CHAPTER XIII
THE GREAT INLAND SEA
It was just ten o'clock when the trio of little motor boats started outof the canal, and headed for the open lake far beyond. Long afterwardthey could look back, and see the stone electricity building between thetwo locks of the canal; and in imagination the picture as viewed fromits top would haunt them, with the churning rapids occupying the centerof the scene.
Leaving the canal at its juncture with the river, they were soon in theneck of the lake. Far as the eye could reach, and many times farther,stretched the sparkling water, as clear as crystal; and cold enough tosatisfy any one, even on as hot a day as this August one promised to be.
At noon they found a good chance to go ashore. Nick of course wassolemnly warned that this was sacred Canadian soil, and that on noaccount was he to try and purloin any strangely marked animals he mightdiscover prowling around.
"You know they have some queer beasts in these foreign lands, Buster,"George remarked, shaking a finger before the other's stubby nose. "Andmake up your mind right now that you're going to let 'em all severelyalone. Some time you can join an expedition sent out to Africa, to scoopup all sorts of freak cats and sich; but while you're with us we'drather you restrained that curiosity of yours. It's going to get you introuble, some fine day, Buster, you hear me?"
"That'll do for you, George. Just wait, and see if I don't have a chanceto get back on you yet," replied the other, complacently. "But would youlook at Josh, what he's bringing ashore now? Fish, as sure as you live.Bully for Josh! White fish, too, the best that grow in these waters,barring none. Tell us, where did you catch 'em, Josh?"
"With a silver hook, and from one of the Indian guides," replied thecook. "He netted 'em in the rapids, I guess. Heard that earlier in theseason they get tons and tons of fish that way; two men in a boat, onein the bow to use the net, and the other to hold the canoe against thecurrent with a pole. Bet you they'll eat fine, too."
"I'll help you clean 'em, Josh," volunteered Nick.
"All right, then; get busy, Buster. Anyhow, you know a good thing whenyou see it," returned the cook, only too willing to hand over thedisagreeable task.
"Well," remarked George, as he and Jack lay there in the shade, waitingfor the lunch call; "We're well on our way to the Agawa river region.Think we'll make it today, commodore?"
"I'm afraid not," replied Jack. "In the first place it looks dubiousover yonder, as though we might get one of these famous Lake Superiorstorms you read about. If that drops in on us, we wouldn't like to becaught out on the open, you know, George."
"Well, excuse me, if you please," returned the other, with a shrug ofhis shoulders that spoke louder than his words. "Storms and my speedboat don't seem to agree very well. When one comes hustling along Iprefer to be behind some sort of shelter, where I can laugh at the windand the waves. But you spoke as if there might be still another reasonfor our not getting to the river tonight?"
"There is," Jack answered. "This time you may have the laugh on Herb."
"Say, you don't mean to tell me that the staunch old engine in the_Comfort_ has been up to any antics?" exclaimed George; not without atouch of exultation in his voice; for Herb had jeered at him so manytimes, on account of his troubles, it was only natural that he shouldfeel a little gratification to know there were others.
"Yes, it developed after we left the Soo," Jack went on. "Just likethese mean things always do, you know. He's been limping along for thelast half hour. Of course there's no telling how serious it may be.Let's hope we can fix it in short order. Some of us had better get at itright after lunch."
"If anybody can put it in apple pie order I guess you can, Jack," Georgesaid; "and if you need any help call on me, because you know Herb isn'tmuch of a mechanic."
"That's kind of you, George," said Herb, who happened to be coming overto where the two were talking at the time. "That's the best thing aboutthe motor boat boys; they like to josh each other, and get lots of funout of things; but when it comes right down to trouble there isn't oneof them who wouldn't do everything in his power to help a chum."
The call to eat caused them to make haste to gather around. In fact,there was always an involuntary sort of race to the mess table when themeals were eaten on shore, so that all partook. On this very day Joshnoticed this fact particularly and made mention of it.
"Say, do you know you fellows are that prompt you just seem to jump intoyour places?" he said. "I start to pound a fryingpan with my big spoon,and before I get in five licks all of you are in a ring waiting forgrub."
"Huh!" grunted George, "nothing funny about that. We have to!"
Nick of course took that as a reflection on him, and bridled up at once.
"That's unkind of you, George," he protested. "I was never known to takeany fellow's share. An equal division is my rule always. And if someone chooses to decline a portion of his prog; and my appetite is notsatisfied, what harm in commandeering the remains?"
"Oh! you're all right, Pudding; George is only tapping you as he does usall, when he gets the chance," Herb said.
"Well, I take my punishment decently, when my turn comes, don't I?"demanded George, as he received a generous portion of a delicious whitefish, which had been rolled in egg, and cracker crumbs, and then cookedand browned in the grease from some salt pork placed in hot pans untilit fried out.
"Sure you do;" Jack laughingly remarked. "And now forget all yourtroubles, fellows, and get down to work. Look out for bones. I've eatenwhite fish plenty of times, and they say they're never so good unlesscooked right where they're caught."
"I believe it too," Josh continued. "Just like the pompano an uncle ofmine used to tell us he caught down in Florida--used to jump in theboat, he said; and as they're a delicate, white-flesh fish like this,putting them on ice a week or so takes the flavor out. It also makesthem crumble up when cooked."
"How is it, Buster?" Herb asked; but Nick only rolled his eyes, and kepton munching as though the fate of nations depended on his ability toclear off his tin platter within a given time.
When Nick was eating he wasted mighty little breath in talking, leavingall of that for more convenient times. Besides, he had a perfect horrorof some time getting a fish bone in his throat.
"Wouldn't matter much with a lanky fellow like Josh, you see," he oncesaid, in commenting on this fear; "because anybody could stick his fistdown, and yank the fish-bone out; but my neck is so fat I'd choke todeath long before you could say Jack Robinson. So don't bother me whenI'm eating fish, please."
Afterwards Jack and George took a look at the engine of the _Comfort_.After doing a little tinkering they announced that it would probably runfairly well during the afternoon; but before starting on another day'strip more would have to be done to it.
This was not very comforting to Herb; but he made the best of a badbargain; and with light hearts the motor boys again started forth.
Jack kept an anxious eye on the southwestern sky. He did not altogetherlike the looks of things in that particular quarter, and was resolvedthat if they discovered a promising campsite in the afternoon, theycould not afford to pass it by, if it afforded an offing for the boats.
That tremendous sea, stretching for several hundred miles away tothe west, opened appalling possibilities in the way of a gale. Thestaunchest steamers that ever plied the fresh water seas would sometimesbe as putty in the grasp of a summer storm; and what of the three punymosquito craft that were as chips on the water?
At three o'clock Herb announced that his engine was getting worseinstead of better. And about the same time a welcome hail from George,who was moving along in the van as usual, told that he had by the aid ofhis glasses sighted a shelter.
"Then it's us to go ashore," declared Jack; nor was any one sorry intheir hearts; since a little while before a distant sound like thunderhad been borne to their ears from the low-down patch of hovering clouds.
The retreat promised to be all the shelter they wanted, though it wouldhardly have
answered for larger boats. Immediately all became as busyas beavers, the two tents being raised, and stoutly secured, so that anyordinary gale could not carry the canvas off like a balloon.
Jack had hardly finished his share of the work before he got out hisrod, and busied himself in trying for trout; for he fancied that theywere to be found in the clear waters near by this cove, where a limpidlittle stream emptied into the Great Lake.
Nick, they all noticed, stuck close to camp. It would have to besomething very attractive that could induce _him_ to wander far from hisfireside, especially when the camp was pitched on Canadian soil, wherethey grew such queer kitties.
This time it was Jimmie who seemed destined to get into a peck oftrouble. Jack always declared that there seemed to be an evil spiritforever hovering around their camp, looking for chances to accomplishhis work; and let there appear the least kind of an opening, and he wasready to jump in.
Jimmie was not much of a hunter or fisherman, though able to do eitheron occasion. But he did have a little fancy for wild flowers, and likedto pry around on occasion, seeing what he could discover.
Now, at this late day in the season, he knew he was not apt to runacross any of these pretty gems of the woods; but there seemed to besome sort of fascination about poking here and there examining a bunchof magnificent moss of a pattern he had never set eyes on before,measuring some giant ferns, and watching the antics of a family ofsquirrels. These had their home in an old hollow tree close by, andseemed filled with mild curiosity concerning the intruders on two legsthat had taken up quarters so boldly adjoining the cove.
Herb and George were busily engaged with the balky engine, trying tofind out just what ailed the thing, so that it could be remedied onceand for all. In the end they felt positive that the blame could belocated and effectually cured. At least it was to be hoped so; otherwisethe _Tramp_ would have to tow the larger boat back to the Soo, where thetrouble could be abated at the hands of a machinist.
Josh, according to his custom, was pottering around the camp, making abetter fireplace out of stones, at which he could carry out his part ofthe business with more comfort and dispatch. If they had been going toremain any length of time here, Josh would have constructed a "cooker"worth looking at; for he was an artist in this particular line.
Nick was apparently quite content to lie around, "getting up an appetitefor the next meal," as Josh sarcastically remarked.
"Just as if that were at all necessary," was what the fat boy hurledback at him; and the argument was so clinching that Josh subsided on thespot; for no one had ever seen the time when Buster's appetite needed tobe coaxed.
Nick's eyes finally alighted on the repeating gun which Jack had leanedagainst a tree at a point where it would be out of harm's way. Now, Nickhimself had seldom fired a gun, though ambitious to become a sportsman;because, as he wisely observed, "if I happened to be left in the woodssome time, think I want to starve to death, with a gun in my hands, andplenty of fat game all around me? Not much!"
And in that spirit he had picked up the Marlin; bringing it to hisshoulder in a clumsy way, time after time, in order to get accustomed tothe movement.
"Keep the muzzle turned the other way, Buster!" commanded Josh, noticingthat he was working the pump action of the six-shot weapon, as if heliked to see the ejector send the shell flying out at one side.
"Guess I know enough for that Josh," grumbled Nick, but at the same timemoving still farther around, so that the cook might lose his fears; forwhen a meal was being prepared the fat boy always handled Josh withgloves, as he frankly admitted.
It was just as he was sitting thus that a sudden scream rang through theneighboring woods, sounding so shrill and angry that every one startedas though a bolt of lightning had fallen from the clear blue vaultoverhead right into their midst, and exploded there!