elter and stretch their cramped limbs.

"It didn't rain, after all," Jimmy remarked; and there was something of
a grievance in his tone, as though he rather begrudged going to all that
useless labor for nothing.

"Well, if we'd known as much last night as we do now," commented Jack,
"perhaps we wouldn't have bothered about this shelter. I often wonder
what a lot of things some fellows would shirk if their foresight was as
good as their hindsight."

"For one thing," spoke up Teddy, briskly, "we'd be having our bully
canoes and blankets, and tents, and all that raft of grub right now,
instead of having to do without it."

"That's so, we would," Jimmy echoed, making a comical face. "And let me
tell you fellers, after this I'm going to devote a lot of time tryin'
to see into the future. My father was a seventh son, and they say that
makes a weather-sharp. I've tried it a few times, and hit the truth once
out of three."

"I'd call that a poor percentage," Teddy sneered. "Why, any
happy-go-lucky guess ought to strike it half the time, anyway."

"Do we eat again this morning, or is it a case of saving the grub?"
Jimmy asked, turning to Ned.

"It's too early yet to go on half-rations," the patrol leader assured
him. "What we're going to come to after a little is another question. So
let's get busy and have a cooking fire started."

Jimmy hastened to be the one to attend to this. Truth to tell, he was
shivering in the raw morning air, and wanted heat almost as much as hot
food, in order to make himself feel comfortable.

"No changes in our plans overnight, are there, Ned?" inquired Jack, as
they hovered around the blaze after it had been started, each fellow
apparently anxious to have a hand in the simple preparation of
breakfast, though really wanting to warm his hands.

"No," came the reply, "we'll keep straight on, and reach the bay before
changing our course. Then we'll have to head to the west, and do what we
can to reach the nearest trading post, unless we have the good luck to
strike some sealer or whaling vessel that will take us aboard."

CHAPTER XVI.

THE SEA FOG.

"I wonder if we'll see anything of that mystery of Hudson Bay?" Teddy
chanced to remark, while they were eating later on.

"'Tis me that cares mighty little whether we do or not," Jimmy admitted,
which change of tone caused the other to turn upon him and say:

"What's all this mean, Jimmy? A little while back you were telling us
th