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Rh this time," he thought. "The fast steamers make the trip in six or seven hours, I've been told."

Yet the whole day passed, and they made no attempt to make a landing, although more than once land appeared away off to the westward.

On the morning of the day following when Franklin rolled out of his bunk, he heard a loud hailing from the deck. Another boat, a large steam tug, had been sighted, and by the time the young electrician was on deck the steam tug was lying alongside, and the boxed-up batteries were being transferred to her as fast as Ben Stanhope and two men from the other boat could accomplish the job.

"Get to the alley, you!" shouted Captain Cosgrove, as soon as he saw Franklin standing by watching the operation. "You're not wanted here."

Franklin at once obeyed the command. But his mind was filled with curiosity concerning the steam tug. Before the craft left the side of the freight boat, he noted that every one of the boxed-up batteries which had been shipped by the H. Y. Smith Co. were on board. The steam tug's name was Craigshire.

"If she's not a Canadian vessel then I'll miss my guess," said Franklin to himself, "And if that is so, it's more than likely that we are somewhere in the vicinity of the Straits of Mackinaw, although how close there is no telling."