"They probably thought the whole Canadian navy was coming after them,"

Alex said, pointing from the _Rambler_ to the _Cartier_ and back again. "Looks like we were coming out in force."

In the middle of the afternoon the boys notified Fontenelle of their intention to proceed on their journey, and the _Rambler_ pa.s.sed on up the St. Lawrence.

It was a golden day in summer, the waters sparkled and danced in the sunlight, and the shipping pa.s.sing to and fro on the river made a pleasant picture of marine life. The boys enjoyed the situation thoroughly.

"I have always had a longing to visit Quebec," Clay said as the boat headed for a little cove to avoid the wash of a giant steamer, "and I propose that we spend two or three days there looking over things."

"That suits me," Alex cut in. "When we get there, I'll go down on the docks and find that boy Max. And when I find him, there'll be one wharf rat less on the docks."

"You better keep away from the docks," warned Case. "You'd get lost on South Clark street between any two blocks you could name."

"Well, I always find myself again," Alex declared.

"Yes, you do," Case jeered. "The last time you got lost, it took two boys and a bear and a bulldog to find you. And I don't think you are worth the trouble at that!"

The boys immediately had a friendly struggle on the deck, in which Teddy and Captain Joe promptly mixed.

That night the boys arranged for another campfire on the north bank of the St. Lawrence. They put up their hammocks, anch.o.r.ed the boat close insh.o.r.e, and prepared for a long sleep.

"If there isn't any lost channels or charters from French kings or strayed family jewels hiding about here," Jule commented, "we'll certainly enjoy ourselves in this camp."

Nothing came to disturb them during the night. They watched the procession of craft of all descriptions on the river until nine o'clock, then went to sleep with a danger signal swinging from the prow of the _Rambler_. They were early astir in the morning and on their way upstream.

There was no need of haste, yet the boys seemed to enjoy themselves most when the boat was in motion, so they plowed slowly up the river until night, enjoying the wild scenery and stopping now and then at a little settlement. That was the first of many days of uninterrupted pleasure on the most extensive water system of the North American continent.

On the second night, they made another camp with only Captain Joe and Teddy standing guard. Alex was out after fish early in the morning, and at six o'clock he served one of his long-wished for fish a la Indian breakfasts.

Just before nightfall, they came within sight of Quebec and moored at a pier a short distance down the river.

"Now," laughed Case, "if any treasure seekers or outlaws or river pirates appear to us during the night, we'll call the police. We've had trouble enough for one trip."

"I'm going to sleep ten hours every night until we get to the Thousand Islands," declared Jule. "I'm hungry and sleepy most of the time."

"And we'll come back down the rapids, won't we?" asked Alex.

"You bet we will," replied Clay. "We'll come down like a shot."

"We'll need to," Jule suggested, "because we'll lose time in the ca.n.a.l going up."

There was no open campfire or swinging hammocks for the boys that night. The city of Quebec twinkled its myriad lights from plateau and cliff, and the boys were not sure of whom they might meet during the dark hours. They cooked their supper early in order to make an evening trip in the lower part of the city.

"I wonder," Case said, as, leaving Jule and Clay on board, he started away with Alex, "what the man who delivered the map to us is thinking about concerning his mistake now. He might have been paid to deliver that doc.u.ment to Fontenelle, and the error may make him trouble."

"And I was just thinking," Alex put in, "what the fellows who delivered the warning to us are thinking concerning themselves. They wasted a lot of ammunition and lost a good many hours' sleep on our account."

"Perhaps we'll find out all about it when we go back to find the lost channel," Case suggested. "Do you know," he added, "I'm looking forward to that lost channel stunt with a good deal of enthusiasm."

"Do you really think there's a lost channel there?" asked Alex.

"There is something in it," Case a.s.serted. "Men don't draw maps entirely on imagination."

"Then why don't the men who drew the map go and tell Fontenelle all about it?"

"He tried to tell him all about it when he delivered the map to us, but as you know, the map reached the wrong hands."

The boys walked the streets, comparing them unfavorably with those of Chicago, until nearly ten o'clock and then turned to go to the boat.

When they came to the river front again, Alex stopped suddenly and caught Case by the arm.

"Look there," he whispered, "What do you know about that?"

"About what?" asked Case, puzzled.

"Don't you see him down there at the head of the pier?" asked Alex, nodding his head in that direction.

"I guess you're the boy that's got loose packing in his head to-night," laughed Case. "What do you see?"

"What do I see?" repeated Alex. "That's Max, the wharf rat, the cable cutter, the motor destroyer. Shall we go and get him?"

"Go and get him?" repeated Case. "He'd have a flock of wharf rats around us in about two minutes."

"Well," Alex insisted, "we'd better stay here and see where he goes, anyway. If we can locate the fellow now, we can go after him any time."

"Then I guess we can go after him any time," Case chuckled, "because he's heading for that eating house with the tin fish sign in front of it."

"Then here we go for the tin fish," Alex declared, and in five minutes, they were seated at a little table in an alcove separated only by a heavy cloth curtain from the main room of a third-rate French restaurant.

When a waiter appeared they gave their orders and sat watching the main room through the folds of the curtain.

"There!" Alex finally said in a whisper. "He's coming in."

"Yes," grunted Case, "and he's got a dozen wharf rats with him. I guess they've got us in as neat a trap as one boy ever set for another!"

CHAPTER IX

A BUSY NIGHT IN QUEBEC

"I don't understand," Alex said, peering through the curtain, "why he should want to do anything to us. Perhaps he won't notice us at all."

"Don't you ever think he won't," grinned Case. "Didn't I truss him up like a hen in the cabin and threaten to arrest him, and didn't he declare that he would shoot me if he ever got a chance? Don't you believe he'll let us get out of here without trouble!"

"Oh, well," Alex replied, "if he starts anything we'll get out all right in spite of him, and in spite of his wharf rats."

"I've got an idea," Case said, watching the collection of roughly-dressed boys sitting about a table in the other room, "that that kid has been waiting in Quebec for us."