till we'd tried everything we could think up to beat them at their
game," was Frank's way of showing his determined nature.

Of course, once they had finished eating, there was really nothing to
keep them there; and as they had no tents to take down, or dunnage to
pack, it was an easy task to get started.

Francois led them straight into the south. They felt sure that they must
arrive on the shore of the bay before a great while, for there was a
decided salty tang to the air that greeted them, very gratifying to boys
who had been brought up near the ocean, as these scouts had.

So far nothing had been seen or heard of the miners, whom they looked
upon as their enemies. At the same time, the boys believed that the
others must be diligently searching for them, and should they happen to
come across their trail, a warm pursuit must follow.

In consequence of this fact, they were advised by Ned to keep on the
alert.

"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 glimpse
any, is a spy hiding behind a tree, and ready to let loose on us with
his 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 future
did not look so very bright, still they felt that they had accomplished
the main object that had drawn the expedition to these parts, and could
not complain. So every now and then some half-humorous remark would be
made calculated to draw out an answer. Thus, in a measure their troubles
were forgotten, though no one ventured to troll a ditty, as might have
been the case under ordinary conditions.

The character of the country was changing again, and from what they had
noticed on the former occasion, they knew that they must be drawing near
the water.

There was no air stirring to blow away the damp fog wave that grew more
and more dense as they advanced.

"If it rains down on us here we'll just have to grin and bear it," Jimmy
was saying, as he tripped along beside the other scouts.

"No hollow trees to crawl in, because none of these would be nearly big
enough, even if we found one that was partly rotten," added Teddy.

"Make up your minds that it isn't g