Part 8 (1/2)

CHAPTER IX

THE BOYS MEET A ”WOLF”

Faster and faster cae white craft, with a yellow funnel and two rakish-looking

Between her masts was suspended a parallel sort of ”antennae,” wires betokening that she carried wireless At her bow the foah the water on her errand of mercy

With what anxiety those on the _Good Hope_ watched her, arded the race of their rescuers against the fire which raged below them For the two holes cut by Rob and Merritt, while they had had the good effect of attracting aid, had also had a less gratifying result

Through the h therew so fearfully hot that all were compelled to beat a retreat to the extreme stern of the _Good Hope_

Little was said as the yacht rounded up as close to the burning shi+p as she dared, and lowered a boat By this time clouds of black s skyward above the doo for the castaways that no as stirring or this story ht have had a different termination

The boat was uided by a lad wearing the Boy Scout uniforle Patrol As the long drawn ”Kree-ee-ee!” died out, the boy in the stern stood erect and gave the Scout salute Then followed a long-drawn, growling shout:

”How-oo-oo-oo!”

”That's the cry of one of the Wolf Patrols!” cried Merritt

”Yes; and that boy is a Wolf,” declared Rob

”Well, at all events he co

The next instant the boat was under the stern and the rescued castaere sliding down a rope into it Hardly a as spoken while this was going on; the work in hand was too important

But hardly had they all found places before, in an earnest voice, the ensign exclaimed:

”Pull for your lives, h now,” declared the Wolf Scout

”Far fro book of that craft spoke of dynamite on board They used it to blast their way out of the polar ice I think----”

A terrific concussion that threw the flash, and this in turn was followed by an explosion that seemed to shake the sea

”Pull for your lives!” shouted the ensign to the alarmed sailors

Dazed as they were, they lost no ti wood and red-hot er

Luckily, however, none of the blazing fragments struck the boat As soon as they recovered their faculties, the boys gazed back at the spot where the _Good Hope_ had last been seen There was not a trace of her The dynamite had literally blown the ill-fated whaler out of existence Only oily pools re

”I can easily see that you chaps have been through so experiences,” remarked the Wolf boy, whose name proved to be Donald Grant, attached to the Wolf Patrol of the 14th New York City Troop