ng the smoky and foggy city of London behind and
rushing northward. Only two stops were made, one at Leicester and the
other at Sheffield.

"Here is where the celebrated Sheffield cutlery comes from," observed
Roger, as the last stop was made. "If we were going to stop over I'd buy
a pocket-knife for a souvenir."

"Remember, we must get some picture postals at Hull," answered Dave, who
had not forgotten the promise made to Jessie. He had already sent her
over a dozen cards.

Hull is one of the main seaports of England, and ship-building and
sail-making are great industries there. In the harbor were a great many
steamers and sailing vessels, bound for ports all over the world.

Dave was in a fever of anxiety. He had been unable to ascertain when
the expedition in which his father was interested was to start northward
from Christiania, and, as a consequence, he wanted to reach the
Norwegian capital city with the least possible delay.

"It will be just my luck to arrive there after the expedition has left,"
he half groaned to his chum.

"Let us hope for the best, Dave."

As late as it was, the two youths skirmished around and finally learned
that a steamer would leave Hull for Christiania two days later. On this
they booked passage, and then Dave hurried to the nearest telegraph
office and sent a cablegram to Christiania, addressed to his parent. The
message ran as follows:

"Wait until I reach you. Your long-lost son,

"DAVID PORTER."

"That ought to hold him," said he to Roger.

"Of course it will--if he gets it, Dave."

The message sent, the two boys looked around for a hotel, and then
obtained a decidedly late supper. When they retired, Roger slept "like a
top," as he expressed it, but Dave lay awake for hours, wondering what
the future held in store for him. Now that he seemed so close to his
father he could scarcely wait for the time to come when they should meet
face to face.

Roughly estimated, the distance from Hull to Christiania is about six
hundred miles. As it was winter, the harbor of the Norwegian capital was
frozen up, so the steamer could not go further than Drobak, a seaport
eighteen miles south of the capital. Owing to the wintry weather Dave
learned that it would take three full days to make the voyage.

It was not particularly cold on leaving Hull, but as soon as the steamer
struck the full sweep of the winds on the North Sea the th