CHAPTER VIII
THE DISCOVERY OF MAX
Case hastened to put the _Rambler_ under motion, and, with Fontenelleand Howard still on board, headed her into the current. At a signalfrom Fontenelle, the launch _Cartier_ drew up her anchor and followed.
To Captain Joe's vicious barking was now added the surly voice of thebear cub, so the boys knew that the animals were not far away. Infact, as they paused to investigate the ugly nose of the bulldog waspushed through the curtain of shrubbery at the edge of the stream, andTeddy leaped snarling into the water.
Fontenelle greeted the approach of the animals to the boat with shoutsof laughter. Even in their haste to reach the boat, the animals couldnot avoid snapping and striking at each other, playfully. No moreshots were heard, but presently a great tramping in the undergrowthcame at the point where Joe and Teddy had made their appearance,indicating human presence there. All on board the _Rambler_ anxiouslyawaited the appearance of those who were struggling in the jungle.
"Would the menagerie run away and leave the boys in captivity?" askedFontenelle, as the bulldog and the bear cub were assisted, streaming,to the deck. "They seem to have had a long run."
"Indeed, they would not," replied Case. "If Clay and the others weretied up in the woods, Captain Joe and Teddy would be there with them.No, it is my opinion that it is Alex making all that racket in thebrush. He's a noisy little chap, and particularly troublesome whenhungry."
The next moment proved Case's reasoning to be correct, for theundergrowth parted again and the three boys appeared on the bank.
"Ship ahoy!" Alex shouted, wrinkling his freckled nose. "Do you wantto take on passengers?"
"I hope," Case called back, "that you fellows haven't gone and lostthe rowboat. And where is the two-foot fish you were going to bringfor breakfast? I don't see it anywhere."
"Well," Jule called out, as the _Rambler_ edged toward the bank, "ifwe have lost a boat, you seem to have found one."
"What do you mean by that?" asked Case.
Jule pointed, and Case went to the gunwale of the _Rambler_ and lookeddown upon the fragile canoe in which Max had paddled up the river.
"I didn't know that we were towing it," he said, "but its presencehere accounts for Max getting away without being seen or heard. Henever stopped to get his boat, and may be swimming under water yet,for all I know. I hope he's clear down at the bottom."
"No danger of one of those wharf rats getting drowned," Fontenellelaughed. "I have seen them remain under water for what seemed to me tobe five minutes, and Max is some riverside boy."
"Shoot the canoe over," cried Clay, "and we'll come aboard."
"Where's your boat?" demanded Case.
"Well, you see," explained Clay, "when we missed the _Rambler_, westarted for the St. Lawrence by the water route, but when ruffians onthe bank began shooting, we tied up the boat and took to the thicket."
Case released the line and sent the light canoe spinning over thesurface of the river. Clay caught the rope deftly and one by one theboys paddled over to the motor boat. Alex threw himself down on thedeck and gazed imploringly up at Case.
"I expected," he said whimsically, "that you'd welcome me on the bankof the river with a pie!"
"The next time you get us into trouble," Case laughed, "I'll meet youon the bank of the river with a club."
The three boys were presented to Fontenelle and Howard and thenpreparations for breakfast were begun.
"Alex got taken prisoner up in the woods," Jule grinned. "We cut himloose and tied up the cook. We were thinking of getting breakfastthere, but we preferred fish and pancakes to lead and gunpowder, so wemade a run for the boat."
"Is the cook tied up yet?" asked Case.
"I reckon they cut him loose in about ten minutes," Alex replied, "forthey seemed to be about three steps behind us all the way to theriver, but they didn't catch us."
"Do you think we would better go back after the rowboat?" Case asked,as the boys sat down to a breakfast of bacon, eggs, pancakes, beansand hot coffee. "We ought not to loose it."
"Look here," Jule said. "We've been sowing rowboats over the world fora year or two. We lost two on the Amazon, one on the Columbia, two onthe Colorado and had three smashed on the Mississippi. Now, I thinkwe'd better go back and get this boat."
"All right," Alex grinned. "You go on back and get it."
"Well, don't you ever think I can't," Jule replied. "I can sneak upthere and swipe that boat from under their noses. But you needn'tthink I'm going to set out as long as there is anything here to eat."
While the boys took breakfast, the situation as explained to Case byFontenelle was described to them, and after a time Case beckoned Clayaway to a corner of the cabin and asked him a question over which hehad been puzzling ever since the arrival of Fontenelle.
"Now you understand the situation," Case said, "and I want you toanswer this question right off the handle. I've decided it half adozen ways, but I have been fortunate enough so far to keep my mouthshut."
"What is the question?" asked Clay.
"Wait," Case said. "I'll make a little explanation first. TheseFontenelle people have only the legend of the lost channel and theloss of the charter and the family jewels in this section. Theyhaven't a single clew which tells them to look in any special spotfirst.
"So far as I can make out, young Fontenelle and his friends come downhere every summer, in answer to the demands of the elder Fontenelle,for a sort of a vacation. So far as I can make out, they have neverhonestly searched for the lost channel. In fact, the young man hasdoubts of its existence. Now, what I want to know is this."
"Why didn't you say so before?" asked Clay with a smile. "I know whatyour question is. You want to know if we ought to show Fontenelle themap which was brought to the _Rambler_ so mysteriously."
"Aw, of course, you could guess it after I had stated the case fully,"Case declared. "But you haven't told me what you think about it. Oughtwe to give Fontenelle the map?"
"Well," Clay answered, cautiously, "the map doesn't belong to us. Itwasn't intended for us. It was handed to us by a man who evidentlybelieved that he was turning it over to Fontenelle."
"Yes," Case said, "it does look as if the map belongs to Fontenelle,but look here! He doesn't believe in this search. It is my idea thathe doesn't even care whether he secures the lost property or not. Hewon't consider the matter seriously if we give it to him. He'll justlaugh and poke it away among a lot of old papers and that will be theend of it."
"You are undoubtedly right," Clay answered.
"Now," Case went on, "we've had enough trouble with these outlaws toarouse my fighting blood. Besides, I'd like to have a look at thatlost channel. Lost channels appeal to me, you know! I'd give a lot tofind it. Why not keep the map and go on with the search?"
"But the other fellows would be searching, too, and the whole eventwould deteriorate into a big summer outing," Clay insisted.
"All right, then," Case suggested. "Suppose we go on up the river toQuebec, and Montreal, and the Thousand Islands, and then come backafter these fellows have gone home, and find that channel."
"That listens pretty good to me," Clay answered. "I am willing to goon at once if it is a sure thing that we come back, but I don't wantto sneak away from these fellows after they have started the fight."
"That shows courage, all right enough," Case added, "but I'd ratherhunt for this lost channel with these toughs on the wharf at Quebec,and," he added, more seriously, "that's where I think they'll be bythe time we get back here. They won't stay here long after Fontenellegoes away."
"Very well," Clay replied, "if Jule and Alex are willing, we'll be onour way this afternoon."
This understanding having been reached, the two boys went back totheir guests, while Jule went ashore in the canoe.
"Now, watch the little rat," Alex laughed. "He'll tie that boat up andblunder through the briers, when he might paddle up the stream closeto the bank without taking any chances."
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p; But Jule did nothing of the kind. He kept on up the stream in thecanoe. Presently he rounded a bend and disappeared from sight.
In a short time Fontenelle and his friend left the _Rambler_ with theunderstanding that the two crews were to meet in the evening if theboys did not sail away in the afternoon. As a matter of fact, as thereader already knows, the boys had decided to leave before the partingtook place, but they did not care to be urged to remain and join inthe summer vacation picnic which was sure to follow.
They had started out for a trip covering the whole length of the St.Lawrence river from the Gulf to Lake Ontario, and were determined tocover the course before shipping their boat back to Chicago.
In less than an hour Jule was back with the rowboat, having seennothing of the outlaws.
"They probably thought the whole Canadian navy was coming after them,"Alex said, pointing from the _Rambler_ to the _Cartier_ and backagain. "Looks like we were coming out in force."
In the middle of the afternoon the boys notified Fontenelle of theirintention to proceed on their journey, and the _Rambler_ passed on upthe St. Lawrence.
It was a golden day in summer, the waters sparkled and danced in thesunlight, and the shipping passing to and fro on the river made apleasant picture of marine life. The boys enjoyed the situationthoroughly.
"I have always had a longing to visit Quebec," Clay said as the boatheaded for a little cove to avoid the wash of a giant steamer, "and Ipropose that we spend two or three days there looking over things."
"That suits me," Alex cut in. "When we get there, I'll go down on thedocks and find that boy Max. And when I find him, there'll be onewharf rat less on the docks."
"You better keep away from the docks," warned Case. "You'd get lost onSouth Clark street between any two blocks you could name."
"Well, I always find myself again," Alex declared.
"Yes, you do," Case jeered. "The last time you got lost, it took twoboys and a bear and a bulldog to find you. And I don't think you areworth the trouble at that!"
The boys immediately had a friendly struggle on the deck, in whichTeddy and Captain Joe promptly mixed.
That night the boys arranged for another campfire on the north bank ofthe St. Lawrence. They put up their hammocks, anchored the boat closeinshore, and prepared for a long sleep.
"If there isn't any lost channels or charters from French kings orstrayed family jewels hiding about here," Jule commented, "we'llcertainly enjoy ourselves in this camp."
Nothing came to disturb them during the night. They watched theprocession of craft of all descriptions on the river until nineo'clock, then went to sleep with a danger signal swinging from theprow of the _Rambler_. They were early astir in the morning and ontheir way upstream.
There was no need of haste, yet the boys seemed to enjoy themselvesmost when the boat was in motion, so they plowed slowly up the riveruntil night, enjoying the wild scenery and stopping now and then at alittle settlement. That was the first of many days of uninterruptedpleasure on the most extensive water system of the North Americancontinent.
On the second night, they made another camp with only Captain Joe andTeddy standing guard. Alex was out after fish early in the morning,and at six o'clock he served one of his long-wished for fish a laIndian breakfasts.
Just before nightfall, they came within sight of Quebec and moored ata pier a short distance down the river.
"Now," laughed Case, "if any treasure seekers or outlaws or riverpirates appear to us during the night, we'll call the police. We'vehad trouble enough for one trip."
"I'm going to sleep ten hours every night until we get to the ThousandIslands," declared Jule. "I'm hungry and sleepy most of the time."
"And we'll come back down the rapids, won't we?" asked Alex.
"You bet we will," replied Clay. "We'll come down like a shot."
"We'll need to," Jule suggested, "because we'll lose time in the canalgoing up."
There was no open campfire or swinging hammocks for the boys thatnight. The city of Quebec twinkled its myriad lights from plateau andcliff, and the boys were not sure of whom they might meet during thedark hours. They cooked their supper early in order to make an eveningtrip in the lower part of the city.
"I wonder," Case said, as, leaving Jule and Clay on board, he startedaway with Alex, "what the man who delivered the map to us is thinkingabout concerning his mistake now. He might have been paid to deliverthat document to Fontenelle, and the error may make him trouble."
"And I was just thinking," Alex put in, "what the fellows whodelivered the warning to us are thinking concerning themselves. Theywasted a lot of ammunition and lost a good many hours' sleep on ouraccount."
"Perhaps we'll find out all about it when we go back to find the lostchannel," Case suggested. "Do you know," he added, "I'm lookingforward to that lost channel stunt with a good deal of enthusiasm."
"Do you really think there's a lost channel there?" asked Alex.
"There is something in it," Case asserted. "Men don't draw mapsentirely on imagination."
"Then why don't the men who drew the map go and tell Fontenelle allabout it?"
"He tried to tell him all about it when he delivered the map to us,but as you know, the map reached the wrong hands."
The boys walked the streets, comparing them unfavorably with those ofChicago, until nearly ten o'clock and then turned to go to the boat.When they came to the river front again, Alex stopped suddenly andcaught Case by the arm.
"Look there," he whispered, "What do you know about that?"
"About what?" asked Case, puzzled.
"Don't you see him down there at the head of the pier?" asked Alex,nodding his head in that direction.
"I guess you're the boy that's got loose packing in his headto-night," laughed Case. "What do you see?"
"What do I see?" repeated Alex. "That's Max, the wharf rat, the cablecutter, the motor destroyer. Shall we go and get him?"
"Go and get him?" repeated Case. "He'd have a flock of wharf ratsaround us in about two minutes."
"Well," Alex insisted, "we'd better stay here and see where he goes,anyway. If we can locate the fellow now, we can go after him anytime."
"Then I guess we can go after him any time," Case chuckled, "becausehe's heading for that eating house with the tin fish sign in front ofit."
"Then here we go for the tin fish," Alex declared, and in fiveminutes, they were seated at a little table in an alcove separatedonly by a heavy cloth curtain from the main room of a third-rateFrench restaurant.
When a waiter appeared they gave their orders and sat watching themain room through the folds of the curtain.
"There!" Alex finally said in a whisper. "He's coming in."
"Yes," grunted Case, "and he's got a dozen wharf rats with him. Iguess they've got us in as neat a trap as one boy ever set foranother!"