CHAPTER XVI.
THE SEA FOG.
"I wonder if we'll see anything of that mystery of Hudson Bay?" Teddychanced 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 usthat you sure hoped we'd run up against a mystery, because we've alwaysbeen so lucky in solving such things in the days gone by. Now you seemto 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 wastaken black, since they had no milk, all of the condensed kind havinggone 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'llbe down to the last crumb. If we keep on as we're doing, I figure we'vegot just enough for, say two more days. Then it's going to be a case ofhustle, or go hungry."
"Oh! with our bully guns, and such clever shots along, we'll get all themeat 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 hisArctic expedition had to cut up their deerskin boots, and make soup outof 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 scoutshad long ago learned never under any circumstances to leave asmouldering fire when breaking camp. They knew only too well that oftena sudden wind arising has carried live coals from such into the deadleaves near by, and started most disastrous conflagrations.
"One good thing about this hike is that we go light," Ned told them, asthey 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 scoutwould agree to tote even a tent on his back, if we could in that way getour belongings again."
"Just try me, that's what," said Jimmy. "All that fine grub wasted on ameasly lot of half-breeds, who can't appreciate a jar of orangemarmalade any more'n they can olives or imported cheese. But thenthere'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 tohook our guns as well as the boats and blankets?" suggested Teddy. "We'djust 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 theirgame," was Frank's way of showing his determined nature.
Of course, once they had finished eating, there was really nothing tokeep them there; and as they had no tents to take down, or dunnage topack, it was an easy task to get started.
Francois led them straight into the south. They felt sure that they mustarrive on the shore of the bay before a great while, for there was adecided salty tang to the air that greeted them, very gratifying to boyswho had been brought up near the ocean, as these scouts had.
So far nothing had been seen or heard of the miners, whom they lookedupon as their enemies. At the same time, the boys believed that theothers must be diligently searching for them, and should they happen tocome across their trail, a warm pursuit must follow.
In consequence of this fact, they were advised by Ned to keep on thealert.
"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 coon, if you glimpseany, is a spy hiding behind a tree, and ready to let loose on us withhis 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 futuredid not look so very bright, still they felt that they had accomplishedthe main object that had drawn the expedition to these parts, and couldnot complain. So every now and then some half-humorous remark would bemade calculated to draw out an answer. Thus, in a measure their troubleswere forgotten, though no one ventured to troll a ditty, as might havebeen the case under ordinary conditions.
The character of the country was changing again, and from what they hadnoticed on the former occasion, they knew that they must be drawing nearthe water.
There was no air stirring to blow away the damp fog wave that grew moreand more dense as they advanced.
"If it rains down on us here we'll just have to grin and bear it," Jimmywas saying, as he tripped along beside the other scouts.
"No hollow trees to crawl in, because none of these would be nearly bigenough, 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 comesup and drives this mist away," Jack informed them, and as he claimed tobe 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 dangerof coming loose.
"Where, what, why, how?" he spluttered, as he half-raised his rifle, asthough taking the alarm.
"Oh! I only meant that I could get the lazy wash of the water rolling upon the sandy beach," replied Jack, grinning to see how his innocentexclamation had excited Jimmy.
"Next time," mumbled the other, "I'd thank you to tell what you meanright away. It would save a poor feller from havin' palpitation of theheart, which they tell me is bad for the appetite."
"Then let's all get it, Jimmy," chuckled Frank, "because no appetitemeans that we wouldn't have to bother looking up new supplies of grub.But that is the sea you hear running up on the shore, Jack, which showshow close we are to the bay."
A minute later and they could see signs of the salt water, though thefog was so dense that it was impossible to look out further than a dozenor two yards.
"I suppose that happens quite a lot of times up here?" remarked Jack, asthey stood on the bank and stared out into that sea of mist, which hideverything as with a blanket.
"They have fogs along off the coast of New Foundland, where the codbanks lie," Ned observed, "which comes from the fact that the coldcurrents of air from the Arctic meet with the warm Gulf Stream there, asit turns and heads toward Europe. That makes the fog, you know; but Inever 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," retortedJimmy, "and if I could get a bucket of the same as easy as I can thisold 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 andstaring into that impenetrable sea of gray fog.
"That would seem to be our best and only course," was the reply. "In thefirst place, it will save our crossing the mouth of the Harricanaw,and, as we have no boat, that counts for something. Then, from what Ican 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 wherewe can get help. It's situated on a bay that several other rivers emptyinto. I believe that's our one best chance, and that's why I'm takingit."
"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 hadhelped 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," thepatrol leader assured him; "but it was only a narrow affair, and Ifigure on finding a fallen tree trunk that we could throw across toserve us as a bridge."
"Always a way where there's a will," chanted Teddy, as they once morestarted off, with the mist-shrouded bay on their right.
The going was not all that heart could have wished. Lots of obstaclesarose to give them trouble, though as a rule these were of a minorcharacter, and easily surmounted. In some places the land was inclinedto be marshy, so that they were compelled to go back some distance inorder to get around. Then, again, they found that the ground rose intorocky elevations, with the bay lapping their bases; and here again thescouts were put to more or less exertions, in order to keep movingtoward the west.
On one of these elevations they paused for a brief rest. The fog held asdensely as ever, and out there where the great body of salt water lay itwas an utter impossibility to see any distance. A whole armada ofvessels might be anchored, not half a mile from the shore, and no one beany the wiser for it.
"Is this the real Hudson Bay proper?" asked Frank, while they stoodthus, recovering their breath, after the last climb.
"Well, it's the lower part of it," explained Ned, "and called James Bay.There are a great many islands to be run across in this section, andI've heard that seals have rookeries on some of them, if they haven'tall been killed off."
"Well, we've seen seals and Polar bears and the big walrus--all in theirnative haunts, haven't we?" remarked Jimmy, turning to Frank, who withNed had been on a long jaunt through Arctic ice floes some time before.
"And all of us stand a fair chance to see some more of the same, unlesswe get out of this country before the summer ends," Teddy chimed in.
"We'll find a way, all right," Jack told him; for it was always a hardthing to crush the spirit of the boy who could write such glowingaccounts of trips and things for the readers of his father's big paper.
"Since we've rested up, suppose we make a fresh start," proposed Ned.
"We ought to soon come to where we followed that creek up and reachedthe tent colony about the mine opening," Jack was saying, as theystarted walking again.
"Unless I'm mighty much mistaken," Ned remarked, "we'll run across thesame when we get to the bottom of this rise. I think I remember seeingthis place before as we came along."
It turned out that Ned was right, for ere much more time had passed, thelittle expedition stood on the bank of the creek.
"Broader than you thought, ain't it, Ned?" questioned Frank, as he eyedthe stretch of water dubiously.
"Oh! we wouldn't expect to bridge it over here," was the answer thepatrol leader made. "By following it up for a little ways, we'll findthat it narrows considerably; and that's where we want to look sharp fora log that'll come in handy."
"Yes, I remember now that it wasn't over ten or twenty feet across atmost, where we struck it last time," Teddy piped up, for he was keepingan accurate account of all that occurred, and hence had the figures downpat.
As soon as they found that the creek bed had come down to respectableproportions, the scouts began to scurry around, hunting for a fallentree that might be made to answer for a bridge. This was soon found andcarried to the spot selected, as the most suitable for their purpose.
There was only one way in which they could drop the bridge over and findan anchorage on the other shore. This was by raising it to aperpendicular position on the near bank and, then giving it a shove,have it fall on the other.
It required the combined strength of the scouts, backed up by the morepowerful guides, to accomplish this feat in bridge building. Ned hadfigured to a fraction, it seemed, for when the log fell it rested atleast a foot on either bank.
After that it was easy for them to cross over, though Teddy had to getdown and crawl, he being addicted to dizzy spells when at any height,and not in the humor for taking a dip in the cold water of the creek.
The boys were for starting on immediately; first of all, Ned had themshove the friendly log from its mooring ashore, so that it floated onthe surface of the creek.
"You see," he went on to explain, "if any of those men happened alonghere and saw that bridge spanning the creek, they'd know we'd come thisway. Now that we've thrown it into the water, it will float off andnever give us away, anyhow."
They began to make more satisfactory progress after getting on thewestern side of the creek. All of them felt much encouraged though themorning remained dull and heavy, and there was always a chance that itmight begin to rain.
Many times did they turn curious glances toward the mist-covered bay, asthough speculating on what mysteries that fog might conceal.
As a rule it was seldom Teddy who made any discovery; but on thisoccasion the credit belonged to him. He suddenly drew the attention ofthe rest to something strange that had attracted his attention.
"I may be off my base, fellows," was the way he put it, "but I'm sure Iheard people talking right then. And it came from out there, too, sureit did," with which he pointed straight toward the bay.
Jimmy might have laughed at such a suggestion, but before he could thinkto do anything like this, all of them plainly heard a human voice wellup from the fog.
Boy Scouts on Hudson Bay; Or, The Disappearing Fleet Page 16