"All right," replied Frank, confidently. "Do you know what my a.s.signment is?"

"Yes," answered JSN, impudently. "Do you?"

"I'm after Lupo the Wolf," tapped Frank. "Now call Captain Jameson."

"You're not MacDonald," replied JSN, "because he doesn't know the code.

But you must be speaking for him, for that's right about his a.s.signment.

I'll call Captain Jameson. You wait."

"All right," tapped Frank.

Then he turned to the eager MacDonald, who was itching to inquire what was occurring, but had restrained himself until he should be appealed to by Frank, in order not to interrupt. Like all men unfamiliar with telegraphy, whether wireless or by wire, he stood in awe of an operator, and believed it would be terrible, indeed, to interrupt that superior being. Frank took pity now on his curiosity, as well as on that of Farnum, d.i.c.k and Art, crowding behind him, and explained what had happened.

"And you actually got the Post?" asked MacDonald, doubt in his voice.

Frank nodded.

"My G.o.d," said the big policeman. "Think of the weeks I spent toiling up here, and now you come along and talk across that distance without the loss of a minute's time. Wonderful, well I reckon."

"When Captain Jameson arrives," said Frank, smiling, "I want you to stand close and I'll translate what he says, and you help me with the replies, will you?"

"Won't I be interrupting you?"

"Oh, no," smiled Frank. "You just come close and wait until I speak.

It'll be all right. Well"-as the receptor began to click-"I guess this is Captain Jameson now. Yes," with a nod, "it's he, all right. He's asking where you are, Mr. MacDonald."

"Tell him I'm four hundred miles away and close on Lupo. Tell him about yourselves and the fight, and that we're going to round up Lupo's gang and ask him how soon he can send men to help me out with any prisoners we take, and if he can send any at all, and-"

"One minute," said Frank. "I understand. Just wait a bit now, while I telegraph."

To explain at length the details of that telegraphic conversation is unnecessary. Suffice it to say, that the situation was fully explained to Captain Jameson, and that the latter agreed to start a half dozen deputies under a Sergeant to MacDonald's aid, as soon as he should hear again as to the outcome of the expedition against Lupo.

"It'll take a while for the men to reach MacDonald," said Captain Jameson. "But with game plentiful and the season open, he can camp until they arrive, and thus keep watch over his prisoners, providing he makes any. You people go ahead with your rounding up of Lupo's gang, and then let me hear from you again."

On that agreement, Frank finally closed the conversation, as there was nothing further to be said.

CHAPTER X.-THE BOYS LEFT BEHIND.

"MacDonald, I'll agree to help you round up Lupo and his gang," said Mr.

Hampton.

They were all sitting in conference, so to speak, about the camp fire, over which d.i.c.k was busy broiling fish which he and Art and the boys had just pulled out of the lake. The appetizing odor made the nostrils of the three hungry boys twitch with antic.i.p.atory delight.

"Fine," said the big ranger, "that's the way I like to hear you talk."

"Yes," said Mr. Hampton, meditatively, "I've got a very good reason why we should cast in our lot and help you, even supposing Lupo flees and draws us off our course."

"What's that?"

"Well, it's an easy enough one to guess. Lupo evidently is after us.

That means that he is being paid by somebody to do us in, or at least thwart us in our search. I want to know who that somebody is. And the only way to find out is to make Lupo prisoner and question him.

Moreover, it is possible we may be able to learn something about the mysterious fate of Thorwaldsson and his expedition."

Farnum had been listening closely. He nodded with satisfaction.

"Just what I was thinking myself."

"You're right, Mr. Hampton," said MacDonald. "But such being the case, we'll have to be mighty careful that Lupo doesn't get shot, as then your prospective source of information would vanish."

"True enough, MacDonald," said Mr. Hampton. "We'll all have to be on guard against that misfortune, for misfortune it would be."

He raised his voice, calling the boys and d.i.c.k and Art to him. Then he explained how matters stood.

"As soon as we finish breakfast," he said, "we'll start, and you must all be very careful not to shoot Lupo, if it comes to a battle."

As they ate breakfast, Bob who seldom spoke but always to the point, raised a question which had been puzzling him.

"Mr. Hampton, what will we do with all our outfit?" he asked. "And with our radio transmitter, especially? Shall we dismount it? Must we take all our outfit along?"

"It would be too bad to dismount the radio, after our trouble in getting it erected," said Mr. Hampton. "And to take all our outfit with us would be to hamper our movements. On the other hand, we can't very well leave everything here, for some of Lupo's men might slip away from the main body, in fact, they may already have done so, and they would put us in a terrible plight if they raided the camp, in our absence."

There was silence for a minute or two, then MacDonald spoke.

"We can certainly travel faster without your outfit to hold us back," he said, "especially if Lupo tries to run away. For then we could gain on him at the portages, by traveling light. Look here, Mr. Hampton, this island is easily defended. We've been going to the sh.o.r.e to keep watch on the mainland against surprise. But just a little ways through the trees is a little rise, a knoll, from which you can see the waters all around the island. One man alone could keep guard here."

"But one man couldn't keep off an attack in numbers," objected Mr.

Hampton.

"I don't know," said MacDonald. "With them high-powered rifles of yours, it might be done. They carry far, farther than any guns Lupo's Indians and breeds will have. Anyway, two men certainly could manage to hold this place against all comers."

"And three," added Farnum, with a significant look at Mr. Hampton, "could do it even better."

The boys again were at the fire some distance away, helping d.i.c.k broil more fish. Mr. Hampton looked at them. He understood the significance in Farnum's tone.

"You don't think they would be in danger here?"

"Less than they would be in with us, Mr. Hampton," said Farnum, lowering his voice as the other had done.

Mr. Hampton considered. The proposal hinted by Farnum, namely, that the boys should be left at camp, tempted him. It was most a.s.suredly true that they would be in far less danger than if they accompanied him against Lupo. And that appealed to him, appealed powerfully. He was grateful to Farnum in his thoughts for his solicitude for the boys'

welfare.

On the other hand, he knew them for resourceful in an emergency, and good fighters. And since the idea that information might be obtained from Lupo had come to him it had taken firm possession of his thoughts.

Lupo must be captured. Would it not be folly to weaken their force by leaving three young huskies, each of whom, moreover, was a fine rifle shot, behind?