them had been, when the news
was broken to him, but he agreed that nothing was to be accomplished
while the darkness and the storm lasted. He had dragged the cooking
stove up to the entrance to the tent and was trying to start a fire.
Twice the tiny flames had flickered and gone out, but now, fanned
vigorously, the wood caught, and soon the stove was red-hot, the top
spluttering with the snowflakes which fell upon it. The fire warmed the
air in the tent, and for the balance of the night the party rested
comfortably in body if not in mind.

With the coming of morning the storm abated, and by eight o'clock the
sun was struggling to shine through the drifting clouds. The captain, as
if to atone for his misdeeds, prepared breakfast, giving to Earl and
Randy the best of the flap-jacks turned out. The captain was a great
hand at these cakes, and the party was certain to get them whenever he
was cook.

"For all we know, the boat may have gone clear down to the entrance to
Tagish Lake," remarked Foster Portney, while finishing the repast. "I
see nothing for us to do but to walk along the lake shore and keep our
eyes open."

"Shall we take our traps along?" asked the doctor. "I can carry the cook
stove if you can divide the rest of the stuff among you."

A short discussion followed, and feeling certain the boat had gone down
the lake, if anywhere, it was decided by all hands to pack the outfit
and take it along. The packing took some time, and when the start was
made the storm had cleared away entirely, leaving the sky as bright as
one could wish.

A mile of the shore had been covered when Foster Portney called a halt
and directed attention to an object floating in the direction from which
they had come. "It's a boat!" he cried, a moment later.

"Our boat?" questioned Randy, eagerly.

"I can't say." Mr. Portney and the others watched the craft with
interest. "No, it's not our boat, but another, and there are several
people on board."

"Let's hail 'em, and git 'em to search for the _Wild Goose_," said
Captain Zoss, and they walked back, and after some trouble succeeded in
attracting the attention of the party on the water. There were three men
in the boat and a woman, the latter being the same they had met in camp
at Lake Linderman. To all the newcomers Foster Portney told his story.

"O' course we'll help you," said the miner who had his wife on board.
"One o' you can git aboard here, and we'll cruise around the lake