all around. It was the shriek of a large number of steam
whistles, and seemed to come up from every side.

"Is that for the fog?" asked Bruce.

"O, no," said Bart; "those are the saw-mills whistling for twelve
o'clock."

The boys had already completed their preparations for landing, and had
changed their eccentric clothing for apparel which was more suited to
making their appearance in society. Bart had insisted that they should
go to his house, and wait until they might decide what to do; and the
boys had accepted his hospitable invitation.

They stepped on shore full of hope, not doubting that they would hear
news of Tom. They had persuaded themselves that he had been picked up
by some vessel which was coming down the bay, and had probably been put
ashore here; in which case they knew that he would at once communicate
with Bart's people. They even thought that Tom would be there to
receive them.

"Of course he will be," said Bart; "if he did turn up, they'd make him
stay at the house, you know; and he'd know that we fellows would come
down here in the hope of hearing about him. So we'll find him there
all right, after all. Hurrah!"

But, on reaching his home, Bart's joyous meeting with his family was
very much marred by the deep, dark, and bitter disappointment that
awaited him and his companions.

They knew nothing whatever about Tom. Bart's father was shocked at the
story. He knew that no boy had been picked up adrift in the bay during
the past week. Such an event would have been known. He felt
exceedingly anxious, and at once instituted a search among the coasting
vessels. The search was a thorough one, but resulted in nothing.
There was no one who had seen anything of a drifting boat. All
reported thick fog in the bay.

The result of this search plunged Bart and his friends into their
former gloom.

Other searches were made. Inquiries were sent by telegraph to
different places, but without result.

The fate of the missing boy now became a serious question

As for Bart and his friends, they were inconsolable.

XVIII.

Down the Bay.--Drifting and Anchoring.--In the Dark, morally and
physically.--Eastport, the jumping-off Place.--Grand Manan.--Wonderful
Skill.--Navigating in the Fog.--A Plunge from Darkness into Light, and
from Light into Darkness.

It was Saturday when Bart reached home. As much was done on that day
as possible. Bart was in the extreme of wretchedness, and