after another fusilade had come.

  "Guess I'm on the blink when it comes to sharpshooting," bemoaned Jimmy;"why, at this rate, I'll never get the stock of my trusty rifle coveredwith notches, to show the number of ferocious pirates I've bowled over.It's a measly shame, that's all."

  At any rate, they seemed to be making a successful "getaway," as Jackcalled it; because they were gradually leaving these hidden marksmenfurther and further behind. The next shot showed that the handler of thegun was quite some distance away. He must have taken more pains to aim,however, than up to now had been the case, for immediately the "ping" ofthe bullet was plainly heard as it winged its flight only a shortdistance above their heads, flattening out against the face of the rockbeyond.

  This thing of being under fire was no new experience with these scouts.They had on several occasions heard lead sing past their ears; but, allthe same, none of them enjoyed the sensation very much. It was apt tocause a shiver or a feeling as of being put in connection with agalvanic battery.

  "Seems like we've left that crowd in the lurch," Teddy remarked, a fewminutes later, as they began to reach more regular ground, where thegoing promised to be considerably easier.

  "Yes," added Jack, "and the most we have to fear after this is meetingup with the other lot that waited for us on the lower river. They mayhave grown tired of laying around, or else got wind of our change ofplans, so that right now they are crossing to the mine!"

  "Look!" said the Cree guide, pointing backward; and immediately thescouts saw three columns of very black smoke ascending straight towardthe sky.