AN EXPLORING PARTY
"Well, what do you think of that?" asked Fenn, in surprised accents.
"Did he fall down?"
"Doesn't look so," answered Frank. "I wonder if we really saw him, or
whether it was a sort of day dream?"
"Oh, we saw him all right enough," said Bart. "He looked to me just like
the Chinaman we saw in the woods that day."
"Just what I was going to remark," put in Ned. "I wonder if there are
any more men up on that cliff?"
"What's the matter, boys?" asked Captain Wiggs, approaching at this
juncture. They told him what they had seen.
"I don't see anything very surprising in that," replied the commander.
"Probably he has a laundry up there, and he was out looking for
customers." And the commander winked at the other chums, who joined in
a laugh at Fenn.
"That's all right," announced the discomfited one. "But I'll wager
there's something queer back of all this. Do you know anything about
this locality, captain?"
"Not a thing, and I wish I knew less. I'd never be here if it wasn't
for the fire. And I must take a look now, and see how our steam bath
is affecting it. I guess--"
"Look there!" suddenly cried Fenn, pointing to the cliff, at the base of
which the lake waves were breaking.
They all looked. There, on the face of the wall of rock, apparently
supported by nothing, stood four men, two of whom were Chinese, dressed
in the characteristic costume of that nation. The others were white men.
They were close together, near a little clump of bushes, that sprang
slantingly out from the surface of the cliff.
"More of 'em, eh?" murmured the captain. "I wonder if they'll answer a
hail?"
He put his hands, trumpet fashion, to his mouth, and was about to call
out, when a surprising thing happened.
As the boys watched the men seemed to grow suddenly smaller. They fairly
went down out of sight, vanishing as completely as though they had sank
into the cliff.
"Well, I never saw such a queer thing!" exclaimed Ned. "They acted just
like a Jack in the Box, when some one shuts the lid."
"That expresses it exactly," admitted the captain. "It is a queer thing.
I think it will bear looking into. I wonder if they haven't something to
do with the Chinese smugglers."
"That's what we thought."
"I believe I'll go ashore and have a look," decided the commander of the
_Modoc_. "The government detectives ought to be told of what's going on
out here in this lonely place."
Captain Wiggs would have carried his plan out, but for the fact that an
inspection of the hold showed the fire in the cargo to be smothered. The
steam had done the work effectively and there was no more danger.
Instead of having to remain in the secluded bay for some time, ready at
any moment, when danger threatened, to break out the cargo, the
commander found himself able to proceed to Duluth.
This he decided on doing at once, as the exact extent of the fire-damage
could not be ascertained until he reached a port where he could unload.
Accordingly all plans of making any examination of the strange actions
of the queer men were abandoned and, steam having been gotten up in the
main boilers, the engines were started and the _Modoc_ was once more
under way.
As they left the little bay the boys kept close watch of the cliff, but
there were no signs of life upon the brown wall of rock. If the men were
somewhere within a cave on its surface, they did not show themselves.
"I wonder if we'll ever solve that mystery?" inquired Bart, of no one in
particular, as the four chums paced the deck.
"I'm going to," announced Fenn, decidedly.
"Yes, you're going to do a lot," returned Ned, with a laugh. "You were
going to collect minerals, but I haven't seen you stowing any away
lately, for your collection."
"That's so, I forgot all about 'em," admitted Fenn. "I've got lots of
time, though. You can't get any minerals out here," and he motioned to
the expanse of water that surrounded them. "But I'm going to look into
this Chinese business, though."
"How?" asked Frank. "We're going farther and farther away every minute."
"That's all right. We can come back," announced Fenn.
"I thought you were going to Bayville to see Mr. Hayward, and--er--Miss
Ruth," went on Bart. "Especially Ruth."
"Well, I may yet," replied Fenn. "Bayville isn't so far from here. In
fact it's within a short distance of where we anchored in that bay."
"How do you know?"
"I asked the captain," replied Fenn. "I was thinking of taking a boat
and rowing there, if we'd stayed long enough."
"But how do you figure on getting there now?" asked Ned.
"I'm coming back, after we get to Duluth," was the answer. "Captain
Wiggs has got to remain there for some time, and I don't see what there
is to keep us. It's a city, and we've had enough of city life for a
while. I was going to propose that, after we'd been there a couple of
days, we go off on a little side trip, coming back in time to go home on
the _Modoc_."
"Good idea!" exclaimed Bart. "We could go on a little camping
expedition."
"That was my idea," added Fenn. "We've got enough money with us to hire
a tent and a small outfit, all we'll need for a week or so. We've been
camping in the woods before, and we know how to take care of ourselves.
This cruising business is fine, but it's too lazy a life to suit me."
"No, I s'pose we haven't had any excitement since we started," commented
Frank sarcastically. "There was the elevator fire, those men chasing us;
Ned nearly being pulled overboard with a fish; getting caught in the
lock; the steamer on fire and the queer men on the cliff. Oh, yes, we've
lived a very quiet and sedate life since we left home, Oh, yes,
exceedingly quiet."
"Well, I mean--Oh, you know what I mean," said Fenn. "We need more
action--the kind we'll get if we go off on a trip by ourselves."
"That's right," agreed Ned. "I'm with you, Stumpy. The sooner the
quicker."
"When do we get to Duluth?" asked Bart.
"Very soon now," answered Captain Wiggs, who, coming up behind the boys,
overheard the question. "I suppose you are all ready to enter port?" and
he looked quizzically at the boys.
"Ready. How do you mean?" asked Fenn.
"Why you can pass the quarantine regulations, I suppose? Let me look at
your tongues!"
The boys were so surprised that, hardly knowing what they were doing,
they stuck them out for the captain's inspection.
"Bad, very bad," he murmured. "I'll have to attend to this at once." And
he laughed heartily.
"Sold again!" exclaimed Frank, as he drew in his tongue. "I thought we
were going to get even with him."
"So we are," declared Bart. "If not now, on the trip home. We owe him
another one now."
They were soon busy getting things in shape to go ashore and, when the
_Modoc_ tied up at a big wharf, they were all ready to go to the hotel
the captain had recommended, there to stay a couple of days, until they
could start on their little exploring expedition.
The captain had offered no objection to this, and had told them the best
route to take.
"But you must be back in time to sail with me on the homeward trip,"
cautioned the captain, mentioning the date and time he expected to
start. "I'll not wait for you, remember. The _Modoc_ suffered very
little damage from the fire. Less than I feared and there will be no
delay."
"We'll be here on time," Fenn assured him.
The boys spent two busy days preparing for their side trip, and, bright
and early one morning, they took a train that was to convey them to a
little settlement, whence they were to start for a jaunt through the
woods, carrying their simple camping outfit with them.