"Well! Well!" cried Art.

A small but sizable nugget lay on d.i.c.k's outstretched palm.

"What luck," cried Jack. "You certainly looked in the right place."

"Bet there's more gold around here," cried Frank. "Maybe a bonanza. Who knows?"

"You ought to stake a claim, d.i.c.k," said big Bob. "I don't know much about the process. But that's the thing to do, isn't it?"

"Huh," said d.i.c.k, generously. "Belongs to you boys well as me. You thought of it."

"Oughter work it," spoke up Art. "Might take out a good poke this Summer."

This remark recalled Tom Farnum to the object of his expedition.

"No, no, men," he said, sharply. "Don't get bitten with the gold fever now. We've got work ahead of us, work that we contracted to do."

"Right," said d.i.c.k.

Art's face fell, but he, too, nodded agreement.

"Just the same," said Farnum, softening, "there's nothing to prevent you two from staking a claim. Some day you may come back to work it."

"Belongs to us no more'n the rest o' you," said d.i.c.k, st.u.r.dily. "The young fellers wanted us to make a try at it here just for luck, an' we did."

A warm debate followed, the boys protesting they were not ent.i.tled to any part in the find. Finally d.i.c.k capitulated.

"Tell you what," he said. "Art an' me'll stake this claim an' file on it. But if we ever come back to work her an' she pays, we'll declare you in."

"Not unless you let us help to finance the expedition," said Jack, turning for confirmation to his comrades. "Isn't that right, fellows."

Bob and Frank agreed. Farnum put an end to the discussion.

"Good enough," he said. "Let it go at that. Now we must buckle into the job. Do you realize we've spent more than two hours here, when we should have stopped only a half hour? We've got to make this portage and push on. Come on. Everybody to his task."

CHAPTER V.-A SURPRISE THROUGH THE AIR

Joyously though time flew by for the boys, with Mr. Hampton and Tom Farnum it was a different matter. They were worried, that became increasingly plain. Finally, although Mr. Hampton purposely refrained from saying anything to disturb the boys, Jack took note of his father's perturbation and questioned him about it.

"Well, Jack," said his father, "we've been weeks on the trail. We can't proceed much farther, without being compelled to start out. And yet so far we have discovered no further trace of Thorwaldsson's party. When we entered the MacKenzie, which flows north, we were going to the south.

Going up the Hare Indian we struck east. Since getting into the streams, rivers and lakes we have been going east. Shortly we shall strike the Coppermine, Beyond that lies the river of oil, as reported by Farrell.

"So far we have made good time. With luck, we shall be able to reach that territory before having to turn back or, rather, for we shall not retrace our steps, turn south. And we should have struck some other trace of Thorwaldsson's party long ere this, if we are on the right track. However, you boys need not worry about this, so let's talk of something else."

Seeing that his father had sunk into one of his rare periods when he wished to be alone with his meditations and did not welcome intrusion even from Jack, the latter moved away to join his comrades.

"Dad's plainly worried," he said. And he explained the circ.u.mstances.

"Wish I could find some way to make him forget his troubles," he said.

"I know what," said Frank. "He loves music. We're camping for the night.

Although"-with a look at the sun-"there isn't much night, is there?

Well, anyhow, it's nighttime in Edmonton, where that new broadcasting station was set up last Spring. Let's rig up our radio and see if we can't pick up their concert, just for luck. What do you say?"

"I say, good," declared Jack.

"Edmonton's long way off," objected Bob.

"That's nothing," said Jack. "I believe we can pick it up all right."

"In this northern country we have no static problem, anyway," said Frank. "We couldn't send to Edmonton with our equipment, but I'll bet we can catch."

While Farnum and Mr. Hampton put their heads together in low-whispered conversation, poring over a map, and while Art and d.i.c.k lay outstretched under some fir trees, already disposed for sleep, the three boys quietly got out the necessary equipment from among the luggage and set to work.

"A short distance up the stream," said Frank, "I saw two firs taller than most, standing alone. They're a pretty good distance apart, too. We can climb up those trees and string the aerial between them."

They made their way to the trees noted by Frank, and found them exactly suited to the purpose. Jack and Frank, were lighter than Bob, took turns climbing the trees, and the wires were strung without any great difficulty. They worked busily, and when everything was all connected up, Bob looked at his watch.

"Allowing for the difference in time," he said, "they're about ready to begin their concert. On what meter wave length does the Edmonton station send, Frank?"

"I don't recall. About three hundred and fifty, I suppose. We'll tune up and try, anyway."

"What dubs we are, fellows, not to have thought of this before," said Jack.

"Oh, well," said Bob, "broadcast concerts never did interest me much, anyway. I like to do the sending myself, we've always been dog-tired when we made camp at night, and ready to turn in as quickly as Art and d.i.c.k. If it hadn't been for your thought of bringing some relaxation and amus.e.m.e.nt to your father tonight, Jack, we'd have been asleep already."

"I guess that's right, old thing," Jack replied. "You would have been asleep, anyway, even if the rest of us kept tossing. But what does she say, Frank? Any luck yet?"

Frank, who had been manipulating the controls, looked up mirthfully.

"What do you think of your musical program, Jack?" he replied. "Listen in a minute will you? They're sending out a crop and weather report."

Jack's face fell, then he, too, laughed.

"Oh, well," he said, "that's just a preliminary. The concert will follow."

"No," answered Frank, who had resumed his headpiece, "now it's a bulletin report on the day's news events. Listen. Why, great-"

His voice died. Over his face came an expression of surprise.

Jack and Bob sprang to take up the other headpieces attached to the box.

Over their features also spread amazement and even consternation. They listened intently. Then all three simultaneously tore off the receivers and looked at each other.

"Whew, what do you know about that?" said Bob, in an awed tone.

"And on the very night that we decided to set up the radio, too," said Frank.