Boy Scouts on Hudson Bay; Or, The Disappearing Fleet
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CHAPTER XXII.
THE MYSTERY SOLVED--CONCLUSION.
"Hooray for the greatest thing that ever happened!" Jimmy roared, as heswung his campaign hat wildly about his head, and even started a jig,such was his exuberant condition. "The luck of the Wolf Patrol holds asgood as ever! In the nick of time, the villain gets his dope and we pulloff a brilliant victory. Hooray!"
Indeed, the other boys felt almost as exultant as Jimmy; and hearingall this racket, both Frank and the Cree chief came hurrying over,wondering what it could stand for.
Many questions were poured upon Captain Bill and his younger companion,who gave his name as Asa Plunkett, once captain of the very vessel uponwhose sloping deck they were then standing.
"A plenty of room for the whole kit of ye in our whale-boat, lads," saidthe older man, "and I reckons as haow we kin find grub for the lot,aboard the _Grampus_, which will soon be headin' for the home port,since there ain't nawthin more to be picked up on this ere cruise intoforeign waters, and arunnin' risks all the time o' being hauled up by aCanadian cruiser."
"Just gimme about ten minutes to bust open the bulkhead, and see if mypapers has stood all the exposure of months alyin' here on the beach,"remarked Mate Plunkett.
"You bet we will, sir!" exclaimed Jimmy, "and if you want any help, justsing out for me. I'm a champion hand to smash things. The habit's goneand got me into lots of trouble before now. And here's an old, rustymarlin-spike that might come in handy."
"We took pains to fetch a hatchet along for that purpose," the mateinformed him, as he hurried toward the companionway, meaning doubtlessto seek the cabin.
They soon heard him pounding away at a great rate, he having lighted alantern that had been fetched from the whaling vessel anchored a mile orso away.
"Get your things together, fellows," Ned advised, "because we'reexpecting to be afloat on Hudson Bay before many minutes."
"Seeing how we've been robbed of our most cherished possessions,"declared Teddy, sadly, "that job isn't going to take us very long, I'msorry to say."
"To think that the chance has come to snap our fingers in the faces ofthat ugly crowd!" observed Jimmy, who could hardly keep his feet stillthrough joy.
"They'll be as mad as anything when they come aboard in the morning tofind us gone," Frank remarked.
"And as they've got sentries posted, like as not, to give the alarm, ifwe try to slip away, up or down the shore, they'll never be able toguess what became of us all," Jack gave as his opinion, at which theyall laughed again, feeling in a particularly merry mood.
Then up came Mate Plunkett, waving some yellow papers in his hand.
"Found 'em all right, Captain Bill!" he called out; "a little toughlookin', to be sure; but wuth the same money to me, all the same. Andnow, lads, if so be you're ready to quit this old wreck, say the word,and we'll clear out."
There was not a single dissenting vote, for while the hulk had offeredthem an acceptable asylum during the downpour and had proved to be apretty serviceable fort when Sol Griggs and the men connected with thefake copper mine had attempted to effect their capture, none of themcared to remain a minute longer aboard the old whaler than wasnecessary.
So they embarked, not finding it very difficult, while the boat lay onthe leeward side of the stranded wreck. There was plenty of room forall, just as the men had stated; and after starting away the scouts sawthe last of their late refuge merged with the dim outlines of the shore.
Apparently, the miners could not have had any suspicion with regard towhat was transpiring; for they made no move. This would make theirsurprise all the more overpowering, when they found in the morning thattheir birds had slipped out of the trap.
As all of the boys had often been upon the sea before in various places,there was no particular novelty about their sensations now. The relieffrom the recent strain was so great that Jimmy insisted on shaking handsall around several times, while they were moving over the mile thatseparated them from the first of the floating lights, aboard theanchored vessels of the fleet.
"Mebbe, we'll be apt to learn all about this wonderful disappearingfleet now, since we expect to be aboard one of the vessels till we reachsome port, where we can telegraph and take a train," Teddy went on tosay, as they drew near the _Comet_, looming up out of the night gloom toseaward.
At hearing his remark Mate Plunkett chuckled.
"So that's what they been calling us, is it?" he said, as he shifted hisquid to the other cheek. "Well, the way we've been dodgin' aroundlately, hardly gettin' settled in one anchorage before we'd hear analarm raised that a cruiser was comin' down on us, so we'd have to skipout like the wind from the three-mile limit, I don't wonder at it."
His words enlightened Ned, who had already been entertaining certainsuspicions with regard to the possible explanation of the mystery.
"Are you after whales or seals?" he asked, plainly.
"This time, it's seals we been takin'," replied the mate. "You see, wordwas fetched to us, some months back, that a whopping big herd of sealhad taken to some of these here islands in old Hudson Bay, and there wasa rush of vessels to scoop in the same, our hooker along with the rest.I wanted to come up here again, to find out if anything had ever beenheard of the poor old _Comet_ that I was captain of last season, and soI took the berth of mate to my old friend, Captain Bill, here."
"What luck have you had?" asked Jimmy, eagerly.
"Nawthin' to brag about," came the reply from the old skipper. "Ireckons that it'll pay me nigh as well to go back to whalin' agin; andthere needn't be sech risks of havin' your ship and cargo confiscated byrevenue vessels, as this seal huntin' in Hudson Bay turns out to be."
"But they say it's nearly five hundred miles across in its widest part,"Frank broke in with; "and how can Canada claim jurisdiction over anocean like that? Why, you might as well say, that the Mediterranean wasa closed sea."
"That's the trouble," remarked Mate Plunkett; "always has been a peskylot of trouble about this here place. Because the two roadways ofgetting into Hudson Bay happen to be only a certain number of mileswide, Canada has always tried to claim it as her private preserves. Lotsof whalers has been chased for darin' to ply their trade in these samewaters. Course, they got the right to that three-mile from shore limit,but they want the whole hog up here. We been keepin' a lookout rightalong, while we sent boats out after the seal. It's late in the seasonfor the work, but skins is so skeerce that we got to take 'em any oldtime. But the game's hardly worth the candle, and next year you won'tsee many sealers up this way."
"Then we were in great luck to have you around just when we needed helpmost," declared Ned; who had already arranged with Captain Bill to carrythe whole party down to Halifax, where they could be landed; Francoisand the Cree to head for their home country, well paid for theirservices, and the scouts starting for New York by the first steamer,after wiring to Jack's father about the success of their greatexpedition.
They were soon aboard the _Grampus_, where their coming was a surpriseto the crew. Their astonishment increased, however, when Captain Bill atonce gave orders for getting the mudhook up, and leaving theiranchorage, as well as preceding all the other sealers on the homewardbound trip.
The boys were willing to put up with such accommodation as might belooked for on board a Yankee sealing vessel. Of course, steam was thepropelling power, for sailing vessels belong to a by-gone age; and theywere soon making good time out to sea.
That was the last Ned and his chums were likely to ever see of theinhospitable shores of the famous Hudson Bay. They had found it the homeof more than one mystery, and would often recall some of their strangeexperiences there, while investigating the facts connected with thewonderful mining find that had been offered to Jack's father, and othercapitalists, for investment.
When the next morning came along, they were out of sight of land, andbowling on at a ten knot an hour clip. Look which way they might, therewas nothing but a vast expanse of heaving, tumbling water around them;and yet Ma
te Plunkett told them they were still in Hudson Bay, and wouldbe for two days, even under the most favorable conditions, such was theextent of the inland sea.
Fortunately, the boys all proved to be good sailors, so that they feltvery little bad effects from the motion of the vessel, as she ploughedher way through the rolling billows, throwing the spray high in the air.
It would have been difficult to have found a happier and more care-freegroup of scouts than those five lads from the great metropolis, as dayfollowed day, and they enjoyed one of the most wonderful voyages theyhad ever had the good fortune to embark upon.
The weather proved to be splendid, and besides, they were just brimmingover with joy, because of the great success that had followed their longjourney up into the Far Northland.
It would be weeks before those in charge of the mining enterprise couldget any word to the head officials down in New York. Ned expected to behome long before this would come about, for he knew how tedious it wasjourneying for hundreds of miles over long stretches of waste land,following the course of rivers, and often not covering twenty miles fromsun-up to the setting of the same.
During those long sunny days, it was a great pleasure to loll around ondeck and watch the wonderful ocean, over which the steam sealer wassteadily passing, headed toward Halifax, where the boys meant todisembark.
They discussed every phase of the adventure, and many little matterswhich had seemed a bit strange were cleared up when they could exchangeviews. Ned also prepared his full report, showing just what was goingon up there in the wilds. He had ample proof of all he meant to relate,even to samples of the real ore, and also of the "salted" stuff that wasbeing placed around the mine, in order to deceive any investigator,should one be sent up to look about.
Of course, Mr. Bosworth would wash his hands of the entire business, andthe sly swindlers must look elsewhere, in order to unload theirproperty. The extravagant claims they had made for its richness couldnot be justified, because it was after all a very mediocre discovery,which would never pay for the working, so far away from railroadfacilities.
In due time, they arrived at the Nova Scotia port, where the boys weretaken ashore in one of the whale boats, because Captain Bill did notwant to risk seizure by entering the place.
They were sorry to have to say good-bye to the friendly skipper and hismate, and promised to let them hear how things turned out.
Once ashore, the first thing Ned did was to send a cable to Mr.Bosworth, telling him not to do anything until they got home, whichwould be as soon as a ship sailed heading south.
Francois and the old Cree Indian left them here, after being loaded downwith presents, in addition to the wages promised them. The boys feltthat they could afford to be generous, because, as they had saved thecapitalists possibly a million or more dollars, the chances were thatquite a tidy sum of money would be coming their way soon, from thegrateful gentlemen forming the clique.
The balance of their trip was uneventful, and one day they came inthrough the new Ambrose Channel and up past Liberty Island, making thesteamer's dock just as the sun was sinking behind the distant Jerseyhills.
That night there was the greatest talking match at the Bosworth homeever known, and it kept up until nearly midnight. Jimmy had such a sharein the telling of their adventures that he was as hoarse as a crowafterwards, and could hardly raise his voice above a whisper.
When the rest of the troop gathered in their lodge-room at the calledmeeting, and heard a detailed account of what had happened in thatfar-away land along the shores of the greatest bay in all the world, theyunited in declaring that Ned and his four chums had done the wholeorganization credit, in finding out the truth in connection with thesupposed mine.
It was voted that the adventure was by long odds one of the mostthrilling that had ever come to any scouts belonging to the New Yorktroop; and some of the boys even went so far as to declare that in allprobability it would never be equaled. But when they made such a rashprediction as this, they did not know how soon Ned and his chums wouldbe called upon to once more take part in another series of hazards thatwould try their courage, as few scenes had ever done before; as well asbring to the front their knowledge of woodcraft and other things thatscouts should know.
These astonishing experiences will be found recounted in the next volumeof this series, under the title of "Boy Scouts In Death Valley; or, TheCity in the Sky;" and those boys who are fortunate enough to secure thisstory will surely vote it one of the most interesting they have everread. Until we meet again in the pages of the new book, we will say, notgood-bye, but "good-night."
THE END.
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