d miles on the water.

Among the cases of machinery and other freight, traveling in the vessel's
hold under Colonel Snow's name, was a long box shaped like an
old-fashioned piano case, which had nothing to do with Colonel Snow's
enterprises. Despite the fact that it weighed more than half a ton, the
boys had clubbed together to pay the rather exorbitant freight charges
upon it. Superfluous as it appeared at one time to the Colonel, it was
destined to play an important part in the Scouts' adventures in the land
of gold and glaciers.

An hour of gazing on the scenic wonders that sped past on the right and
left the morning after their departure from Seattle, aroused the boys'
appetites, and they were beginning to long for the breakfast bugle call,
when Colonel Snow came from his stateroom and bade them a hearty good
morning. He had just redrawn their attention to the magnificent land and
waterscape, with the remark that Major General Greeley, of Arctic fame,
had made ten voyages to Alaska, and on each trip found some new wonder in
the "Inside Passage" when there arose a chorus of yells, curses and
vituperation from the deck below, and leaning over the railing, the boys
saw a man with a pistol in his hand backing away from two who were
striking at him with handspikes that they had grabbed from the side of the
vessel.

At the same time a youth of about their own age dashed in behind the man
with the pistol, and dived between his legs, tripping him up. He doubled
up like a jackknife, fell back against the gangway gate, which had not
been properly fastened, and shot through it into the tideway, here very
swift, and disappeared. The quickly raised cry of "Man Overboard," reached
the pilot house, the engine room gong boomed, the screw stopped and the
"Queen" gradually lost headway.

CHAPTER II.

"SWIFTWATER JIM."

The Scouts had joined in the cry which notified the pilot house that a man
had gone overboard, but before the "Queen" lost headway and began to back
the man in the water had slipped some distance astern. Life preservers and
life rings were quickly thrown after him, but no sooner had the derelict
come to the surface than it was seen that he was dazed and almost helpless
from the effects, probably, of some injury he had sustained as he went
through the gangway. Luckily, the gangway gate, which he had pushed out
had floated alongside of him on the tideway, and he had retained
consciousness enough to grasp o