CHAPTER XVIII
AN EXPLORING PARTY
"Well, what do you think of that?" asked Fenn, in surprised accents."Did he fall down?"
"Doesn't look so," answered Frank. "I wonder if we really saw him, orwhether it was a sort of day dream?"
"Oh, we saw him all right enough," said Bart. "He looked to me just likethe Chinaman we saw in the woods that day."
"Just what I was going to remark," put in Ned. "I wonder if there areany more men up on that cliff?"
"What's the matter, boys?" asked Captain Wiggs, approaching at thisjuncture. They told him what they had seen.
"I don't see anything very surprising in that," replied the commander."Probably he has a laundry up there, and he was out looking forcustomers." And the commander winked at the other chums, who joined ina laugh at Fenn.
"That's all right," announced the discomfited one. "But I'll wagerthere's something queer back of all this. Do you know anything aboutthis locality, captain?"
"Not a thing, and I wish I knew less. I'd never be here if it wasn'tfor the fire. And I must take a look now, and see how our steam bathis affecting it. I guess--"
"Look there!" suddenly cried Fenn, pointing to the cliff, at the base ofwhich the lake waves were breaking.
They all looked. There, on the face of the wall of rock, apparentlysupported by nothing, stood four men, two of whom were Chinese, dressedin the characteristic costume of that nation. The others were white men.They were close together, near a little clump of bushes, that sprangslantingly out from the surface of the cliff.
"More of 'em, eh?" murmured the captain. "I wonder if they'll answer ahail?"
He put his hands, trumpet fashion, to his mouth, and was about to callout, when a surprising thing happened.
As the boys watched the men seemed to grow suddenly smaller. They fairlywent down out of sight, vanishing as completely as though they had sankinto the cliff.
"Well, I never saw such a queer thing!" exclaimed Ned. "They acted justlike a Jack in the Box, when some one shuts the lid."
"That expresses it exactly," admitted the captain. "It is a queer thing.I think it will bear looking into. I wonder if they haven't something todo with the Chinese smugglers."
"That's what we thought."
"I believe I'll go ashore and have a look," decided the commander of the_Modoc_. "The government detectives ought to be told of what's going onout here in this lonely place."
Captain Wiggs would have carried his plan out, but for the fact that aninspection of the hold showed the fire in the cargo to be smothered. Thesteam had done the work effectively and there was no more danger.Instead of having to remain in the secluded bay for some time, ready atany moment, when danger threatened, to break out the cargo, thecommander found himself able to proceed to Duluth.
This he decided on doing at once, as the exact extent of the fire-damagecould not be ascertained until he reached a port where he could unload.
Accordingly all plans of making any examination of the strange actionsof the queer men were abandoned and, steam having been gotten up in themain boilers, the engines were started and the _Modoc_ was once moreunder way.
As they left the little bay the boys kept close watch of the cliff, butthere were no signs of life upon the brown wall of rock. If the men weresomewhere within a cave on its surface, they did not show themselves.
"I wonder if we'll ever solve that mystery?" inquired Bart, of no one inparticular, as the four chums paced the deck.
"I'm going to," announced Fenn, decidedly.
"Yes, you're going to do a lot," returned Ned, with a laugh. "You weregoing to collect minerals, but I haven't seen you stowing any awaylately, for your collection."
"That's so, I forgot all about 'em," admitted Fenn. "I've got lots oftime, though. You can't get any minerals out here," and he motioned tothe expanse of water that surrounded them. "But I'm going to look intothis Chinese business, though."
"How?" asked Frank. "We're going farther and farther away every minute."
"That's all right. We can come back," announced Fenn.
"I thought you were going to Bayville to see Mr. Hayward, and--er--MissRuth," went on Bart. "Especially Ruth."
"Well, I may yet," replied Fenn. "Bayville isn't so far from here. Infact it's within a short distance of where we anchored in that bay."
"How do you know?"
"I asked the captain," replied Fenn. "I was thinking of taking a boatand rowing there, if we'd stayed long enough."
"But how do you figure on getting there now?" asked Ned.
"I'm coming back, after we get to Duluth," was the answer. "CaptainWiggs has got to remain there for some time, and I don't see what thereis to keep us. It's a city, and we've had enough of city life for awhile. I was going to propose that, after we'd been there a couple ofdays, we go off on a little side trip, coming back in time to go home onthe _Modoc_."
"Good idea!" exclaimed Bart. "We could go on a little campingexpedition."
"That was my idea," added Fenn. "We've got enough money with us to hirea tent and a small outfit, all we'll need for a week or so. We've beencamping in the woods before, and we know how to take care of ourselves.This cruising business is fine, but it's too lazy a life to suit me."
"No, I s'pose we haven't had any excitement since we started," commentedFrank sarcastically. "There was the elevator fire, those men chasing us;Ned nearly being pulled overboard with a fish; getting caught in thelock; the steamer on fire and the queer men on the cliff. Oh, yes, we'velived a very quiet and sedate life since we left home, Oh, yes,exceedingly quiet."
"Well, I mean--Oh, you know what I mean," said Fenn. "We need moreaction--the kind we'll get if we go off on a trip by ourselves."
"That's right," agreed Ned. "I'm with you, Stumpy. The sooner thequicker."
"When do we get to Duluth?" asked Bart.
"Very soon now," answered Captain Wiggs, who, coming up behind the boys,overheard the question. "I suppose you are all ready to enter port?" andhe looked quizzically at the boys.
"Ready. How do you mean?" asked Fenn.
"Why you can pass the quarantine regulations, I suppose? Let me look atyour tongues!"
The boys were so surprised that, hardly knowing what they were doing,they stuck them out for the captain's inspection.
"Bad, very bad," he murmured. "I'll have to attend to this at once." Andhe laughed heartily.
"Sold again!" exclaimed Frank, as he drew in his tongue. "I thought wewere going to get even with him."
"So we are," declared Bart. "If not now, on the trip home. We owe himanother one now."
They were soon busy getting things in shape to go ashore and, when the_Modoc_ tied up at a big wharf, they were all ready to go to the hotelthe captain had recommended, there to stay a couple of days, until theycould start on their little exploring expedition.
The captain had offered no objection to this, and had told them the bestroute to take.
"But you must be back in time to sail with me on the homeward trip,"cautioned the captain, mentioning the date and time he expected tostart. "I'll not wait for you, remember. The _Modoc_ suffered verylittle damage from the fire. Less than I feared and there will be nodelay."
"We'll be here on time," Fenn assured him.
The boys spent two busy days preparing for their side trip, and, brightand early one morning, they took a train that was to convey them to alittle settlement, whence they were to start for a jaunt through thewoods, carrying their simple camping outfit with them.