193
XVIII. After the Storm 204
XIX. The Battle of the Hulk 216
XX. Besieged 227
XXI. Unexpected Help 237
XXII. The Mystery Solved--Conclusion 247

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BOY SCOUTS ON HUDSON BAY;
or, The Disappearing Fleet.
By G. HARVEY RALPHSON

CHAPTER I.

THE FIVE CHUMS IN CAMP.

"Sure it's me that hopes we've seen the last tough old carry on this
same wild-goose chase up to the Frozen North!"

"Hello! there, is that you, Jimmy, letting out that yawp? I thought you
had more sporting blood in you than to throw up your hands like that!"

"Oh! well I sometimes say things that don't come from the heart, you
know, Jack. Wait, me boy, till I get good and rested up, and mebbe I'll
sing a different tune. Ask Ned here if it's me that often shows the
white flag when trouble comes."

"Well, I should say not, Jimmy McGraw. There never was a more stubborn
nature in all New York than you, once you'd set your mind on anything.
That talk of being discouraged is all on the surface. A thousand
cataracts wouldn't keep _you_ from getting to Hudson Bay in the end, if
you'd said you meant to reach open water. And Jack Bosworth knows that
as well as I do."

"That's right; I do," laughed the party mentioned as Jack, as he slapped
Jimmy on the back. "I've seen him tested and tried out many the time,
and never once did he squeal. I was only joking, Jimmy; you understand?"

"And sure that's what I was doing when I grunted about the carry. It was
next door to a picnic down Coney Island way, and I don't care how many
more times the lot of us have to pack canoes and duffle from one creek
to another. But Francois here is after saying we're getting near the end
of our long voyage, and Tamasjo, the red Injun, backs him up. So let's
try and forget our troubles, and settle down for a decent night's rest."

"First of all, we'll get the tent up, because it looks a little like it
might rain before morning," remarked the boy who had been designated as
Ned, and whom the other four seemed to look upon in the light of leader.

All of them were garbed in the familiar khaki of the Boy Scouts, and
from their actions it would seem as though long familiarity with outdoor
life had made this thing of pitching camp second n