, 1911-02-09

va, ,u-y re arm-u put apvut an
hour age l sent Miguel down totthe
shore party to be their guide. He
isn't going to say anything much to
them. but what he says will be
enough, l reckon. He's TO pretend he's
dotty and can't understand what they
say to him.
Planck's eyes widened a little and
he did o ask his next question very
steadily. Where is he going to axe
them?"
Cant you guess that! He's going
to lead them into Fog lake, OF course.
The thought of 1t made Plancks
teeth chatter. Fog lake was, perhaps
the most curious natural phenomenon
upon that strange arctic land-a little
~cup-shaped valley. from which the ZOE
never lifted-had never lifted once IN
all the four years they had lived there
On lays when the rest OF the land
was CLEAR. the fog hung there. hah
way up the side Of the bills, so that
from the ridges surrounding 1t 1t real
" looked like q strange yapory sea
They had explored the edges OF It,
fearsomely, ut times. but had never
penetrated far enough to learn the
secret of its mystery, II 1t had one.
"And them" Planck asked.
why, they'll send out a relief party
from the yacht. of course. The yachts
people know what rations the search
ing party took with them, and when
they don't come back in two days.
they'll probably set out from the
yacht, with every ~able-bodied man on
board, and try to ind the first party
and bring 1t in. As soon as they are
we'll out of hearing, we take the
yacht. We may not fnd q living soul
aboard her; and we certainly can't
leave one there. But we'll steam up
and take our gold aboard-all our
gold. And then, well-there's where
you'll come in"
But what then, man? My God!
what then? Do you suppose we can
go steaming into San Francisco, or
any other port in the world, with all
that gold in our hull and another cap
tain's log and papers? We might Just
as well hang ourselves from our own
crow-iack yard"
az hope your wits will improve when
you get a deck under your feet" Ros-
coe growled. "On land here you're
about as much good as a pelican In
u foo race. No, our sailing orders
won't be San Francisco. nor any 9TH
er port that has such a thing as a
revenue officer about. But you ought
to know the north coast line over
there as fan east as Mckenzie bay.
You must know some harbor there
where we can lie up for the winter
II not be bothered"
Yes" said Planck, ~ could take
the yacht to such q place as that.
There's a very good harbor in behind
Hirshel island. But what will we do
= when we get there"
After that. it's my affair" said
Roscoe. We'll winter on the yacht.
Then when the weather begins to
, loosen up a bit, but before the spring
1 thaws, We'll land our gold and our
stores; cache all the gold. except
what we can carry over the trail, say.
, about 500 pounds OF 1t, and we'll leave
the yachts seacocks open, so that
, when the ice goes out, she'll scuttle
herself. We shall probably find
sledges. n perhaps q pony or two,
on the yacht. IF we do, It will be
4 easy. It's only a short hike to one
OF the tributaries OF the Porcupine
a river. Once we reach the %Porcupine.
It win be easy. for It flows into the
Yukon, and that's as good as a rail-
way line Well make a raft and loaf
all the way down to Saint Michaels
with no trouble at all. The gold we
r have with us will be enough to take
4 us down to Vancouver, and there we
4 can charter a ship. You take command