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diff --git a/35518-0.txt b/35518-0.txt index 279278d..e18b9c3 100644 --- a/35518-0.txt +++ b/35518-0.txt @@ -1,25 +1,4 @@ - THE ICE PILOT - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost -no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it -under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this -eBook or online at http://www.gutenberg.org/license. - -Title: The Ice Pilot - -Author: Henry Leverage - -Release Date: March 07, 2011 [EBook #35518] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ICE PILOT *** - - - +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 35518 *** Produced by Darleen Dove, Mary Meehan, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net. @@ -7935,375 +7914,4 @@ BOOKS BY HENRY LEVERAGE _Whispering Wires_ _White Cipher, The_ - - - - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ICE PILOT *** - - - - -A Word from Project Gutenberg - - -We will update this book if we find any errors. - -This book can be found under: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/35518 - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no one -owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation (and -you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without permission -and without paying copyright royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or re-use it -under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this -eBook or online at http://www.gutenberg.org/license. - -Title: The Ice Pilot - -Author: Henry Leverage - -Release Date: March 07, 2011 [EBook #35518] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ICE PILOT *** - - - - -Produced by Darleen Dove, Mary Meehan, and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net. - -This file was produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive/American Libraries. - - - - THE ICE PILOT - BY HENRY LEVERAGE - - - - - FRONTISPIECE BY - RUDOLPH TANDLER - - GARDEN CITY, N. Y., AND TORONTO - DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & COMPANY - 1921 - - COPYRIGHT, 1921, BY - DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & COMPANY - - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, INCLUDING THAT OF TRANSLATION - INTO FOREIGN LANGUAGES, INCLUDING THE SCANDINAVIAN - - COPYRIGHT, 1919, BY STREET AND SMITH CORPORATION - - DEDICATED TO - THE CAPTAIN OF THE _KARLUK_ - SEASON 1897-8 - - - - -[Illustration: _The floes through which Stirling guided the ship became -larger and higher_] - - - - -CONTENTS - - - - CHAPTER I--THE COAST OF BARBARY - - CHAPTER II--ON A MAN'S SEA - - CHAPTER III--OVER THE QUARTER-DECK - - CHAPTER IV--ON THE SPARKLING SEA - - CHAPTER V--INTO A PURPLE TWILIGHT - - CHAPTER VI--BY THE GREAT-CIRCLE ROUTE - - CHAPTER VII--DRIFTERS AND DERELICTS - - CHAPTER VIII--ON A LOWER BUNK - - CHAPTER IX--THE POLAR BARRIER - - CHAPTER X--TO THE LAST DAY - - CHAPTER XI--BENEATH THE SURFACE - - CHAPTER XII--THE MANNER OF MAN - - CHAPTER XIII--INTO THE ICE - - CHAPTER XIV--A WHISPERED WARNING - - CHAPTER XV--OUT OF THE PORTHOLE - - CHAPTER XVI--FROM HIS POCKET - - CHAPTER XVII--INTO FORBIDDEN WATERS - - CHAPTER XVIII--WITH THE SPEED OF WIND - - CHAPTER XIX--A TOAST FROM MARR - - CHAPTER XX--THE MOVING SHADOWS - - CHAPTER XXI--THROUGH THE PORTHOLE - - CHAPTER XXII--ALONE IN THE CABIN - - CHAPTER XXIII--OVER THE STERN - - CHAPTER XXIV--BEFORE THE WHEEL - - CHAPTER XXV--IN THE GRIP OF THE UNKNOWN - - CHAPTER XXVI--IN THE SUDDEN DARKNESS - - CHAPTER XXVII--IN THE PIT - - CHAPTER XXVIII--THE THIRD DOOR - - CHAPTER XXIX--TO SEE IT THROUGH - - CHAPTER XXX--IN SWIFT SALUTE - - CHAPTER XXXI--DANGER AND DOUBT - - CHAPTER XXXII--TO THE LAST DAY - - CHAPTER XXXIII--A GRIM WARNING - - CHAPTER XXXIV--THROUGH THE DRIVING SNOW - - CHAPTER XXXV--A MATTER OF MINUTES - - CHAPTER XXXVI--ACROSS THE CABIN - - CHAPTER XXXVII--THE CALLING BEACON - - - - -CHAPTER I--THE COAST OF BARBARY - - -It was raining in San Francisco. - -Over that Bagdad of the West a thin drizzling mist swept like some fine -seiner's net; over the Bay a fog hung. - -A man stood alone on the crest of Telegraph Hill. Below him the city -stretched with its square-checked habitations; its long, blurred lanes -of lights; its trolley cars creeping like glow-worms up and down the -slippery inclines. - -That evening the man had watched the sun go down in yellow splendour. He -had seen the shadow of night chase the sunlight in a mad frolic beyond -the edge of the world. He had noted--for his eyes were sharp--the -fore-topsail of a windjammer cut a square nick out of the horizon, and -come like a scared white thing through the Golden Gate. - -Directly below the man a house, which was perched on the declivity, -seemed to burst with drunken mirth and laughter. A woman's voice swung -in tune with a tinkling piano. She sang an old chantey that whalers -know: - - "'Rah for the grog-- - The jolly, jolly grog. - 'Rah for the grog and tobacco. - We've spent all our tin with the ladies, drinking gin, - And across the briny ocean we must wan--der----" - -The man shrugged his shoulders, clinked two silver coins together, and -descended the hill to the Blubber Room, from whence the song had come. - -The piano drummed out a noisy welcome when he opened and closed the -door. - -He took a seat at a table, removed his cap from his gray-sprinkled head, -leaned back, and looked around the smoky interior of the Blubber Room. -The figures of old salts, crimps, half-pay officers, and one -square-jawed sailor loomed through the fetid air. A woman with carmined -lips and a thin blue neck stood by a youth who played the piano. - -It was all familiar to Stirling--known from the Clyde to the Golden Horn -as Horace Stirling, the Ice Pilot. He had been in such dives before. He -knew Number Nine, Yokohama, and the Silver Dollar at Manila. - -Stirling had struck hard luck, chicken farming over Oakland way. His -chickens died as sailors die of scurvy at Herschel Island, and he wanted -to quit the shore. - -The sea and the Arctic called, and he had little money left. There was a -chance for adventure in the Blubber Room that night; rumour had it that -a ship was outfitting for a passage to East Cape, Siberia, and the -unknown land around the Pole. - -Stirling possessed a countenance stamped with the seal of misfortune--a -face with which destiny loves to toy, the face of a rover and a -castaway, yet withal, a strong face which would remain strong to the -very end. - -His eyes were dark brown and wide-set. His nose was long and divided -full; round cheeks blood-veined to a purplish tinge that spoke not only -of wind and weather, of the sea and brine, but also of the lees and -dregs of a wanderer's life. - -The figure of him, sitting at the table, seemed blocked from sturdy oak. - -He eyed the patrons of the Blubber Room and concluded that the adventure -he sought for was far away from that noisy, smoke-filled dive. There was -but one occupant who looked capable of a desperate enterprise--the -sailor--and this man sat hunched in a chair as if he had been drinking -heavily of temperance-time alcohol. - -Stirling studied the sailor's face and found lines in it which were -slightly familiar. It brought to his mind the Revenue Service and a -second lieutenant whom he had met off the Little Diomede Island in -Bering Strait. - -Turning from his scrutiny of the sailor, Stirling looked at the door of -the Blubber Room through which two men stepped who would have attracted -attention anywhere. - -These men, glistening from the rain, took seats at a table and called -for a bottle of light wine. One man was a Yankee, by his nasal -undertones and tobacco-stained goatee. The other man was half the weight -of the first, thin, alert, with a well-trimmed Vandyke beard over which -glittered a pair of eyes that resembled gimlets in their pointed -intensity. - -Upon both of these men lay the badge of the sea--in their gestures, -their pea-jackets, and their peculiar habit of always leaning against -something, which is acquired on decks of ships. - -Stirling studied these men, watched them drink the wine, and saw that -they had fallen under the hidden observation of the sailor who resembled -a second lieutenant of the Revenue Service. - -The Ice Pilot sensed adventure. He also ordered a bottle of light wine, -and paid for it with his last dollar. He sipped the liquid slowly, -pretended to be interested in the woman at the piano, and waited for -something to happen. - -He had not long to wait. - -The two seamen rose from their table, tossed down coins, glanced -meaningly toward the woman at the piano and the waiter who had served -them wine, and went out from the Blubber Room. - -Stirling looked at the sailor, who half-lifted himself from his chair, -thought better of the action, dropped back, thrust his elbows on the -table, and buried his face in his palms. - -The woman's song rose and fell in the heated air, while the lamps -flickered and almost went out. The piano's tinkling notes settled to a -shrill tune that was a signal. - -There followed swifter than Stirling could make note of the events, an -oath from the waiter, a curse upon somebody, a loud banging of the -piano, and a woman's penetrating scream. - -A chair, a cuspidor, and part of a table hurtled across the Blubber -Room; bottles struck the walls; the light went out when the lamps fell -in a thousand pieces to the floor. - -Stirling overturned his table, stumbled through the gloom, tripped over -a body, went down on all fours, and crawled to the door. He raised -himself and attempted to turn the knob, but it would not budge. He heard -behind him the shrieks of the woman and the thud of many blows, then, -after a minute's uproar, a match was lighted, shielded in a red palm, -and its rays directed downward to the sawdust floor. - -The Ice Pilot felt his heart throb in his staunch body. The woman, who -had stood by the piano, lay face upward with the hilt of a seaman's -knife protruding from her breast; carmine stained her neck and waist. - -"Watch th' door an' windows!" a seaman cried. "Somebody's gone an' -croaked Thedessa." - -Accusing eyes glowed in the match's yellow light, and the Ice Pilot felt -that he was the centre of suspicion. A hand was raised and a long finger -pointed toward him. - -He waited until someone lighted the wick of a smashed lamp, then -stepping from the locked door he went to the woman and knelt by her -side. Rising, he said, "I didn't kill her. I think the piano-player -did." - -"Maybe she ain't dead," said a voice that Stirling recognized as coming -from the sailor. - -The waiter took off his apron, closed one eye craftily, and, after a -brutal laugh and a sharp glance around the circle of seaman, exclaimed: - -"Aw, nobody killed her-she just fell on th' knife!" - -Stirling sought for the piano-player who had vanished. He square-set his -shoulders, clenched his fists, and cleared his throat. - -"I'll go for the police," he said. - -The waiter and a seaman grasped his sturdy arms. "Hol' on," they urged. - -"Why should I hold on?" - -The waiter eyed the woman on the floor. - -"She's dead. Nobody knows who killed her. Let's all help carry th' body -out to Meigg's Wharf an' set her afloat." - -Stirling shook his head. He heard behind him the soft step of the -piano-player who came from a door set near the piano. - -"I'll swing for it," he said to the Ice Pilot, a whine in his voice. -"Help me out of th' mess, matey. Let's set Thedessa adrift--she always -wanted to float out to sea that way." - -Stirling felt an urging glance from the sailor who resembled the -second-lieutenant. He moved to this man's side and was going to question -him when the wick of the lamp sputtered and went out. - -Another wick was lighted and this was thrust in the mouth of a wine -bottle, where it flared like a torch at sea. - -"What d'ye say?" questioned the piano-player. "What does everybody say? -Th' police will pinch us all for th' murder an' keep us in jail for -weeks." - -"You knifed that woman!" declared Stirling. - -The piano-player blinked his pale lashes, then went to the door, drew a -key from his pocket, and threw back the bolt of the lock. He looked out -into the vale of mist and fog that stretched from Telegraph Hill to the -waters of the Bay. - -"Who'll help me carry Thedessa?" he queried. - -A crimp, the waiter, and one or two seamen offered their services. -Stirling hesitated, but again he felt the urge from the -second-lieutenant, and agreed by nodding his head. - -The piano-player, who knew the path, led the way with the woman's feet -under his arm, the waiter and a seaman supporting Thedessa's head. -Stirling and the sailor brought up the rear. - -"My name is Eagan," said the sailor. "We'll go along and see what -happens. It's th' best way out of a nasty jam." - -"Were you in the Bering Strait three seasons ago?" - -Eagan shook his head, clutched Stirling's arm, and guided him after the -trio who had carried the woman out upon Meigg's Wharf and were lowering -her into a Whitehall boat. - -"No," he said to Stirling. "But I got something to say to you--after -awhile. Something important." - -The Ice Pilot hesitated on the stringer-piece of the wharf and looked -toward the fog-covered Bay, but again Eagan guided him on. They seized -hold of a painter that was hitched to a cleat, descended to the -Whitehall boat, and cast loose from the wharf. - -Thedessa lay in the stern of the boat where the piano-player and waiter -sat with their heads close together. A seaman rowed skilfully, and the -sharp-prowed boat cut through the short waves, swung, steadied, and made -toward a dark mass on the surface of San Francisco Bay. - -Stirling suddenly felt water around his boots. He glanced down and -lifted his feet. He heard a cry from the piano-player. - -"We're sinking! There's no plug in this boat!" - -Eagan attempted to find the plug-hole. He rose with his hands dripping -bilge muck. The man at the oars dug the blades deep into the bay, bent -his back, and dug again as if his life were at stake. - -Stirling climbed into the bow of the boat, stared through the fog, and -heard a ship's bell striking. He motioned for the oarsman to row in that -direction, and the light craft steadied upon the dark mass. - -Reaching upward, the Ice Pilot warded off the boat and grasped a -dangling line that ran over a ship's rail at the waist. He nudged Eagan -and went hand-over-hand upward until one palm hooked the rail, then he -turned his head and looked at the boat. - -The piano-player, the waiter, and the woman--all three very much -alive--were standing on the thwarts. Eagan and the other seamen had -found lines up which they were climbing. - -Stirling saw the woman draw a bent knife from her breast, toss it -overboard, and wring the water from her skirts. - -He heard her mocking song as the Whitehall boat merged in the fog, and -finally was gone back toward Meigg's Wharf and the Blubber Room: - - "It's 'rah for th' grog-- - Th' jolly, jolly grog! - It's 'rah for th' grog an' tobacco! - For you've spent all your tin with th' ladies, drinkin' gin, - An' across th' brimy ocean you must wan--der----" - - - - -CHAPTER II--ON A MAN'S SEA - - -Breathing the invigorating night air, Horace Stirling climbed over the -ship's rail, squared his shoulders, and started toward the poop steps. -The consciousness that he had been shanghaied came to him; the sensation -was a novel one. - -He reached the weather steps. There he paused and swung, facing the -after part of the ship. A group of seamen were gathered in the waist. -They were receiving the shanghaied sailors who had been brought out in -the Whitehall boat. - -Stirling gathered in the details of the whaler and his jaw dropped in -wonder, while his eyes softened with an appreciative glow. He had never -sailed or steamed upon such a ship. She was complete and yachtlike, and -her deck house extended fore and aft between the main and mizzenmast. It -was such a cabin as one would expect to find on a government revenue -cutter. A squat, drab funnel reared from a boat deck, and glowed through -the mist like the end of a fat cigar. - -Stirling turned and mounted the poop, to face two of the men with whom -he had drunk in that tavern near the wharves. One thrust out a hamlike -hand. "Remember me?" he said, with a twinkle in his eyes. "I'm Cushner -who took the Anderson expedition to the mouth of the Lena River. You -were ice pilot of the _Northern Lights_ that season. You gammed us in -Bering Strait. Remember?" - -Stirling stared up into the big seaman's face, squinting his eyes in an -attempt to recall a vague memory. Slowly the details of the Anderson -expedition came back to him. - -"You're Cushner!" he blurted out. "By the jumpin' bowheads, you are! -Who's the little fellow?" Stirling motioned toward the second seaman who -had descended the lee poop steps and started forward to where a knot of -men were gathered about the corner of the deck house. - -The big mate of the ship leaned over the quarter-deck rail and said: -"He's Marr--Captain Marr of the Baffin Bay crowd. See, he's mixin' with -th' men. No man leaves this ship, but you, out of the bunch. Sailors are -scarce as bowheads in the western ocean these days." - -"Do you need a pilot?" - -"We certainly do! You can come if you want to." - -"How about this ship?" - -"She's the _Pole Star_. She once was called the _Alexander_. She was a -Russian yacht. She's fitted out for whaling and trading. Good food and -all that. The old man will be glad to sign you on a big lay. We're going -right up in the ice." - -"Who'll be the afterguard?" - -"Well, you'll make one if you join us. There's Marr and Whitehouse, who -just came by rail. That puts me back to second mate. Then there's -Sanderson and Manley--third and fourth. Besides, there's Maddox and -Baldwin of the engine-room force. It's a good outfit. Fair play and -money to be had." - -Stirling rubbed his nose, lifted his eyes to the rigging, squared his -shoulders, and turned toward Cushner. "How about all this?" he asked -with a wide sweep of his arm. "Kind of queer, eh?" - -"Well, no," drawled the big mate, tugging at his long beard. "No; not -that I know of, Stirling. Everything's on deck as far as I can see. The -old man is a part owner--it's a private venture. He and Whitehouse know -their business. Just keep your tongue spliced and say nothing. The old -man will be in the cabin at six bells. We'll talk to him then; if you -want to go ashore, you can. If you stay, I'll promise you some fair game -on a man's sea." - -Stirling took a turn about the quarter-deck of the _Pole Star_, then -came back to the rail and leaned over. Marr had disappeared. - -A bell struck over the misted waters of the city, and was followed by -others. A roar sounded to the westward, where the surf beat upon Seal -Rocks and the entrance to the harbour. A salty gust stirred the standing -rigging of the ship, and it filled the Ice Pilot's lungs with remembered -calling. He braced his shoulders, lifted his head, and felt like a man -who has shaken off a bad dream. He was going North again, on a good ship -with a staunch crew. - -Stirling turned toward the big mate, who stood under the shadow of a -long, white whaleboat. "I'll join," the Ice Pilot said, simply. "Let's -go below and see Marr. It's six bells and more. Like as not he and I can -get along. I ain't a hard man to please. Only, this has got to be an -honest voyage. I ain't in for anything downright crooked. It ain't my -nature!" - -"Mine, neither," said Cushner. "Come on!" - -Stirling followed the second mate across the deck to an ornate companion -close by the taffrail, and they descended by turning, in the manner of -seamen the world over. Stirling removed his cap and stood rooted in the -doorframe as his eyes gathered in the details of the cabin. - -A soft electric cluster shone overhead, and walls and bulkheads were -hung with draperies. The deck was covered with Persian carpets, while -here and there--scattered in haphazard fashion--gleamed the tawny yellow -pelts of wild animals. - -Athwart the ship, from inner skin to inner skin, the cabin extended, -with staterooms fore and aft of the companion stairway. The round -portholes, covered with silken curtains, alone remained to tell that the -room was upon a ship. - -Stirling blinked his eyes, then opened them wide and drank in the -details of wealth and luxury. He stared at shelves of morocco-bound -books, their titles stamped in gold; he noted a baby-grand piano--the -first he had ever seen--lashed with silken cords to the after bulkhead. -Upon it music lay in well-bound sheaths. - -Cushner advanced and gripped the Ice Pilot's elbow. "Come on," he -whispered, pointing toward an alcove between two bookcases. "The captain -is sitting there." - -Half hidden by a portire, stretched three quarter length upon a divan, -Marr reclined, deep in a book of modern verse. He lifted his legs and -dropped them to the deck, laid the book down, and rose with a quick -thrust of his hand toward Stirling. "Be seated," he said, clasping the -Ice Pilot's hand with a nervous grip then indicating a long, cushioned -seat. - -Stirling followed the second mate's example and sat down on the nearest -cushion, stretching out his long legs, hitching up his trousers, and -fingering his cap. He raised his chin and met Marr's eyes, studying the -clean-cut nostrils of the little captain. He gauged the mentality of the -man, and thrashed the events of the night over in his mind as he held a -steady poise. - -"This is Horace Stirling!" blurted out Cushner, with a voice like a -bull. "He's the best all-around whaler and ice pilot in the game. I -didn't recognize him in that room in Frisco. We landed a bigger fish -than we thought. I reckon he can go ashore if he wants to. We can't keep -him unless he wants to stay." - -"How about it?" asked Marr. - -Stirling fingered his cap, but he had already made up his mind. The ship -suited him, Cushner was a good mate, and the North called with all the -strength of the wide places. - -"I'll sign on," he said, simply. "Like as not I couldn't do better. I -don't like the way you shipped part of your crew; outside of that, this -suits me, if it's honest." - -"The crew," said Marr, softly, "was a serious problem. I wanted a few -more men, and just at the time I saw no other way to get them than by -straight, old-time shanghaing. It worked!" - - - - -CHAPTER III--OVER THE QUARTER-DECK - - -The Ice Pilot placed the captain as he listened to the apology--Marr was -of a nature to brook no excuse. He had determined upon sailing the _Pole -Star_ for a voyage of discovery and profit, and he had acted outside the -law in order to obtain a crew. This was not unusual upon the Coast of -Barbary. Stirling, as honest as a dollar, had seen the same method -employed before, and he puzzled his brain for a deeper motive, which -might be behind the little skipper's steel-gray eyes. - -There seemed no fathoming the beard-hidden face of the captain, and -Stirling leaned back, dropping his eyes to the rug at his feet, where he -studied the polished points of his shore boots. - -"We go with the tide at sunup," said Marr. "This is the reason, and the -only one, that we took matters in our own hands and obtained a complete -crew. Whalers must have a bad odour in these waters, from all -indications." - -Stirling glanced up. He nodded. - -"We go North," continued Marr, rubbing his hands together. "North, for a -season of seven months, to whale! Mr. Cushner knows who I am. The mate, -Mr. Whitehouse, is ashore. He'll be out very soon, and he'll attest to -my financial responsibility. Roth & Co. have outfitted the _Pole Star_. -They know me! I'll take Mr. Cushner's word that you are a first-class -ice pilot. You sign on with me and I'll see that you get a thousand -dollars in minted gold when we drop anchor at Frisco. In addition to -that bonus, I'll give you the lay of the mate--a one-twenty-fifth of the -proceeds of the voyage. Is that satisfactory?" - -Stirling considered the figures mentioned. The amount was at least a -captain's share in the old days of whaling. - -"That's handsome enough, captain," he said. "That suits me. But one -thing--I'm plain spoken--is this ship going whaling, or something else? -I want to know." - -Marr smiled pleasantly. "Why did you ask?" he said, stroking his Vandyke -beard with slender fingers. - -"Only to know. You see, I can go ashore and sign on with one of -Larribee's ships. Larribee knows me. I brought in many a head of bone -for him." - -"And you'll do the same for me!" exclaimed Marr, resting his hand on -Stirling's shoulder. "Sign on and I'll promise you that there will be no -regrets. All's honest and aboveboard. Whitehouse--Mr. Whitehouse is an -English gentleman. He talks like a cockney, but that is an affliction. -You'll get along with him. He's new to the Bering." - -"I'll sign!" said Stirling, rising. "I'll have to get my dunnage bag. -It's at Antone's, down by the ferry." - -"We'll tend to that!" - -Stirling turned toward Cushner. "Have you entirely outfitted?" he asked, -professionally. "Got all of your whaling gear aboard?" - -"We have! Six boats! A forehold chockablock and whale line and irons. -Papers, everything, all right to clear. Some of the crew have been North -before. The rest can learn. You and I can tend to that, eh?" - -Stirling swept the cabin comprehensively. "Too fine a ship to buck the -old floes with," he said, glancing down at the skipper. - -"Nothing too fine for the North!" exclaimed Marr. "Write me out an order -for your bag. I'll send Snowball, my cabin boy, with the dinghy." - -Stirling scribbled an order on the back of a shipping master's card. He -passed it over to Marr, who touched a button at the end of the piano. A -negro, sleepy-eyed and curious, thrust a kinky head through an after -doorway. - -Marr stepped over the rugs and whispered his instructions. Stirling, -whose ears were sharp, caught a command to wait on shore for somebody. -This order was repeated. - -The negro vanished, and Marr paced athwart the ship. Wheeling suddenly, -he listened with his ear cocked toward the deck beams. A shuffling of -feet sounded overhead as men sprang down from the rail. The bell in the -wheelhouse struck seven times. It was echoed from forward. - -"That's Whitehouse!" said the captain. "We'll all have a drink!" - -The slide to the deck companion opened, and two men descended. One was a -square block of a man, with long arms and a pair of bushy brows which -thatched perpetually smiling eyes. He was Baldwin, the American -engineer. - -The second man held Stirling. "Mr. Whitehouse," Marr introduced, with a -comprehensive chuckle as he nodded toward the English mate. - -Whitehouse had the long, beaklike nose of the typical cockney, while his -lips were thick and somewhat red. His tanned features and knotted hands, -his quick manner and alert stride, spoke the Dundee and Grimsby whaler, -who had sailed many seas and fastened to more than an ordinary number of -bowhead whales. - -"We're all here!" declared Marr. "Ship's completely outfitted with -seamen and material. We'll drink to success!" - -The little captain disappeared through an after doorway, returning with -a tray and a bottle. Setting these down on a table, he drew forth a -chart of the Arctic and Bering Sea. - -"While we're drinking," he said, hardening his eyes, "let's look over -the chart. You, Stirling, might help us out. Glad you're coming along." - -Stirling upended a decanter and poured out a generous portion of brandy. -He tasted this, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, then leaned -forward over the chart. His finger traced a line from the Aleutians -northward. - -"There," he said, "is the first whaling ground--just the other side the -islands. The ice will lie about here, and the bowhead can't go north -till it opens. They're wise fish, but they can't get through any more -than we can." - -"How about the other whaling spots?" asked Marr. - -"Well, captain," said Stirling, "after the Bering Strait, you'll find -aplenty, there's Herald Island and Wrangel Land. There's Point -Barrow--I've caught late whales at the Point. Then there's the lane -between the grounded ice floes and the coast, all the way to the mouth -of the Mackenzie River. I've wintered three times at Herschel Island, -and we always got bone in the early spring when the ice broke." - -Marr leaned over the chart and asked softly: "How is the whaling close -to the Siberian shore? I've heard of catches in the Gulf of Anadir. I -think it would be wise that we go there as soon as the ice permits." - -Stirling glanced keenly at the little skipper, for he sensed a deeper -motive in the question. The Gulf of Anadir was close indeed to Russia. -It was a favourite sealing ground; few whales were to be found there. -The season was generally too late to capture any bowheads on account of -the ice barrier which held back the ships. - -"I don't recommend it," he said, simply. "I've been there twice. First -time was in the _Beluga_. We didn't fasten to anything that year. The -second time was in the old _Norwhale_--Captain Gully commanding. We -fastened to one head close by the Siberian shore. That was all. It's -barren waters unless you can put the ship in early." - -"Can't you do that?" - -"Not always; sometimes. I've seen the pack ice so thick at the -Pribilofs, or just north of St. Paul Island, that it was late in July -when we broke through and reached Bering Strait. We got nothing but some -trade stuff from the natives that season. It was too late to find -bowheads; they'd taken the Northeast Passage and gone through to Baffin -Bay." - -"Just the same," said Marr, "I'd like to try for the Gulf of Anadir. -Ever hear of Disko Island?" - -Stirling narrowed his eyes. Disko Island was the very heart of the -richest sealing ground in all the world--outside of the Pribilofs. It -belonged to Russia, and around it were gunboats of England, Japan, and -the United States. - -"I know it well," he said, dryly. "There's plenty of seals there, but -darn few bowheads!" - -Marr glanced at Whitehouse, then his eyes travelled the circle and -rested upon the chart. He followed Stirling's pointing finger. - -"It's a blym shame!" blurted out the English mate. "It's an outrage that -them Russians got all them nice little pelts. What's the 'arm in lookin' -the island over? Who's going to bother now? Who's running Russia, -anyway?" - -"The Bolsheviki," said Marr. "What do you say we take a look at the -island? Stirling can put us through the early ice. We'll skirt the -Siberian shore afterward. I want to drop in at East Cape, they say -trading is good there." - -Stirling gripped a glass and raised it to his lips. He stared at the -chart, then fastened a penetrating glance which bored into the little -skipper's brain, and smiled faintly as Marr remained silent. - -"I'm willing," he said. "I'll take you anywhere. We're all together. I -see no harm in looking over Disko Island." - -"All we want," said Cushner, rising, "is to follow the skipper, here, -and keep our jaw tackle closed. He'll bring results!" - -Stirling was watching Marr's face, which lightened perceptibly. - -The captain of the _Pole Star_ thrust his hand out, palm upward. "Well -spoken," he said. "I'll guarantee good results!" - -Marr rolled up the chart with a swift whirl of his hands, then rose and -stared at Baldwin, who had remained silent. - -"Have you everything aboard?" the little skipper asked. - -"Yes; we're coaled. I can safely say the engine-room force is complete. -Naturally we'll have to recoal at whatever point we can on the Siberian -coast or at Unalaska. The bunkers are chockablock, but you know that ice -work takes the steam. And coal is high; it'll be about twenty dollars a -ton at Dutch Harbor or Point Barrow, if there's any there at all." - -"Confounded little!" blurted Stirling. "There's an on-shore whaling -station there and a missionary settlement. But"--the Ice Pilot paused -and smiled at a memory--"there's a spot on the coast east of Point -Barrow where we can dig out all the coal we need. I know it. I was there -in the old _Northern Lights_, and I saw more coal than you could find in -Pittsburgh. There's mountains of it hidden under the snow." - -"That's fine!" Marr exclaimed. "We'll fill the bunkers there. Now -everybody stand up and we'll drink a final toast to the success of our -venture. What'll the toast be?" - -"To a full hold of bone!" Stirling suggested. - -Marr glanced at Whitehouse. The mate winked and stared at his glass. -"I'd say," he muttered, "that there's a better toast. Let's all drink to -success at Disko Island, where the seals are." - -Stirling grew thoughtful. Again the subject of seals had come up, and he -glanced from face to face about him. The circle of men who comprised the -afterguard of the _Pole Star_ would have supported most any desperate -enterprise. None was a young man; all were experienced. - -Stirling set down his glass. Marr had stepped toward the after bulkhead -of the cabin, and rested his hand on the piano. - -A slight bump, as if a small boat had touched the outer run of the ship, -sounded, and this was followed by steps on the deck overhead. Voices -echoed, and a low call drifted through the open portholes. - -The captain turned with a quick jerk and glanced upward, his hand lifted -for silence. There came a knocking on an after door. This knocking was -repeated. - -"Good-night, gentlemen!" Marr exclaimed. "Get to your bunks and turn in. -I'll expect you at sunup. We'll sail then!" - -Stirling followed the big second mate, who knew the run of the ship. As -they stood at last in the waist where the shadow of the dark deck house -lay across the planks, two riding lights shone through the mist, and a -flare marked the cap of the rakish funnel. High steam was in the _Pole -Star's_ boilers. - -"Who came aboard?" asked Stirling with directness. - -Cushner gripped his palms, gulped, and stroked his long, pointed beard, -then turned and stared at the low rail which was over the break of the -quarter-deck. - -"A passenger!" he said. - -"A passenger?" - -"Sure! Didn't you hear the voice? It was a woman's. At least, it sounded -that way to me. They're always bad luck at sea." - -"I've heard tell they are," said Stirling. - - - - -CHAPTER IV--ON THE SPARKLING SEA - - -The pall which lay around the _Pole Star_ was like an ultramarine depth. -The narrow circle of visible waters rose and fell sullenly, while aloft -the taper spars merged into the mist. Now and then a grinding jerk of -the anchor chain sent a vibrating shudder from stem to jack staff. Below -the holystoned decks the watch snored, unaware that the tide hung at its -flood and that a wan yellow sun was rising over the Coast Range like a -paper lantern in a summer's garden. - -Stirling moved restlessly, his eyes opened like a quiet child's, and he -surveyed his cabin. The events of the night and the early morning rushed -back to him, and he blinked as he caught a reflection of his face in a -white-bordered mirror at the head of the bunk. - -He sprang to the deck, ducked his head in a basin, tested the taps, then -dried himself with a thick towel. Staring about, he found his clothes -hanging from hooks on the ship's sheathing. Donning the clothes, he -opened the door and strode out into an alleyway which led to the waist -of the ship. He lifted his eyes to the mist as he emerged upon the damp -planks and sniffed the morning air. - -"Howdy!" exclaimed Cushner from a position at the rail. "About time -you're risin'. We're going to yank the mudhook up as soon as Marr gives -the order." - -Stirling dropped his eyes and stepped to the mate's side. Staring over -the rail, he raised his finger, sniffed for a second time, then -declared: "She'll be clear by noon. This fog is light." - -Cushner led the way forward to the ornate forecastle and Stirling -glanced down through the open booby hatch, to where a row of bunks lined -each side of the ship. In these bunks seamen slept with their arms over -their faces and their legs extended. A molasses barrel was lashed to the -heel of the foremast, and on top of this barrel stood a large pan of -white bread. The entire forecastle struck Stirling as far too clean and -too large for a whaler's. It was more like an expensive yacht's. - -"Them's picked men!" said Cushner. "Some has been picked from the gutter -and some from the boarding houses. I guess I'll wake them. It's time for -both watches on deck." - -The second mate lifted a belaying pin from the pinrail and pounded upon -the deck like a policeman pounds on the pavement. "Rise and shine, -lads!" he shouted, leaning over the companion's coaming. "We've got to -pay Paddy Doyle for his boots. All out!" - -Cushner listened and then repeated his tapping. "All hands on deck!" he -called. "Step lively now, men! It's five bells an' th' tide is turning!" - -Stirling heard protests from the sleepy crew; shoes flew across the -forecastle, pans banged, growls and feeble protests rose as the two -watches gathered together their clothes and attempted to dress in the -dark. - -"Coffee they get," said Cushner. "Coffee and eggs and plum duff and -white bread and bully beef. They're lucky. In my day we chewed hardtack -and drank bilge water. Whaling has changed!" - -Stirling nodded, and raised his eyes to the rigging of the _Pole Star_, -where spar varnish glistened from yards and masts, and snow-white canvas -looped downward like lingerie on clotheslines. The running rigging was -of new hemp. It all struck him as a dream as he turned and strode to the -rail by the port-anchor davit. - -"See here," he said to Cushner. "I doubt if there's a finer sea boat -afloat, but how about the ice? She's sheathed, but with wood. She ought -to have a steel plate forward." - -The big second mate grinned. "She's a good ice ship, Stirling," he said, -leaning over the rail and pointing downward. "That's teakwood and yew. -There's nothing better, and it don't impede her speed to any extent. You -ought to have been aboard coming up from Sandy Point--eleven point five -for days at a stretch. She'll do thirteen under forced draft. She'll do -two more knots with the wind abeam. That's six-day boat speed!" - -Stirling shook his head. He had been accustomed to blunt-bowed whalers -with solid planking forward and steel sheathing aft to the waist. It was -the only construction he knew of which would stand the grind of the -Northern ice floes. - -"Take a look at the whaleboats!" said Cushner. "Simpkins, of Dundee, -built them. They're mahogany trimmed. You don't often see that." - -Stirling climbed the lee fore shrouds and grasped a white boat's rail -where it swung from polished davits just aft the break of the forepeak, -and peered inside. The whaling gear was all in place; he counted two -tubs of whale line which was carefully protected by new tarpaulins. The -oars were fully sixteen feet in length, and paddles were racked beneath -the seats. A mast and boom--harpoons, lances, bomb guns, blubber spades, -bailing dippers--lay in position between the centerboard well and the -skin of the boat. - -"Good equipment!" he declared, dropping to the deck with a light -rebound. "They'll do. Wouldn't wonder if we have some sport this voyage. -Last season was a bad one. It ain't natural for two bad years to run -together. They take turns about--watch and watch." - -"She's well outfitted, Stirling. Thar ain't no better ship going North -this season. You ought to drop down into the engine room and see that -triple-expansion dream. Baldwin and Maddox say it's one of the finest -engines ever turned out of Clyde-bank. Russia bought good stuff in the -early days. She had the money then!" - -Stirling stared aft to the deck house, out of which sleepy-eyed Kanakas -and boat steerers were appearing, then stepped to one rail and studied -the swinging sheer of the _Pole Star_. He saw beyond the smoke of the -cook's stovepipe the swinging lift of the quarter-deck. Upon this a -figure strode from rail to rail. It was Marr. - -"How about that woman?" The question dropped from Stirling's lips as he -turned toward the Yankee second mate. - -"Your guess is as good as mine. I didn't know Marr had any woman in view -when he dropped anchor in this port. There's a kind of a law against -women going North in whalers, ain't there?" - -"The owners don't allow it! But then Marr is an owner. He could do -anything." - -Cushner stroked his beard. He twirled its point. "I heard voices on deck -last night," he said with reserve. "I'm willin' to venture five plugs of -tobacco that one was a woman's voice. Maybe she came out to say good-bye -to the skipper. Maybe she didn't. Maybe it's his wife." - -Stirling reached in the pocket of his pea-jacket and fished out a plug -of select tobacco. "I don't often chew," he said, "but I'll bet this -plug against another that it wasn't a woman's voice you heard." - -"You're on!" exclaimed the mate. "It was a woman's voice. She went -below, and she's aboard now. Time will fetch her out. Marr is as -close-mouthed as an oyster. She's some relation; that's sure!" - -Stirling pocketed the plug, folded his arms, and stood smiling before -the big mate. He shook his head. "I'll win that plug," he said, -sincerely. "I'm a simple man, Cushner. It don't stand to reason that -Marr would bring a woman on a whaling trip. If he's figuring on going to -Disko Island and the Siberian coast it would be dangerous. Those are -desperate seas!" - -"Here's the watches!" exclaimed the second mate. "Let's stir our stumps -and get the ship out, smart-like. We'll forget the lady till you see for -your own eyes. Likely she's pretty." - -Stirling snorted, his mind running back to his only love affair. It was -merged in the failure of a chicken farm over Oakland way. A widow had -cast eyes at the farm until the chickens began to pass away. This widow -had often dwelt upon the happiness of married life. Stirling, still in -his late forties, had thought long and seriously over the matter. He was -a man's man, and felt that women, and particularly dashing widows, -belonged to another sphere. They were as much out of his life as the -stars that floated in the heavens--as remote as the centre of the -antarctic continent. He had sailed the Northern seas too long and far to -allow his mind to dwell upon the land as a final anchorage to his -ambitions. - -He made his way aft to the wheel while the mate lunged forward and -joined the group upon the forecastle head. Marr stood close by the -binnacle, and just then turned to the wheelsman. - -"Stand ready," he said, raising his eyes to Stirling's. "You take -charge," he added, smiling faintly as the Ice Pilot shot a keen glance -upward where the morning sun was breaking through the last of the mist. -"The deck is yours, Mr. Stirling. Mr. Whitehouse will go forward and -join Mr. Cushner." - -Stirling squared his shoulders and braced his legs. - -The little skipper, spick and span in blue pea-jacket and well-cut -trousers, strode briskly to the quarter-deck rail and leaned over. - -"Steam on the winch!" he shouted. "Lively now, men!" - -A racking grind sounded, and the iron teeth of the winch swallowed the -rusty chain like a giant biting a meal. The ship steadied in the tide -which was flowing through the Golden Gate as the anchor lifted from the -mud and silt of the bay. - -"All's clear!" Cushner called over the whaleboats. - -"Hard aport!" said Stirling, sensing the position. "Put her hard aport. -Now up a spoke! More! Steady there!" - -Marr reached for the engine-room telegraph, a bell clanged below, the -single screw thrashed the water astern and the _Pole Star_ rounded on a -long arc, gliding down the bay to a position off Meigg's Wharf. - -A pilot and the last papers were brought out in a revenue cutter as -Stirling kept the ship under bare headway. The siren aft the funnel -plumed into one short blast, and they were off on the first leg of the -passage to the Arctic and the Bering Sea. - -Foghorn and whistle sounded in cadence, and was answered from starboard -and port. Once a bell rang directly ahead through the fog. The engines -raced in reverse, and the _Pole Star_ swung with her dainty jib boom -groping through the fog like an antenna. She straightened under the -pilot's directions. - -The veil thinned, as the sun struck through, bringing out the clean-cut -details of the yards and spars. A stagelike setting appeared. To port -lay the city--hill after hill of close-packed habitations; to starboard -reared the green slopes of the Coast Range and the higher land of Mount -Tamalpais. Beyond and directly ahead the sun kissed the sparkling ocean. - -The _Pole Star_ glided under the frowning guns of the Presidio, and -danced across the bar. The Cliff House and the seal rocks were thrown -astern. The land of California sank to a low, black line after the pilot -had been dropped upon the deck of a tossing kicker yacht. - - - - -CHAPTER V--INTO A PURPLE TWILIGHT - - -A breeze, fresh and gripping with the taste of brine, swept over the -stern of the ship and filled the canvas which Cushner and Whitehouse -ordered set. The anchor was brought inboard and lashed to the cleats -close by the port cat. The crew, feeling their sea legs, brought out -hose and swabs and started cleaning up the shore litter and dunnage, -working to the old-time chantey: "'Rah for the grog--the jolly, jolly -grog." - -Stirling turned the wheel over to the quartermaster after Marr had -indicated a compass point, then rolled across the quarter-deck and stood -by the green starboard light of the ship, which was turned out. He felt -the warm breath of the following wind, gulped the sea air, and squared -his shoulders, casting a shrewd eye at the poop-deck log, which was -outrigged from the starboard rail. - -The land of California was a haze over the starboard quarter. It lifted -in places like a cloud bank, and the cleft which marked the Golden Gate -was crossed by the white water of the bar. The Ice Pilot smiled, as the -simplicity of clean living came to him as a flood. - -He turned away from the land vision and studied the ship. On what -mission was she headed, he wondered? Upon what seas would they force the -taper jib boom? What trade stuff and spoil would be crammed between the -hatches? He revolved these questions over and over in his mind, and was -in the grip of the unknown. The little dapper skipper, the woman's -voice, the mention of Disko Island, and the seal rookeries, all wove -their spell: - - "Though I plow the land with horses, - Yet my heart is ill at ease, - For the wise men come to me now and then - With their sagas of the seas." - -He quoted this verse as he pulled out a great silver watch, gathered in -the log line, and timed fifty revolutions. - -The _Pole Star_ was striking out into the Pacific on her first leg at -fourteen point three knots an hour. - -"Somebody's pullin' the strings," Stirling said as he let the slack out -of the line and replaced the silver watch. "Maybe the Mazeka girls of -Indian Point," he added, striding to the poop rail. - -He stared with idle interest at the crew which were still under the able -tutelage of Whitehouse and Cushner. The British whaler had a voice like -a costermonger, and "Blym me, yes" and "Heaven strike me pink" rolled up -the wind and burst like shrapnel upon the poop. - -Stirling narrowed his eyes, and indeed the sight of the two mates in sea -boots and the ragged crew swarming along the waist was one to charm the -heart of a sailor. It brought to his mind other voyages, and he recalled -an expedition he had piloted to Point Barrow and the reaches of the -Mackenzie. A younger son, with money to spend, had chartered a whaler -and taken the Northern seas in search of new game. Game he had found in -plenty: walrus, seals--both hair and fur--killer whales, bowheads, polar -bears, and musk ox had fallen to the younger son's rifle or harpoon. The -crew, however, had proved too strong a stench for polite nostrils. They -were picked from the slums of the Barbary Coast. - -The _Pole Star's_ foremast hands and the most of the harpooners and boat -steerers would have delighted the eyes of an ethnologist. Stirling -studied them and called their breeds. One was a cockney, like the mate. -Another was a blue-eyed Dane. Three Gay Island natives were mixed with -two Kanakas. Two bore the high cheekbones of Swedes. Four, at least, -were Frisco dock rats who had been gathered in by the boarding-house -runners and promised an advance, little of which they secured. - -Stirling searched the faces for the sailor whom he had seen in the -Frisco room, but he was not in evidence. That sailor had impressed -Stirling as far out of the ordinary. It was not only the polished -fingernails and the resolute set to the jaw, but also the certain air -which the seaman had carried that led to the deduction that he had at -one time commanded other men. - -Cushner mopped his face with the back of his sleeve and worked aft to -the break of the poop on the starboard side where he glanced up at -Stirling. - -"Hello, old man!" he said, out of hearing of the busy crew. "What do you -think of the _Pole Star_ by now?" - -"Good ship. Some crew, though." - -The second mate mopped his brow for a second time, then squinted at a -gang working down the deck with squeegees. "Eighteen hands before the -mast," he said. "That ain't much for six boats. We'll need them all if -we lower for bowheads." - -"Where's the sailor who came out with me?" - -"He's below!" This was said expressively, with a heavy wink. "I think -he'll stay below for a watch or two. Somebody--maybe it was -Marr--bounced a belaying pin over his figurehead. It'll heal in time." - -"What did you make of the sailor?" - -"Maybe a spy. Maybe a good man gone wrong." - -"He recognized Marr in the Blubber Room!" - -Cushner shook his head. "We'll watch that fellow like a killer whale. -He'll walk straight under me and Whitehouse." - -The second mate closed his jaws with a snap and glared forward, then was -off with a rolling lurch to where a slight spot showed on the deck. -Grasping a Gay Islander by the neck, he led him to the omission and -pointed downward. Stirling heard the racking volley of exclamations as -the native fell to work with vigour. - -The _Pole Star_ plunged on. She took the long, oily rollers of the North -Pacific and parted them like a sharp knife going through frosting. She -was logging fourteen knots with reserve steam. The fore, main, and -mizzen sails filled and billowed and the foretopmast staysail and jib -held the following wind. Whitehouse, casting an eye aloft, ordered the -top-sails braced then sprang to the weather braces as the crew hauled -manfully under the directions of Cushner. - -Marr leaned over the canvas of the poop and rested his elbows on the -light rail, searching the sea ahead with his glasses. He turned to the -wheelsman. "How you heading?" he asked as the last yard was braced. - -"Nor'west by north." - -"Hold her northwest by north. Hold her steady!" - -The ship drove through the day and into a purple twilight, and the land -of California disappeared astern. It left to mark its position a low -line of gray clouds upon which the sun gleamed and paled and died to -darker hues. - - - - -CHAPTER VI--BY THE GREAT-CIRCLE ROUTE - - -The steady clanking of the triple-expansion engines driving the screw at -a racing speed of one hundred and ten revolutions a minute, the glow -over the drab funnel, the hiss of sea alongside--these all denoted that -they were reaching for the far-off Aleutian and the pass that marked -Dutch Harbor, where whalers and Yukon boats left the Pacific and entered -the waters of the Bering Sea. - -Stirling shared the mess with Cushner and Whitehouse and the two -engineers. Marr had given orders that in no circumstances should he be -disturbed in the after cabin. This order, communicated by the cockney -mate, caused the conversation to veer from speculation to concrete -suspicions. - -Cushner rose from his meal with a nod toward Stirling. "Let's go on -deck," he said, steadying himself by grasping the racks. "Let's have a -smoke and turn about. Mr. Whitehouse has the watch till eight bells." - -Stirling crammed a palmful of tobacco into a cord-wrapped pipe, clutched -the second mate's arm, and led him to the waist of the ship, where they -stood beneath the shadow of the starboard whaleboat. - -"We're not wanted on the poop!" exclaimed Cushner. - -"The wheel's there and the binnacle's there, and the log line's there," -suggested Stirling, pressing his thumb down upon the glowing coals of -his pipe. "We've got to go aft." - -"'Only for duty,' that's what the old man said. What do you make of -that? He wants the after part of the ship to himself." - -"It's his ship, Cushner!" - -The Yankee mate counted on his fingers. "There's only two aft," he said. -"Two--the old man and Snowball, the cabin boy." - -Stirling pulled on his pipe. "How about the woman you heard?" he asked, -dryly. - -"Maybe she's there, Horace. Maybe she is! Maybe that's his reason for -wanting the quarter-deck to himself. He had two Gay Islanders rig up a -screen between the wheel and the taffrail. All that's aft of the screen -is the companion to the cabin and a bucket rack. Thar's just about room -to turn about in. A nice little cubby place I'd call it." - -Stirling thought the matter over, backing into the gloom and shading his -eyes. The tip of the wheel, with one spoke, showed over the low canvas -sail. Beside this spoke was the soiled tassel of the wheelman's cap. Aft -rose the mizzenmast with its spotless canvas billowing forward like -Carrara marble. The telltale on the top of the mast denoted a freshening -south wind. The swing of the ship, the thrust of the screw, the song -which sounded from forward where a group of seamen were gathered on the -forecastle head--all these spoke of action and a driving force to -Northern seas where hearts beat strong and staunch winds cut to the -quick. - -The Ice Pilot turned to Cushner, pressing the bowl of his pipe with his -broad thumb. "We're making good time," he said, thoughtfully. "Five days -of this and we'll sight our Aleutian landfall. I guess we'd better not -worry about the cubby-hole aft and the woman. I never could understand -them, anyhow." - -Cushner laughed and clapped Stirling on the back. He withdrew a foot or -more, spread his legs wide, and surveyed Stirling with mingled pride and -calculation. - -Cushner squinted as he drawled: "You're all right, old man! You ain't no -clothing-store dummy or one of them smart ducks with spar-deck shoes and -a gold lanyard to your watch chain; but you'll pass where they won't. -You're a man--every inch of you! I've heard thar ain't no better, when -it comes to ice work." - -Stirling was silent. He dragged on his pipe. - -"A woman's man," continued Cushner, "ain't for these seas or the seas -we're agoing to. And by saying that I don't mean no disrespect for the -skipper. I was with him coming round the Horn. A fighter, he is, and all -that--but there's a polish to him I don't like. It ain't natural. He's -like a polite boarding-house runner. Them's the sharks to look out for. -They know more than we do!" - -"We'll keep our jaw tackle chockablock!" said Stirling, tapping his pipe -against the rail and cramming it into his side pocket. "We'll sail ship -and tend to our duties. I'll get the crow's-nest up in the morning. -You'll find me ready for anything--short of breaking the law of the -three nations. I'll put the _Pole Star_ where the old man says, but I -won't raid no rookeries with him. I won't do that!" - -The positive set to Stirling's jaw was a relief to Cushner. He nodded. -"Me, too," he said, moving aft. "I'm willin' to whale or trade or go to -the Pole with you in charge of th' ship." - -Stirling went to his cabin, latched the sliding door which led to the -starboard waist, and undressed slowly. He sank into a profound sleep, -broken once by a dream of Frisco and the Coast of Barbary. - -He awoke as the little marine clock above the bunk was striking seven -bells, reached to a shelf and drew toward him a compass set in a leather -binding. It was part of his possessions brought out in the dunnage bag -from Antone's cigar store. - -Steadying his compass by a crack at the head of the bunk, he made a -shrewd calculation as to the direction the _Pole Star_ was heading. - -The course had been changed overnight. It was now northwest by west. The -needle vibrated with the throbbing of the engines, but each time it -settled back to the first point. - -Stirling rose and dressed without haste, clapped his cap on his head, -and strode through the doorway to the damp deck. Here he leaned over the -starboard rail and glanced downward at the swift-running foam which -seethed alongside the ship's planks, then raised his eyes and swept the -horizon. It was pale to the eastward with the first rosy flush of dawn. - -For a moment he remained in one position, then turned and stared aft -with his eyes wide and intent. The gloom which shrouded the poop of the -ship was lightened by the upward glow of an open companion, and a figure -stood to the extreme port side of the quarter-deck. This figure was -shrouded and muffled but the red reflection from the side light brought -out some details. - -Stirling gripped the rail and continued staring. It was Marr, no doubt, -who had taken the position so near the wheelsman. There was that to the -set of the head, however, which caused Stirling concern. Marr generally -held his chin high. This head, as seen over the drab canvas, was dropped -and thoughtful. - -The wheelsman turned and touched his cap. Stirling heard part of a -question, which concerned the course, and it was not answered. The -figure started, half leaned away, then swung about and disappeared in -the gloom of the smudge astern where the funnel smoke drifted and -swirled. - -The shaftlike light from the open cabin companion grew pale, then was -blotted out by a descending figure. A slide closed with a loud slam, and -the ship plunged on, leaving Stirling no wiser for his impressions. He -turned with a half grumble and hurried forward. - -Cushner was emerging from the deck house, having stolen a trip inside to -the cook's galley, where coffee was always steaming. - -"Good morning!" he exclaimed, recognizing Stirling's form on the deck. -"Sun's clear and wind's abeam--almost. Light wind and a flowing sea. -Good morning, I said!" - -"Who changed the course?" asked Stirling, point-blank. "We're not headed -right. We can't make Dutch Pass or anywhere near it on this tack. What -does Marr mean?" - -Cushner scratched his head, raised his hand, and pointed astern. -"Whitehouse gave me the new course when the watches were changed," he -said. "That's all I know. It's a long way from where we expected we were -going, Stirling." - -"Jumping bowheads, yes! It's toward the great-circle route. Another half -point and we'll be on it. What does that mean, Cushner?" - -"I'll be skull-dragged if I know!" - -"The great-circle route leads to Japan and northern China. We'll sight -Rat Island on this route, and miss the only good pass to the Bering by -five hundred leagues. That ain't right!" - -"Thar's a lot about this ship what ain't right!" declared the Yankee. -"We're in the hands of Captain Marr." - -Stirling reached for his pipe, gathered together a palmful of cut plug, -struck a sulphur match on the rail at his side and held the flame to the -bowl till it glowed. He drew in the smoke, then squared his jaw and -clamped the amber stem. - -"We'll keep our eyes open!" he said through white teeth. "I think I saw -the woman on the poop. I think it was a woman. She wouldn't answer the -man at the wheel. She had Marr's clothes on. That's mighty queer doings -for a simple whaler bound after bowheads and trade stuff!" - -Cushner thrust out a calloused hand. "Put it there," he said. "We'll see -this voyage through and find out what's wrong if it takes three seasons. -I'm just almighty curious to know!" - - - - -CHAPTER VII--DRIFTERS AND DERELICTS - - -Stirling kept a careful record of the changes given in the course of the -_Pole Star_, and found that the little skipper was reaching for the true -great-circle route to Yokohama. This was checked by Cushner, who was a -good rule-of-thumb navigator. - -They kept their observations from Whitehouse. The mate was a frugal soul -who spent much of his time driving the crew over the decks or keeping -them polishing the brass work with a sand-and-paste preparation which -was homemade and cheap. - -"Hit keeps 'em from thinking of their troubles," he had declared to -Stirling. "Now that the skipper has taken charge of the poop, there -isn't much for them to do." - -Stirling bided his time and kept a close watch on the quarter-deck. He -often saw Marr striding from port to starboard and back again directly -aft the wheelsman, though the canvas that had been rigged shut off most -of the view of the taffrail and the jack-staff. A position in the -crow's-nest, however, was a fair one to observe the after part of the -_Pole Star_. From this coign of vantage Stirling watched developments -with eyes which had been sharpened by suspicion and a determination to -find out the truth about the unknown woman. - -Cushner climbed up through the lubber's hole on the third day of the -outbound passage, lifted himself over the edge of the crow's-nest, and -dropped down beside Stirling. - -Their course had been changed a half point by Marr's orders. The wind -was southerly and came over the port quarter in soft billows of warmth. -It had been tempered by the Japan Current. - -"Got a chew?" asked the second mate, resting his elbows on the edge of -the crow's-nest and squinting aft to where the mizzen sail billowed, -with the yard set sharply around. - -Stirling passed over a plug. "Save me some," he said, slowly. "Go easy, -Sam. I don't often use the weed, but I may have to do something -desperate if Marr keeps changing his course. We're almost on the Japan -route. Another half point will see the great-circle route. That takes us -far up and out in the North Pacific. Wouldn't wonder if it was a -rendezvous." - -"What's that?" asked Cushner, clamping his huge jaws on the plug and -parting his icicle-like beard for a second bite. - -"A meeting-place. A gamming spot in the ocean!" - -Cushner understood the last. "Gamming" was a term used only by whalers. -It meant visiting another ship or being visited by the afterguard of a -whaler. - -"Maybe, Stirling. Maybe. Who could we gamm out in this ocean?" The -second mate swept an arm to the northward. A wild waste of harrowed -waters, stirred into whitecaps by the southern breeze, extended to a -linelike horizon. There was no speck or sail to gladden the view. It -appeared like a stretch which would reach infinity. - -"How about seals?" continued Cushner. - -"Ain't likely we're going after them," said Stirling. - -Stirling turned and stared down upon the quarter-deck. The wheelsman--a -Kanaka--hung on the spokes with his dark eyes glued into the binnacle; -the canvas shield was too high to allow a view of the taffrail and the -cabin companion. Once only Stirling saw moving shadows against the -light, as if more than one body had passed from starboard to port. He -frowned and turned away, as there was no way to discover the exact -situation. - -Cushner borrowed the plug of tobacco for a third bite, passing it back -without thanks. He stared at Stirling, lifted one huge leg over the edge -of the crow's-nest, waited till the ship steadied, and then was gone. - -Stirling remained. He glance ahead over the wilderness of Northern -waters, and the soft rush of their passage charmed him. The neat manner -in which the whaler cleft the seas, the throbbing of the sweet-running -engines, gladdened his heart, and he began to whistle a little tune of -the West coast. After all, he decided, the world was not such a bad -place for a man to fight in and conquer. He had made many mistakes. He -should have commanded a ship instead of being an ice pilot. The chicken -venture and the wiping out of his scanty fortune had been unfortunate. -It had set him back five years in his ambitions. - -His face lighted and grew resolute with the wine of living. He had a -code, which was the code of right. He had always played fair with seamen -and natives, and decided to see the voyage out, earn every penny he -could, then try for a ship of his own. Whalers would stake him to almost -anything. Marr might be open for an investment. The thing to do was to -keep the little skipper's good will, and watch developments, which came -fast enough. - -On the seventh day after leaving the Golden Gate, a gleam of light was -thrown upon the mystery of the great-circle passage. - -Stirling, Cushner, and Whitehouse stood in the waist of the ship with -nothing more to do than watch the crew lolling forward in indolent -respite from their light labours. - -The sun hung high in the south with gray clouds creeping up to it like a -closing hand. The wind had veered to the south and west, and canted the -whaler ever so slightly, as all yards were braced fore and aft. - -"What is the exact position?" asked Stirling, turning toward Whitehouse, -who had shot the sun and finished his figuring. - -"I make it 49-52 and 179-58! We're near the Aleutians and close to the -one hundred and eightieth meridian!" - -Cushner glanced at the sun. "We're about that!" he said with Yankee -shrewdness. "I can smell my position in these waters. I smell shore -stuff--fish and moss." - -"It comes down the wind!" snorted the cockney with a burst of disgust. - -"All the same, I don't need no sextant. All I need is a lead line and -experience." - -Whitehouse gulped at this and worked his brows up and down like a -gorilla, then turned toward the after part of the ship. "Seen the -skipper?" he asked. "Seen the old man? 'E's been shaved--'e 'as! 'E -looks fine--'e does!" - -"Shaved?" exclaimed Stirling, wheeling and staring at the quarter-deck. -"What do you mean? Has he taken off his beard?" - -"You're blym well right, 'e 'as! I wouldn't know 'im! Looks like a -regular, 'e does. All spick and span. 'E was askin' about our position -not a bell ago. 'E's expectin' to meet with something on these seas. -Likely it will be another ship!" - -"You and he are rather thick," suggested Stirling. - -"As thick as costermongers--once! Now 'e's retired from view like a -loidy of the music 'alls. I don't know what to think." - -The mate was evidently in earnest, and Stirling eyed him sharply, then -turned away and stared at Cushner. The Yankee hitched up his beard and -thrust it under the collar of his soiled pea-jacket--then started as he -glared toward the poop. - -"Old man wants you," he said. "He's callin' you, Mr. Whitehouse." - -The cockney mate braced his shoulders and hurried aft to the poop steps -on the weather side. He mounted them and disappeared behind the canvas -where Marr had sauntered. - -"What do you think?" asked Cushner. - -"Nothing yet, Sam. Hold your jaw tackle. Where did you first meet with -Whitehouse?" - -"The same day you was shanghaied. He came across the States by rail. He -brought two dunnage bags and a whacking accent with him. Had papers, all -right. Said he'd been in the British navy. I asked him why he left." - -"What did he say?" - -"He said it was a mere matter of five thousand pounds. That's just what -he said. That's money, isn't it?" - -"Considerable money! I wonder if he is under obligations to Marr in any -way?" - -"Might be. Looks mighty like it. At that, the old man isn't telling -anybody anything. He owns the ship. He's got a right to whale and seal -and trade with the natives. Nothing's going to stop him doing that." - -"Not if he goes after pelagic seals and keeps within the law." - -"Why is he working in these waters?" - -Stirling did not answer this question, but stared forward and directly -at the watch on deck. He counted them, searching for the seaman who had -put up the fight when brought aboard. He was not in evidence. - -"I wonder," asked Stirling, with a pucker on his brow, "if Marr expects -that crew to follow him in a lawless enterprise? Outside of three or -four, I know them from hearsay. They're drifters. They expect nothing -but an iron dollar. Larribee hasn't paid a whaling hand a cent over the -legal dollar in five seasons. He figures the advance money and the stuff -they draw from the slop-chest is enough for sea scum. He has no heart at -all!" - -"Dirty work!" - -"It is," said Stirling, sincerely. "Particularly when they don't even -get the advance money. The boarding-house keepers, crimps, and runners -get that. They furnish a man with an outfit and a dunnage bag. The -outfit consists of a 'donkey's breakfast' for a mattress and a pair of -pasteboard sea boots which will melt under the first hose. That's no way -to send a man North!" - -Cushner glanced at the Ice Pilot. He shook his head. "You're sticking up -for poor Jack," he said. "That's no more than right. The laws are all -for the owners and the boarding-house crimps. Poor Jack is friendless. -What can he do?" - -"There's seamen and seamen, Sam! There's the coasting crews and the -deep-water bunch who know enough to get big wages and hold to the Union. -The ones who suffer are boys like we got forward. They have no chance; -they work eight months for an iron dollar and are cheated out of that!" - -Cushner slanted his eyes forward. "They don't look as if they'd care -what happened," he said. "Marr, or anybody else, could give them a good -argument and they'd follow him to the end of the world. Five square -faces of gin and tobacco would buy the whole fo'c's'le." - -Stirling lifted his strong shoulders expressively. "You're partly -right!" he admitted. "I wouldn't blame them, either. But you're here and -I'm here, and we're going to see that this ship keeps within the law." - - - - -CHAPTER VIII--ON A LOWER BUNK - - -Suddenly Stirling ceased speaking and strode to the rail, glancing -keenly under the shelter of his right palm. - -"Speck in sight!" he called. "Looks like a ship headed this way! Make it -out, Cushner?" - -The second mate strained his eyes, then mopped them with his sleeve and -tried again. "Not yet," he said. "You have fine sight. Where away?" - -"About two points off the bow. There she is. See her? A brig, I think. -See the smoke?" - -Cushner nodded with a sudden jerk of his chin. "Just a smudge. She's -hull down!" - -It was a full half hour later before Stirling made out the Japanese flag -which fluttered at the stern of the brig. He called out her nationality -then swung and glanced toward the poop and the wheelman. Marr stood -under the shelter of the rail with both elbows resting upon the canvas -and a pair of twelve-diameter glasses focused ahead. He lowered these -glasses, reached for the engine-room telegraph, and the throbbing of the -_Pole Star's_ screws died to a quiver. The yards were braced back and -the whaler came up into the wind with scant headway. This brought the -Japanese brig upon the starboard waist. - -The funnel of the strange ship belched forth a volcano of smoke which -could come only from Japanese coal. She wallowed across the sea and came -up into the wind on the same tack as the _Pole Star_ was headed. - -A longboat was dropped awkwardly. Seamen to the number of four swarmed -overside and waited for a fifth figure to descend a ladder lowered for -his benefit. The boat sheered from the brig and danced across the waves -under the swing of four oars which were smartly handled. - -_Penyan Maru_ was the name Stirling made out on the brig as it hove to a -double cable's length away. A greater contrast to the _Pole Star_ could -not have been fashioned. Built in Japan before the war, the brig still -carried some of the top-hamper which rightly belonged to a junk. Her -yards were canted, her masts sloped forward instead of aft, her standing -rigging was loose and weather-rotted. - -Along the rail of the _Penyan Maru_ ran a line of pigeon-blue boats -which were too large for dories, too small for whaleboats. She bore the -unmistakable evidence of a Japanese sealer, a vampire of the sea--as -much an object of suspicion to every revenue cutter as a jailbird would -be to a self-respecting policeman. - -The four seamen who rowed the longboat lifted their oars smartly enough -as they rounded under the starboard rail of the _Pole Star_. Whitehouse, -on the poop, lowered a bosn's ladder, and up this climbed the figure of -a man who would have attracted attention on any ocean. - -He was fat and yellow; his moon-broad face was stabbed here and there -with tiny bristles like the nose of a walrus; his slanted eyes glittered -and beamed as he raised himself over the rail, took Whitehouse's hand, -and sprang to the deck of the _Pole Star_. He advanced to Marr's side -with a rolling waddle, and the two men clasped in friendly grasp. It was -evident to the watchers on the whaler that they were friends. - -They stood a moment on the deck, then Marr pointed toward the north and -east. The Japanese followed his direction, smiled blandly, and whispered -something into the little skipper's ear. They went below by way of the -cabin companion, the slide of which they closed after them. - -Stirling glanced keenly at Cushner, walked to the rail, and leaned over -with his eyes fixed upon the dingy sides and crazy rigging of the -sealer. He dropped his glance and studied the four of a crew who were -alongside the whaler's run, just aft the break of the poop. These seamen -made no effort to communicate in any way with the crew of the _Pole -Star_. They sat silently waiting for their master to return. - -Cushner rolled to Stirling's side and leaned his elbows on the rail. He, -too, glanced at the small boat and its contents. - -"A sealer's crew," he said. "Them's Japanese sealers. See the rifles and -the clubs. They ain't found in an ordinary boat. They're for pelagic -sealing, or any other kind. Nice-lookin' outfit." - -"Efficient and minding their own business!" declared Stirling. - -"What did you think of the emperor who came aboard? He was welcome!" - -Stirling turned and glanced toward the poop. "Sam," he said, "there's -more things on these seas than we will ever know. That brig is a supply -ship of some kind. If not that, it is going to meet us at some later -date and take off our trade stuff." - -"Also seal pelts." - -"Yes; seal pelts if they're secured in an honest manner. I don't care -where Marr disposes of his catch, as long as the catch is square and -aboveboard!" - -"Here comes the walrus again. Look how he's smiling. They must have had -a nip of gin. Marr is rubbing his hands like as if he'd made a good -bargain." - -The Japanese waddled to the rail, climbed upward, and descended the -ladder to the waiting small boat. Marr stood over him and cast off the -painter, and the boat sprang away from the sheer of the _Pole Star_. It -danced across the sea, vanished under the _Penyan Maru's_ counter, and -was hoisted aboard. - -A plume of black Japanese coal smoke shot up from the rusty funnel. The -yards were squared and the sealer wallowed toward the north and west, -vanishing in a cloud of its own making. - -A bell later Marr gave the order for a change of course and reached for -the engine-room telegraph. The screw thrashed; the crew sprang to -weather and lee braces. The _Pole Star_ started back over the old -pathway on the trackless ocean. Her compass point had been given as -east. - -It was a hushed company that gathered about the table that night in the -steerage of the _Pole Star_. The change of course, the gamming by the -Japanese sealer, the mystery of the skipper's actions--all these drove -silence into the mates' hearts. - -Stirling and Cushner soon departed and left the first and second -engineer to their thoughts. - -The two seamen, who had found a tie in common, strode to the forepeak of -the whaler, lighted their pipes from the same match, and stared out over -the dark velvet of the North Pacific. - -Cushner dragged on his stem for a long five minutes. He was awakened to -speech by the striking of the ship's bell forward when the lookout -lifted a marlinespike from the belfry and chimed two short strokes, -repeated by two more. - -"Four bells!" declared the Yankee. "She's four bells, Stirling. Four -bells, an' we're going back. Wouldn't wonder if we make California for -our first landfall." - -Stirling squared his shoulders, removed his pipe from his mouth, and -stared at the glowing bowl. He pressed the coals down with his broad -thumb, wheeled sharply, and glared aft. His face hardened as he made out -a shadow on the poop, and tried to discern if it were Marr. A swing of -the ship, the lowering of the mainsail at the sheet, blotted out his -view. - -He turned and gripped Cushner's arm. "We're not going to Frisco," said -the Ice Pilot. "We're headed for Dutch Pass and the Bering Sea. We're a -point south of the true course for that, but Marr is taking advantage of -the drift." - -"Why didn't he go through one of the outer straits? There's plenty by -the Rat Group." - -"Perhaps he wants to coal at Unalaska. He could take aboard fifty tons -there." - -"How about the ice?" - -"It hasn't cleared yet. It lies about ten knots to the south'ard of the -Pribilofs. It'll break up and clear within a week, though. It always -does." - -Cushner nodded. He held a wholesome respect for Stirling's ice -knowledge. The pilot had no peer when it came to working through the -loose floes or finding a lane to the northward. These lanes were both -dangerous and deceptive, and many led to thicker floes and barren ice. - -"We'll soon be in the ice?" asked the second mate. - -"Five days, allowing for a day's stop at Unalaska. First comes the light -floes and the whale slick. Afterward is the barrier line which stretches -to the Pole. It starts to open and break. Through these lanes the whales -go into the Arctic. There's usually a big jam at Bering Strait. The -current sets east by north in summer and south by west in the fall. -There are no bergs north of the Aleutians or west of Point Barrow. -Leastwise, I never saw any!" - -"People always talk about the bergs of the Arctic." - -Stirling nodded. "I know that," he said with positive tones. "The reason -is not hard to find. There's bergs where there's glaciers. There's any -number of big fellows on the lower Alaskan coast. These bergs melt in -the warm Japan Current. The harbour of Unalaska and the strait at Dutch -Pass never freezes. That's on account of the same current." - -"But the Arctic bergs, Stirling?" - -"There's very few in the western Arctic. There's no glaciers along the -Northern coast of Alaska and Canada. There's a few on the Siberian -coast. The land is all low. The big floes--some of them a century -old--resemble small bergs. That's the reason for the mistake made by -Northern travellers." - -Stirling turned and tapped his pipe against the rail then pocketed it -and glanced aft. There was no sign on the poop of any watcher save the -wheelsman, whose eyes were glued ahead. - -Cushner yawned. "It's Whitehouse's watch," he said. "I'm going to turn -in. Good-night!" - -Stirling followed the second mate into the galley cabin, and climbed -into his bunk with a tired glance at the compass point. The _Pole Star_ -was headed on the same course as given when they left the Japanese -sealer. The wind had veered and now swung from over the Aleutian -Islands--fifty miles to the northward. It was slightly tempered with -ice. Stirling closed his porthole and rolled over to sleep. - -He was awakened at midnight, and the change in the watch, by Cushner. -The second mate held a cautious finger over his mouth as he finished -shaking Stirling's shoulder. - -"Come on deck," the Yankee whispered. "Put on some clothes and hurry. I -got to relieve Whitehouse." - -Stirling rolled from his bunk, stood swaying on the deck, and drew on -part of his clothes. He finished by buttoning a great sea coat about his -sturdy form and clapping a cap down over his ears. Already the -temperature had fallen to a marked degree. He emerged to the waist of -the whaler and stood breathing great gulps of Arctic-tinged air which -sent the wine of living through his veins. He felt more of a man than he -had since his last venture in the Bering. - -Cushner touched his elbow. "Come forward," the mate said, softly. "Get -under the lee of the deck house and then the foresail. Don't make any -noise." - -The watch on deck had surged forward to the capstan, and some of the -watch below were climbing up through the booby hatch. Others were -gathered about the form of the sailor who had been in the Frisco room. -He lay across the soiled planks of the forecastle, his arms stretched -out, his legs extended and resting on the edge of a lower bunk. - -Stirling brushed aside the seamen who had gathered about the booby -hatch. The Ice Pilot descended backward and stood in the gloom of the -forecastle. A single electric globe was hung over a molasses barrel at -the heel of the foremast. Its light was far too pale to bring out the -details. - -"What happened?" asked Stirling, grimly. - -A dock rat, who had been shamming sickness during the voyage, thrust out -a frowsy head from the forepeak and said: "The crew beat him up. They -say he's a government spy. They say he's goin' to queer the skipper's -game with th' seals. He looks it--he does!" - -Stirling stooped and felt of the sailor's wrist. He examined a bruise on -the right temple then straightened and glanced up through the booby -hatch toward Cushner. - -"Go aft," he said, "and tell Mr. Marr to give you the medicine chest. -Tell him that----What does this fellow call himself?" - -"Eagan," said the dock rat; "Mike Eagan, so he says, Mr. Stirling." - -"Tell Mr. Marr that a seaman named Eagan was struck by a block. Don't -tell him what happened--yet. I'm going to look out for Eagan! If he -represents the United States he has got to be protected north of 53 as -well as south of that latitude!" - -Cushner hurried aft and mounted the lee poop steps. - - - - -CHAPTER IX--THE POLAR BARRIER - - -Stirling had finished his examination of the seaman's wound by the time -Cushner returned from aft with the medicine chest. This contained -bandages and crude cures which had the merit of being overly strong. - -The Ice Pilot washed the wound with heavy fingers and pressed on a pad -of salve which was rank with iodoform and arnica. He glanced keenly at -Cushner, as Eagan sat up and stared about the forecastle with bewildered -eyes. - -"What did the old man say?" asked Stirling. - -"Not much! Said the crew of this ship looked able to dodge blocks." - -Stirling stooped to Eagan. "Who struck you?" he inquired, feelingly. - -The seaman pressed his left hand to the bandage, then eyed his fingers. -He gathered his senses, frowned deeply, staring about the empty bunks, -and up through the opening to the deck. Faces were pressed there, faces -curious and hard. - -"I wasn't struck!" - -The seaman's voice carried the lie in its tones. "I fell down over a -bucket," he continued. "Slipped, I guess. Must have hit the corner of -the molasses barrel. It's deuced sharp, it is." - -Stirling removed a small portion of salve from a can, spread it upon a -piece of paper, and handed it to the seaman with steady fingers. - -"You lie!" he said with clenched teeth. "You lie about falling down. -Remember that it may happen again." - -Eagan squared his jaw and glanced for a second time toward the booby -hatch then he rubbed his hands together, reached and took the salve -offered by Stirling. - -"I'll tend to the next time," he said, huskily. "I'll tend to it! I -don't need no afterguard to fight my battles. I can lick any three men -of this crew, Mr. Stirling." - -The Ice Pilot turned, strode across the rude planks of the forecastle, -and mounted the ladder to the deck. Cushner removed the medicine chest -from beneath his arm and started aft with it. - -"Hold on," said Stirling. "Just a minute, Sam!" - -The second mate turned. - -"Don't say anything more to Marr. Just give him the chest and meet me in -the waist. We'll have a smoke over this. That crew look as if they were -in earnest. They'll murder Eagan if he don't keep his eyes peeled." - -The mate bobbed his head and climbed the weather poop steps as Marr -appeared at the side of the wheelsman and stared over the canvas rail. -His eyes locked with Stirling's and were unable to hold the Ice Pilot's -accusing scrutiny. Already and before entering the Bering Sea, there was -a full crop of suspicion and cross-purpose sowed upon the _Pole Star_. - -Cushner moved to the rail as Marr disappeared in the gloom. The two -seamen lighted pipes and stared out over the Northern sea. A nip was in -the air, and the higher stars shone with frosty effulgence. - -"I've got to take the poop," said Cushner, folding close his pea-jacket -and glancing aft. "Whitehouse has gone into the galley. Marr won't stand -for a watch alone; he'll probably go below." - -Stirling shrugged his broad shoulders, pressed the bowl of his pipe, -then blew upon his thumb with thoughtful air. - -"I'm kinda summing things up, Sam. First the shanghai party; then the -seaman who wanted to come aboard. Then, Sam, there's the mystery of the -gamming by the Jap. All looks as if Marr has a fixed purpose. Looks like -a crooked compass point to steer by!" - -"Darn crooked!" - -Stirling wound his strong fingers about the second mate's arm. "I'm a -simple sailorman," he said, heavily. "I've sailed the Arctic and the -Bering and the North Pacific, man and boy, for thirty years. I have no -kith or kin. I've one star to guide. That's truth and right doing, Sam. -It's over there!" - -The Ice Pilot pointed along the leader stars of the Great Dipper and -notched his fingernail on the lodestar. "That's my guide," he said. "I -play square! I never made anything much by playing square, but I'm going -to steer my course by that light point. Marr won't mislead me a quarter -point." - -"Spoken fair!" declared Cushner. "You can call on me." - -The mate vanished in the gloom of the waist. - -Stirling dragged on his pipe, held it out, tapped it against the rail -and dumped the glowing coals overside with a sweeping motion. He paused -at the door to his galley cabin. The ship was plunging eastward with her -screw turning over at three-quarter speed. A soft halo capped the -funnel, like the tip of an ashless cigar, and the throbbing shook the -deck which was canted ever so slightly under the influence of the -northeast wind. - -"Headin' full and by," said Stirling. "We're making for Dutch Pass. I'll -be glad to see the ice. Somehow or other that Bering always seemed like -a man's sea." - -The days which followed the assault upon Eagan were hard ones for the -mixed crew of the _Pole Star_. The course of the whaler was into the -teeth of a wind which swung over the watches from point to point. - -The night between the spume-filled days revealed the stars overhead in -all their Northern glory--steel pointed they seemed. Within them and -over the Northern world a pale sheen glowed, and vanished and glowed -again. This was the reflection of the aurora upon the great north -barrier. - -Fur coats, skin boots, woollen socks with moss filling, mittens, and -watch caps were broken from the slop-chest and distributed to the crew. - -At high noon of the third day from the gamming by the Japanese sealer, -Stirling mounted to the crow's-nest, paused on its edge for a glance at -the deck, then dropped down into a snug, far-swinging berth from which -he had command of a hundred leagues of icy water. - -He reached and secured a pair of twelve-diameter glasses which had been -placed in a small chart rack, rested his elbows on the rim of the -crow's-nest, and swept the horizon with keen eyes. - -Mile by mile he searched for signs of whale slick or spout, but none -showed, then he turned and squinted ahead. Two needlelike peaks showed -well to the eastward. They were the highest points of the Aleutian -group, and marked the pass through to the Bering Sea. - -The day unrolled and lifted the archipelago up and into the Northern -sky. It seemed a white-robed mountain chain--with each spire and crag -forming the teeth of a giant saw. A rose light gleamed and reddened this -barrier as the sun rimmed the Western world. The light paled to a -flamingo and then to purple night as the ship drove on. - -It was midnight, with Whitehouse and Marr standing watch on the poop, -and Stirling and Cushner in the crow's-nest, when they reached the -overhanging shadow of the pass to the Bering. The ship steadied, swung, -then darted under the lee of a barren island; the strait with its score -of sharp turnings lay ahead. - -They passed the entrance to Dutch Harbor and Unalaska, raised the Rock -of the Bishop, sheered and drove with all steam through the narrow -outlet to the strait, entering at morning the waters of the Bering. - -Stirling breathed, for the first time sure of sea room. Raising his -glasses, he greeted the morning sun that slanted cold and bright along -the arctic waters which rose and fell in slow gliding. He lowered his -elbows and leaned far out over the crow's-nest edge, studying the small -patches of spring ice through which the ship's sharp prow cut like a -knife going through satin. - -Floes, in the form of old "grandfathers," were passed to starboard and -port. These had drifted with the current down through the Bering Strait -and were destined to melt in the warm waters of the Japan Current. Some -were small cakes, which had been formed that winter, and upon some of -these arctic birds and hair seals sported. - -A larger formation appeared ahead--part of the great North pack. Walrus -and polar bear dove overside as the whaler bore down upon this floe, -sheered, and entered a wide lane leading toward the north and east. - -"Take the ship!" called Marr from the poop. "It's your ship from now on, -Mr. Stirling." - -The Ice Pilot leaned over the edge of the crow's-nest. "Where are you -headin' for?" he asked with a stout laugh. "I don't know your compass -point. You didn't tell me." - -"Tie to the ice--the pack!" Marr had consulted the binnacle before -giving the order. - -Stirling chuckled like a big boy, turned in his narrow quarters, and -crooked his elbows with the glasses clasped in his hands. He studied the -currents and the drift of the lighter floes, sniffed the wind, then -swung his eyes from northeast to northwest. - -"Hard astarboard!" he called down to the quartermaster. "Put her hard -astarboard." - -"Hard astarboard," rolled up to the crow's-nest. "She's hard astarboard, -sir!" the wheelsman corrected. - -"Steady now. Steady! Over with it. Now steady. Port! Port! Hard aport! -Stead-y thar!" - - - - -CHAPTER X--TO THE LAST DAY - - -The _Pole Star_ threaded the ice floes like a dancer on a polished -floor. She drove all that day north and east; she crashed through new -ice; she dodged the ancient floes and worked into the pack and through -the lanes under the masterful handling of the Ice Pilot, who sought no -rest. Coffee was brought to him by the galley boy. With this, and now -and then a drag from his pipe, he held down three watches until morning -broke and revealed to the east the higher line of the barrier beyond -which the ship could not go. - -"Pack ahead!" he announced, turning and staring shrewdly toward Marr who -stood with Cushner on the poop. "Yon's the North pack!" - -Marr lifted his face and returned the stare, then dropped his eyes under -the steady scrutiny and consulted Cushner. - -Stirling swung and rimmed the white line without glasses. He knew it of -old and knew that it was too early to find a lane leading north or east. -The ancient floes were still cemented together in an unyielding mass. -Upon them snow glistened, and pools of fresh water showed. - -"Tie to the pack!" called Marr. "Pick out a place to get water. Find a -hummock we can lash to. We'll lie here a while!" - -Into a tiny bight of open water, sheltered on three sides by ancient -ice, Stirling drove the _Pole Star_. Here she was lashed to a hummock by -a hawser which three of the crew carried overside and hitched in a -bowline of staunch hemp. - -The seamen and boat steerers swarmed over the whaler's rail and -stretched themselves by a swift run upon the ice. They caught a hose -thrown to them and carried its end to a pool of fresh water which had -been formed by melting snow. - -The pump clanked, the deck tanks were filled, and the first engineer, -assisted by the engine-room force, started work on a boiler which had -three leaking tubes in the tube sheet. The smallest of their number -crawled through the manhole and started clipping the scale, his tapping -sounding throughout the ship. - -Stirling descended from the crow's-nest, after a last glance toward the -northeast. There floe ice, packed and cemented together, extended to the -cold rim of the horizon, with no sign of lanes. The warm sun of the day -and its work was undone each night by the freezing cold. - -Cushner met Stirling at the rail, thrust out his broad hand, and smiled -proudly. - -"Fine ice work!" said the second mate. "I knew you could do it. Marr was -watching you all the time!" - -"Does he know anything about ice?" - -"Thundering little! He's a Baffin Bay man, so he says. There's a lot of -difference between the Bay and the Bering." - -"Considerable! It's a question of currents, here. The pack is farther -south than I ever saw it at this time of the year. That means an open -season when it breaks. What do you make of the weather?" - -The second mate glanced at the telltale on the cap of the mizzenmast. -"Good," he said. "Wind's swinging to th' south'ard." - -"That means a thaw, Sam." - -"The ice is soft on top. See the water holes?" - -Stirling nodded then turned and stared over the broken surface where the -crew was moving. "There's hair seals aplenty," he said. "Too bad, Sam, -them ain't fur seals. Maybe Marr would be satisfied to stay right here." - -Cushner widened his eyes. "Still thinking of a raid?" he inquired, -shrewdly. - -"That, and other things. Look to the south'ard. Did you ever see better -whaling ground? There's slick aplenty. My, how I'd like to lower for a -bowhead! They're all along this ice." - -"Nobody's raised any spouts, yet." - -"They're there! They can't get north. The barrier holds them. It was -just like this when we caught three big bowheads from the _Mary Foster_. -Lowered four boats and fastened to three whales. That was a great day!" - -The earnestness in Stirling's strong voice showed Cushner where his -heart lay, and he glanced at the low-swinging sun which was going down -on a long arc that marked the end of a Northern day. - -"Good-night," he said. "Go turn in and forget bowheads. I don't think -the old man is thinking about them. He's full of seals. He asked me a -thousand questions about them. Darn sealing, says I! Whaling's a man's -game! Many an old bowhead has fought back. Many a boat's been smashed by -a bull whale--up here or in the South Pacific." - -Stirling nodded his head in complete understanding, for he realized the -call which was in the big mate's blood. He watched him disappear into -the galley-house, then followed, after a glance about the deck. Many of -the crew were still out upon the ice. - -His cabin seemed strangely small and constricted, and he opened a -porthole which overlooked the deck and rail and sea to the south. He -examined his few possessions with wistful eyes--a bomb gun, brightly -polished, standing in one corner of the cabin, a sextant and ancient -chronometer resting upon a shelf, a Bowditch and well-thumbed almanac -which comprised his library. His clothes were but few and worn. - -He turned in, after undressing, snapping off his light and rolling over -on his right arm. He drowsed with the music of the grinding floes in his -ears, then heard a racking shiver which came from the north and east; it -was the great North pack breaking along its entire length. - -He awoke like a startled child. Cushner's pointed beard was thrust -through the open porthole, and the second mate's wide-set eyes were -intent and hard. - -"Climb out of your bunk!" he said. "Get in your boots and join me on the -ice. I'll be right by the hummock where the shore line is." - -Stirling hastily dressed and wrapped a great sea coat, with shell -buttons, about his form. He stepped out on the dark deck with firm -stride, glancing intuitively aft as he threw one leg over the port rail, -after rounding the deck house. - -Nothing showed on the poop. A faint light, however, struck upward and -brought out the lacery of the after standing rigging. This light -vanished suddenly, then a companion hatch slammed. - -Stirling dropped to the ice and crawled over its surface till he reached -a towering hummock. Behind this Cushner was crouching, and the big mate -laid a finger across his whiskered lips. - -Stirling knelt upon the snow and listened. He heard the lapping of the -waves as they ran up the shelving ice, with now and then a breaker which -shot a white plume starward. The broken fragments of the southern floes -ground together, and the night was filled with a thousand sounds which -blended into a roar. - -Then, and suddenly, there rose from the poop of the whaler a shaft of -yellow light. A voice was raised, and the notes of a song drifted -through the open portholes of the after cabin. Marr was singing: - - "English there be and Portigee, - Who hang on the Brown Bear's flank, - And some be Scot, but the worst of the lot-- - The boldest thieves be Yank!" - -Cushner gripped Stirling's arm. "That's ain't all," he said with a deep -warning. "Who is standing on the poop? Who's that in the shelter of the -canvas, aft--right by the jack staff?" - -Stirling peered out from behind the hummock, grasped the hawser, and -drew himself forward. He pulled down his cap and opened wide his -splendid eyes. Cushner was right. There was a figure on the poop, and -this figure moved and came slowly across the planks to the rail which -overlooked the waist of the whaler. - -Glasses clinked in the cabin. Whitehouse joined his cockney accents to a -song: - - "Oh, I'm th' son of a gentleman, - For I takes m' whisky clear-- - I takes m' whisky clear----" - -The figure on the poop leaned over the rail. Stirling strained his ears; -a sob racked the Arctic air, and the figure on the quarter-deck -straightened with a convulsive shudder. Whitehouse's voice broke out -afresh, and the song was drunken and masterful. - -The form above the bold singer turned away from the rail of the ship and -glided slowly aft. A yellow light shot upward as a companion was slowly -opened, then this light was blotted out degree by degree; the companion -hatch clicked shut. - -Minutes passed. Neither man on the ice moved; both were deep in thought. -The two facts were hard to gather to the brain: Marr and Whitehouse were -in the cabin, drinking; another Marr had stood upon the quarter-deck. It -was the little captain--line for line. In one thing only did it -differ--the racking sob at the drunken levity below was from a woman's -throat. It was a protest which she believed fell upon the Northern -silences. - -Stirling sprang to his feet with an icy glint in his blue eyes. - -"We'll fathom that mystery," he told Cushner. "We'll fathom it if it -takes to the last day of the voyage!" - - - - -CHAPTER XI--BENEATH THE SURFACE - - -The sun came up on a long slant, to swing its southern arc. Glancing -from ice floe to ice floe, it seemed a cold bronze disk placed in motion -by some Norseman of the Arctic wilds. - -Stirling, haggard and with hot, fevered eyes, sat at the steerage table -watching the light striking across a red-checked table cover and -bringing out the rude details of the cabin. - -He had not slept since seeing that strange figure on the quarter-deck of -the whaler. He had sat erect throughout the morning watch, laying facts -against facts, which seemed to dull and stupefy his sober senses. - -At no time in his life had he believed in the supernatural. He did not -share the beliefs, common to most seamen, that the sea held unfathomable -mysteries. He had sniffed often at the tales told by old salts. Times -without number he had pointed out that natural causes rule the -happenings of this world. St. Elmo fire; the creaking of blocks in a -calm; the dust on a dustless sea; the tapping that a bolt might make in -a hollow spar--these were all phenomena which could be explained by -science or good common sense. - -The spectre on the poop of the _Pole Star_ was as unexplainable as life -itself. It bore the shape and form of Marr; it was not Marr, for the -captain had been drinking and singing in the cabin. Stirling put trust -in the sound of the human voice. It was one thing which could not easily -be changed or disguised. - -He rose, at six bells, with a slow shrug of his broad shoulders. He -stood a moment with his hands gripping the racks, his face deeply lined -with the ravages of a sleepless night. He held out his palm and stared -at it; his fingers trembled uncontrollably. They always had been steady. - -He made his way to the deck and stood by the rail which was nearest the -great North pack. The cook, yawning, was making fire in the galley -stove. A lone "anchor watch" pacing back and forth at the break of the -forecastle head turned and stared at Stirling. - -The air was cold with a snap of frost. A gale came from the south and -west with a puff that ground the loose floes together. North, to the -slaty horizon, stretched the broken surface of the ice field. It had a -sound of its own--a grind and a creaking like a soul in agony. - -Stirling rested his hands on the rail and stared downward. The whaler -surged against the shelving ice, steadied, then surged back again. Seals -peered curiously from the depths of the Bering. Some scrambled from the -floes and plumped into the icy water. Walruses were upon the pack. They -had broken through the thin ice formed overnight, and their whiskers and -tusks were white with hoar frost. - -Stirling stared aloft, then shuddered slightly and drew his great coat -close about him. The ratlines and standing rigging, the downhauls and -halyards formed a ghostly tapestry, like the gossamer web of some forest -glade. - -He raised his hands, breathed upon them to secure circulation, slowly -climbed the rail, and reached for the shrouds, and thrusting his feet -through the chains he mounted until he reached the Jacob's ladder. Going -over this he leaned far outboard, glanced down at the deck, then -finished the climb to the crow's-nest which was coated with frost. - -Some whim of the current had cleared the sea to the south and east. It -was as if a broom had swept through the pile of a purple carpet. The -floes which had broken from the main pack had been whisked southward to -melt in the warm waters of the north Pacific. Occasionally, however, a -hoary old "grandpa" went drifting by with its load of walrus and hair -seals, while over them hovered gulls and other birds. - -Stirling narrowed his eyes and searched long and carefully for some sign -of another whaler. The season was an early one. Bowheads were to be -expected in such waters; the whale slick which showed marked their -feeding ground. He saw no sign of sail or smoke. A slight haze to the -southward marked the smoky sea where the chilled waters of the Bering -met the first warm current which seeped through the passes of the -Aleutian Group. - -Climbing from the crow's-nest, Stirling swung out over the ladder and -smiled slightly as he saw a patient fisherman, in the shaggy form of a -polar bear, all too intent upon the circular opening of a seal's hole -through the ice. - -A whiff of galley smoke and the rattle of falling ice from the shrouds -disturbed the fisherman. He raised his yellow snout, blinked his tiny -eyes, and was off with a lumbersome trot toward the shelter of higher -hummocks in the east. - -Cushner appeared like a giant who had slept without turning over. He -lifted his long arms, stretched, pointed his icicle-sharp beard aloft, -and held his mouth open as he stared at Stirling swinging down the -shrouds. - -"By the stars, old man!" he exclaimed. "You're an early bird. Ain't more -than seven bells, if it's that. Raised any bowheads yet?" - -Stirling sprang from the rail to the deck and rubbed his frosted hands. -He stepped to Cushner's side and clapped him on the back. "Not yet!" he -said. "No whales, but there's an ocean of fine slick. It's a whaling day -if ever there was one." - -"Waal," yawned Cushner. "Waal, I'll call the watches and get ready. We -might as well drop away from the pack." - -Without consulting Marr, the second mate gave the order to bring in the -hawser and hoist easy canvas on the fore and main. The _Pole Star_ -sheered and drifted toward the southward. Stirling emerged from the -galley house, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, felt the glow -of the strong coffee he had drunk, then crossed the deck and mounted -again to the crow's-nest where he took position to observe any signs of -whales or white water. - -The whaler was hove to, with her yards braced, and steam pluming from -the pipe after the raking funnel; the boats were swung outboard; the -gear was gone over and the water kegs filled. - -Marr appeared at one bell. He glanced toward the distant pack, frowned -slightly, then leaned over the rail of the quarter-deck. "Who gave the -order to drop down here?" he asked Cushner. - -The second mate stood erect in the starboard-waist boat. "I did," he -said, slowly. "I thought, seeing as how there was whale slick, that we -better get in position for lowering. We could only lower three boats -where we were." - -Marr motioned for Whitehouse, who sprang up the weather poop steps, and -the two men went aft behind the canvas screen. Cushner glanced toward -Stirling in the crow's-nest, and Stirling nodded. He seemed to say -without words that he would stick by the second mate's statement. - -Whitehouse appeared and glanced upward. "What d'ye make out?" he asked, -pointing over the ship's rail. "'Ow's the sea to lee'ard?" - -"Plenty of signs," said Stirling. "There's a sail far down toward that -big floe. Looks like the first of the Frisco fleet. She's headin' for -the ice. Likely there'll be more. Old 'Hank' Peterson and his _Beluga_ -always fasten around about here. That looks like the _Beluga's_ -fore-topsail. It's dirty enough!" - -The _Beluga_, so it proved, tacked and went about with its long row of -white boats showing clear and distinct in the Northern sunlight. -Peterson was cruising over known ground. He drove the ship away from the -pack and vanished through the smoke of the seas with the patches of his -ancient sails allowing the last sight of him. - -Another ship climbed up over the rim of the world. Smoke showed in a -long slaty line, and soon was revealed the fine sheer and trim rig of a -revenue cutter. Stirling lowered his glasses with a dry smile, and -stared toward the whaler's poop. Marr stood there with feet braced and a -telescope clapped to his eye. - -The little skipper muttered vehemently as he wheeled swiftly and strode -to the rail. "What ship's that?" he called up to Stirling. - -"The United States revenue cutter _Bear_, Mr. Marr!" - -The captain frowned, turned, and looked over the ice-dotted waters. -"Which way is she heading now?" he asked. - -"Same course. She's sizing us up. Likely she'll skirt the pack, back and -forth, until she finds a lane to the east. She always does." - -"How many cutters come North?" - -"Usually three----the _Bear_ and the _Wolverene_ and the _Northern -Star_." - -Stirling's voice contained a shaded warning, as he leaned over the edge -of the crow's-nest and watched Marr intently. The little captain was -plainly disturbed. He coiled and uncoiled his well-manicured fingers, -stroked his smooth chin, then went aft with a quick stride and -disappeared through the cabin companion. - -Cushner climbed up the fore shrouds and dropped alongside Stirling. -Pinching the Ice Pilot's arm, he chuckled as he twirled the knob of the -glasses and extended his arm outward. - -"She's th' _Bear_, all right," he said after a careful glance. "She's -giving us a good lookin' over. We're new to her. I reckon th' whaleboats -will satisfy her. There's nothin' to excite suspicion." - -The _Bear_ slowly vanished into the mist, and a line of dark smoke -marked her going. - -Cushner laid down the glasses and exclaimed through his beard: "They -ought to know you, old man!" - -"Not in this rig," Stirling said. "Last time I saw the _Bear_, I was -pilot of the _Mary Foster_. They gammed us the other side of St. -Lawrence Island. They were looking for poachers. Somebody had raided the -northeast point of St. Paul's, and three hundred bachelor seals were -missing." - -"Fair game, I say, when you do it out beyond the three-mile limit. It's -just the same as highway when it's done on the rookeries." - -"That's the way I think. Marr had better take warning. It would be a -short shift to McNeal's Island and a long sentence if he tried -anything." - -Cushner climbed out of the crow's-nest and lowered himself to the deck. -Standing by the rail he watched the crew who were alert to raise a -spout. Whitehouse, at a suggestion from Marr, had offered ten plugs of -tobacco and two square faces of trade gin for the first blow reported. - -The morning passed without any sign of whales. At two bells in the -afternoon watch a second whaler wallowed by and offered the signal that -she had already fastened and cut in. A dark slab of muck tuck, or -blubber, was dangling from her stumpy jib boom. - -Stirling knew the ship as he knew the palm of his strong hand. She was -the _Norwhale_ out of Frisco. He called down her name and pointed out -her aged captain to the crew of the _Pole Star_. - -"The luckiest man in the North!" Stirling exclaimed. "Already fastened -and lookin' for more. Keep your eyes peeled to lee'ard, boys. There's an -ocean of slick and plenty of signs." - -The sun was rolling into the west when a stir passed through the _Pole -Star_. A voice forward had half shouted, then died to a whisper. One -lookout pointed far down to the south and east; Stirling swung his -glasses and studied the wide surface of the Bering. He saw a spout which -proved to be waves dashed from the weather side of a floe, and sea gulls -hovering over an oily patch. He tested the direction of the wind by -holding his finger aloft, and stared at the telltale which draped from -the mizzen top. - -Clapping the glasses to his eyes, he swung about in a slow circle. Due -south, he steadied and grew rigid. He saw the low bore of water which -marked the presence of some animal beneath the surface. He closed his -lips in a hard, firm line; his face cleared; his arms grew rigid as bars -of steel. He waited with every muscle tense. Then, and suddenly, he -lowered the glasses, leaned far out over the edge of the crow's-nest, -and called loudly: "A blow! A blow! There she blows!" - - - - -CHAPTER XII--THE MANNER OF MAN - - -The ship shook with the running of many men. The mate sprang to the -shrouds and shaded his eyes. - -"Where away?" called up Cushner. - -"Direct to the south'ard! Right over that floe! There she blows again. -There she blows!" - -For a second time a bore of white water showed. This was followed by a -plume of soft spray which spurted up into the frosty air and vanished to -leeward. The whale was rising for breath. - -"All 'ands to the boats!" This order was given by Whitehouse who stood -at the top of the lee poop steps. - -There sounded a rush along the deck, and a snarl of excited men tumbled -over each other in their haste to reach the boats. It was for all the -world like being submarined in war time. - -Stirling scowled down on the untrained crew, then glanced toward the -little skipper. He feared that the noise would gally the quarry; a whale -has remarkable hearing in certain circumstances. The Ice Pilot had known -of failure to fasten with a harpoon on account of the striking of a -paddle against the inner skin of a boat. - -He called a warning and pointed toward the sea where last a spout had -shown. The crew heeded this call, and stood silent by the falls of each -boat. - -"Lower away!" called out Whitehouse. - -The boats splashed into the sea, the falls were loosened from their -eyebolts in bow and stern, and long oars were thrust out as the crews -swarmed downward. - -Led by the second mate's boat, the tiny fleet swung like a covey of -pigeons and ran before the wind with their single sails billowed out -over the lee rails and their centerboards raised. - -Skipping from sea to sea, as light as spindrift, they assumed a fanlike -formation and closed about the position where the whale had been seen. - -The leading boat, guided by Cushner, gained slightly and drew away, the -big mate, with his white beard, standing erect in the stern. His hand -was closed over the tiller, his eyes glued on a spot to leeward. - -Stirling and Marr, who had remained as ship keepers, with the cook and -engineers, watched the arena like spectators at a battle. The Ice Pilot -had hastened to many bowheads and realized that Cushner had taken the -proper direction and would most likely intercept the whale upon its next -appearance. - -A short wait followed, and Stirling fastened a small red flag to a -signal halyard which could be raised from the crow's-nest. This was in -the event that the whale was sighted from the ship. Two jerks would be -the signal that the fleet should go to leeward; one jerk, into the wind. - -Across the whale slick the mate's boat darted, then came up and held its -position with sail flapping. Cushner drove farther to the south where -he, too, brought his boat in the wind and waited. - -Marr lowered his glass and stared up at the Ice Pilot. "It's time, isn't -it?" the captain asked. - -"Almost," replied Stirling. "That old bull's been down eighteen -minutes." - -The Ice Pilot replaced his watch and waited like a hunter in a jungle -tree. His were the highest eyes on those waters. He swept them across -the sea and somewhat ahead of Cushner's boat, then he stiffened and -jerked up his flag. He held it at the masthead, then jerked again. The -whale had showed white water not a cable's length from the second mate's -boat. - -"He's up!" called Stirling in his excitement. "Sam's right there!" - -Cushner caught the signal from above the crow's-nest of the _Pole Star_. -He swung his body and allowed the boat to run before the wind, peering -under the bulging sail with its lifted boom. He pointed and pressed the -tiller handle. - -The harpooner of Cushner's boat was a giant Kanaka. He was whale wise, -and had once been known to fasten to a whale over the sail of another -boat. Stirling saw him reach downward, lift a heavy harpoon, with its -bomb-gun attachment, and poise rigidly in the bow of the whaleboat. His -bronzed arm was raised inch by inch. The small boat drove on and into -the smothering plume of vapour which rose out of the sea and slick as -the whale emerged and exhaled its breath. - -Cushner's boat drove onward. The Kanaka straightened, drew back his arm, -and then hurled the heavy harpoon down and into the waves as the -whaleboat mounted the first of the bore set up by the passage of the -monster. - -The mast of the boat came down on the run, oars were thrust outboard, -Cushner unshipped the tiller and hurried forward. The Kanaka passed him, -stooped, and lifted up a long steering oar which he placed in the -oarlock aft. - -Stirling watched the second mate as he poised in the bow with a brass -bomb gun under his arm and his eyes glued upon the coil of hemp which -was floating on the surface of the sea. The whale had been struck, and -it was sulking just below the boat, but had not yet sounded. - -Seconds passed, while the watchers on the ship remained mute with -expectancy. Then, and suddenly, the white boat swung, almost upsetting -Cushner, and started into the wind with the speed of a swift launch. The -whale had come to life, had recovered from the stunning blow of the -harpoon and the bomb, and was "carrying the mail" for the great North -pack, with the boat dragging after it. - -Cushner motioned aft with the flat of his right hand, dashed the spray -from his eyes, stooped, and felt of the whale line where it disappeared -over the bow. He then straightened and motioned aft for a second time. - -Stirling interpreted the signal. It was for the sheet tender to throw -water into the tubs. Already smoke was rising from the round wooden butt -in the bow about which the line was coiled. - -The sheet tender, a Frisco dock rat, scooped a dipper overside, stumbled -forward, and dashed sea water into the rapidly uncoiling hemp. He -slipped as the boat swung over a wave, and the dipper flew from his -hand, dropping into the larger of the two tubs. - -There followed a leaping snarl of inch rope. A slender python seemed to -reach and coil about Cushner in the bow, who flung up his arms and -dropped the bomb gun. A noose fastened about his waist, and he was drawn -forward and downward as the whale surged onward. Fighting with all his -giant strength, he went over and then into the depth of the sea. - -"Heavens!" shouted Marr. "Did you see that, Stirling?" - -The Ice Pilot was over the edge of the crow's-nest and down the rigging -within the space of five seconds. He struck the deck and dashed aft. -"He's done for!" he shouted. "Get up steam and hurry. There's only one -chance." - -Marr stared at the Ice Pilot. "Who's giving orders here?" he asked, -cuttingly. "Let the fool take care of himself. He picked out that sheet -tender." - -Stirling gulped, then clenched his fists and held them out under the -skipper's chin. He drew them back inch by inch. His emotion was a -compelling thing. He could crush the little skipper with one blow, but -held himself in hand and turned, his eyes filled with the fire of -battle. - -"Follow me!" he shouted to two of the engineers who stood in the waist. -"Help lower the dinghy. The whale's coming to windward. I can get it!" - -The tiny boat was lowered in clumsy fashion. Stirling shoved off and sat -down to the oars. Over his shoulder he saw the sneering figure of the -little skipper standing by the taffrail, but only bent his back and dug -the oars deeper into the sea. He brought the boat directly into the -pathway of the onrushing whale which had risen and was showing a bent -harpoon in its foam-coiled hump. - -Dropping the oars, Stirling sprang to the bow of the boat and lifted a -bomb gun from its position on the starboard side. He cocked this, and -waited, peering into the sea. He straightened, took aim, and fired a -tonite bomb full into the mass which was rushing in his direction. - -The acrid smoke from the gun drifted to leeward, and the low report of -the bomb's explosion shook the sea. Particles of flesh flew upward, the -whale milled and rose, then splashed down, with its giant flukes beating -the surface of the water in a death flurry. The small boat was drawn -into the vortex and as both engineers called a warning, Stirling opened -a pouch under a seat, drew out another bomb and cartridge, fitted them -to the breech of the gun, then waited grimly, tensely. He no longer -resembled the placid pilot who had come aboard the whaler at Frisco. - -The other boats of the fleet drove into the wind with their centerboards -lowered and their sheets close drawn, waiting until the whale's efforts -died, stroke by stroke. They took Stirling's signal to haul in on the -line which was still fastened to Cushner's boat. Foot by foot it was -drawn upward and coiled in the tubs. The whale was dead upon the bottom -of the sea. - -Stirling waited until the ship bore down upon the fleet and thrust her -sharp prow over the spot where the quarry had sunk. He gave the order to -rig the line over a yardarm and to attach it to a foreward winch. Steam -was turned on and the stout hemp held, although it was drawn to pencil -thinness. The carcass of the whale was sucked from the mud and silt and -lifted surfaceward. Foot by foot--fathom by fathom--the line was -scanned. There sounded a low cry, and a boat steerer pointed downward. -Stirling and the engineers leaned over the rail of the dinghy. - -They saw why the boat steerer had called their attention, and they -blanched--strong men that they were. Then they stood erect and removed -their caps. - -Cushner's body, looped in a bight of the whale line, dangled before -their eyes, all life throttled out by the whale's mad strength. - -One thing showed the manner of man the second mate had been. He had -drawn a long knife from a sheath on his belt and held this gripped -firmly in his left hand. But it had not been used. The rope was -unhacked. Cushner had preferred to go to his death, rather than sever -the hemp and allow the whale to escape. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII--INTO THE ICE - - -They buried the second mate in the conventional sea manner, Marr reading -the simple service from the Bible. - -Stirling saw the sack-sewn body plunge into the icy waters of the Bering -Sea, and replaced his cap when the last ripples had died. He turned and -glanced upward at Marr, watching the skipper fold the Book and look over -the rail. The whale lay alongside with only a slight hump to mark its -bulk, and in the centre of this hump a harpoon had been thrust. The -stout iron, of Swedish construction, was bent and twisted, and to it was -fastened a bight of inch hemp which had held throughout the struggle. - -Purple night was falling when Stirling had the whale's body in a -position for cutting in. More irons had been driven home, lines were -brought aboard and fastened to cleats, a strong hawser was passed about -the giant flukes. - -Cutting in a whale to Stirling was like peeling an apple. It had been -one of the greatest joys the seas had granted to him. It was the -culmination of months of preparation and searching. The value of a head -of bone was well up in the thousands, and Stirling estimated the length -of the whale to be all of seventy feet. The bone, therefore, being in -proportion, he expected slabs from the upper jaw to reach fifteen feet. - -The waist of the ship was cleared of riffraff and dunnage; a strong -whale tackle was rigged between fore and mainmast, one line of this -tackle being wound about the foreward winch. The other end was carried -down the cutting-in stage and hitched to a slice of blubber which had -been peeled from the whale's neck. This slice of blubber was called the -blanket piece. - -Kanakas climbed then over the slippery body and started work with -blubber spades and axes. They severed the strip, as the winch was -started, the whale rolled over and exposed an open cut which banded its -neck. Into this the crew slashed until the backbone was reached. They -then climbed aboard, after rigging a second line through a purchase in -the upper jaw. - -"Hoist away!" ordered Stirling. A watch tackle creaked, the line -tightened, and the upper jaw of the monster came aboard and was swung -over a spot in the waist, lowering to position when the tackle was -slacked. The carcass, useless now, was cast adrift by cutting the lines. -It drifted to leeward where it was soon surrounded by polar bears and -screeching sea gulls. - -Marr appeared at the quarter-deck rail and sent down a huge jug of -whisky, which the crew shared with boisterous shouts. The skipper -watched them, then shrugged his slight shoulders, glanced at the ice to -the northward, and disappeared as Stirling gave the order to clear decks -and cut the bone from the upper jaw. - -This baleen, as it was called, had to be split from a white gristle by -blubber spades and knives. The bone ran from sixteen feet in length down -to little whiskers, and its value was all of five dollars a pound. - -The last of the slabs was taken below to be stored in the forehold, and -the great jaw, after the cook had removed a barrel of muck tuck, was -hoisted overboard. This sank to the bottom of the Bering. The decks were -then swabbed and squeegeed, and the watch on duty finished cleaning up. -It was midnight before Stirling turned toward Whitehouse and reported -that all was clear. - -The cockney mate climbed from the dark poop, took a turn about the ship, -ran his fingers over the planks and pinrails, and peered down the -forehold. - -Then he came to Stirling and asked: "'Ow much do you think that 'ead of -bone will weigh?" - -"All of twenty-two hundred pounds. It's as big as I ever cut in." - -Whitehouse glanced aft. "The old man wasn't figurin' on that," he said, -reflectively. "I think it was out of 'is calculations. 'E's just -confided in me--not a watch below--that 'e is up North for trade stuff. -Also, 'e said there's a firm of Dundee & Grimsby owners interested in -the voyage. I thought all along 'e owned the ship." - -Stirling studied the face of the mate in an endeavour to ascertain if he -were speaking the truth. Whitehouse was far from stable in his -statements. - -"That's news," said Stirling. "I thought you, or somebody else, told me -he was the sole owner." - -"Maybe Cushner told you that." - -"Maybe! It settles a point or two I was trying to fathom." - -Stirling glanced at the poop, and in fancy he thought a figure appeared -there. He stepped to one side of the galley house and stared aft. A -shadow moved against the canvas screen, a light shot skyward, then was -blotted out as the companion closed. - -"Marr?" he asked, striding over to Whitehouse. - -The mate grinned and reached in his pocket for a plug of tobacco. -"Sure," he said. "W'o else could hit be? The old man is very irregular -in 'is 'abits. Never saw any one like 'im. You never know where 'e is. -All the time walking around." - -Stirling crammed his hands into his pockets and turned away from the -mate, but he paused at the door leading into the alleyway and his cabin. - -Whitehouse, believing Stirling had passed inside, jerked his elbows, -buttoned up his coat with care, smoothed down his hair, and otherwise -spruced himself up. Then he started aft and mounted the poop steps, his -whistle merging into a low song. Stirling heard it and wondered: - - "England, oh, my England! - Gone for many a day; - I never knew I loved you - Until I sailed away." - -The Ice Pilot raised his brows and closed his mouth in a firm line. The -mate had revealed another side of his character. He had come down into -the waist of the ship in order to make an inspection, and was returning -like a man who expected to meet with a cheerful welcome. Perhaps, -decided Stirling, he had gone aft and below in order to create an -impression. The impression could hardly be made upon Marr. That little -skipper was no more interested in whaling than in cob fishing. He had -treated the entire chase of the day as a diversion which would answer -until the ice opened and allowed the _Pole Star_ to drive northward -toward some coast where bigger game was waiting. - -The morning dawned, warm, gray, and cloud-shrouded. An east wind swung -over the North pack and loosened the lighter floes. They drifted toward -the south, as the seals gave the warning of the first breaking up of the -ice, and loud reports were heard to windward. - -Stirling rolled from his bunk and sniffed the air, pressed his face to a -porthole, then rapidly dressed. Taking coffee from the galley boy, he -hurried to the deck and stared about him. The ship was hove to in a -position that commanded a view of the pack ice and the sea to the south -and west. - -Climbing hand over hand, Stirling reached the Jacob's ladder, and then -the crow's-nest. He settled down and clapped the glasses to his eyes. - -A voice rose from the quarter-deck, and increased in volume as Stirling -still stared to leeward. - -"Aloft, there!" Marr shouted, angrily. "Hey, you aloft!" - -Stirling leisurely removed the glasses from his eyes and glanced -downward. He said nothing. - -"How's the ice?" asked the skipper, jerking his thumb toward the north -and east. "What do you make of it?" - -Stirling turned and lifted the glasses. "She's breaking," he called. "I -see a few lanes to the east. This wind will clear things in a day or -two. We can go then!" - -Marr paced the deck, bringing up against the rail on the ice side of the -ship. "We'll go now!" he shouted. "Right now, if there's any possible -route open. I want to be at Indian Point within the week. Can you do -it?" - -"I can!" said Stirling. "I'm----" - -"A blow!" called a foremast hand from the forepeak. "A blow! There she -blows!" - -Stirling turned and darted his eyes out over the sea to leeward. He -squinted slightly and saw the white vapour of a huge whale's spout. He -closed his lips and shaded his brow. Another blow showed to windward of -the first. A school of bowheads was approaching an open lane to the -north and the Arctic. - -"Stand by the boats!" shouted Stirling, eagerly. "Call both watches and -stand by!" - -Marr stiffened in his position close by the rail, turned, and glided -forward until he stood at the weather steps which led to the waist of -the ship. He darted a savage glance out over the sea then fastened his -eyes upon Stirling. "Countermand that order!" he shouted. - -Stirling stared over the edge of the crow's-nest. "What's that?" he -asked. "Don't you know there's whales to leeward? They're making for the -ice. There's a----" - -"I don't give a darn if there's a million whales. I told you what to do. -Do it! I'm captain of this ship!" - -"A blow!" repeated the foremast hand. - -Marr reached and snatched up a brass belaying pin from the pinrail. He -leaned forward after grasping the step rail with his left hand, and -brandished the weapon out over the waist of the ship in the direction of -the cry. "'Vast that!" he snarled. "'Vast with you! There's no need of -yelling your lungs out! This ship is going into the ice. D'ye get me?" - - - - -CHAPTER XIV--A WHISPERED WARNING - - -Stirling climbed over the edge of the crow's-nest and reached for a -line. He dropped to the deck like a plummet, strode aft and mounted the -poop, where Marr stood with the pin in his hand. - -The hastily dressed crew had rushed aft and were gathered in the waist -as Stirling thrust his jaw forward and locked glances with the little -skipper. An explosion was brooding; the foremast hand, who had whaled -for ten years, kept repeating, "A blow! A blow!" - -"What d'ye mean?" snapped Marr. "What d'ye mean by coming up here -without orders?" - -Stirling's eyes flashed dangerously, the brown in them changing to hazel -and red. His fists clenched into great balls of hate; he was seeing -fire. - -"What do I mean?" he asked. "Why, what do _you_ mean? What's the answer -to letting that school of whales escape? I never saw more in these -waters." - -Marr toyed with the belaying pin, lifted it, and swung his arm. "I don't -intend to argue the case with you!" he declared. "I want my orders -obeyed! I am in command of this ship. I order you to make for the ice. I -command you to take me to Indian Point on the Siberian coast." - -Stirling reached and clutched the belaying pin, wrenching it from Marr's -hand with a half effort. Replacing it in the pinrail, he turned and -stared at the crew. The little skipper had reached backward and clapped -his hand on a hip pocket. Thinking better of this action, he hesitated. - -"Men," said Stirling, "you're under the skipper's orders, as you know. I -want you to take notice that he has forbidden you to lower for whales. -You, Eagan, step up here!" - -The seaman mounted the poop steps. "Eagan," said Stirling, laying his -hand on the sailor's shoulder, "you are my witness that I've done all I -could to earn a fair lay for the foremast hands and mates. From now on, -we are embarked upon an unknown enterprise of doubtful character. I wash -my hands of the voyage. I'll take orders until they conflict with the -laws of these waters. After that I'll request Mr. Marr to place me -ashore." - -Eagan rubbed his unshaven chin, blinked, and swung toward Marr. "I'm -with the skipper," Eagan said. "I think he's right. I would rather load -up with trade stuff--and other things--than mess with those whales. I -think the crew are with me in this." - -Stirling stared about him blankly. He felt as if the planks of the ship -were slipping from under his feet. Eagan, from all reports, was a -government spy. Now he was siding with the captain and the wilder -members of the crew who had most certainly laid him low at the beginning -of the voyage. - -"Repeat that!" sneered Marr, rubbing his hands. "Just turn and tell that -to this crew. Tell them what you said. Tell them you're with me as well -as they are. This man Stirling is trying to cheat us out of fair game. -He'll be running a Sunday school, next. I know his breed--afraid of the -law! What law is north of 53?" - -"Heaven's law!" Stirling said, sincerely. "You won't raid the rookeries -if I can prevent it. Don't you know that there's only one revenue cutter -in these waters? Are you going to take advantage of that fact?" - -Whitehouse came across the quarter-deck, clutched Marr by the arm, and -drew the captain halfway toward the wheel and the companion skylight. -They whispered there as Stirling shouldered Eagan to one side, saying -cuttingly: "You're with them, too? I thought you were a man!" - -The sailor flushed and glanced down at the deck, then turned toward the -crew. "Fight it out yourself," he said as he climbed to the lower deck. - -Stirling waited for Marr to come forward, glancing longingly over the -slick-covered seas. In mockery, it seemed, the whales were sporting -about the silent ship. One came so close to the bow that a dropped block -on the forecastle deck startled it. It was gone with a defiant toss of -black flukes, and the school started toward the ice. - -Whitehouse finished whispering to the captain, glided to Stirling, and -grasped his arm. "The old man says to get aloft and work into the ice. -Says we'll whale later. The school's gone, anyway." - -The peaceful ending to what Stirling had expected would lead to a -general drawing of lines aboard the ship was more than he could stand. -He turned and fastened upon Marr a glance of deep determination, his -fingers coiling into knots. - -"Remember," the Ice Pilot said, distinctly, "I'll always be on deck. I -want no double crossing." - -With this shot delivered through his white teeth, Stirling moved -leisurely over the deck and as he descended to the waist, one of the -crew hissed. He wheeled, reached out, grasped the man by the waist and -neck, and threw him over his shoulder like a sack of meal. - -"Any more?" he asked, grimly. - -No man of them offered himself though Stirling waited with his glance -taking in the rough circle. He dropped his fingers, moved slowly to the -rail and up the shrouds he climbed till he reached the crow's-nest. -Standing on the edge of this, he rimmed the ice pack from horizon to -horizon. - -"One bell!" he called down. "All hands stand by braces. Three of you -come aloft and loosen sail." - -The ship sprang with life. Whitehouse jerked the engine-room telegraph; -the propeller thrashed astern; the sails dropped from the yards and were -sheeted home. The taper jib boom swung toward the open lane to the north -and east and ice floes ground under the stem. - -For two watches Stirling remained aloft, calling down his orders in a -strong voice. He knew the ice as few men were ever gifted to know it, -and took advantage of all his experience. He held the course through the -lane until, balked, he drove across a sea of slush and thin ice and -crashed the way open to still another pathway to the north. - -The Pribilofs, already green with moss and spring verdure, were sighted -at sundown. A low shed marked the sealing station where the bachelor -seals had been skinned in days gone by, and a flag flew from a pole at -the side of the Commissioner's house. Its bars of white and red cheered -Stirling. It was the emblem of his country in the Northern seas. - -No other ships showed within the ice field; Stirling had taken chances -lesser pilots feared. He drove north and east under steam and canvas, -saving the ship from being crushed a score of times. He announced -quietly upon the fourth day that East Cape lay ahead, and pointed over -the bow. Marr, on the quarter-deck, clapped Whitehouse across the -shoulders, and the mate grinned and danced over the planks. - -The massive solemnity of the great headland, as it rose above the ice -field, held every eye aboard the whaler. It was the farthermost point -east and north of the Siberian continent. Near the foot of the Cape -nestled a native village. - -"Indian Point?" asked Marr, glaring upward at Stirling. - -The Ice Pilot nodded as he guided the ship through the last of the shore -ice and ordered the anchor dropped in a sheltered nook. The rattle of -the chain in the hawser hole awoke echoes within the cliff; Indian -canoes in the shape of hair-sealskin umiaks and kayaks darted out to -meet them, and other boats flecked the Straits of Bering, coming down -with the wind and current from East Cape. - -The _Pole Star_ was the first ship of the season, and the natives -welcomed it with a great noise. Chiefs were hastily paddled out, and -mounted the quarter-deck to gather about Marr and Whitehouse. Stirling -attended to the throng which swarmed up the anchor chain and forepeak. -Native girls, old women, men and children brought trade stuff of varied -character--salmon, walrus tusks, small whalebone, carved idols, feather -coats, skin caps, and hoods. - -A large umiak appeared from the ice of the strait, and in its bow stood -a chief, who called Stirling's name. The Ice Pilot reach over the rail -and grasped the hand of the leader of the Diomede Islanders. They had -brought the best of Mazeka boots, which are prized by whalers and the -hunters of the North. These boots were sealskin moccasins, capped to -full length with deerskin, watertight and warm. - -"Plenty bone ashore," said the native chief, pointing at the igloos of -Indian Point. "Plenty whales this season. Me catchum two." - -Stirling smiled at the broad face of the Eskimo, then shook his head. -"Plenty ships come soon," he said. "You sell to old Peterson. You -remember, he pay big trade stuff. Don't take whisky." - -The chief blinked shrewdly, dug deep within his fur parka, and brought -forth a pipe, which he filled with a pinch of cut plug. Stirling offered -a match, and the chief puffed and stared about the ship. - -"New!" he said with brevity. "Fine ship. You own?" - -Stirling shook his head and pointed toward the quarter-deck, where Marr -was in conference with the Indian Point chiefs. - -"He buy whalebone?" asked the Diomede Islander. - -"I don't think so. You try old Peterson. Maybe he give you plenty." - -"I want two whaleboats this year," said the shrewd native. "I want ten -guns and whale lines. Next year I catch plenty whales." - -Stirling recalled the method employed by the natives in capturing -bowheads. They usually fastened from kayaks or umiaks and drove in as -many irons as they could. To each iron was fastened a skin line which -terminated in a seal poke inflated with air. These, if in sufficient -numbers, prevented the whale from sounding and allowed it to be finished -with long, ivory-pointed lances. - -Drunken natives staggered from the poop and swarmed about the waist and -forepeak of the ship. Marr had distributed whisky for what trade stuff -he needed. He bought three heads of bone for twelve kegs of alcohol and -water mixed. This bone came out in umiaks and was stored with the other -baleen in the forehold. - -Time passed at the Point. Marr seemed in no great hurry to enter the -Arctic, even going ashore and remaining overnight with the native -chiefs. Sounds of their mirth and drunken carousing floated out. - -Stirling chafed at the delay. The skipper was evidently waiting for some -message from across the sea. Each ship which passed or dropped anchor at -East Cape was gammed; each time the captain returned without word of his -purpose. Five whalers went through to the summer whaling ground which -extended all of the way to the mouth of the Mackenzie River and beyond. - -A night came when the sun barely dipped below the western waters. -Stirling had tried to sleep, but finally emerged to the deck with hot, -fevered eyes. The air was heavy and sultry, and mosquitoes buzzed. They -had been blown from off the Siberian tundra. - -The pack long since had gone through the Straits and down the long reach -of the Bering Sea. A group of natives slept on the forepeak of the _Pole -Star_, while a single member of the crew walked slowly from port to -starboard and back again, holding the anchor watch. - -Some slight noise upon the quarter-deck caused Stirling to turn aft till -he stood in the gloom of the galley cabin. He glanced keenly upward, to -where the drab canvas of the rail showed, with a shadow behind it. A -faint light shone from the open companion. - -Then, and suddenly, he heard his name called. He started for the lee -poop steps, then paused as a warning was whispered to him. He stared -upward in rising perplexity. A white hand reached over the rail, its -fingers uncoiled, and a dark object fell to the deck. There followed the -sound of soft feet over the quarter-deck's planks and of the shutting of -the cabin companion. - -Stirling stooped and picked up the object. Unrolling it slowly, he -blushed through his sea tan as he held out a tiny glove. It was such a -glove as only a dainty woman could wear. - -"By the jumping bowheads!" he exclaimed. "A pretty girl's aboard and -she's noticed me. I wonder who she is?" - - - - -CHAPTER XV--OUT OF THE PORTHOLE - - -Pressing the glove within the pocket of his pea-jacket, Stirling strode -to the waist of the _Pole Star_. From this position he glanced upward at -the quarter-deck, which was deserted. - -The soft aroma of the perfume struck to his nostrils and he searched his -brain for the events which led up to the dainty offering tossed down to -him. - -Marr and Whitehouse knew the secret of the after cabin of the whaler. -They never had given any sign that another shared the meals and splendid -staterooms with them. This other had been brought upon the voyage -against her will--Stirling remembered the sob, and the lone figure upon -the poop when they had tied to the North pack. He pieced together the -few observations he had made, and they all led to one conclusion: a -dainty woman, who closely resembled the skipper in height and weight, -was aboard the _Pole Star_. She had made the first advance to him. -Others might follow. - -He rounded the shadow of the galley house and stared at the frowning -headland of Indian Point, then turned and glanced out over the waters of -the Bering Strait. The ice had gone south from around the base of the -headlands. The road to the Arctic was open. - -He heard then, above the snoring of the natives who were sleeping upon -the foreward deck, the low boom of a distant cannon. It was repeated. A -ship of some kind was signalling to leeward. - -Searching the sea, Stirling strained his eyes without discovering sign -of smoke or sail. The night was starlit and strangely warm. The -glimmering waters of the Bering to the southward hung like a burnished -mirror. An early sun was starting to swing its upward arc, and a pink -flush made visible the far-off land of Alaska. - -Again the sound of cannon came to Stirling. It stirred the natives and -brought the lone anchor watch around in his position. He stared at -Stirling. - -"A ship to leeward," said the Ice Pilot. "Keep your eyes peeled. She's a -long ways off." - -The seaman went to the rail and leaned over it. He was in that position -when Stirling opened the door of his cabin and stepped inside. He -switched on the light, removed the glove from his pocket, and touched it -to his wide nostrils. He sensed the perfume with throbbing heart. -Feeling the rush of blood to his face, he turned with a guilty start and -placed the glove within an inlaid sextant box. The closing of the lid -sealed his purpose to stand by the woman who was aft. - -Morning dawned at an Arctic hour, and the white light crept through the -open porthole of Stirling's cabin. He rose and dressed, emerging to the -deck with a wide yawn. The striking bell told him that he had not slept -more than two hours. - -A seaman brushed by him and hurried forward to where the natives were -standing on the higher coign of vantage which marked the forepeak. All -eyes were turned out over the swiftly running Strait, where a two-funnel -light cruiser cutter plowed with a bone at her stem. She carried no -flag, and the signals set to her bridge halyards were in an unknown -code. - -Whitehouse glided to Stirling's side. The mate was tensely agitated; he -sputtered and stuttered. "Bly me," he said, "what's she doing 'ere?" - -"Light cruiser," said Stirling, thoughtfully. "An American--or British. -She's just this side the Diomedes. She did not see us." - -Whitehouse twisted his loose lips into a purse, and stroked his long, -red nose. - -Stirling widened his eyes. A dark plume of smoke was all that remained -to mark the ship. This plume stretched along the eastern horizon, then -faded and paled in the sun's first rays. - -Marr called from aft. Whitehouse turned with a guilty start, hurried -along the weather side of the ship, and mounted to the poop. - -He returned within a few minutes and touched Stirling on the arm. -"Skipper wants to see you," he said. "It's blym important." - -Stirling glanced about as he went aft. The ship lay deep within the -shadow of the Point. Her deck forward was covered with natives and trade -stuff. The crew had brought out all of their red underwear and -slop-chest stuff in a search for bargains, and their voices were mingled -with the clatter of native maids and hunters. - -"What did you make of that cutter?" asked Marr as Stirling reached the -poop. - -"American or British. Going into the Arctic on some mission. I don't -believe she saw us." - -"How was that?" Marr was plainly nervous. - -"We were well under the headland with no lights or canvas showing. We -were in such a position that she could be seen without her seeing us. At -least, that is my opinion, Mr. Marr." - -The little captain toyed with the buttons of his pea-jacket. "That -sounds reasonable," he said. "Why is she up here?" - -"I don't know." - -"Did you ever see cruisers up here before?" - -"Only once. That was the old _Bainbridge_." - -"What brought her to these waters?" - -"Seal poachers!" - -Stirling weighed his words and shot them directly at Marr, then watched -their effect like a gunner watches a shot go home. Marr dropped his hand -from his buttons and paled slightly. - -"Did she get them?" he asked. - -"She certainly did! She also removed Captains Jones and Priestly from -the _Spouter_ and the brig _Belvidere_. Both captains were trading -whisky for bone; there is a law up here that men should not do that!" - -Again Stirling watched the effect of his words. Marr had many barrels of -cheap trade whisky aboard the _Pole Star_, and already had sent some -ashore. - -"That will be all," said the skipper with a quick frown. "You are too -confounded personal! Haven't I a right to ask you a few questions? Who's -captain of this ship?" - -"Captains are not immune from certain laws. One law applies to all men. -You cannot trade rotten whisky with natives. You cannot rob them of -their bone for a barrel of water and alcohol. You cannot raid rookeries -and get away with it. That cruiser is the answer. You have escaped so -far. You may not be so lucky next time." - -Marr wheeled with a vicious oath. "Get forward!" he said. "Get where you -belong. You ought to join some of these canting missionary schools. -There's one or two I'd like to drop you at." - -Stirling paused on the first poop step and closed his fists, but opened -them again and went on down to the deck, moving slowly forward to where -the crew and natives were trading. He singled out the Diomede Islander -who had disposed of most of his sealskin boots. - -"When do you go back?" he asked, guardedly. - -The native tapped the rail with his pipe and filled its bowl with a -pinch of cut plug. He then broke off a match from a block and scraped it -carefully upon the deck, straightened, and drew in five deep breaths -before the tobacco was consumed, and he answered. - -"Pretty soon, now," he said, replacing the pipe in his deerskin coat, -and glancing through puffed eyes at the sea in the direction of the -Lesser Diomede. "Me take umiak and trade stuff and wife and little ones -and me go." - -"Do you remember old Hank Peterson?" - -"Me savvy him. All the same whaling captain." - -"Big captain!" said Stirling, with a smile. "You see him this season?" - -"Yes! Me see him. He always stops for boots." - -"You give him something for me?" - -"Yes; I give." - -Stirling hurried into his cabin and tore a leaf from an ancient log -book. Upon this he wrote a message to Peterson which he felt was certain -to be delivered by the faithful Diomede chief. - -The message concerned the Seal Islands and the danger of a raid being -made against them. - - Notify any revenue cutters or cruisers, - -Stirling commanded. - -The native chief took the scrap of paper, glanced about in caution, and -crammed it into a bead-woven poke wherein were his most valuable -possessions. "Me give 'em!" he declared, positively. "White captain, he -get maybe day or two. Plenty whale ships come now." - -Stirling was satisfied with his messenger. The chief departed from the -_Pole Star's_ side after bundling aboard his umiak all of his trade -stuff and relatives. These last were seventeen in number, and the skin -boat was deep enough in the sea to suggest that a catastrophe would -happen before the Lesser Diomede was reached. - -The last sight of the chief, however, was a reassuring one to Stirling. -The faithful native had skilfully risen in the bow of the umiak, -steadied his short legs, and taken out his beaded poke. This he waved -overhead, being careful not to capsize the laden boat. - -Stirling had answered by lifting his cap and holding it aloft, then the -boat was paddled around a rocky point. Other umiaks and kayaks followed. -Many of the natives went ashore, taking the stuff they had bought; the -few that remained were aft with Marr. One was singing a drunken song -which never before had been heard on land or sea. - -Eagan stepped to Stirling's side as the last notes of this song floated -down the deck. - -"Booze!" said the seaman, laconically. - -"Alcohol!" exclaimed Stirling. "These natives were all right until the -white men came. They hunted and fished and lived simple lives." - -Eagan smiled. "What are you going to do about this Siberian bunch?" he -asked. "The U. S. A. has no jurisdiction over here." - -"It has! Russia is not to blame. It isn't Russian whalers and traders -who do the mischief." - -"Forget the preaching," said Eagan with Frisco slang. "Keep your -opinions to yourself, Stirling. The day for booze in the United States -seems to be about over, anyway. Just now----" - -The seaman's voice trailed off into silence. He thrust out a strong jaw, -drilled Stirling with a meaning glance, then was gone with a swift turn -across the deck. - -Stirling was still thinking of the whisky; like all strong natures, he -dwelt too long on one subject. - -He moved to the rail and leaned his elbows upon the chains where they -were spliced to the shrouds and standing rigging. He swept the native -village with a painstaking glance; it was not the same as first he had -known it. The igloos back in the valley, which was still crusted with -winter snow, were few and small in dimensions. The frame shacks and rude -tents of the summer village bore the certain stamp of neglect and -carelessness. Dogs hunted about for scraps of meat. Children in trade -calico played with a listless air. The umiaks and kayaks were patched -and broken. - -Stirling frowned. Other villages along the Siberian and Alaskan shores -were similarly stamped. They had been touched and polluted by the -influence of those whalers who found it easier to allow the natives to -secure the whalebone than it was to go out to sea and get it. - -A sharp command broke through Stirling's thoughts, and he turned from -his view of the village. Marr stood at the weather poop steps. - -The little skipper pointed toward the waist of the whaleboat. "Lower -that!" he snapped. "You and Eagan and about two seamen drop up to East -Cape. See if there's any bone there." - -Stirling answered the skipper's command with a slow glance, moved not -too hastily toward the whaleboat, and climbed inside. From this -position, he called Eagan and two seamen who were idling on the -forepeak. - -The boat was cleared of lashings and lowered, with Stirling in the bow -and Eagan in the stern, then the seamen came down the dangling falls and -dropped aboard. They thrust out two long oars and shoved the whaleboat -from the ship. - -Stirling glanced at the telltale on the _Pole Star_, then motioned to up -the single sail and lower the centerboard. The light craft sailed into -the wind and canted far to leeward, gliding from the shadow of the -headland as the sun swung over the shoulder of Siberia. - -East Cape was reached soon after dark. Stirling sprang ashore and -shouted; then repeated the call. Lights shone from the windows set in -the summer shacks. - -A pack of shaggy dogs, followed by three natives, came out and stared at -the whaleboat. One dog crept down the beach and sniffed Stirling's -native boots, then raised his snout and called a wolf's long howl of -welcome. - -A rude door was opened in the larger shack, and the chief stood revealed -in the glow of the inner fire, about which native women were squatted. -Stirling advanced and held out his hand, touching the chief on the -shoulder. "You remember me," he said. "Me ice pilot of the _Beluga_. You -got any whalebone to trade?" - -The chief's face cleared, and he voiced a noisy welcome. He had no -whalebone; furs he showed and also tusks. Some of these were carved with -running men and spouting whales. - -It was after dawn when Stirling gave the order to run out the whaleboat -and make for the _Pole Star_. The chief, his family, and a score of -natives waved a silent farewell, standing on the beach until the boat -turned a ledge of rock and vanished into the smooth waters of the -Strait. - -Stirling was steering as the light boat swung under the _Pole Star's_ -stern and glided alongside. He glanced up at the overhanging poop where -lights showed through the portholes. Out of one an arm reached and -waved, and he heard a low-voiced warning. It was muffled and indistinct, -but it was a girl's tones which warned. He had but time to swing the -tiller when the boat scraped against the whaler's sheathing and Eagan -caught a dangling fall. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI--FROM HIS POCKET - - -The Ice Pilot reached the deck by way of the chains in the waist, and -saw that the entire crew had gathered between the galley house and the -break of the poop. - -Marr was with them. He wheeled, strutted over the planks, and planted -himself before Stirling. "What did you find at East Cape?" he asked. - -Stirling doubled his fists and stepped back. "Little or nothing," he -said, glancing over the skipper's slight shoulder and meeting the eyes -of the crew which seemed suddenly hostile. "Little or nothing," he -repeated, simply. "There's pelts there and ivory, but no bone. I told -them we had no whisky to trade." - -"You did?" - -Stirling flushed and backed to the rail. He heard Eagan drop to the deck -beside him, and the seaman was followed by the two sailors who had made -the trip to East Cape. - -"I did!" - -"Don't you know that this crew is trying to make an honest living? Don't -you know that every brave man aboard gets a two hundredth lay of the -bone we trade or capture? Why didn't you try the natives with a little -whisky bait? You'd have found bone hidden in every igloo." - -"Go yourself!" said Stirling. "I won't do your dirty work!" - -Marr turned to the half-moon of menacing men. "You heard that," he said. -"That's the kind of man this pilot is--all for himself. I told you we'd -have to look out for him. We can't go on any further until he is taken -care of." - -The crew had reached some sort of agreement before Stirling arrived from -East Cape; this much he saw with widening eyes, glancing from face to -face. The Kanakas had been chosen for their loyalty to the little -skipper. The boat steerers were Frisco dock rats who had the run of the -steerage--an elevated position to them. The rest of the crew had scant -hopes for anything save plunder and spoils in this life. They would have -willingly followed Marr through the entire group of rookeries, starting -at Disko Island and winding up at the Pribilofs. - -Stirling reached and rested his hand on the pinrail, where were a dozen -brass belaying pins. He lifted his hand, wound his fingers about the -nearest, and raised it an inch or more. A tenseness of desperate right -steeled his muscles; his jaw muscles hardened to balls, and his lips -closed in a grim line. - -Marr reached backward and clapped his palm over his right hip. The -motion was a signal. The crew snarled in a running line of anger, -advanced in a half-circle, and closed about Stirling. One held a sheath -knife openly displayed in his hand. - -"Kill the squealer!" he exclaimed. "Kill him! He's preventing us from -getting what's coming on this voyage. Darn, says I, if I'll go to Frisco -broke. What d'ye say, mates?" - -"Hold on!" cried Stirling, raising his ponderous right fist. "The first -man who tries anything gets this!" - -Eagan stepped out from the rail a half step, and stood partly between -Stirling and the little skipper. There was that written in the seaman's -face which held every man upon the ship. His eyes glittered with high -light, and his body rested on the balls of his feet as if to spring. - -"A moment!" Eagan snapped in steeled tones. "This layout will lead to -murder. Murder leads to swingin'. I don't want to swing. I'm with the -skipper in every way. Get that?" - -The crew glanced at each face before them--Stirling's strong, but -uncertain; Eagan's masterful; Marr's openly sneering. - -"We get it," a sailor answered back. - -"Then, I suggest we all go slow. This Stirling has been cracking too -much about whisky and seals. He's liable to see too much and say too -many things afterward. You get me, don't you?" - -"We get you." - -"On the other hand," continued Eagan, "there's the danger of messing the -whole voyage up. If we croak this fellow, it'll get out and we'll have -to pay. If we maroon him anywhere along this coast, he'll find a way to -signal that cruiser that went north, or the _Bear_." - -"How about an island?" a boat steerer asked. - -"That's it!" declared Eagan, dropping his hand. "We'll put him on an -island after we get done with the little trip the captain has planned -for us. That island will be in the North Pacific. We can pick out a -nice, quiet one." - -Stirling, with fist still ready for action, turned toward Eagan and -exclaimed: "You're with them, eh?" - -"Certainly; all the way! You're one against thirty--more than that, -counting the engine-room force and the stokehold bunch. Put down that -fist and get into your cabin; stay there and don't come on deck. -Otherwise they're going to mop up the ship with you." - -"I'll chance that----" started Stirling, advancing upon the crew, both -fists now clenched. - -He never hesitated in the charge. It was bull strong and intended to -clear the way to the poop; men went over as ninepins; blows glanced from -his shoulders. He reached the poop steps with arms twined about him, -threw these off with a savage twist and squirm, and went up as a Kanaka -harpooner seized his legs. Dragging slowly, he grasped the rail and bent -his body. - -It was then that a belaying pin flew across the waist of the ship, -glanced from the quarter-deck rail, and struck Stirling in the temple. -He rolled down the steps--the centre of a snarling pack of men--then lay -quiet, with blood flowing from the wound in his head. - -Eagan pulled off the pack and lifted him like a heavy sack of meal. -"I'll put him in his cabin," he said with a grunt. "I'll watch him. -Leave that part to me." - -Marr turned and faced the crew. "Get the anchor up!" he ordered. "We'll -drop down the wind and make for our landfall. Remember, we're looking -for bowheads until I give other instructions." - -Eagan laid Stirling on his bunk and went to work. He found water and a -clean towel, bathed the swollen wound, leaned over, and shook Stirling -into consciousness. - -"Lay low!" he whispered. "Don't you know who I am?" - -Stirling rolled, and pressed his hand to his eyes. "I don't know," he -said, weakly. "Who are you?" - -Eagan reached into his pocket and drew forth a gold badge. He held it -before Stirling's swimming eyes. - -"I am a Deputy Seal Commissioner," said the seaman. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII--INTO FORBIDDEN WATERS - - -The long Northern day died at last as the _Pole Star_ drove south and -west through the ice-flecked waters of the Bering Sea. - -Night shaded overhead and the wind sank to a following breeze which -flapped the sails on the polished spars. Steam was got up in the -boilers, the screw thrashed, and the ship plunged on--her sharp stem -cutting through the drift ice like a knife going through thin paper. - -Into the upward swing of the Arctic sun the whaler steered. Fog drifted -upon them, and when it lifted there was exposed a wide waste of sullen -waters upon the surface of which seal and walrus sported. Once a killer -whale attracted attention. Some of the green crew called "A blow!" - -Marr knew better than this. He urged the ship on as if it were carrying -the mail for Southern waters. He stood the watch with Whitehouse, and -both seamen had received Eagan's report that Stirling was resting easily -and was making no trouble. - -They consulted as to the best course to pursue in regard to Stirling. -Marr was for locking him securely in the chain-locker--this was a tiny -space forward the forecastle. Whitehouse, who had taken a liking to -Stirling, admiring his prowess with the ice and the conditions met in -the Bering, suggested that Eagan should be left in charge of the captive -and held responsible. Marr agreed, neither man suspecting that the -sailor had any motive in staying near Stirling. Their first suspicion -had been forgotten. Eagan had played a difficult part and won his point. - -It was on the third day that the _Pole Star_ entered, as dusk crept -across the sky, the zone of danger where no ships were allowed at that -season of the year, the strictest patrolled patch of water in the world. -Seals of the fur-skin variety, which are so valuable and scarce, sported -about. - -Marr drove on with all lights shaded and a canvas cone capping the _Pole -Star's_ funnel and steam pipe. Orders had been given for each man to -stand at position. Guns had been laid in the whaleboats, and great oak -capstan bars took the place of the whaling gear. - -An air of expectancy filled each sailor's breast; the die was cast, and -they were close to the great game. Whaling was for old men and -weaklings. Stories had been told in the forecastle and steerage -concerning the sudden profits of a seal raid. MacLane was cited as an -instance of desperate daring and tremendous enterprise, MacLane who had -raided both the Copper Group and the Pribilofs in one season. He had -brought his schooner into Seattle with her deck planks bulging from the -salted skins beneath. - -Eagan moved from Stirling's cabin to the forecastle and back again. He -had secured a pair of rusty handcuffs with which he made great show of -securing the Ice Pilot, where he lay on his back. Now and then one of -the galley crowd peered in through the open porthole and reported to the -sailors on deck. - -A double lookout was maintained from forepeak and quarter-deck, and the -horizon was closely scanned by Marr and Whitehouse. The rookeries lay -close to the south and west and the ship had been driven toward the -northeast point of St. Paul's Island. - -Stirling sensed his position by the slowing of the screw and the -direction of the slight wind and he reviewed the entire series of events -since coming aboard the ship. His head had now cleared, and the slight -swelling at the temple was going down under Eagan's skillful treatment. - -The situation was desperate enough. Marr had taken the long chance and -reached the waters about the rookeries. But two armed ships were known -to be in the Bering Sea or the Arctic. One was the revenue cutter -_Bear_; the other, the unknown cruiser which had driven through Bering -Strait. - -Stirling's anger boiled and simmered as he lay in a handcuffed position -and waited for reports from Eagan, who had to be careful. There was -scant chance of their ever capturing the ship. Two against forty offered -little hope to dwell upon; another method than violence would have to be -found. - -Eagan came in at one bell before midnight, closed the door, pocketed the -keys, then moved over to the porthole and glanced keenly out. - -"How're we heading?" whispered Stirling. - -"Southwest." - -"Dead on St. Paul?" - -"She's just been raised from aft. Marr and Whitehouse sent the word -forward. The whole tribe of Kanakas, Gay Islanders, dock rats, and -cinder-muckers--to say nothing of the two first-class engineers, who -ought to know better--are itching to get at the seals. It will be as -much as our lives are worth to interfere. Marr has them all worked up." - -"Where's the _Bear_?" - -"Heaven only knows! Seagraves, her captain, told me in Frisco that he -had an entire ocean to guard. There's the Russian coast and the Kotzebue -and Norton Sound." - -"That other cruiser?" - -"She's helping him out. Likely there's an expedition cast away in the -Arctic. The _Kadik_ was reported crushed. The cruiser may have gone -through to pick up the survivors." - -"Then Marr will succeed?" Stirling hinged himself upward and stared at -Eagan. - -"Looks that way." Eagan closed his fists and turned from the porthole. -"Looks bad," he continued with hard eyes. "At that, Stirling, we've -three or four hours yet. Much can happen in that time. The _Bear_ may -swing around St. Paul." - -"Have you made no plans? The Commission must know that you are on this -ship. They will be waiting for word from you." - -Eagan smiled despite his doubts. "We're two," he said. "They don't -suspect me, and I have a plan. I shall land at the rookeries and try to -reach the guard. If I fail, then you can spike the ship in some manner -till the _Bear_ is reached by wireless." - -Stirling raised his wrists and eyed the handcuffs. - -"They're tight," he suggested. "Suppose you let them out a notch. Then, -whatever happens to you during the raid, I'll be on deck and active. Who -was it threw that belaying pin?" - -"Whitehouse." - -Stirling made a mental note for future guidance. "Now, Eagan," he -continued, "you had better loosen the cuffs and leave me an automatic -revolver. I hear the screw slowing. We're right off the rookery. Listen. -That's the surf on the beach." - -"Worse than that," said the government agent. "There's also the sound of -seals barking. Hear them? I wouldn't wonder if they sense what is -coming." - -The seaman reached downward in the half-light and inserted a key in the -handcuff lock. Stirling guided him with cool fingers, and soon the cuffs -fitted loosely. - -"Now the gun," said Stirling. - -Eagan glided to the porthole, glanced shrewdly out, then returned to -Stirling's side. "Take mine," the deputy said. "I won't need it. Hide it -under your mattress." - -The icy coolness in the man's tones steeled Stirling. He lay back as -Eagan went across the cabin, opened the door, and stepped swiftly out -upon the deck. A lock clicked. - -An impending silence lay over the _Pole Star_. The shuffling of men on -deck, the creak of blocks, the straining of falls, told of boats being -lowered. Voices were muffled as a light anchor was dropped at the end of -a whale line, serving to swing the ship and hold it toward the shelving -shore. - -Stirling caught the deep roar of the bachelor seals. In fancy he saw the -boats glide across the water and grate upon the beach. He saw, in fancy -again, the raised capstan bars and the shattered skulls of the prey. - -A boat ground against the ship's side, a block creaked, a laugh rang and -was stilled. Then footfalls sounded, and the porthole was darkened. - -Whitehouse thrust his long nose through the opening and squinted toward -Stirling. "You're there," the mate muttered. "Be blym quiet, let me tell -you that. It'll all be over in 'alf a hour. Too bad you weren't with us, -Stirling." - -The Ice Pilot did not answer and the mate's face disappeared from the -porthole. Another boat touched the ship's side. Bundles of pelts were -dragged to the forehold and dropped downward. Hushed instructions were -given to return to the rookery. - -Stirling rolled over and felt for the gun under his mattress. Its cold -barrel nerved him to rise and sit upon the edge of the bunk. He cocked -the trigger and waited, his eyes toward the porthole, then turned and -stared at the locked door. - -"Time to be doing something," he said, simply. "They're ripping the -rookeries wide open, without being discovered. Like as not they've -overpowered the native guard. That'll go hard with them later." - -He stood erect and worked one hand free from the cuff. Winding the chain -about his wrist, he moved toward the porthole and peered out. A black -velvet band stretched over the sea, and through it came stars as his -eyes accustomed themselves to the view. He stared out over the ship's -rail, to where he saw faint white spots which marked the drift ice. -Beyond these was a silver running ripple. - -The position of the ship with its whale-line anchorage was close to the -hidden beach. Stirling sensed the slow rise of the waves, which marked -shallow bottom. The idea came to him that if the line were cut which led -to the anchor, the _Pole Star_ most certainly would go ashore. Once -ashore, the crew would be unable to work her out in time to escape. -Eagan could be expected to give some sort of alarm, and the guard on the -other islands of the seal group would descend upon them. - -"I'll chance it," said Stirling. "Here goes for the door and a rush to -the anchor rope. I didn't hear them drop a chain." - -He took one step away from the porthole. A gliding foot sounded outside -upon the ship's planks, and he stood rigid, then leaned toward the bunk. - -The footfall was repeated. It came closer to the corner of the galley -house, and a voice sounded from somewhere forward. A rattle of oars -swung up the slight breeze, and seals barked from the red shores of the -rookery. - -"Quiet!" - -Stirling touched the side of his bunk with both hands, bent, and -prepared to roll over. The handcuff chain clicked metallically. - -"Quiet!" The sound was faint and came to him as a warning. He waited, -his shoulders lifted with his deep breathing, his eyes fastened upon the -velvet circle of the open porthole. - -A face came slowly into view like the shadow of the moon crossing the -disk of the sun, and Stirling dropped his jaw in wonderment. It was far -too soft a face for any of the crew. The eyes that stared in at his were -deep blue and trustful. - -"Quiet!" - -"Yes; yes," he answered, feeling a rush of blood to his cheeks. - -"Take this quickly." - -Stirling rose by straightening his legs and back and stepped over the -floor of his cabin, his unshackled hand reaching out. He touched the -edge of the porthole, and his fingers groped outside. They came in -contact with a tiny pearl-handled revolver. He drew it in and wondered -at its diminutive size. - -"Quiet, Mr. Stirling!" - -He tossed the revolver to his bunk and turned toward the porthole. A -cupid's bow of red lips, through which shone white teeth that met in an -even row, greeted him. - -"What is it?" he asked, huskily. "What--who are you?" - -A pink finger touched the lips so invitingly offered; golden-bronze -hair, capped with a tam-o'-shanter, bobbed and moved away, then came -again as the blue eyes searched about the gloom of the cabin. - -A sound of more oars in locks struck up the wind; a voice warned from -the quarter-deck; and a shuffle echoed along the deck in the lee of the -galley house. - -"Who--why did you come to me?" - -The lips closed doubtfully and then opened. "You will know soon enough," -said the girl. "I'm going now. Be careful, Mr. Stirling. Be very -careful, for my sake. Don't do anything that would endanger your -life--or the captain's." - -"Are you the captain's----?" - -Stirling never finished the question. A white pallor drove the colour -from the girl's cheeks, and she was gone even as he stared out through -the open porthole. Her footfalls sounded along the deck, died away aft, -and there came then the heavier feet of a sailor. He rounded the corner -of the galley house, peered over the rail to the north and east, and -then strode by Stirling. - -A heavy capstan bar was over his shoulder, an open knife gleamed from -his belt, his jaw was set and thrust slightly outward. Stirling -recognized in him one of the Frisco dock rats who had been most -aggressive in the attack when Whitehouse had hurled the belaying pin. - -Stirling turned and glanced at the panels of the door; they were not -strong. He lifted his shoulder and faced about. He could break to -freedom in one bull-like lunge; afterward would come the severing of the -anchor line and the casting away of the ship. - -He dwelt upon the exact situation and eyed the velvet beyond the -porthole. The stars were paling. They had changed from white light -points to yellow specks; they swam and danced in the morning's haze. An -Arctic sun would soon be leaping the eastern horizon. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII--WITH THE SPEED OF WIND - - -The girl had given him courage, since her tiny offering still lay upon -the bunk. Unconsciously he reached for it and twirled the silver-plated -barrel. It was fully loaded with six cartridges. - -"Two guns," he said. "I'll go!" - -He moved not too quickly to the door and bent down. The lock was on the -inside, held by four small screws. He tested the bolt by pressing -against a panel with his shoulder. A click sounded in the chamfer. - -Searching his pocket with his freed hand, he touched a ten-cent piece, -drew this out and eyed it. It would do as a screw driver, and he found -the slot of the first screw. It turned easily enough then; rapidly he -worked with every nerve alert. Boats arrived and pushed off from the -side of the ship; the crew were busy in the forehold; a watch-tackle -creaked; and coarse remarks rolled along the deck. The poachers were -intent on getting the seal pelts stored below before morning. - -Stirling removed the third screw from the lock, pocketed it and drew -back for a last glance through the porthole. A streak of yellow and a -flaming whorl had shot athwart the sky; dawn was breaking swiftly in the -Arctic east. It presaged a cloudless day. - -He returned to the door, after listening intently, and tore the loosened -lock from the woodwork. Tossing this to the bunk, he strained with his -fingertips, digging deeply into the nearest panel. The door slid open on -noiseless guides, and a breath of salty air greeted him. - -He felt to see if both revolvers were in his pockets, then, working -rapidly, arranged a rude dummy in the bunk. This he formed out of a -blanket and two southwesters, so that it resembled the sleeping form of -a man. He stepped to the door with a dry chuckle of satisfaction, and -went out on deck and close under the rail without being detected. - -Raising his bare head, he glanced toward the island, with its looming -shadows and rocky walls. Below these walls were the homes of the great -bull seals and their mates. The animals had been disturbed, and their -barking and roar blended with the sound of the waves on the sand. - -Beyond, and to leeward of the bull herd, were richer rookeries where had -gathered the bachelor seals and those denied the other homes. It was to -this portion of the beach that Marr had guided his hunters, and they had -made short work of most of the bachelor seals. They had plied capstan -bars, while the Kanakas and Gay Islanders had done the skinning. - -Stirling saw the white sheen of a whaleboat being paddled out to the -ship. He reached into his pocket, removed the automatic which Eagan had -given him, and crept on hands and knees toward the forepeak. - -Five of the crew were below in the hold from whence a light struck -upward and illuminated the standing rigging and spars of the ship. A -voice called from the quarter-deck. It was Whitehouse who stood there, -Marr having gone ashore with the raiders. - -Stirling watched his chance and stood erect. There seemed no way to -fail. The ship swung with gentle tugging in the bight of a whale line -that had been lashed to a small anchor. The double line showed -distinctly from the position where he stood. He had but to rush forward, -lean over, sever the line, and get back to the cabin before Whitehouse -discovered that the ship was adrift. - -The Ice Pilot turned and stared along the deck to where the mate's -figure moved grotesquely behind the canvas rail. Two or three seamen had -hurried aft to meet the outcoming boat, and they mounted the poop ladder -on the weather side and joined Whitehouse. - -Stirling reached the heel of the foremast after cautiously rounding the -fore hatch. His eyes hardened as he lifted his hand, poised it before -him, and took one step toward the capstan and the starboard-anchor davit -to which the whale line had been fastened. - -Then like a scarlet snake with myriad scales, there rose from the island -a rocket which reached to the higher skies, curved, and burst into a -star shower of green and blue lights. The flare from this rocket brought -out the rookeries and the whaleboats; the dead, skinned seals; the -crouched figures of the crew ashore. It bathed the entire ocean with -sinister light; it struck a spike of terror into the raiders' hearts. - -They threw down skinning knives and bludgeons. They charged down across -the red sands and thrust out the boats, glancing back with blanched -faces as they frantically rowed toward the ship. - -Stirling heard Whitehouse roll out a string of oaths which were as lurid -as the rocket's warning glare. A stout shout sounded from Marr, who was -in the leading whaleboat. Fire doors were opened below deck, scoops -grated across the stokehold plates, the first engineer climbed swiftly -to the companion and sprang out on deck. - -The seal raiders were discovered; the guards had been warned on the -other islands of the group. A wireless message was even then flashing -across the waters of the Bering Sea. The _Bear_, or some other ship, -would be down upon them. - -Stirling realized exactly what had happened, and his brain worked -swiftly. There was yet time to cut the anchor lines, but this would be -done by the returning crew. In no other way could they sheer the ship -from the shore and make to open sea. - -He stepped back, brushed against a seaman who had risen from the -forehatch, and rounded the galley house before the startled sailor could -detect who had pressed against him. - -The door to the cabin was slightly open. Stirling thrust through his -fingers and tugged, then slipped inside and closed the door. Still -thinking clearly, he shoved the two guns under the mattress of his bunk, -screwed the lock back in place, then lay down and replaced the cuff over -his freed wrist. - -A quiet smile wreathed his face as he listened to the sounds which -floated in through the open porthole. Curses and commands mingled in a -jargon; boats were hurriedly hoisted to their positions on the davits; -seamen sprang to the decks and rushed forward. - -A bell sounded in the engine room; the screw thrashed and bit deeply -into the sea. The _Pole Star_ swung, cleared the beach by a scant -cable's length, and drove out toward the north and east. - -A grim face darkened the porthole, and Marr's glance bored the gloom of -the cabin until he discerned Stirling's form on the bunk. - -"You're there!" he said, bitterly. "Well, you'll stay there for some -time. You and that rat Eagan came near spoiling our plans." - -Stirling did not answer the irate skipper, thinking an answer beneath -him. It was plainly evident, however, that Eagan was out of the lives of -the men aboard the _Pole Star_. He had awakened the entire Bering Sea -against the poachers. - -Driving rapidly, under all steam and a well-set foresail and main, the -_Pole Star_ lay the island of St. Paul over her counter as the sun -brightened the waters of the Bering Sea to the eastward. - -The alarm had been given; they were in great danger. Watchers on the -island, including Eagan, would see the poacher going spars down before -they laid aside their glasses. Its course would be given to the first -government boat raised by wireless. It was more than probable that the -_Bear_ would take up the chase by noon. - -Stirling felt the swift shift of helm which came at sunrise. Marr had -realized his danger and had sheered toward the west at least two points. -This course, by magnetic compass, would bring the ship broadside of -Siberia and into the wide mouth of the Gulf of Anadir. - -The galley boy, accompanied by Whitehouse, appeared at the cabin door as -the ship's bell was struck eight times. The mate noticed the loose -condition of the lock as he inserted his own key. He stepped inside and -examined the screws which Stirling had hastily replaced, his glance -shrewd and hard. - -"You'll go aft!" he said in bitter tones. "We're not taking any chances -with you from now on. It's a blym long woiy from here to the port we'll -reach some doiy." - -Stirling sat upright and reached for the food which the boy had brought -on a tin tray. He drank the coffee, smiling as Whitehouse lingered in -the open doorway. - -The two men locked glances. Stirling's eyes held, steady and -penetrating, but Whitehouse turned with a quick oath. "I'll be back," he -said over his shoulder as he vanished from the opening. - -The galley boy was gathering up the tins and cups when Marr appeared, -followed by the mate. The little skipper looked somewhat the worse for -the events of the night--his face was unshaven, a splotch of dried -seal's blood showed on his cheek, one hand was bandaged, and his eyes -were sunken and red-rimmed. - -"Had your lock off," he said, as he clapped a hand to his side pocket -and strode into the cabin. "Well, you didn't do much. Eagan did it all. -At that we got enough seals to make expenses." - -Stirling crossed his wrists and clicked the irons. - -"Better release me," he said with sincere directness. "It'll go mighty -hard, Marr, as it is. A little more and you will swing as sure as there -is a law in this sea. I don't doubt that Eagan will manage to run you -down. It isn't the time of MacLane and the others whom you have -imitated." - -"Confound you and Eagan--the stool! He don't know my course." - -"He knows you gammed that Japanese sealer off Rat Island. That's almost -enough to know. I'd advise you to swing to Dutch Pass, surrender to the -port officer there, and get off light." - -Marr whipped out a string of imprecations. "I'm a hard man!" he finished -by saying. "I brook no interference. You'll go aft and into a strong -room, where you'll stay for the balance of the voyage, eh, Mr. -Whitehouse?" - -"This cabin won't 'old 'im," the mate declared, fumbling with the lock. -"E's too blym near the crew and the steerage. The starboard room aft the -cross alleyway is the place for our friend here." - -"It's too darned good!" exclaimed Marr. "Stand up, Stirling. We'll lead -you to your new home." - -Stirling was of two minds. There was scant chance for resistance as he -twisted and untwisted the handcuff chain. He glanced about the cabin. -The objects of personal value most certainly would be stolen by the crew -or the galley crowd, and he prized a few of these beyond price. - -"I want my things," he said in cool resignation. "Let me bundle up a few -geegaws and I'll come along. It'll take me five minutes." - -Marr tapped his side pocket suggestively. "Go ahead," he said, backing -from the cabin and glancing meaningly toward Whitehouse. "Five minutes, -you get. No more! Take off his cuffs." - -The two seamen stood between the cabin door and the rail of the ship, -and whispered each to the other, but Stirling could not catch their -words. He stood erect, turned slowly, and reached under the mattress as -Marr gripped Whitehouse by the arm and pointed toward the horizon. - -Stirling's hands came away with the little revolver which the girl had -passed in to him. This he thrust down between his collar and neck, and -its chill sent a remembered thrill through his body. - -Whitehouse stuck his head within the doorway. "Be deuced quick habout -hit!" he snarled. "Get your traps and come along. There's a smudge o' -smoke to windward." - -"Glad of that!" said Stirling, stooping on one knee and reaching for his -dunnage bag. "I hope it's the _Bear_ or the _Corwin_ or the cutter we -saw going for the Arctic. She's about due back." - -"Bally fine chance!" Whitehouse snickered. "More likely she's a blubber -hunter tryin' out. It's more than likely." - -Stirling knew better than this. No ships in the Bering whaled for oil; -that pursuit was confined to Southern seas. - -Marr was plainly nervous as he led Stirling toward the after part of the -_Pole Star_, and kept glancing to the south and west. He halted on the -poop steps and stared downward. - -Whitehouse followed Stirling. The mate had motioned the crew to one -side, and they had gathered in the waist, jeering as the trio passed -them. They, too, were nervous. The smudge of smoke had widened to a -splotch which streaked the horizon; a ship of some kind was dashing -parallel to the course taken by the _Pole Star_. - -The chase was on. - -Stirling hitched his dunnage bag under his left arm and turned as he -reached the quarter-deck. His eyes were the best upon the whaler, and he -knew every ship that came into Bering Sea. He threw all his power into -determining the nature of the fast-flying stranger, then he smiled -slowly. She was the _Bear_. A vague sense of the position of the masts -and the rake of the funnel told him that the redoubtable revenue cutter -had received Eagan's message from St. Paul Island. She was coming with -the speed of the wind, and was not more than seven knots astern. - -Marr realized that Stirling had detected the name of the pursuer, and -his face clouded. He shouted an order to the wheelsman, then sprang to -the speaking tube which led down to the engine room. A volcano of smoke -belched from the _Pole Star's_ funnel. She swerved like a skater on ice, -and the deck planks vibrated and trembled. A bellow of rage and defiance -came from the crew at the change of course; they lined the rail and -stared over the sparkling sea, shaking their grimy fists and calling -down anathemas. - -"Come on," cried Whitehouse into Stirling's ear. "Get down to your -cabin. It'll be a blym long time before that revenue ship gets in range -of us. I think we are the faster." - -Stirling followed the mate through the cabin companion and down to an -alleyway. At the starboard end of this Whitehouse inserted a key in a -lock and slid open a door, motioning inside with a jerk of his thumb. - -The Ice Pilot found himself in a small stateroom which was trimmed with -maple and white tiling. He dropped his dunnage bag as the mate closed -the door and turned the bolt, and his eyes roamed about the cabin. - -The single porthole, set deep in the double skin of the ship, was -brass-rimmed and no larger than a small dinner plate. It could be opened -by turning two bronze wing screws, and the view through it was upon a -patch of water, with swift-flowing ice darting by. - -"Prison or palace?" he said as he turned and studied the cabin, swaying -with the motion of the ship. The list was slightly to port. Some sail -had been spread to catch a light breeze which had sprung up with the -sun. The deck overhead resounded with gliding steps; Marr and the mate -were doing everything possible to hold their speed. - -The cabin's furnishings were yachtlike and serviceable. The bunk was -covered with a hair mattress and an eiderdown counterpane. Over it were -two brass racks for luggage and dunnage, and on the opposite wall a -washbowl and towel rack could be folded into a seat. Pictures were -strewed about, which were all marines painted by a decorator of merit. - -Stirling glanced from one to the other. Tropic scenes brought to mind -the incongruity of their latitude--the _Pole Star_ was hustling from the -equator as fast as steam could drive her. Her last course was toward the -barren land of Siberia and the upper headland of the Gulf of Anadir. It -was terra incognita to most seamen and all save a few whale-ships or -traders. - -Stirling examined the lock of his door. It was far stronger than the one -in the galley cabin, and had been set within the wood and mortised so -that only a small, flat keyhole showed. - -He bent his head and listened. A step had glided along the alleyway. It -was repeated in shuffling motion, going from starboard to port and back -again across the ship. Whitehouse had left a seaman on guard. - -Stirling stood erect and squared his shoulders, towering almost to the -dunnage-racks over the white bunk. His eyes hardened as he glanced from -the green-filled porthole to the door and back. The cabin was a secure -prison, as Marr had said. It would require considerable ingenuity to -escape from it. The sentry on guard was sure to be armed with one of the -sealing rifles; he would be changed each watch. - -The ship hurtled onward toward the Siberian coast. The screw thrashed -astern, bit deeply into the waves, and thrashed again--each time the -foam boiled astern the ship trembled and racked. - -Bells clanged; shouts sounded; running feet were overhead; blocks -creaked; the wind freshened and called for more canvas. The menace -astern crept up to a four-mile range. A gun boomed across the wild waste -of Northern waters. A shot fell to windward; another followed. Then, and -slowly, the grip of the pursuer was shaken off. Superspeed, a fair wind, -and a straining stokehold crew, made the slight difference. - -Stirling frowned as he sensed that the _Bear_ was being distanced. He -opened the porthole glass and pressed his face to the aperture. He could -see little save following seas and ice floes. The revenue cutter was -somewhere astern. Her guns were silent; this meant that the range had -increased to useless distance. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX--A TOAST FROM MARR - - -It was sundown and six bells upon the _Pole Star_, when the lock -clicked, and Whitehouse entered. - -"Well, old man," he said, boastfully, "we've turned the trick. Night's -coming on and the _Bear_ is 'ull down. This is a regular king's -yacht--speed of the best, and seaworthy." - -"It won't help you--in the end. How are you going to get out of the -Bering?" - -"I'll leave that to Captain Marr. I just dropped in to see if you 'ad -been fed. I don't nurse any 'ard feelings. I forgive my enemies, I do." - -In a way, Whitehouse spoke the truth. Stirling had always held a slight -liking for the English mate, who was one of England's outcasts--one who -had left his country for his country's good. He had the roving -disposition of the British, forgave quickly, and hated only for a short -period of time. - -"You're about the best of the bunch," said Stirling, feeling his temple -where the belaying pin had struck. "I hold being knocked out against -you, but that is all. Why don't you play like a man, which you are, and -prevail on Marr to abandon his useless expedition? The entire shipping -world will be searching for him. You haven't as much chance of escaping -as a thief in a crowded street." - -"That's when the thief escapes," Whitehouse said. - -"I'll take the regular galley mess of food," Stirling abruptly remarked. - -The mate nodded. "All right," he said, backing to the door and standing -in the alleyway. "All right, old man. No 'ard feelings?" - -Stirling allowed the shadow of a smile to creep across his lips. He eyed -the cockney with a calculating expression, thinking swiftly and to one -point. "Where are we heading?" he asked. - -"Siberia. We 'ave a nice little cove picked out." - -"In the Gulf of Anadir?" - -"There or thereabouts." - -"Marr don't know that coast." - -"The second engineer does. 'E was with the De Long expedition. Says it's -a bloomin' fine shore all the woiy to the mouth of the Lena." - -"Fine is right!" said Stirling with a smile, sitting down on his bunk -and crossing his legs. "It's barren and death-haunted. One thing----" - -Whitehouse paused with the key in his hand. - -"There are revolutionists at that point," said Stirling. "Marr should be -careful where he puts in." - -"They won't bother us." - -"I'm not so sure. They would cheat a cheater any time." - -Whitehouse flushed. "A cheater?" - -"That's what you and Marr are! Cheaters! You raided the rookeries. Your -judge will be the retribution which governs all wrongdoing. Your own -heart and soul rebel against what you have done." - -Whitehouse disappeared from the opening, and Stirling could hear him -giving instructions to the sentry. Footfalls sounded going up the -companion and along the quarter-deck, and then the mate came back to the -door and leaned against the chamfer. He rubbed his long red nose with a -reflective finger. - -"I'm in hit too bloomin' far to get out now, Stirling. I'll do my best -by you. Do you want to get away at the mouth of the Anadir? I can fix -that." - -Stirling made a slow calculation on his fingers. He glanced upward -toward the deck and furrowed his brows. "The Gulf," he said, dropping -his glance and staring at Whitehouse, "is about three thousand miles -from any sort of civilization. I think I'll stay on board--a prisoner." - -The mate nodded good-naturedly and turned toward a Kanaka, who brought a -tray upon which were two tins of stew and a steaming pot of coffee. - -Stirling took these and set them at the end of the bunk. Whitehouse -shrugged his shoulders, examined the lock with a smirk, and closed the -door. The bolt clicked. - -The Kanaka resumed his sentry duties, but Stirling had secured a good -glance at him. He was an old Arctic Ocean harpooner, and had once sailed -on a whaler which had been gammed by the Ice Pilot. He was the weak link -in the chain, concluded Stirling. A native would be more likely to -listen to reason than any member of the _Pole Star's_ crew. There was a -latent loyalty for the right in every Kanaka's breast. Many had been -brought up by missionaries. - -"With a dainty friend somewhere aft, and a sentry like that harpooner, -I've a fighting chance," said Stirling, leaning over the savoury stew. - -The pockets of his pea-jacket contained a few crumbs of tobacco and a -pipe. He set down the tray with the empty tins upon the deck, leaned -back, and lighted a match. - -The puffs of smoke he blew toward the porthole were like salvos of -shrapnel. The situation had cleared during the hours since leaving St. -Paul Island and the rookeries. Whitehouse had become genial; the -grumbling voices of the crew were more or less stilled; the little -skipper was in a desperate position. - -Stirling sensed the general direction of the swiftly driving poacher. -The cant to port, the general steadiness of the wind in the Bering, the -drifting floes--all these were points by which he guided his deductions. - -Siberia and the open Gulf of Anadir should be reached by noon of the day -to come. This would mean little less than twelve steaming hours. The -Island of St. Lawrence lay some few leagues to the northward. The -_Bear_, provided she had not given up the pursuit, might search the -shores of that island. There were two native settlements on the western -coast, and these were a likely refuge for poachers and those who lived -beyond the law. - -There came then to Stirling's straining ears the soft sound of a piano. -He set his pipe on a rack at the head of the bunk and moved stealthily -toward the door. Pressing his ear to the panel of this, he listened. He -heard the shuffling of the sentry's feet, and above this sound lilted a -thin, pure note which could come only from a woman's throat. It rose, -fell, and was raised once more into a remembered song: - - "Whither, oh, splendid ship, thy white sails crowding, - Leaning across the bosom of the urgent West, - Thou fearest nor sea rising, nor sky clouding, - Whither away, fair rover, and what thy quest?" - -Stirling breathed with deep intakes of close breath. He caught the swing -of the words as if they were attuned to his own thoughts, and they -steadied him in his determination to remain aboard the _Pole Star_ and -ascertain what manner of woman or girl lived in the after ship. She was -related to Marr--that much was evident. He wondered if she were his -wife, sister, or ward. One of the three would explain her being aboard. -None would explain why she seemed to be almost a prisoner. - -He listened for more music, and now and then the piano throbbed a -vibrant note. At last it was still. There alone remained the swish of -the waves, the creak of blocks, the sliding footfalls on the -quarter-deck, to mark their passage. - -The last light of day died from the surface of the waters, and the first -bright star lay horizon down. It came up grandly out of the east and -from the direction of Alaska, shining through the open porthole like an -eye of promise. Stirling rose from the seat he had taken on the bunk and -turned out the electric light. He leaned back and studied this star, -finding solace and resolve in its white rays. - -Daybreak, at the early hour of two bells, brought Stirling out of his -dreams and into the grip of a coming dawn. He washed himself and glanced -ruefully at his unshaven features, but there was no way to remedy the -matter. Seamen in the Bering and Arctic often went for an entire season -without shaving. - -He thought of the girl and her song as he idled through the hour which -followed. She had grown closer to him in some manner. It was as if there -were two prisoners on one ship. Her voice had contained the vibrant note -of anxiety. She had asked in a manner which he could fathom, where the -tall poacher was going? She, too, was gripped by the mystery. - -The first glimpse of the haze-surrounded sun, which rose over the Bering -Sea, was the magnet that drew Stirling away from his thoughts of the -girl and to the open porthole. The sea was specked and laced with drift -ice and whale slick. Old "grandpas" floated by--grimy and honeycombed -from the action of the brine. Walruses and seals dived from these -ancient ice clusters. Birds wheeled away from the course of the -fast-driving poacher. - -The course had been changed overnight, this Stirling detected with a -guilty start as he noted the position of the sun. They were now well -within the Gulf of Anadir, and the ice which floated about had just been -detached from the shore. Its surface was partly snow. - -Seven bells brought the first glimpse of land to Stirling. A dark -promontory lifted into the Arctic sky, and this was crowned with a hedge -of Northern pines. Green moss grew down the folds of the headland. A -tundra stuck out from the lower silt. They were skirting the wild coast -of Anadir. - -"Siberia," said Stirling. "What a land!" He turned from the porthole and -studied the interior of the cabin. The little revolver which the girl -had given to him was still within the grip of his garter. He reached -downward and loosened it, examining its butt and silver-plated barrel. -It was loaded. - -He eyed the door leading to the alleyway, and pocketed the revolver as -steps sounded outside. - -Whitehouse shouted in through the keyhole: "Hold steady and wait, old -man. I'll see that you're well fed by eight bells. No 'ard feelings, -eh?" - -Stirling did not answer. He moved about, however, and otherwise let the -mate know that he was still aboard the ship. - -Eight bells did not bring the promised food. Instead, the ship slowed -down, and at last glided across the sea with her screw still. - -The sound of running feet came to Stirling who sprang to the porthole -and glanced out. They were rounding a rocky wall whose fissures gushed -white from descending torrents of snow water. The ship ported, steadied -in slow circling, and entered a mountain-encompassed harbour as lovely -and as lonely as any in all the world. - -Her taper yards scraped the stones to starboard and port, her keel once -touched a sandy split, but she went on by the billowed pressure of the -wind on the canvas. The way opened to a glen in solid granite and -schist, and here the anchor chain was let go with a rusty clank. The -stern swung, almost touching a narrow shelf, up from which an agile man -could climb, or down to which he might lower himself. - -A jubilant voice rolled throughout the sheltered ship. It came from -Whitehouse, who had danced upon the quarter-deck planks in his glee. -"All 'ands aft to spice the main brace!" - -Stirling understood this last order. The crew, the engine-room force, -the stokehold gang, and the steerage crowd were invited to empty a case -of whisky. - -Marr's toast to his fellow conspirators was given with a bold attempt to -hold their confidence. "Drink hearty, mates!" he exclaimed. "Drink to -the eternal confusion of the revenue cutters!" - -Stirling hardly smiled, but scraped his pockets and found some few -crumbs of tobacco. These he pressed into his pipe and lighted with a -sulphur match. "I'll smoke to that promise," he said, simply. "A bear -never lets go when its grip fastens." - - - - -CHAPTER XX--THE MOVING SHADOWS - - -Landlocked and secure, the crew of the _Pole Star_ worked out the day by -odd jobs about the deck. Stirling heard them swabbing down, and caught -the cockney accent of the mate raised in cheerful encouragement as the -skipper sent forward more grog. - -The long Arctic day died slowly out over the waters of the Bering and -the Gulf of Anadir. The waves which beat upon the rocky headlands, -buttressing the tiny harbour, curled inward and ran with seething foam -up a shelving beach. - -Marr had made one trip to the outer sea. He returned and called -Whitehouse to the poop. Their voices were raised incautiously, and -Stirling heard the _Bear_ mentioned. The boastful laugh which followed -showed that the revenue cutter had gone by without being aware of the -harbour's entrance. The view from the sea was one of solid rock and -towering headland. - -It was at five bells that Stirling heard steps within the alleyway. The -sentry had been sleeping on duty, and he woke as Marr's voice broke the -stillness of the ship. The lock of his door clicked, and Stirling -switched on his electric light and waited, his breast exposed, showing -the hairy massiveness of his shoulders and the supple muscles beneath. - -Marr came in with cautious eyes, glanced about the cabin, stared at the -porthole thoughtfully, then lifted his chin to Stirling. "How are things -with you?" Marr asked. "Getting along all right?" - -"As well as could be expected on this criminal ship!" - -Marr frowned and sat down on the edge of the bunk. "Don't take it that -way," he said, fingering the horn buttons of his natty pea-jacket. "Come -over with us and see the thing through. We'll wait around here a few -days more, then----" - -The pause was suggestive. Stirling backed slowly to the skin of the ship -and lowered his hands to his sides. "Then what?" he asked. - -"Ah, there is a wide world to roam in. There are many ports of call." - -Stirling clenched his fists; his eyes were levelled toward the assured -skipper. "I think you had better get out of here!" Stirling said, -sharply. "I don't want to listen to suggestions from you. Brave men do -not raid the rookeries. They don't lock up a man for doing his duty." - -Marr smiled, and Stirling studied him. The little skipper had come into -the cabin for some reason other than the one he had stated; he was far -too genial and condescending. - -"What do you want with me?" the Pilot inquired. "Out with it and then -leave. I'll trouble you to allow me this small space for myself. It's -not much to ask." - -"I want your good will, Stirling. The fact of the matter is this----" - -Stirling saw the smile vanish from the skipper's lips, and the face -which peered out from the shadow of the bunk was not nearly so assured. - -"The fact is this," repeated Marr: "there's a person aboard who is -interested in you. I have made the argument that you will join us sooner -or later. I am going to make it to your interest to join us." - -"Who do you mean?" - -"That I can't say now! This person, however, believes that you will be -very dangerous to my interests in the future. In other words, you are -standing out for the foolish laws of the sea. If you persist in this -stand, there can be only one finish to you." - -"What finish is that?" - -"You'll either be marooned on a barren island or tapped on the head and -dropped overside. You can't expect to squeal on us." - -"How about Eagan?" - -"He saw and guessed too much, but he will not see what is coming. I have -a plan to avoid the _Bear_ and the other cutters. It will take us to -strange seas and glorious coasts. We have seal pelts enough to make -every man aboard rich; we can get more at Disko and Copper Island. All -hands shall share alike, and spread to the four winds." - -Stirling saw the drift of the little skipper's argument. He was offering -a bribe for silence and coperation. "I'll never change my views," he -said, stoutly. "You can't get away with that raid or the pelts. Right -will beat you. Public opinion is the strongest force I know. You have -been moving contrary to it." - -Marr rose from the bunk and glanced at the door, outside of which the -sentry was pacing energetically back and forth. "You're doomed," -whispered the skipper. "I gave you a chance. This person cannot help -you. You'd better consider the matter carefully." - -The captain's tone had changed; he was far too sure of himself to suit -Stirling. It was possible that he would not be allowed to see the dawn. - -"Who is this person who is interested in me?" asked Stirling with -candour. "Whitehouse?" - -"No; not the mate. You perhaps think he is your friend, but he is with -me to the finish of this passage. The rest of the crew are with me. None -of them wants a squealer somewhere ashore where he can harm us. They're -all for sewing you in a sack and dropping you overboard." - -Had the skipper snapped out his threats or otherwise acted in a bullying -manner, Stirling would have felt less concern, but there was that in the -icy tones and matter-of-fact statements which chilled red blood and -caused a presentiment to reach and grip at the heart. - -The two men stood in silence, then slowly turned and stared at each -other. Marr's eyes were the first to drop. He raised them again with an -effort. "I hate to finish you off," he said, without moving his lips, -"but it's got to be done. I've posted a second sentry on the poop. Both -have orders to shoot you down if you try to escape." - -"Who is the person?" repeated Stirling, like a child with but one -lesson. - -Marr glided toward the door and stood in the opening. - -"Who is the person?" - -The little skipper leaned forward and hissed his words as he said: -"You'll never see her! She wants me to spare you. I can't do it and live -on this earth. You know too much!" - -The door closed with a click. Marr was gone. - -Stirling's brain grew numb, and as the hot blood rushed to his cheeks, -he raised his hand and pressed his fingers against his throbbing -temples. He stared at the door with every muscle tense and eager. It -would be possible to break through to the alleyway. There, however, he -would meet with the Kanaka sentry, and the native was far too stolid to -be moved by a sudden rush. - -The ship rocked slightly with the movement of the inner waves which had -risen over the early hours of the night. A murmur came to Stirling's -ears, and he crossed the cabin, pressing his face against the brass rim -of the porthole. A rocky wall, seamed here and there with dark fissures, -reared a barrier, while the _Pole Star_ swung at her anchor chain with -her stern toward the opening to the gulf. - -Stirling heard the pacing of the sentry on deck, and above the sound of -his sliding foot he sensed the voices of men aft of the canvas barrier. -Marr and the mate were in whispered consultation. - -Whitehouse allowed his voice to rise above its ordinary pitch. He was -insisting upon some matter which was of vital importance to him, and _it -concerned making away with the only spy in their midst_. Marr's answer -was unheard by Stirling, but it quieted the mate as if a hand had -smoothed out a difficulty with clever, cunning fingers. Marr was doubly -dangerous. He held close control of his brain and tongue. - -Stirling paced back and forth within the narrow confines of his cabin. -He had measured the porthole with the span of his hand, and knew it was -far too small for escape. It could not well be enlarged by any tool in -his possession. He turned toward the door as a last resort. Its stout -panels and heavy oaken planks called for super efforts, but they could -be cut, providing the sentry dropped off into sleep. Stirling waited and -listened for this to happen. - -Midnight and eight bells found him crouched with his ear close to the -lower starboard panel. The strength to right a wrong and fight to the -bitter end had crept over him. He was a match for Marr and half of the -others of the crew. He feared no five men aboard the ship if the fight -were to be with fists. - -A clean life and steady purpose had often accomplished wonders. He -reviewed the entire situation, and summed it up in a slow, firm way. -Marr and the mate and the others of the crew had taken a lesson from -Eagan. They were in the poaching matter far too deeply to back out, -since the spoil was 'tween decks, and was also waiting on the Copper -Islands. - -"Better snatch a delusion from a woman," said Stirling, grimly, "than -deny a Bering Sea crew the right to poach." - -He thought of Marr's parting words, the lack of venom in which showed -that the end would come swiftly and after deliberate preparations. His -one hope was the woman who had pleaded for his life. She had to be -reckoned with--perhaps she was resourceful. Her eyes were wide ones and -undying in their intensity. - -Stirling moved toward the wall and reached for the electric light, then -dropped his hand without turning it on. He found the bunk, searched -under the seaweed mattress, and the cold thrill of the tiny revolver -nerved him as he held it in the palm of his right hand. After all, he -thought, there was a man's life or two in the silver-plated barrel. A -bold rush when the door was opened, a stream of lead, and the open deck -might offer possibilities. - -The night was dark. There was one fissure leading up from the shelving -beach to the higher tableland. If he reached this he would be free. -Siberia and a wide sky was the vaulting place for a possible revenge. - -He stepped toward the porthole and pressed his forehead against the cold -metal rim, his eyes slowly making out the details of the harbour and the -shore. They grew keen and penetrating. - -A gushing and tossing stream of creamy water issued from the face of the -rock. It silvered down and flattened out where the waves lapped up a -shelving shore. The roar of this waterfall was faint and musical, like a -melody set in a dream. - -Stirling remained at the porthole, looking toward the shore. His eyes -grew intent, and now he made out details which had at first been -overlooked. Crags and moss were apparent; a shelf grew from a dark line -to a possible passageway for an agile man. He traced the course of this -and saw that it vanished over the extreme edge of the highest cliff -where the dark stone stood out against the star-scattered sky. - -"I can climb that," he said with conviction. "That is a road to -Siberia." - -He listened as a sound floated from the quarter-deck. Steps were -directly over him, and a shadow fell along the surface of the heaving -waters, a shadow slight and elfin. - -Dangling before his startled eyes, and partly blotting out the view of -the open night, there had appeared an object which was fastened on the -end of a loose line. - -As it swung back and forth a foot scraped close to the ship's rail, and -a low voice called with musical timbre. - -Stirling reached out through the porthole and drew in the line. He -untied the packet, which was knotted by a square knot, and waited. The -line was drawn upward; a belaying pin creaked in the pinrail; the steps -sounded again. Then they seemed to be aft. - -Backing from the ship's skin, and feeling behind with his left hand, -Stirling found the edge of the bunk and sat down with heavy thoughts. He -toyed with the packet and weighed it by moving his right hand up and -down in the gloom. - -Unbinding it slowly, he scented for the first time the aroma of -heliotrope. Once before he had detected that perfume. That was when the -girl had appeared at the galley porthole and handed in the revolver. - -He removed a lace handkerchief, thrust it into his shirt pocket, and -smiled at the practical present which had been lowered from the poop. -The offering was to the point and suggestive. He counted twenty-five -tiny cartridges which most certainly were designed for the little -silver-plated revolver. - -"I like her," he said, thrusting the bullets within his shirt. "She's -true blue and thinks of the right things. Likewise, she's a daughter of -the sea!" - -He rose and moved slowly toward the porthole. The outside now seemed -nearer, for some reason; the friend on deck had warmed his blood. She -was standing by in case of a blow. - -The ship's bell was struck with a muffled marlinespike as Stirling stood -in patient idleness. He counted the strokes, and heard a far closing of -a hatch, sign that the anchor watch had changed. The sentry in the -alleyway spoke to another who came to take his place. The new arrival -tested the door and otherwise acted as if he would remain awake over the -time allotted to his duties. - -Suddenly, and in an unwarned manner, Stirling grew aware that ashore a -shadow moved along the higher shelf of the cliff. This shadow was -followed by a second and then a third. Men in ragged guise were -descending the trail that led from the Siberian tableland to the -land-locked harbour wherein lay the _Pole Star_. - -The descending forms disappeared, as they entered a chasm in the rocky -wall. They came into view again and stood upon a shelf which was -directly over the taper jib boom of the ship. They pointed with swaying -arms, first at the _Pole Star_, and then toward the open Gulf of Anadir. -It was evident to Stirling that they never had been in the same locality -before. - -He drew upon his imagination as he tried to fathom the reason for the -ragged visitors. They were not natives or Eskimos. Their matted hair and -bold, staring eyes betokened Russians. - -The leading figure issued a silent order by pointing upward, whereupon a -man climbed the trail, disappeared in the chasm, and reappeared upon the -shelf which marked the tableland. He vanished against the velvet of the -sky, and a slow minute passed. There came then a score of heads over the -edge, and a blurred mass of outcasts started down the pathway with the -messenger leading them. - -Stirling had seen enough to realize that the ship was in danger. Out of -the barren land of Siberia figures had crept in an endeavour to reach -the sea. They bore all the evidence of a terrible journey, and were in -numbers sufficient to capture the ship. - -No sound came from the deck of the poacher; the sentry at the door was -leaning against the barrel of his rifle; the anchor watch slept -profoundly. Fair game lay in the cove, and the hour was close when its -enemies would strike. - -"Let them come," said Stirling. "I'll not warn Marr. He brought it on -himself." - - - - -CHAPTER XXI--THROUGH THE PORTHOLE - - -In a maze of doubt and resolution Stirling stared out over the dark -harbour and saw that the band of outcasts had reached the shelving beach -and were making preparations to swim to the ship. - -He turned away and glanced toward the locked door. The sentry stirred -restlessly; his gun's butt was lifted and dropped to the deck. A hacking -cough sounded. - -Steps glided across the poop from the forward rail to the cabin -companion; a slide shot back; the sentry called and was answered. Then a -key clicked in the lock of the door, and Marr stood in the gloom. Back -of the little captain loomed two of the galley crowd. There was no mercy -in their hard, level glances. - -"Come on, Stirling," said the captain. "Step out and come with us. -You're on trial. Search him, men." - -Stirling backed step by step to the bunk, and secured the tiny revolver -firmly in his palm. His broad thumb pressed through the trigger guard, -and the feel of the cold metal decided him. He folded his arms, thrust -the gun through to his skin, and allowed it to drop down. - -The search, as Marr switched on the electric light, was done in haste. A -Kanaka harpooner ran clumsy hands over Stirling's pockets. He turned and -shook his head. - -"Me find nothing." - -"Bring him to the galley!" Marr ordered. "Watch him, too." - -The sentry brought up the rear. Stirling breathed with deep intakes of -the keen air as he crossed the quarter-deck and descended the lee-poop -ladder. He entered the galley cabin with his head thrown back and his -eyes blazing. - -Whitehouse sat at the head of the table, and about the mate was gathered -all of the afterguard and three of the crew. They had been drinking from -square faces of gin. The empty bottles and glasses littered the sea -racks; sour limes were scattered about. - -The two engineers sat in one corner of the cabin with their feet -sprawled along the deck and their eyes bleared and baleful. They had -been loudest in calling for the death of Stirling, since the seal pelts -within the forehold of the _Pole Star_ constituted a king's ransom. Each -man's share would be well up in the thousands. They saw no reason for -taking the slightest chances. - -Baldwin leered at the Ice Pilot and nudged his companion. "Shootin' is -too good," Baldwin said. "I'd like to put the squealer in a fire box and -turn on forced draft--if we had forced draft." - -Stirling faced the two men with composure. The possession of the little -revolver, the knowledge that a hungry, ragged horde was even then -approaching the ship, held him confident. Much might happen within the -space of minutes. The drunken afterguard would be no match for the -outcasts. - -Marr cleared his throat, moved to the door, and, closing it, turned with -sudden fire and anger. "We've been talking all of an hour," he said, -bitterly. "Time's up! It'll be daybreak before we do anything. We're all -together in this. What do you say we take a vote and decide. There's -just two things to do to him--cast him ashore, or drop him overboard." - -"And if you drop that lad," said Whitehouse, "see that there is a blym -big anchor spliced to 'is legs. 'E's a water dog, besides being a hard -hitter. 'E's dangerous--'e his!" - -"Him good man--dead!" - -Stirling turned and faced a Kanaka harpooner. "What have I ever done to -you?" he asked. "You know me. I've always treated you boys right. -Remember the _Beluga_ and the _Karluk_ and the _Norwhale_? You forget -easy. You've been filled with gin, and you are not yourself." - -"Me like hear 'em talk," the Kanaka said, with a sheepish grin. - -Marr saw the drift of affairs and assumed swift control. Stirling was -well thought of among the natives of the Siberian shore and the islands -of the Pacific. The simple-minded Kanakas could be easily influenced. - -"Have done!" the little skipper exclaimed. "If you're all for marooning -him, I'm satisfied. But----" - -The pause was doubly suggestive. Marr glanced at the two engineers and -Whitehouse. "You know the consequences," Marr said. "This fellow will -bob up some day with all our names and with two or three revenue men -behind him. There's no getting away from that fact. It may be in -Shanghai and it may be in Frisco." - -"Or Liverpool," Whitehouse suggested. "I'm going to Liverpool and -Birkenhead when I get the bloomin' pile from the pelties. What's to -prevent 'im bobbin' hup there?" - -"Nothing!" said Marr. - -"Then let's take a deuced vote. I 'ate's to do hit, but I votes for -walkin' the plank." - -"Same here," said the two engineers in one voice. - -"You, Crinko?" - -The Kanaka's face softened as he leered at Marr, and the bronze of his -sea-beaten features took on a yellowish tinge. He turned and smiled -openly toward Stirling, who stood with folded arms and the weight of his -body resting on the balls of his feet. - -"Me like 'em," the native said. "Me no vote. He good man--sometimes." - -Marr caught the note in the simple tones and frowned. He felt himself -slipping. There were two more Kanakas in the cabin who would follow the -big harpooner; the three together might prove troublesome. - -"You're out!" Marr snapped. "Now the next. How do you vote, Slim?" - -Slim was the leader of the stokehold and engine-room crew, which was -entirely under the influence of the two engineers. Marr smiled as six -cinder rats and oilers stood up from the seats they had taken about the -table and voted for Stirling's death. Each man had reached for a drink -of gin as his name was called. - -"That almost settles it," whispered Whitehouse, drunkenly. "Old horse, -you're gone. Hit's a 'ard, 'ard thing to do but we----" - -"But you're not going to do it!" broke in Stirling, backing toward the -door and crouching with his hand toward his right shoe. "You're only -drunk and full of false courage!" - -The blaze that sprang from Stirling's eyes simmered and darted across -the smoke-filled room. Each man felt the sudden power that flashed at -him; each leaned away for a second. - -"Get back!" - -Stirling crouched lower and shelved forward his massive shoulders. The -bulk of him seemed to fill the room. He was more than a fighting match -for the entire crew. They knew it with dawning intuition. - -Marr slyly placed a cool hand within the inner pocket of his pea-jacket, -and was drawing a gun when Stirling leaped the distance, hooked his -right elbow, and uppercut with vicious force. The blow would have lifted -the cabin deck. It hurled Marr over the table, and laid him across the -planks where he dropped unconscious. - -"Now the next!" shouted Stirling, backing away and lowering his fists to -his knees. "The next! Come on!" - -Baldwin, the engineer, watched the Ice Pilot's eyes, and in them he saw -the dying fire of rage turn to cool calculation. It was like gazing at -horizon-down ice, as the steely glint changed to cold gray. But the -glance was over the heads of the seamen who leaned upon the table. It -was toward on open porthole. - -Some intuition, stronger than the desire to murder, swept the crew. They -turned as one man and followed Stirling's steady gaze. They dropped -their chins and stared out through the porthole. - -"By the jumpin' bowheads!" Whitehouse screamed. "By Heaven, mates. Look! -Look!" - -Framed by the dull brass was the face of a whiskered Russian whose small -eyes surveyed the cabin greedily. A crash sounded at the door, shouts -rolled through the iron of the ship, and a grim struggle was begun at -once. The _Pole Star_ had been captured by revolutionists. - - - - -CHAPTER XXII--ALONE IN THE CABIN - - -The invaders, led by the same whiskered Russian who had peered through -the porthole, swept around the deck and crashed through the door leading -to the galley cabin. - -It was a mad wave of victory for them. They brought surprise and -determination as their allies, and were in great numbers. Already they -had mopped up the anchor watch and some of the crew who had climbed from -the forecastle. - -Stirling, rooted to the spot where he had faced his accusers, for the -first time in his life felt the grip of fear. He saw Whitehouse felled -with a descending swing of a giant club, and the second engineer -staggered toward the table with a knife through his breast. - -A Kanaka harpooner, whose gin-dulled brain refused to act, dashed into -the midst of the inpouring horde and went down, the centre of a wave of -infuriated invaders. One hooked-nose boat steerer, noted for his -mildness of manner, became crazed, snatched a harpoon from the wall of -the cabin, and drove it through a Russian's neck. He, too, was downed -and then killed with heavy clubs. - -This resistance stemmed the wave of Russians for a moment. Marr shouted -shrilly. He was answered by a Russian, who shouted instruction from the -doorway. Stones were hurled through the length of the cabin; capstan -bars were raised; the invaders faced the survivors, and prepared to -charge Stirling and the little skipper who had found common cause in -resistance. - -Mechanically, Stirling reached downward and grasped the tiny revolver, -though afterward he had no recollection of the action. The gun steadied -his nerves as he glanced at it, and then into the peering faces gathered -about the doorway and the after end of the cabin. - -He fired with coolness, and six jets of flame flashed across the table -and seared the faces before him. Russians went down as if poleaxed, -others shouted in pain, and two backed away covering their faces with -their arms. - -Stirling reloaded the revolver with clumsy fingers. The action was new -to him; the time was short. He wondered as he waited for coolness to -return how it happened that the cartridges were in his breast, since the -Kanaka had searched him in the after cabin. They had been overlooked. - -Marr coughed in the acrid mist and shouted out through a porthole. He -was answered by a Russian imprecation; a face peered in and a whale -lance darted through the opening. It missed the skipper by inches. - -He backed and touched Stirling's arm. "Kill them!" he cried. "Kill them, -Stirling!" - -The shout was a signal to the dock rats and sea scum who had crouched in -the gloom of the cabin. They advanced with heads lowered and rude -weapons snatched from the deck. One hurled a gin bottle into the face of -a Russian who stood half in and half out of the door. This sign of -defiance brought the wrath of the horde down upon the defenders. A -jagged rock hurtled through the porthole and crashed against the -electric dome in the ceiling. The falling glass tinkled upon the table, -and darkness blotted out Stirling's view of what followed. It was a -press of mad men who would not be denied, and he fired without knowing -whether he struck Russians or the remnant of the _Pole Star's_ crew. - -He stepped back and felt about with his left hand. His fingers touched a -wall, and following this he came to the end of a table where he stumbled -over the body of a Kanaka. Rising, he worked forward and found the knob -of a door which led into the cook's kitchen. This door was locked, and -he bunched his shoulders for a crashing blow. - -The Russians had advanced in the gloom of the shambles and were feeling -about for Marr and the others of the crew who had escaped their -onslaught. Now and then a loud cry marked a victim. A Russian thrust -inward the smoking end of a torch made out of rope yarn. It flared and -died to a glow. - -Stirling stepped away from the door, lowered his shoulder, and lunged -forward with all the weight of his well-nourished body behind the blow. -He rebounded, crouched, lunged for a second time, and the door -splintered on the port side and tore loose from its chamfer. - -Hurtling through to the kitchen and stumbling over an assortment of -clanging pans, Stirling found the second door which led to the deck. -This, also, was locked. He crashed his foot against a lower panel, and -the wood splintered, making an opening sufficient to pass through. He -crawled out like a determined bear and stood erect, his great chest -rising and falling as he gulped the air of the night. - -Chaos ruled the after part of the ship, and heavy blows sounded forward -where the invaders were mopping out the forecastle. Bodies were hurtled -overside, the last cries of doomed men echoing and rechoing among the -rocks of the shore and awakening the sea birds nested there. - -A deep silence followed the slaying of the crew. Stirling crouched in -the shelter of the galley house where the cook's pipe was thrust through -the wall, then turned his eyes and stared aft. - -The thought had come to him that the girl was alone in the cabin. Marr -had been seen last fighting Russians who had invaded the galley room, -and a show of resistance was still there. The lurking forms of men were -about the door, but the waist of the ship seemed filled with men who had -climbed aboard from out of the sea. These men were waiting for some -signal. - -It came with startling suddenness. Marr, the first engineer, and two -seamen burst through the doorway, shouting defiance, and plunged -straight for the poop and the shelter of the after cabins. One seaman -and engineer were felled and dragged to death. Marr and the second -seaman gained the poop steps, glanced forward, and vanished in the -direction of the cabin companion. - -This sally filled the ship with wild imprecations and cries, and -Stirling was swirled in a maze of doubt. The quarter-deck was shadowed -with climbing Russians; the forepeak and waist rocked with their feet as -they searched about for survivors. - -A thin tongue of flame from an after porthole burned through the night. -A rapid hail of lead from a rifle spattered along the deck and -splintered the woodwork. Marr had reached the ship's arsenal and was -firing from the break of the poop into the Russian horde. The situation -had changed during the period of seconds. - -Before he had time to gauge the battle, Stirling heard the rush of men -who were seeking safety behind the galley house and within the gloom of -the whaleboats on the port side. He raised his revolver and emptied it -along the deck. One shot went home; the others missed. He pocketed the -weapon, faced about, and darted for the lee shrouds which led up to the -crow's-nest. He then mounted the rail and climbed by the strength which -was in his arms. - -The vanguard of Russians leaped for his legs, but he drew himself up and -worked toward the crow's-nest with beating heart. He reached the Jacob's -ladder and went out instead of going through the lubber's hole. Here he -turned and stared downward; the deck seemed far away; a whizzing -belaying pin missed his head by many feet. He chuckled and touched his -face with his hand. Blood was there from some unnoticed wound. - -Whiskered faces showed through the gloom, and Stirling chuckled for a -second time and climbed swiftly to the crow's-nest. Dropping inside, he -pressed his chin to the edge of the nest and glanced toward the rocky -wall which loomed over the ship. Other Russians were descending the -trail that led to the shelving beach, and he watched a score more who -were swimming through the dark waters of the harbour. - -Suddenly all the fight went out of him, as water leaves a sponge. The -odds were far too great--Marr and the seaman and the girl comprised the -afterguard. They were well armed, but the invaders were in such number -as to indicate the exodus of an army. They either had worked northward -by land from Vladivostok, or, concluded Stirling, they had taken ships -and been wrecked on the coast. This was a possibility, considering the -remote locality of the Gulf of Anadir. - -A call lifted upward from the dark side; Stirling turned away from the -harbour view and looked downward. A revolutionist stood by the square -outline of the after hatch, and he raised his arms. - -Five Russians were climbing the starboard shrouds, each with a knife in -hand. Each glared down at the man on the after hatch and then resumed -climbing. - -Stirling leaned farther out, steadied his revolver, sighted it in the -half light, and blazed the night with a cone of leaping fire. He fired -for a second time. One Russian let go his knife, spun on the ratlines, -and dropped like a plummet to the deck below. The others hurried from -their exposed position and crouched under the Jacob's ladder where a -jack offered some shelter. Stirling waited for an open sight at these -two. - -The man near the hatch shouted an order. The two invaders grasped lines -and slid to the deck. They landed clumsily and staggered for the gloom -of the whaleboats. Stirling replaced his revolver in his pocket and sank -back into the crow's-nest. The attack had steadied his nerves, and he -felt secure for some time to come. - -Dawn mantled the sky above the dark cliff's edge; a plume of flamingo -red shot to the zenith, and the sun was peering over the Siberian -tableland. It would not be long before the harbour would be illuminated -sufficiently to reveal the state of chaos on the deck of the _Pole -Star_. - -The higher peaks of the mountains grew rosy and white. The light came on -and down with pale shadowings, revealing the surface of the sea in -ghastly detail. Seamen and Russians floated about like dead seals. - -The deck was a shambles where Marr's lead had scattered the Russian -horde. A hastily erected barricade at the after hatch prevented the -little skipper from sweeping the entire deck. Behind this barricade the -Russians crouched, and forward by the forecastle they swarmed in great -numbers, having broken into the stores. - -The men were crunching on ship's biscuits and drinking from square faces -of gin. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII--OVER THE STERN - - -From his lofty perch Stirling tried to count the number of -revolutionists, and had reached two hundred and ten before he stopped -counting. Others were ashore. A whaleboat had been lowered and paddled -under the shelter of the ship to the beach. It returned with crude -weapons and a ragged crew who could not swim, and they added their -shouting to the turmoil as they fell upon the ship's stores and gin. - -"Nice party," said Stirling. "I wonder how I'll get out of this." - -His thoughts swung to the afterguard, a seaman of the lowest coast type. -Stirling remembered him as a Frisco dock rat called "Slim." He had been -too lazy to work--too handy with a knife, yet he alone of the crew had -survived. - -This seaman appeared suddenly and thrust his shoulders above the -companion. Stirling leaned forward and watched him. There was that in -his leer which spoke of deep drinking and a desire for revenge. He -poised himself a moment, ducked as he sighted the revolutionists, then -appeared with a brass bomb gun. It was of the type whalers use in -finishing a whale, and was capable of great execution. - -The gun went up to the seaman's shoulder; he squinted along the barrel -and pressed the trigger. The bomb hurtled past the mainmast and exploded -forward of the galley house on the starboard side of the ship, where -three refugees were crouched. They seemed to spring up into the racking -air and vanish. The ship rocked with shouts as the seaman loaded the gun -and prepared for a second attempt. - -Stirling realized that the last defenders had a weapon in a million. It -was similar to the rifle grenades used in trench warfare, and against it -the Russians were at a great disadvantage. They could not face eight -ounces of tonite exploded in their midst. - -Marr appeared alongside of the sailor, and he, too, carried a bomb gun. -The shot he fired exploded against the break of the forepeak and missed -the open forecastle companion. Its explosion racked the morning air and -sent showers of splinters as high aloft as the crow's-nest. - -Stirling watched the fight which followed. The revolutionists had one -advantage: their number was sufficient to overcome any resistance, -provided they were well led. They seemed, however, to lack a leader. - -The Russian who had stood by the after hatch and directed operations had -been struck by a splinter of ash from a whaleboat. He was carried below -to the forecastle. The man who took his place crouched behind the -mainmast and shouted his orders in a weak, squeaking voice. - -The rush came at last and in straggling infiltration. The invaders -seeped along the two rails and out from the barricade, then swarmed up -the poop. Marr fired point-blank and dropped down the cabin companion as -a stone crashed against his breast. The seaman stood his ground and -swung the bomb gun by the muzzle. He bowled over a trio of Russians, -drew back, and then glanced downward. - -The little skipper, pale and bleeding, had appeared for a moment, and -motioned that he was going to close the companion slide. The seaman -swirled the gun, braced himself, and drove it into the gathering knot of -men at the quarter-deck canvas, then he turned and swiftly dived below. -The companion hatch shut with a loud click. - -Stirling counted his cartridges as the baffled Russians swarmed over the -poop. He could hit a few of them with careful aiming, but he held his -fire. There was always the chance that he, too, would be rushed. A squad -of determined men could reach the crow's-nest if they ignored the cost -to themselves. - -The sun's rays brought out all the details of the night's fight. Unreal -and ghastly seemed the deck of the ship. Stirling rubbed his eyes and -glanced downward, to where the revolutionists had gathered in a knot -forward of the galley house. The man who had stood near the hatch was -speaking to them; his gestures were strained and dramatic. He pointed -aloft. - -Faces were turned upward and weapons were raised, but no man started for -the rigging. The determined leader called for volunteers. He seemed to -realize that the crow's-nest was a dangerous point of vantage and the -tiny revolver in Stirling's hand was a potent argument. The Ice Pilot -held it out and took aim. The leader ducked beneath the shelter of a -splintered whaleboat. The other revolutionists were more stolid; they -stared and brandished their weapons. - -An hour passed with the invaders combing the ship for more gin and -stores. Stirling lay back and pressed against the side of the -crow's-nest. His eyes closed, but he opened them with a sudden start. It -would not do to sleep while the Russians were alert; any minute might -find them climbing the rigging. - -Sounds floated upward which told that the ship's captors were cleaning -up the deck and otherwise making preparations for her departure. They -had nailed down the companion hatch which led to the after cabins, and -two stood guard there with capstan bars. Others were below in the engine -room, where the clang of doors sounded. Scoops grated across the aprons -in the stokehold, and shrill calls came up the ventilators. - -A smudge of smoke issued from the funnel, curled the masts, and rose -straight upward in the Arctic air. Stirling coughed and stiffened -himself; he leaned over the edge of the crow's-nest and watched for -developments. It was evident that there was an engineer or two among the -Russians. - -The leader appeared through the engine-room gratings and stood by the -handrail. He staggered slightly from the effects of the gin he had -drunk, and he turned a weak chin aloft and sneered. His eyes swung -downward and swept the harbour's entrance where it closed to a shelving -rock about which the _Pole Star_ would have to be steered in order to -make for open sea. - -The orders he gave were obeyed in listless manner; some of the Russians -openly holding back and consulting. Three of them went to the falls of -the starboard whaleboat and threw the lines from the cleats. The boat -was lowered bow foremost, and almost filled as it struck the sea. A -second boat, which had been used to bring the horde from the shore, -rounded the _Pole Star's_ bow and was rowed alongside. The two boats, -with the leader in the stern of the one which had been lowered, glided -across the harbour and disappeared around the wall of rock. - -Stirling wondered at this manoeuvre, but had not long to wait. The -leader's boat returned soon and the Russians crowded to the rail. Their -leader came up a dangling falls and pointed toward the entrance, then -gave a series of orders. The anchor chain was cleared of wreckage and -steam plumed from a leak in the capstan engine. The clank of chain -coming through the hawse was followed by the slow turning of the screw. -A roar greeted this sign of departure, and was thrown back by the rocky -walls. - -Putting down the wheel, a Russian marine acted as pilot in a slovenly -manner. The ship grazed the shore, scraped over a ledge of rocks, and -swung too far for the entrance. It was backed by a quick reversal of the -engines. A second try was more successful. The taper jib boom pointed -down the narrow strait and sheered in time to meet the first rollers of -the Gulf of Anadir. - -Stirling was openly astonished at the ability shown by the Russians, in -building steam in the boilers. One of their number understood engines -and bells; he had even turned the globe valve which led to the capstan -cylinder. This revealed that there were men in Siberia who had missed -their calling. - -The ship met the long-running rollers, swung a point toward the east, as -near as Stirling could determine from the position of the sun, and drove -on swiftly. - -A cape jutted out into the Gulf of Anadir, and toward this headland the -leader pointed as the speed increased and the propeller thrashed astern. -Stirling shaded his eyes from the sun's glint and studied the cape. He -saw the reason for the change of course. A wreck lay athwart two -fanglike rocks over which surf beat. The skeleton of a giant ship marked -how the revolutionists had been cast away. - -The _Pole Star_ neared this wreck and reversed her screw. The leader -sprang to the forepeak and called a loud order. A whaleboat was lowered, -and ten minutes later the Russians returned from the wreck with a -chronometer and a sextant. These had been denied them when Marr had -barricaded the cabin of the poacher. - -Stirling felt the lack of sleep creep over his tired, aching muscles. He -shook himself like a shaggy dog and forced his brain to remain awake. -The creaking of the fall blocks, the clang of an engine-room bell, the -throbbing of the propeller--all were so shiplike and real that he had -difficulty in believing the ship was captured, pillaged, and now off for -a new venture in Northern waters. - -He widened his tired eyes and allowed them to stray over the deck which -lay like a pointed seed below him. The Russians went about their duties -with newborn vim and determination, as the leader stood at the canvas -rail which overlooked the waist and called his orders. The lower sails -were set to a western breeze. Under the influence of these and the -steam, the _Pole Star_ rapidly threw the dark coast of Siberia over her -stern and drove for the Strait of Bering and the American shore. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV--BEFORE THE WHEEL - - -Marvelling at the turn of events, Stirling groped about the crow's-nest -and found his twelve-diameter glasses, which had been used in whale -hunting. He turned their screw, adjusted the focus for his eyes, and -swept the open Gulf of Anadir and the Bering beyond the jib boom. No -sign of ship or sail showed. Ice was here and there in dotted specks, -drifting with the great North current which would reverse its direction -and flow back to the Arctic before the month was old. - -Noon passed with the _Pole Star_ changing its course degree by degree. -Stirling dozed in an erect position. Each time he awoke it was with a -guilty start. There was grave danger that some of the Russians would -mount the shrouds, since they had already been along the yards. The -canvas they had set billowed before the breeze and blotted out a full -view of the deck. - -Stirling thought of the girl who must be with the skipper and the Frisco -dock rat. It was evident that Marr had received a crushing blow from the -rock hurled by the Russian; the little skipper's face had been white and -drawn as he barricaded the hatchway. - -Stirling dwelt on thoughts of the girl in a dazed manner. He realized -that the situation called for every ounce of his energies, yet he would -have given a year of life for a nap in security. - -Afternoon and six bells, which a Russian struck forward, brought sight -of the open sea rimmed by a dark line to southward which marked the -island of St. Lawrence. Stirling raised his glasses and swept the -horizon to the north and east. He was on the point of lowering them from -his eyes when a speck stood out with tiny distinctness. He focused for -this speck, and pieced together detail by detail, with splendid sight. -He smiled slightly as he dropped his hands to his sides and glanced down -at the deck. The revenue cutter _Bear_ had already sighted the _Pole -Star_. She was bearing to the north so as to head off the ship. There -seemed no escape, for the land on either coast ran into a funnel whose -snout was the Bering Strait. - -"Saved!" exclaimed Stirling. "I'm saved and she's saved. I think we are -saved--the girl and I. But Heaven help the others on this unfortunate -ship." - -Sincerely hoping for capture, Stirling prayed silently, raising the -glasses for a second sweep of the sea to the north and east. The speck -had grown into a trailing pencil of smoke which lay athwart the slaty -sky. - -Glancing over the crow's-nest, Stirling watched the Russian leader on -the poop. He saw a chart being unrolled like a huge rug, and two -Russians followed a pointing finger. The leader rose from a crouched -position and started to give an order to the wheelsman, then this order -died in his throat. A cry rolled along the ship, and was repeated in -guttural accents. The revolutionists gathered on the forepeak had -discovered the smoke over the starboard rail, and pointed and muttered -as they realized its import. - -A bell clanged as the leader reached for the engine-room telegraph and -set it for full speed. Seamen of doubtful ability swarmed aloft and -started unfurling the upper canvas; three reached the fore-topgallant -yard and went out on the footrope with clumsy feet. - -They were so near to Stirling he could have shot them from the spars. -The _Pole Star_ canted and drove north along the meridian line, its -course parallel to that of the fast-coming _Bear_. - -The hour that followed was filled with mingled hopes and fears. The -revenue cutter had been rated a speedy ship by whalers who knew it, but -it was two knots slower than the _Pole Star_. This fact came home to -Stirling with the force of a blow. The canvas which the Russians set had -aided in the long running. The _Bear_ was not closing the gap to any -extent, but held doggedly on. - -Stirling studied the distance, saw that it was a losing game, then -reached in his pocket for the revolver. He could hit the wheelsman, who -was standing on the poop, and this would cause the ship to sheer. He -took slow aim. The shot he fired missed the wheelsman's head by inches; -the second shot splintered a spoke; the third caught the wheelsman in -the left shoulder. He released his hold and cried a warning. - -The crew swarmed up the poop steps, glared toward the crow's-nest, and -set about building a barricade before the wheel. This was done as -Stirling ceased his firing; their number was too great to accomplish -anything of lasting moment. The cartridges in the tiny gun were running -low, and the bullets were of too small a calibre to slay save when they -struck a vital spot. - -A second idea came to him as he pocketed the gun. Reaching downward he -searched for a knife, which should have been in the binocular case of -the crow's-nest. With it he could cut the lines leading to all the sails -on the foremast, which ran by the crow's-nest and up the topmast. The -knife was missing! - -"I'm beat!" he said. "The _Bear_ will never catch us!" - - - - -CHAPTER XXV--IN THE GRIP OF THE UNKNOWN - - -The _Bear_ had one fact in its favour: the two ships were driving for -the Bering Strait. The Strait was less than forty miles from headland to -headland, and between the two capes lay the Diomede Islands. It was -possible that the _Bear_ would head off the _Pole Star_ before reaching -the Arctic Ocean. - -Stirling studied the situation with scant hope. The Russians, urged to -desperation, had succeeded in getting every turn that was possible from -the screw. Steam plumed in the pipe aft of the funnel; the ship throbbed -and racked; the clang of doors and the lurid light which streamed from -the engine-room companion and the open hatches told of frantic work by -the leader who had a firm grip on the revolutionists. - -The Diomede Islands rose out of the sea and stood with their rocky walls -black against the sun. Far-off Cape Prince of Wales seemed a cloud bank -of sombre aspect. Stirling climbed to the top of the crow's-nest and -studied the picture. The fast-flying _Bear_ had held her own. The -distance between the two ships was not more than eight miles; this, -however, was beyond range of the _Bear's_ guns. - -"A stern chase," he said, with a glance at the horizon ahead. "We'll -make the Arctic." - -The _Pole Star_ crashed through light floe ice and sheered abeam of the -Diomedes. She headed almost west by the compass, which course would -bring her in sight of Herald Island and Wrangel Land. - -Heavier ice fields loomed ahead, and Stirling watched them with concern. -The Russian wheelsman peered over the barricade and took his orders from -the leader; the ship ported and starboarded, then steadied with clumsy -steering. The crash of ancient floes against her stem, and the grating -as the ice slipped alongside, caused the revolutionists to cry aloud. -They swarmed over the forepeak and pointed excitedly. - -Stirling glanced aft. The _Bear_ had not been so fortunate in choosing a -passage through the ice, and had dropped back in the chase. He acted -with sudden inspiration. - -Leaning over the edge of the crow's-nest he cried: "Make for the open -sea, you fools! Starboard three points! If you don't we'll all be -crushed!" - -The leader blinked upward and widened his small eyes. He was a gross man -in a uniform of furs and sealskin boots stolen from the _Pole Star's_ -slop-chest. He turned to the wheelman after a quick squint toward the -ice ahead. - -The wheel was changed. The ship sheered, missed a heavy-floe formation, -and entered a lane of drift ice. - -"Steady!" shouted Stirling, feeling the wine of the game. "Hold her -steady, there!" - -He smiled despite the danger, for the act of giving commands and finding -them obeyed showed that the Russians were new to ice work. They would -most certainly wreck the ship and drown all on board. The century-old -floes through which they glided had been detached from the polar pack, -but once past these, a course held for the America shore would bring -safety. - -The _Bear_ had not been as fortunate as the poacher. The ice between the -Diomedes and Cape Prince of Wales was almost impassable, and the -lieutenant in charge of the revenue cutter decided to take no chances. -He reduced speed and struck for the Alaskan coast, since it was evident -that this course would again intercept the poacher. Their place of -meeting would be off Kotzebue Sound. - -Stirling forgot the massacre aboard the _Pole Star_. He never had sided -with the former crew; and the revolutionists, with their ignorance of -the ice, were less to be feared. They had seized a ship, were running -amuck, but at least had the virtue of motion. Their end might come in a -score of ways, and it was to Stirling's interest to see that the ship -remained afloat. There were the girl and Marr and the Frisco dock rat to -consider. - -Stirling's blood tingled at the excitement of the game; he breathed the -refreshing air and raised his square shoulders. Open water and whale -slick showed ahead, and beyond this the eastern horizon and the gray -shadow of land. They were now plunging north by the compass, with a -slight inclination toward the east. The course, he figured, should read -northeast by north. - -Lulled by the swaying and throbbing of the ship, he sensed a progression -of true adventure. He had come North to whale. The whaling voyage had -turned into an illicit sealing expedition. Now the revolutionists -closely followed by the _Bear_, held the deck. - -The low Arctic sun swung closer to the horizon. Within the purple haze -astern came flashes of crimson light which died to lavender, and the -lavender into velvet dusk. Night was falling upon the wild sea. It was -well past ten o'clock. The revolutionists, busy at the fires and the -gin, gave scant attention to the ship's bells. - -Stirling dozed with his head against the rim of the crow's-nest, woke at -odd times, and yawned. Sleep had overcome his stout frame. He peered -down at the deck, saw that it was almost deserted, then lowered himself -into the bottom of the nest and rested his chin on his drawn-up knees. -Here he slumbered through the night. - -Awaking with a start of surprise, he found that the day had dawned. He -rose and stared out over the bow of the ship. Ice floes showed close to -the port rail, and beyond these the open sea and the cold glint of the -great North pack. He swung to starboard and studied the haze through -which the sun was rising on a long slant. Land was there, and he made a -swift calculation--the ship must be crossing the open Kotzebue Sound. - -Out of the land mist as the sun veiled itself behind a cloud there -emerged a leaping thing of well-sheeted canvas and belching funnels. The -_Bear_ had stolen a march on the poacher during the hours of the night, -and a shot came skipping across the waves. It missed the _Pole Star's_ -stern by a scant cable's length. Another followed from the revenue -cutter's bow gun, and this burst in the whaleboats that lined the -starboard rail. - -A roar of fright and defiance rolled upward to Stirling. The leader -sprang from the galley house and dashed up the poop steps. A horde of -his followers swarmed from the forecastle hatch and the forehold, and -some leaped down the engine-room companion. The funnel belched big -clouds of smoke and the fire doors clanged. The _Pole Star_ swerved -toward the west and the open sea. This manoeuvre saved the -revolutionists from certain capture. - -Stirling waited with held breath and rigid lips. It was nip and tuck for -the flying poacher, but gradually the distance between her and the -cutter increased. The next shots fell short. - -Men danced on deck and shook their fists toward the cutter, while the -stokehold crew took turns in coming to the rail of their hatchway and -raving at the _Bear_. They glanced aloft at the lone figure in the -crow's-nest, but there was no malice in their expressions. - -Stirling's blood tingled at the excitement of the game, and he lost his -enmity for the Russians. They acted like children freed from bondage. -They had fled from Vladivostok, been wrecked in the Gulf of Anadir, and -were now on the second leg of their adventure. It led to the icy North -and strange waters. - -The ship plunged away from the coast and toward the North pack. Stirling -realized that the _Bear_ would follow to the bitter end, and he knew -there was also another revenue cutter in the Arctic Ocean--the chances -were slim for the Russians to escape, and the trap might be sprung at -Point Barrow which juts far out into the Arctic. - -Hurtling west, and then edging toward the north as the day advanced, the -_Pole Star_ avoided the pack and settled down to steady progress toward -the American shore in the vicinity of Icy Cape. - -The day unrolled with the cold sun swinging over the land and through -the mists. The night, which came with slow shadowing, found Stirling -weak and listless from lack of food and water, and he realized that an -effort would have to be made to escape from the crow's-nest. The crew -had drunk the entire store of gin and trade whisky, and they roamed the -deck in groups, their attention fastened upon the low coast along which -many Arctic whalers had been wrecked. The passageway between this coast -and the grounded ice was narrow in places. A north-easter would crush -the ship and drive it ashore. - -The lane of ice-free waters widened as Cape Lisburne was passed. This -lane often had been blocked by light floes, and Stirling studied the -grounded pack to the west and north, coming to the conclusion that the -season would be an extremely open one. Never before in his experience -had he seen clearer steaming to the eastward. - -Night came on with the _Pole Star_ logging thirteen knots. The ship was -surprisingly handled by the Russians, who worked more by intuition than -from experience, but they had the sense of drift and direction. The -_Bear_ was left hull down in the flecked field astern, but still coming -on grimly. - -Walruses and seals were distributed by the wash of the ship; lone wolves -howled from the shore; a polar bear lumbered over the ice as the _Pole -Star_ crashed through, staggered, and resumed its eastward course. The -Russians on deck surged aft for fear of catastrophe. Surrounding the -wheelman and the leader, they peered anxiously toward the after -companion which was barricaded on the inside. - -Streamers of yellow light shot athwart the eastern heavens, and this -light brightened into a nebula of crimson. The aurora played and -flickered and surged upward toward the zenith, while through it the pale -stars shone. A moon rose and rolled along the lowland which lay between -Lisburne and Icy Cape. The Barren Country stood revealed in cold -splendour, stretching to the ramparts of the Mackenzie River and the -mountains at Fort Yukon. - -A sense of motion came to Stirling, for he knew the waters. Never -before, however, had he found the sea so open. The aged and grounded -floes were well to the northwest, and had not been driven above the -seven-fathom line. The lane they left for navigation was wide enough to -float all the navies of the world, and only a great storm would close it -behind the _Pole Star_. - -Midnight found Stirling weary of the details of the voyage and weak from -lack of food and water. A languor stole over his rugged frame; he yawned -and attempted to sleep, but a clang of a fire door and a quarter-point -swing of the ship awakened him to dull consciousness. He peered over the -edge of the crow's-nest. - -The deck below seemed a haven; there was food and water there. The way -down would be short. He searched about for some sign of the Russians. -Aside from the wheelman's head over the barricade and a towering leader -standing by the weather rail of the quarter-deck, there was no one in -sight. - -The funnel, almost beneath shrouds, was crowned with a ring of fire, and -a shift of wind now and then drove smoke upward. Stirling choked in -this, tried to marshal the details of an escape, but felt his position -was far too desperate to await daylight. The Russians were sleeping off -the last of the gin. Their leader had given orders to drive for Point -Barrow and take the chances to be met there. - -Stirling widened his eyes and pressed his hand to his hot brow, studying -the white lane of water which was bordered by ice on one quarter and the -dark land upon the other. A providence had the ship in its grip. Small -floes were avoided by no effort of the wheelman and thin ice, formed -overnight, was ripped as satin by a knife. - -Point Barrow was less than five hours' steaming ahead, and beyond the -Point, with its whaling station and its native village, lay the open Sea -of Beaufort and the unknown land of Keenan. It was a desperate sea into -which to venture, and the horror of the short month came home to -Stirling. He was facing cold, starvation, and isolation--a trinity of -despair. - -The stars paled as the slow dawn started creeping along the eastern -heavens. The onward surge of the ship through the dream scene of flecked -ice patches and mirrorlike water became a vision of unreality. - -Stirling searched the way ahead, and recognized familiar landmarks from -other voyages. The ribs of a whale ship showed high driven upon the -tundra. This was the wreck of the _George M. Foster_, thrust ashore -three seasons before by the pressure of the North pack. - -Other wrecks marked the beach, showing where a fleet of whalers had -attempted to gain the shelter of Point Barrow. A northwester had -scattered them and laid their bones out upon the pale Arctic wilds. Men -had died there from starvation and cold. - -Native villages showed, with their summer huts gaunt and bare against -the snow, and behind them igloos, fast melting in the warm air. Kayaks -and umiaks dotted the beach; dogs came down to the shore and stared at -the ship. A head was thrust through a tent's bark door, and a hand -waved. Then afterward had come the rushing of dark forms along the -tundra and the cries of natives. - -The wheelsman held the centre of the course between the North pack and -the sand spits. The leader, muffled to the eyes in sealskin, came out of -the galley and glanced aloft. The orders he gave were for more steam, -and the funnel belched forth smoke and driven cinders. The screw -thrashed as the ship hurtled on into the brightening dawn. - -Stirling climbed out of the crow's-nest, lowered his legs over its -forward edge, and sat there with his hands gripping one of the -downhauls. The sea ahead was polished and rippleless, the way to Point -Barrow was open, and already the land had bent to the north and west. -They were now rounding Alaska. - -A shout rose from the dark deck, forms swarmed from the forecastle, and -the ship took on churning life. The leader had sensed the danger to be -met with at Point Barrow. A premonition had seized him that the _Bear_ -might have signalled by wireless to a waiting government boat. - -Stirling divined that this would be the case, and pressed his palm -against his head. The throbbing of the ship, felt at the masthead, drove -a surge of nausea through his stout frame. The end was close at hand, -unless they struck out to open sea, through the ice floes, and avoided -the Point. - -A misted sun rose in the north and east, directly before the taper jib -boom of the _Pole Star_. It drove the last of the aurora from the sky, -rose in a rolling eye of fire, and brought out all the details of the -stretching Arctic wild. - -To the north and west showed great floes, which had grounded upon the -shallow land which marked the seven-fathom bank. Between these floes -lanes appeared, filled with whale slick and sporting seals. They led to -the true north and the solid pack below the cold horizon. - -Swinging the helm with sudden intuition, the leader drove the ship down -a wide lane and away from the shore. Stirling sensed this manoeuvre was -to avoid being sighted at the Point. The leader had spread a chart out -upon the quarter-deck, and his thumb traced a course which would take -him away from any possible pursuit; it would also be a venture into an -unknown sea. Blond Eskimos and castaways from Franklin's expedition were -supposed to people the polar shores of Banks and Keenan Land. - -Stirling studied the ship's deck with eyes brightened by hunger and -resolve. He sought for a place to descend--an opening which would allow -him to reach the forehold where stores and water could be found. - -The revolutionists were scattered from the forepeak to the break of the -poop. Smoke showed from the galley stovepipe. The engine-room crew and -stokehold crowd had redoubled their efforts in order to sheer the ship -from the land. Word had been passed down that the _Bear_ might signal -the government people at Point Barrow, which was almost in sight. - -Stirling glanced aft to where the Russian at the wheel was taking his -orders from the leader who had sprung upon the weather rail and was -holding to the mizzen shrouds. - -The chance for escape from the crow's-nest had come. The mainsail hung -from the main yard, and its flapping canvas would afford some slight -shelter. Stirling weighed the opportunity and prepared to make the -effort. The open main hatch invited with its glimpse of boxes and -scattered trade stuff. - -He lowered himself from the crow's-nest and stood on the jack above the -Jacob's ladder. Here he was sheltered from a chance glance aloft. He -poised himself, gathered together his remaining strength, then reached -downward and grasped the ladder's top, his eyes slowly swinging aft. -They rested on the barricade of canvas which had been erected forward of -the cabin companion. A form moved behind this canvas, and the eastern -light brought out the details. It was Slim, the Frisco dock rat, a -ragged tam-o'-shanter capping his uncut hair. - -With his face pressed over the edge of the canvas, Slim took in the -details of the ship and the revolutionists and frowned. A second form -moved close to his side and the girl glanced over the canvas, her eyes -raised in tearful search of the crow's-nest. When they lighted upon -Stirling, she beckoned with a white finger, then gave a heart-rendering, -poignant call of distress. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVI--IN THE SUDDEN DARKNESS - - -The Ice Pilot had no way to answer the piercing call of the girl, yet -the revolutionists might detect her presence at any moment. The leader -was alert and kept sweeping the sea to port for a chance opening which -would lead farther away from the land. He turned once toward the -wheelsman, berated him in Russian for not putting the wheel over soon -enough, as the ship narrowly escaped a heavy floe. - -Again the girl beckoned as Stirling watched the two forms beyond the -canvas barricade. This time she had lifted her pale face so that he -could see her shoulders and arms. They were slight and childish, and -tears glistened upon her cheeks. Her call was not to be denied, and -Stirling lowered his legs, swung far out over the deck, hesitated in -that position, and turned his head. - -Slim, the sole survivor of the forecastle crew, was reaching downward, -his back straining. He straightened up and staggered aft to the -taffrail. The burden he carried froze Stirling in the act of descending -the ladder, and an icy chill swept through the Pilot's body, which -almost unnerved him. He wound his fingers about the ratlines and -breathed deeply. The Arctic air seemed strangely quiet. - -Slim reached the rail and lifted one leg to the top. He removed his -tasselled cap, shifted his burden, turned and glanced at the girl, who -had covered her eyes with her hands; then he raised the body he carried -and hurled it astern of the fast-driving _Pole Star_. - -Stirling watched the rude burial with straining eyes. Marr had been -wounded by the rock which had struck his breast in the fight with the -revolutionists, and the little skipper must have died some time after -the blow. He, perhaps, had been nursed tenderly by the girl during the -hours of the chase from the Gulf of Anadir. Her call showed that she -feared Slim, who was now alone with her in the stern of the _Pole Star_. - -Again Stirling stared at the girl. She removed her hands from her eyes, -turned slowly, and grasped the edge of the canvas barricade. Her hair -had fallen and she stood revealed as a frail creature in the grip of a -strong man. She motioned with a flutter of her hand as she released her -fingers from the canvas, then slowly sank to her knees, buried her face -in her palms, and sobbed. - -Slim turned from the taffrail, squared his shoulders with an upward -jerk, and eyed the girl. He smiled cunningly, then came forward, glanced -at the Russian leader in the shrouds, and tapped the girl on the arm. - -Stirling started descending the shrouds with fevered energy. He reached -the standing rigging and found a foothold in the ratlines, turned his -chin, and glared aft like a shaggy bear. The girl and Slim had vanished -down the companion and the noise they made in closing the companion -slide had attracted the attention of the leader. His head was quarter -faced away from view. - -It was then that Stirling sprang to the deck, and dashed for the open -main hatch. His way to the poop was barred by a group of revolutionists -gathered at the port rail in the waist. They were watching the unfolding -shore where it flattened out into Point Barrow. A cruiser cutter showed -there, flags flying from her signal halyards, steam jetting from aft her -funnel. She was balked, however, for a rampart of century-old ice formed -a barrier between the lane in which she rode and the one through which -the _Pole Star_ was striking out to the north and west. - -Stirling hesitated a moment at the hatch. He saw that the cutter had -waited off the Point in expectancy of capturing the poacher. The chase -might lead out from shore and into the pack ice which extended to the -Pole. - -A shout rolled along the deck from aft, and the leader turned in time to -see the crouching figure by the main hatch. He called, and the Russians -at the rail wheeled and started over the deck. Stirling reached in his -pocket, brought forth the little silver-plated revolver, and jabbed it -forward. The knot of men recoiled. Others swarmed out from the galley -house and rounded it with careful steps, but they, too, held back. - -Stirling laughed defiantly. He feared the croaking sound of his own -voice, so parched and dry was his throat. He pocketed the revolver, -grasped the edge of the hatch, swinging out and into the sheer. His feet -crushed a box as he landed in the hold. He straightened himself, raised -his arms, and, blinking in the sudden darkness, stumbled aft toward the -lazaret, and the way to the cabin where the girl was quartered. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVII--IN THE PIT - - -The main hold was littered with a maze of boxes, bales, and bundles, the -last made up of sealskins roughly bound, with salt sprinkled upon the -fleshy side of the pelts. This precaution had been taken by Marr and -Whitehouse on the day following the raid. - -Stirling paused near where the deck beams allowed a narrow passage -through to the lazaret, and under a hatchway which led to the galley -house and the cook's quarters. He glanced around and allowed his eyes to -accustom themselves to the darkness. - -None of the revolutionists had dared follow him down through the main -hatch. The sight of the revolver he had flashed at them was a stern -reminder, and he felt of this weapon as he waited. He heard the steady -clamp of the engines and the calls in Russian as the stokehold crew were -urged to greater efforts. - -The _Pole Star_ was striking away from Point Barrow, and had sheltered -herself in a long lane of ice reaching deep within the North pack. It -would be fortunate, indeed, if this lane opened and allowed the ship -through to the sea to eastward. - -Stirling found a box in the lazaret which had been crashed open by a -rude heel, and through the hole in this he drew out a double handful of -hard and dry ship's biscuits. He munched on these, and glanced about for -water. None was in sight. He found several empty gin cases from which -the square faces had been removed; a dark corner of the lazaret was -piled with small, strong boxes. The lower tier of these contained -bottles of ginger ale and soda. He emptied three bottles of soda, waited -a few minutes, and then started drinking the fourth. - -The effect was magical. The ship's biscuits, whose food value is high, -served to refresh his weary body, and he stared around with some -interest in his surroundings. - -A stout door, heavily barred by a crossbeam in the bulkhead, indicated -the way to the stokehold and the after part of the ship. He moved -through the gloom and tested this crossbeam. It could be lifted, but he -paused to listen. Clanking doors and scraping shovels on the iron plates -of the stokehold marked where the Russians were feeding the _Pole -Star's_ fires. - -There was no way through to the cabin and the girl save by way of the -stokehold and the engine room, and the deck was crowded with alert -revolutionists. - -Stirling dropped his hand into the side pocket of his pea-jacket and -felt the cold assurance of the little revolver's steel. It nerved him as -he drew out his hand and lifted the crossbar which the cook had placed -in order to prevent a raid on the lazaret. - -An opening showed, lurid with furnace fires and hot coals. Three -Russians, stripped to the waist, were lounging in one corner of the -stokehold, and all were smoking cigarettes made from cut plug and tissue -paper. Their attention was on a fourth Russian, who was watching the -steam gauge above the central boiler. - -Stirling widened the door by a steady pull with his fingers, and stared -beyond the Russian to where an opening showed in the bulkhead. This -opening marked the way to the engine room and the after part of the -ship. - -Bunker doors and slides showed to port and starboard, and the coal lay -piled where the passers had shovelled it. A Russian tossed away his -cigarette, seized a scoop shovel, and stepped to the after door of the -forward furnace. The glare which filled the stokehold as he opened the -door gave Stirling an opportunity. - -Risking all on the venture, he flung wide the bulkhead door which led -from the lazaret and dashed across the scattered coal, reaching the -opening to a spare bunker on the starboard side of the hold before he -was discovered. Then a Russian shouted a warning, and the chief of the -stokehold crew swung from the furnaces and stared through the half -light. - -Stirling brushed aside the lunging form of a revolutionist, and struck a -second Russian a swinging blow beneath the ear. Plunging on, he gained -the door which led to the engine room as a slice bar was hurled in his -direction. - -He wheeled at the door and braced himself. The Russian he had struck was -slowly rising from the iron plate before the spare bunker, and a form -swung from the reflection of light which streamed out of an ash box and -lunged forward. Stirling called a warning as he bent, twisted, and -worked his way through the bulkhead door until he reached the alleyway -which led to the engine room. - -Flashing crank shafts and the polished glow of metal blinded him. Men -were on the gratings and halfway up the ladder which led to the deck -companion. Stirling dodged around the first and second intermediate -cylinders, rested a hand on the huge low-pressure cylinder; then he -dropped to one knee, squirmed beneath the tail shaft, and started -crawling down the shaft alley. - -The Russians had been too startled to prevent this manoeuvre, but now -they came aft with torches and pinch bars. The glow from the overhead -sun which streamed through the deck light brought out the details of the -shaft alley as far aft as the second coupling. Behind this was a narrow -pit compressed on each side by heavy planking and sloping at the bottom -into the fan-shaped overhang of the _Pole Star's_ stern. - -Stirling worked his way aft to the thrust bearings, which were three in -number. Here the pit was dark and damp, and he turned and glanced -forward. The faint light which marked the outlines of the shaft alley -grew stronger as he waited. - -A burly form moved within the gloom, then another man joined the first -Russian. Hammer blows sounded, and the light vanished as if a shade had -been drawn. Stirling, with every sense alert, guessed the reason for the -darkness. The revolutionists in the engine room had brought aft a number -of sheets of boiler plate, and these they had erected about the tail -shaft where it entered the engine room. - -A grim smile creased Stirling's lips as he waited. The way now was -barred by three-eighth-inch iron; he was a prisoner in the pit. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVIII--THE THIRD DOOR - - -A faint sound from above echoed throughout the alleyway, and Stirling -turned his head, listening with every sense alert. The sound was -repeated, then footfalls grated on the deck planks. The clank of the -engines and the whirling shaft drowned out further steps in the cabin. - -Stirling reached toward the thrust bearings, measured the distance, and -thought deeply. He was directly beneath the alleyway which extended from -the staterooms to the after companion--the girl and Slim, the Frisco -dock rat, were above him. - -He touched the planks, feeling the seams between the inch-thick decking. -He traced these seams and found that they ended in a coaming at each -side of the shaft alley. These were secured to the deck beams by screws -which in turn were covered by tree-nails. The barrier seemed impassable. - -The throbbing of the screw, driven to its limit, had a lulling effect -upon Stirling, who sank to his knees and crawled along the alleyway -until his fingers touched a thrust block; sitting on this he dropped his -head into his greasy hands and thought, his brain swirling in the maze -of doubt and unreality. - -He had no tool with which he could cut his way upward, and his problem -was to get in communication with the girl so that a passage could be -bored through the deck planks. - -The polished shaft at his side attracted his attention and he felt of -it, counting the revolutions. They were slightly faster than the beat of -his pulse. The power of a thousand horses was there in that rod of -steel, and he wondered vaguely if there was any way to turn it to -account. - -The covers for the thrust blocks and shaft bearings were firmly bolted -down. He groped about and searched every corner of the alleyway, finding -an inch bolt and a battered oil can. These he placed by the thrust block -and continued the search. - -A faint light from the engine room illuminated the forward end of the -shaft alley, and he crawled to this opening and peered through. The -low-pressure cylinder and the engine frame prevented further scrutiny, -but the shadows that moved across the gratings above the cylinder marked -the presence of the revolutionists. One, perhaps, was on guard. - -Stirling thrust his fingers through the plate which had been nailed to -prevent his escape. Straining, he saw that he could move the lower -section of iron sheeting. An object under the after bearing of the -engine had attracted his attention--a long strip of leather belting -coated with grease and oil. - -He moved the plate, and waited; then he crawled halfway through the -opening and secured the belt, Backing carefully, he worked his way aft -to the thrust block. - -He now had a belt and a bolt and with these crude tools he intended -boring through the planks over his head. The task was a painful one. He -would have to arrange the belt so that it would run under the shaft and -over the bolt, which was turned by the shaft's power. Its corners might -work through the plank. - -He found that the bolt was too small in diameter to secure any result, -and that the belt slipped and would not turn the shank. He laid the bolt -down and picked up the oil can, whose shape suggested the solution of -the problem. - -Removing the oil spout by unscrewing it from the top of the can, he -inserted the bolt in its place. The can turned freely with the bolt as -an axle. - -Stirling smiled through the grime upon his features. His mind had -evolved a saw of the superior order, power driven and bound to be -effective. He waited before he went on with the experiment. - -The seething of the water told him that they were still hurtling through -the lane of ice, and floes grated alongside. A shout echoed backward -from the engine room, and the clank of steam-driven rods rose to a -crescendo of effort. The _Pole Star_ was striking out to open sea and -the unknown waters to the north and east of Point Barrow. - -The cutter cruiser had been distanced, and the _Bear_ was a slow third -in the chase. There was no way to tell where the pursuit would lead. -Stirling thought dimly of the northeast passage and the way to Baffin -Bay. Only madmen could effect such an enterprise. - -Steps sounded above as Stirling toyed with the can, and he heard them -going aft. Others followed; these were lighter. There came then the -faint echo of a scuffle and the low cry of a woman, followed by a man's -rude laugh as the light steps ran forward and a door slammed. - -Stirling constructed the scene in his mind: The dock rat had seized the -girl and embraced her, and she had torn herself from his grasp. The -slamming door told that she had barricaded herself in the cabin. It was -time to interfere. The inch-thick planks overhead formed the only -obstruction, and he felt of them, then reached for the oil can. - -The belt tightened over the polished shaft and over the rim of the can, -which was at least three inches in diameter. The bolt acted as a rod, -and the cutting edge as it touched the plank ground through for a -quarter inch and then refused to work deeper. - -Stirling saw the reason for this: The copper of the can had no abrasive -edge. He lowered the can, drew out his revolver, and started nicking the -metal. Each blow sounded like a hammer stroke in his straining ears, and -he feared to dent the bottom of the can so freely that it could not be -straightened. He pocketed the revolver and felt the edge. It was rough, -at any rate. - -The improvised saw now cut into the overhead plank as he pressed the -bolt upward with straining arms. The belt slipped at times, but he -waited and tried anew. The power which was in the tail shaft of the -engines was sufficient for a thousand saws. - -Dust and splinters dropped down upon his tense face, but he held on -grimly with one determination mastering his thoughts: The girl was in -danger. She was barricaded in her stateroom, and the dock rat was -probably sitting by the great table in the main cabin--with a vast -reservoir of gin and whisky from which to draw. - -Stirling felt the edge of the can bite through the plank in one place. -He lowered it and examined the opening. The belt had stretched under the -strain and had permitted a cut of seven or eight inches in length. - -Crossing the belt, Stirling started a second cut at a right angle to the -first, and worked on with his arms aching and growing numb from the -strained position. The oil in the can had served for lubrication to the -bolt, but when this oil dried, the bolt squeaked, and the can became -hot. - -He lowered it from the cut in the deck plank and the smell of hot oil in -the shaft bearings gave him an idea. There was enough grease and oil -packed with waste there to keep the bearings cool. He lifted a cover and -dug out a handful of dripping packing, which he squeezed into the can. -The bolt was now lubricated. - -Though working in almost total darkness, he made rapid progress, and -still no sound came from above. The dock rat probably was sleeping -across the table; the girl had not moved in her cabin. - -The first faint light which streamed through the crack he made steeled -Stirling to renewed efforts. He enlarged the opening and stood erect. - -The view was a limited one of an ornate ceiling stamped here and there -with fresco and border designs. In the centre of this ceiling gleamed -the frosty light from an electric dome. Three lamps burned, despite the -fact that a soft glow was filling the splendid cabin. This glow came -from the breaking dawn which made rosy the deck light and cabin -companion. - -Stirling removed his eye from the crack and felt the grooves he had cut -in the planking. They were almost sufficient for his purpose. He trimmed -a corner with his improvised saw, ran the saw through a deep cut till it -severed the plank's edge, then pressed firmly upward. The trapdoor he -had cut was held by only a few splinters. - -He waited and reviewed his position. The revolutionists were busy with -the engines and the furnaces, and their shouts came aft with muffled -curses. The clang of a bell told that the leader had urged more steam, -and the ship was hurtling through a sea free from ice. Stirling could -hear no grating along the run. - -He worked forward, guiding himself by the touch of the polished tail -shaft. The barricade of iron plates was an effective barrier to a sudden -rush. There was scant danger from the Russians. The sentry they had -placed on guard stood high on the gratings overlooking the opening to -the shaft alley. Stirling peered through a crack in the plates and -watched him. He was looking intently at the two intermediate cylinders. - -Working aft with careful steps, Stirling reached his trapdoor and -listened. A sound of deep breathing came to him. Slim, the dock rat, was -directly above, where he choked now and then, and his arms moved over -the racks of the table. Then he was still--save for the drunken -breathing which subsided almost to nothingness. - -Stirling braced his shoulders against the planks, pressed his feet upon -the shaft bearing, and strained with every muscle. A splintering noise -sounded. A second thrust tore loose the last of the planks. They -showered about him as he reached upward, rested his elbows on the edge, -and sprang to the deck of the cabin. - -Slim raised an arm, fell forward, lifted his chin, and turned it in a -slow arc. His eyes blinked as Stirling lunged for him with a bearlike -glide which was not to be denied. Strong fingers clasped about the dock -rat's throat; he was lifted from his chair and hurled across the floor -of the cabin. Stirling was after him with a quick stride. - -The struggle which followed was terrible in its intensity. Stirling had -the strength given to outdoor men; he was unskilled, however, and faint -from loss of sleep and food. Slim had learned boxing and wrestling along -the San Francisco water front. He squirmed to his knees, twisted from -Stirling's grip, and lowered his head for a rush. Stirling met this -attack with a savage reaching of arms and a grunt as Slim uppercut with -vicious strength. They fell into a clinch, they swayed and staggered -about the cabin, overturning chairs and stools. - -Stirling's clean living began to tell as the Ice Pilot recovered his -wits and became more careful. Lunging blows straightened and became -jabs, hugs gave place to standing exchange of blows. The dock rat leered -from puffed eyes and searched about for a weapon. A brass bomb gun and a -Remington rifle lay across the table. He dodged and reached for the bomb -gun, his fingers closing over the barrel, when Stirling leaped the -distance and wound his arms about Slim's waist. - -The dock rat, catapulted through the air, crashed against the sheathing -of the starboard wall. He managed to rise, but Stirling was over the -planks and upon him with a vicious outthrust of his jaw. The madness of -the struggle had completely mastered the Ice Pilot, who fought -furiously. - -Soon Slim lay still. Stirling, looking about for a cord or line, saw a -tassel protruding from a curtain which covered the alleyway leading aft. -Jerking this loose, he lunged swiftly to Slim's side, drew his arms -behind him, and completed a sailor's job of tying and splicing from -which no man could escape. - -The dock rat opened one eye and moaned. Stirling drew back and glanced -sternly at him, his bulk seeming to fill the cabin. - -Slim closed his eyes and moaned for a second time. "Let me loose," he -managed to say. - -"Stay there!" Stirling said with a slow glance around. - -The curtain attracted his attention. It had been partly wrenched from -its pole by the drawing away of the cord. Beyond it lay the alleyway and -the cabins of the after part of the ship. The girl's cabin was one of -four. - -"Which stateroom is the girl in?" he asked, leaning over Slim. - -The sailor squirmed and dragged at his arms where they were bound, -rolled over, and stared upward at the deck. A light streamed down from -the barricaded companion, a light which heralded the rising of the sun. -Stirling followed the dock rat's glance and studied the shadow, then -wheeled swiftly and saw a tiny ship's clock set in the wall. A hasty -calculation of time and shadow showed him that the _Pole Star_ was -driving east by true reckoning and north by compass. The variation was -all of ninety degrees. - -He listened to the progress of the ship as he waited for the dock rat to -answer his question. The throbbing of the screw and the swift rush of -water under the counter showed that the revolutionists were still -extending their efforts. The great bight of sea beyond Point Barrow and -off the mouth of the Mackenzie River was being crossed. The land ahead -would be unknown territory, filled with danger and starvation. - -Weakly Stirling turned; all the fight seemed to have left him, and he -swayed as he glanced downward. The sailor had closed his lips in a hard -line, and there was malice and calculation in his sharp, darting glances -about the cabin. - -Stirling shrugged his shoulders, dropped on one knee, and felt the cord. -It was drawn sufficiently tight. Rising slowly, the Ice Pilot breathed -deeply, feeling the aching muscles of his chest as they expanded; then -he set in order the chairs and stools of the cabin and lifted the rifle -until it swung in a natural manner under his right armpit. - -"Stay right there!" he commanded as he glanced toward the sailor. He was -surprised at the sound of his own voice, unnatural and falsely tuned. - -Shaking his head with weariness, he advanced to the curtain, brushed it -aside with his left hand, and strode down the alleyway, where four doors -offered themselves. Each was closed. He knocked at the first, but there -was no answer; it was the same with the second. - -The third door proved to be that of the girl's room. He heard her -stirring inside as he repeated the knock, then listened with bent head. -He felt the room was sacred--he had known so little of women that they -all were holy to him, and he told himself that he was committing a -sacrilege. - -He tapped again--this time lightly. A poignant sobbing greeted his ears. - -He bent his head closer and said: "It's me. Don't be afraid. I'm -Stirling--the Ice Pilot. I'm the one who was in the crow's-nest." - -He strained his ears, and the sobbing ceased. A hand was on the latch; -the door started to slide open. - -"It's me," he repeated as the hand that pressed the door hesitated. "I'm -all right," he added, with tired assurance. "I'm armed, and that sailor -is taken care of--the one who insulted you." - -The door slid open swiftly, and the girl stood framed in the aperture. -Her hair was down her back, her wide eyes swollen from tears and -distress. - -He rested the rifle against his hip. "Are you all right?" he asked, -sincerely. "Are you?" - -"Yes--now, I am." The glance that lifted to his own was frank and -shimmering with amazement. Stirling glanced over her shoulder full into -a long cheval mirror, and recoiled as he looked at his own reflection. -The oil and grease of the shaft alley, the week-old stubble of beard, -the wan, red-rimmed eyes which shone from hollow sockets--these made a -picture of desperate adventure. - -"You'll have to excuse me," he said. "I didn't know I looked like this." - -The girl smiled and extended her hand. "You came to me," she said, -bravely. "That's what I wanted." - -Stirling nodded and rubbed his chin with his palm, then turned and -stared toward the curtain. Slim had rolled over and was hammering the -cabin deck with his heels in an endeavour to escape the bonds around his -wrists and elbows. - -"I found him," said Stirling. "What do you say if we go in -there--Miss--Miss----" - -"Miss Marr--Helen Marr," she said, quickly, as she came gliding out of -the door. "You see," she added, "I'm not a bit frightened--at you!" - - - - -CHAPTER XXIX--TO SEE IT THROUGH - - -Rough-garbed and soiled from his efforts, Stirling led the way aft to -the large cabin of the _Pole Star_, then turned and held the curtain -back for Helen Marr. He bowed as she passed through and stood staring at -the prone form of the Frisco dock rat. - -"I'll attend to him, miss," declared Stirling. "Did he insult you?" - -The girl flushed slightly, but there was an assurance in her manner that -bespoke the daughter of the sea. She braced her slight form by leaning -against the table and turned to the Ice Pilot. "No; he didn't insult -me," she said. "He couldn't. But he is not a gentleman and never can be -one." - -Stirling stepped over the deck and reached downward, coiled his arms -about Slim, and raised him from the planks. - -"Hold the curtain," he said, softly. "I'll put this fellow out of harm's -way. There's a cabin just made for him, where we can feed him and watch -him." - -Helen Marr stared at Stirling as he shifted his burden, smiled slowly -through the grime of his lips, and staggered with Slim through the -curtain and down the alleyway to the cabin where Whitehouse and Marr had -kept him prisoner. - -He was back in three minutes with a key held between his fingers. "You -take this," he said with concern. "Take it and keep it. I'm going to -look around and find some water and a razor. I expect we're going to be -together for some time, as the revolutionists are heading east. I don't -want to frighten you with my appearance, Miss Marr." - -"There's running water and razors in uncle's cabin." - -Stirling stiffened and passed his hand over the stubble of his cheeks, -removing his cap as he asked, "So he was your uncle?" - -"Yes; Mr. Marr was my uncle. He brought me along on this trip because -there was nobody to look after me ashore. I was at boarding school in -Concord when he came for me." - -Stirling glanced at the girl with open sympathy, and she returned his -look, then blushed slightly, and moved away from the table. The key he -had given her dropped to the deck. She recovered it and brushed back her -hair as she rose. - -"I'm sorry he died," Stirling managed to say. "I'm sorry. But I don't -think he was doing right in bringing you North, and I don't think the -seal raid was right. You see I'm plain-spoken. I'm not used to young -ladies." - -A laugh echoed through the cabin. "You're a sight!" said Helen Marr. -"We'll get along. I don't fear anything at all now. Those awful Russians -are afraid of you." - -Stirling glanced at the barricaded deck light, and listened to the swift -rush of the ship through the smooth sea. A slight chill was in the air, -which spoke of ice fields to the north and east. - -He dropped his glance and swept the cabin. The bomb gun on the table was -a weapon in a thousand, and with it it would be possible to hold the -cabin against a large number of men. - -"The thing we have to find out," he said, "is how to stop the ship -before we go too far. We're off Herschel Island now. Another day's mad -steaming will wreck us sure. I don't want to see you wrecked." - -The girl pointed toward an after doorway. "That's uncle's cabin," she -said. "Go shave and fix yourself. Then we'll talk about things. I don't -think being wrecked is so terrible." - -Stirling shook his head and moved toward the cabin. He opened the door, -turned, and glanced backward, then went inside with the girl's face -stamped upon his memory. She was full of fire and youth, the voyage of -the _Pole Star_ had been an adventure for her. The death of Marr had not -saddened her. He found soap and a razor resting behind the washstand, -and with these started to make himself presentable. - -Strength and youth came through his features as he scraped and hacked; -simple in all his motions, he found himself for the first time in a -great hurry. The girl had appealed with elfin charm, though he knew no -more of women than landsmen know of the mysteries of the sea. - -After he had finished shaving, a good wash in cold water, a swift -parting of his hair, and a borrowed necktie from Marr's collection, -caused him to smile at his reflection in the glass. He stood the proper -figure of a man--four square to wind, weather, adversity, or the -revolutionists. - -The situation was desperate enough to call for all the strength of -Stirling's mind and muscle. The ship was heading due east by the -meridian, or north by magnetic compass, and the true Pole was being -thrown over the ship's port waist like a sinister shadow. Ahead lay the -Magnetic Pole and the land where Franklin and his brave men had perished -in the search for the northwest passage. - -Stirling looked from the mirror to the open porthole of the cabin, and -saw the low-lying land which marked the American continent. The water -was muddy and filled with driftwood, which indicated that Herschel -Island and the mouth of the Mackenzie River were being passed. - -"Our last wintering place," he said, with his face pressed to the -porthole. "Yonder she is. There's scant chance from now on." - -He turned and glanced about the cabin. A telltale compass over a -brass-bound bunk showed that the course read north. It changed a point -as the _Pole Star_ swung and dashed by a field of ancient ice. Then the -ship steadied, the engines clanked, and steps sounded overhead. The -revolutionists had gathered for a consultation. - -Stirling opened the door of the cabin, stepped out, and faced Helen Marr -who stood by the baby-grand piano which was lashed to the after part of -the bulkhead. - -"We're off Herschel Island," he said, running his fingers over his face -in anxiety. "I'm sorry for your sake. There are no winter quarters -beyond the Island that I know of; it's all lowland and dangerous -anchorage. We're in for it!" - -The girl inclined her head and listened, then pointed upward. A wan, -tired smile, that threw tiny wrinkles in the corners of her mouth, held -Stirling's eyes. She seemed suddenly older to him, and he wondered at -this change as he waited for her to speak. - -"They are above," she said at last. "Do you think they are plotting to -capture you?" Her voice had changed, and Stirling detected a note of -concern. He looked up and caught her glance full upon his own. She bit -her lip and flushed. - -He tried to stammer an answer, but none came that fitted the question. A -gulf had suddenly opened between them, and her eyes no longer held the -shimmer they had once contained. She had stared at him as if he had been -a ghost or spectre from another world, her manner suddenly grown cold. - -"What did I do?" he exclaimed. "Why do you look at me that way?" - -"Because--why, because I thought you were an old man. You're not!" - -Stirling straightened, and he felt his heart throbbing. "I'm forty-six," -he said. "That's old, isn't it?" - -The girl's face dimpled; the lines vanished from her lips and left her -openly frank and childish looking. "Forty-six?" - -"Going on forty-seven." - -"That isn't old. You look so different with a shave and a--wash. I'm -going to make you promise one thing." - -Stirling was ready to promise any number of things. "What is it?" he -asked. - -"That from now on you shave every day, and from now on we're--friends." - -"I'll promise that!" said Stirling, heartily. "We two are going to see -this thing through--as friends. You can trust me! We'll stand -guard--watch and watch." - - - - -CHAPTER XXX--IN SWIFT SALUTE - - -"You're not going to kill anybody?" Helen Marr asked, after a moment's -pause. - -"Not unless they try to harm you," Stirling replied. - -The girl raised her chin and thrust out her right hand. "I was always a -wild creature," she said. "Father died soon after I was born, and mother -let me run wild in Concord. Then uncle came from across the sea. He -always liked me; once he took me to England on a voyage. It was a Boston -ship he owned an interest in. I can reef and steer. I had a sloop in -Maine--all one summer." - -"Can you handle a rifle?" - -"Yes. Only I don't want to kill anybody." - -Stirling stepped to a gun rack on the starboard side of the cabin, went -over the rifles racked there, and picked out a light gun which Marr had -brought North for shooting seals. - -"We'll load this," he said, laying it across the table. "It's yours in -case of trouble. The revolutionists are getting into deep ice and the -time is coming when they will call on me. I may have to take command of -the ship. Otherwise----" - -His pause was suggestive. Helen Marr stared out through the nearest -porthole, then turned with a pucker showing at the corner of her mouth. -"What were you going to say?" she asked. - -"Otherwise we will be cast away in the land that Heaven forgot. There is -nothing up here but death and starvation. There is no food or shelter; -there is only cold and ice and desolation. It is almost all unexplored. -Coronation Gulf, where we are heading, leads to Victoria Strait and -Lancaster Sound. The passage was never made." - -"But the Russians may make it. Isn't the season an open one?" - -"So open that I fear we will go too far to turn back. There's coal -enough aboard to take us to Baffin Bay." - -"Uncle has been there." - -"But not from this side of the world." Stirling glanced about the cabin -and then stepped over to an ornate bookcase beneath which was a drawer -filled with maps. - -He unrolled a map and spread it across the table. "Come here," he said, -nodding to the girl. "I'll show you where we are and where we're -heading." - -The girl stepped close to his side and leaned over the chart, following -his pointing finger as he traced a course from Point Barrow to the mouth -of the Mackenzie River. "From there," he said, "we may strike two ways. -The most likely course is through Coronation Gulf, and then by Boothia -Gulf, but there's another route to the eastward. It leads west by the -compass and around this land." Stirling pressed his thumb on a maze of -inlets and narrow straits. "If the revolutionists try that course we're -cast away in the polar pack. It'll be all up with you and me." - -The girl drew back the chart and raised her finger to her lips, almost -pouting as she asked: "Are you afraid?" - -Stirling stammered and rolled up the chart with a swift motion of his -right palm. "Not exactly afraid," he said; "but with the crew on deck -that we have, there is every chance of getting nipped." - -"Nipped?" - -"Yes! Caught in the ice and crushed. Many ships have had that happen. I -remember the _Beluga_ and the _Prince Charles_ and the schooner _Rosy -Enders_. They all were nipped to the eastward of Herschel Island. We're -in the same waters." - -"But wouldn't it be splendid if the Russians got through to Baffin Bay? -Just think what the world would say. The Northwest Passage!" - -"The Northeast," corrected Stirling, with a faint smile. - -"Isn't there a big reward for going around the American Continent?" - -"There was; I don't know about it now. The Norwegians did it in a little -ship, but it took them years." - -The girl moved across the cabin and pressed her face to the nearest -porthole, then turned and found Stirling's eyes fastened upon her. - -"I see lots of ice," she said, navely. "There's ice everywhere." - -"Except ahead. We're going down a lane of open water between the floes -and the shore. Cape Bathurst should soon be sighted." - -The girl turned her head and glanced through the porthole. "I see land!" -she exclaimed, with a quiver in her voice. "It doesn't look so terrible. -There're green moss and trees--I think they are trees." - -"Arctic pines," Stirling said. "It's No Man's Land on this side of the -world. You stand watch with that Remington and I'll go look that sailor -over. He must be hungry." - -Stirling moved toward the curtain as the girl turned away from the open -porthole and stepped to the table where the rifle lay. She lifted it, -and frowned in perplexity as her fingers toyed with the trigger guard -and cocking mechanism. - -Suddenly she wheeled and laid down the rifle. "I couldn't shoot -anybody," she said, staring across the cabin. "Nobody is going to bother -us, now." - -"I'm not so sure, Miss Marr. There's a time coming when the -revolutionists will be in distress. Then there's Slim to reckon with. He -might escape while I'm sleeping. You know I haven't slept for days--just -a nap now and then in the crow's-nest and the shaft alley." - -Stirling hurried to the dock rat's cabin and pressed open the door after -inserting the key in the lock. Slim sat up and twisted his body. - -"Nice way you've left me," he said, bitterly. - -Stirling examined the bonds and smiled grimly, but he did not answer the -sailor. He glanced about the cabin, saw that the porthole was fastened -securely, then hurried back to the girl. - -"Please get biscuits and water," he said. "That sailor is doing fine. If -he doesn't keep it up I'll turn him over to the revolutionists." - -"He was all right until after uncle died," Helen said. "Then he started -drinking and saying things to me. I wasn't afraid of him, only----" - -"Only," interrupted Stirling, "you should have kept that little -revolver. I appreciated it, but you needed it worse than I did. Here it -is." - -Stirling dropped his hand into his pocket and brought out the little -silver-plated gun. "Take it, please," he said, "and--will you get me -some biscuits and water? I'll feed the sailor." - -The girl hurried through an after doorway, opened some tins in a small -pantry, and returned with a tray of crackers. She set these on the -table, and drew a pitcher of water from the tap in the cabin. - -Stirling studied her motions, and dreamed of a fairy or an elf. He was -staring at the steps which led to the cabin companion as she offered him -the pitcher of water. His eyes dropped, and his lips grew firm. "I'll be -back soon," he said in a far-off voice. "You watch for the -revolutionists. Fire that rifle if they attempt to get down." - -The sailor took the offering with bad grace, as Stirling propped him up -in the bunk and released one hand so that he could eat. He retied him -securely as the last of the crackers was consumed between yellow teeth. - -"Stay right there," said Stirling, as he closed the door. "Better keep -mighty quiet, too," he added, sternly, as he drew the key from the lock. - -The girl had climbed partly up the companionway steps, and she turned, -drawing her skirts about her ankles as she saw Stirling coming from the -forward alleyway. - -"What's up there?" he asked, setting the empty pitcher and tray on the -table. "Can you see anything, Miss Marr?" - -"The leader and two other revolutionists are at the wheel," she said. -"They are puzzled over something. I think the leader wants to steer -toward the north." - -The girl pointed at the port side of the ship, and Stirling shook his -head. "That's west now," he said. "It's magnetic west. You see the -directions are all changed. We're heading north by the compass. If he -changes to the west it means that he is going to try and clear Banks -Land. That'll lead us to Melville Sound. It may be open." - -Helen Marr lifted her chin and beamed into Stirling's face. "There's -sunshine on the ice," she said, pointing out through a starboard -porthole. "See it? You should smile. I don't think we are in any -danger." - -Stirling caught the contagion of youth and high spirits. The season was -so remarkable that he doubted his own senses, for the _Pole Star_ was -steaming at twelve knots through waters which were usually closed to all -save the lucky ships in the whaling service. The progress from Point -Barrow had been continuous. They had gone farther east than most Arctic -expeditions, and the way north was clear save for small ice floes. It -might be possible to reach Melville Sound and unknown straits leading to -Baffin Bay. - -The Ice Pilot bent his head and thought deeply, but the ship suddenly -swerved, and he straightened. The sunshine now streamed through the -after starboard portholes of the cabin, striking across the racks of the -table and bringing out the details of the bookshelves and piano. - -Helen Marr clapped her hands, ran to the porthole nearest the after -bulkhead, and peered out, then turned with eyes of flame. "See," she -said, "we're going north now--or west. There's open water and an open -sea. Oh, I'm glad of it!" - -Her slight body flitted to the piano. She drew down the cover and pulled -out a stool. The music she played was familiar to Stirling: - - "Whither, oh, splendid ship, thy white sails crowding, - Leaning across the bosom of the urgent West, - Thou fearest nor sea rising, nor sky clouding, - Whither away fair rover, and what thy quest?" - -The girl turned on the revolving stool and glanced toward Stirling. "How -do you like that?" she asked, blithely. "Do you want more?" - -Stirling smiled and nodded, and her fingers strayed over the ivory keys -for a moment. The song she sang was new to Stirling, but as he listened, -he heard above the silver-running notes another sound. Steps came -overhead; a shadow blotted out the glass of the deck light. The Russian -leader had been attracted by the music, and he was joined by one of the -revolutionists. The two Russians stood in rapt attention as Helen Marr -sang to her own accompaniment: - - "The fair wind blew, the white foam flew, - The furrow followed free; - And we were the first that ever burst - Into that silent sea." - -The girl turned. "That's from the 'Ancient Mariner,'" she said. "I set -it to music. I think it's appropriate, don't you, Mr. Stirling?" - -"The silent sea part is," he said. "I shouldn't wonder if you sang the -truth. Even the leader was interested. I wonder if he understands -English?" - -The two in the cabin stared up at the shadows on the deck light, and -these shadows moved away as the girl rose from the piano stool and came -across the deck. - -"You had better go into the stateroom and get some sleep, Mr. Stirling," -she suggested. "You look tired and worn. Sleep would do you a world of -good. I'll stand guard." - -Stirling climbed the companion steps and tested the barricade of oak -timbers which Marr and Slim had fitted, then came down and went forward -to the curtain. A second doorway, which was at the end of the alley, had -been nailed shut with three-inch spikes, and there seemed no way for the -revolutionists to break into the after part of the ship. - -He moved the table over the hole he had cut in the deck, and upon this -piled stools and a bookcase for a barricade. - -"Let me know if anything happens," Stirling said, as he stepped toward -Marr's stateroom. "Be sure and do that!" - -The girl lifted the rifle and stood at attention. "Good-night!" she -said. "Shut the door; I'll wake you if it's necessary." - - - - -CHAPTER XXXI--DANGER AND DOUBT - - -When Stirling awoke it seemed to him that he had passed through an ocean -of dreams. He rolled over and blinked through leaden eyes at the -porthole. Dawn was breaking across a wild waste of Northern waters; ice -floes and ancient packs floated by; seals sported; whale slick showed in -oily patches, and the sun glanced over the smooth surface of the sea. A -ripple showed where the _Pole Star's_ sharp stem was cleaving the -surface. - -Stirling rubbed his eyes and listened. The steady clank of the engines -and the vibration of the tail shaft beneath him still continued. He -glanced upward. The tiny, telltale compass overhead was pointing west. -The ship was headed for the true pole! - -"Madmen!" said Stirling, springing out of the bunk. - -He emerged into the larger cabin to find that Helen Marr had vanished. -The rifle lay across the table, and her knitted tam-o'-shanter was -hanging from one corner of the piano; the deck light had been thrown -open, and the companionway was unbarred. - -Stirling strode through the curtain and tested the door which led to the -sailor's cabin. It was locked. A bitter protest in Frisco slang greeted -his query. He hesitated. The girl had eluded him in some manner. She had -gone on deck. - -He crossed the alleyway, cocked the rifle, and burst into the larger -cabin. Up the steps which led to the companion he climbed with savage -strength, and the light of dawning day and the gust of salty air which -filled his lungs cleared his brain. He stared about the quarter-deck, -then dropped the rifle's butt down upon his boot. - -The girl, bareheaded and with ribbons flying, was sitting in a deck -chair; near by were the Russian leader and two other revolutionists. -They turned as she laughed buoyantly, but the leader frowned and reached -for his pocket. Stirling raised the rifle and swung it under his arm. - -"Good morning, Mr. Stirling," called the girl. "Come aft with me. These -poor men are not our enemies. They're lost and want a pilot." - -Stirling lowered the muzzle of the rifle, but still eyed the leader, and -his lips grew hard and level with suspicion. He raised his shoulders -slightly. - -The girl saw the motion and sprang out of the deck chair with a cry. -"They're only big boys!" she exclaimed. "I was playing the piano and -singing--while you were sleeping. One song they liked, and the leader -knocked on the glass and called to me. There were tears in his eyes. -He's escaped from Siberia and wants to get to America. They all have -escaped, Mr. Stirling. They wouldn't harm anybody!" - -Stirling remembered the carnage when the revolutionists took the ship. -But perhaps they had thought that the _Pole Star's_ crew would resist -and therefore had anticipated an expected attack. And they seemed to -have treated the girl with the attention due a princess. A cushion was -at the foot of the deck chair; tea steamed in a kettle; crackers had -been brought from the galley. - -"I think you had better go below," said Stirling glancing at the girl's -upturned face. - -"Speak to them; they don't mean us any harm." - -Stirling turned toward the leader, and the small eyes before him -lightened where they had been filled with fear. A gross, hairy hand -swept forward expressively. - -"You don't know where you are?" asked Stirling, gesturing. - -The man, apparently getting the sense of the Ice Pilot's question, shook -his head. - -"Do you want to go back?" Stirling pointed the rifle toward the jack -staff and the stern of the ship. - -The leader repeated his nod, then spoke to the two others, who, Stirling -decided, also held office among the revolutionists. They lumbered to the -rail and stared forward, raising their arms and pointing. - -Stirling shaded his eyes from the rays of the sun which was swinging on -a long slant over the sea, and saw ahead, and to starboard, the glint of -horizon-down ice. He knew the reason--they were within thirty miles of -Banks Land. - -The sea was open to the magnetic west, where a hard line rimmed the -surface. Gulls flew overhead, and the smoke of the furnaces blotted -across the waters. The entire scene was one of desperate enterprise. -They were steaming on an unknown ocean of danger and doubt, where no -explorers had been able to penetrate. Only an open season, such as -Stirling had never known before, permitted the _Pole Star's_ progress. - -With a mastering glance, he turned toward the leader, his head back, the -cords of his neck showing like roots of some giant oak. Helen Marr -seized his left hand and crept close up to him. - -"I'll pilot this ship!" he said. - -"Where?" asked Helen Marr. - -"Through the Northeast Passage!" - - - - -CHAPTER XXXII--TO THE LAST DAY - - -As the sun rose above the ice-covered sea on the morning following -Stirling's talk with the leader of the revolutionists, the ship was -swung toward the magnetic north and driven within the opening which lies -between Banks Land and Prince Patrick Island. - -Banks Strait the passage was called, and it led from Beaufort Sea and -the uncharted waters east of Keenan Land to Melville Sound and Barrow -Strait. From the appearance of the ice and direction of the wind, -Stirling decided to chance the passage. There was no way back! - -He climbed the shrouds and dropped into the crow's-nest. The after deck, -from the companion hatch to the taffrail, had been reserved by the -revolutionists for Helen Marr and her steamer chair. She had conquered -the Russians by her smiles and songs. They all stood in the presence of -death and the unknown. The appearance of the sea; the strange tides and -currents; the action of the compass at variance with the stars--all -these drove the haunting desire of companionship within men's breasts. -Old differences were forgotten in the face of despair. - -Stirling took quiet charge of the ship. He gave the orders, which were -partly understood by the leader, who, Stirling soon learned, really knew -a fair amount of English, although at first he had been loath to -disclose his knowledge, no doubt for strategic reasons. One or two -others of the Russians had a smattering of English. - -The _Pole Star_ dodged in and out of ice floes and drifting packs which -had been loosened by the unusual warmth. The way ahead was unknown and -uncharted, and it was barely possible that the heavier ice had gone -south and west with the current. - -Gripped with the desire for research and discovery, Stirling made many -notes in Marr's old log book. He held the crow's-nest until the sun -rimmed the western waste of waters and ice; then descended to the deck -as an open lane appeared before the course of the ship. - -With his hand in his pocket he moved among the silent revolutionists, -and they made way for him as he stepped across the waist of the ship and -climbed the quarter-deck steps. Their attitude was one of respect. Had -he not driven the _Pole Star_ that day through a wilderness of drift ice -which none of them believed passable? His hearty "Steady, port; hard -aport--now starboard!" was a revelation in piloting. - -The coffee he drank as Helen Marr appeared from the companion way -cleared his brain. He tapped the log book and swept his hand over the -sea to the north. - -"All new!" he said, proudly. "We're about the first ship to make this -passage. McClintock on a sledge was up here." - -Helen Marr brushed the hair from her forehead and turned with the silver -coffeepot in her hand. She pointed over the taper jib boom of the _Pole -Star_. "I remember," she said, "a painting in an old book, of Lady -Franklin and Sir John Franklin sitting together in an old London room. -The painting was called 'The Northwest Passage.'" - -"He died down there," said Stirling, pointing toward the magnetic north. -"See the glint of ice? The sun won't sink to-day, it will rim the world -to the west and slowly rise." - -The girl watched Stirling and stepped closer to his side. "Do you think -we can get through to open sea?" she asked, turning her face up to his. - -He shook his head. "I don't know," he answered. "We'll try! We're -heading for Barrow Strait and Lancaster Sound. Both may be jammed with -ice. If they are----" - -Stirling's pause was suggestive. The girl shuddered and drew a coat -about her shoulders, then set the coffeepot down on the deck and glided -to the taffrail. A nip had come into the air, and it was no longer day -or night. The sea birds rested upon the floes without motion; the seals -and walrus watched the fast-gliding ship, then slipped into the water, -and were gone. Desolation and death ruled the world above seventy-three. - -Stirling waited until the girl came back. She picked up the coffeepot, -and her eyes were filled with longing as she said: - -"Go back and do what you can. There seems to be ice everywhere." - -Stirling squared his shoulders and stepped briskly to the wheelsman. He -bent there and consulted the binnacle, reached and took the chart which -the leader held out to him. Its details were vague enough. Dots showed -where land _might_ be, and the soundings were in spots where explorers -had lowered a lead line through the frozen surface. - -"A bad place to be," Stirling said to the leader. "I think we are in for -it from now on." - -The leader thrust out his hands, and at that moment the ship struck a -sunken ledge of ice. The bow sheered, and cries came from forward. - -"Steady!" Stirling shouted into the wheelsman's ear. "Hold her steady, -you, until I see!" - -He leaped the planks and sprang down to the waist. He was up the weather -shrouds and into the crow's-nest with the agility of a young boy, and -his eyes swept the way ahead. The stretch of ice seemed interminable, -since the long spit of sand which marked a portion of Prince of Wales -Land had caused the floes to ground, and there seemed no way to the -eastward. Stirling turned and stared aft over the stern of the ship. The -way by which they had come was now blocked by floes. - -"Nipped!" he said between strong white teeth. "We're nipped!" - -With the binoculars he swept the entire ice-bound horizon. The sun was -rising through the western mist, and appeared a ball of cold fire. The -aurora played across the Northern heavens and leaped to the zenith. -Through it shone the light points of the high swinging dipper and the -overhead lodestar. - -Stirling braced himself, pressed the glasses to his eyes for a second -glance, then set them down. He leaned over the edge of the crow's-nest -and called to the leader, who was at the wheel: - -"Give her full speed and starboard the helm!" - -The ship gained and churned forward. The jib boom swung off toward a -lower shelf of ice, and the crash that followed as the stout sheathing -cut through the floes drove the Russians to their knees. The foremast -whipped like a willow rod. The girl cried a warning. - -"Back her!" shouted Stirling. "Reverse, and try again!" - -The manoeuvre was repeated. The ice gave way; the _Pole Star_ lunged on -and cleared to an open lane. Beyond this lane was still another icy -barrier. - -Stirling attacked this with fury. He felt the grip of winter in the air, -and tiny patches of new ice were forming despite the rising sun. The -sea, once frozen, would lock them in the North for many winters. The one -way out was to crush the floes ahead. - -The ship grounded on a hidden sand bar which jutted from the nearest -land to starboard. Stirling gave the order which cleared it, but only -after an anxious half hour of backing and plunging forward. He mopped -his brow. The ice had drifted around the point and was bearing down on -the ship. This time there seemed no escape. Reluctantly he gave the -signal to cease the attempt, and climbed from the crow's-nest down the -rigging. They were ice-bound in Barrow Strait. - -The ship swung her jib boom toward the land and began drifting ashore. -Stirling paused at the rail long enough to order the anchor dropped, -then went aft as the Russians cut the deck lashings and began lifting -the anchor. - -The rattle of the rusty chain through the hawser woke him to the terror -of the situation. Steam plumed from aft the funnel, but the screw was -still. The engine-room crowd had emerged from the companion and were -staring at the wilderness of ice and snow. The sea water overside and -around the _Pole Star_ was scummed with a film of mush ice. - -The leader offered Stirling the chart when he reached the quarter-deck, -and as he took it, he removed his mittens, and breathed upon his -fingers. They tingled as he tracked the course of the ship from the -mouth of the Mackenzie, and studied all that the chart had to tell him -of the strait ahead. - -The position of the _Pole Star_ was desperate. The formation of heavy -ice would press her ashore, and a shift of current or advancing floes -was sure to wreck the ship. - -Stirling raised his eyes and rolled up the chart, then passed it back to -the leader with a shrug of his broad shoulders. The Ice Pilot braced his -legs against a step, and his eyes swept along the deck. The -revolutionists had gathered in the waist, and some were pointing to the -land which lay to starboard, where green patches of moss showed upon the -lowland, but the hills were crusted with perpetual snow. The weather -side of the ridge showed deep gullies filled with black ice from which -streams of water had issued, and then frozen. There was no sign of life, -save an Arctic bird which wheeled in the sky and started toward the -southward. - -Helen Marr glided across the deck and came to Stirling's side, glancing -up at him with wonder breaking through the beauty of her eyes. She had -donned a sealskin cap and long coat, and her red lips and crimson cheeks -struck him with the force of an accusation. He lowered his glance and -stared at the deck. - -"Can't we go on?" she asked, a tremor in her voice. - -"Not now, Miss Helen. Perhaps the ice barrier will open by night, the -current is still in our favour, but it's the wind that counts. See, it -is toward shore. That brings the ice." - -The girl studied the drifting floes which were gathering about the -whaler, like chicks about a mother hen. Beyond these floes came others, -crashing and tumbling, driven by the northeast wind. She turned toward -the land, and her hand went up to shield her eyes from the glint of sun -on ice. "What country is that?" she asked. - -"That's Russel Island off Prince of Wales Land. If we could get around -that point we might go on through Barrow Strait." - -The girl bit her lip, wheeled suddenly, and stared down at the waist of -the ship. The revolutionists had grown excited over their argument which -was as to whether they should leave the ship before it was crushed by -the gathering floes. They pointed toward the land and the sky beyond, -where the haze marked still other land. Green spots showed close to -shore--Arctic moss and tundra. - -Stirling touched the girl on the shoulder. "I see them," he said. "They -may decide to abandon the ship. Let's go below and boil some coffee. I'm -going to wait until the wind shifts before I decide. They may want me to -lead a landing party, but I'll stick to the ship." - -"And me?" - -"Yes; and you--to the last day of my life!" - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIII--A GRIM WARNING - - -The statement was made so fervently that Helen Marr blushed and did not -answer as she followed the towering form of the Ice Pilot across the -quarter-deck and down into the cabin, which was warm from the steam -pipes which led from the boilers. The coffeepot was filled and placed -over an alcohol stove, and she added some biscuits and marmalade to the -meal. - -Stirling had removed his cap, showing a slight sprinkle of gray in his -hair, but his eyes spoke of youth and were strong with resolve. She -raised her glance and smiled as she offered the coffee. - -It came to her with force that he was no longer the aged, shaggy bear -who had crawled up the trapdoor in the deck of the cabin. Her influence -had been for good, and he reminded her of a faithful Viking who would -shed his last drop of blood for her protection. The revolutionists were -potentially dangerous, but she sensed with the intuition of woman that -they feared Stirling. - -He rose from the table and stood with his head close to the deck beams. -"I'll go up now," he said, "and watch the ice. Your coffee was a fine -bracer." - -She, too, rose and followed him to the step leading to the deck -companion. "Do you think the Russians will desert the ship?" she asked. - -"They go to their death if they do. The land is impassable. It is five -hundred miles to the nearest Hudson Bay post. Franklin and others could -not cross that barren land. Nor can the revolutionists." - -"But they are Russians and used to the cold." - -Stirling shook his head and replaced his cap. "The ship is the only way -out," he said, sincerely. "We must stick by it!" - -He was halfway up the steps when she called to him. He turned and -glanced down, his fingers on the combing of the hatch. His eyes widened -as she lifted her face to his and pouted slightly. - -"There's one thing we've forgotten," she said. - -"What is that?" - -"About the man from San Francisco, the one you locked in the cabin. -Don't you think you should let him loose?" - -Stirling caught the note of sympathy in her tones, but he shook his -head. - -"He will behave," she added, quickly. "I'm sure that he will. He is -afraid of you." - -Her eyes were wide and very blue. - -"Please let him go," she asked. "I'm sure of him." - -The Ice Pilot turned and strode across the cabin, brushed aside the -curtain, and passed into the alleyway. Voices sounded as Helen Marr -waited, then Slim appeared with one hand grasping the wrist of the -other. - -He leered through the half light of the cabin, and glanced up at the -deck opening. "It's a fine way to----" he began, but Stirling silenced -him with a glance. - -"Get on deck!" the Ice Pilot commanded. "Get up and forward! The -Russians won't kill you, they're too busy deciding whether to abandon -the ship or not. You'll find food in the galley. Go now!" - -Slim paused at the top of the steps and glared down, then ducked his -unshaven face as Stirling moved toward the foot of the stairs and -started upward. There was that in Stirling's face which brooked no -excuses; his jaw was set with a fighting bulge at the point. - -The deck was deserted, the wheel swung idle, and the _Pole Star_ rose -and fell with the ground swell which lifted the ice floes and packed -them upon the shelving beach. - -Stirling crossed the planks, after shutting the cabin companion hatch, -and stood by the canvas rail, studying the excited knot of -revolutionists in the waist below him. The leader had mounted a hatch -and was speaking rapidly, pointing now and then to the menace of the ice -gathering to the north and west. - -The land over the starboard rail held a certain lure to ignorant minds, -the green moss and lichens which showed being apparently a promise of -greener things to the southward. But Stirling knew that this inference -could not be made. The way to the American continent was ice strewn and -bare of animals; a trail of death and starvation. - -The Russians moved in a flock to the rail and studied the ice about the -ship--already firm enough to support a man's weight. The low swinging -sun had not warmed the air enough to prevent the sea from freezing, and -floes and drift ice were being cemented in the laboratory of nature. The -ship alone was free, but encompassed by a ring of spongy ice and snow. - -The sky overhead was pale; light flurries of ice particles dropped down -to the deck, while the Northern aurora played and shot streamers up to -the zenith. The sun plunged into a heavy haze which seemed to rim the -entire horizon, and the temperature fell. The barometer was steady at -twenty-nine, point six. Stirling played for a shift of wind which alone -would free the ship from the coming deadlock. - -He waited, and watched the revolutionists. The dock rat emerged from the -galley door and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, stared at the -Russians and then toward the quarter-deck. He made no attempt to come -aft, and the evil that was stamped in his face held Stirling rigid. - -The leader shouted something in Russian, and a hoarse cheer broke from -many throats. A decision had been reached in regard to abandoning the -_Pole Star_. Russians to the number of a score sprang forward, ripped -the battings from the fore hatch, and disappeared into the hold. Others -ransacked the galley for food and clothes. - -A rude sled was devised from part of a whaleboat and rope-yarn -splicings. Upon this the leader climbed and pointed dramatically toward -the low-lying land, slapped the chart with the back of his hand, and -traced out an imaginary course. Stirling leaned far forward and watched -him, amusement, mingled with pity sweeping over his strong face. He -called, and then repeated the call. The leader lowered his chart and -turned. - -"You're going to your doom!" declared Stirling. "Abandon this ship and -you are lost. There is no way to civilization by the land route!" He -pointed a mittened finger toward the island and the magnetic north. - -The leader flushed and struck the chart with a sharp blow, sprang from -the sled, and hurried aft. Stirling met him with a cold smile. "I told -you," he said, "that there is no way. No way! Do you understand that?" - -"There is a----" - -Stirling thrust the leader from the quarter-deck, then turned and strode -to the companion. Pausing at the hatch, he glanced aloft. Ice had -appeared upon the cap of the mizzenmast, the rigging was coated with -frost, and the wind, from the north and east, held steadily. Its -velocity was not more than eight miles an hour, and it showed signs of -changing some time during the short Arctic night. - -Stirling went below after sliding open the cabin hatch. Helen Marr stood -by a landward porthole, and she turned and smiled at Stirling, but the -smile died as she saw the sombre light in his eyes. "What happened?" she -asked. - -"They're going to abandon the ship. It means their death." - -"Can't you stop them?" The girl had begun to believe that Stirling was -strong enough to accomplish anything. - -"It would be no use trying," he said, removing his cap and fingering it -with fingers which tingled. "Their minds are made up. The leader thinks -he can reach a Hudson Bay post. He does not know what I know----" - -Stirling's voice trailed off into an expressive pause, as he thought of -the grim tales he had heard of Banks Land and the Gulf of Boothia. Many -trappers and explorers had laid their bones out on the Arctic wilds. The -land was barren, extending to the white ramparts of the Mackenzie River -on the south and west, and to the Hudson Bay on the east and north. It -was without vegetation or animal life for nine months of the year, and -the water courses were frozen over to the same dead level as the rest of -the world. Only the white fox and the skulking wolf were to be seen, and -these two animals were far too wary to be shot. - -"They're lost if they leave the ship," said Stirling, waking from his -thoughts. "We'll stay here and winter, if necessary. The ice may crush -the _Pole Star_, but we can get enough provisions and fuel ashore to -last out. It might be possible to work to the west next summer in a -whaleboat. It all depends on the season. I never saw one so open as this -one was, but there may never be another like it, Miss Marr." - -The girl turned toward the porthole, and the cold breeze which cut -through the opening brought colour to her cheeks and fanned her hair. - -"Is there no chance of getting through to the open sea this summer?" she -asked, shivering slightly and drawing her deerskin jacket about her -slight waist. - -"Yes, by Heaven; there is a chance!" Stirling's voice rose and filled -the cabin. "There's a fighting chance, Miss Marr!" - -She turned and stared at him, and her lips formed the question. He laid -his cap on the table and opened his pea-jacket, breathing with giant -gulps of suppressed emotion. Suddenly the air had grown warm to him. "I -can get through," he said, "if within a few hours the wind shifts to the -south and west. That will clear Barrow Strait of ice. Once out of the -Strait, the way is open to Baffin Bay through the Lancaster Sound." - -Helen Marr clapped her hands, then wheeled with swishing skirts and -stared out through the porthole. "The wind," she said, "is dying. Does -that indicate anything?" - -"Everything!" - -"Then the Russians will stay?" - -"No; they are going. I want a few to remain with us. That dock rat will, -he's too lazy to try for the American continent. Perhaps there are -others who will listen to reason, but the time is short. Maybe through -the leader I can get the case stated to them, and ask for volunteers who -are willing to wait for the wind to shift." - -Helen Marr glided to the piano and lifted a sealskin coat from its -stool. She thrust her arms into the sleeves of this as Stirling stepped -forward with wonder written across his features. - -"What are you going to do?" he asked. - -"Going to see all of them and talk to them. I'm going to make myself -understood in some way. Don't you see, Mr. Stirling, the matter is -serious? If they go, there will be nobody but you and me to work the -ship when the wind shifts. We couldn't do it alone." - -"Well, it's worth trying," said Stirling. "I'll stand on the -quarter-deck at the weather steps, and you go down to them. Try Slim -first. The leader won't stay, but some of the younger Russians might." - -The girl pressed a cap upon her head, gathered her hair into a knot, and -ran up the stairs which led to the deck. Stirling picked up a rifle -before he followed her. They stood in the frosty air and glanced -forward. The Russians had lowered the sled and provisions to an ice floe -which had grounded alongside the ship. More ice extended from the floe -to the shore, and three of the revolutionists had already made the -passage. They stood on the beach waving their arms. - -The girl went down the quarter-deck steps and glided forward over the -main hatch. She touched Slim on the arm, and the dock rat followed her -forward to where the revolutionists were breaking out stores from the -hold. - -Stirling watched and waited. The Russians took time to listen to the -girl's request, but most of them stared at each other dumbly. She -pointed to the telltale on the mizzenmast, her arm swinging in a -graceful circle and indicating that the wind would change. She finished -her argument by springing to the weather rail and showing where the ice -had cleared from the ship's side. - -The magic of her voice and soft presence had its influence upon the -Russians, and they gathered and surged, and separated into groups. -Seven, after a shrewd glance toward the barren shore, moved with Slim to -the galley where the leader had stationed himself. These seven raised -their arms and turned toward Stirling. - -"Come up!" shouted the Ice Pilot, gesturing to help make clear the -meaning of the words. - -Fear had gripped the hearts of every Russian aboard the _Pole Star_; the -unknown sea and the frost which nipped to the bone had driven a panic -within their breasts. The leader had stated that it was possible to -reach a Hudson Bay fort before the setting in of winter, and had added -that the sea would soon be frozen and the ship crushed. - -They believed this to be the case, and the seven which Helen Marr had -persuaded to remain were in danger from their fellows. Mutiny might -spread. The leader quickly shouted an order, and the boxes and cans were -hurled overboard to the ice floe, the Russians following in a long line. -They stood and glanced upward, their mouths agape, their whiskered faces -white with hoarfrost. - -"Good-bye!" shouted Stirling, waving the rifle. "Good-bye to you all!" - -The leader snarled an answer and set about getting the load onto the -sled where there was scant room for one half of the boxes and cans -thrown overside. The remainder was left as the troop started across the -floes and straggled to the beach. Here they turned and watched the ship -as if loath to give it up. - -The girl climbed swiftly to the quarter-deck to Stirling's side. - -"Seven stayed," she said, breathlessly. "Seven, and the man from San -Francisco. Didn't I do well?" - -Stirling smiled down upon her and touched his cap. "Yes, little -captain," he said, gallantly. "You did fine! Tell Slim and four of the -squad--I guess you can make the Russians understand--to jump below and -get steam on in the boilers. Tell the men to bank the fires when they -get well started." - -The girl touched her forehead with a regulation salute as she turned and -smiled upward from the waist of the ship, then advanced upon the dock -rat and the Russians by the galley door. The Russians understood her -gestures if not her words, and Slim frowned and scratched his matted -head, glancing from Russian to Russian. They had accepted him as their -leader without question, but their sheeplike eyes strayed aft and -fastened upon the grim figure of Stirling. - -Four followed the sailor to the engine-room companion and went down the -iron ladder. Soon sounds of fires being freshened by new coal came -through the ventilators, and the ship surged and shook as if freeing -itself. - -Stirling motioned for the three Russians who remained by the galley, and -they followed the girl to the waist of the ship. He leaned over the -quarter-deck canvas and stared at them. - -The girl climbed the steps and stood by his side. He shielded her with -his body as they waited while the sun glided within the horizon haze. A -frosty nip came with its disappearance, and the lines about Stirling's -lips softened slightly. He turned from the girl and strode to the rail -on the landward side of the ship, where she joined him, and they watched -the Russians streaming in a long line over the snow-mantled island. The -leader turned on the brow of an icy hill and waved farewell; then he was -gone. - -The wind died to a faint breeze which varied during the hours of -semi-darkness while Stirling and the girl stood the watch. Ice creaked -and splintered to the north and east; the aurora flamed and crimsoned -the heavens, with cold light points dying beneath its glow. The moon -rose with a double ring, revealing its position in the haze, and the -far-off North pack groaned and whispered its grim warning of danger. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIV--THROUGH THE DRIVING SNOW - - -Soon Stirling felt the girl's body close beside him, but she had said no -word for hours. The glory of the Arctic night had held her spellbound; -the beauty of the North enthralled her. She was in tune with the great -wilderness of ice and snow. - -Suddenly a soft gust of vapour-laden air swung over the island and -pressed the ship toward the true north. This gust was repeated. The -_Pole Star_ tugged at her anchor chain, the floes parted to leeward, and -a lane of open water showed. This led through the deeper part of Barrow -Strait; it was the road to open sea and Baffin Bay. - -A Russian forward sang out a warning, leaning over the forepeak rail and -pointing toward the anchor chain. - -"The wind has veered!" Stirling said, simply. - -"From the south?" she asked. - -"No; to the south and west, Miss Marr. We will have open water soon. -See!" - -Helen Marr moved slowly to the rail and stared with brimming eyes toward -the white sheen of Russel Island, then turned impulsively. "Can't we -save the Russians?" she asked. - -"No," he answered. "They have gone, perhaps to their doom. At least -there is nothing that we can do for them. For ourselves, we have chosen -the right road. It leads into the open sea!" - -It was midnight by the ship's clock in the cabin when Stirling climbed -up the companion steps, glanced down at Helen Marr with an assuring nod, -then strode out upon the deck and swung four-square to the task ahead of -him. - -The sun rimmed the world toward the true west, and through the opal -haze, its glow brought out the details of the drifting ice which was -being driven through Barrow Strait by the south wind. - -Stirling made a note of this drift, and then moved toward the rail on -the lee side of the ship. The lane of open water, which showed black -against the floes and new ice, led toward the east and Melville Sound. - -He measured the drift of a passing ice island, sniffed the air, raised -his hand, then turned slowly and glided toward the wheel. Leaning over -the canvas barricade he called down to the waist of the ship, and a form -stirred in the galley's shadow. It was Slim. - -"Get below!" snapped Stirling. "Get steam on the forward winch. We're -going through the ice!" - -This terse order rolled along the ship's deck, and brought the remaining -Russians from the warmth of the forecastle. Slim shrugged his shoulders -and slouched for the engine-room companion. - -Steam soon plumed aft the funnel, when the banked fires were blown into -glowing coals. The winch wheezed and groaned as a Russian unskilfully -turned on the two-way cock. Stirling sprang to the lee steps and dropped -to the waist of the ship, going along the rail like a muffled bear in -search of prey. - -"Unshackle it!" he shouted into the Russian's ear. "The winch is too -slow. Drive that pin from the anchor chain!" - -Stirling pointed to where the chain passed through a hawse hole flush -with the deck, and the Russian understood. He lifted a belaying pin from -the rail and drove out the bolt. The anchor chain dropped overside as -Stirling sprang back, glanced forward, then hurried toward the -quarter-deck. - -Swinging the wheel he reached and jerked the engine-room indicator for -quarter speed. The engines started, the screw thrashed the new ice -astern, and the _Pole Star_ sheered from the island, driving forward -toward the lane of dark water. - -The sheathed prow cut sharply as Slim opened wide the main valve and -shouted for more steam. The ship listed, righted, and held a course -between rail-high floes until Stirling steadied the helm. The way was -open down the strait. - -Helen Marr came through the cabin companion and stood by the nearest -deck light to Stirling, fearing to bother him or to call his name. Her -face was flushed with the agony of the moment, as the grinding floes -under the ship's counter threatened to rip the planks from the ribs. The -swing of Stirling's body as he wrestled with the wheel was a compelling -sight, and held her eyes as she waited. She breathed deeply of the -Arctic air, and called to Stirling, but he did not hear her. His -straining muscles stood out from his neck, and his shoulders lunged and -contracted. - -The ship plunged on, the funnel belching forth smoke and cinders, which -starred the night like fireflies, and then fell hissing into the sea -astern. The land on the starboard beam rose to a barrier below which the -ice floes curled and eddied. - -Stirling smashed through, with his unmittened hands gripping the spokes -of the wheel. Ahead showed the silvery glint of the moon. Astern, the -sun mellowed the Arctic world. About was death and cold, gripping -horror. - -It was the passage that Franklin in the _Erebus_ and _Terror_ had sought -in vain, and it was open from sea to sea. Stirling realized this fact as -he reached for the engine-room telegraph and set it for full speed. -There was a chance to drive through before the wind shifted from the -south, but he was attempting a thing that the world called impossible. - -Four bells came with the _Pole Star_ swirled in a white curtain of -driving snow which had been born of the south wind. The moon showed as a -silver disk directly over the frosted jib boom, and the sun had been -blotted from the view. - -Helen Marr moved timidly toward the straining form of the Ice Pilot. He -felt her presence but did not swerve. - -She whispered into his muffled ear: "Carry on!" - -Stirling nodded and swung the spokes a quarter turn. They came back -against the palm of his hand, and he peered through the snow. The moon -had a double ring, and it awoke a verse from the girl who stood wrapped -in her furs: - - "That orbd maiden, with white fire laden, - Whom mortals call the moon, - Glides glimmering o'er my fleece-lined floor, - By midnight breezes strewn." - -Stirling turned his head slightly and smiled with the snow dripping from -his lips. The girl glanced ahead and shuddered as a drifting cloud -obscured the moon. The way was mantled with falling ice particles, and -the ship's rigging showed up ghostlike. The muffled Russians on the -forepeak moved about in the gloom like walruses that had climbed aboard. - -The _Pole Star_ hurtled on. Stirling sensed the true direction with the -skill of a master pilot and dodged looming ice floes by fathoms. He -swung the ship toward the magnetic west and reached for the high land -which towered there, then sheered from this into the channel made by the -inky waters. The _Pole Star_ glided eastward along the meridian, and -thrust her sharp stem through a lane of seething waves which marked the -open reaches of Lancaster Sound. - -The way to the south--north by the magnetic compass--was also open. -Stirling sensed that it would be possible to drive through the Gulf of -Boothia, and this route might take him to Hudson Bay and Hudson Strait. -He chose the easterly passage and set his feet wide apart as the floes -dashed down upon the staunch ship. - -Helen Marr leaned over the wheel and watched the binnacle. The compass -whirled and was never still. They were over the true magnetic pole, and -north was south; only the sense of direction told Stirling the course to -steer, but he held on grimly, with his jaw set to a block. The Russians -on the forepeak shouted warnings, waves came over the jib boom and the -forecastle, and the churning vortex of cross currents and storm dashed -the ship like a chip in a whirlpool, while the snow fell in circling -clouds. - -The passage led to the lee of North Somerset Island, and a towering -headland of basalt protected the ship from the fury of the south wind. A -calm spot showed ahead, through which moonbeams shone. - -Stirling released one hand from the wheel and pointed. "See," he said. -"See, that is Somerset! We're heading for North Devon Island and -Lancaster Sound. We are already in the Strait. I never knew it was -open!" - -Open it was, as the girl saw. The moon revealed the serrated outlines of -the land to the southward, where the sharp teeth of the coast range, -which buttressed the shore, stood out bare of ice or snow. It seemed a -huge saw cutting across the top of the world. - -Stirling breathed deeply and studied the compass, then sheered to the -true north, crashed through a ledge of locked ice, and won the way to an -open lane which led toward the east and Baffin Bay. - -The girl turned as a light struck across the churning waters, and cried -out as she saw the orange disk of the sun rising in the south. It had -broken through the snow flurry. It revealed the land and Sound, which -were coated in places with the recent snow, and brought out the flying -clouds as they scudded before the south wind. - -She reached and clasped Stirling's arm. "The sun!" she exclaimed. "See, -our beacon! We shall win through to open sea!" - -Stirling brought the wheel up and steadied it, smiling down into the -girl's glowing face. She watched him as he braced his legs and threw -back his head, then he turned away from her with a regretful jerk and -leaned down over the binnacle. He straightened up again as she quoted: - - "The sanguine sunrise with his meteor eyes - And his burning plumes outspread, - Leaps on the back of my sailing rack - When the morning star shines dead." - -"The morning star," Stirling said. "It's up there!" He pointed toward -the zenith, and Helen Marr followed the direction of his steady arm, -widening her eyes in amazement as she noted the lodestar almost -overhead. She waited for a cloud to pass and traced out the light points -of the Great Dipper. She saw then that what she had taken for overhead -was fourteen or fifteen degrees from the true vertical line. - -"We're in about seventy-six degrees," she said, with certainty. "Almost -to the Pole!" - -Stirling unclasped one hand from the spokes of the wheel and touched the -frosted glass over the binnacle compass. "Run your eyes along the south -line and you'll be looking toward the Pole. It's a long way down there, -Miss Marr. We're trying to work in the other direction." - -The ship had covered the worst of the passage and the parting floes -showed the road to open sea. Stirling had made no mark of time, but he -realized dimly that Slim and the others who had gone below were getting -the utmost out of the boilers. The screw thrashed at its best speed, and -the smudge of smoke which drifted toward the north blotted out the view -of North Devon Island along which the course had led them. - -Stirling breathed for the first time, sure of himself. He turned and -smiled at Helen Marr. "Cape Hay," he said, "is somewhere over there!" - -The girl had never heard of Cape Hay, but shielding herself by the -ice-coated shrouds of the mizzen rigging, she strained her eyes toward -the south and east. Clouds showed beneath the silver reflection of the -moon, and a darker line was below the clouds. It rose in one point to a -headland. - -She came back across the slippery deck and nodded. "I see it," she said -into his ear. "It's a long way off, Mr. Stirling." - -Stirling smiled and nodded toward the binnacle. "We're on the course," -he said. "How about a little coffee, Miss Marr?" - -She was gone across the quarter-deck and down the cabin companion in an -instant. - -Stirling opened two buttons of his pea-jacket and drew forth his great -silver watch. It was running, but the hours which had passed were -effaced from his memory. He had stood at the wheel for seven tricks, but -the distant Cape was thirty miles away through the driving snow. The -wind was shifting toward the west and abeam, and he knew that it would -be nip and tuck if he were to gain the open waters of Baffin Bay. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXV--A MATTER OF MINUTES - - -The floes through which Stirling guided the ship became larger and -higher. Old "grandpas" drifted by--their sides honeycombed by the action -of the water. These floes had broken from the true pack and had come -south through Smith Sound. Icebergs were to be expected, since the coast -of Greenland was filled with glaciers. Stirling peered forward and -searched the sea, momentarily expecting to glimpse a white barrier -beyond which he could not go, but none showed as the watch lengthened. - -The girl appeared with a steaming can of black coffee, and also biscuits -and bread. Stirling set the can on the top of the brass binnacle hood -and munched a biscuit, eying Helen Marr with concern. Dark circles -showed upon her face, her lips had lost some of their blood, and tiny -puckers ran from the corners of her mouth. - -He moved the wheel and said to her, "Please get some sleep. You look -tired, Miss Marr. I'll hold on!" - -She laughed, drawing close her deerskin jacket, and reaching for the -spokes. "Let me steer?" she asked. "It isn't so bad now. I can hold the -course." - -"Keep her steady, then!" said Stirling with a smile, releasing the -spokes and staring at the compass. "Steady, she is, while I go forward. -There's a lane of open water ahead somewhere. We must find it." - -She nodded, stared at the binnacle, and the spokes moved slowly and in -the right direction as Stirling crossed the deck and descended to the -waist of the ship. He paused a moment at the galley house and glanced -in. Two Russians stood by the stove, cooking a mess for the engine-room -crew. - -Stirling nodded and worked his way forward over the icy deck. He climbed -up the weather shrouds and out and over the cross jack, dropping into -the crow's-nest. - -Floes were scattered over the waters of Lancaster Sound near where it -reached Baffin Bay. The wind had driven a mass of ice up through Prince -Regent Inlet, and its reaching fangs threatened to dash the ship ashore -on North Devon Island. - -Stirling with his binoculars swept the entire horizon. The wind had -shifted a point over the hour, and now came from over the high plateau -of Baffin Land, as it circled to the magnetic north and the true west. -This would close Lancaster Sound so that no ship could drive a passage -through. - -Reaching forward, Stirling rested his elbows upon the edge of the -crow's-nest and strained his eyes toward the opening which showed in the -direction of Cape Hay and Baffin Bay. It was partly choked with ice, and -a low berg loomed in the haze. - -Turning, Stirling called down to Helen Marr, and the order he gave was -to put the wheel up and then steady it. The new course was more toward -the true south than the east, and was calculated to head off the -reaching arm of ice which threatened to close Lancaster Sound. - -After a last glance over the wild waste of waters and snow-mantled -lands, Stirling swung out of the crow's-nest and started toward the -deck. Icicles and frozen patches of snow fell from the shrouds as the -ship swerved and steadied on the given course. Stirling saw that the -girl had avoided a floe by a skillful lift of the wheel. - -This fact cheered him. He had a companion who was doing her best, a true -friend to a sailorman who had broken through to a desperate sea. He went -down the remainder of the shrouds and over the deck with his head -lowered in thought. The chance to save the ship was slight, and it would -call for all his cunning in ice work. The fangs were being bared for the -final nip. Already the floes had thickened ahead. - -"I'll take the wheel," he said as he stepped to her side. "You go below -for an hour. Then I shall call you." - -"Is there any danger?" - -"We'll either be nipped within two hours, or we will gain the Northeast -Passage. Baffin Bay lies ahead!" - -"Then I'll stay on deck!" declared the girl. "I'll stay right by your -side!" - -Stirling took the wheel and set the course a point more toward the -south. He was between the alternative of striking directly toward the -swinging arm of ice which was closing the sound like a door, or seeking -a narrow passage between the giant field and the forbidding coast near -Cape Hay. He chose the latter. - -The hour that followed drove the spike of fear into the Russians' -hearts. The engine-room crew, led by Slim, left the fires in order to -peer through the companion, and were forced back by the menace in -Stirling's voice. - -The ship met the giant floes, backed, reeled, and drove on, threading -through the new ice and gaining open patches of water which closed -behind. Bergs drifted down upon them, but Stirling avoided the shelving -spires and worked toward the south and east. - -Snow flurries blotted out all view; the wind swung from the true west to -the north, and held in its grip the icy cold of winter. It struck -through the girl's furs and chilled her body, as she walked back and -forth along the quarter-deck watching Stirling, who seemed possessed -with a Viking's rage at the elements gathered about. His one aim was to -guide the ship between the Cape and the ice field. Open water still -showed ahead of this narrow passage. - -The _Pole Star_ swirled in the current and ran down the wind which was -now abeam. A leaden pall crept over the surface of the watery world, and -the ice floes ground against the skin of the ship and obstructed the -way. Stirling shaded his eyes from the snow and peered forward. The ice -had gathered upon the spokes of the wheel, and a sleet drove from aft to -forward. - -Gripped by the majesty of their danger, the girl watched Stirling and -prayed for deliverance. She knew that the reaching arm had overtaken the -driving ship. It was a matter of minutes now whether they would gain the -waters of Baffin Bay or be crushed between the floes and the rocky -headland. A single screw's turn might decide the matter. - -The ship staggered and swerved; a crash sounded as the sharp stem -mounted a floe. The world seemed to the girl to spin, as Stirling -reached downward, grasped the spokes, and lifted the wheel so that the -staggering ship could turn from the land. He sheered in the moment of -time, and the spars grated along the overhang of basalt. - -Suddenly Stirling stiffened and rapidly twirled the wheel, leaned far -over the spokes, and watched the waters ahead of the _Pole Star_. A rift -showed through the floes, and toward this he steered. The last of the -reaching ice sprang landward, leaped the distance, and drove its teeth -toward the ship. It missed by a scant cable's length, and the crash and -reverberation as this ice was dashed upon the shore woke Helen Marr from -her prayers. She staggered to her feet, and stood swaying on the -slippery deck. Stirling had swung and was staring at her, his strong -face covered with a broad smile. - -He turned the spokes by instinct as he continued to look at her. "Look," -he said, pointing a steady finger aft. "Look, Miss Marr!" - -She wheeled and looked over the taffrail of the _Pole Star_. Ice, piled -upon ice, blocked the passage through which they had come. The roar of -the great North pack was like a baffled horde held at bay. The ship -plunged on and out into open water. - -"Where are we?" she asked, pressing a hand to her forehead. "Where are -we, Mr. Stirling?" - -The Ice Pilot smiled, swung, steadied the wheel, and motioned over the -wild world of tossing waves. "That's Baffin Bay!" he said. "We have made -the Northeast Passage!" - - - - -CHAPTER XXXVI--ACROSS THE CABIN - - -Helen Marr glided to the canvas rail that overlooked the waist of the -_Pole Star_, brushed the hair from her face, and wrung the water from -her mittens. - -Then she turned to Stirling with a high toss of her chin. "Are you going -across?" she asked. - -"To Greenland, miss." - -"But why not south and--home?" - -Stirling moved the wheel a spoke and blocked it with his knee, pointing -toward the shores of Baffin Land. - -The girl cried aloud as she saw the reason for the Ice Pilot's course. -Ice backed by more ice was rushing northward; winter had arrived, and -new floes and bergs were forming in the west. There was no route to the -southward, and the ship held the only open lane. - -"Greenland," she said with hesitancy. "But Greenland is as wild as that -coast." She pointed over the _Pole Star's_ quarter. - -Stirling smiled and removed his knee from the wheel. He changed the -course more to the true north, and the ship plunged on as Slim and the -Russians realized that they had escaped from the white jaws of an icy -death. - -"Greenland," said Stirling, "is Heaven compared to Baffin Land. You -shall see." - -The girl hesitated and glanced at Stirling, who was consulting the -binnacle, reaching an arm through the spokes of the wheel and wiping the -glass with his bare fingers. A tiny light showed over the compass as the -wheel moved with a slow lifting of the starboard rope. - -The ship steadied, a halo of smoke and flame crowning the single funnel. -Slim, the Frisco dock rat, was redeeming himself, and his voice rolled -up through the ventilators as he urged the Russians in the stokehold to -renewed efforts. - -Stirling partly turned his face and watched the girl, who soon was gone -over the quarter-deck with a faint nod backward. The closing companion -slide told Stirling that she had been slightly offended by his -preoccupied manner, and wondered at this as he stared with unseeing eyes -out over the waters of Baffin Bay. - -Hour after hour he guided the ship, a lone figure wrapped in thought and -retrospection. He knew nothing of women; he felt that Helen Marr was as -remote as the stars above him, and he had grown to look upon her as a -companion--that was all. He feared to trust his mind to go more deeply -into the matter. - -The course he had chosen revealed the hand of a super-pilot. The -grinding floes to leeward were blown by the wind in such a manner as to -leave an open lane between them and the pack which was rushing to fill -the Bay. The last days of the open season had arrived; a week, at the -most, would see the water frozen over and cemented into an icy lock -which would hold until the next July. - -There was a limit to his endurance--strong man as he was. A swerve of -the ship--the running off a full point--brought the truth home to him -that he had been asleep. He woke and gathered himself together with a -shrug of his shoulders, only soon to doze again. The ship went off the -course, crashed against a drifting floe, and a Russian called a warning -from the forepeak. - -Stirling stiffened and twirled the spokes in time to avoid an ice island -of an acre's extent. He stared upward, as if in the heavens would be -found inspiration, and the haze of sky and snow and whirling sleet -allowed the faint light of the sun to penetrate its veil. He calculated -the sun's position, and drew out his watch, remembering the drift of the -currents in Baffin Bay. It might be necessary to take a lunar or solar -observation before he reached the Greenland shore, which was more than a -day's steaming to the eastward. - -Grimly Stirling blocked the wheel, replaced his watch, rose on tiptoes, -and called the Russian from the forepeak. Fortunately, this lookout had -some slight knowledge of steering. He climbed the steps on the leeward -side and touched his cap. - -Stirling pointed at the binnacle. "Keep that course," he said. "Do you -understand?" - -The Russian grinned and grasped the spokes of the wheel. Stirling -stepped back a foot or more and watched the jib boom of the ship as it -hung steady above the dark waters, then staggered toward the cabin -companion. Down this he went, paused irresolutely in the light which -streamed from the deck cluster, then pitched across a divan which was -between two closed portholes, and sank into the deepest slumber of his -life. - -He awoke as if his sleep had been but a moment. Every limb ached. He -glanced upward and saw Helen Marr standing over him, her expression -intent and compassionate. She opened her lips, but did not speak, and -her eyes travelled over Stirling's features, then swung toward the -table. A steaming pot of coffee stood there, and beside it were biscuits -and potted beef. - -Stirling staggered to his feet and felt around with his hands. His coat -had been removed while he slept; a pillow lay where his head had been, -and the divan was partly covered with a Navaho blanket. - -He realized that she had covered him up, and he appreciated, too, her -thoughtful attention in keeping warm the coffee. - -Stirling stepped to the table and turned. "Thank you," he said. - -She smiled with comradeship and came across the cabin. "I've been on -deck," said she, pointing toward the cabin companion. "The sun is on the -ice, and the Russian is still holding the course you gave him." - -Stirling looked at his pocket; he had slept thirteen hours. Soon he -began to eat, now and then glancing at the girl by his side. He finished -without words and entered Marr's cabin. When he emerged, ten minutes -later, his chin was clean shaven and his hair parted. - -He crammed some tobacco into a cord-wrapped pipe, found his cap and -coat, and turned toward her as he placed one foot on the steps leading -to the cabin companion. "Are you coming up?" he asked. - -"Do you want me to?" - -Stirling smiled. "You're my first mate," he said. "You and I shall -finish the passage to Greenland. We should reach Upernivik by midnight." - -"Is that a port?" Her voice had taken on new strength as she watched -him. - -"Yes," he answered. "About the only place we can safely winter. Are you -sorry I didn't try for Davis Strait and the North Atlantic?" - -"You knew best," she declared, turning away from his level glance. "I -shall be on deck in ten minutes," she added, softly. - -Stirling thrust his head and shoulders above the cabin companion and -studied the scene on the deck. The Russian drowsed at the wheel, with -his body leaning over the spokes; the funnel was still mantled with a -rolling cloud of smoke; two of the revolutionists stood forward by the -break of the forecastle peak, keeping watch. - -Crossing the icy planks, Stirling touched the Russian on the shoulder -and motioned for him to go forward and get some sleep. Stirling's smile -was so contagious that the Russian thrust out his hand impulsively, and -Stirling grasped it with fervour. - -He looked at the binnacle and then swept the sea, his eyes widening in -calculation. The lane of open water stretched east and west across -Baffin Bay. South, by the glint on the horizon haze, ice was gathered -for the closing in of winter. Northward, bergs and floes showed, -marshalled in squadrons and companies like soldiers preparing for a -charge. The sky, seen through the falling snow, was leaden. - -With some slight trepidation, Stirling awaited the coming of Helen Marr. -She had acted strangely of late. They were to be thrown together during -the ten months of winter at Upernivik; there would be no possible escape -to a more civilized community. - -Slim, the Frisco dock rat, appeared at the railing of the engine-room -companion. He emerged to the deck and walked aft, his face grimy. Up the -quarter-deck steps he came--on the leeward side, out of deference to -Stirling. - -Slim glanced forward, and swung his head as he reached the wheel. -"Thought I'd sort of apologize," he said, thrusting out his hand. "I'm -with you all the way now for what you did." - -Stirling released his hand from the spokes and clasped the dock rat's -fingers. "Keep up steam the way you have and I've no kick coming," said -the Ice Pilot. "We should reach winter quarters by midnight." - -Slim went forward and disappeared down the engine-room companion. The -Russians on the forecastle head, who had seen the attitude of the two -men, raised their arms and waved, then turned to faithful duty as -lookouts. Peace had settled on the former poacher. - -Stirling studied the back of one of these Russians as he waited for -Helen Marr to appear. Ivan, he was called. It was Ivan, of the Russians -from the province of the Don Cossacks, who had stood the long trick -while Stirling slept. The Ice Pilot made a note of this. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXVII--THE CALLING BEACON - - -The companion slide opened suddenly and Helen Marr emerged from the -cabin. She stood in furs and close-drawn cap as Stirling swung the wheel -and looked at her. She surveyed the wild waste of dark waters with a -thoughtful pucker on her brow before she came to his side. Then her eyes -lifted to the faint light which streamed from the leaden vault of -heaven. The sun was rimming the horizon behind the veil of mist. - -For hours the two stood side by side, Stirling keeping the course with -easy movements. The ship threaded in and out of small ice floes which -were gathering by mutual attraction. - -There was the smell of land in the air. The seals sported and dived -before the dark form of the onrushing ship, and walrus and killer whales -appeared within the lane of water. Birds wheeled and circled the frosted -spars that moved through the mist. - -Stirling sensed that they were nearing the shores of Greenland. He rose -on tiptoe and peered ahead, where a darker mass, broken here and there -by ice fields, came out of the haze. It was indented by fiords and -inlets. - -He turned to the girl. "No chance to take an observation," he said. -"We're going to run a bit down the coast. I think I can make the -headland at Upernivik. There should be lights there." - -She nodded her head and fastened upon him the fine glance of a comrade -to a comrade. "I'll steer," she suggested, holding out her hands. - -Stirling shook his head slowly, leaned away from her, and bent over the -binnacle, then changed the course of the _Pole Star_ until the dark -coast was over the port bow. Holding this course, he waited and strained -his eyes for some sign of light. - -He heard the beat of waves within the coves, a glacier separated, and -the sound of the falling berg thundered far out to sea. The ship rocked -and trembled in the swiftly running waves; then it steadied and crept -closer to land. They glided like a dream thing in the shadow of a haven. -An opal citadel took the place of the leaden vault, as the moon rose in -the south and east and bathed the fast-flying clouds with a pale, unreal -light. Through these clouds white stars shone and twinkled. - -"We're near Upernivik!" said Stirling as midnight approached. "Keep a -sharp lookout for lights, Miss Marr." - -His voice troubled her, and his use of the "Miss Marr" instead of a more -familiar name caused her to creep closer to the wheel. - -"What are we going to do?" she asked, vaguely. - -"Winter at Upernivik and go out in the spring." - -"But won't that be many long months?" - -"Nine or ten," said Stirling, rubbing his eyes with the back of his -right hand and turning toward her. "There is nothing else to do," he -added. "We can save the ship that way. The _Pole Star_ belongs to -you--now." - -A flush swept over her cheeks, and she reached up her mittened hands, -brushing her hair back from her ears. "Let the Russian steer," she -suggested. "Let him steer and you and I can talk by the rail." - -Stirling noted the course, then called forward. Ivan turned and hurried -aft, coming over the break of the quarter-deck with his hand on his cap. - -"Steady, as she is," said Stirling, releasing the spokes. "Watch for -lights ashore. Upernivik--you understand?" - -The Russian nodded. Helen Marr and the Ice Pilot moved aft and stood by -the taffrail as the ship glided on with its jib boom parallel to the -sombre Greenland shore. - -The girl turned her face away from Stirling's and looked over the -taffrail where the silver phosphorescence of the wake was broken in -countless places by the reaching waves. The moon had emerged from the -clouds, and it scudded along as if driven by silver sails, its rays -illuminating the quarter-deck. - -Stirling felt strangely troubled in the presence of the silent girl. He -stepped back a foot, then came forward with the roll of the ship, as her -hand reached out and rested upon the taffrail. - -Through the citadel the _Pole Star_ glided under half steam. A faint -roar of running waters came from the shore, and there was the echoing of -waves on the shelving beaches. The headland toward which the ship -steered was rounded, and beyond, like a jewel in a locket, glistened a -sapphire light. - -"Upernivik!" said Stirling. - -The girl nodded her head, turning away from the land and staring at the -surface of Baffin Bay. Then her eyes fastened upon Stirling's and in -them he read the secret of her silence. He flushed and raised his hand -to his smooth-shaven chin, then lowered it and reached forward timidly. - -"Look!" she said, suddenly. - -Stirling stiffened his arm and turned. He saw the spire of a little -church on the beach in the cove, where it showed against the snow of the -hillside like a calling beacon. - -"Starboard half a point," said Stirling to the wheelsman. - -The Russian swung the wheel, and the girl still stared at the glistening -spire, parting her lips to whisper: - -"A house of worship--a church." - -Stirling thrust out his hand and covered her fingers where they rested -on the rail of the ship. She allowed them to remain there, and a glad -warmth mingled and surged through their bodies. - -The ship plowed on within the land ice which crunched under the sharp -bow. Stirling glanced upward and saw the white spire against the dark -clouds which had been driven across the snowy mountains of Greenland. - -Then he clasped the girl's fingers as he drew her to him, and he felt -her heated breath when their lips met. - - - THE END - - - ---- - -BOOKS BY HENRY LEVERAGE - - _Ice Pilot, The_ - _Shepherd of the Sea, The_ - _Where Dead Men Walk_ - _Whispering Wires_ - _White Cipher, The_ - - - - - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ICE PILOT *** - - - - -A Word from Project Gutenberg - - -We will update this book if we find any errors. - -This book can be found under: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/35518 - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no one -owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation (and -you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without permission -and without paying copyright royalties. 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-
-.. meta::
- :PG.Id: 35518
- :PG.Title: The Ice Pilot
- :PG.Released: 2011-03-07
- :PG.Rights: Public Domain
- :PG.Producer: Darleen Dove
- :PG.Producer: Mary Meehan
- :PG.Producer: the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
- :PG.Credits: This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.
- :DC.Creator: Henry Leverage
- :MARCREL.ill: Rudolph Tandler
- :DC.Title: The Ice Pilot
- :DC.Language: en
- :DC.Created: 1921
- :coverpage: images/cover.jpg
-
-
-
-=============
-THE ICE PILOT
-=============
-
-.. _pg-header:
-
-.. container::
- :class: pgheader
-
- .. style:: paragraph
- :class: noindent
-
- This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
- almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
- re-use it under the terms of the `Project Gutenberg License`_
- included with this eBook or online at
- http://www.gutenberg.org/license.
-
-
-
- |
-
- .. _pg-machine-header:
-
- .. container::
-
- Title: The Ice Pilot
-
- Author: Henry Leverage
-
- Release Date: March 07, 2011 [EBook #35518]
-
- Language: English
-
- Character set encoding: UTF-8
-
- |
-
- .. _pg-start-line:
-
- \*\*\* START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ICE PILOT \*\*\*
-
- |
- |
- |
- |
-
- .. _pg-produced-by:
-
- .. container::
-
- Produced by Darleen Dove, Mary Meehan, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net.
-
- |
-
- This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.
-
-
-.. figure:: images/cover.jpg
- :align: center
-
-.. class:: center x-large
-
- | THE ICE PILOT
- | BY HENRY LEVERAGE
-
-.. class:: center small
-
- | FRONTISPIECE BY
- | RUDOLPH TANDLER
- |
- | GARDEN CITY, N. Y., AND TORONTO
- | DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & COMPANY
- | 1921
- |
- | COPYRIGHT, 1921, BY
- | DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & COMPANY
- |
- | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, INCLUDING THAT OF TRANSLATION
- | INTO FOREIGN LANGUAGES, INCLUDING THE SCANDINAVIAN
- |
- | COPYRIGHT, 1919, BY STREET AND SMITH CORPORATION
- |
- | DEDICATED TO
- | THE CAPTAIN OF THE *KARLUK*
- | SEASON 1897-8
-
-
-.. figure:: images/front.jpg
- :align: center
- :alt: The floes through which Stirling guided the ship became larger and higher
-
- The floes through which Stirling guided the ship became larger and higher
-
-
-
-.. contents:: CONTENTS
- :depth: 1
- :backlinks: entry
-
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER I—THE COAST OF BARBARY
-==============================
-
-It was raining in San Francisco.
-
-Over that Bagdad of the West a thin drizzling mist swept like some fine
-seiner's net; over the Bay a fog hung.
-
-A man stood alone on the crest of Telegraph Hill. Below him the city
-stretched with its square-checked habitations; its long, blurred lanes
-of lights; its trolley cars creeping like glow-worms up and down the
-slippery inclines.
-
-That evening the man had watched the sun go down in yellow splendour. He
-had seen the shadow of night chase the sunlight in a mad frolic beyond
-the edge of the world. He had noted—for his eyes were sharp—the
-fore-topsail of a windjammer cut a square nick out of the horizon, and
-come like a scared white thing through the Golden Gate.
-
-Directly below the man a house, which was perched on the declivity,
-seemed to burst with drunken mirth and laughter. A woman's voice swung
-in tune with a tinkling piano. She sang an old chantey that whalers
-know:
-
- | "'Rah for the grog—
- | The jolly, jolly grog.
- | 'Rah for the grog and tobacco.
- | We've spent all our tin with the ladies, drinking gin,
- | And across the briny ocean we must wan—der——"
-
-The man shrugged his shoulders, clinked two silver coins together, and
-descended the hill to the Blubber Room, from whence the song had come.
-
-The piano drummed out a noisy welcome when he opened and closed the
-door.
-
-He took a seat at a table, removed his cap from his gray-sprinkled head,
-leaned back, and looked around the smoky interior of the Blubber Room.
-The figures of old salts, crimps, half-pay officers, and one
-square-jawed sailor loomed through the fetid air. A woman with carmined
-lips and a thin blue neck stood by a youth who played the piano.
-
-It was all familiar to Stirling—known from the Clyde to the Golden Horn
-as Horace Stirling, the Ice Pilot. He had been in such dives before. He
-knew Number Nine, Yokohama, and the Silver Dollar at Manila.
-
-Stirling had struck hard luck, chicken farming over Oakland way. His
-chickens died as sailors die of scurvy at Herschel Island, and he wanted
-to quit the shore.
-
-The sea and the Arctic called, and he had little money left. There was
-a chance for adventure in the Blubber Room that night; rumour had it
-that a ship was outfitting for a passage to East Cape, Siberia, and the
-unknown land around the Pole.
-
-Stirling possessed a countenance stamped with the seal of misfortune—a
-face with which destiny loves to toy, the face of a rover and a
-castaway, yet withal, a strong face which would remain strong to the
-very end.
-
-His eyes were dark brown and wide-set. His nose was long and divided
-full; round cheeks blood-veined to a purplish tinge that spoke not only
-of wind and weather, of the sea and brine, but also of the lees and
-dregs of a wanderer's life.
-
-The figure of him, sitting at the table, seemed blocked from sturdy oak.
-
-He eyed the patrons of the Blubber Room and concluded that the adventure
-he sought for was far away from that noisy, smoke-filled dive. There was
-but one occupant who looked capable of a desperate enterprise—the
-sailor—and this man sat hunched in a chair as if he had been drinking
-heavily of temperance-time alcohol.
-
-Stirling studied the sailor's face and found lines in it which were
-slightly familiar. It brought to his mind the Revenue Service and a
-second lieutenant whom he had met off the Little Diomede Island in
-Bering Strait.
-
-Turning from his scrutiny of the sailor, Stirling looked at the door of
-the Blubber Room through which two men stepped who would have attracted
-attention anywhere.
-
-These men, glistening from the rain, took seats at a table and called
-for a bottle of light wine. One man was a Yankee, by his nasal
-undertones and tobacco-stained goatee. The other man was half the weight
-of the first, thin, alert, with a well-trimmed Vandyke beard over which
-glittered a pair of eyes that resembled gimlets in their pointed
-intensity.
-
-Upon both of these men lay the badge of the sea—in their gestures,
-their pea-jackets, and their peculiar habit of always leaning against
-something, which is acquired on decks of ships.
-
-Stirling studied these men, watched them drink the wine, and saw that
-they had fallen under the hidden observation of the sailor who resembled
-a second lieutenant of the Revenue Service.
-
-The Ice Pilot sensed adventure. He also ordered a bottle of light wine,
-and paid for it with his last dollar. He sipped the liquid slowly,
-pretended to be interested in the woman at the piano, and waited for
-something to happen.
-
-He had not long to wait.
-
-The two seamen rose from their table, tossed down coins, glanced
-meaningly toward the woman at the piano and the waiter who had served
-them wine, and went out from the Blubber Room.
-
-Stirling looked at the sailor, who half-lifted himself from his chair,
-thought better of the action, dropped back, thrust his elbows on the
-table, and buried his face in his palms.
-
-The woman's song rose and fell in the heated air, while the lamps
-flickered and almost went out. The piano's tinkling notes settled to a
-shrill tune that was a signal.
-
-There followed swifter than Stirling could make note of the events, an
-oath from the waiter, a curse upon somebody, a loud banging of the
-piano, and a woman's penetrating scream.
-
-A chair, a cuspidor, and part of a table hurtled across the Blubber
-Room; bottles struck the walls; the light went out when the lamps fell
-in a thousand pieces to the floor.
-
-Stirling overturned his table, stumbled through the gloom, tripped over
-a body, went down on all fours, and crawled to the door. He raised
-himself and attempted to turn the knob, but it would not budge. He heard
-behind him the shrieks of the woman and the thud of many blows, then,
-after a minute's uproar, a match was lighted, shielded in a red palm,
-and its rays directed downward to the sawdust floor.
-
-The Ice Pilot felt his heart throb in his staunch body. The woman, who
-had stood by the piano, lay face upward with the hilt of a seaman's
-knife protruding from her breast; carmine stained her neck and waist.
-
-"Watch th' door an' windows!" a seaman cried. "Somebody's gone an'
-croaked Thedessa."
-
-Accusing eyes glowed in the match's yellow light, and the Ice Pilot felt
-that he was the centre of suspicion. A hand was raised and a long finger
-pointed toward him.
-
-He waited until someone lighted the wick of a smashed lamp, then
-stepping from the locked door he went to the woman and knelt by her
-side. Rising, he said, "I didn't kill her. I think the piano-player
-did."
-
-"Maybe she ain't dead," said a voice that Stirling recognized as coming
-from the sailor.
-
-The waiter took off his apron, closed one eye craftily, and, after a
-brutal laugh and a sharp glance around the circle of seaman, exclaimed:
-
-"Aw, nobody killed her-she just fell on th' knife!"
-
-Stirling sought for the piano-player who had vanished. He square-set his
-shoulders, clenched his fists, and cleared his throat.
-
-"I'll go for the police," he said.
-
-The waiter and a seaman grasped his sturdy arms. "Hol' on," they urged.
-
-"Why should I hold on?"
-
-The waiter eyed the woman on the floor.
-
-"She's dead. Nobody knows who killed her. Let's all help carry th' body
-out to Meigg's Wharf an' set her afloat."
-
-Stirling shook his head. He heard behind him the soft step of the
-piano-player who came from a door set near the piano.
-
-"I'll swing for it," he said to the Ice Pilot, a whine in his voice.
-"Help me out of th' mess, matey. Let's set Thedessa adrift—she always
-wanted to float out to sea that way."
-
-Stirling felt an urging glance from the sailor who resembled the
-second-lieutenant. He moved to this man's side and was going to question
-him when the wick of the lamp sputtered and went out.
-
-Another wick was lighted and this was thrust in the mouth of a wine
-bottle, where it flared like a torch at sea.
-
-"What d'ye say?" questioned the piano-player. "What does everybody say?
-Th' police will pinch us all for th' murder an' keep us in jail for
-weeks."
-
-"You knifed that woman!" declared Stirling.
-
-The piano-player blinked his pale lashes, then went to the door, drew a
-key from his pocket, and threw back the bolt of the lock. He looked out
-into the vale of mist and fog that stretched from Telegraph Hill to the
-waters of the Bay.
-
-"Who'll help me carry Thedessa?" he queried.
-
-A crimp, the waiter, and one or two seamen offered their services.
-Stirling hesitated, but again he felt the urge from the
-second-lieutenant, and agreed by nodding his head.
-
-The piano-player, who knew the path, led the way with the woman's feet
-under his arm, the waiter and a seaman supporting Thedessa's head.
-Stirling and the sailor brought up the rear.
-
-"My name is Eagan," said the sailor. "We'll go along and see what
-happens. It's th' best way out of a nasty jam."
-
-"Were you in the Bering Strait three seasons ago?"
-
-Eagan shook his head, clutched Stirling's arm, and guided him after the
-trio who had carried the woman out upon Meigg's Wharf and were lowering
-her into a Whitehall boat.
-
-"No," he said to Stirling. "But I got something to say to you—after
-awhile. Something important."
-
-The Ice Pilot hesitated on the stringer-piece of the wharf and looked
-toward the fog-covered Bay, but again Eagan guided him on. They seized
-hold of a painter that was hitched to a cleat, descended to the
-Whitehall boat, and cast loose from the wharf.
-
-Thedessa lay in the stern of the boat where the piano-player and waiter
-sat with their heads close together. A seaman rowed skilfully, and the
-sharp-prowed boat cut through the short waves, swung, steadied, and made
-toward a dark mass on the surface of San Francisco Bay.
-
-Stirling suddenly felt water around his boots. He glanced down and
-lifted his feet. He heard a cry from the piano-player.
-
-"We're sinking! There's no plug in this boat!"
-
-Eagan attempted to find the plug-hole. He rose with his hands dripping
-bilge muck. The man at the oars dug the blades deep into the bay, bent
-his back, and dug again as if his life were at stake.
-
-Stirling climbed into the bow of the boat, stared through the fog, and
-heard a ship's bell striking. He motioned for the oarsman to row in
-that direction, and the light craft steadied upon the dark mass.
-
-Reaching upward, the Ice Pilot warded off the boat and grasped a
-dangling line that ran over a ship's rail at the waist. He nudged Eagan
-and went hand-over-hand upward until one palm hooked the rail, then he
-turned his head and looked at the boat.
-
-The piano-player, the waiter, and the woman—all three very much
-alive—were standing on the thwarts. Eagan and the other seamen had
-found lines up which they were climbing.
-
-Stirling saw the woman draw a bent knife from her breast, toss it
-overboard, and wring the water from her skirts.
-
-He heard her mocking song as the Whitehall boat merged in the fog, and
-finally was gone back toward Meigg's Wharf and the Blubber Room:
-
- | "It's 'rah for th' grog—
- | Th' jolly, jolly grog!
- | It's 'rah for th' grog an' tobacco!
- | For you've spent all your tin with th' ladies, drinkin' gin,
- | An' across th' brimy ocean you must wan—der——"
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER II—ON A MAN'S SEA
-=========================
-
-Breathing the invigorating night air, Horace Stirling climbed over the
-ship's rail, squared his shoulders, and started toward the poop steps.
-The consciousness that he had been shanghaied came to him; the sensation
-was a novel one.
-
-He reached the weather steps. There he paused and swung, facing the
-after part of the ship. A group of seamen were gathered in the waist.
-They were receiving the shanghaied sailors who had been brought out in
-the Whitehall boat.
-
-Stirling gathered in the details of the whaler and his jaw dropped in
-wonder, while his eyes softened with an appreciative glow. He had never
-sailed or steamed upon such a ship. She was complete and yachtlike, and
-her deck house extended fore and aft between the main and mizzenmast. It
-was such a cabin as one would expect to find on a government revenue
-cutter. A squat, drab funnel reared from a boat deck, and glowed through
-the mist like the end of a fat cigar.
-
-Stirling turned and mounted the poop, to face two of the men with whom
-he had drunk in that tavern near the wharves. One thrust out a hamlike
-hand. "Remember me?" he said, with a twinkle in his eyes. "I'm Cushner
-who took the Anderson expedition to the mouth of the Lena River. You
-were ice pilot of the *Northern Lights* that season. You gammed us in
-Bering Strait. Remember?"
-
-Stirling stared up into the big seaman's face, squinting his eyes in an
-attempt to recall a vague memory. Slowly the details of the Anderson
-expedition came back to him.
-
-"You're Cushner!" he blurted out. "By the jumpin' bowheads, you are!
-Who's the little fellow?" Stirling motioned toward the second seaman who
-had descended the lee poop steps and started forward to where a knot of
-men were gathered about the corner of the deck house.
-
-The big mate of the ship leaned over the quarter-deck rail and said:
-"He's Marr—Captain Marr of the Baffin Bay crowd. See, he's mixin' with
-th' men. No man leaves this ship, but you, out of the bunch. Sailors are
-scarce as bowheads in the western ocean these days."
-
-"Do you need a pilot?"
-
-"We certainly do! You can come if you want to."
-
-"How about this ship?"
-
-"She's the *Pole Star*. She once was called the *Alexander*. She was a
-Russian yacht. She's fitted out for whaling and trading. Good food and
-all that. The old man will be glad to sign you on a big lay. We're going
-right up in the ice."
-
-"Who'll be the afterguard?"
-
-"Well, you'll make one if you join us. There's Marr and Whitehouse, who
-just came by rail. That puts me back to second mate. Then there's
-Sanderson and Manley—third and fourth. Besides, there's Maddox and
-Baldwin of the engine-room force. It's a good outfit. Fair play and
-money to be had."
-
-Stirling rubbed his nose, lifted his eyes to the rigging, squared his
-shoulders, and turned toward Cushner. "How about all this?" he asked
-with a wide sweep of his arm. "Kind of queer, eh?"
-
-"Well, no," drawled the big mate, tugging at his long beard. "No; not
-that I know of, Stirling. Everything's on deck as far as I can see. The
-old man is a part owner—it's a private venture. He and Whitehouse know
-their business. Just keep your tongue spliced and say nothing. The old
-man will be in the cabin at six bells. We'll talk to him then; if you
-want to go ashore, you can. If you stay, I'll promise you some fair game
-on a man's sea."
-
-Stirling took a turn about the quarter-deck of the *Pole Star*, then
-came back to the rail and leaned over. Marr had disappeared.
-
-A bell struck over the misted waters of the city, and was followed by
-others. A roar sounded to the westward, where the surf beat upon Seal
-Rocks and the entrance to the harbour. A salty gust stirred the standing
-rigging of the ship, and it filled the Ice Pilot's lungs with remembered
-calling. He braced his shoulders, lifted his head, and felt like a man
-who has shaken off a bad dream. He was going North again, on a good ship
-with a staunch crew.
-
-Stirling turned toward the big mate, who stood under the shadow of a
-long, white whaleboat. "I'll join," the Ice Pilot said, simply. "Let's
-go below and see Marr. It's six bells and more. Like as not he and I can
-get along. I ain't a hard man to please. Only, this has got to be an
-honest voyage. I ain't in for anything downright crooked. It ain't my
-nature!"
-
-"Mine, neither," said Cushner. "Come on!"
-
-Stirling followed the second mate across the deck to an ornate companion
-close by the taffrail, and they descended by turning, in the manner of
-seamen the world over. Stirling removed his cap and stood rooted in the
-doorframe as his eyes gathered in the details of the cabin.
-
-A soft electric cluster shone overhead, and walls and bulkheads were
-hung with draperies. The deck was covered with Persian carpets, while
-here and there—scattered in haphazard fashion—gleamed the tawny yellow
-pelts of wild animals.
-
-Athwart the ship, from inner skin to inner skin, the cabin extended,
-with staterooms fore and aft of the companion stairway. The round
-portholes, covered with silken curtains, alone remained to tell that the
-room was upon a ship.
-
-Stirling blinked his eyes, then opened them wide and drank in the
-details of wealth and luxury. He stared at shelves of morocco-bound
-books, their titles stamped in gold; he noted a baby-grand piano—the
-first he had ever seen—lashed with silken cords to the after bulkhead.
-Upon it music lay in well-bound sheaths.
-
-Cushner advanced and gripped the Ice Pilot's elbow. "Come on," he
-whispered, pointing toward an alcove between two bookcases. "The captain
-is sitting there."
-
-Half hidden by a portière, stretched three quarter length upon a divan,
-Marr reclined, deep in a book of modern verse. He lifted his legs and
-dropped them to the deck, laid the book down, and rose with a quick
-thrust of his hand toward Stirling. "Be seated," he said, clasping the
-Ice Pilot's hand with a nervous grip then indicating a long, cushioned
-seat.
-
-Stirling followed the second mate's example and sat down on the nearest
-cushion, stretching out his long legs, hitching up his trousers, and
-fingering his cap. He raised his chin and met Marr's eyes, studying the
-clean-cut nostrils of the little captain. He gauged the mentality of the
-man, and thrashed the events of the night over in his mind as he held a
-steady poise.
-
-"This is Horace Stirling!" blurted out Cushner, with a voice like a
-bull. "He's the best all-around whaler and ice pilot in the game. I
-didn't recognize him in that room in Frisco. We landed a bigger fish
-than we thought. I reckon he can go ashore if he wants to. We can't
-keep him unless he wants to stay."
-
-"How about it?" asked Marr.
-
-Stirling fingered his cap, but he had already made up his mind. The ship
-suited him, Cushner was a good mate, and the North called with all the
-strength of the wide places.
-
-"I'll sign on," he said, simply. "Like as not I couldn't do better. I
-don't like the way you shipped part of your crew; outside of that, this
-suits me, if it's honest."
-
-"The crew," said Marr, softly, "was a serious problem. I wanted a few
-more men, and just at the time I saw no other way to get them than by
-straight, old-time shanghaing. It worked!"
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER III—OVER THE QUARTER-DECK
-=================================
-
-
-The Ice Pilot placed the captain as he listened to the apology—Marr was
-of a nature to brook no excuse. He had determined upon sailing the *Pole
-Star* for a voyage of discovery and profit, and he had acted outside the
-law in order to obtain a crew. This was not unusual upon the Coast of
-Barbary. Stirling, as honest as a dollar, had seen the same method
-employed before, and he puzzled his brain for a deeper motive, which
-might be behind the little skipper's steel-gray eyes.
-
-There seemed no fathoming the beard-hidden face of the captain, and
-Stirling leaned back, dropping his eyes to the rug at his feet, where he
-studied the polished points of his shore boots.
-
-"We go with the tide at sunup," said Marr. "This is the reason, and the
-only one, that we took matters in our own hands and obtained a complete
-crew. Whalers must have a bad odour in these waters, from all
-indications."
-
-Stirling glanced up. He nodded.
-
-"We go North," continued Marr, rubbing his hands together. "North, for a
-season of seven months, to whale! Mr. Cushner knows who I am. The mate,
-Mr. Whitehouse, is ashore. He'll be out very soon, and he'll attest to
-my financial responsibility. Roth & Co. have outfitted the *Pole Star*.
-They know me! I'll take Mr. Cushner's word that you are a first-class
-ice pilot. You sign on with me and I'll see that you get a thousand
-dollars in minted gold when we drop anchor at Frisco. In addition to
-that bonus, I'll give you the lay of the mate—a one-twenty-fifth of the
-proceeds of the voyage. Is that satisfactory?"
-
-Stirling considered the figures mentioned. The amount was at least a
-captain's share in the old days of whaling.
-
-"That's handsome enough, captain," he said. "That suits me. But one
-thing—I'm plain spoken—is this ship going whaling, or something else?
-I want to know."
-
-Marr smiled pleasantly. "Why did you ask?" he said, stroking his Vandyke
-beard with slender fingers.
-
-"Only to know. You see, I can go ashore and sign on with one of
-Larribee's ships. Larribee knows me. I brought in many a head of bone
-for him."
-
-"And you'll do the same for me!" exclaimed Marr, resting his hand on
-Stirling's shoulder. "Sign on and I'll promise you that there will be no
-regrets. All's honest and aboveboard. Whitehouse—Mr. Whitehouse is an
-English gentleman. He talks like a cockney, but that is an affliction.
-You'll get along with him. He's new to the Bering."
-
-"I'll sign!" said Stirling, rising. "I'll have to get my dunnage bag.
-It's at Antone's, down by the ferry."
-
-"We'll tend to that!"
-
-Stirling turned toward Cushner. "Have you entirely outfitted?" he asked,
-professionally. "Got all of your whaling gear aboard?"
-
-"We have! Six boats! A forehold chockablock and whale line and irons.
-Papers, everything, all right to clear. Some of the crew have been North
-before. The rest can learn. You and I can tend to that, eh?"
-
-Stirling swept the cabin comprehensively. "Too fine a ship to buck the
-old floes with," he said, glancing down at the skipper.
-
-"Nothing too fine for the North!" exclaimed Marr. "Write me out an order
-for your bag. I'll send Snowball, my cabin boy, with the dinghy."
-
-Stirling scribbled an order on the back of a shipping master's card. He
-passed it over to Marr, who touched a button at the end of the piano. A
-negro, sleepy-eyed and curious, thrust a kinky head through an after
-doorway.
-
-Marr stepped over the rugs and whispered his instructions. Stirling,
-whose ears were sharp, caught a command to wait on shore for somebody.
-This order was repeated.
-
-The negro vanished, and Marr paced athwart the ship. Wheeling suddenly,
-he listened with his ear cocked toward the deck beams. A shuffling of
-feet sounded overhead as men sprang down from the rail. The bell in the
-wheelhouse struck seven times. It was echoed from forward.
-
-"That's Whitehouse!" said the captain. "We'll all have a drink!"
-
-The slide to the deck companion opened, and two men descended. One was a
-square block of a man, with long arms and a pair of bushy brows which
-thatched perpetually smiling eyes. He was Baldwin, the American
-engineer.
-
-The second man held Stirling. "Mr. Whitehouse," Marr introduced, with a
-comprehensive chuckle as he nodded toward the English mate.
-
-Whitehouse had the long, beaklike nose of the typical cockney, while his
-lips were thick and somewhat red. His tanned features and knotted hands,
-his quick manner and alert stride, spoke the Dundee and Grimsby whaler,
-who had sailed many seas and fastened to more than an ordinary number of
-bowhead whales.
-
-"We're all here!" declared Marr. "Ship's completely outfitted with
-seamen and material. We'll drink to success!"
-
-The little captain disappeared through an after doorway, returning with
-a tray and a bottle. Setting these down on a table, he drew forth a
-chart of the Arctic and Bering Sea.
-
-"While we're drinking," he said, hardening his eyes, "let's look over
-the chart. You, Stirling, might help us out. Glad you're coming along."
-
-Stirling upended a decanter and poured out a generous portion of brandy.
-He tasted this, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, then leaned
-forward over the chart. His finger traced a line from the Aleutians
-northward.
-
-"There," he said, "is the first whaling ground—just the other side the
-islands. The ice will lie about here, and the bowhead can't go north
-till it opens. They're wise fish, but they can't get through any more
-than we can."
-
-"How about the other whaling spots?" asked Marr.
-
-"Well, captain," said Stirling, "after the Bering Strait, you'll find
-aplenty, there's Herald Island and Wrangel Land. There's Point
-Barrow—I've caught late whales at the Point. Then there's the lane
-between the grounded ice floes and the coast, all the way to the mouth
-of the Mackenzie River. I've wintered three times at Herschel Island,
-and we always got bone in the early spring when the ice broke."
-
-Marr leaned over the chart and asked softly: "How is the whaling close
-to the Siberian shore? I've heard of catches in the Gulf of Anadir. I
-think it would be wise that we go there as soon as the ice permits."
-
-Stirling glanced keenly at the little skipper, for he sensed a deeper
-motive in the question. The Gulf of Anadir was close indeed to Russia.
-It was a favourite sealing ground; few whales were to be found there.
-The season was generally too late to capture any bowheads on account of
-the ice barrier which held back the ships.
-
-"I don't recommend it," he said, simply. "I've been there twice. First
-time was in the *Beluga*. We didn't fasten to anything that year. The
-second time was in the old *Norwhale*—Captain Gully commanding. We
-fastened to one head close by the Siberian shore. That was all. It's
-barren waters unless you can put the ship in early."
-
-"Can't you do that?"
-
-"Not always; sometimes. I've seen the pack ice so thick at the
-Pribilofs, or just north of St. Paul Island, that it was late in July
-when we broke through and reached Bering Strait. We got nothing but some
-trade stuff from the natives that season. It was too late to find
-bowheads; they'd taken the Northeast Passage and gone through to Baffin
-Bay."
-
-"Just the same," said Marr, "I'd like to try for the Gulf of Anadir.
-Ever hear of Disko Island?"
-
-Stirling narrowed his eyes. Disko Island was the very heart of the
-richest sealing ground in all the world—outside of the Pribilofs. It
-belonged to Russia, and around it were gunboats of England, Japan, and
-the United States.
-
-"I know it well," he said, dryly. "There's plenty of seals there, but
-darn few bowheads!"
-
-Marr glanced at Whitehouse, then his eyes travelled the circle and
-rested upon the chart. He followed Stirling's pointing finger.
-
-"It's a blym shame!" blurted out the English mate. "It's an outrage that
-them Russians got all them nice little pelts. What's the 'arm in lookin'
-the island over? Who's going to bother now? Who's running Russia,
-anyway?"
-
-"The Bolsheviki," said Marr. "What do you say we take a look at the
-island? Stirling can put us through the early ice. We'll skirt the
-Siberian shore afterward. I want to drop in at East Cape, they say
-trading is good there."
-
-Stirling gripped a glass and raised it to his lips. He stared at the
-chart, then fastened a penetrating glance which bored into the little
-skipper's brain, and smiled faintly as Marr remained silent.
-
-"I'm willing," he said. "I'll take you anywhere. We're all together. I
-see no harm in looking over Disko Island."
-
-"All we want," said Cushner, rising, "is to follow the skipper, here,
-and keep our jaw tackle closed. He'll bring results!"
-
-Stirling was watching Marr's face, which lightened perceptibly.
-
-The captain of the *Pole Star* thrust his hand out, palm upward. "Well
-spoken," he said. "I'll guarantee good results!"
-
-Marr rolled up the chart with a swift whirl of his hands, then rose and
-stared at Baldwin, who had remained silent.
-
-"Have you everything aboard?" the little skipper asked.
-
-"Yes; we're coaled. I can safely say the engine-room force is complete.
-Naturally we'll have to recoal at whatever point we can on the Siberian
-coast or at Unalaska. The bunkers are chockablock, but you know that ice
-work takes the steam. And coal is high; it'll be about twenty dollars a
-ton at Dutch Harbor or Point Barrow, if there's any there at all."
-
-"Confounded little!" blurted Stirling. "There's an on-shore whaling
-station there and a missionary settlement. But"—the Ice Pilot paused
-and smiled at a memory—"there's a spot on the coast east of Point
-Barrow where we can dig out all the coal we need. I know it. I was there
-in the old *Northern Lights*, and I saw more coal than you could find in
-Pittsburgh. There's mountains of it hidden under the snow."
-
-"That's fine!" Marr exclaimed. "We'll fill the bunkers there. Now
-everybody stand up and we'll drink a final toast to the success of our
-venture. What'll the toast be?"
-
-"To a full hold of bone!" Stirling suggested.
-
-Marr glanced at Whitehouse. The mate winked and stared at his glass.
-"I'd say," he muttered, "that there's a better toast. Let's all drink to
-success at Disko Island, where the seals are."
-
-Stirling grew thoughtful. Again the subject of seals had come up, and he
-glanced from face to face about him. The circle of men who comprised the
-afterguard of the *Pole Star* would have supported most any desperate
-enterprise. None was a young man; all were experienced.
-
-Stirling set down his glass. Marr had stepped toward the after bulkhead
-of the cabin, and rested his hand on the piano.
-
-A slight bump, as if a small boat had touched the outer run of the ship,
-sounded, and this was followed by steps on the deck overhead. Voices
-echoed, and a low call drifted through the open portholes.
-
-The captain turned with a quick jerk and glanced upward, his hand lifted
-for silence. There came a knocking on an after door. This knocking was
-repeated.
-
-"Good-night, gentlemen!" Marr exclaimed. "Get to your bunks and turn in.
-I'll expect you at sunup. We'll sail then!"
-
-Stirling followed the big second mate, who knew the run of the ship. As
-they stood at last in the waist where the shadow of the dark deck house
-lay across the planks, two riding lights shone through the mist, and a
-flare marked the cap of the rakish funnel. High steam was in the *Pole
-Star's* boilers.
-
-"Who came aboard?" asked Stirling with directness.
-
-Cushner gripped his palms, gulped, and stroked his long, pointed beard,
-then turned and stared at the low rail which was over the break of the
-quarter-deck.
-
-"A passenger!" he said.
-
-"A passenger?"
-
-"Sure! Didn't you hear the voice? It was a woman's. At least, it sounded
-that way to me. They're always bad luck at sea."
-
-"I've heard tell they are," said Stirling.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER IV—ON THE SPARKLING SEA
-===============================
-
-
-The pall which lay around the *Pole Star* was like an ultramarine depth.
-The narrow circle of visible waters rose and fell sullenly, while aloft
-the taper spars merged into the mist. Now and then a grinding jerk of
-the anchor chain sent a vibrating shudder from stem to jack staff. Below
-the holystoned decks the watch snored, unaware that the tide hung at its
-flood and that a wan yellow sun was rising over the Coast Range like a
-paper lantern in a summer's garden.
-
-Stirling moved restlessly, his eyes opened like a quiet child's, and he
-surveyed his cabin. The events of the night and the early morning rushed
-back to him, and he blinked as he caught a reflection of his face in a
-white-bordered mirror at the head of the bunk.
-
-He sprang to the deck, ducked his head in a basin, tested the taps, then
-dried himself with a thick towel. Staring about, he found his clothes
-hanging from hooks on the ship's sheathing. Donning the clothes, he
-opened the door and strode out into an alleyway which led to the waist
-of the ship. He lifted his eyes to the mist as he emerged upon the damp
-planks and sniffed the morning air.
-
-"Howdy!" exclaimed Cushner from a position at the rail. "About time
-you're risin'. We're going to yank the mudhook up as soon as Marr gives
-the order."
-
-Stirling dropped his eyes and stepped to the mate's side. Staring over
-the rail, he raised his finger, sniffed for a second time, then
-declared: "She'll be clear by noon. This fog is light."
-
-Cushner led the way forward to the ornate forecastle and Stirling
-glanced down through the open booby hatch, to where a row of bunks lined
-each side of the ship. In these bunks seamen slept with their arms over
-their faces and their legs extended. A molasses barrel was lashed to the
-heel of the foremast, and on top of this barrel stood a large pan of
-white bread. The entire forecastle struck Stirling as far too clean and
-too large for a whaler's. It was more like an expensive yacht's.
-
-"Them's picked men!" said Cushner. "Some has been picked from the gutter
-and some from the boarding houses. I guess I'll wake them. It's time for
-both watches on deck."
-
-The second mate lifted a belaying pin from the pinrail and pounded upon
-the deck like a policeman pounds on the pavement. "Rise and shine,
-lads!" he shouted, leaning over the companion's coaming. "We've got to
-pay Paddy Doyle for his boots. All out!"
-
-Cushner listened and then repeated his tapping. "All hands on deck!" he
-called. "Step lively now, men! It's five bells an' th' tide is
-turning!"
-
-Stirling heard protests from the sleepy crew; shoes flew across the
-forecastle, pans banged, growls and feeble protests rose as the two
-watches gathered together their clothes and attempted to dress in the
-dark.
-
-"Coffee they get," said Cushner. "Coffee and eggs and plum duff and
-white bread and bully beef. They're lucky. In my day we chewed hardtack
-and drank bilge water. Whaling has changed!"
-
-Stirling nodded, and raised his eyes to the rigging of the *Pole Star*,
-where spar varnish glistened from yards and masts, and snow-white canvas
-looped downward like lingerie on clotheslines. The running rigging was
-of new hemp. It all struck him as a dream as he turned and strode to the
-rail by the port-anchor davit.
-
-"See here," he said to Cushner. "I doubt if there's a finer sea boat
-afloat, but how about the ice? She's sheathed, but with wood. She ought
-to have a steel plate forward."
-
-The big second mate grinned. "She's a good ice ship, Stirling," he said,
-leaning over the rail and pointing downward. "That's teakwood and yew.
-There's nothing better, and it don't impede her speed to any extent. You
-ought to have been aboard coming up from Sandy Point—eleven point five
-for days at a stretch. She'll do thirteen under forced draft. She'll do
-two more knots with the wind abeam. That's six-day boat speed!"
-
-Stirling shook his head. He had been accustomed to blunt-bowed whalers
-with solid planking forward and steel sheathing aft to the waist. It was
-the only construction he knew of which would stand the grind of the
-Northern ice floes.
-
-"Take a look at the whaleboats!" said Cushner. "Simpkins, of Dundee,
-built them. They're mahogany trimmed. You don't often see that."
-
-Stirling climbed the lee fore shrouds and grasped a white boat's rail
-where it swung from polished davits just aft the break of the forepeak,
-and peered inside. The whaling gear was all in place; he counted two
-tubs of whale line which was carefully protected by new tarpaulins. The
-oars were fully sixteen feet in length, and paddles were racked beneath
-the seats. A mast and boom—harpoons, lances, bomb guns, blubber spades,
-bailing dippers—lay in position between the centerboard well and the
-skin of the boat.
-
-"Good equipment!" he declared, dropping to the deck with a light
-rebound. "They'll do. Wouldn't wonder if we have some sport this voyage.
-Last season was a bad one. It ain't natural for two bad years to run
-together. They take turns about—watch and watch."
-
-"She's well outfitted, Stirling. Thar ain't no better ship going North
-this season. You ought to drop down into the engine room and see that
-triple-expansion dream. Baldwin and Maddox say it's one of the finest
-engines ever turned out of Clyde-bank. Russia bought good stuff in the
-early days. She had the money then!"
-
-Stirling stared aft to the deck house, out of which sleepy-eyed Kanakas
-and boat steerers were appearing, then stepped to one rail and studied
-the swinging sheer of the *Pole Star*. He saw beyond the smoke of the
-cook's stovepipe the swinging lift of the quarter-deck. Upon this a
-figure strode from rail to rail. It was Marr.
-
-"How about that woman?" The question dropped from Stirling's lips as he
-turned toward the Yankee second mate.
-
-"Your guess is as good as mine. I didn't know Marr had any woman in view
-when he dropped anchor in this port. There's a kind of a law against
-women going North in whalers, ain't there?"
-
-"The owners don't allow it! But then Marr is an owner. He could do
-anything."
-
-Cushner stroked his beard. He twirled its point. "I heard voices on deck
-last night," he said with reserve. "I'm willin' to venture five plugs of
-tobacco that one was a woman's voice. Maybe she came out to say good-bye
-to the skipper. Maybe she didn't. Maybe it's his wife."
-
-Stirling reached in the pocket of his pea-jacket and fished out a plug
-of select tobacco. "I don't often chew," he said, "but I'll bet this
-plug against another that it wasn't a woman's voice you heard."
-
-"You're on!" exclaimed the mate. "It was a woman's voice. She went
-below, and she's aboard now. Time will fetch her out. Marr is as
-close-mouthed as an oyster. She's some relation; that's sure!"
-
-Stirling pocketed the plug, folded his arms, and stood smiling before
-the big mate. He shook his head. "I'll win that plug," he said,
-sincerely. "I'm a simple man, Cushner. It don't stand to reason that
-Marr would bring a woman on a whaling trip. If he's figuring on going to
-Disko Island and the Siberian coast it would be dangerous. Those are
-desperate seas!"
-
-"Here's the watches!" exclaimed the second mate. "Let's stir our stumps
-and get the ship out, smart-like. We'll forget the lady till you see for
-your own eyes. Likely she's pretty."
-
-Stirling snorted, his mind running back to his only love affair. It was
-merged in the failure of a chicken farm over Oakland way. A widow had
-cast eyes at the farm until the chickens began to pass away. This widow
-had often dwelt upon the happiness of married life. Stirling, still in
-his late forties, had thought long and seriously over the matter. He was
-a man's man, and felt that women, and particularly dashing widows,
-belonged to another sphere. They were as much out of his life as the
-stars that floated in the heavens—as remote as the centre of the
-antarctic continent. He had sailed the Northern seas too long and far to
-allow his mind to dwell upon the land as a final anchorage to his
-ambitions.
-
-He made his way aft to the wheel while the mate lunged forward and
-joined the group upon the forecastle head. Marr stood close by the
-binnacle, and just then turned to the wheelsman.
-
-"Stand ready," he said, raising his eyes to Stirling's. "You take
-charge," he added, smiling faintly as the Ice Pilot shot a keen glance
-upward where the morning sun was breaking through the last of the mist.
-"The deck is yours, Mr. Stirling. Mr. Whitehouse will go forward and
-join Mr. Cushner."
-
-Stirling squared his shoulders and braced his legs.
-
-The little skipper, spick and span in blue pea-jacket and well-cut
-trousers, strode briskly to the quarter-deck rail and leaned over.
-
-"Steam on the winch!" he shouted. "Lively now, men!"
-
-A racking grind sounded, and the iron teeth of the winch swallowed the
-rusty chain like a giant biting a meal. The ship steadied in the tide
-which was flowing through the Golden Gate as the anchor lifted from the
-mud and silt of the bay.
-
-"All's clear!" Cushner called over the whaleboats.
-
-"Hard aport!" said Stirling, sensing the position. "Put her hard aport.
-Now up a spoke! More! Steady there!"
-
-Marr reached for the engine-room telegraph, a bell clanged below, the
-single screw thrashed the water astern and the *Pole Star* rounded on a
-long arc, gliding down the bay to a position off Meigg's Wharf.
-
-A pilot and the last papers were brought out in a revenue cutter as
-Stirling kept the ship under bare headway. The siren aft the funnel
-plumed into one short blast, and they were off on the first leg of the
-passage to the Arctic and the Bering Sea.
-
-Foghorn and whistle sounded in cadence, and was answered from starboard
-and port. Once a bell rang directly ahead through the fog. The engines
-raced in reverse, and the *Pole Star* swung with her dainty jib boom
-groping through the fog like an antenna. She straightened under the
-pilot's directions.
-
-The veil thinned, as the sun struck through, bringing out the clean-cut
-details of the yards and spars. A stagelike setting appeared. To port
-lay the city—hill after hill of close-packed habitations; to starboard
-reared the green slopes of the Coast Range and the higher land of Mount
-Tamalpais. Beyond and directly ahead the sun kissed the sparkling ocean.
-
-The *Pole Star* glided under the frowning guns of the Presidio, and
-danced across the bar. The Cliff House and the seal rocks were thrown
-astern. The land of California sank to a low, black line after the pilot
-had been dropped upon the deck of a tossing kicker yacht.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER V—INTO A PURPLE TWILIGHT
-================================
-
-
-A breeze, fresh and gripping with the taste of brine, swept over the
-stern of the ship and filled the canvas which Cushner and Whitehouse
-ordered set. The anchor was brought inboard and lashed to the cleats
-close by the port cat. The crew, feeling their sea legs, brought out
-hose and swabs and started cleaning up the shore litter and dunnage,
-working to the old-time chantey: "'Rah for the grog—the jolly, jolly
-grog."
-
-Stirling turned the wheel over to the quartermaster after Marr had
-indicated a compass point, then rolled across the quarter-deck and stood
-by the green starboard light of the ship, which was turned out. He felt
-the warm breath of the following wind, gulped the sea air, and squared
-his shoulders, casting a shrewd eye at the poop-deck log, which was
-outrigged from the starboard rail.
-
-The land of California was a haze over the starboard quarter. It lifted
-in places like a cloud bank, and the cleft which marked the Golden Gate
-was crossed by the white water of the bar. The Ice Pilot smiled, as the
-simplicity of clean living came to him as a flood.
-
-He turned away from the land vision and studied the ship. On what
-mission was she headed, he wondered? Upon what seas would they force the
-taper jib boom? What trade stuff and spoil would be crammed between the
-hatches? He revolved these questions over and over in his mind, and was
-in the grip of the unknown. The little dapper skipper, the woman's
-voice, the mention of Disko Island, and the seal rookeries, all wove
-their spell:
-
- | "Though I plow the land with horses,
- | Yet my heart is ill at ease,
- | For the wise men come to me now and then
- | With their sagas of the seas."
-
-He quoted this verse as he pulled out a great silver watch, gathered in
-the log line, and timed fifty revolutions.
-
-The *Pole Star* was striking out into the Pacific on her first leg at
-fourteen point three knots an hour.
-
-"Somebody's pullin' the strings," Stirling said as he let the slack out
-of the line and replaced the silver watch. "Maybe the Mazeka girls of
-Indian Point," he added, striding to the poop rail.
-
-He stared with idle interest at the crew which were still under the able
-tutelage of Whitehouse and Cushner. The British whaler had a voice like
-a costermonger, and "Blym me, yes" and "Heaven strike me pink" rolled up
-the wind and burst like shrapnel upon the poop.
-
-Stirling narrowed his eyes, and indeed the sight of the two mates in sea
-boots and the ragged crew swarming along the waist was one to charm the
-heart of a sailor. It brought to his mind other voyages, and he recalled
-an expedition he had piloted to Point Barrow and the reaches of the
-Mackenzie. A younger son, with money to spend, had chartered a whaler
-and taken the Northern seas in search of new game. Game he had found in
-plenty: walrus, seals—both hair and fur—killer whales, bowheads, polar
-bears, and musk ox had fallen to the younger son's rifle or harpoon. The
-crew, however, had proved too strong a stench for polite nostrils. They
-were picked from the slums of the Barbary Coast.
-
-The *Pole Star's* foremast hands and the most of the harpooners and boat
-steerers would have delighted the eyes of an ethnologist. Stirling
-studied them and called their breeds. One was a cockney, like the mate.
-Another was a blue-eyed Dane. Three Gay Island natives were mixed with
-two Kanakas. Two bore the high cheekbones of Swedes. Four, at least,
-were Frisco dock rats who had been gathered in by the boarding-house
-runners and promised an advance, little of which they secured.
-
-Stirling searched the faces for the sailor whom he had seen in the
-Frisco room, but he was not in evidence. That sailor had impressed
-Stirling as far out of the ordinary. It was not only the polished
-fingernails and the resolute set to the jaw, but also the certain air
-which the seaman had carried that led to the deduction that he had at
-one time commanded other men.
-
-Cushner mopped his face with the back of his sleeve and worked aft to
-the break of the poop on the starboard side where he glanced up at
-Stirling.
-
-"Hello, old man!" he said, out of hearing of the busy crew. "What do you
-think of the *Pole Star* by now?"
-
-"Good ship. Some crew, though."
-
-The second mate mopped his brow for a second time, then squinted at a
-gang working down the deck with squeegees. "Eighteen hands before the
-mast," he said. "That ain't much for six boats. We'll need them all if
-we lower for bowheads."
-
-"Where's the sailor who came out with me?"
-
-"He's below!" This was said expressively, with a heavy wink. "I think
-he'll stay below for a watch or two. Somebody—maybe it was
-Marr—bounced a belaying pin over his figurehead. It'll heal in time."
-
-"What did you make of the sailor?"
-
-"Maybe a spy. Maybe a good man gone wrong."
-
-"He recognized Marr in the Blubber Room!"
-
-Cushner shook his head. "We'll watch that fellow like a killer whale.
-He'll walk straight under me and Whitehouse."
-
-The second mate closed his jaws with a snap and glared forward, then was
-off with a rolling lurch to where a slight spot showed on the deck.
-Grasping a Gay Islander by the neck, he led him to the omission and
-pointed downward. Stirling heard the racking volley of exclamations as
-the native fell to work with vigour.
-
-The *Pole Star* plunged on. She took the long, oily rollers of the North
-Pacific and parted them like a sharp knife going through frosting. She
-was logging fourteen knots with reserve steam. The fore, main, and
-mizzen sails filled and billowed and the foretopmast staysail and jib
-held the following wind. Whitehouse, casting an eye aloft, ordered the
-top-sails braced then sprang to the weather braces as the crew hauled
-manfully under the directions of Cushner.
-
-Marr leaned over the canvas of the poop and rested his elbows on the
-light rail, searching the sea ahead with his glasses. He turned to the
-wheelsman. "How you heading?" he asked as the last yard was braced.
-
-"Nor'west by north."
-
-"Hold her northwest by north. Hold her steady!"
-
-The ship drove through the day and into a purple twilight, and the land
-of California disappeared astern. It left to mark its position a low
-line of gray clouds upon which the sun gleamed and paled and died to
-darker hues.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER VI—BY THE GREAT-CIRCLE ROUTE
-====================================
-
-The steady clanking of the triple-expansion engines driving the screw at
-a racing speed of one hundred and ten revolutions a minute, the glow
-over the drab funnel, the hiss of sea alongside—these all denoted that
-they were reaching for the far-off Aleutian and the pass that marked
-Dutch Harbor, where whalers and Yukon boats left the Pacific and entered
-the waters of the Bering Sea.
-
-Stirling shared the mess with Cushner and Whitehouse and the two
-engineers. Marr had given orders that in no circumstances should he be
-disturbed in the after cabin. This order, communicated by the cockney
-mate, caused the conversation to veer from speculation to concrete
-suspicions.
-
-Cushner rose from his meal with a nod toward Stirling. "Let's go on
-deck," he said, steadying himself by grasping the racks. "Let's have a
-smoke and turn about. Mr. Whitehouse has the watch till eight bells."
-
-Stirling crammed a palmful of tobacco into a cord-wrapped pipe, clutched
-the second mate's arm, and led him to the waist of the ship, where they
-stood beneath the shadow of the starboard whaleboat.
-
-"We're not wanted on the poop!" exclaimed Cushner.
-
-"The wheel's there and the binnacle's there, and the log line's there,"
-suggested Stirling, pressing his thumb down upon the glowing coals of
-his pipe. "We've got to go aft."
-
-"'Only for duty,' that's what the old man said. What do you make of
-that? He wants the after part of the ship to himself."
-
-"It's his ship, Cushner!"
-
-The Yankee mate counted on his fingers. "There's only two aft," he said.
-"Two—the old man and Snowball, the cabin boy."
-
-Stirling pulled on his pipe. "How about the woman you heard?" he asked,
-dryly.
-
-"Maybe she's there, Horace. Maybe she is! Maybe that's his reason for
-wanting the quarter-deck to himself. He had two Gay Islanders rig up a
-screen between the wheel and the taffrail. All that's aft of the screen
-is the companion to the cabin and a bucket rack. Thar's just about room
-to turn about in. A nice little cubby place I'd call it."
-
-Stirling thought the matter over, backing into the gloom and shading his
-eyes. The tip of the wheel, with one spoke, showed over the low canvas
-sail. Beside this spoke was the soiled tassel of the wheelman's cap. Aft
-rose the mizzenmast with its spotless canvas billowing forward like
-Carrara marble. The telltale on the top of the mast denoted a freshening
-south wind. The swing of the ship, the thrust of the screw, the song
-which sounded from forward where a group of seamen were gathered on the
-forecastle head—all these spoke of action and a driving force to
-Northern seas where hearts beat strong and staunch winds cut to the
-quick.
-
-The Ice Pilot turned to Cushner, pressing the bowl of his pipe with his
-broad thumb. "We're making good time," he said, thoughtfully. "Five days
-of this and we'll sight our Aleutian landfall. I guess we'd better not
-worry about the cubby-hole aft and the woman. I never could understand
-them, anyhow."
-
-Cushner laughed and clapped Stirling on the back. He withdrew a foot or
-more, spread his legs wide, and surveyed Stirling with mingled pride and
-calculation.
-
-Cushner squinted as he drawled: "You're all right, old man! You ain't no
-clothing-store dummy or one of them smart ducks with spar-deck shoes and
-a gold lanyard to your watch chain; but you'll pass where they won't.
-You're a man—every inch of you! I've heard thar ain't no better, when
-it comes to ice work."
-
-Stirling was silent. He dragged on his pipe.
-
-"A woman's man," continued Cushner, "ain't for these seas or the seas
-we're agoing to. And by saying that I don't mean no disrespect for the
-skipper. I was with him coming round the Horn. A fighter, he is, and all
-that—but there's a polish to him I don't like. It ain't natural. He's
-like a polite boarding-house runner. Them's the sharks to look out for.
-They know more than we do!"
-
-"We'll keep our jaw tackle chockablock!" said Stirling, tapping his pipe
-against the rail and cramming it into his side pocket. "We'll sail ship
-and tend to our duties. I'll get the crow's-nest up in the morning.
-You'll find me ready for anything—short of breaking the law of the
-three nations. I'll put the *Pole Star* where the old man says, but I
-won't raid no rookeries with him. I won't do that!"
-
-The positive set to Stirling's jaw was a relief to Cushner. He nodded.
-"Me, too," he said, moving aft. "I'm willin' to whale or trade or go to
-the Pole with you in charge of th' ship."
-
-Stirling went to his cabin, latched the sliding door which led to the
-starboard waist, and undressed slowly. He sank into a profound sleep,
-broken once by a dream of Frisco and the Coast of Barbary.
-
-He awoke as the little marine clock above the bunk was striking seven
-bells, reached to a shelf and drew toward him a compass set in a leather
-binding. It was part of his possessions brought out in the dunnage bag
-from Antone's cigar store.
-
-Steadying his compass by a crack at the head of the bunk, he made a
-shrewd calculation as to the direction the *Pole Star* was heading.
-
-The course had been changed overnight. It was now northwest by west. The
-needle vibrated with the throbbing of the engines, but each time it
-settled back to the first point.
-
-Stirling rose and dressed without haste, clapped his cap on his head,
-and strode through the doorway to the damp deck. Here he leaned over
-the starboard rail and glanced downward at the swift-running foam which
-seethed alongside the ship's planks, then raised his eyes and swept the
-horizon. It was pale to the eastward with the first rosy flush of dawn.
-
-For a moment he remained in one position, then turned and stared aft
-with his eyes wide and intent. The gloom which shrouded the poop of the
-ship was lightened by the upward glow of an open companion, and a figure
-stood to the extreme port side of the quarter-deck. This figure was
-shrouded and muffled but the red reflection from the side light brought
-out some details.
-
-Stirling gripped the rail and continued staring. It was Marr, no doubt,
-who had taken the position so near the wheelsman. There was that to the
-set of the head, however, which caused Stirling concern. Marr generally
-held his chin high. This head, as seen over the drab canvas, was dropped
-and thoughtful.
-
-The wheelsman turned and touched his cap. Stirling heard part of a
-question, which concerned the course, and it was not answered. The
-figure started, half leaned away, then swung about and disappeared in
-the gloom of the smudge astern where the funnel smoke drifted and
-swirled.
-
-The shaftlike light from the open cabin companion grew pale, then was
-blotted out by a descending figure. A slide closed with a loud slam, and
-the ship plunged on, leaving Stirling no wiser for his impressions. He
-turned with a half grumble and hurried forward.
-
-Cushner was emerging from the deck house, having stolen a trip inside to
-the cook's galley, where coffee was always steaming.
-
-"Good morning!" he exclaimed, recognizing Stirling's form on the deck.
-"Sun's clear and wind's abeam—almost. Light wind and a flowing sea.
-Good morning, I said!"
-
-"Who changed the course?" asked Stirling, point-blank. "We're not headed
-right. We can't make Dutch Pass or anywhere near it on this tack. What
-does Marr mean?"
-
-Cushner scratched his head, raised his hand, and pointed astern.
-"Whitehouse gave me the new course when the watches were changed," he
-said. "That's all I know. It's a long way from where we expected we were
-going, Stirling."
-
-"Jumping bowheads, yes! It's toward the great-circle route. Another half
-point and we'll be on it. What does that mean, Cushner?"
-
-"I'll be skull-dragged if I know!"
-
-"The great-circle route leads to Japan and northern China. We'll sight
-Rat Island on this route, and miss the only good pass to the Bering by
-five hundred leagues. That ain't right!"
-
-"Thar's a lot about this ship what ain't right!" declared the Yankee.
-"We're in the hands of Captain Marr."
-
-Stirling reached for his pipe, gathered together a palmful of cut plug,
-struck a sulphur match on the rail at his side and held the flame to the
-bowl till it glowed. He drew in the smoke, then squared his jaw and
-clamped the amber stem.
-
-"We'll keep our eyes open!" he said through white teeth. "I think I saw
-the woman on the poop. I think it was a woman. She wouldn't answer the
-man at the wheel. She had Marr's clothes on. That's mighty queer doings
-for a simple whaler bound after bowheads and trade stuff!"
-
-Cushner thrust out a calloused hand. "Put it there," he said. "We'll see
-this voyage through and find out what's wrong if it takes three seasons.
-I'm just almighty curious to know!"
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER VII—DRIFTERS AND DERELICTS
-==================================
-
-
-Stirling kept a careful record of the changes given in the course of the
-*Pole Star*, and found that the little skipper was reaching for the true
-great-circle route to Yokohama. This was checked by Cushner, who was a
-good rule-of-thumb navigator.
-
-They kept their observations from Whitehouse. The mate was a frugal soul
-who spent much of his time driving the crew over the decks or keeping
-them polishing the brass work with a sand-and-paste preparation which
-was homemade and cheap.
-
-"Hit keeps 'em from thinking of their troubles," he had declared to
-Stirling. "Now that the skipper has taken charge of the poop, there
-isn't much for them to do."
-
-Stirling bided his time and kept a close watch on the quarter-deck. He
-often saw Marr striding from port to starboard and back again directly
-aft the wheelsman, though the canvas that had been rigged shut off most
-of the view of the taffrail and the jack-staff. A position in the
-crow's-nest, however, was a fair one to observe the after part of the
-*Pole Star*. From this coign of vantage Stirling watched developments
-with eyes which had been sharpened by suspicion and a determination to
-find out the truth about the unknown woman.
-
-Cushner climbed up through the lubber's hole on the third day of the
-outbound passage, lifted himself over the edge of the crow's-nest, and
-dropped down beside Stirling.
-
-Their course had been changed a half point by Marr's orders. The wind
-was southerly and came over the port quarter in soft billows of warmth.
-It had been tempered by the Japan Current.
-
-"Got a chew?" asked the second mate, resting his elbows on the edge of
-the crow's-nest and squinting aft to where the mizzen sail billowed,
-with the yard set sharply around.
-
-Stirling passed over a plug. "Save me some," he said, slowly. "Go easy,
-Sam. I don't often use the weed, but I may have to do something
-desperate if Marr keeps changing his course. We're almost on the Japan
-route. Another half point will see the great-circle route. That takes us
-far up and out in the North Pacific. Wouldn't wonder if it was a
-rendezvous."
-
-"What's that?" asked Cushner, clamping his huge jaws on the plug and
-parting his icicle-like beard for a second bite.
-
-"A meeting-place. A gamming spot in the ocean!"
-
-Cushner understood the last. "Gamming" was a term used only by whalers.
-It meant visiting another ship or being visited by the afterguard of a
-whaler.
-
-"Maybe, Stirling. Maybe. Who could we gamm out in this ocean?" The
-second mate swept an arm to the northward. A wild waste of harrowed
-waters, stirred into whitecaps by the southern breeze, extended to a
-linelike horizon. There was no speck or sail to gladden the view. It
-appeared like a stretch which would reach infinity.
-
-"How about seals?" continued Cushner.
-
-"Ain't likely we're going after them," said Stirling.
-
-Stirling turned and stared down upon the quarter-deck. The wheelsman—a
-Kanaka—hung on the spokes with his dark eyes glued into the binnacle;
-the canvas shield was too high to allow a view of the taffrail and the
-cabin companion. Once only Stirling saw moving shadows against the
-light, as if more than one body had passed from starboard to port. He
-frowned and turned away, as there was no way to discover the exact
-situation.
-
-Cushner borrowed the plug of tobacco for a third bite, passing it back
-without thanks. He stared at Stirling, lifted one huge leg over the edge
-of the crow's-nest, waited till the ship steadied, and then was gone.
-
-Stirling remained. He glance ahead over the wilderness of Northern
-waters, and the soft rush of their passage charmed him. The neat manner
-in which the whaler cleft the seas, the throbbing of the sweet-running
-engines, gladdened his heart, and he began to whistle a little tune of
-the West coast. After all, he decided, the world was not such a bad
-place for a man to fight in and conquer. He had made many mistakes. He
-should have commanded a ship instead of being an ice pilot. The chicken
-venture and the wiping out of his scanty fortune had been unfortunate.
-It had set him back five years in his ambitions.
-
-His face lighted and grew resolute with the wine of living. He had a
-code, which was the code of right. He had always played fair with seamen
-and natives, and decided to see the voyage out, earn every penny he
-could, then try for a ship of his own. Whalers would stake him to almost
-anything. Marr might be open for an investment. The thing to do was to
-keep the little skipper's good will, and watch developments, which came
-fast enough.
-
-On the seventh day after leaving the Golden Gate, a gleam of light was
-thrown upon the mystery of the great-circle passage.
-
-Stirling, Cushner, and Whitehouse stood in the waist of the ship with
-nothing more to do than watch the crew lolling forward in indolent
-respite from their light labours.
-
-The sun hung high in the south with gray clouds creeping up to it like a
-closing hand. The wind had veered to the south and west, and canted the
-whaler ever so slightly, as all yards were braced fore and aft.
-
-"What is the exact position?" asked Stirling, turning toward Whitehouse,
-who had shot the sun and finished his figuring.
-
-"I make it 49-52 and 179-58! We're near the Aleutians and close to the
-one hundred and eightieth meridian!"
-
-Cushner glanced at the sun. "We're about that!" he said with Yankee
-shrewdness. "I can smell my position in these waters. I smell shore
-stuff—fish and moss."
-
-"It comes down the wind!" snorted the cockney with a burst of disgust.
-
-"All the same, I don't need no sextant. All I need is a lead line and
-experience."
-
-Whitehouse gulped at this and worked his brows up and down like a
-gorilla, then turned toward the after part of the ship. "Seen the
-skipper?" he asked. "Seen the old man? 'E's been shaved—'e 'as! 'E
-looks fine—'e does!"
-
-"Shaved?" exclaimed Stirling, wheeling and staring at the quarter-deck.
-"What do you mean? Has he taken off his beard?"
-
-"You're blym well right, 'e 'as! I wouldn't know 'im! Looks like a
-regular, 'e does. All spick and span. 'E was askin' about our position
-not a bell ago. 'E's expectin' to meet with something on these seas.
-Likely it will be another ship!"
-
-"You and he are rather thick," suggested Stirling.
-
-"As thick as costermongers—once! Now 'e's retired from view like a
-loidy of the music 'alls. I don't know what to think."
-
-The mate was evidently in earnest, and Stirling eyed him sharply, then
-turned away and stared at Cushner. The Yankee hitched up his beard and
-thrust it under the collar of his soiled pea-jacket—then started as he
-glared toward the poop.
-
-"Old man wants you," he said. "He's callin' you, Mr. Whitehouse."
-
-The cockney mate braced his shoulders and hurried aft to the poop steps
-on the weather side. He mounted them and disappeared behind the canvas
-where Marr had sauntered.
-
-"What do you think?" asked Cushner.
-
-"Nothing yet, Sam. Hold your jaw tackle. Where did you first meet with
-Whitehouse?"
-
-"The same day you was shanghaied. He came across the States by rail. He
-brought two dunnage bags and a whacking accent with him. Had papers, all
-right. Said he'd been in the British navy. I asked him why he left."
-
-"What did he say?"
-
-"He said it was a mere matter of five thousand pounds. That's just what
-he said. That's money, isn't it?"
-
-"Considerable money! I wonder if he is under obligations to Marr in any
-way?"
-
-"Might be. Looks mighty like it. At that, the old man isn't telling
-anybody anything. He owns the ship. He's got a right to whale and seal
-and trade with the natives. Nothing's going to stop him doing that."
-
-"Not if he goes after pelagic seals and keeps within the law."
-
-"Why is he working in these waters?"
-
-Stirling did not answer this question, but stared forward and directly
-at the watch on deck. He counted them, searching for the seaman who had
-put up the fight when brought aboard. He was not in evidence.
-
-"I wonder," asked Stirling, with a pucker on his brow, "if Marr expects
-that crew to follow him in a lawless enterprise? Outside of three or
-four, I know them from hearsay. They're drifters. They expect nothing
-but an iron dollar. Larribee hasn't paid a whaling hand a cent over the
-legal dollar in five seasons. He figures the advance money and the stuff
-they draw from the slop-chest is enough for sea scum. He has no heart at
-all!"
-
-"Dirty work!"
-
-"It is," said Stirling, sincerely. "Particularly when they don't even
-get the advance money. The boarding-house keepers, crimps, and runners
-get that. They furnish a man with an outfit and a dunnage bag. The
-outfit consists of a 'donkey's breakfast' for a mattress and a pair of
-pasteboard sea boots which will melt under the first hose. That's no way
-to send a man North!"
-
-Cushner glanced at the Ice Pilot. He shook his head. "You're sticking up
-for poor Jack," he said. "That's no more than right. The laws are all
-for the owners and the boarding-house crimps. Poor Jack is friendless.
-What can he do?"
-
-"There's seamen and seamen, Sam! There's the coasting crews and the
-deep-water bunch who know enough to get big wages and hold to the
-Union. The ones who suffer are boys like we got forward. They have no
-chance; they work eight months for an iron dollar and are cheated out of
-that!"
-
-Cushner slanted his eyes forward. "They don't look as if they'd care
-what happened," he said. "Marr, or anybody else, could give them a good
-argument and they'd follow him to the end of the world. Five square
-faces of gin and tobacco would buy the whole fo'c's'le."
-
-Stirling lifted his strong shoulders expressively. "You're partly
-right!" he admitted. "I wouldn't blame them, either. But you're here and
-I'm here, and we're going to see that this ship keeps within the law."
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER VIII—ON A LOWER BUNK
-============================
-
-
-Suddenly Stirling ceased speaking and strode to the rail, glancing
-keenly under the shelter of his right palm.
-
-"Speck in sight!" he called. "Looks like a ship headed this way! Make it
-out, Cushner?"
-
-The second mate strained his eyes, then mopped them with his sleeve and
-tried again. "Not yet," he said. "You have fine sight. Where away?"
-
-"About two points off the bow. There she is. See her? A brig, I think.
-See the smoke?"
-
-Cushner nodded with a sudden jerk of his chin. "Just a smudge. She's
-hull down!"
-
-It was a full half hour later before Stirling made out the Japanese flag
-which fluttered at the stern of the brig. He called out her nationality
-then swung and glanced toward the poop and the wheelman. Marr stood
-under the shelter of the rail with both elbows resting upon the canvas
-and a pair of twelve-diameter glasses focused ahead. He lowered these
-glasses, reached for the engine-room telegraph, and the throbbing of the
-*Pole Star's* screws died to a quiver. The yards were braced back and
-the whaler came up into the wind with scant headway. This brought the
-Japanese brig upon the starboard waist.
-
-The funnel of the strange ship belched forth a volcano of smoke which
-could come only from Japanese coal. She wallowed across the sea and came
-up into the wind on the same tack as the *Pole Star* was headed.
-
-A longboat was dropped awkwardly. Seamen to the number of four swarmed
-overside and waited for a fifth figure to descend a ladder lowered for
-his benefit. The boat sheered from the brig and danced across the waves
-under the swing of four oars which were smartly handled.
-
-*Penyan Maru* was the name Stirling made out on the brig as it hove to a
-double cable's length away. A greater contrast to the *Pole Star* could
-not have been fashioned. Built in Japan before the war, the brig still
-carried some of the top-hamper which rightly belonged to a junk. Her
-yards were canted, her masts sloped forward instead of aft, her standing
-rigging was loose and weather-rotted.
-
-Along the rail of the *Penyan Maru* ran a line of pigeon-blue boats
-which were too large for dories, too small for whaleboats. She bore the
-unmistakable evidence of a Japanese sealer, a vampire of the sea—as
-much an object of suspicion to every revenue cutter as a jailbird would
-be to a self-respecting policeman.
-
-The four seamen who rowed the longboat lifted their oars smartly enough
-as they rounded under the starboard rail of the *Pole Star*.
-Whitehouse, on the poop, lowered a bosn's ladder, and up this climbed
-the figure of a man who would have attracted attention on any ocean.
-
-He was fat and yellow; his moon-broad face was stabbed here and there
-with tiny bristles like the nose of a walrus; his slanted eyes glittered
-and beamed as he raised himself over the rail, took Whitehouse's hand,
-and sprang to the deck of the *Pole Star*. He advanced to Marr's side
-with a rolling waddle, and the two men clasped in friendly grasp. It was
-evident to the watchers on the whaler that they were friends.
-
-They stood a moment on the deck, then Marr pointed toward the north and
-east. The Japanese followed his direction, smiled blandly, and whispered
-something into the little skipper's ear. They went below by way of the
-cabin companion, the slide of which they closed after them.
-
-Stirling glanced keenly at Cushner, walked to the rail, and leaned over
-with his eyes fixed upon the dingy sides and crazy rigging of the
-sealer. He dropped his glance and studied the four of a crew who were
-alongside the whaler's run, just aft the break of the poop. These seamen
-made no effort to communicate in any way with the crew of the *Pole
-Star*. They sat silently waiting for their master to return.
-
-Cushner rolled to Stirling's side and leaned his elbows on the rail. He,
-too, glanced at the small boat and its contents.
-
-"A sealer's crew," he said. "Them's Japanese sealers. See the rifles and
-the clubs. They ain't found in an ordinary boat. They're for pelagic
-sealing, or any other kind. Nice-lookin' outfit."
-
-"Efficient and minding their own business!" declared Stirling.
-
-"What did you think of the emperor who came aboard? He was welcome!"
-
-Stirling turned and glanced toward the poop. "Sam," he said, "there's
-more things on these seas than we will ever know. That brig is a supply
-ship of some kind. If not that, it is going to meet us at some later
-date and take off our trade stuff."
-
-"Also seal pelts."
-
-"Yes; seal pelts if they're secured in an honest manner. I don't care
-where Marr disposes of his catch, as long as the catch is square and
-aboveboard!"
-
-"Here comes the walrus again. Look how he's smiling. They must have had
-a nip of gin. Marr is rubbing his hands like as if he'd made a good
-bargain."
-
-The Japanese waddled to the rail, climbed upward, and descended the
-ladder to the waiting small boat. Marr stood over him and cast off the
-painter, and the boat sprang away from the sheer of the *Pole Star*. It
-danced across the sea, vanished under the *Penyan Maru's* counter, and
-was hoisted aboard.
-
-A plume of black Japanese coal smoke shot up from the rusty funnel. The
-yards were squared and the sealer wallowed toward the north and west,
-vanishing in a cloud of its own making.
-
-A bell later Marr gave the order for a change of course and reached for
-the engine-room telegraph. The screw thrashed; the crew sprang to
-weather and lee braces. The *Pole Star* started back over the old
-pathway on the trackless ocean. Her compass point had been given as
-east.
-
-It was a hushed company that gathered about the table that night in the
-steerage of the *Pole Star*. The change of course, the gamming by the
-Japanese sealer, the mystery of the skipper's actions—all these drove
-silence into the mates' hearts.
-
-Stirling and Cushner soon departed and left the first and second
-engineer to their thoughts.
-
-The two seamen, who had found a tie in common, strode to the forepeak of
-the whaler, lighted their pipes from the same match, and stared out over
-the dark velvet of the North Pacific.
-
-Cushner dragged on his stem for a long five minutes. He was awakened to
-speech by the striking of the ship's bell forward when the lookout
-lifted a marlinespike from the belfry and chimed two short strokes,
-repeated by two more.
-
-"Four bells!" declared the Yankee. "She's four bells, Stirling. Four
-bells, an' we're going back. Wouldn't wonder if we make California for
-our first landfall."
-
-Stirling squared his shoulders, removed his pipe from his mouth, and
-stared at the glowing bowl. He pressed the coals down with his broad
-thumb, wheeled sharply, and glared aft. His face hardened as he made out
-a shadow on the poop, and tried to discern if it were Marr. A swing of
-the ship, the lowering of the mainsail at the sheet, blotted out his
-view.
-
-He turned and gripped Cushner's arm. "We're not going to Frisco," said
-the Ice Pilot. "We're headed for Dutch Pass and the Bering Sea. We're a
-point south of the true course for that, but Marr is taking advantage of
-the drift."
-
-"Why didn't he go through one of the outer straits? There's plenty by
-the Rat Group."
-
-"Perhaps he wants to coal at Unalaska. He could take aboard fifty tons
-there."
-
-"How about the ice?"
-
-"It hasn't cleared yet. It lies about ten knots to the south'ard of the
-Pribilofs. It'll break up and clear within a week, though. It always
-does."
-
-Cushner nodded. He held a wholesome respect for Stirling's ice
-knowledge. The pilot had no peer when it came to working through the
-loose floes or finding a lane to the northward. These lanes were both
-dangerous and deceptive, and many led to thicker floes and barren ice.
-
-"We'll soon be in the ice?" asked the second mate.
-
-"Five days, allowing for a day's stop at Unalaska. First comes the light
-floes and the whale slick. Afterward is the barrier line which stretches
-to the Pole. It starts to open and break. Through these lanes the
-whales go into the Arctic. There's usually a big jam at Bering Strait.
-The current sets east by north in summer and south by west in the fall.
-There are no bergs north of the Aleutians or west of Point Barrow.
-Leastwise, I never saw any!"
-
-"People always talk about the bergs of the Arctic."
-
-Stirling nodded. "I know that," he said with positive tones. "The reason
-is not hard to find. There's bergs where there's glaciers. There's any
-number of big fellows on the lower Alaskan coast. These bergs melt in
-the warm Japan Current. The harbour of Unalaska and the strait at Dutch
-Pass never freezes. That's on account of the same current."
-
-"But the Arctic bergs, Stirling?"
-
-"There's very few in the western Arctic. There's no glaciers along the
-Northern coast of Alaska and Canada. There's a few on the Siberian
-coast. The land is all low. The big floes—some of them a century
-old—resemble small bergs. That's the reason for the mistake made by
-Northern travellers."
-
-Stirling turned and tapped his pipe against the rail then pocketed it
-and glanced aft. There was no sign on the poop of any watcher save the
-wheelsman, whose eyes were glued ahead.
-
-Cushner yawned. "It's Whitehouse's watch," he said. "I'm going to turn
-in. Good-night!"
-
-Stirling followed the second mate into the galley cabin, and climbed
-into his bunk with a tired glance at the compass point. The *Pole Star*
-was headed on the same course as given when they left the Japanese
-sealer. The wind had veered and now swung from over the Aleutian
-Islands—fifty miles to the northward. It was slightly tempered with
-ice. Stirling closed his porthole and rolled over to sleep.
-
-He was awakened at midnight, and the change in the watch, by Cushner.
-The second mate held a cautious finger over his mouth as he finished
-shaking Stirling's shoulder.
-
-"Come on deck," the Yankee whispered. "Put on some clothes and hurry. I
-got to relieve Whitehouse."
-
-Stirling rolled from his bunk, stood swaying on the deck, and drew on
-part of his clothes. He finished by buttoning a great sea coat about his
-sturdy form and clapping a cap down over his ears. Already the
-temperature had fallen to a marked degree. He emerged to the waist of
-the whaler and stood breathing great gulps of Arctic-tinged air which
-sent the wine of living through his veins. He felt more of a man than he
-had since his last venture in the Bering.
-
-Cushner touched his elbow. "Come forward," the mate said, softly. "Get
-under the lee of the deck house and then the foresail. Don't make any
-noise."
-
-The watch on deck had surged forward to the capstan, and some of the
-watch below were climbing up through the booby hatch. Others were
-gathered about the form of the sailor who had been in the Frisco room.
-He lay across the soiled planks of the forecastle, his arms stretched
-out, his legs extended and resting on the edge of a lower bunk.
-
-Stirling brushed aside the seamen who had gathered about the booby
-hatch. The Ice Pilot descended backward and stood in the gloom of the
-forecastle. A single electric globe was hung over a molasses barrel at
-the heel of the foremast. Its light was far too pale to bring out the
-details.
-
-"What happened?" asked Stirling, grimly.
-
-A dock rat, who had been shamming sickness during the voyage, thrust out
-a frowsy head from the forepeak and said: "The crew beat him up. They
-say he's a government spy. They say he's goin' to queer the skipper's
-game with th' seals. He looks it—he does!"
-
-Stirling stooped and felt of the sailor's wrist. He examined a bruise on
-the right temple then straightened and glanced up through the booby
-hatch toward Cushner.
-
-"Go aft," he said, "and tell Mr. Marr to give you the medicine chest.
-Tell him that——What does this fellow call himself?"
-
-"Eagan," said the dock rat; "Mike Eagan, so he says, Mr. Stirling."
-
-"Tell Mr. Marr that a seaman named Eagan was struck by a block. Don't
-tell him what happened—yet. I'm going to look out for Eagan! If he
-represents the United States he has got to be protected north of 53° as
-well as south of that latitude!"
-
-Cushner hurried aft and mounted the lee poop steps.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER IX—THE POLAR BARRIER
-============================
-
-Stirling had finished his examination of the seaman's wound by the time
-Cushner returned from aft with the medicine chest. This contained
-bandages and crude cures which had the merit of being overly strong.
-
-The Ice Pilot washed the wound with heavy fingers and pressed on a pad
-of salve which was rank with iodoform and arnica. He glanced keenly at
-Cushner, as Eagan sat up and stared about the forecastle with bewildered
-eyes.
-
-"What did the old man say?" asked Stirling.
-
-"Not much! Said the crew of this ship looked able to dodge blocks."
-
-Stirling stooped to Eagan. "Who struck you?" he inquired, feelingly.
-
-The seaman pressed his left hand to the bandage, then eyed his fingers.
-He gathered his senses, frowned deeply, staring about the empty bunks,
-and up through the opening to the deck. Faces were pressed there, faces
-curious and hard.
-
-"I wasn't struck!"
-
-The seaman's voice carried the lie in its tones. "I fell down over a
-bucket," he continued. "Slipped, I guess. Must have hit the corner of
-the molasses barrel. It's deuced sharp, it is."
-
-Stirling removed a small portion of salve from a can, spread it upon a
-piece of paper, and handed it to the seaman with steady fingers.
-
-"You lie!" he said with clenched teeth. "You lie about falling down.
-Remember that it may happen again."
-
-Eagan squared his jaw and glanced for a second time toward the booby
-hatch then he rubbed his hands together, reached and took the salve
-offered by Stirling.
-
-"I'll tend to the next time," he said, huskily. "I'll tend to it! I
-don't need no afterguard to fight my battles. I can lick any three men
-of this crew, Mr. Stirling."
-
-The Ice Pilot turned, strode across the rude planks of the forecastle,
-and mounted the ladder to the deck. Cushner removed the medicine chest
-from beneath his arm and started aft with it.
-
-"Hold on," said Stirling. "Just a minute, Sam!"
-
-The second mate turned.
-
-"Don't say anything more to Marr. Just give him the chest and meet me in
-the waist. We'll have a smoke over this. That crew look as if they were
-in earnest. They'll murder Eagan if he don't keep his eyes peeled."
-
-The mate bobbed his head and climbed the weather poop steps as Marr
-appeared at the side of the wheelsman and stared over the canvas rail.
-His eyes locked with Stirling's and were unable to hold the Ice Pilot's
-accusing scrutiny. Already and before entering the Bering Sea, there was
-a full crop of suspicion and cross-purpose sowed upon the *Pole Star*.
-
-Cushner moved to the rail as Marr disappeared in the gloom. The two
-seamen lighted pipes and stared out over the Northern sea. A nip was in
-the air, and the higher stars shone with frosty effulgence.
-
-"I've got to take the poop," said Cushner, folding close his pea-jacket
-and glancing aft. "Whitehouse has gone into the galley. Marr won't stand
-for a watch alone; he'll probably go below."
-
-Stirling shrugged his broad shoulders, pressed the bowl of his pipe,
-then blew upon his thumb with thoughtful air.
-
-"I'm kinda summing things up, Sam. First the shanghai party; then the
-seaman who wanted to come aboard. Then, Sam, there's the mystery of the
-gamming by the Jap. All looks as if Marr has a fixed purpose. Looks like
-a crooked compass point to steer by!"
-
-"Darn crooked!"
-
-Stirling wound his strong fingers about the second mate's arm. "I'm a
-simple sailorman," he said, heavily. "I've sailed the Arctic and the
-Bering and the North Pacific, man and boy, for thirty years. I have no
-kith or kin. I've one star to guide. That's truth and right doing, Sam.
-It's over there!"
-
-The Ice Pilot pointed along the leader stars of the Great Dipper and
-notched his fingernail on the lodestar. "That's my guide," he said. "I
-play square! I never made anything much by playing square, but I'm going
-to steer my course by that light point. Marr won't mislead me a quarter
-point."
-
-"Spoken fair!" declared Cushner. "You can call on me."
-
-The mate vanished in the gloom of the waist.
-
-Stirling dragged on his pipe, held it out, tapped it against the rail
-and dumped the glowing coals overside with a sweeping motion. He paused
-at the door to his galley cabin. The ship was plunging eastward with her
-screw turning over at three-quarter speed. A soft halo capped the
-funnel, like the tip of an ashless cigar, and the throbbing shook the
-deck which was canted ever so slightly under the influence of the
-northeast wind.
-
-"Headin' full and by," said Stirling. "We're making for Dutch Pass. I'll
-be glad to see the ice. Somehow or other that Bering always seemed like
-a man's sea."
-
-The days which followed the assault upon Eagan were hard ones for the
-mixed crew of the *Pole Star*. The course of the whaler was into the
-teeth of a wind which swung over the watches from point to point.
-
-The night between the spume-filled days revealed the stars overhead in
-all their Northern glory—steel pointed they seemed. Within them and
-over the Northern world a pale sheen glowed, and vanished and glowed
-again. This was the reflection of the aurora upon the great north
-barrier.
-
-Fur coats, skin boots, woollen socks with moss filling, mittens, and
-watch caps were broken from the slop-chest and distributed to the crew.
-
-At high noon of the third day from the gamming by the Japanese sealer,
-Stirling mounted to the crow's-nest, paused on its edge for a glance at
-the deck, then dropped down into a snug, far-swinging berth from which
-he had command of a hundred leagues of icy water.
-
-He reached and secured a pair of twelve-diameter glasses which had been
-placed in a small chart rack, rested his elbows on the rim of the
-crow's-nest, and swept the horizon with keen eyes.
-
-Mile by mile he searched for signs of whale slick or spout, but none
-showed, then he turned and squinted ahead. Two needlelike peaks showed
-well to the eastward. They were the highest points of the Aleutian
-group, and marked the pass through to the Bering Sea.
-
-The day unrolled and lifted the archipelago up and into the Northern
-sky. It seemed a white-robed mountain chain—with each spire and crag
-forming the teeth of a giant saw. A rose light gleamed and reddened this
-barrier as the sun rimmed the Western world. The light paled to a
-flamingo and then to purple night as the ship drove on.
-
-It was midnight, with Whitehouse and Marr standing watch on the poop,
-and Stirling and Cushner in the crow's-nest, when they reached the
-overhanging shadow of the pass to the Bering. The ship steadied, swung,
-then darted under the lee of a barren island; the strait with its score
-of sharp turnings lay ahead.
-
-They passed the entrance to Dutch Harbor and Unalaska, raised the Rock
-of the Bishop, sheered and drove with all steam through the narrow
-outlet to the strait, entering at morning the waters of the Bering.
-
-Stirling breathed, for the first time sure of sea room. Raising his
-glasses, he greeted the morning sun that slanted cold and bright along
-the arctic waters which rose and fell in slow gliding. He lowered his
-elbows and leaned far out over the crow's-nest edge, studying the small
-patches of spring ice through which the ship's sharp prow cut like a
-knife going through satin.
-
-Floes, in the form of old "grandfathers," were passed to starboard and
-port. These had drifted with the current down through the Bering Strait
-and were destined to melt in the warm waters of the Japan Current. Some
-were small cakes, which had been formed that winter, and upon some of
-these arctic birds and hair seals sported.
-
-A larger formation appeared ahead—part of the great North pack. Walrus
-and polar bear dove overside as the whaler bore down upon this floe,
-sheered, and entered a wide lane leading toward the north and east.
-
-"Take the ship!" called Marr from the poop. "It's your ship from now on,
-Mr. Stirling."
-
-The Ice Pilot leaned over the edge of the crow's-nest. "Where are you
-headin' for?" he asked with a stout laugh. "I don't know your compass
-point. You didn't tell me."
-
-"Tie to the ice—the pack!" Marr had consulted the binnacle before
-giving the order.
-
-Stirling chuckled like a big boy, turned in his narrow quarters, and
-crooked his elbows with the glasses clasped in his hands. He studied the
-currents and the drift of the lighter floes, sniffed the wind, then
-swung his eyes from northeast to northwest.
-
-"Hard astarboard!" he called down to the quartermaster. "Put her hard
-astarboard."
-
-"Hard astarboard," rolled up to the crow's-nest. "She's hard astarboard,
-sir!" the wheelsman corrected.
-
-"Steady now. Steady! Over with it. Now steady. Port! Port! Hard aport!
-Stead-y thar!"
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER X—TO THE LAST DAY
-=========================
-
-
-The *Pole Star* threaded the ice floes like a dancer on a polished
-floor. She drove all that day north and east; she crashed through new
-ice; she dodged the ancient floes and worked into the pack and through
-the lanes under the masterful handling of the Ice Pilot, who sought no
-rest. Coffee was brought to him by the galley boy. With this, and now
-and then a drag from his pipe, he held down three watches until morning
-broke and revealed to the east the higher line of the barrier beyond
-which the ship could not go.
-
-"Pack ahead!" he announced, turning and staring shrewdly toward Marr who
-stood with Cushner on the poop. "Yon's the North pack!"
-
-Marr lifted his face and returned the stare, then dropped his eyes under
-the steady scrutiny and consulted Cushner.
-
-Stirling swung and rimmed the white line without glasses. He knew it of
-old and knew that it was too early to find a lane leading north or east.
-The ancient floes were still cemented together in an unyielding mass.
-Upon them snow glistened, and pools of fresh water showed.
-
-"Tie to the pack!" called Marr. "Pick out a place to get water. Find a
-hummock we can lash to. We'll lie here a while!"
-
-Into a tiny bight of open water, sheltered on three sides by ancient
-ice, Stirling drove the *Pole Star*. Here she was lashed to a hummock by
-a hawser which three of the crew carried overside and hitched in a
-bowline of staunch hemp.
-
-The seamen and boat steerers swarmed over the whaler's rail and
-stretched themselves by a swift run upon the ice. They caught a hose
-thrown to them and carried its end to a pool of fresh water which had
-been formed by melting snow.
-
-The pump clanked, the deck tanks were filled, and the first engineer,
-assisted by the engine-room force, started work on a boiler which had
-three leaking tubes in the tube sheet. The smallest of their number
-crawled through the manhole and started clipping the scale, his tapping
-sounding throughout the ship.
-
-Stirling descended from the crow's-nest, after a last glance toward the
-northeast. There floe ice, packed and cemented together, extended to the
-cold rim of the horizon, with no sign of lanes. The warm sun of the day
-and its work was undone each night by the freezing cold.
-
-Cushner met Stirling at the rail, thrust out his broad hand, and smiled
-proudly.
-
-"Fine ice work!" said the second mate. "I knew you could do it. Marr was
-watching you all the time!"
-
-"Does he know anything about ice?"
-
-"Thundering little! He's a Baffin Bay man, so he says. There's a lot of
-difference between the Bay and the Bering."
-
-"Considerable! It's a question of currents, here. The pack is farther
-south than I ever saw it at this time of the year. That means an open
-season when it breaks. What do you make of the weather?"
-
-The second mate glanced at the telltale on the cap of the mizzenmast.
-"Good," he said. "Wind's swinging to th' south'ard."
-
-"That means a thaw, Sam."
-
-"The ice is soft on top. See the water holes?"
-
-Stirling nodded then turned and stared over the broken surface where the
-crew was moving. "There's hair seals aplenty," he said. "Too bad, Sam,
-them ain't fur seals. Maybe Marr would be satisfied to stay right here."
-
-Cushner widened his eyes. "Still thinking of a raid?" he inquired,
-shrewdly.
-
-"That, and other things. Look to the south'ard. Did you ever see better
-whaling ground? There's slick aplenty. My, how I'd like to lower for a
-bowhead! They're all along this ice."
-
-"Nobody's raised any spouts, yet."
-
-"They're there! They can't get north. The barrier holds them. It was
-just like this when we caught three big bowheads from the *Mary Foster*.
-Lowered four boats and fastened to three whales. That was a great day!"
-
-The earnestness in Stirling's strong voice showed Cushner where his
-heart lay, and he glanced at the low-swinging sun which was going down
-on a long arc that marked the end of a Northern day.
-
-"Good-night," he said. "Go turn in and forget bowheads. I don't think
-the old man is thinking about them. He's full of seals. He asked me a
-thousand questions about them. Darn sealing, says I! Whaling's a man's
-game! Many an old bowhead has fought back. Many a boat's been smashed by
-a bull whale—up here or in the South Pacific."
-
-Stirling nodded his head in complete understanding, for he realized the
-call which was in the big mate's blood. He watched him disappear into
-the galley-house, then followed, after a glance about the deck. Many of
-the crew were still out upon the ice.
-
-His cabin seemed strangely small and constricted, and he opened a
-porthole which overlooked the deck and rail and sea to the south. He
-examined his few possessions with wistful eyes—a bomb gun, brightly
-polished, standing in one corner of the cabin, a sextant and ancient
-chronometer resting upon a shelf, a Bowditch and well-thumbed almanac
-which comprised his library. His clothes were but few and worn.
-
-He turned in, after undressing, snapping off his light and rolling over
-on his right arm. He drowsed with the music of the grinding floes in his
-ears, then heard a racking shiver which came from the north and east;
-it was the great North pack breaking along its entire length.
-
-He awoke like a startled child. Cushner's pointed beard was thrust
-through the open porthole, and the second mate's wide-set eyes were
-intent and hard.
-
-"Climb out of your bunk!" he said. "Get in your boots and join me on the
-ice. I'll be right by the hummock where the shore line is."
-
-Stirling hastily dressed and wrapped a great sea coat, with shell
-buttons, about his form. He stepped out on the dark deck with firm
-stride, glancing intuitively aft as he threw one leg over the port rail,
-after rounding the deck house.
-
-Nothing showed on the poop. A faint light, however, struck upward and
-brought out the lacery of the after standing rigging. This light
-vanished suddenly, then a companion hatch slammed.
-
-Stirling dropped to the ice and crawled over its surface till he reached
-a towering hummock. Behind this Cushner was crouching, and the big mate
-laid a finger across his whiskered lips.
-
-Stirling knelt upon the snow and listened. He heard the lapping of the
-waves as they ran up the shelving ice, with now and then a breaker which
-shot a white plume starward. The broken fragments of the southern floes
-ground together, and the night was filled with a thousand sounds which
-blended into a roar.
-
-Then, and suddenly, there rose from the poop of the whaler a shaft of
-yellow light. A voice was raised, and the notes of a song drifted
-through the open portholes of the after cabin. Marr was singing:
-
- | "English there be and Portigee,
- | Who hang on the Brown Bear's flank,
- | And some be Scot, but the worst of the lot—
- | The boldest thieves be Yank!"
-
-Cushner gripped Stirling's arm. "That's ain't all," he said with a deep
-warning. "Who is standing on the poop? Who's that in the shelter of the
-canvas, aft—right by the jack staff?"
-
-Stirling peered out from behind the hummock, grasped the hawser, and
-drew himself forward. He pulled down his cap and opened wide his
-splendid eyes. Cushner was right. There was a figure on the poop, and
-this figure moved and came slowly across the planks to the rail which
-overlooked the waist of the whaler.
-
-Glasses clinked in the cabin. Whitehouse joined his cockney accents to a
-song:
-
- | "Oh, I'm th' son of a gentleman,
- | For I takes m' whisky clear—
- | I takes m' whisky clear——"
-
-The figure on the poop leaned over the rail. Stirling strained his ears;
-a sob racked the Arctic air, and the figure on the quarter-deck
-straightened with a convulsive shudder. Whitehouse's voice broke out
-afresh, and the song was drunken and masterful.
-
-The form above the bold singer turned away from the rail of the ship
-and glided slowly aft. A yellow light shot upward as a companion was
-slowly opened, then this light was blotted out degree by degree; the
-companion hatch clicked shut.
-
-Minutes passed. Neither man on the ice moved; both were deep in thought.
-The two facts were hard to gather to the brain: Marr and Whitehouse were
-in the cabin, drinking; another Marr had stood upon the quarter-deck. It
-was the little captain—line for line. In one thing only did it
-differ—the racking sob at the drunken levity below was from a woman's
-throat. It was a protest which she believed fell upon the Northern
-silences.
-
-Stirling sprang to his feet with an icy glint in his blue eyes.
-
-"We'll fathom that mystery," he told Cushner. "We'll fathom it if it
-takes to the last day of the voyage!"
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER XI—BENEATH THE SURFACE
-==============================
-
-The sun came up on a long slant, to swing its southern arc. Glancing
-from ice floe to ice floe, it seemed a cold bronze disk placed in motion
-by some Norseman of the Arctic wilds.
-
-Stirling, haggard and with hot, fevered eyes, sat at the steerage table
-watching the light striking across a red-checked table cover and
-bringing out the rude details of the cabin.
-
-He had not slept since seeing that strange figure on the quarter-deck of
-the whaler. He had sat erect throughout the morning watch, laying facts
-against facts, which seemed to dull and stupefy his sober senses.
-
-At no time in his life had he believed in the supernatural. He did not
-share the beliefs, common to most seamen, that the sea held unfathomable
-mysteries. He had sniffed often at the tales told by old salts. Times
-without number he had pointed out that natural causes rule the
-happenings of this world. St. Elmo fire; the creaking of blocks in a
-calm; the dust on a dustless sea; the tapping that a bolt might make in
-a hollow spar—these were all phenomena which could be explained by
-science or good common sense.
-
-The spectre on the poop of the *Pole Star* was as unexplainable as life
-itself. It bore the shape and form of Marr; it was not Marr, for the
-captain had been drinking and singing in the cabin. Stirling put trust
-in the sound of the human voice. It was one thing which could not easily
-be changed or disguised.
-
-He rose, at six bells, with a slow shrug of his broad shoulders. He
-stood a moment with his hands gripping the racks, his face deeply lined
-with the ravages of a sleepless night. He held out his palm and stared
-at it; his fingers trembled uncontrollably. They always had been steady.
-
-He made his way to the deck and stood by the rail which was nearest the
-great North pack. The cook, yawning, was making fire in the galley
-stove. A lone "anchor watch" pacing back and forth at the break of the
-forecastle head turned and stared at Stirling.
-
-The air was cold with a snap of frost. A gale came from the south and
-west with a puff that ground the loose floes together. North, to the
-slaty horizon, stretched the broken surface of the ice field. It had a
-sound of its own—a grind and a creaking like a soul in agony.
-
-Stirling rested his hands on the rail and stared downward. The whaler
-surged against the shelving ice, steadied, then surged back again. Seals
-peered curiously from the depths of the Bering. Some scrambled from the
-floes and plumped into the icy water. Walruses were upon the pack. They
-had broken through the thin ice formed overnight, and their whiskers and
-tusks were white with hoar frost.
-
-Stirling stared aloft, then shuddered slightly and drew his great coat
-close about him. The ratlines and standing rigging, the downhauls and
-halyards formed a ghostly tapestry, like the gossamer web of some forest
-glade.
-
-He raised his hands, breathed upon them to secure circulation, slowly
-climbed the rail, and reached for the shrouds, and thrusting his feet
-through the chains he mounted until he reached the Jacob's ladder. Going
-over this he leaned far outboard, glanced down at the deck, then
-finished the climb to the crow's-nest which was coated with frost.
-
-Some whim of the current had cleared the sea to the south and east. It
-was as if a broom had swept through the pile of a purple carpet. The
-floes which had broken from the main pack had been whisked southward to
-melt in the warm waters of the north Pacific. Occasionally, however, a
-hoary old "grandpa" went drifting by with its load of walrus and hair
-seals, while over them hovered gulls and other birds.
-
-Stirling narrowed his eyes and searched long and carefully for some sign
-of another whaler. The season was an early one. Bowheads were to be
-expected in such waters; the whale slick which showed marked their
-feeding ground. He saw no sign of sail or smoke. A slight haze to the
-southward marked the smoky sea where the chilled waters of the Bering
-met the first warm current which seeped through the passes of the
-Aleutian Group.
-
-Climbing from the crow's-nest, Stirling swung out over the ladder and
-smiled slightly as he saw a patient fisherman, in the shaggy form of a
-polar bear, all too intent upon the circular opening of a seal's hole
-through the ice.
-
-A whiff of galley smoke and the rattle of falling ice from the shrouds
-disturbed the fisherman. He raised his yellow snout, blinked his tiny
-eyes, and was off with a lumbersome trot toward the shelter of higher
-hummocks in the east.
-
-Cushner appeared like a giant who had slept without turning over. He
-lifted his long arms, stretched, pointed his icicle-sharp beard aloft,
-and held his mouth open as he stared at Stirling swinging down the
-shrouds.
-
-"By the stars, old man!" he exclaimed. "You're an early bird. Ain't more
-than seven bells, if it's that. Raised any bowheads yet?"
-
-Stirling sprang from the rail to the deck and rubbed his frosted hands.
-He stepped to Cushner's side and clapped him on the back. "Not yet!" he
-said. "No whales, but there's an ocean of fine slick. It's a whaling day
-if ever there was one."
-
-"Waal," yawned Cushner. "Waal, I'll call the watches and get ready. We
-might as well drop away from the pack."
-
-Without consulting Marr, the second mate gave the order to bring in the
-hawser and hoist easy canvas on the fore and main. The *Pole Star*
-sheered and drifted toward the southward. Stirling emerged from the
-galley house, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, felt the glow
-of the strong coffee he had drunk, then crossed the deck and mounted
-again to the crow's-nest where he took position to observe any signs of
-whales or white water.
-
-The whaler was hove to, with her yards braced, and steam pluming from
-the pipe after the raking funnel; the boats were swung outboard; the
-gear was gone over and the water kegs filled.
-
-Marr appeared at one bell. He glanced toward the distant pack, frowned
-slightly, then leaned over the rail of the quarter-deck. "Who gave the
-order to drop down here?" he asked Cushner.
-
-The second mate stood erect in the starboard-waist boat. "I did," he
-said, slowly. "I thought, seeing as how there was whale slick, that we
-better get in position for lowering. We could only lower three boats
-where we were."
-
-Marr motioned for Whitehouse, who sprang up the weather poop steps, and
-the two men went aft behind the canvas screen. Cushner glanced toward
-Stirling in the crow's-nest, and Stirling nodded. He seemed to say
-without words that he would stick by the second mate's statement.
-
-Whitehouse appeared and glanced upward. "What d'ye make out?" he asked,
-pointing over the ship's rail. "'Ow's the sea to lee'ard?"
-
-"Plenty of signs," said Stirling. "There's a sail far down toward that
-big floe. Looks like the first of the Frisco fleet. She's headin' for
-the ice. Likely there'll be more. Old 'Hank' Peterson and his *Beluga*
-always fasten around about here. That looks like the *Beluga's*
-fore-topsail. It's dirty enough!"
-
-The *Beluga*, so it proved, tacked and went about with its long row of
-white boats showing clear and distinct in the Northern sunlight.
-Peterson was cruising over known ground. He drove the ship away from the
-pack and vanished through the smoke of the seas with the patches of his
-ancient sails allowing the last sight of him.
-
-Another ship climbed up over the rim of the world. Smoke showed in a
-long slaty line, and soon was revealed the fine sheer and trim rig of a
-revenue cutter. Stirling lowered his glasses with a dry smile, and
-stared toward the whaler's poop. Marr stood there with feet braced and a
-telescope clapped to his eye.
-
-The little skipper muttered vehemently as he wheeled swiftly and strode
-to the rail. "What ship's that?" he called up to Stirling.
-
-"The United States revenue cutter *Bear*, Mr. Marr!"
-
-The captain frowned, turned, and looked over the ice-dotted waters.
-"Which way is she heading now?" he asked.
-
-"Same course. She's sizing us up. Likely she'll skirt the pack, back and
-forth, until she finds a lane to the east. She always does."
-
-"How many cutters come North?"
-
-"Usually three——the *Bear* and the *Wolverene* and the *Northern
-Star*."
-
-Stirling's voice contained a shaded warning, as he leaned over the edge
-of the crow's-nest and watched Marr intently. The little captain was
-plainly disturbed. He coiled and uncoiled his well-manicured fingers,
-stroked his smooth chin, then went aft with a quick stride and
-disappeared through the cabin companion.
-
-Cushner climbed up the fore shrouds and dropped alongside Stirling.
-Pinching the Ice Pilot's arm, he chuckled as he twirled the knob of the
-glasses and extended his arm outward.
-
-"She's th' *Bear*, all right," he said after a careful glance. "She's
-giving us a good lookin' over. We're new to her. I reckon th' whaleboats
-will satisfy her. There's nothin' to excite suspicion."
-
-The *Bear* slowly vanished into the mist, and a line of dark smoke
-marked her going.
-
-Cushner laid down the glasses and exclaimed through his beard: "They
-ought to know you, old man!"
-
-"Not in this rig," Stirling said. "Last time I saw the *Bear*, I was
-pilot of the *Mary Foster*. They gammed us the other side of St.
-Lawrence Island. They were looking for poachers. Somebody had raided
-the northeast point of St. Paul's, and three hundred bachelor seals were
-missing."
-
-"Fair game, I say, when you do it out beyond the three-mile limit. It's
-just the same as highway when it's done on the rookeries."
-
-"That's the way I think. Marr had better take warning. It would be a
-short shift to McNeal's Island and a long sentence if he tried
-anything."
-
-Cushner climbed out of the crow's-nest and lowered himself to the deck.
-Standing by the rail he watched the crew who were alert to raise a
-spout. Whitehouse, at a suggestion from Marr, had offered ten plugs of
-tobacco and two square faces of trade gin for the first blow reported.
-
-The morning passed without any sign of whales. At two bells in the
-afternoon watch a second whaler wallowed by and offered the signal that
-she had already fastened and cut in. A dark slab of muck tuck, or
-blubber, was dangling from her stumpy jib boom.
-
-Stirling knew the ship as he knew the palm of his strong hand. She was
-the *Norwhale* out of Frisco. He called down her name and pointed out
-her aged captain to the crew of the *Pole Star*.
-
-"The luckiest man in the North!" Stirling exclaimed. "Already fastened
-and lookin' for more. Keep your eyes peeled to lee'ard, boys. There's an
-ocean of slick and plenty of signs."
-
-The sun was rolling into the west when a stir passed through the *Pole
-Star*. A voice forward had half shouted, then died to a whisper. One
-lookout pointed far down to the south and east; Stirling swung his
-glasses and studied the wide surface of the Bering. He saw a spout which
-proved to be waves dashed from the weather side of a floe, and sea gulls
-hovering over an oily patch. He tested the direction of the wind by
-holding his finger aloft, and stared at the telltale which draped from
-the mizzen top.
-
-Clapping the glasses to his eyes, he swung about in a slow circle. Due
-south, he steadied and grew rigid. He saw the low bore of water which
-marked the presence of some animal beneath the surface. He closed his
-lips in a hard, firm line; his face cleared; his arms grew rigid as bars
-of steel. He waited with every muscle tense. Then, and suddenly, he
-lowered the glasses, leaned far out over the edge of the crow's-nest,
-and called loudly: "A blow! A blow! There she blows!"
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER XII—THE MANNER OF MAN
-=============================
-
-The ship shook with the running of many men. The mate sprang to the
-shrouds and shaded his eyes.
-
-"Where away?" called up Cushner.
-
-"Direct to the south'ard! Right over that floe! There she blows again.
-There she blows!"
-
-For a second time a bore of white water showed. This was followed by a
-plume of soft spray which spurted up into the frosty air and vanished to
-leeward. The whale was rising for breath.
-
-"All 'ands to the boats!" This order was given by Whitehouse who stood
-at the top of the lee poop steps.
-
-There sounded a rush along the deck, and a snarl of excited men tumbled
-over each other in their haste to reach the boats. It was for all the
-world like being submarined in war time.
-
-Stirling scowled down on the untrained crew, then glanced toward the
-little skipper. He feared that the noise would gally the quarry; a whale
-has remarkable hearing in certain circumstances. The Ice Pilot had known
-of failure to fasten with a harpoon on account of the striking of a
-paddle against the inner skin of a boat.
-
-He called a warning and pointed toward the sea where last a spout had
-shown. The crew heeded this call, and stood silent by the falls of each
-boat.
-
-"Lower away!" called out Whitehouse.
-
-The boats splashed into the sea, the falls were loosened from their
-eyebolts in bow and stern, and long oars were thrust out as the crews
-swarmed downward.
-
-Led by the second mate's boat, the tiny fleet swung like a covey of
-pigeons and ran before the wind with their single sails billowed out
-over the lee rails and their centerboards raised.
-
-Skipping from sea to sea, as light as spindrift, they assumed a fanlike
-formation and closed about the position where the whale had been seen.
-
-The leading boat, guided by Cushner, gained slightly and drew away, the
-big mate, with his white beard, standing erect in the stern. His hand
-was closed over the tiller, his eyes glued on a spot to leeward.
-
-Stirling and Marr, who had remained as ship keepers, with the cook and
-engineers, watched the arena like spectators at a battle. The Ice Pilot
-had hastened to many bowheads and realized that Cushner had taken the
-proper direction and would most likely intercept the whale upon its next
-appearance.
-
-A short wait followed, and Stirling fastened a small red flag to a
-signal halyard which could be raised from the crow's-nest. This was in
-the event that the whale was sighted from the ship. Two jerks would be
-the signal that the fleet should go to leeward; one jerk, into the wind.
-
-Across the whale slick the mate's boat darted, then came up and held its
-position with sail flapping. Cushner drove farther to the south where
-he, too, brought his boat in the wind and waited.
-
-Marr lowered his glass and stared up at the Ice Pilot. "It's time, isn't
-it?" the captain asked.
-
-"Almost," replied Stirling. "That old bull's been down eighteen
-minutes."
-
-The Ice Pilot replaced his watch and waited like a hunter in a jungle
-tree. His were the highest eyes on those waters. He swept them across
-the sea and somewhat ahead of Cushner's boat, then he stiffened and
-jerked up his flag. He held it at the masthead, then jerked again. The
-whale had showed white water not a cable's length from the second mate's
-boat.
-
-"He's up!" called Stirling in his excitement. "Sam's right there!"
-
-Cushner caught the signal from above the crow's-nest of the *Pole Star*.
-He swung his body and allowed the boat to run before the wind, peering
-under the bulging sail with its lifted boom. He pointed and pressed the
-tiller handle.
-
-The harpooner of Cushner's boat was a giant Kanaka. He was whale wise,
-and had once been known to fasten to a whale over the sail of another
-boat. Stirling saw him reach downward, lift a heavy harpoon, with its
-bomb-gun attachment, and poise rigidly in the bow of the whaleboat. His
-bronzed arm was raised inch by inch. The small boat drove on and into
-the smothering plume of vapour which rose out of the sea and slick as
-the whale emerged and exhaled its breath.
-
-Cushner's boat drove onward. The Kanaka straightened, drew back his arm,
-and then hurled the heavy harpoon down and into the waves as the
-whaleboat mounted the first of the bore set up by the passage of the
-monster.
-
-The mast of the boat came down on the run, oars were thrust outboard,
-Cushner unshipped the tiller and hurried forward. The Kanaka passed him,
-stooped, and lifted up a long steering oar which he placed in the
-oarlock aft.
-
-Stirling watched the second mate as he poised in the bow with a brass
-bomb gun under his arm and his eyes glued upon the coil of hemp which
-was floating on the surface of the sea. The whale had been struck, and
-it was sulking just below the boat, but had not yet sounded.
-
-Seconds passed, while the watchers on the ship remained mute with
-expectancy. Then, and suddenly, the white boat swung, almost upsetting
-Cushner, and started into the wind with the speed of a swift launch. The
-whale had come to life, had recovered from the stunning blow of the
-harpoon and the bomb, and was "carrying the mail" for the great North
-pack, with the boat dragging after it.
-
-Cushner motioned aft with the flat of his right hand, dashed the spray
-from his eyes, stooped, and felt of the whale line where it disappeared
-over the bow. He then straightened and motioned aft for a second time.
-
-Stirling interpreted the signal. It was for the sheet tender to throw
-water into the tubs. Already smoke was rising from the round wooden butt
-in the bow about which the line was coiled.
-
-The sheet tender, a Frisco dock rat, scooped a dipper overside, stumbled
-forward, and dashed sea water into the rapidly uncoiling hemp. He
-slipped as the boat swung over a wave, and the dipper flew from his
-hand, dropping into the larger of the two tubs.
-
-There followed a leaping snarl of inch rope. A slender python seemed to
-reach and coil about Cushner in the bow, who flung up his arms and
-dropped the bomb gun. A noose fastened about his waist, and he was drawn
-forward and downward as the whale surged onward. Fighting with all his
-giant strength, he went over and then into the depth of the sea.
-
-"Heavens!" shouted Marr. "Did you see that, Stirling?"
-
-The Ice Pilot was over the edge of the crow's-nest and down the rigging
-within the space of five seconds. He struck the deck and dashed aft.
-"He's done for!" he shouted. "Get up steam and hurry. There's only one
-chance."
-
-Marr stared at the Ice Pilot. "Who's giving orders here?" he asked,
-cuttingly. "Let the fool take care of himself. He picked out that sheet
-tender."
-
-Stirling gulped, then clenched his fists and held them out under the
-skipper's chin. He drew them back inch by inch. His emotion was a
-compelling thing. He could crush the little skipper with one blow, but
-held himself in hand and turned, his eyes filled with the fire of
-battle.
-
-"Follow me!" he shouted to two of the engineers who stood in the waist.
-"Help lower the dinghy. The whale's coming to windward. I can get it!"
-
-The tiny boat was lowered in clumsy fashion. Stirling shoved off and sat
-down to the oars. Over his shoulder he saw the sneering figure of the
-little skipper standing by the taffrail, but only bent his back and dug
-the oars deeper into the sea. He brought the boat directly into the
-pathway of the onrushing whale which had risen and was showing a bent
-harpoon in its foam-coiled hump.
-
-Dropping the oars, Stirling sprang to the bow of the boat and lifted a
-bomb gun from its position on the starboard side. He cocked this, and
-waited, peering into the sea. He straightened, took aim, and fired a
-tonite bomb full into the mass which was rushing in his direction.
-
-The acrid smoke from the gun drifted to leeward, and the low report of
-the bomb's explosion shook the sea. Particles of flesh flew upward, the
-whale milled and rose, then splashed down, with its giant flukes beating
-the surface of the water in a death flurry. The small boat was drawn
-into the vortex and as both engineers called a warning, Stirling opened
-a pouch under a seat, drew out another bomb and cartridge, fitted them
-to the breech of the gun, then waited grimly, tensely. He no longer
-resembled the placid pilot who had come aboard the whaler at Frisco.
-
-The other boats of the fleet drove into the wind with their centerboards
-lowered and their sheets close drawn, waiting until the whale's efforts
-died, stroke by stroke. They took Stirling's signal to haul in on the
-line which was still fastened to Cushner's boat. Foot by foot it was
-drawn upward and coiled in the tubs. The whale was dead upon the bottom
-of the sea.
-
-Stirling waited until the ship bore down upon the fleet and thrust her
-sharp prow over the spot where the quarry had sunk. He gave the order to
-rig the line over a yardarm and to attach it to a foreward winch. Steam
-was turned on and the stout hemp held, although it was drawn to pencil
-thinness. The carcass of the whale was sucked from the mud and silt and
-lifted surfaceward. Foot by foot—fathom by fathom—the line was
-scanned. There sounded a low cry, and a boat steerer pointed downward.
-Stirling and the engineers leaned over the rail of the dinghy.
-
-They saw why the boat steerer had called their attention, and they
-blanched—strong men that they were. Then they stood erect and removed
-their caps.
-
-Cushner's body, looped in a bight of the whale line, dangled before
-their eyes, all life throttled out by the whale's mad strength.
-
-One thing showed the manner of man the second mate had been. He had
-drawn a long knife from a sheath on his belt and held this gripped
-firmly in his left hand. But it had not been used. The rope was
-unhacked. Cushner had preferred to go to his death, rather than sever
-the hemp and allow the whale to escape.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER XIII—INTO THE ICE
-=========================
-
-
-They buried the second mate in the conventional sea manner, Marr reading
-the simple service from the Bible.
-
-Stirling saw the sack-sewn body plunge into the icy waters of the Bering
-Sea, and replaced his cap when the last ripples had died. He turned and
-glanced upward at Marr, watching the skipper fold the Book and look over
-the rail. The whale lay alongside with only a slight hump to mark its
-bulk, and in the centre of this hump a harpoon had been thrust. The
-stout iron, of Swedish construction, was bent and twisted, and to it was
-fastened a bight of inch hemp which had held throughout the struggle.
-
-Purple night was falling when Stirling had the whale's body in a
-position for cutting in. More irons had been driven home, lines were
-brought aboard and fastened to cleats, a strong hawser was passed about
-the giant flukes.
-
-Cutting in a whale to Stirling was like peeling an apple. It had been
-one of the greatest joys the seas had granted to him. It was the
-culmination of months of preparation and searching. The value of a head
-of bone was well up in the thousands, and Stirling estimated the length
-of the whale to be all of seventy feet. The bone, therefore, being in
-proportion, he expected slabs from the upper jaw to reach fifteen feet.
-
-The waist of the ship was cleared of riffraff and dunnage; a strong
-whale tackle was rigged between fore and mainmast, one line of this
-tackle being wound about the foreward winch. The other end was carried
-down the cutting-in stage and hitched to a slice of blubber which had
-been peeled from the whale's neck. This slice of blubber was called the
-blanket piece.
-
-Kanakas climbed then over the slippery body and started work with
-blubber spades and axes. They severed the strip, as the winch was
-started, the whale rolled over and exposed an open cut which banded its
-neck. Into this the crew slashed until the backbone was reached. They
-then climbed aboard, after rigging a second line through a purchase in
-the upper jaw.
-
-"Hoist away!" ordered Stirling. A watch tackle creaked, the line
-tightened, and the upper jaw of the monster came aboard and was swung
-over a spot in the waist, lowering to position when the tackle was
-slacked. The carcass, useless now, was cast adrift by cutting the lines.
-It drifted to leeward where it was soon surrounded by polar bears and
-screeching sea gulls.
-
-Marr appeared at the quarter-deck rail and sent down a huge jug of
-whisky, which the crew shared with boisterous shouts. The skipper
-watched them, then shrugged his slight shoulders, glanced at the ice to
-the northward, and disappeared as Stirling gave the order to clear decks
-and cut the bone from the upper jaw.
-
-This baleen, as it was called, had to be split from a white gristle by
-blubber spades and knives. The bone ran from sixteen feet in length down
-to little whiskers, and its value was all of five dollars a pound.
-
-The last of the slabs was taken below to be stored in the forehold, and
-the great jaw, after the cook had removed a barrel of muck tuck, was
-hoisted overboard. This sank to the bottom of the Bering. The decks were
-then swabbed and squeegeed, and the watch on duty finished cleaning up.
-It was midnight before Stirling turned toward Whitehouse and reported
-that all was clear.
-
-The cockney mate climbed from the dark poop, took a turn about the ship,
-ran his fingers over the planks and pinrails, and peered down the
-forehold.
-
-Then he came to Stirling and asked: "'Ow much do you think that 'ead of
-bone will weigh?"
-
-"All of twenty-two hundred pounds. It's as big as I ever cut in."
-
-Whitehouse glanced aft. "The old man wasn't figurin' on that," he said,
-reflectively. "I think it was out of 'is calculations. 'E's just
-confided in me—not a watch below—that 'e is up North for trade stuff.
-Also, 'e said there's a firm of Dundee & Grimsby owners interested in
-the voyage. I thought all along 'e owned the ship."
-
-Stirling studied the face of the mate in an endeavour to ascertain if he
-were speaking the truth. Whitehouse was far from stable in his
-statements.
-
-"That's news," said Stirling. "I thought you, or somebody else, told me
-he was the sole owner."
-
-"Maybe Cushner told you that."
-
-"Maybe! It settles a point or two I was trying to fathom."
-
-Stirling glanced at the poop, and in fancy he thought a figure appeared
-there. He stepped to one side of the galley house and stared aft. A
-shadow moved against the canvas screen, a light shot skyward, then was
-blotted out as the companion closed.
-
-"Marr?" he asked, striding over to Whitehouse.
-
-The mate grinned and reached in his pocket for a plug of tobacco.
-"Sure," he said. "W'o else could hit be? The old man is very irregular
-in 'is 'abits. Never saw any one like 'im. You never know where 'e is.
-All the time walking around."
-
-Stirling crammed his hands into his pockets and turned away from the
-mate, but he paused at the door leading into the alleyway and his cabin.
-
-Whitehouse, believing Stirling had passed inside, jerked his elbows,
-buttoned up his coat with care, smoothed down his hair, and otherwise
-spruced himself up. Then he started aft and mounted the poop steps, his
-whistle merging into a low song. Stirling heard it and wondered:
-
- | "England, oh, my England!
- | Gone for many a day;
- | I never knew I loved you
- | Until I sailed away."
-
-The Ice Pilot raised his brows and closed his mouth in a firm line. The
-mate had revealed another side of his character. He had come down into
-the waist of the ship in order to make an inspection, and was returning
-like a man who expected to meet with a cheerful welcome. Perhaps,
-decided Stirling, he had gone aft and below in order to create an
-impression. The impression could hardly be made upon Marr. That little
-skipper was no more interested in whaling than in cob fishing. He had
-treated the entire chase of the day as a diversion which would answer
-until the ice opened and allowed the *Pole Star* to drive northward
-toward some coast where bigger game was waiting.
-
-The morning dawned, warm, gray, and cloud-shrouded. An east wind swung
-over the North pack and loosened the lighter floes. They drifted toward
-the south, as the seals gave the warning of the first breaking up of the
-ice, and loud reports were heard to windward.
-
-Stirling rolled from his bunk and sniffed the air, pressed his face to a
-porthole, then rapidly dressed. Taking coffee from the galley boy, he
-hurried to the deck and stared about him. The ship was hove to in a
-position that commanded a view of the pack ice and the sea to the south
-and west.
-
-Climbing hand over hand, Stirling reached the Jacob's ladder, and then
-the crow's-nest. He settled down and clapped the glasses to his eyes.
-
-A voice rose from the quarter-deck, and increased in volume as Stirling
-still stared to leeward.
-
-"Aloft, there!" Marr shouted, angrily. "Hey, you aloft!"
-
-Stirling leisurely removed the glasses from his eyes and glanced
-downward. He said nothing.
-
-"How's the ice?" asked the skipper, jerking his thumb toward the north
-and east. "What do you make of it?"
-
-Stirling turned and lifted the glasses. "She's breaking," he called. "I
-see a few lanes to the east. This wind will clear things in a day or
-two. We can go then!"
-
-Marr paced the deck, bringing up against the rail on the ice side of the
-ship. "We'll go now!" he shouted. "Right now, if there's any possible
-route open. I want to be at Indian Point within the week. Can you do
-it?"
-
-"I can!" said Stirling. "I'm——"
-
-"A blow!" called a foremast hand from the forepeak. "A blow! There she
-blows!"
-
-Stirling turned and darted his eyes out over the sea to leeward. He
-squinted slightly and saw the white vapour of a huge whale's spout. He
-closed his lips and shaded his brow. Another blow showed to windward of
-the first. A school of bowheads was approaching an open lane to the
-north and the Arctic.
-
-"Stand by the boats!" shouted Stirling, eagerly. "Call both watches and
-stand by!"
-
-Marr stiffened in his position close by the rail, turned, and glided
-forward until he stood at the weather steps which led to the waist of
-the ship. He darted a savage glance out over the sea then fastened his
-eyes upon Stirling. "Countermand that order!" he shouted.
-
-Stirling stared over the edge of the crow's-nest. "What's that?" he
-asked. "Don't you know there's whales to leeward? They're making for the
-ice. There's a——"
-
-"I don't give a darn if there's a million whales. I told you what to do.
-Do it! I'm captain of this ship!"
-
-"A blow!" repeated the foremast hand.
-
-Marr reached and snatched up a brass belaying pin from the pinrail. He
-leaned forward after grasping the step rail with his left hand, and
-brandished the weapon out over the waist of the ship in the direction of
-the cry. "'Vast that!" he snarled. "'Vast with you! There's no need of
-yelling your lungs out! This ship is going into the ice. D'ye get me?"
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER XIV—A WHISPERED WARNING
-===============================
-
-
-Stirling climbed over the edge of the crow's-nest and reached for a
-line. He dropped to the deck like a plummet, strode aft and mounted the
-poop, where Marr stood with the pin in his hand.
-
-The hastily dressed crew had rushed aft and were gathered in the waist
-as Stirling thrust his jaw forward and locked glances with the little
-skipper. An explosion was brooding; the foremast hand, who had whaled
-for ten years, kept repeating, "A blow! A blow!"
-
-"What d'ye mean?" snapped Marr. "What d'ye mean by coming up here
-without orders?"
-
-Stirling's eyes flashed dangerously, the brown in them changing to hazel
-and red. His fists clenched into great balls of hate; he was seeing
-fire.
-
-"What do I mean?" he asked. "Why, what do *you* mean? What's the answer
-to letting that school of whales escape? I never saw more in these
-waters."
-
-Marr toyed with the belaying pin, lifted it, and swung his arm. "I don't
-intend to argue the case with you!" he declared. "I want my orders
-obeyed! I am in command of this ship. I order you to make for the ice.
-I command you to take me to Indian Point on the Siberian coast."
-
-Stirling reached and clutched the belaying pin, wrenching it from Marr's
-hand with a half effort. Replacing it in the pinrail, he turned and
-stared at the crew. The little skipper had reached backward and clapped
-his hand on a hip pocket. Thinking better of this action, he hesitated.
-
-"Men," said Stirling, "you're under the skipper's orders, as you know. I
-want you to take notice that he has forbidden you to lower for whales.
-You, Eagan, step up here!"
-
-The seaman mounted the poop steps. "Eagan," said Stirling, laying his
-hand on the sailor's shoulder, "you are my witness that I've done all I
-could to earn a fair lay for the foremast hands and mates. From now on,
-we are embarked upon an unknown enterprise of doubtful character. I wash
-my hands of the voyage. I'll take orders until they conflict with the
-laws of these waters. After that I'll request Mr. Marr to place me
-ashore."
-
-Eagan rubbed his unshaven chin, blinked, and swung toward Marr. "I'm
-with the skipper," Eagan said. "I think he's right. I would rather load
-up with trade stuff—and other things—than mess with those whales. I
-think the crew are with me in this."
-
-Stirling stared about him blankly. He felt as if the planks of the ship
-were slipping from under his feet. Eagan, from all reports, was a
-government spy. Now he was siding with the captain and the wilder
-members of the crew who had most certainly laid him low at the beginning
-of the voyage.
-
-"Repeat that!" sneered Marr, rubbing his hands. "Just turn and tell that
-to this crew. Tell them what you said. Tell them you're with me as well
-as they are. This man Stirling is trying to cheat us out of fair game.
-He'll be running a Sunday school, next. I know his breed—afraid of the
-law! What law is north of 53?"
-
-"Heaven's law!" Stirling said, sincerely. "You won't raid the rookeries
-if I can prevent it. Don't you know that there's only one revenue cutter
-in these waters? Are you going to take advantage of that fact?"
-
-Whitehouse came across the quarter-deck, clutched Marr by the arm, and
-drew the captain halfway toward the wheel and the companion skylight.
-They whispered there as Stirling shouldered Eagan to one side, saying
-cuttingly: "You're with them, too? I thought you were a man!"
-
-The sailor flushed and glanced down at the deck, then turned toward the
-crew. "Fight it out yourself," he said as he climbed to the lower deck.
-
-Stirling waited for Marr to come forward, glancing longingly over the
-slick-covered seas. In mockery, it seemed, the whales were sporting
-about the silent ship. One came so close to the bow that a dropped block
-on the forecastle deck startled it. It was gone with a defiant toss of
-black flukes, and the school started toward the ice.
-
-Whitehouse finished whispering to the captain, glided to Stirling, and
-grasped his arm. "The old man says to get aloft and work into the ice.
-Says we'll whale later. The school's gone, anyway."
-
-The peaceful ending to what Stirling had expected would lead to a
-general drawing of lines aboard the ship was more than he could stand.
-He turned and fastened upon Marr a glance of deep determination, his
-fingers coiling into knots.
-
-"Remember," the Ice Pilot said, distinctly, "I'll always be on deck. I
-want no double crossing."
-
-With this shot delivered through his white teeth, Stirling moved
-leisurely over the deck and as he descended to the waist, one of the
-crew hissed. He wheeled, reached out, grasped the man by the waist and
-neck, and threw him over his shoulder like a sack of meal.
-
-"Any more?" he asked, grimly.
-
-No man of them offered himself though Stirling waited with his glance
-taking in the rough circle. He dropped his fingers, moved slowly to the
-rail and up the shrouds he climbed till he reached the crow's-nest.
-Standing on the edge of this, he rimmed the ice pack from horizon to
-horizon.
-
-"One bell!" he called down. "All hands stand by braces. Three of you
-come aloft and loosen sail."
-
-The ship sprang with life. Whitehouse jerked the engine-room telegraph;
-the propeller thrashed astern; the sails dropped from the yards and were
-sheeted home. The taper jib boom swung toward the open lane to the
-north and east and ice floes ground under the stem.
-
-For two watches Stirling remained aloft, calling down his orders in a
-strong voice. He knew the ice as few men were ever gifted to know it,
-and took advantage of all his experience. He held the course through the
-lane until, balked, he drove across a sea of slush and thin ice and
-crashed the way open to still another pathway to the north.
-
-The Pribilofs, already green with moss and spring verdure, were sighted
-at sundown. A low shed marked the sealing station where the bachelor
-seals had been skinned in days gone by, and a flag flew from a pole at
-the side of the Commissioner's house. Its bars of white and red cheered
-Stirling. It was the emblem of his country in the Northern seas.
-
-No other ships showed within the ice field; Stirling had taken chances
-lesser pilots feared. He drove north and east under steam and canvas,
-saving the ship from being crushed a score of times. He announced
-quietly upon the fourth day that East Cape lay ahead, and pointed over
-the bow. Marr, on the quarter-deck, clapped Whitehouse across the
-shoulders, and the mate grinned and danced over the planks.
-
-The massive solemnity of the great headland, as it rose above the ice
-field, held every eye aboard the whaler. It was the farthermost point
-east and north of the Siberian continent. Near the foot of the Cape
-nestled a native village.
-
-"Indian Point?" asked Marr, glaring upward at Stirling.
-
-The Ice Pilot nodded as he guided the ship through the last of the shore
-ice and ordered the anchor dropped in a sheltered nook. The rattle of
-the chain in the hawser hole awoke echoes within the cliff; Indian
-canoes in the shape of hair-sealskin umiaks and kayaks darted out to
-meet them, and other boats flecked the Straits of Bering, coming down
-with the wind and current from East Cape.
-
-The *Pole Star* was the first ship of the season, and the natives
-welcomed it with a great noise. Chiefs were hastily paddled out, and
-mounted the quarter-deck to gather about Marr and Whitehouse. Stirling
-attended to the throng which swarmed up the anchor chain and forepeak.
-Native girls, old women, men and children brought trade stuff of varied
-character—salmon, walrus tusks, small whalebone, carved idols, feather
-coats, skin caps, and hoods.
-
-A large umiak appeared from the ice of the strait, and in its bow stood
-a chief, who called Stirling's name. The Ice Pilot reach over the rail
-and grasped the hand of the leader of the Diomede Islanders. They had
-brought the best of Mazeka boots, which are prized by whalers and the
-hunters of the North. These boots were sealskin moccasins, capped to
-full length with deerskin, watertight and warm.
-
-"Plenty bone ashore," said the native chief, pointing at the igloos of
-Indian Point. "Plenty whales this season. Me catchum two."
-
-Stirling smiled at the broad face of the Eskimo, then shook his head.
-"Plenty ships come soon," he said. "You sell to old Peterson. You
-remember, he pay big trade stuff. Don't take whisky."
-
-The chief blinked shrewdly, dug deep within his fur parka, and brought
-forth a pipe, which he filled with a pinch of cut plug. Stirling offered
-a match, and the chief puffed and stared about the ship.
-
-"New!" he said with brevity. "Fine ship. You own?"
-
-Stirling shook his head and pointed toward the quarter-deck, where Marr
-was in conference with the Indian Point chiefs.
-
-"He buy whalebone?" asked the Diomede Islander.
-
-"I don't think so. You try old Peterson. Maybe he give you plenty."
-
-"I want two whaleboats this year," said the shrewd native. "I want ten
-guns and whale lines. Next year I catch plenty whales."
-
-Stirling recalled the method employed by the natives in capturing
-bowheads. They usually fastened from kayaks or umiaks and drove in as
-many irons as they could. To each iron was fastened a skin line which
-terminated in a seal poke inflated with air. These, if in sufficient
-numbers, prevented the whale from sounding and allowed it to be finished
-with long, ivory-pointed lances.
-
-Drunken natives staggered from the poop and swarmed about the waist and
-forepeak of the ship. Marr had distributed whisky for what trade stuff
-he needed. He bought three heads of bone for twelve kegs of alcohol and
-water mixed. This bone came out in umiaks and was stored with the other
-baleen in the forehold.
-
-Time passed at the Point. Marr seemed in no great hurry to enter the
-Arctic, even going ashore and remaining overnight with the native
-chiefs. Sounds of their mirth and drunken carousing floated out.
-
-Stirling chafed at the delay. The skipper was evidently waiting for some
-message from across the sea. Each ship which passed or dropped anchor at
-East Cape was gammed; each time the captain returned without word of his
-purpose. Five whalers went through to the summer whaling ground which
-extended all of the way to the mouth of the Mackenzie River and beyond.
-
-A night came when the sun barely dipped below the western waters.
-Stirling had tried to sleep, but finally emerged to the deck with hot,
-fevered eyes. The air was heavy and sultry, and mosquitoes buzzed. They
-had been blown from off the Siberian tundra.
-
-The pack long since had gone through the Straits and down the long reach
-of the Bering Sea. A group of natives slept on the forepeak of the *Pole
-Star*, while a single member of the crew walked slowly from port to
-starboard and back again, holding the anchor watch.
-
-Some slight noise upon the quarter-deck caused Stirling to turn aft till
-he stood in the gloom of the galley cabin. He glanced keenly upward, to
-where the drab canvas of the rail showed, with a shadow behind it. A
-faint light shone from the open companion.
-
-Then, and suddenly, he heard his name called. He started for the lee
-poop steps, then paused as a warning was whispered to him. He stared
-upward in rising perplexity. A white hand reached over the rail, its
-fingers uncoiled, and a dark object fell to the deck. There followed the
-sound of soft feet over the quarter-deck's planks and of the shutting of
-the cabin companion.
-
-Stirling stooped and picked up the object. Unrolling it slowly, he
-blushed through his sea tan as he held out a tiny glove. It was such a
-glove as only a dainty woman could wear.
-
-"By the jumping bowheads!" he exclaimed. "A pretty girl's aboard and
-she's noticed me. I wonder who she is?"
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER XV—OUT OF THE PORTHOLE
-==============================
-
-Pressing the glove within the pocket of his pea-jacket, Stirling strode
-to the waist of the *Pole Star*. From this position he glanced upward at
-the quarter-deck, which was deserted.
-
-The soft aroma of the perfume struck to his nostrils and he searched his
-brain for the events which led up to the dainty offering tossed down to
-him.
-
-Marr and Whitehouse knew the secret of the after cabin of the whaler.
-They never had given any sign that another shared the meals and splendid
-staterooms with them. This other had been brought upon the voyage
-against her will—Stirling remembered the sob, and the lone figure upon
-the poop when they had tied to the North pack. He pieced together the
-few observations he had made, and they all led to one conclusion: a
-dainty woman, who closely resembled the skipper in height and weight,
-was aboard the *Pole Star*. She had made the first advance to him.
-Others might follow.
-
-He rounded the shadow of the galley house and stared at the frowning
-headland of Indian Point, then turned and glanced out over the waters of
-the Bering Strait. The ice had gone south from around the base of the
-headlands. The road to the Arctic was open.
-
-He heard then, above the snoring of the natives who were sleeping upon
-the foreward deck, the low boom of a distant cannon. It was repeated. A
-ship of some kind was signalling to leeward.
-
-Searching the sea, Stirling strained his eyes without discovering sign
-of smoke or sail. The night was starlit and strangely warm. The
-glimmering waters of the Bering to the southward hung like a burnished
-mirror. An early sun was starting to swing its upward arc, and a pink
-flush made visible the far-off land of Alaska.
-
-Again the sound of cannon came to Stirling. It stirred the natives and
-brought the lone anchor watch around in his position. He stared at
-Stirling.
-
-"A ship to leeward," said the Ice Pilot. "Keep your eyes peeled. She's a
-long ways off."
-
-The seaman went to the rail and leaned over it. He was in that position
-when Stirling opened the door of his cabin and stepped inside. He
-switched on the light, removed the glove from his pocket, and touched it
-to his wide nostrils. He sensed the perfume with throbbing heart.
-Feeling the rush of blood to his face, he turned with a guilty start and
-placed the glove within an inlaid sextant box. The closing of the lid
-sealed his purpose to stand by the woman who was aft.
-
-Morning dawned at an Arctic hour, and the white light crept through the
-open porthole of Stirling's cabin. He rose and dressed, emerging to the
-deck with a wide yawn. The striking bell told him that he had not slept
-more than two hours.
-
-A seaman brushed by him and hurried forward to where the natives were
-standing on the higher coign of vantage which marked the forepeak. All
-eyes were turned out over the swiftly running Strait, where a two-funnel
-light cruiser cutter plowed with a bone at her stem. She carried no
-flag, and the signals set to her bridge halyards were in an unknown
-code.
-
-Whitehouse glided to Stirling's side. The mate was tensely agitated; he
-sputtered and stuttered. "Bly me," he said, "what's she doing 'ere?"
-
-"Light cruiser," said Stirling, thoughtfully. "An American—or British.
-She's just this side the Diomedes. She did not see us."
-
-Whitehouse twisted his loose lips into a purse, and stroked his long,
-red nose.
-
-Stirling widened his eyes. A dark plume of smoke was all that remained
-to mark the ship. This plume stretched along the eastern horizon, then
-faded and paled in the sun's first rays.
-
-Marr called from aft. Whitehouse turned with a guilty start, hurried
-along the weather side of the ship, and mounted to the poop.
-
-He returned within a few minutes and touched Stirling on the arm.
-"Skipper wants to see you," he said. "It's blym important."
-
-Stirling glanced about as he went aft. The ship lay deep within the
-shadow of the Point. Her deck forward was covered with natives and trade
-stuff. The crew had brought out all of their red underwear and
-slop-chest stuff in a search for bargains, and their voices were mingled
-with the clatter of native maids and hunters.
-
-"What did you make of that cutter?" asked Marr as Stirling reached the
-poop.
-
-"American or British. Going into the Arctic on some mission. I don't
-believe she saw us."
-
-"How was that?" Marr was plainly nervous.
-
-"We were well under the headland with no lights or canvas showing. We
-were in such a position that she could be seen without her seeing us. At
-least, that is my opinion, Mr. Marr."
-
-The little captain toyed with the buttons of his pea-jacket. "That
-sounds reasonable," he said. "Why is she up here?"
-
-"I don't know."
-
-"Did you ever see cruisers up here before?"
-
-"Only once. That was the old *Bainbridge*."
-
-"What brought her to these waters?"
-
-"Seal poachers!"
-
-Stirling weighed his words and shot them directly at Marr, then watched
-their effect like a gunner watches a shot go home. Marr dropped his hand
-from his buttons and paled slightly.
-
-"Did she get them?" he asked.
-
-"She certainly did! She also removed Captains Jones and Priestly from
-the *Spouter* and the brig *Belvidere*. Both captains were trading
-whisky for bone; there is a law up here that men should not do that!"
-
-Again Stirling watched the effect of his words. Marr had many barrels of
-cheap trade whisky aboard the *Pole Star*, and already had sent some
-ashore.
-
-"That will be all," said the skipper with a quick frown. "You are too
-confounded personal! Haven't I a right to ask you a few questions? Who's
-captain of this ship?"
-
-"Captains are not immune from certain laws. One law applies to all men.
-You cannot trade rotten whisky with natives. You cannot rob them of
-their bone for a barrel of water and alcohol. You cannot raid rookeries
-and get away with it. That cruiser is the answer. You have escaped so
-far. You may not be so lucky next time."
-
-Marr wheeled with a vicious oath. "Get forward!" he said. "Get where you
-belong. You ought to join some of these canting missionary schools.
-There's one or two I'd like to drop you at."
-
-Stirling paused on the first poop step and closed his fists, but opened
-them again and went on down to the deck, moving slowly forward to where
-the crew and natives were trading. He singled out the Diomede Islander
-who had disposed of most of his sealskin boots.
-
-"When do you go back?" he asked, guardedly.
-
-The native tapped the rail with his pipe and filled its bowl with a
-pinch of cut plug. He then broke off a match from a block and scraped
-it carefully upon the deck, straightened, and drew in five deep breaths
-before the tobacco was consumed, and he answered.
-
-"Pretty soon, now," he said, replacing the pipe in his deerskin coat,
-and glancing through puffed eyes at the sea in the direction of the
-Lesser Diomede. "Me take umiak and trade stuff and wife and little ones
-and me go."
-
-"Do you remember old Hank Peterson?"
-
-"Me savvy him. All the same whaling captain."
-
-"Big captain!" said Stirling, with a smile. "You see him this season?"
-
-"Yes! Me see him. He always stops for boots."
-
-"You give him something for me?"
-
-"Yes; I give."
-
-Stirling hurried into his cabin and tore a leaf from an ancient log
-book. Upon this he wrote a message to Peterson which he felt was certain
-to be delivered by the faithful Diomede chief.
-
-The message concerned the Seal Islands and the danger of a raid being
-made against them.
-
- Notify any revenue cutters or cruisers,
-
-Stirling commanded.
-
-The native chief took the scrap of paper, glanced about in caution, and
-crammed it into a bead-woven poke wherein were his most valuable
-possessions. "Me give 'em!" he declared, positively. "White captain, he
-get maybe day or two. Plenty whale ships come now."
-
-Stirling was satisfied with his messenger. The chief departed from the
-*Pole Star's* side after bundling aboard his umiak all of his trade
-stuff and relatives. These last were seventeen in number, and the skin
-boat was deep enough in the sea to suggest that a catastrophe would
-happen before the Lesser Diomede was reached.
-
-The last sight of the chief, however, was a reassuring one to Stirling.
-The faithful native had skilfully risen in the bow of the umiak,
-steadied his short legs, and taken out his beaded poke. This he waved
-overhead, being careful not to capsize the laden boat.
-
-Stirling had answered by lifting his cap and holding it aloft, then the
-boat was paddled around a rocky point. Other umiaks and kayaks followed.
-Many of the natives went ashore, taking the stuff they had bought; the
-few that remained were aft with Marr. One was singing a drunken song
-which never before had been heard on land or sea.
-
-Eagan stepped to Stirling's side as the last notes of this song floated
-down the deck.
-
-"Booze!" said the seaman, laconically.
-
-"Alcohol!" exclaimed Stirling. "These natives were all right until the
-white men came. They hunted and fished and lived simple lives."
-
-Eagan smiled. "What are you going to do about this Siberian bunch?" he
-asked. "The U. S. A. has no jurisdiction over here."
-
-"It has! Russia is not to blame. It isn't Russian whalers and traders
-who do the mischief."
-
-"Forget the preaching," said Eagan with Frisco slang. "Keep your
-opinions to yourself, Stirling. The day for booze in the United States
-seems to be about over, anyway. Just now——"
-
-The seaman's voice trailed off into silence. He thrust out a strong jaw,
-drilled Stirling with a meaning glance, then was gone with a swift turn
-across the deck.
-
-Stirling was still thinking of the whisky; like all strong natures, he
-dwelt too long on one subject.
-
-He moved to the rail and leaned his elbows upon the chains where they
-were spliced to the shrouds and standing rigging. He swept the native
-village with a painstaking glance; it was not the same as first he had
-known it. The igloos back in the valley, which was still crusted with
-winter snow, were few and small in dimensions. The frame shacks and rude
-tents of the summer village bore the certain stamp of neglect and
-carelessness. Dogs hunted about for scraps of meat. Children in trade
-calico played with a listless air. The umiaks and kayaks were patched
-and broken.
-
-Stirling frowned. Other villages along the Siberian and Alaskan shores
-were similarly stamped. They had been touched and polluted by the
-influence of those whalers who found it easier to allow the natives to
-secure the whalebone than it was to go out to sea and get it.
-
-A sharp command broke through Stirling's thoughts, and he turned from
-his view of the village. Marr stood at the weather poop steps.
-
-The little skipper pointed toward the waist of the whaleboat. "Lower
-that!" he snapped. "You and Eagan and about two seamen drop up to East
-Cape. See if there's any bone there."
-
-Stirling answered the skipper's command with a slow glance, moved not
-too hastily toward the whaleboat, and climbed inside. From this
-position, he called Eagan and two seamen who were idling on the
-forepeak.
-
-The boat was cleared of lashings and lowered, with Stirling in the bow
-and Eagan in the stern, then the seamen came down the dangling falls and
-dropped aboard. They thrust out two long oars and shoved the whaleboat
-from the ship.
-
-Stirling glanced at the telltale on the *Pole Star*, then motioned to up
-the single sail and lower the centerboard. The light craft sailed into
-the wind and canted far to leeward, gliding from the shadow of the
-headland as the sun swung over the shoulder of Siberia.
-
-East Cape was reached soon after dark. Stirling sprang ashore and
-shouted; then repeated the call. Lights shone from the windows set in
-the summer shacks.
-
-A pack of shaggy dogs, followed by three natives, came out and stared at
-the whaleboat. One dog crept down the beach and sniffed Stirling's
-native boots, then raised his snout and called a wolf's long howl of
-welcome.
-
-A rude door was opened in the larger shack, and the chief stood revealed
-in the glow of the inner fire, about which native women were squatted.
-Stirling advanced and held out his hand, touching the chief on the
-shoulder. "You remember me," he said. "Me ice pilot of the *Beluga*. You
-got any whalebone to trade?"
-
-The chief's face cleared, and he voiced a noisy welcome. He had no
-whalebone; furs he showed and also tusks. Some of these were carved with
-running men and spouting whales.
-
-It was after dawn when Stirling gave the order to run out the whaleboat
-and make for the *Pole Star*. The chief, his family, and a score of
-natives waved a silent farewell, standing on the beach until the boat
-turned a ledge of rock and vanished into the smooth waters of the
-Strait.
-
-Stirling was steering as the light boat swung under the *Pole Star's*
-stern and glided alongside. He glanced up at the overhanging poop where
-lights showed through the portholes. Out of one an arm reached and
-waved, and he heard a low-voiced warning. It was muffled and indistinct,
-but it was a girl's tones which warned. He had but time to swing the
-tiller when the boat scraped against the whaler's sheathing and Eagan
-caught a dangling fall.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER XVI—FROM HIS POCKET
-===========================
-
-
-The Ice Pilot reached the deck by way of the chains in the waist, and
-saw that the entire crew had gathered between the galley house and the
-break of the poop.
-
-Marr was with them. He wheeled, strutted over the planks, and planted
-himself before Stirling. "What did you find at East Cape?" he asked.
-
-Stirling doubled his fists and stepped back. "Little or nothing," he
-said, glancing over the skipper's slight shoulder and meeting the eyes
-of the crew which seemed suddenly hostile. "Little or nothing," he
-repeated, simply. "There's pelts there and ivory, but no bone. I told
-them we had no whisky to trade."
-
-"You did?"
-
-Stirling flushed and backed to the rail. He heard Eagan drop to the deck
-beside him, and the seaman was followed by the two sailors who had made
-the trip to East Cape.
-
-"I did!"
-
-"Don't you know that this crew is trying to make an honest living? Don't
-you know that every brave man aboard gets a two hundredth lay of the
-bone we trade or capture? Why didn't you try the natives with a little
-whisky bait? You'd have found bone hidden in every igloo."
-
-"Go yourself!" said Stirling. "I won't do your dirty work!"
-
-Marr turned to the half-moon of menacing men. "You heard that," he said.
-"That's the kind of man this pilot is—all for himself. I told you we'd
-have to look out for him. We can't go on any further until he is taken
-care of."
-
-The crew had reached some sort of agreement before Stirling arrived from
-East Cape; this much he saw with widening eyes, glancing from face to
-face. The Kanakas had been chosen for their loyalty to the little
-skipper. The boat steerers were Frisco dock rats who had the run of the
-steerage—an elevated position to them. The rest of the crew had scant
-hopes for anything save plunder and spoils in this life. They would have
-willingly followed Marr through the entire group of rookeries, starting
-at Disko Island and winding up at the Pribilofs.
-
-Stirling reached and rested his hand on the pinrail, where were a dozen
-brass belaying pins. He lifted his hand, wound his fingers about the
-nearest, and raised it an inch or more. A tenseness of desperate right
-steeled his muscles; his jaw muscles hardened to balls, and his lips
-closed in a grim line.
-
-Marr reached backward and clapped his palm over his right hip. The
-motion was a signal. The crew snarled in a running line of anger,
-advanced in a half-circle, and closed about Stirling. One held a sheath
-knife openly displayed in his hand.
-
-"Kill the squealer!" he exclaimed. "Kill him! He's preventing us from
-getting what's coming on this voyage. Darn, says I, if I'll go to Frisco
-broke. What d'ye say, mates?"
-
-"Hold on!" cried Stirling, raising his ponderous right fist. "The first
-man who tries anything gets this!"
-
-Eagan stepped out from the rail a half step, and stood partly between
-Stirling and the little skipper. There was that written in the seaman's
-face which held every man upon the ship. His eyes glittered with high
-light, and his body rested on the balls of his feet as if to spring.
-
-"A moment!" Eagan snapped in steeled tones. "This layout will lead to
-murder. Murder leads to swingin'. I don't want to swing. I'm with the
-skipper in every way. Get that?"
-
-The crew glanced at each face before them—Stirling's strong, but
-uncertain; Eagan's masterful; Marr's openly sneering.
-
-"We get it," a sailor answered back.
-
-"Then, I suggest we all go slow. This Stirling has been cracking too
-much about whisky and seals. He's liable to see too much and say too
-many things afterward. You get me, don't you?"
-
-"We get you."
-
-"On the other hand," continued Eagan, "there's the danger of messing the
-whole voyage up. If we croak this fellow, it'll get out and we'll have
-to pay. If we maroon him anywhere along this coast, he'll find a way to
-signal that cruiser that went north, or the *Bear*."
-
-"How about an island?" a boat steerer asked.
-
-"That's it!" declared Eagan, dropping his hand. "We'll put him on an
-island after we get done with the little trip the captain has planned
-for us. That island will be in the North Pacific. We can pick out a
-nice, quiet one."
-
-Stirling, with fist still ready for action, turned toward Eagan and
-exclaimed: "You're with them, eh?"
-
-"Certainly; all the way! You're one against thirty—more than that,
-counting the engine-room force and the stokehold bunch. Put down that
-fist and get into your cabin; stay there and don't come on deck.
-Otherwise they're going to mop up the ship with you."
-
-"I'll chance that——" started Stirling, advancing upon the crew, both
-fists now clenched.
-
-He never hesitated in the charge. It was bull strong and intended to
-clear the way to the poop; men went over as ninepins; blows glanced from
-his shoulders. He reached the poop steps with arms twined about him,
-threw these off with a savage twist and squirm, and went up as a Kanaka
-harpooner seized his legs. Dragging slowly, he grasped the rail and bent
-his body.
-
-It was then that a belaying pin flew across the waist of the ship,
-glanced from the quarter-deck rail, and struck Stirling in the temple.
-He rolled down the steps—the centre of a snarling pack of men—then lay
-quiet, with blood flowing from the wound in his head.
-
-Eagan pulled off the pack and lifted him like a heavy sack of meal.
-"I'll put him in his cabin," he said with a grunt. "I'll watch him.
-Leave that part to me."
-
-Marr turned and faced the crew. "Get the anchor up!" he ordered. "We'll
-drop down the wind and make for our landfall. Remember, we're looking
-for bowheads until I give other instructions."
-
-Eagan laid Stirling on his bunk and went to work. He found water and a
-clean towel, bathed the swollen wound, leaned over, and shook Stirling
-into consciousness.
-
-"Lay low!" he whispered. "Don't you know who I am?"
-
-Stirling rolled, and pressed his hand to his eyes. "I don't know," he
-said, weakly. "Who are you?"
-
-Eagan reached into his pocket and drew forth a gold badge. He held it
-before Stirling's swimming eyes.
-
-"I am a Deputy Seal Commissioner," said the seaman.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER XVII—INTO FORBIDDEN WATERS
-==================================
-
-
-The long Northern day died at last as the *Pole Star* drove south and
-west through the ice-flecked waters of the Bering Sea.
-
-Night shaded overhead and the wind sank to a following breeze which
-flapped the sails on the polished spars. Steam was got up in the
-boilers, the screw thrashed, and the ship plunged on—her sharp stem
-cutting through the drift ice like a knife going through thin paper.
-
-Into the upward swing of the Arctic sun the whaler steered. Fog drifted
-upon them, and when it lifted there was exposed a wide waste of sullen
-waters upon the surface of which seal and walrus sported. Once a killer
-whale attracted attention. Some of the green crew called "A blow!"
-
-Marr knew better than this. He urged the ship on as if it were carrying
-the mail for Southern waters. He stood the watch with Whitehouse, and
-both seamen had received Eagan's report that Stirling was resting easily
-and was making no trouble.
-
-They consulted as to the best course to pursue in regard to Stirling.
-Marr was for locking him securely in the chain-locker—this was a tiny
-space forward the forecastle. Whitehouse, who had taken a liking to
-Stirling, admiring his prowess with the ice and the conditions met in
-the Bering, suggested that Eagan should be left in charge of the captive
-and held responsible. Marr agreed, neither man suspecting that the
-sailor had any motive in staying near Stirling. Their first suspicion
-had been forgotten. Eagan had played a difficult part and won his point.
-
-It was on the third day that the *Pole Star* entered, as dusk crept
-across the sky, the zone of danger where no ships were allowed at that
-season of the year, the strictest patrolled patch of water in the world.
-Seals of the fur-skin variety, which are so valuable and scarce, sported
-about.
-
-Marr drove on with all lights shaded and a canvas cone capping the *Pole
-Star's* funnel and steam pipe. Orders had been given for each man to
-stand at position. Guns had been laid in the whaleboats, and great oak
-capstan bars took the place of the whaling gear.
-
-An air of expectancy filled each sailor's breast; the die was cast, and
-they were close to the great game. Whaling was for old men and
-weaklings. Stories had been told in the forecastle and steerage
-concerning the sudden profits of a seal raid. MacLane was cited as an
-instance of desperate daring and tremendous enterprise, MacLane who had
-raided both the Copper Group and the Pribilofs in one season. He had
-brought his schooner into Seattle with her deck planks bulging from the
-salted skins beneath.
-
-Eagan moved from Stirling's cabin to the forecastle and back again. He
-had secured a pair of rusty handcuffs with which he made great show of
-securing the Ice Pilot, where he lay on his back. Now and then one of
-the galley crowd peered in through the open porthole and reported to the
-sailors on deck.
-
-A double lookout was maintained from forepeak and quarter-deck, and the
-horizon was closely scanned by Marr and Whitehouse. The rookeries lay
-close to the south and west and the ship had been driven toward the
-northeast point of St. Paul's Island.
-
-Stirling sensed his position by the slowing of the screw and the
-direction of the slight wind and he reviewed the entire series of events
-since coming aboard the ship. His head had now cleared, and the slight
-swelling at the temple was going down under Eagan's skillful treatment.
-
-The situation was desperate enough. Marr had taken the long chance and
-reached the waters about the rookeries. But two armed ships were known
-to be in the Bering Sea or the Arctic. One was the revenue cutter
-*Bear*; the other, the unknown cruiser which had driven through Bering
-Strait.
-
-Stirling's anger boiled and simmered as he lay in a handcuffed position
-and waited for reports from Eagan, who had to be careful. There was
-scant chance of their ever capturing the ship. Two against forty
-offered little hope to dwell upon; another method than violence would
-have to be found.
-
-Eagan came in at one bell before midnight, closed the door, pocketed the
-keys, then moved over to the porthole and glanced keenly out.
-
-"How're we heading?" whispered Stirling.
-
-"Southwest."
-
-"Dead on St. Paul?"
-
-"She's just been raised from aft. Marr and Whitehouse sent the word
-forward. The whole tribe of Kanakas, Gay Islanders, dock rats, and
-cinder-muckers—to say nothing of the two first-class engineers, who
-ought to know better—are itching to get at the seals. It will be as
-much as our lives are worth to interfere. Marr has them all worked up."
-
-"Where's the *Bear*?"
-
-"Heaven only knows! Seagraves, her captain, told me in Frisco that he
-had an entire ocean to guard. There's the Russian coast and the Kotzebue
-and Norton Sound."
-
-"That other cruiser?"
-
-"She's helping him out. Likely there's an expedition cast away in the
-Arctic. The *Kadik* was reported crushed. The cruiser may have gone
-through to pick up the survivors."
-
-"Then Marr will succeed?" Stirling hinged himself upward and stared at
-Eagan.
-
-"Looks that way." Eagan closed his fists and turned from the porthole.
-"Looks bad," he continued with hard eyes. "At that, Stirling, we've
-three or four hours yet. Much can happen in that time. The *Bear* may
-swing around St. Paul."
-
-"Have you made no plans? The Commission must know that you are on this
-ship. They will be waiting for word from you."
-
-Eagan smiled despite his doubts. "We're two," he said. "They don't
-suspect me, and I have a plan. I shall land at the rookeries and try to
-reach the guard. If I fail, then you can spike the ship in some manner
-till the *Bear* is reached by wireless."
-
-Stirling raised his wrists and eyed the handcuffs.
-
-"They're tight," he suggested. "Suppose you let them out a notch. Then,
-whatever happens to you during the raid, I'll be on deck and active. Who
-was it threw that belaying pin?"
-
-"Whitehouse."
-
-Stirling made a mental note for future guidance. "Now, Eagan," he
-continued, "you had better loosen the cuffs and leave me an automatic
-revolver. I hear the screw slowing. We're right off the rookery. Listen.
-That's the surf on the beach."
-
-"Worse than that," said the government agent. "There's also the sound of
-seals barking. Hear them? I wouldn't wonder if they sense what is
-coming."
-
-The seaman reached downward in the half-light and inserted a key in the
-handcuff lock. Stirling guided him with cool fingers, and soon the cuffs
-fitted loosely.
-
-"Now the gun," said Stirling.
-
-Eagan glided to the porthole, glanced shrewdly out, then returned to
-Stirling's side. "Take mine," the deputy said. "I won't need it. Hide it
-under your mattress."
-
-The icy coolness in the man's tones steeled Stirling. He lay back as
-Eagan went across the cabin, opened the door, and stepped swiftly out
-upon the deck. A lock clicked.
-
-An impending silence lay over the *Pole Star*. The shuffling of men on
-deck, the creak of blocks, the straining of falls, told of boats being
-lowered. Voices were muffled as a light anchor was dropped at the end of
-a whale line, serving to swing the ship and hold it toward the shelving
-shore.
-
-Stirling caught the deep roar of the bachelor seals. In fancy he saw the
-boats glide across the water and grate upon the beach. He saw, in fancy
-again, the raised capstan bars and the shattered skulls of the prey.
-
-A boat ground against the ship's side, a block creaked, a laugh rang and
-was stilled. Then footfalls sounded, and the porthole was darkened.
-
-Whitehouse thrust his long nose through the opening and squinted toward
-Stirling. "You're there," the mate muttered. "Be blym quiet, let me tell
-you that. It'll all be over in 'alf a hour. Too bad you weren't with us,
-Stirling."
-
-The Ice Pilot did not answer and the mate's face disappeared from the
-porthole. Another boat touched the ship's side. Bundles of pelts were
-dragged to the forehold and dropped downward. Hushed instructions were
-given to return to the rookery.
-
-Stirling rolled over and felt for the gun under his mattress. Its cold
-barrel nerved him to rise and sit upon the edge of the bunk. He cocked
-the trigger and waited, his eyes toward the porthole, then turned and
-stared at the locked door.
-
-"Time to be doing something," he said, simply. "They're ripping the
-rookeries wide open, without being discovered. Like as not they've
-overpowered the native guard. That'll go hard with them later."
-
-He stood erect and worked one hand free from the cuff. Winding the chain
-about his wrist, he moved toward the porthole and peered out. A black
-velvet band stretched over the sea, and through it came stars as his
-eyes accustomed themselves to the view. He stared out over the ship's
-rail, to where he saw faint white spots which marked the drift ice.
-Beyond these was a silver running ripple.
-
-The position of the ship with its whale-line anchorage was close to the
-hidden beach. Stirling sensed the slow rise of the waves, which marked
-shallow bottom. The idea came to him that if the line were cut which led
-to the anchor, the *Pole Star* most certainly would go ashore. Once
-ashore, the crew would be unable to work her out in time to escape.
-Eagan could be expected to give some sort of alarm, and the guard on the
-other islands of the seal group would descend upon them.
-
-"I'll chance it," said Stirling. "Here goes for the door and a rush to
-the anchor rope. I didn't hear them drop a chain."
-
-He took one step away from the porthole. A gliding foot sounded outside
-upon the ship's planks, and he stood rigid, then leaned toward the bunk.
-
-The footfall was repeated. It came closer to the corner of the galley
-house, and a voice sounded from somewhere forward. A rattle of oars
-swung up the slight breeze, and seals barked from the red shores of the
-rookery.
-
-"Quiet!"
-
-Stirling touched the side of his bunk with both hands, bent, and
-prepared to roll over. The handcuff chain clicked metallically.
-
-"Quiet!" The sound was faint and came to him as a warning. He waited,
-his shoulders lifted with his deep breathing, his eyes fastened upon the
-velvet circle of the open porthole.
-
-A face came slowly into view like the shadow of the moon crossing the
-disk of the sun, and Stirling dropped his jaw in wonderment. It was far
-too soft a face for any of the crew. The eyes that stared in at his were
-deep blue and trustful.
-
-"Quiet!"
-
-"Yes; yes," he answered, feeling a rush of blood to his cheeks.
-
-"Take this quickly."
-
-Stirling rose by straightening his legs and back and stepped over the
-floor of his cabin, his unshackled hand reaching out. He touched the
-edge of the porthole, and his fingers groped outside. They came in
-contact with a tiny pearl-handled revolver. He drew it in and wondered
-at its diminutive size.
-
-"Quiet, Mr. Stirling!"
-
-He tossed the revolver to his bunk and turned toward the porthole. A
-cupid's bow of red lips, through which shone white teeth that met in an
-even row, greeted him.
-
-"What is it?" he asked, huskily. "What—who are you?"
-
-A pink finger touched the lips so invitingly offered; golden-bronze
-hair, capped with a tam-o'-shanter, bobbed and moved away, then came
-again as the blue eyes searched about the gloom of the cabin.
-
-A sound of more oars in locks struck up the wind; a voice warned from
-the quarter-deck; and a shuffle echoed along the deck in the lee of the
-galley house.
-
-"Who—why did you come to me?"
-
-The lips closed doubtfully and then opened. "You will know soon enough,"
-said the girl. "I'm going now. Be careful, Mr. Stirling. Be very
-careful, for my sake. Don't do anything that would endanger your
-life—or the captain's."
-
-"Are you the captain's——?"
-
-Stirling never finished the question. A white pallor drove the colour
-from the girl's cheeks, and she was gone even as he stared out through
-the open porthole. Her footfalls sounded along the deck, died away aft,
-and there came then the heavier feet of a sailor. He rounded the corner
-of the galley house, peered over the rail to the north and east, and
-then strode by Stirling.
-
-A heavy capstan bar was over his shoulder, an open knife gleamed from
-his belt, his jaw was set and thrust slightly outward. Stirling
-recognized in him one of the Frisco dock rats who had been most
-aggressive in the attack when Whitehouse had hurled the belaying pin.
-
-Stirling turned and glanced at the panels of the door; they were not
-strong. He lifted his shoulder and faced about. He could break to
-freedom in one bull-like lunge; afterward would come the severing of the
-anchor line and the casting away of the ship.
-
-He dwelt upon the exact situation and eyed the velvet beyond the
-porthole. The stars were paling. They had changed from white light
-points to yellow specks; they swam and danced in the morning's haze. An
-Arctic sun would soon be leaping the eastern horizon.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER XVIII—WITH THE SPEED OF WIND
-====================================
-
-
-The girl had given him courage, since her tiny offering still lay upon
-the bunk. Unconsciously he reached for it and twirled the silver-plated
-barrel. It was fully loaded with six cartridges.
-
-"Two guns," he said. "I'll go!"
-
-He moved not too quickly to the door and bent down. The lock was on the
-inside, held by four small screws. He tested the bolt by pressing
-against a panel with his shoulder. A click sounded in the chamfer.
-
-Searching his pocket with his freed hand, he touched a ten-cent piece,
-drew this out and eyed it. It would do as a screw driver, and he found
-the slot of the first screw. It turned easily enough then; rapidly he
-worked with every nerve alert. Boats arrived and pushed off from the
-side of the ship; the crew were busy in the forehold; a watch-tackle
-creaked; and coarse remarks rolled along the deck. The poachers were
-intent on getting the seal pelts stored below before morning.
-
-Stirling removed the third screw from the lock, pocketed it and drew
-back for a last glance through the porthole. A streak of yellow and a
-flaming whorl had shot athwart the sky; dawn was breaking swiftly in
-the Arctic east. It presaged a cloudless day.
-
-He returned to the door, after listening intently, and tore the loosened
-lock from the woodwork. Tossing this to the bunk, he strained with his
-fingertips, digging deeply into the nearest panel. The door slid open on
-noiseless guides, and a breath of salty air greeted him.
-
-He felt to see if both revolvers were in his pockets, then, working
-rapidly, arranged a rude dummy in the bunk. This he formed out of a
-blanket and two southwesters, so that it resembled the sleeping form of
-a man. He stepped to the door with a dry chuckle of satisfaction, and
-went out on deck and close under the rail without being detected.
-
-Raising his bare head, he glanced toward the island, with its looming
-shadows and rocky walls. Below these walls were the homes of the great
-bull seals and their mates. The animals had been disturbed, and their
-barking and roar blended with the sound of the waves on the sand.
-
-Beyond, and to leeward of the bull herd, were richer rookeries where had
-gathered the bachelor seals and those denied the other homes. It was to
-this portion of the beach that Marr had guided his hunters, and they had
-made short work of most of the bachelor seals. They had plied capstan
-bars, while the Kanakas and Gay Islanders had done the skinning.
-
-Stirling saw the white sheen of a whaleboat being paddled out to the
-ship. He reached into his pocket, removed the automatic which Eagan had
-given him, and crept on hands and knees toward the forepeak.
-
-Five of the crew were below in the hold from whence a light struck
-upward and illuminated the standing rigging and spars of the ship. A
-voice called from the quarter-deck. It was Whitehouse who stood there,
-Marr having gone ashore with the raiders.
-
-Stirling watched his chance and stood erect. There seemed no way to
-fail. The ship swung with gentle tugging in the bight of a whale line
-that had been lashed to a small anchor. The double line showed
-distinctly from the position where he stood. He had but to rush forward,
-lean over, sever the line, and get back to the cabin before Whitehouse
-discovered that the ship was adrift.
-
-The Ice Pilot turned and stared along the deck to where the mate's
-figure moved grotesquely behind the canvas rail. Two or three seamen had
-hurried aft to meet the outcoming boat, and they mounted the poop ladder
-on the weather side and joined Whitehouse.
-
-Stirling reached the heel of the foremast after cautiously rounding the
-fore hatch. His eyes hardened as he lifted his hand, poised it before
-him, and took one step toward the capstan and the starboard-anchor davit
-to which the whale line had been fastened.
-
-Then like a scarlet snake with myriad scales, there rose from the island
-a rocket which reached to the higher skies, curved, and burst into a
-star shower of green and blue lights. The flare from this rocket brought
-out the rookeries and the whaleboats; the dead, skinned seals; the
-crouched figures of the crew ashore. It bathed the entire ocean with
-sinister light; it struck a spike of terror into the raiders' hearts.
-
-They threw down skinning knives and bludgeons. They charged down across
-the red sands and thrust out the boats, glancing back with blanched
-faces as they frantically rowed toward the ship.
-
-Stirling heard Whitehouse roll out a string of oaths which were as lurid
-as the rocket's warning glare. A stout shout sounded from Marr, who was
-in the leading whaleboat. Fire doors were opened below deck, scoops
-grated across the stokehold plates, the first engineer climbed swiftly
-to the companion and sprang out on deck.
-
-The seal raiders were discovered; the guards had been warned on the
-other islands of the group. A wireless message was even then flashing
-across the waters of the Bering Sea. The *Bear*, or some other ship,
-would be down upon them.
-
-Stirling realized exactly what had happened, and his brain worked
-swiftly. There was yet time to cut the anchor lines, but this would be
-done by the returning crew. In no other way could they sheer the ship
-from the shore and make to open sea.
-
-He stepped back, brushed against a seaman who had risen from the
-forehatch, and rounded the galley house before the startled sailor could
-detect who had pressed against him.
-
-The door to the cabin was slightly open. Stirling thrust through his
-fingers and tugged, then slipped inside and closed the door. Still
-thinking clearly, he shoved the two guns under the mattress of his bunk,
-screwed the lock back in place, then lay down and replaced the cuff over
-his freed wrist.
-
-A quiet smile wreathed his face as he listened to the sounds which
-floated in through the open porthole. Curses and commands mingled in a
-jargon; boats were hurriedly hoisted to their positions on the davits;
-seamen sprang to the decks and rushed forward.
-
-A bell sounded in the engine room; the screw thrashed and bit deeply
-into the sea. The *Pole Star* swung, cleared the beach by a scant
-cable's length, and drove out toward the north and east.
-
-A grim face darkened the porthole, and Marr's glance bored the gloom of
-the cabin until he discerned Stirling's form on the bunk.
-
-"You're there!" he said, bitterly. "Well, you'll stay there for some
-time. You and that rat Eagan came near spoiling our plans."
-
-Stirling did not answer the irate skipper, thinking an answer beneath
-him. It was plainly evident, however, that Eagan was out of the lives of
-the men aboard the *Pole Star*. He had awakened the entire Bering Sea
-against the poachers.
-
-Driving rapidly, under all steam and a well-set foresail and main, the
-*Pole Star* lay the island of St. Paul over her counter as the sun
-brightened the waters of the Bering Sea to the eastward.
-
-The alarm had been given; they were in great danger. Watchers on the
-island, including Eagan, would see the poacher going spars down before
-they laid aside their glasses. Its course would be given to the first
-government boat raised by wireless. It was more than probable that the
-*Bear* would take up the chase by noon.
-
-Stirling felt the swift shift of helm which came at sunrise. Marr had
-realized his danger and had sheered toward the west at least two points.
-This course, by magnetic compass, would bring the ship broadside of
-Siberia and into the wide mouth of the Gulf of Anadir.
-
-The galley boy, accompanied by Whitehouse, appeared at the cabin door as
-the ship's bell was struck eight times. The mate noticed the loose
-condition of the lock as he inserted his own key. He stepped inside and
-examined the screws which Stirling had hastily replaced, his glance
-shrewd and hard.
-
-"You'll go aft!" he said in bitter tones. "We're not taking any chances
-with you from now on. It's a blym long woiy from here to the port we'll
-reach some doiy."
-
-Stirling sat upright and reached for the food which the boy had brought
-on a tin tray. He drank the coffee, smiling as Whitehouse lingered in
-the open doorway.
-
-The two men locked glances. Stirling's eyes held, steady and
-penetrating, but Whitehouse turned with a quick oath. "I'll be back," he
-said over his shoulder as he vanished from the opening.
-
-The galley boy was gathering up the tins and cups when Marr appeared,
-followed by the mate. The little skipper looked somewhat the worse for
-the events of the night—his face was unshaven, a splotch of dried
-seal's blood showed on his cheek, one hand was bandaged, and his eyes
-were sunken and red-rimmed.
-
-"Had your lock off," he said, as he clapped a hand to his side pocket
-and strode into the cabin. "Well, you didn't do much. Eagan did it all.
-At that we got enough seals to make expenses."
-
-Stirling crossed his wrists and clicked the irons.
-
-"Better release me," he said with sincere directness. "It'll go mighty
-hard, Marr, as it is. A little more and you will swing as sure as there
-is a law in this sea. I don't doubt that Eagan will manage to run you
-down. It isn't the time of MacLane and the others whom you have
-imitated."
-
-"Confound you and Eagan—the stool! He don't know my course."
-
-"He knows you gammed that Japanese sealer off Rat Island. That's almost
-enough to know. I'd advise you to swing to Dutch Pass, surrender to the
-port officer there, and get off light."
-
-Marr whipped out a string of imprecations. "I'm a hard man!" he finished
-by saying. "I brook no interference. You'll go aft and into a strong
-room, where you'll stay for the balance of the voyage, eh, Mr.
-Whitehouse?"
-
-"This cabin won't 'old 'im," the mate declared, fumbling with the lock.
-"E's too blym near the crew and the steerage. The starboard room aft the
-cross alleyway is the place for our friend here."
-
-"It's too darned good!" exclaimed Marr. "Stand up, Stirling. We'll lead
-you to your new home."
-
-Stirling was of two minds. There was scant chance for resistance as he
-twisted and untwisted the handcuff chain. He glanced about the cabin.
-The objects of personal value most certainly would be stolen by the crew
-or the galley crowd, and he prized a few of these beyond price.
-
-"I want my things," he said in cool resignation. "Let me bundle up a few
-geegaws and I'll come along. It'll take me five minutes."
-
-Marr tapped his side pocket suggestively. "Go ahead," he said, backing
-from the cabin and glancing meaningly toward Whitehouse. "Five minutes,
-you get. No more! Take off his cuffs."
-
-The two seamen stood between the cabin door and the rail of the ship,
-and whispered each to the other, but Stirling could not catch their
-words. He stood erect, turned slowly, and reached under the mattress as
-Marr gripped Whitehouse by the arm and pointed toward the horizon.
-
-Stirling's hands came away with the little revolver which the girl had
-passed in to him. This he thrust down between his collar and neck, and
-its chill sent a remembered thrill through his body.
-
-Whitehouse stuck his head within the doorway. "Be deuced quick habout
-hit!" he snarled. "Get your traps and come along. There's a smudge o'
-smoke to windward."
-
-"Glad of that!" said Stirling, stooping on one knee and reaching for his
-dunnage bag. "I hope it's the *Bear* or the *Corwin* or the cutter we
-saw going for the Arctic. She's about due back."
-
-"Bally fine chance!" Whitehouse snickered. "More likely she's a blubber
-hunter tryin' out. It's more than likely."
-
-Stirling knew better than this. No ships in the Bering whaled for oil;
-that pursuit was confined to Southern seas.
-
-Marr was plainly nervous as he led Stirling toward the after part of the
-*Pole Star*, and kept glancing to the south and west. He halted on the
-poop steps and stared downward.
-
-Whitehouse followed Stirling. The mate had motioned the crew to one
-side, and they had gathered in the waist, jeering as the trio passed
-them. They, too, were nervous. The smudge of smoke had widened to a
-splotch which streaked the horizon; a ship of some kind was dashing
-parallel to the course taken by the *Pole Star*.
-
-The chase was on.
-
-Stirling hitched his dunnage bag under his left arm and turned as he
-reached the quarter-deck. His eyes were the best upon the whaler, and he
-knew every ship that came into Bering Sea. He threw all his power into
-determining the nature of the fast-flying stranger, then he smiled
-slowly. She was the *Bear*. A vague sense of the position of the masts
-and the rake of the funnel told him that the redoubtable revenue cutter
-had received Eagan's message from St. Paul Island. She was coming with
-the speed of the wind, and was not more than seven knots astern.
-
-Marr realized that Stirling had detected the name of the pursuer, and
-his face clouded. He shouted an order to the wheelsman, then sprang to
-the speaking tube which led down to the engine room. A volcano of smoke
-belched from the *Pole Star's* funnel. She swerved like a skater on ice,
-and the deck planks vibrated and trembled. A bellow of rage and defiance
-came from the crew at the change of course; they lined the rail and
-stared over the sparkling sea, shaking their grimy fists and calling
-down anathemas.
-
-"Come on," cried Whitehouse into Stirling's ear. "Get down to your
-cabin. It'll be a blym long time before that revenue ship gets in range
-of us. I think we are the faster."
-
-Stirling followed the mate through the cabin companion and down to an
-alleyway. At the starboard end of this Whitehouse inserted a key in a
-lock and slid open a door, motioning inside with a jerk of his thumb.
-
-The Ice Pilot found himself in a small stateroom which was trimmed with
-maple and white tiling. He dropped his dunnage bag as the mate closed
-the door and turned the bolt, and his eyes roamed about the cabin.
-
-The single porthole, set deep in the double skin of the ship, was
-brass-rimmed and no larger than a small dinner plate. It could be opened
-by turning two bronze wing screws, and the view through it was upon a
-patch of water, with swift-flowing ice darting by.
-
-"Prison or palace?" he said as he turned and studied the cabin, swaying
-with the motion of the ship. The list was slightly to port. Some sail
-had been spread to catch a light breeze which had sprung up with the
-sun. The deck overhead resounded with gliding steps; Marr and the mate
-were doing everything possible to hold their speed.
-
-The cabin's furnishings were yachtlike and serviceable. The bunk was
-covered with a hair mattress and an eiderdown counterpane. Over it were
-two brass racks for luggage and dunnage, and on the opposite wall a
-washbowl and towel rack could be folded into a seat. Pictures were
-strewed about, which were all marines painted by a decorator of merit.
-
-Stirling glanced from one to the other. Tropic scenes brought to mind
-the incongruity of their latitude—the *Pole Star* was hustling from
-the equator as fast as steam could drive her. Her last course was toward
-the barren land of Siberia and the upper headland of the Gulf of Anadir.
-It was terra incognita to most seamen and all save a few whale-ships or
-traders.
-
-Stirling examined the lock of his door. It was far stronger than the one
-in the galley cabin, and had been set within the wood and mortised so
-that only a small, flat keyhole showed.
-
-He bent his head and listened. A step had glided along the alleyway. It
-was repeated in shuffling motion, going from starboard to port and back
-again across the ship. Whitehouse had left a seaman on guard.
-
-Stirling stood erect and squared his shoulders, towering almost to the
-dunnage-racks over the white bunk. His eyes hardened as he glanced from
-the green-filled porthole to the door and back. The cabin was a secure
-prison, as Marr had said. It would require considerable ingenuity to
-escape from it. The sentry on guard was sure to be armed with one of the
-sealing rifles; he would be changed each watch.
-
-The ship hurtled onward toward the Siberian coast. The screw thrashed
-astern, bit deeply into the waves, and thrashed again—each time the
-foam boiled astern the ship trembled and racked.
-
-Bells clanged; shouts sounded; running feet were overhead; blocks
-creaked; the wind freshened and called for more canvas. The menace
-astern crept up to a four-mile range. A gun boomed across the wild
-waste of Northern waters. A shot fell to windward; another followed.
-Then, and slowly, the grip of the pursuer was shaken off. Superspeed, a
-fair wind, and a straining stokehold crew, made the slight difference.
-
-Stirling frowned as he sensed that the *Bear* was being distanced. He
-opened the porthole glass and pressed his face to the aperture. He could
-see little save following seas and ice floes. The revenue cutter was
-somewhere astern. Her guns were silent; this meant that the range had
-increased to useless distance.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER XIX—A TOAST FROM MARR
-=============================
-
-
-It was sundown and six bells upon the *Pole Star*, when the lock
-clicked, and Whitehouse entered.
-
-"Well, old man," he said, boastfully, "we've turned the trick. Night's
-coming on and the *Bear* is 'ull down. This is a regular king's
-yacht—speed of the best, and seaworthy."
-
-"It won't help you—in the end. How are you going to get out of the
-Bering?"
-
-"I'll leave that to Captain Marr. I just dropped in to see if you 'ad
-been fed. I don't nurse any 'ard feelings. I forgive my enemies, I do."
-
-In a way, Whitehouse spoke the truth. Stirling had always held a slight
-liking for the English mate, who was one of England's outcasts—one who
-had left his country for his country's good. He had the roving
-disposition of the British, forgave quickly, and hated only for a short
-period of time.
-
-"You're about the best of the bunch," said Stirling, feeling his temple
-where the belaying pin had struck. "I hold being knocked out against
-you, but that is all. Why don't you play like a man, which you are, and
-prevail on Marr to abandon his useless expedition? The entire shipping
-world will be searching for him. You haven't as much chance of escaping
-as a thief in a crowded street."
-
-"That's when the thief escapes," Whitehouse said.
-
-"I'll take the regular galley mess of food," Stirling abruptly remarked.
-
-The mate nodded. "All right," he said, backing to the door and standing
-in the alleyway. "All right, old man. No 'ard feelings?"
-
-Stirling allowed the shadow of a smile to creep across his lips. He eyed
-the cockney with a calculating expression, thinking swiftly and to one
-point. "Where are we heading?" he asked.
-
-"Siberia. We 'ave a nice little cove picked out."
-
-"In the Gulf of Anadir?"
-
-"There or thereabouts."
-
-"Marr don't know that coast."
-
-"The second engineer does. 'E was with the De Long expedition. Says it's
-a bloomin' fine shore all the woiy to the mouth of the Lena."
-
-"Fine is right!" said Stirling with a smile, sitting down on his bunk
-and crossing his legs. "It's barren and death-haunted. One thing——"
-
-Whitehouse paused with the key in his hand.
-
-"There are revolutionists at that point," said Stirling. "Marr should be
-careful where he puts in."
-
-"They won't bother us."
-
-"I'm not so sure. They would cheat a cheater any time."
-
-Whitehouse flushed. "A cheater?"
-
-"That's what you and Marr are! Cheaters! You raided the rookeries. Your
-judge will be the retribution which governs all wrongdoing. Your own
-heart and soul rebel against what you have done."
-
-Whitehouse disappeared from the opening, and Stirling could hear him
-giving instructions to the sentry. Footfalls sounded going up the
-companion and along the quarter-deck, and then the mate came back to the
-door and leaned against the chamfer. He rubbed his long red nose with a
-reflective finger.
-
-"I'm in hit too bloomin' far to get out now, Stirling. I'll do my best
-by you. Do you want to get away at the mouth of the Anadir? I can fix
-that."
-
-Stirling made a slow calculation on his fingers. He glanced upward
-toward the deck and furrowed his brows. "The Gulf," he said, dropping
-his glance and staring at Whitehouse, "is about three thousand miles
-from any sort of civilization. I think I'll stay on board—a prisoner."
-
-The mate nodded good-naturedly and turned toward a Kanaka, who brought a
-tray upon which were two tins of stew and a steaming pot of coffee.
-
-Stirling took these and set them at the end of the bunk. Whitehouse
-shrugged his shoulders, examined the lock with a smirk, and closed the
-door. The bolt clicked.
-
-The Kanaka resumed his sentry duties, but Stirling had secured a good
-glance at him. He was an old Arctic Ocean harpooner, and had once
-sailed on a whaler which had been gammed by the Ice Pilot. He was the
-weak link in the chain, concluded Stirling. A native would be more
-likely to listen to reason than any member of the *Pole Star's* crew.
-There was a latent loyalty for the right in every Kanaka's breast. Many
-had been brought up by missionaries.
-
-"With a dainty friend somewhere aft, and a sentry like that harpooner,
-I've a fighting chance," said Stirling, leaning over the savoury stew.
-
-The pockets of his pea-jacket contained a few crumbs of tobacco and a
-pipe. He set down the tray with the empty tins upon the deck, leaned
-back, and lighted a match.
-
-The puffs of smoke he blew toward the porthole were like salvos of
-shrapnel. The situation had cleared during the hours since leaving St.
-Paul Island and the rookeries. Whitehouse had become genial; the
-grumbling voices of the crew were more or less stilled; the little
-skipper was in a desperate position.
-
-Stirling sensed the general direction of the swiftly driving poacher.
-The cant to port, the general steadiness of the wind in the Bering, the
-drifting floes—all these were points by which he guided his deductions.
-
-Siberia and the open Gulf of Anadir should be reached by noon of the day
-to come. This would mean little less than twelve steaming hours. The
-Island of St. Lawrence lay some few leagues to the northward. The
-*Bear*, provided she had not given up the pursuit, might search the
-shores of that island. There were two native settlements on the western
-coast, and these were a likely refuge for poachers and those who lived
-beyond the law.
-
-There came then to Stirling's straining ears the soft sound of a piano.
-He set his pipe on a rack at the head of the bunk and moved stealthily
-toward the door. Pressing his ear to the panel of this, he listened. He
-heard the shuffling of the sentry's feet, and above this sound lilted a
-thin, pure note which could come only from a woman's throat. It rose,
-fell, and was raised once more into a remembered song:
-
- | "Whither, oh, splendid ship, thy white sails crowding,
- | Leaning across the bosom of the urgent West,
- | Thou fearest nor sea rising, nor sky clouding,
- | Whither away, fair rover, and what thy quest?"
-
-Stirling breathed with deep intakes of close breath. He caught the swing
-of the words as if they were attuned to his own thoughts, and they
-steadied him in his determination to remain aboard the *Pole Star* and
-ascertain what manner of woman or girl lived in the after ship. She was
-related to Marr—that much was evident. He wondered if she were his
-wife, sister, or ward. One of the three would explain her being aboard.
-None would explain why she seemed to be almost a prisoner.
-
-He listened for more music, and now and then the piano throbbed a
-vibrant note. At last it was still. There alone remained the swish of
-the waves, the creak of blocks, the sliding footfalls on the
-quarter-deck, to mark their passage.
-
-The last light of day died from the surface of the waters, and the first
-bright star lay horizon down. It came up grandly out of the east and
-from the direction of Alaska, shining through the open porthole like an
-eye of promise. Stirling rose from the seat he had taken on the bunk and
-turned out the electric light. He leaned back and studied this star,
-finding solace and resolve in its white rays.
-
-Daybreak, at the early hour of two bells, brought Stirling out of his
-dreams and into the grip of a coming dawn. He washed himself and glanced
-ruefully at his unshaven features, but there was no way to remedy the
-matter. Seamen in the Bering and Arctic often went for an entire season
-without shaving.
-
-He thought of the girl and her song as he idled through the hour which
-followed. She had grown closer to him in some manner. It was as if there
-were two prisoners on one ship. Her voice had contained the vibrant note
-of anxiety. She had asked in a manner which he could fathom, where the
-tall poacher was going? She, too, was gripped by the mystery.
-
-The first glimpse of the haze-surrounded sun, which rose over the Bering
-Sea, was the magnet that drew Stirling away from his thoughts of the
-girl and to the open porthole. The sea was specked and laced with drift
-ice and whale slick. Old "grandpas" floated by—grimy and honeycombed
-from the action of the brine. Walruses and seals dived from these
-ancient ice clusters. Birds wheeled away from the course of the
-fast-driving poacher.
-
-The course had been changed overnight, this Stirling detected with a
-guilty start as he noted the position of the sun. They were now well
-within the Gulf of Anadir, and the ice which floated about had just been
-detached from the shore. Its surface was partly snow.
-
-Seven bells brought the first glimpse of land to Stirling. A dark
-promontory lifted into the Arctic sky, and this was crowned with a hedge
-of Northern pines. Green moss grew down the folds of the headland. A
-tundra stuck out from the lower silt. They were skirting the wild coast
-of Anadir.
-
-"Siberia," said Stirling. "What a land!" He turned from the porthole and
-studied the interior of the cabin. The little revolver which the girl
-had given to him was still within the grip of his garter. He reached
-downward and loosened it, examining its butt and silver-plated barrel.
-It was loaded.
-
-He eyed the door leading to the alleyway, and pocketed the revolver as
-steps sounded outside.
-
-Whitehouse shouted in through the keyhole: "Hold steady and wait, old
-man. I'll see that you're well fed by eight bells. No 'ard feelings,
-eh?"
-
-Stirling did not answer. He moved about, however, and otherwise let the
-mate know that he was still aboard the ship.
-
-Eight bells did not bring the promised food. Instead, the ship slowed
-down, and at last glided across the sea with her screw still.
-
-The sound of running feet came to Stirling who sprang to the porthole
-and glanced out. They were rounding a rocky wall whose fissures gushed
-white from descending torrents of snow water. The ship ported, steadied
-in slow circling, and entered a mountain-encompassed harbour as lovely
-and as lonely as any in all the world.
-
-Her taper yards scraped the stones to starboard and port, her keel once
-touched a sandy split, but she went on by the billowed pressure of the
-wind on the canvas. The way opened to a glen in solid granite and
-schist, and here the anchor chain was let go with a rusty clank. The
-stern swung, almost touching a narrow shelf, up from which an agile man
-could climb, or down to which he might lower himself.
-
-A jubilant voice rolled throughout the sheltered ship. It came from
-Whitehouse, who had danced upon the quarter-deck planks in his glee.
-"All 'ands aft to spice the main brace!"
-
-Stirling understood this last order. The crew, the engine-room force,
-the stokehold gang, and the steerage crowd were invited to empty a case
-of whisky.
-
-Marr's toast to his fellow conspirators was given with a bold attempt
-to hold their confidence. "Drink hearty, mates!" he exclaimed. "Drink to
-the eternal confusion of the revenue cutters!"
-
-Stirling hardly smiled, but scraped his pockets and found some few
-crumbs of tobacco. These he pressed into his pipe and lighted with a
-sulphur match. "I'll smoke to that promise," he said, simply. "A bear
-never lets go when its grip fastens."
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER XX—THE MOVING SHADOWS
-=============================
-
-
-Landlocked and secure, the crew of the *Pole Star* worked out the day by
-odd jobs about the deck. Stirling heard them swabbing down, and caught
-the cockney accent of the mate raised in cheerful encouragement as the
-skipper sent forward more grog.
-
-The long Arctic day died slowly out over the waters of the Bering and
-the Gulf of Anadir. The waves which beat upon the rocky headlands,
-buttressing the tiny harbour, curled inward and ran with seething foam
-up a shelving beach.
-
-Marr had made one trip to the outer sea. He returned and called
-Whitehouse to the poop. Their voices were raised incautiously, and
-Stirling heard the *Bear* mentioned. The boastful laugh which followed
-showed that the revenue cutter had gone by without being aware of the
-harbour's entrance. The view from the sea was one of solid rock and
-towering headland.
-
-It was at five bells that Stirling heard steps within the alleyway. The
-sentry had been sleeping on duty, and he woke as Marr's voice broke the
-stillness of the ship. The lock of his door clicked, and Stirling
-switched on his electric light and waited, his breast exposed, showing
-the hairy massiveness of his shoulders and the supple muscles beneath.
-
-Marr came in with cautious eyes, glanced about the cabin, stared at the
-porthole thoughtfully, then lifted his chin to Stirling. "How are things
-with you?" Marr asked. "Getting along all right?"
-
-"As well as could be expected on this criminal ship!"
-
-Marr frowned and sat down on the edge of the bunk. "Don't take it that
-way," he said, fingering the horn buttons of his natty pea-jacket. "Come
-over with us and see the thing through. We'll wait around here a few
-days more, then——"
-
-The pause was suggestive. Stirling backed slowly to the skin of the ship
-and lowered his hands to his sides. "Then what?" he asked.
-
-"Ah, there is a wide world to roam in. There are many ports of call."
-
-Stirling clenched his fists; his eyes were levelled toward the assured
-skipper. "I think you had better get out of here!" Stirling said,
-sharply. "I don't want to listen to suggestions from you. Brave men do
-not raid the rookeries. They don't lock up a man for doing his duty."
-
-Marr smiled, and Stirling studied him. The little skipper had come into
-the cabin for some reason other than the one he had stated; he was far
-too genial and condescending.
-
-"What do you want with me?" the Pilot inquired. "Out with it and then
-leave. I'll trouble you to allow me this small space for myself. It's
-not much to ask."
-
-"I want your good will, Stirling. The fact of the matter is this——"
-
-Stirling saw the smile vanish from the skipper's lips, and the face
-which peered out from the shadow of the bunk was not nearly so assured.
-
-"The fact is this," repeated Marr: "there's a person aboard who is
-interested in you. I have made the argument that you will join us sooner
-or later. I am going to make it to your interest to join us."
-
-"Who do you mean?"
-
-"That I can't say now! This person, however, believes that you will be
-very dangerous to my interests in the future. In other words, you are
-standing out for the foolish laws of the sea. If you persist in this
-stand, there can be only one finish to you."
-
-"What finish is that?"
-
-"You'll either be marooned on a barren island or tapped on the head and
-dropped overside. You can't expect to squeal on us."
-
-"How about Eagan?"
-
-"He saw and guessed too much, but he will not see what is coming. I have
-a plan to avoid the *Bear* and the other cutters. It will take us to
-strange seas and glorious coasts. We have seal pelts enough to make
-every man aboard rich; we can get more at Disko and Copper Island. All
-hands shall share alike, and spread to the four winds."
-
-Stirling saw the drift of the little skipper's argument. He was offering
-a bribe for silence and coöperation. "I'll never change my views," he
-said, stoutly. "You can't get away with that raid or the pelts. Right
-will beat you. Public opinion is the strongest force I know. You have
-been moving contrary to it."
-
-Marr rose from the bunk and glanced at the door, outside of which the
-sentry was pacing energetically back and forth. "You're doomed,"
-whispered the skipper. "I gave you a chance. This person cannot help
-you. You'd better consider the matter carefully."
-
-The captain's tone had changed; he was far too sure of himself to suit
-Stirling. It was possible that he would not be allowed to see the dawn.
-
-"Who is this person who is interested in me?" asked Stirling with
-candour. "Whitehouse?"
-
-"No; not the mate. You perhaps think he is your friend, but he is with
-me to the finish of this passage. The rest of the crew are with me. None
-of them wants a squealer somewhere ashore where he can harm us. They're
-all for sewing you in a sack and dropping you overboard."
-
-Had the skipper snapped out his threats or otherwise acted in a bullying
-manner, Stirling would have felt less concern, but there was that in the
-icy tones and matter-of-fact statements which chilled red blood and
-caused a presentiment to reach and grip at the heart.
-
-The two men stood in silence, then slowly turned and stared at each
-other. Marr's eyes were the first to drop. He raised them again with an
-effort. "I hate to finish you off," he said, without moving his lips,
-"but it's got to be done. I've posted a second sentry on the poop. Both
-have orders to shoot you down if you try to escape."
-
-"Who is the person?" repeated Stirling, like a child with but one
-lesson.
-
-Marr glided toward the door and stood in the opening.
-
-"Who is the person?"
-
-The little skipper leaned forward and hissed his words as he said:
-"You'll never see her! She wants me to spare you. I can't do it and live
-on this earth. You know too much!"
-
-The door closed with a click. Marr was gone.
-
-Stirling's brain grew numb, and as the hot blood rushed to his cheeks,
-he raised his hand and pressed his fingers against his throbbing
-temples. He stared at the door with every muscle tense and eager. It
-would be possible to break through to the alleyway. There, however, he
-would meet with the Kanaka sentry, and the native was far too stolid to
-be moved by a sudden rush.
-
-The ship rocked slightly with the movement of the inner waves which had
-risen over the early hours of the night. A murmur came to Stirling's
-ears, and he crossed the cabin, pressing his face against the brass rim
-of the porthole. A rocky wall, seamed here and there with dark
-fissures, reared a barrier, while the *Pole Star* swung at her anchor
-chain with her stern toward the opening to the gulf.
-
-Stirling heard the pacing of the sentry on deck, and above the sound of
-his sliding foot he sensed the voices of men aft of the canvas barrier.
-Marr and the mate were in whispered consultation.
-
-Whitehouse allowed his voice to rise above its ordinary pitch. He was
-insisting upon some matter which was of vital importance to him, and *it
-concerned making away with the only spy in their midst*. Marr's answer
-was unheard by Stirling, but it quieted the mate as if a hand had
-smoothed out a difficulty with clever, cunning fingers. Marr was doubly
-dangerous. He held close control of his brain and tongue.
-
-Stirling paced back and forth within the narrow confines of his cabin.
-He had measured the porthole with the span of his hand, and knew it was
-far too small for escape. It could not well be enlarged by any tool in
-his possession. He turned toward the door as a last resort. Its stout
-panels and heavy oaken planks called for super efforts, but they could
-be cut, providing the sentry dropped off into sleep. Stirling waited and
-listened for this to happen.
-
-Midnight and eight bells found him crouched with his ear close to the
-lower starboard panel. The strength to right a wrong and fight to the
-bitter end had crept over him. He was a match for Marr and half of the
-others of the crew. He feared no five men aboard the ship if the fight
-were to be with fists.
-
-A clean life and steady purpose had often accomplished wonders. He
-reviewed the entire situation, and summed it up in a slow, firm way.
-Marr and the mate and the others of the crew had taken a lesson from
-Eagan. They were in the poaching matter far too deeply to back out,
-since the spoil was 'tween decks, and was also waiting on the Copper
-Islands.
-
-"Better snatch a delusion from a woman," said Stirling, grimly, "than
-deny a Bering Sea crew the right to poach."
-
-He thought of Marr's parting words, the lack of venom in which showed
-that the end would come swiftly and after deliberate preparations. His
-one hope was the woman who had pleaded for his life. She had to be
-reckoned with—perhaps she was resourceful. Her eyes were wide ones and
-undying in their intensity.
-
-Stirling moved toward the wall and reached for the electric light, then
-dropped his hand without turning it on. He found the bunk, searched
-under the seaweed mattress, and the cold thrill of the tiny revolver
-nerved him as he held it in the palm of his right hand. After all, he
-thought, there was a man's life or two in the silver-plated barrel. A
-bold rush when the door was opened, a stream of lead, and the open deck
-might offer possibilities.
-
-The night was dark. There was one fissure leading up from the shelving
-beach to the higher tableland. If he reached this he would be free.
-Siberia and a wide sky was the vaulting place for a possible revenge.
-
-He stepped toward the porthole and pressed his forehead against the cold
-metal rim, his eyes slowly making out the details of the harbour and the
-shore. They grew keen and penetrating.
-
-A gushing and tossing stream of creamy water issued from the face of the
-rock. It silvered down and flattened out where the waves lapped up a
-shelving shore. The roar of this waterfall was faint and musical, like a
-melody set in a dream.
-
-Stirling remained at the porthole, looking toward the shore. His eyes
-grew intent, and now he made out details which had at first been
-overlooked. Crags and moss were apparent; a shelf grew from a dark line
-to a possible passageway for an agile man. He traced the course of this
-and saw that it vanished over the extreme edge of the highest cliff
-where the dark stone stood out against the star-scattered sky.
-
-"I can climb that," he said with conviction. "That is a road to
-Siberia."
-
-He listened as a sound floated from the quarter-deck. Steps were
-directly over him, and a shadow fell along the surface of the heaving
-waters, a shadow slight and elfin.
-
-Dangling before his startled eyes, and partly blotting out the view of
-the open night, there had appeared an object which was fastened on the
-end of a loose line.
-
-As it swung back and forth a foot scraped close to the ship's rail, and
-a low voice called with musical timbre.
-
-Stirling reached out through the porthole and drew in the line. He
-untied the packet, which was knotted by a square knot, and waited. The
-line was drawn upward; a belaying pin creaked in the pinrail; the steps
-sounded again. Then they seemed to be aft.
-
-Backing from the ship's skin, and feeling behind with his left hand,
-Stirling found the edge of the bunk and sat down with heavy thoughts. He
-toyed with the packet and weighed it by moving his right hand up and
-down in the gloom.
-
-Unbinding it slowly, he scented for the first time the aroma of
-heliotrope. Once before he had detected that perfume. That was when the
-girl had appeared at the galley porthole and handed in the revolver.
-
-He removed a lace handkerchief, thrust it into his shirt pocket, and
-smiled at the practical present which had been lowered from the poop.
-The offering was to the point and suggestive. He counted twenty-five
-tiny cartridges which most certainly were designed for the little
-silver-plated revolver.
-
-"I like her," he said, thrusting the bullets within his shirt. "She's
-true blue and thinks of the right things. Likewise, she's a daughter of
-the sea!"
-
-He rose and moved slowly toward the porthole. The outside now seemed
-nearer, for some reason; the friend on deck had warmed his blood. She
-was standing by in case of a blow.
-
-The ship's bell was struck with a muffled marlinespike as Stirling stood
-in patient idleness. He counted the strokes, and heard a far closing of
-a hatch, sign that the anchor watch had changed. The sentry in the
-alleyway spoke to another who came to take his place. The new arrival
-tested the door and otherwise acted as if he would remain awake over the
-time allotted to his duties.
-
-Suddenly, and in an unwarned manner, Stirling grew aware that ashore a
-shadow moved along the higher shelf of the cliff. This shadow was
-followed by a second and then a third. Men in ragged guise were
-descending the trail that led from the Siberian tableland to the
-land-locked harbour wherein lay the *Pole Star*.
-
-The descending forms disappeared, as they entered a chasm in the rocky
-wall. They came into view again and stood upon a shelf which was
-directly over the taper jib boom of the ship. They pointed with swaying
-arms, first at the *Pole Star*, and then toward the open Gulf of Anadir.
-It was evident to Stirling that they never had been in the same locality
-before.
-
-He drew upon his imagination as he tried to fathom the reason for the
-ragged visitors. They were not natives or Eskimos. Their matted hair and
-bold, staring eyes betokened Russians.
-
-The leading figure issued a silent order by pointing upward, whereupon a
-man climbed the trail, disappeared in the chasm, and reappeared upon
-the shelf which marked the tableland. He vanished against the velvet of
-the sky, and a slow minute passed. There came then a score of heads over
-the edge, and a blurred mass of outcasts started down the pathway with
-the messenger leading them.
-
-Stirling had seen enough to realize that the ship was in danger. Out of
-the barren land of Siberia figures had crept in an endeavour to reach
-the sea. They bore all the evidence of a terrible journey, and were in
-numbers sufficient to capture the ship.
-
-No sound came from the deck of the poacher; the sentry at the door was
-leaning against the barrel of his rifle; the anchor watch slept
-profoundly. Fair game lay in the cove, and the hour was close when its
-enemies would strike.
-
-"Let them come," said Stirling. "I'll not warn Marr. He brought it on
-himself."
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER XXI—THROUGH THE PORTHOLE
-================================
-
-
-In a maze of doubt and resolution Stirling stared out over the dark
-harbour and saw that the band of outcasts had reached the shelving beach
-and were making preparations to swim to the ship.
-
-He turned away and glanced toward the locked door. The sentry stirred
-restlessly; his gun's butt was lifted and dropped to the deck. A hacking
-cough sounded.
-
-Steps glided across the poop from the forward rail to the cabin
-companion; a slide shot back; the sentry called and was answered. Then a
-key clicked in the lock of the door, and Marr stood in the gloom. Back
-of the little captain loomed two of the galley crowd. There was no mercy
-in their hard, level glances.
-
-"Come on, Stirling," said the captain. "Step out and come with us.
-You're on trial. Search him, men."
-
-Stirling backed step by step to the bunk, and secured the tiny revolver
-firmly in his palm. His broad thumb pressed through the trigger guard,
-and the feel of the cold metal decided him. He folded his arms, thrust
-the gun through to his skin, and allowed it to drop down.
-
-The search, as Marr switched on the electric light, was done in haste. A
-Kanaka harpooner ran clumsy hands over Stirling's pockets. He turned and
-shook his head.
-
-"Me find nothing."
-
-"Bring him to the galley!" Marr ordered. "Watch him, too."
-
-The sentry brought up the rear. Stirling breathed with deep intakes of
-the keen air as he crossed the quarter-deck and descended the lee-poop
-ladder. He entered the galley cabin with his head thrown back and his
-eyes blazing.
-
-Whitehouse sat at the head of the table, and about the mate was gathered
-all of the afterguard and three of the crew. They had been drinking from
-square faces of gin. The empty bottles and glasses littered the sea
-racks; sour limes were scattered about.
-
-The two engineers sat in one corner of the cabin with their feet
-sprawled along the deck and their eyes bleared and baleful. They had
-been loudest in calling for the death of Stirling, since the seal pelts
-within the forehold of the *Pole Star* constituted a king's ransom. Each
-man's share would be well up in the thousands. They saw no reason for
-taking the slightest chances.
-
-Baldwin leered at the Ice Pilot and nudged his companion. "Shootin' is
-too good," Baldwin said. "I'd like to put the squealer in a fire box and
-turn on forced draft—if we had forced draft."
-
-Stirling faced the two men with composure. The possession of the little
-revolver, the knowledge that a hungry, ragged horde was even then
-approaching the ship, held him confident. Much might happen within the
-space of minutes. The drunken afterguard would be no match for the
-outcasts.
-
-Marr cleared his throat, moved to the door, and, closing it, turned with
-sudden fire and anger. "We've been talking all of an hour," he said,
-bitterly. "Time's up! It'll be daybreak before we do anything. We're all
-together in this. What do you say we take a vote and decide. There's
-just two things to do to him—cast him ashore, or drop him overboard."
-
-"And if you drop that lad," said Whitehouse, "see that there is a blym
-big anchor spliced to 'is legs. 'E's a water dog, besides being a hard
-hitter. 'E's dangerous—'e his!"
-
-"Him good man—dead!"
-
-Stirling turned and faced a Kanaka harpooner. "What have I ever done to
-you?" he asked. "You know me. I've always treated you boys right.
-Remember the *Beluga* and the *Karluk* and the *Norwhale*? You forget
-easy. You've been filled with gin, and you are not yourself."
-
-"Me like hear 'em talk," the Kanaka said, with a sheepish grin.
-
-Marr saw the drift of affairs and assumed swift control. Stirling was
-well thought of among the natives of the Siberian shore and the islands
-of the Pacific. The simple-minded Kanakas could be easily influenced.
-
-"Have done!" the little skipper exclaimed. "If you're all for marooning
-him, I'm satisfied. But——"
-
-The pause was doubly suggestive. Marr glanced at the two engineers and
-Whitehouse. "You know the consequences," Marr said. "This fellow will
-bob up some day with all our names and with two or three revenue men
-behind him. There's no getting away from that fact. It may be in
-Shanghai and it may be in Frisco."
-
-"Or Liverpool," Whitehouse suggested. "I'm going to Liverpool and
-Birkenhead when I get the bloomin' pile from the pelties. What's to
-prevent 'im bobbin' hup there?"
-
-"Nothing!" said Marr.
-
-"Then let's take a deuced vote. I 'ate's to do hit, but I votes for
-walkin' the plank."
-
-"Same here," said the two engineers in one voice.
-
-"You, Crinko?"
-
-The Kanaka's face softened as he leered at Marr, and the bronze of his
-sea-beaten features took on a yellowish tinge. He turned and smiled
-openly toward Stirling, who stood with folded arms and the weight of his
-body resting on the balls of his feet.
-
-"Me like 'em," the native said. "Me no vote. He good man—sometimes."
-
-Marr caught the note in the simple tones and frowned. He felt himself
-slipping. There were two more Kanakas in the cabin who would follow the
-big harpooner; the three together might prove troublesome.
-
-"You're out!" Marr snapped. "Now the next. How do you vote, Slim?"
-
-Slim was the leader of the stokehold and engine-room crew, which was
-entirely under the influence of the two engineers. Marr smiled as six
-cinder rats and oilers stood up from the seats they had taken about the
-table and voted for Stirling's death. Each man had reached for a drink
-of gin as his name was called.
-
-"That almost settles it," whispered Whitehouse, drunkenly. "Old horse,
-you're gone. Hit's a 'ard, 'ard thing to do but we——"
-
-"But you're not going to do it!" broke in Stirling, backing toward the
-door and crouching with his hand toward his right shoe. "You're only
-drunk and full of false courage!"
-
-The blaze that sprang from Stirling's eyes simmered and darted across
-the smoke-filled room. Each man felt the sudden power that flashed at
-him; each leaned away for a second.
-
-"Get back!"
-
-Stirling crouched lower and shelved forward his massive shoulders. The
-bulk of him seemed to fill the room. He was more than a fighting match
-for the entire crew. They knew it with dawning intuition.
-
-Marr slyly placed a cool hand within the inner pocket of his pea-jacket,
-and was drawing a gun when Stirling leaped the distance, hooked his
-right elbow, and uppercut with vicious force. The blow would have
-lifted the cabin deck. It hurled Marr over the table, and laid him
-across the planks where he dropped unconscious.
-
-"Now the next!" shouted Stirling, backing away and lowering his fists to
-his knees. "The next! Come on!"
-
-Baldwin, the engineer, watched the Ice Pilot's eyes, and in them he saw
-the dying fire of rage turn to cool calculation. It was like gazing at
-horizon-down ice, as the steely glint changed to cold gray. But the
-glance was over the heads of the seamen who leaned upon the table. It
-was toward on open porthole.
-
-Some intuition, stronger than the desire to murder, swept the crew. They
-turned as one man and followed Stirling's steady gaze. They dropped
-their chins and stared out through the porthole.
-
-"By the jumpin' bowheads!" Whitehouse screamed. "By Heaven, mates. Look!
-Look!"
-
-Framed by the dull brass was the face of a whiskered Russian whose small
-eyes surveyed the cabin greedily. A crash sounded at the door, shouts
-rolled through the iron of the ship, and a grim struggle was begun at
-once. The *Pole Star* had been captured by revolutionists.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER XXII—ALONE IN THE CABIN
-===============================
-
-
-The invaders, led by the same whiskered Russian who had peered through
-the porthole, swept around the deck and crashed through the door leading
-to the galley cabin.
-
-It was a mad wave of victory for them. They brought surprise and
-determination as their allies, and were in great numbers. Already they
-had mopped up the anchor watch and some of the crew who had climbed from
-the forecastle.
-
-Stirling, rooted to the spot where he had faced his accusers, for the
-first time in his life felt the grip of fear. He saw Whitehouse felled
-with a descending swing of a giant club, and the second engineer
-staggered toward the table with a knife through his breast.
-
-A Kanaka harpooner, whose gin-dulled brain refused to act, dashed into
-the midst of the inpouring horde and went down, the centre of a wave of
-infuriated invaders. One hooked-nose boat steerer, noted for his
-mildness of manner, became crazed, snatched a harpoon from the wall of
-the cabin, and drove it through a Russian's neck. He, too, was downed
-and then killed with heavy clubs.
-
-This resistance stemmed the wave of Russians for a moment. Marr shouted
-shrilly. He was answered by a Russian, who shouted instruction from the
-doorway. Stones were hurled through the length of the cabin; capstan
-bars were raised; the invaders faced the survivors, and prepared to
-charge Stirling and the little skipper who had found common cause in
-resistance.
-
-Mechanically, Stirling reached downward and grasped the tiny revolver,
-though afterward he had no recollection of the action. The gun steadied
-his nerves as he glanced at it, and then into the peering faces gathered
-about the doorway and the after end of the cabin.
-
-He fired with coolness, and six jets of flame flashed across the table
-and seared the faces before him. Russians went down as if poleaxed,
-others shouted in pain, and two backed away covering their faces with
-their arms.
-
-Stirling reloaded the revolver with clumsy fingers. The action was new
-to him; the time was short. He wondered as he waited for coolness to
-return how it happened that the cartridges were in his breast, since the
-Kanaka had searched him in the after cabin. They had been overlooked.
-
-Marr coughed in the acrid mist and shouted out through a porthole. He
-was answered by a Russian imprecation; a face peered in and a whale
-lance darted through the opening. It missed the skipper by inches.
-
-He backed and touched Stirling's arm. "Kill them!" he cried. "Kill them,
-Stirling!"
-
-The shout was a signal to the dock rats and sea scum who had crouched in
-the gloom of the cabin. They advanced with heads lowered and rude
-weapons snatched from the deck. One hurled a gin bottle into the face of
-a Russian who stood half in and half out of the door. This sign of
-defiance brought the wrath of the horde down upon the defenders. A
-jagged rock hurtled through the porthole and crashed against the
-electric dome in the ceiling. The falling glass tinkled upon the table,
-and darkness blotted out Stirling's view of what followed. It was a
-press of mad men who would not be denied, and he fired without knowing
-whether he struck Russians or the remnant of the *Pole Star's* crew.
-
-He stepped back and felt about with his left hand. His fingers touched a
-wall, and following this he came to the end of a table where he stumbled
-over the body of a Kanaka. Rising, he worked forward and found the knob
-of a door which led into the cook's kitchen. This door was locked, and
-he bunched his shoulders for a crashing blow.
-
-The Russians had advanced in the gloom of the shambles and were feeling
-about for Marr and the others of the crew who had escaped their
-onslaught. Now and then a loud cry marked a victim. A Russian thrust
-inward the smoking end of a torch made out of rope yarn. It flared and
-died to a glow.
-
-Stirling stepped away from the door, lowered his shoulder, and lunged
-forward with all the weight of his well-nourished body behind the blow.
-He rebounded, crouched, lunged for a second time, and the door
-splintered on the port side and tore loose from its chamfer.
-
-Hurtling through to the kitchen and stumbling over an assortment of
-clanging pans, Stirling found the second door which led to the deck.
-This, also, was locked. He crashed his foot against a lower panel, and
-the wood splintered, making an opening sufficient to pass through. He
-crawled out like a determined bear and stood erect, his great chest
-rising and falling as he gulped the air of the night.
-
-Chaos ruled the after part of the ship, and heavy blows sounded forward
-where the invaders were mopping out the forecastle. Bodies were hurtled
-overside, the last cries of doomed men echoing and reëchoing among the
-rocks of the shore and awakening the sea birds nested there.
-
-A deep silence followed the slaying of the crew. Stirling crouched in
-the shelter of the galley house where the cook's pipe was thrust through
-the wall, then turned his eyes and stared aft.
-
-The thought had come to him that the girl was alone in the cabin. Marr
-had been seen last fighting Russians who had invaded the galley room,
-and a show of resistance was still there. The lurking forms of men were
-about the door, but the waist of the ship seemed filled with men who
-had climbed aboard from out of the sea. These men were waiting for some
-signal.
-
-It came with startling suddenness. Marr, the first engineer, and two
-seamen burst through the doorway, shouting defiance, and plunged
-straight for the poop and the shelter of the after cabins. One seaman
-and engineer were felled and dragged to death. Marr and the second
-seaman gained the poop steps, glanced forward, and vanished in the
-direction of the cabin companion.
-
-This sally filled the ship with wild imprecations and cries, and
-Stirling was swirled in a maze of doubt. The quarter-deck was shadowed
-with climbing Russians; the forepeak and waist rocked with their feet as
-they searched about for survivors.
-
-A thin tongue of flame from an after porthole burned through the night.
-A rapid hail of lead from a rifle spattered along the deck and
-splintered the woodwork. Marr had reached the ship's arsenal and was
-firing from the break of the poop into the Russian horde. The situation
-had changed during the period of seconds.
-
-Before he had time to gauge the battle, Stirling heard the rush of men
-who were seeking safety behind the galley house and within the gloom of
-the whaleboats on the port side. He raised his revolver and emptied it
-along the deck. One shot went home; the others missed. He pocketed the
-weapon, faced about, and darted for the lee shrouds which led up to the
-crow's-nest. He then mounted the rail and climbed by the strength which
-was in his arms.
-
-The vanguard of Russians leaped for his legs, but he drew himself up and
-worked toward the crow's-nest with beating heart. He reached the Jacob's
-ladder and went out instead of going through the lubber's hole. Here he
-turned and stared downward; the deck seemed far away; a whizzing
-belaying pin missed his head by many feet. He chuckled and touched his
-face with his hand. Blood was there from some unnoticed wound.
-
-Whiskered faces showed through the gloom, and Stirling chuckled for a
-second time and climbed swiftly to the crow's-nest. Dropping inside, he
-pressed his chin to the edge of the nest and glanced toward the rocky
-wall which loomed over the ship. Other Russians were descending the
-trail that led to the shelving beach, and he watched a score more who
-were swimming through the dark waters of the harbour.
-
-Suddenly all the fight went out of him, as water leaves a sponge. The
-odds were far too great—Marr and the seaman and the girl comprised the
-afterguard. They were well armed, but the invaders were in such number
-as to indicate the exodus of an army. They either had worked northward
-by land from Vladivostok, or, concluded Stirling, they had taken ships
-and been wrecked on the coast. This was a possibility, considering the
-remote locality of the Gulf of Anadir.
-
-A call lifted upward from the dark side; Stirling turned away from the
-harbour view and looked downward. A revolutionist stood by the square
-outline of the after hatch, and he raised his arms.
-
-Five Russians were climbing the starboard shrouds, each with a knife in
-hand. Each glared down at the man on the after hatch and then resumed
-climbing.
-
-Stirling leaned farther out, steadied his revolver, sighted it in the
-half light, and blazed the night with a cone of leaping fire. He fired
-for a second time. One Russian let go his knife, spun on the ratlines,
-and dropped like a plummet to the deck below. The others hurried from
-their exposed position and crouched under the Jacob's ladder where a
-jack offered some shelter. Stirling waited for an open sight at these
-two.
-
-The man near the hatch shouted an order. The two invaders grasped lines
-and slid to the deck. They landed clumsily and staggered for the gloom
-of the whaleboats. Stirling replaced his revolver in his pocket and sank
-back into the crow's-nest. The attack had steadied his nerves, and he
-felt secure for some time to come.
-
-Dawn mantled the sky above the dark cliff's edge; a plume of flamingo
-red shot to the zenith, and the sun was peering over the Siberian
-tableland. It would not be long before the harbour would be illuminated
-sufficiently to reveal the state of chaos on the deck of the *Pole
-Star*.
-
-The higher peaks of the mountains grew rosy and white. The light came
-on and down with pale shadowings, revealing the surface of the sea in
-ghastly detail. Seamen and Russians floated about like dead seals.
-
-The deck was a shambles where Marr's lead had scattered the Russian
-horde. A hastily erected barricade at the after hatch prevented the
-little skipper from sweeping the entire deck. Behind this barricade the
-Russians crouched, and forward by the forecastle they swarmed in great
-numbers, having broken into the stores.
-
-The men were crunching on ship's biscuits and drinking from square faces
-of gin.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER XXIII—OVER THE STERN
-============================
-
-
-From his lofty perch Stirling tried to count the number of
-revolutionists, and had reached two hundred and ten before he stopped
-counting. Others were ashore. A whaleboat had been lowered and paddled
-under the shelter of the ship to the beach. It returned with crude
-weapons and a ragged crew who could not swim, and they added their
-shouting to the turmoil as they fell upon the ship's stores and gin.
-
-"Nice party," said Stirling. "I wonder how I'll get out of this."
-
-His thoughts swung to the afterguard, a seaman of the lowest coast type.
-Stirling remembered him as a Frisco dock rat called "Slim." He had been
-too lazy to work—too handy with a knife, yet he alone of the crew had
-survived.
-
-This seaman appeared suddenly and thrust his shoulders above the
-companion. Stirling leaned forward and watched him. There was that in
-his leer which spoke of deep drinking and a desire for revenge. He
-poised himself a moment, ducked as he sighted the revolutionists, then
-appeared with a brass bomb gun. It was of the type whalers use in
-finishing a whale, and was capable of great execution.
-
-The gun went up to the seaman's shoulder; he squinted along the barrel
-and pressed the trigger. The bomb hurtled past the mainmast and exploded
-forward of the galley house on the starboard side of the ship, where
-three refugees were crouched. They seemed to spring up into the racking
-air and vanish. The ship rocked with shouts as the seaman loaded the gun
-and prepared for a second attempt.
-
-Stirling realized that the last defenders had a weapon in a million. It
-was similar to the rifle grenades used in trench warfare, and against it
-the Russians were at a great disadvantage. They could not face eight
-ounces of tonite exploded in their midst.
-
-Marr appeared alongside of the sailor, and he, too, carried a bomb gun.
-The shot he fired exploded against the break of the forepeak and missed
-the open forecastle companion. Its explosion racked the morning air and
-sent showers of splinters as high aloft as the crow's-nest.
-
-Stirling watched the fight which followed. The revolutionists had one
-advantage: their number was sufficient to overcome any resistance,
-provided they were well led. They seemed, however, to lack a leader.
-
-The Russian who had stood by the after hatch and directed operations had
-been struck by a splinter of ash from a whaleboat. He was carried below
-to the forecastle. The man who took his place crouched behind the
-mainmast and shouted his orders in a weak, squeaking voice.
-
-The rush came at last and in straggling infiltration. The invaders
-seeped along the two rails and out from the barricade, then swarmed up
-the poop. Marr fired point-blank and dropped down the cabin companion as
-a stone crashed against his breast. The seaman stood his ground and
-swung the bomb gun by the muzzle. He bowled over a trio of Russians,
-drew back, and then glanced downward.
-
-The little skipper, pale and bleeding, had appeared for a moment, and
-motioned that he was going to close the companion slide. The seaman
-swirled the gun, braced himself, and drove it into the gathering knot of
-men at the quarter-deck canvas, then he turned and swiftly dived below.
-The companion hatch shut with a loud click.
-
-Stirling counted his cartridges as the baffled Russians swarmed over the
-poop. He could hit a few of them with careful aiming, but he held his
-fire. There was always the chance that he, too, would be rushed. A squad
-of determined men could reach the crow's-nest if they ignored the cost
-to themselves.
-
-The sun's rays brought out all the details of the night's fight. Unreal
-and ghastly seemed the deck of the ship. Stirling rubbed his eyes and
-glanced downward, to where the revolutionists had gathered in a knot
-forward of the galley house. The man who had stood near the hatch was
-speaking to them; his gestures were strained and dramatic. He pointed
-aloft.
-
-Faces were turned upward and weapons were raised, but no man started for
-the rigging. The determined leader called for volunteers. He seemed to
-realize that the crow's-nest was a dangerous point of vantage and the
-tiny revolver in Stirling's hand was a potent argument. The Ice Pilot
-held it out and took aim. The leader ducked beneath the shelter of a
-splintered whaleboat. The other revolutionists were more stolid; they
-stared and brandished their weapons.
-
-An hour passed with the invaders combing the ship for more gin and
-stores. Stirling lay back and pressed against the side of the
-crow's-nest. His eyes closed, but he opened them with a sudden start. It
-would not do to sleep while the Russians were alert; any minute might
-find them climbing the rigging.
-
-Sounds floated upward which told that the ship's captors were cleaning
-up the deck and otherwise making preparations for her departure. They
-had nailed down the companion hatch which led to the after cabins, and
-two stood guard there with capstan bars. Others were below in the engine
-room, where the clang of doors sounded. Scoops grated across the aprons
-in the stokehold, and shrill calls came up the ventilators.
-
-A smudge of smoke issued from the funnel, curled the masts, and rose
-straight upward in the Arctic air. Stirling coughed and stiffened
-himself; he leaned over the edge of the crow's-nest and watched for
-developments. It was evident that there was an engineer or two among the
-Russians.
-
-The leader appeared through the engine-room gratings and stood by the
-handrail. He staggered slightly from the effects of the gin he had
-drunk, and he turned a weak chin aloft and sneered. His eyes swung
-downward and swept the harbour's entrance where it closed to a shelving
-rock about which the *Pole Star* would have to be steered in order to
-make for open sea.
-
-The orders he gave were obeyed in listless manner; some of the Russians
-openly holding back and consulting. Three of them went to the falls of
-the starboard whaleboat and threw the lines from the cleats. The boat
-was lowered bow foremost, and almost filled as it struck the sea. A
-second boat, which had been used to bring the horde from the shore,
-rounded the *Pole Star's* bow and was rowed alongside. The two boats,
-with the leader in the stern of the one which had been lowered, glided
-across the harbour and disappeared around the wall of rock.
-
-Stirling wondered at this manœuvre, but had not long to wait. The
-leader's boat returned soon and the Russians crowded to the rail. Their
-leader came up a dangling falls and pointed toward the entrance, then
-gave a series of orders. The anchor chain was cleared of wreckage and
-steam plumed from a leak in the capstan engine. The clank of chain
-coming through the hawse was followed by the slow turning of the screw.
-A roar greeted this sign of departure, and was thrown back by the rocky
-walls.
-
-Putting down the wheel, a Russian marine acted as pilot in a slovenly
-manner. The ship grazed the shore, scraped over a ledge of rocks, and
-swung too far for the entrance. It was backed by a quick reversal of the
-engines. A second try was more successful. The taper jib boom pointed
-down the narrow strait and sheered in time to meet the first rollers of
-the Gulf of Anadir.
-
-Stirling was openly astonished at the ability shown by the Russians, in
-building steam in the boilers. One of their number understood engines
-and bells; he had even turned the globe valve which led to the capstan
-cylinder. This revealed that there were men in Siberia who had missed
-their calling.
-
-The ship met the long-running rollers, swung a point toward the east, as
-near as Stirling could determine from the position of the sun, and drove
-on swiftly.
-
-A cape jutted out into the Gulf of Anadir, and toward this headland the
-leader pointed as the speed increased and the propeller thrashed astern.
-Stirling shaded his eyes from the sun's glint and studied the cape. He
-saw the reason for the change of course. A wreck lay athwart two
-fanglike rocks over which surf beat. The skeleton of a giant ship marked
-how the revolutionists had been cast away.
-
-The *Pole Star* neared this wreck and reversed her screw. The leader
-sprang to the forepeak and called a loud order. A whaleboat was lowered,
-and ten minutes later the Russians returned from the wreck with a
-chronometer and a sextant. These had been denied them when Marr had
-barricaded the cabin of the poacher.
-
-Stirling felt the lack of sleep creep over his tired, aching muscles. He
-shook himself like a shaggy dog and forced his brain to remain awake.
-The creaking of the fall blocks, the clang of an engine-room bell, the
-throbbing of the propeller—all were so shiplike and real that he had
-difficulty in believing the ship was captured, pillaged, and now off for
-a new venture in Northern waters.
-
-He widened his tired eyes and allowed them to stray over the deck which
-lay like a pointed seed below him. The Russians went about their duties
-with newborn vim and determination, as the leader stood at the canvas
-rail which overlooked the waist and called his orders. The lower sails
-were set to a western breeze. Under the influence of these and the
-steam, the *Pole Star* rapidly threw the dark coast of Siberia over her
-stern and drove for the Strait of Bering and the American shore.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER XXIV—BEFORE THE WHEEL
-=============================
-
-
-Marvelling at the turn of events, Stirling groped about the crow's-nest
-and found his twelve-diameter glasses, which had been used in whale
-hunting. He turned their screw, adjusted the focus for his eyes, and
-swept the open Gulf of Anadir and the Bering beyond the jib boom. No
-sign of ship or sail showed. Ice was here and there in dotted specks,
-drifting with the great North current which would reverse its direction
-and flow back to the Arctic before the month was old.
-
-Noon passed with the *Pole Star* changing its course degree by degree.
-Stirling dozed in an erect position. Each time he awoke it was with a
-guilty start. There was grave danger that some of the Russians would
-mount the shrouds, since they had already been along the yards. The
-canvas they had set billowed before the breeze and blotted out a full
-view of the deck.
-
-Stirling thought of the girl who must be with the skipper and the Frisco
-dock rat. It was evident that Marr had received a crushing blow from the
-rock hurled by the Russian; the little skipper's face had been white and
-drawn as he barricaded the hatchway.
-
-Stirling dwelt on thoughts of the girl in a dazed manner. He realized
-that the situation called for every ounce of his energies, yet he would
-have given a year of life for a nap in security.
-
-Afternoon and six bells, which a Russian struck forward, brought sight
-of the open sea rimmed by a dark line to southward which marked the
-island of St. Lawrence. Stirling raised his glasses and swept the
-horizon to the north and east. He was on the point of lowering them from
-his eyes when a speck stood out with tiny distinctness. He focused for
-this speck, and pieced together detail by detail, with splendid sight.
-He smiled slightly as he dropped his hands to his sides and glanced down
-at the deck. The revenue cutter *Bear* had already sighted the *Pole
-Star*. She was bearing to the north so as to head off the ship. There
-seemed no escape, for the land on either coast ran into a funnel whose
-snout was the Bering Strait.
-
-"Saved!" exclaimed Stirling. "I'm saved and she's saved. I think we are
-saved—the girl and I. But Heaven help the others on this unfortunate
-ship."
-
-Sincerely hoping for capture, Stirling prayed silently, raising the
-glasses for a second sweep of the sea to the north and east. The speck
-had grown into a trailing pencil of smoke which lay athwart the slaty
-sky.
-
-Glancing over the crow's-nest, Stirling watched the Russian leader on
-the poop. He saw a chart being unrolled like a huge rug, and two
-Russians followed a pointing finger. The leader rose from a crouched
-position and started to give an order to the wheelsman, then this order
-died in his throat. A cry rolled along the ship, and was repeated in
-guttural accents. The revolutionists gathered on the forepeak had
-discovered the smoke over the starboard rail, and pointed and muttered
-as they realized its import.
-
-A bell clanged as the leader reached for the engine-room telegraph and
-set it for full speed. Seamen of doubtful ability swarmed aloft and
-started unfurling the upper canvas; three reached the fore-topgallant
-yard and went out on the footrope with clumsy feet.
-
-They were so near to Stirling he could have shot them from the spars.
-The *Pole Star* canted and drove north along the meridian line, its
-course parallel to that of the fast-coming *Bear*.
-
-The hour that followed was filled with mingled hopes and fears. The
-revenue cutter had been rated a speedy ship by whalers who knew it, but
-it was two knots slower than the *Pole Star*. This fact came home to
-Stirling with the force of a blow. The canvas which the Russians set had
-aided in the long running. The *Bear* was not closing the gap to any
-extent, but held doggedly on.
-
-Stirling studied the distance, saw that it was a losing game, then
-reached in his pocket for the revolver. He could hit the wheelsman, who
-was standing on the poop, and this would cause the ship to sheer. He
-took slow aim. The shot he fired missed the wheelsman's head by inches;
-the second shot splintered a spoke; the third caught the wheelsman in
-the left shoulder. He released his hold and cried a warning.
-
-The crew swarmed up the poop steps, glared toward the crow's-nest, and
-set about building a barricade before the wheel. This was done as
-Stirling ceased his firing; their number was too great to accomplish
-anything of lasting moment. The cartridges in the tiny gun were running
-low, and the bullets were of too small a calibre to slay save when they
-struck a vital spot.
-
-A second idea came to him as he pocketed the gun. Reaching downward he
-searched for a knife, which should have been in the binocular case of
-the crow's-nest. With it he could cut the lines leading to all the sails
-on the foremast, which ran by the crow's-nest and up the topmast. The
-knife was missing!
-
-"I'm beat!" he said. "The *Bear* will never catch us!"
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER XXV—IN THE GRIP OF THE UNKNOWN
-======================================
-
-
-The *Bear* had one fact in its favour: the two ships were driving for
-the Bering Strait. The Strait was less than forty miles from headland to
-headland, and between the two capes lay the Diomede Islands. It was
-possible that the *Bear* would head off the *Pole Star* before reaching
-the Arctic Ocean.
-
-Stirling studied the situation with scant hope. The Russians, urged to
-desperation, had succeeded in getting every turn that was possible from
-the screw. Steam plumed in the pipe aft of the funnel; the ship throbbed
-and racked; the clang of doors and the lurid light which streamed from
-the engine-room companion and the open hatches told of frantic work by
-the leader who had a firm grip on the revolutionists.
-
-The Diomede Islands rose out of the sea and stood with their rocky walls
-black against the sun. Far-off Cape Prince of Wales seemed a cloud bank
-of sombre aspect. Stirling climbed to the top of the crow's-nest and
-studied the picture. The fast-flying *Bear* had held her own. The
-distance between the two ships was not more than eight miles; this,
-however, was beyond range of the *Bear's* guns.
-
-"A stern chase," he said, with a glance at the horizon ahead. "We'll
-make the Arctic."
-
-The *Pole Star* crashed through light floe ice and sheered abeam of the
-Diomedes. She headed almost west by the compass, which course would
-bring her in sight of Herald Island and Wrangel Land.
-
-Heavier ice fields loomed ahead, and Stirling watched them with concern.
-The Russian wheelsman peered over the barricade and took his orders from
-the leader; the ship ported and starboarded, then steadied with clumsy
-steering. The crash of ancient floes against her stem, and the grating
-as the ice slipped alongside, caused the revolutionists to cry aloud.
-They swarmed over the forepeak and pointed excitedly.
-
-Stirling glanced aft. The *Bear* had not been so fortunate in choosing a
-passage through the ice, and had dropped back in the chase. He acted
-with sudden inspiration.
-
-Leaning over the edge of the crow's-nest he cried: "Make for the open
-sea, you fools! Starboard three points! If you don't we'll all be
-crushed!"
-
-The leader blinked upward and widened his small eyes. He was a gross man
-in a uniform of furs and sealskin boots stolen from the *Pole Star's*
-slop-chest. He turned to the wheelman after a quick squint toward the
-ice ahead.
-
-The wheel was changed. The ship sheered, missed a heavy-floe formation,
-and entered a lane of drift ice.
-
-"Steady!" shouted Stirling, feeling the wine of the game. "Hold her
-steady, there!"
-
-He smiled despite the danger, for the act of giving commands and finding
-them obeyed showed that the Russians were new to ice work. They would
-most certainly wreck the ship and drown all on board. The century-old
-floes through which they glided had been detached from the polar pack,
-but once past these, a course held for the America shore would bring
-safety.
-
-The *Bear* had not been as fortunate as the poacher. The ice between the
-Diomedes and Cape Prince of Wales was almost impassable, and the
-lieutenant in charge of the revenue cutter decided to take no chances.
-He reduced speed and struck for the Alaskan coast, since it was evident
-that this course would again intercept the poacher. Their place of
-meeting would be off Kotzebue Sound.
-
-Stirling forgot the massacre aboard the *Pole Star*. He never had sided
-with the former crew; and the revolutionists, with their ignorance of
-the ice, were less to be feared. They had seized a ship, were running
-amuck, but at least had the virtue of motion. Their end might come in a
-score of ways, and it was to Stirling's interest to see that the ship
-remained afloat. There were the girl and Marr and the Frisco dock rat to
-consider.
-
-Stirling's blood tingled at the excitement of the game; he breathed the
-refreshing air and raised his square shoulders. Open water and whale
-slick showed ahead, and beyond this the eastern horizon and the gray
-shadow of land. They were now plunging north by the compass, with a
-slight inclination toward the east. The course, he figured, should read
-northeast by north.
-
-Lulled by the swaying and throbbing of the ship, he sensed a progression
-of true adventure. He had come North to whale. The whaling voyage had
-turned into an illicit sealing expedition. Now the revolutionists
-closely followed by the *Bear*, held the deck.
-
-The low Arctic sun swung closer to the horizon. Within the purple haze
-astern came flashes of crimson light which died to lavender, and the
-lavender into velvet dusk. Night was falling upon the wild sea. It was
-well past ten o'clock. The revolutionists, busy at the fires and the
-gin, gave scant attention to the ship's bells.
-
-Stirling dozed with his head against the rim of the crow's-nest, woke at
-odd times, and yawned. Sleep had overcome his stout frame. He peered
-down at the deck, saw that it was almost deserted, then lowered himself
-into the bottom of the nest and rested his chin on his drawn-up knees.
-Here he slumbered through the night.
-
-Awaking with a start of surprise, he found that the day had dawned. He
-rose and stared out over the bow of the ship. Ice floes showed close to
-the port rail, and beyond these the open sea and the cold glint of the
-great North pack. He swung to starboard and studied the haze through
-which the sun was rising on a long slant. Land was there, and he made a
-swift calculation—the ship must be crossing the open Kotzebue Sound.
-
-Out of the land mist as the sun veiled itself behind a cloud there
-emerged a leaping thing of well-sheeted canvas and belching funnels. The
-*Bear* had stolen a march on the poacher during the hours of the night,
-and a shot came skipping across the waves. It missed the *Pole Star's*
-stern by a scant cable's length. Another followed from the revenue
-cutter's bow gun, and this burst in the whaleboats that lined the
-starboard rail.
-
-A roar of fright and defiance rolled upward to Stirling. The leader
-sprang from the galley house and dashed up the poop steps. A horde of
-his followers swarmed from the forecastle hatch and the forehold, and
-some leaped down the engine-room companion. The funnel belched big
-clouds of smoke and the fire doors clanged. The *Pole Star* swerved
-toward the west and the open sea. This manoeuvre saved the
-revolutionists from certain capture.
-
-Stirling waited with held breath and rigid lips. It was nip and tuck for
-the flying poacher, but gradually the distance between her and the
-cutter increased. The next shots fell short.
-
-Men danced on deck and shook their fists toward the cutter, while the
-stokehold crew took turns in coming to the rail of their hatchway and
-raving at the *Bear*. They glanced aloft at the lone figure in the
-crow's-nest, but there was no malice in their expressions.
-
-Stirling's blood tingled at the excitement of the game, and he lost his
-enmity for the Russians. They acted like children freed from bondage.
-They had fled from Vladivostok, been wrecked in the Gulf of Anadir, and
-were now on the second leg of their adventure. It led to the icy North
-and strange waters.
-
-The ship plunged away from the coast and toward the North pack. Stirling
-realized that the *Bear* would follow to the bitter end, and he knew
-there was also another revenue cutter in the Arctic Ocean—the chances
-were slim for the Russians to escape, and the trap might be sprung at
-Point Barrow which juts far out into the Arctic.
-
-Hurtling west, and then edging toward the north as the day advanced, the
-*Pole Star* avoided the pack and settled down to steady progress toward
-the American shore in the vicinity of Icy Cape.
-
-The day unrolled with the cold sun swinging over the land and through
-the mists. The night, which came with slow shadowing, found Stirling
-weak and listless from lack of food and water, and he realized that an
-effort would have to be made to escape from the crow's-nest. The crew
-had drunk the entire store of gin and trade whisky, and they roamed the
-deck in groups, their attention fastened upon the low coast along which
-many Arctic whalers had been wrecked. The passageway between this coast
-and the grounded ice was narrow in places. A north-easter would crush
-the ship and drive it ashore.
-
-The lane of ice-free waters widened as Cape Lisburne was passed. This
-lane often had been blocked by light floes, and Stirling studied the
-grounded pack to the west and north, coming to the conclusion that the
-season would be an extremely open one. Never before in his experience
-had he seen clearer steaming to the eastward.
-
-Night came on with the *Pole Star* logging thirteen knots. The ship was
-surprisingly handled by the Russians, who worked more by intuition than
-from experience, but they had the sense of drift and direction. The
-*Bear* was left hull down in the flecked field astern, but still coming
-on grimly.
-
-Walruses and seals were distributed by the wash of the ship; lone wolves
-howled from the shore; a polar bear lumbered over the ice as the *Pole
-Star* crashed through, staggered, and resumed its eastward course. The
-Russians on deck surged aft for fear of catastrophe. Surrounding the
-wheelman and the leader, they peered anxiously toward the after
-companion which was barricaded on the inside.
-
-Streamers of yellow light shot athwart the eastern heavens, and this
-light brightened into a nebula of crimson. The aurora played and
-flickered and surged upward toward the zenith, while through it the pale
-stars shone. A moon rose and rolled along the lowland which lay between
-Lisburne and Icy Cape. The Barren Country stood revealed in cold
-splendour, stretching to the ramparts of the Mackenzie River and the
-mountains at Fort Yukon.
-
-A sense of motion came to Stirling, for he knew the waters. Never
-before, however, had he found the sea so open. The aged and grounded
-floes were well to the northwest, and had not been driven above the
-seven-fathom line. The lane they left for navigation was wide enough to
-float all the navies of the world, and only a great storm would close it
-behind the *Pole Star*.
-
-Midnight found Stirling weary of the details of the voyage and weak from
-lack of food and water. A languor stole over his rugged frame; he yawned
-and attempted to sleep, but a clang of a fire door and a quarter-point
-swing of the ship awakened him to dull consciousness. He peered over the
-edge of the crow's-nest.
-
-The deck below seemed a haven; there was food and water there. The way
-down would be short. He searched about for some sign of the Russians.
-Aside from the wheelman's head over the barricade and a towering leader
-standing by the weather rail of the quarter-deck, there was no one in
-sight.
-
-The funnel, almost beneath shrouds, was crowned with a ring of fire, and
-a shift of wind now and then drove smoke upward. Stirling choked in
-this, tried to marshal the details of an escape, but felt his position
-was far too desperate to await daylight. The Russians were sleeping off
-the last of the gin. Their leader had given orders to drive for Point
-Barrow and take the chances to be met there.
-
-Stirling widened his eyes and pressed his hand to his hot brow, studying
-the white lane of water which was bordered by ice on one quarter and the
-dark land upon the other. A providence had the ship in its grip. Small
-floes were avoided by no effort of the wheelman and thin ice, formed
-overnight, was ripped as satin by a knife.
-
-Point Barrow was less than five hours' steaming ahead, and beyond the
-Point, with its whaling station and its native village, lay the open Sea
-of Beaufort and the unknown land of Keenan. It was a desperate sea into
-which to venture, and the horror of the short month came home to
-Stirling. He was facing cold, starvation, and isolation—a trinity of
-despair.
-
-The stars paled as the slow dawn started creeping along the eastern
-heavens. The onward surge of the ship through the dream scene of flecked
-ice patches and mirrorlike water became a vision of unreality.
-
-Stirling searched the way ahead, and recognized familiar landmarks from
-other voyages. The ribs of a whale ship showed high driven upon the
-tundra. This was the wreck of the *George M. Foster*, thrust ashore
-three seasons before by the pressure of the North pack.
-
-Other wrecks marked the beach, showing where a fleet of whalers had
-attempted to gain the shelter of Point Barrow. A northwester had
-scattered them and laid their bones out upon the pale Arctic wilds. Men
-had died there from starvation and cold.
-
-Native villages showed, with their summer huts gaunt and bare against
-the snow, and behind them igloos, fast melting in the warm air. Kayaks
-and umiaks dotted the beach; dogs came down to the shore and stared at
-the ship. A head was thrust through a tent's bark door, and a hand
-waved. Then afterward had come the rushing of dark forms along the
-tundra and the cries of natives.
-
-The wheelsman held the centre of the course between the North pack and
-the sand spits. The leader, muffled to the eyes in sealskin, came out of
-the galley and glanced aloft. The orders he gave were for more steam,
-and the funnel belched forth smoke and driven cinders. The screw
-thrashed as the ship hurtled on into the brightening dawn.
-
-Stirling climbed out of the crow's-nest, lowered his legs over its
-forward edge, and sat there with his hands gripping one of the
-downhauls. The sea ahead was polished and rippleless, the way to Point
-Barrow was open, and already the land had bent to the north and west.
-They were now rounding Alaska.
-
-A shout rose from the dark deck, forms swarmed from the forecastle, and
-the ship took on churning life. The leader had sensed the danger to be
-met with at Point Barrow. A premonition had seized him that the *Bear*
-might have signalled by wireless to a waiting government boat.
-
-Stirling divined that this would be the case, and pressed his palm
-against his head. The throbbing of the ship, felt at the masthead, drove
-a surge of nausea through his stout frame. The end was close at hand,
-unless they struck out to open sea, through the ice floes, and avoided
-the Point.
-
-A misted sun rose in the north and east, directly before the taper jib
-boom of the *Pole Star*. It drove the last of the aurora from the sky,
-rose in a rolling eye of fire, and brought out all the details of the
-stretching Arctic wild.
-
-To the north and west showed great floes, which had grounded upon the
-shallow land which marked the seven-fathom bank. Between these floes
-lanes appeared, filled with whale slick and sporting seals. They led to
-the true north and the solid pack below the cold horizon.
-
-Swinging the helm with sudden intuition, the leader drove the ship down
-a wide lane and away from the shore. Stirling sensed this manœuvre
-was to avoid being sighted at the Point. The leader had spread a chart
-out upon the quarter-deck, and his thumb traced a course which would
-take him away from any possible pursuit; it would also be a venture into
-an unknown sea. Blond Eskimos and castaways from Franklin's expedition
-were supposed to people the polar shores of Banks and Keenan Land.
-
-Stirling studied the ship's deck with eyes brightened by hunger and
-resolve. He sought for a place to descend—an opening which would allow
-him to reach the forehold where stores and water could be found.
-
-The revolutionists were scattered from the forepeak to the break of the
-poop. Smoke showed from the galley stovepipe. The engine-room crew and
-stokehold crowd had redoubled their efforts in order to sheer the ship
-from the land. Word had been passed down that the *Bear* might signal
-the government people at Point Barrow, which was almost in sight.
-
-Stirling glanced aft to where the Russian at the wheel was taking his
-orders from the leader who had sprung upon the weather rail and was
-holding to the mizzen shrouds.
-
-The chance for escape from the crow's-nest had come. The mainsail hung
-from the main yard, and its flapping canvas would afford some slight
-shelter. Stirling weighed the opportunity and prepared to make the
-effort. The open main hatch invited with its glimpse of boxes and
-scattered trade stuff.
-
-He lowered himself from the crow's-nest and stood on the jack above the
-Jacob's ladder. Here he was sheltered from a chance glance aloft. He
-poised himself, gathered together his remaining strength, then reached
-downward and grasped the ladder's top, his eyes slowly swinging aft.
-They rested on the barricade of canvas which had been erected forward of
-the cabin companion. A form moved behind this canvas, and the eastern
-light brought out the details. It was Slim, the Frisco dock rat, a
-ragged tam-o'-shanter capping his uncut hair.
-
-With his face pressed over the edge of the canvas, Slim took in the
-details of the ship and the revolutionists and frowned. A second form
-moved close to his side and the girl glanced over the canvas, her eyes
-raised in tearful search of the crow's-nest. When they lighted upon
-Stirling, she beckoned with a white finger, then gave a heart-rendering,
-poignant call of distress.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER XXVI—IN THE SUDDEN DARKNESS
-===================================
-
-
-The Ice Pilot had no way to answer the piercing call of the girl, yet
-the revolutionists might detect her presence at any moment. The leader
-was alert and kept sweeping the sea to port for a chance opening which
-would lead farther away from the land. He turned once toward the
-wheelsman, berated him in Russian for not putting the wheel over soon
-enough, as the ship narrowly escaped a heavy floe.
-
-Again the girl beckoned as Stirling watched the two forms beyond the
-canvas barricade. This time she had lifted her pale face so that he
-could see her shoulders and arms. They were slight and childish, and
-tears glistened upon her cheeks. Her call was not to be denied, and
-Stirling lowered his legs, swung far out over the deck, hesitated in
-that position, and turned his head.
-
-Slim, the sole survivor of the forecastle crew, was reaching downward,
-his back straining. He straightened up and staggered aft to the
-taffrail. The burden he carried froze Stirling in the act of descending
-the ladder, and an icy chill swept through the Pilot's body, which
-almost unnerved him. He wound his fingers about the ratlines and
-breathed deeply. The Arctic air seemed strangely quiet.
-
-Slim reached the rail and lifted one leg to the top. He removed his
-tasselled cap, shifted his burden, turned and glanced at the girl, who
-had covered her eyes with her hands; then he raised the body he carried
-and hurled it astern of the fast-driving *Pole Star*.
-
-Stirling watched the rude burial with straining eyes. Marr had been
-wounded by the rock which had struck his breast in the fight with the
-revolutionists, and the little skipper must have died some time after
-the blow. He, perhaps, had been nursed tenderly by the girl during the
-hours of the chase from the Gulf of Anadir. Her call showed that she
-feared Slim, who was now alone with her in the stern of the *Pole Star*.
-
-Again Stirling stared at the girl. She removed her hands from her eyes,
-turned slowly, and grasped the edge of the canvas barricade. Her hair
-had fallen and she stood revealed as a frail creature in the grip of a
-strong man. She motioned with a flutter of her hand as she released her
-fingers from the canvas, then slowly sank to her knees, buried her face
-in her palms, and sobbed.
-
-Slim turned from the taffrail, squared his shoulders with an upward
-jerk, and eyed the girl. He smiled cunningly, then came forward, glanced
-at the Russian leader in the shrouds, and tapped the girl on the arm.
-
-Stirling started descending the shrouds with fevered energy. He reached
-the standing rigging and found a foothold in the ratlines, turned his
-chin, and glared aft like a shaggy bear. The girl and Slim had vanished
-down the companion and the noise they made in closing the companion
-slide had attracted the attention of the leader. His head was quarter
-faced away from view.
-
-It was then that Stirling sprang to the deck, and dashed for the open
-main hatch. His way to the poop was barred by a group of revolutionists
-gathered at the port rail in the waist. They were watching the unfolding
-shore where it flattened out into Point Barrow. A cruiser cutter showed
-there, flags flying from her signal halyards, steam jetting from aft her
-funnel. She was balked, however, for a rampart of century-old ice formed
-a barrier between the lane in which she rode and the one through which
-the *Pole Star* was striking out to the north and west.
-
-Stirling hesitated a moment at the hatch. He saw that the cutter had
-waited off the Point in expectancy of capturing the poacher. The chase
-might lead out from shore and into the pack ice which extended to the
-Pole.
-
-A shout rolled along the deck from aft, and the leader turned in time to
-see the crouching figure by the main hatch. He called, and the Russians
-at the rail wheeled and started over the deck. Stirling reached in his
-pocket, brought forth the little silver-plated revolver, and jabbed it
-forward. The knot of men recoiled. Others swarmed out from the galley
-house and rounded it with careful steps, but they, too, held back.
-
-Stirling laughed defiantly. He feared the croaking sound of his own
-voice, so parched and dry was his throat. He pocketed the revolver,
-grasped the edge of the hatch, swinging out and into the sheer. His feet
-crushed a box as he landed in the hold. He straightened himself, raised
-his arms, and, blinking in the sudden darkness, stumbled aft toward the
-lazaret, and the way to the cabin where the girl was quartered.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER XXVII—IN THE PIT
-========================
-
-
-The main hold was littered with a maze of boxes, bales, and bundles, the
-last made up of sealskins roughly bound, with salt sprinkled upon the
-fleshy side of the pelts. This precaution had been taken by Marr and
-Whitehouse on the day following the raid.
-
-Stirling paused near where the deck beams allowed a narrow passage
-through to the lazaret, and under a hatchway which led to the galley
-house and the cook's quarters. He glanced around and allowed his eyes to
-accustom themselves to the darkness.
-
-None of the revolutionists had dared follow him down through the main
-hatch. The sight of the revolver he had flashed at them was a stern
-reminder, and he felt of this weapon as he waited. He heard the steady
-clamp of the engines and the calls in Russian as the stokehold crew were
-urged to greater efforts.
-
-The *Pole Star* was striking away from Point Barrow, and had sheltered
-herself in a long lane of ice reaching deep within the North pack. It
-would be fortunate, indeed, if this lane opened and allowed the ship
-through to the sea to eastward.
-
-Stirling found a box in the lazaret which had been crashed open by a
-rude heel, and through the hole in this he drew out a double handful of
-hard and dry ship's biscuits. He munched on these, and glanced about for
-water. None was in sight. He found several empty gin cases from which
-the square faces had been removed; a dark corner of the lazaret was
-piled with small, strong boxes. The lower tier of these contained
-bottles of ginger ale and soda. He emptied three bottles of soda, waited
-a few minutes, and then started drinking the fourth.
-
-The effect was magical. The ship's biscuits, whose food value is high,
-served to refresh his weary body, and he stared around with some
-interest in his surroundings.
-
-A stout door, heavily barred by a crossbeam in the bulkhead, indicated
-the way to the stokehold and the after part of the ship. He moved
-through the gloom and tested this crossbeam. It could be lifted, but he
-paused to listen. Clanking doors and scraping shovels on the iron plates
-of the stokehold marked where the Russians were feeding the *Pole
-Star's* fires.
-
-There was no way through to the cabin and the girl save by way of the
-stokehold and the engine room, and the deck was crowded with alert
-revolutionists.
-
-Stirling dropped his hand into the side pocket of his pea-jacket and
-felt the cold assurance of the little revolver's steel. It nerved him as
-he drew out his hand and lifted the crossbar which the cook had placed
-in order to prevent a raid on the lazaret.
-
-An opening showed, lurid with furnace fires and hot coals. Three
-Russians, stripped to the waist, were lounging in one corner of the
-stokehold, and all were smoking cigarettes made from cut plug and tissue
-paper. Their attention was on a fourth Russian, who was watching the
-steam gauge above the central boiler.
-
-Stirling widened the door by a steady pull with his fingers, and stared
-beyond the Russian to where an opening showed in the bulkhead. This
-opening marked the way to the engine room and the after part of the
-ship.
-
-Bunker doors and slides showed to port and starboard, and the coal lay
-piled where the passers had shovelled it. A Russian tossed away his
-cigarette, seized a scoop shovel, and stepped to the after door of the
-forward furnace. The glare which filled the stokehold as he opened the
-door gave Stirling an opportunity.
-
-Risking all on the venture, he flung wide the bulkhead door which led
-from the lazaret and dashed across the scattered coal, reaching the
-opening to a spare bunker on the starboard side of the hold before he
-was discovered. Then a Russian shouted a warning, and the chief of the
-stokehold crew swung from the furnaces and stared through the half
-light.
-
-Stirling brushed aside the lunging form of a revolutionist, and struck a
-second Russian a swinging blow beneath the ear. Plunging on, he gained
-the door which led to the engine room as a slice bar was hurled in his
-direction.
-
-He wheeled at the door and braced himself. The Russian he had struck was
-slowly rising from the iron plate before the spare bunker, and a form
-swung from the reflection of light which streamed out of an ash box and
-lunged forward. Stirling called a warning as he bent, twisted, and
-worked his way through the bulkhead door until he reached the alleyway
-which led to the engine room.
-
-Flashing crank shafts and the polished glow of metal blinded him. Men
-were on the gratings and halfway up the ladder which led to the deck
-companion. Stirling dodged around the first and second intermediate
-cylinders, rested a hand on the huge low-pressure cylinder; then he
-dropped to one knee, squirmed beneath the tail shaft, and started
-crawling down the shaft alley.
-
-The Russians had been too startled to prevent this manœuvre, but now
-they came aft with torches and pinch bars. The glow from the overhead
-sun which streamed through the deck light brought out the details of the
-shaft alley as far aft as the second coupling. Behind this was a narrow
-pit compressed on each side by heavy planking and sloping at the bottom
-into the fan-shaped overhang of the *Pole Star's* stern.
-
-Stirling worked his way aft to the thrust bearings, which were three in
-number. Here the pit was dark and damp, and he turned and glanced
-forward. The faint light which marked the outlines of the shaft alley
-grew stronger as he waited.
-
-A burly form moved within the gloom, then another man joined the first
-Russian. Hammer blows sounded, and the light vanished as if a shade had
-been drawn. Stirling, with every sense alert, guessed the reason for the
-darkness. The revolutionists in the engine room had brought aft a number
-of sheets of boiler plate, and these they had erected about the tail
-shaft where it entered the engine room.
-
-A grim smile creased Stirling's lips as he waited. The way now was
-barred by three-eighth-inch iron; he was a prisoner in the pit.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER XXVIII—THE THIRD DOOR
-=============================
-
-
-A faint sound from above echoed throughout the alleyway, and Stirling
-turned his head, listening with every sense alert. The sound was
-repeated, then footfalls grated on the deck planks. The clank of the
-engines and the whirling shaft drowned out further steps in the cabin.
-
-Stirling reached toward the thrust bearings, measured the distance, and
-thought deeply. He was directly beneath the alleyway which extended from
-the staterooms to the after companion—the girl and Slim, the Frisco
-dock rat, were above him.
-
-He touched the planks, feeling the seams between the inch-thick decking.
-He traced these seams and found that they ended in a coaming at each
-side of the shaft alley. These were secured to the deck beams by screws
-which in turn were covered by tree-nails. The barrier seemed impassable.
-
-The throbbing of the screw, driven to its limit, had a lulling effect
-upon Stirling, who sank to his knees and crawled along the alleyway
-until his fingers touched a thrust block; sitting on this he dropped his
-head into his greasy hands and thought, his brain swirling in the maze
-of doubt and unreality.
-
-He had no tool with which he could cut his way upward, and his problem
-was to get in communication with the girl so that a passage could be
-bored through the deck planks.
-
-The polished shaft at his side attracted his attention and he felt of
-it, counting the revolutions. They were slightly faster than the beat of
-his pulse. The power of a thousand horses was there in that rod of
-steel, and he wondered vaguely if there was any way to turn it to
-account.
-
-The covers for the thrust blocks and shaft bearings were firmly bolted
-down. He groped about and searched every corner of the alleyway, finding
-an inch bolt and a battered oil can. These he placed by the thrust block
-and continued the search.
-
-A faint light from the engine room illuminated the forward end of the
-shaft alley, and he crawled to this opening and peered through. The
-low-pressure cylinder and the engine frame prevented further scrutiny,
-but the shadows that moved across the gratings above the cylinder marked
-the presence of the revolutionists. One, perhaps, was on guard.
-
-Stirling thrust his fingers through the plate which had been nailed to
-prevent his escape. Straining, he saw that he could move the lower
-section of iron sheeting. An object under the after bearing of the
-engine had attracted his attention—a long strip of leather belting
-coated with grease and oil.
-
-He moved the plate, and waited; then he crawled halfway through the
-opening and secured the belt, Backing carefully, he worked his way aft
-to the thrust block.
-
-He now had a belt and a bolt and with these crude tools he intended
-boring through the planks over his head. The task was a painful one. He
-would have to arrange the belt so that it would run under the shaft and
-over the bolt, which was turned by the shaft's power. Its corners might
-work through the plank.
-
-He found that the bolt was too small in diameter to secure any result,
-and that the belt slipped and would not turn the shank. He laid the bolt
-down and picked up the oil can, whose shape suggested the solution of
-the problem.
-
-Removing the oil spout by unscrewing it from the top of the can, he
-inserted the bolt in its place. The can turned freely with the bolt as
-an axle.
-
-Stirling smiled through the grime upon his features. His mind had
-evolved a saw of the superior order, power driven and bound to be
-effective. He waited before he went on with the experiment.
-
-The seething of the water told him that they were still hurtling through
-the lane of ice, and floes grated alongside. A shout echoed backward
-from the engine room, and the clank of steam-driven rods rose to a
-crescendo of effort. The *Pole Star* was striking out to open sea and
-the unknown waters to the north and east of Point Barrow.
-
-The cutter cruiser had been distanced, and the *Bear* was a slow third
-in the chase. There was no way to tell where the pursuit would lead.
-Stirling thought dimly of the northeast passage and the way to Baffin
-Bay. Only madmen could effect such an enterprise.
-
-Steps sounded above as Stirling toyed with the can, and he heard them
-going aft. Others followed; these were lighter. There came then the
-faint echo of a scuffle and the low cry of a woman, followed by a man's
-rude laugh as the light steps ran forward and a door slammed.
-
-Stirling constructed the scene in his mind: The dock rat had seized the
-girl and embraced her, and she had torn herself from his grasp. The
-slamming door told that she had barricaded herself in the cabin. It was
-time to interfere. The inch-thick planks overhead formed the only
-obstruction, and he felt of them, then reached for the oil can.
-
-The belt tightened over the polished shaft and over the rim of the can,
-which was at least three inches in diameter. The bolt acted as a rod,
-and the cutting edge as it touched the plank ground through for a
-quarter inch and then refused to work deeper.
-
-Stirling saw the reason for this: The copper of the can had no abrasive
-edge. He lowered the can, drew out his revolver, and started nicking the
-metal. Each blow sounded like a hammer stroke in his straining ears, and
-he feared to dent the bottom of the can so freely that it could not be
-straightened. He pocketed the revolver and felt the edge. It was rough,
-at any rate.
-
-The improvised saw now cut into the overhead plank as he pressed the
-bolt upward with straining arms. The belt slipped at times, but he
-waited and tried anew. The power which was in the tail shaft of the
-engines was sufficient for a thousand saws.
-
-Dust and splinters dropped down upon his tense face, but he held on
-grimly with one determination mastering his thoughts: The girl was in
-danger. She was barricaded in her stateroom, and the dock rat was
-probably sitting by the great table in the main cabin—with a vast
-reservoir of gin and whisky from which to draw.
-
-Stirling felt the edge of the can bite through the plank in one place.
-He lowered it and examined the opening. The belt had stretched under the
-strain and had permitted a cut of seven or eight inches in length.
-
-Crossing the belt, Stirling started a second cut at a right angle to the
-first, and worked on with his arms aching and growing numb from the
-strained position. The oil in the can had served for lubrication to the
-bolt, but when this oil dried, the bolt squeaked, and the can became
-hot.
-
-He lowered it from the cut in the deck plank and the smell of hot oil in
-the shaft bearings gave him an idea. There was enough grease and oil
-packed with waste there to keep the bearings cool. He lifted a cover and
-dug out a handful of dripping packing, which he squeezed into the can.
-The bolt was now lubricated.
-
-Though working in almost total darkness, he made rapid progress, and
-still no sound came from above. The dock rat probably was sleeping
-across the table; the girl had not moved in her cabin.
-
-The first faint light which streamed through the crack he made steeled
-Stirling to renewed efforts. He enlarged the opening and stood erect.
-
-The view was a limited one of an ornate ceiling stamped here and there
-with fresco and border designs. In the centre of this ceiling gleamed
-the frosty light from an electric dome. Three lamps burned, despite the
-fact that a soft glow was filling the splendid cabin. This glow came
-from the breaking dawn which made rosy the deck light and cabin
-companion.
-
-Stirling removed his eye from the crack and felt the grooves he had cut
-in the planking. They were almost sufficient for his purpose. He trimmed
-a corner with his improvised saw, ran the saw through a deep cut till it
-severed the plank's edge, then pressed firmly upward. The trapdoor he
-had cut was held by only a few splinters.
-
-He waited and reviewed his position. The revolutionists were busy with
-the engines and the furnaces, and their shouts came aft with muffled
-curses. The clang of a bell told that the leader had urged more steam,
-and the ship was hurtling through a sea free from ice. Stirling could
-hear no grating along the run.
-
-He worked forward, guiding himself by the touch of the polished tail
-shaft. The barricade of iron plates was an effective barrier to a sudden
-rush. There was scant danger from the Russians. The sentry they had
-placed on guard stood high on the gratings overlooking the opening to
-the shaft alley. Stirling peered through a crack in the plates and
-watched him. He was looking intently at the two intermediate cylinders.
-
-Working aft with careful steps, Stirling reached his trapdoor and
-listened. A sound of deep breathing came to him. Slim, the dock rat, was
-directly above, where he choked now and then, and his arms moved over
-the racks of the table. Then he was still—save for the drunken
-breathing which subsided almost to nothingness.
-
-Stirling braced his shoulders against the planks, pressed his feet upon
-the shaft bearing, and strained with every muscle. A splintering noise
-sounded. A second thrust tore loose the last of the planks. They
-showered about him as he reached upward, rested his elbows on the edge,
-and sprang to the deck of the cabin.
-
-Slim raised an arm, fell forward, lifted his chin, and turned it in a
-slow arc. His eyes blinked as Stirling lunged for him with a bearlike
-glide which was not to be denied. Strong fingers clasped about the dock
-rat's throat; he was lifted from his chair and hurled across the floor
-of the cabin. Stirling was after him with a quick stride.
-
-The struggle which followed was terrible in its intensity. Stirling had
-the strength given to outdoor men; he was unskilled, however, and faint
-from loss of sleep and food. Slim had learned boxing and wrestling along
-the San Francisco water front. He squirmed to his knees, twisted from
-Stirling's grip, and lowered his head for a rush. Stirling met this
-attack with a savage reaching of arms and a grunt as Slim uppercut with
-vicious strength. They fell into a clinch, they swayed and staggered
-about the cabin, overturning chairs and stools.
-
-Stirling's clean living began to tell as the Ice Pilot recovered his
-wits and became more careful. Lunging blows straightened and became
-jabs, hugs gave place to standing exchange of blows. The dock rat leered
-from puffed eyes and searched about for a weapon. A brass bomb gun and a
-Remington rifle lay across the table. He dodged and reached for the bomb
-gun, his fingers closing over the barrel, when Stirling leaped the
-distance and wound his arms about Slim's waist.
-
-The dock rat, catapulted through the air, crashed against the sheathing
-of the starboard wall. He managed to rise, but Stirling was over the
-planks and upon him with a vicious outthrust of his jaw. The madness of
-the struggle had completely mastered the Ice Pilot, who fought
-furiously.
-
-Soon Slim lay still. Stirling, looking about for a cord or line, saw a
-tassel protruding from a curtain which covered the alleyway leading aft.
-Jerking this loose, he lunged swiftly to Slim's side, drew his arms
-behind him, and completed a sailor's job of tying and splicing from
-which no man could escape.
-
-The dock rat opened one eye and moaned. Stirling drew back and glanced
-sternly at him, his bulk seeming to fill the cabin.
-
-Slim closed his eyes and moaned for a second time. "Let me loose," he
-managed to say.
-
-"Stay there!" Stirling said with a slow glance around.
-
-The curtain attracted his attention. It had been partly wrenched from
-its pole by the drawing away of the cord. Beyond it lay the alleyway and
-the cabins of the after part of the ship. The girl's cabin was one of
-four.
-
-"Which stateroom is the girl in?" he asked, leaning over Slim.
-
-The sailor squirmed and dragged at his arms where they were bound,
-rolled over, and stared upward at the deck. A light streamed down from
-the barricaded companion, a light which heralded the rising of the sun.
-Stirling followed the dock rat's glance and studied the shadow, then
-wheeled swiftly and saw a tiny ship's clock set in the wall. A hasty
-calculation of time and shadow showed him that the *Pole Star* was
-driving east by true reckoning and north by compass. The variation was
-all of ninety degrees.
-
-He listened to the progress of the ship as he waited for the dock rat to
-answer his question. The throbbing of the screw and the swift rush of
-water under the counter showed that the revolutionists were still
-extending their efforts. The great bight of sea beyond Point Barrow and
-off the mouth of the Mackenzie River was being crossed. The land ahead
-would be unknown territory, filled with danger and starvation.
-
-Weakly Stirling turned; all the fight seemed to have left him, and he
-swayed as he glanced downward. The sailor had closed his lips in a hard
-line, and there was malice and calculation in his sharp, darting glances
-about the cabin.
-
-Stirling shrugged his shoulders, dropped on one knee, and felt the cord.
-It was drawn sufficiently tight. Rising slowly, the Ice Pilot breathed
-deeply, feeling the aching muscles of his chest as they expanded; then
-he set in order the chairs and stools of the cabin and lifted the rifle
-until it swung in a natural manner under his right armpit.
-
-"Stay right there!" he commanded as he glanced toward the sailor. He was
-surprised at the sound of his own voice, unnatural and falsely tuned.
-
-Shaking his head with weariness, he advanced to the curtain, brushed it
-aside with his left hand, and strode down the alleyway, where four doors
-offered themselves. Each was closed. He knocked at the first, but there
-was no answer; it was the same with the second.
-
-The third door proved to be that of the girl's room. He heard her
-stirring inside as he repeated the knock, then listened with bent head.
-He felt the room was sacred—he had known so little of women that they
-all were holy to him, and he told himself that he was committing a
-sacrilege.
-
-He tapped again—this time lightly. A poignant sobbing greeted his ears.
-
-He bent his head closer and said: "It's me. Don't be afraid. I'm
-Stirling—the Ice Pilot. I'm the one who was in the crow's-nest."
-
-He strained his ears, and the sobbing ceased. A hand was on the latch;
-the door started to slide open.
-
-"It's me," he repeated as the hand that pressed the door hesitated. "I'm
-all right," he added, with tired assurance. "I'm armed, and that sailor
-is taken care of—the one who insulted you."
-
-The door slid open swiftly, and the girl stood framed in the aperture.
-Her hair was down her back, her wide eyes swollen from tears and
-distress.
-
-He rested the rifle against his hip. "Are you all right?" he asked,
-sincerely. "Are you?"
-
-"Yes—now, I am." The glance that lifted to his own was frank and
-shimmering with amazement. Stirling glanced over her shoulder full into
-a long cheval mirror, and recoiled as he looked at his own reflection.
-The oil and grease of the shaft alley, the week-old stubble of beard,
-the wan, red-rimmed eyes which shone from hollow sockets—these made a
-picture of desperate adventure.
-
-"You'll have to excuse me," he said. "I didn't know I looked like
-this."
-
-The girl smiled and extended her hand. "You came to me," she said,
-bravely. "That's what I wanted."
-
-Stirling nodded and rubbed his chin with his palm, then turned and
-stared toward the curtain. Slim had rolled over and was hammering the
-cabin deck with his heels in an endeavour to escape the bonds around his
-wrists and elbows.
-
-"I found him," said Stirling. "What do you say if we go in
-there—Miss—Miss——"
-
-"Miss Marr—Helen Marr," she said, quickly, as she came gliding out of
-the door. "You see," she added, "I'm not a bit frightened—at you!"
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER XXIX—TO SEE IT THROUGH
-==============================
-
-
-Rough-garbed and soiled from his efforts, Stirling led the way aft to
-the large cabin of the *Pole Star*, then turned and held the curtain
-back for Helen Marr. He bowed as she passed through and stood staring at
-the prone form of the Frisco dock rat.
-
-"I'll attend to him, miss," declared Stirling. "Did he insult you?"
-
-The girl flushed slightly, but there was an assurance in her manner that
-bespoke the daughter of the sea. She braced her slight form by leaning
-against the table and turned to the Ice Pilot. "No; he didn't insult
-me," she said. "He couldn't. But he is not a gentleman and never can be
-one."
-
-Stirling stepped over the deck and reached downward, coiled his arms
-about Slim, and raised him from the planks.
-
-"Hold the curtain," he said, softly. "I'll put this fellow out of harm's
-way. There's a cabin just made for him, where we can feed him and watch
-him."
-
-Helen Marr stared at Stirling as he shifted his burden, smiled slowly
-through the grime of his lips, and staggered with Slim through the
-curtain and down the alleyway to the cabin where Whitehouse and Marr
-had kept him prisoner.
-
-He was back in three minutes with a key held between his fingers. "You
-take this," he said with concern. "Take it and keep it. I'm going to
-look around and find some water and a razor. I expect we're going to be
-together for some time, as the revolutionists are heading east. I don't
-want to frighten you with my appearance, Miss Marr."
-
-"There's running water and razors in uncle's cabin."
-
-Stirling stiffened and passed his hand over the stubble of his cheeks,
-removing his cap as he asked, "So he was your uncle?"
-
-"Yes; Mr. Marr was my uncle. He brought me along on this trip because
-there was nobody to look after me ashore. I was at boarding school in
-Concord when he came for me."
-
-Stirling glanced at the girl with open sympathy, and she returned his
-look, then blushed slightly, and moved away from the table. The key he
-had given her dropped to the deck. She recovered it and brushed back her
-hair as she rose.
-
-"I'm sorry he died," Stirling managed to say. "I'm sorry. But I don't
-think he was doing right in bringing you North, and I don't think the
-seal raid was right. You see I'm plain-spoken. I'm not used to young
-ladies."
-
-A laugh echoed through the cabin. "You're a sight!" said Helen Marr.
-"We'll get along. I don't fear anything at all now. Those awful
-Russians are afraid of you."
-
-Stirling glanced at the barricaded deck light, and listened to the swift
-rush of the ship through the smooth sea. A slight chill was in the air,
-which spoke of ice fields to the north and east.
-
-He dropped his glance and swept the cabin. The bomb gun on the table was
-a weapon in a thousand, and with it it would be possible to hold the
-cabin against a large number of men.
-
-"The thing we have to find out," he said, "is how to stop the ship
-before we go too far. We're off Herschel Island now. Another day's mad
-steaming will wreck us sure. I don't want to see you wrecked."
-
-The girl pointed toward an after doorway. "That's uncle's cabin," she
-said. "Go shave and fix yourself. Then we'll talk about things. I don't
-think being wrecked is so terrible."
-
-Stirling shook his head and moved toward the cabin. He opened the door,
-turned, and glanced backward, then went inside with the girl's face
-stamped upon his memory. She was full of fire and youth, the voyage of
-the *Pole Star* had been an adventure for her. The death of Marr had not
-saddened her. He found soap and a razor resting behind the washstand,
-and with these started to make himself presentable.
-
-Strength and youth came through his features as he scraped and hacked;
-simple in all his motions, he found himself for the first time in a
-great hurry. The girl had appealed with elfin charm, though he knew no
-more of women than landsmen know of the mysteries of the sea.
-
-After he had finished shaving, a good wash in cold water, a swift
-parting of his hair, and a borrowed necktie from Marr's collection,
-caused him to smile at his reflection in the glass. He stood the proper
-figure of a man—four square to wind, weather, adversity, or the
-revolutionists.
-
-The situation was desperate enough to call for all the strength of
-Stirling's mind and muscle. The ship was heading due east by the
-meridian, or north by magnetic compass, and the true Pole was being
-thrown over the ship's port waist like a sinister shadow. Ahead lay the
-Magnetic Pole and the land where Franklin and his brave men had perished
-in the search for the northwest passage.
-
-Stirling looked from the mirror to the open porthole of the cabin, and
-saw the low-lying land which marked the American continent. The water
-was muddy and filled with driftwood, which indicated that Herschel
-Island and the mouth of the Mackenzie River were being passed.
-
-"Our last wintering place," he said, with his face pressed to the
-porthole. "Yonder she is. There's scant chance from now on."
-
-He turned and glanced about the cabin. A telltale compass over a
-brass-bound bunk showed that the course read north. It changed a point
-as the *Pole Star* swung and dashed by a field of ancient ice. Then the
-ship steadied, the engines clanked, and steps sounded overhead. The
-revolutionists had gathered for a consultation.
-
-Stirling opened the door of the cabin, stepped out, and faced Helen Marr
-who stood by the baby-grand piano which was lashed to the after part of
-the bulkhead.
-
-"We're off Herschel Island," he said, running his fingers over his face
-in anxiety. "I'm sorry for your sake. There are no winter quarters
-beyond the Island that I know of; it's all lowland and dangerous
-anchorage. We're in for it!"
-
-The girl inclined her head and listened, then pointed upward. A wan,
-tired smile, that threw tiny wrinkles in the corners of her mouth, held
-Stirling's eyes. She seemed suddenly older to him, and he wondered at
-this change as he waited for her to speak.
-
-"They are above," she said at last. "Do you think they are plotting to
-capture you?" Her voice had changed, and Stirling detected a note of
-concern. He looked up and caught her glance full upon his own. She bit
-her lip and flushed.
-
-He tried to stammer an answer, but none came that fitted the question. A
-gulf had suddenly opened between them, and her eyes no longer held the
-shimmer they had once contained. She had stared at him as if he had been
-a ghost or spectre from another world, her manner suddenly grown cold.
-
-"What did I do?" he exclaimed. "Why do you look at me that way?"
-
-"Because—why, because I thought you were an old man. You're not!"
-
-Stirling straightened, and he felt his heart throbbing. "I'm forty-six,"
-he said. "That's old, isn't it?"
-
-The girl's face dimpled; the lines vanished from her lips and left her
-openly frank and childish looking. "Forty-six?"
-
-"Going on forty-seven."
-
-"That isn't old. You look so different with a shave and a—wash. I'm
-going to make you promise one thing."
-
-Stirling was ready to promise any number of things. "What is it?" he
-asked.
-
-"That from now on you shave every day, and from now on we're—friends."
-
-"I'll promise that!" said Stirling, heartily. "We two are going to see
-this thing through—as friends. You can trust me! We'll stand
-guard—watch and watch."
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER XXX—IN SWIFT SALUTE
-===========================
-
-
-"You're not going to kill anybody?" Helen Marr asked, after a moment's
-pause.
-
-"Not unless they try to harm you," Stirling replied.
-
-The girl raised her chin and thrust out her right hand. "I was always a
-wild creature," she said. "Father died soon after I was born, and mother
-let me run wild in Concord. Then uncle came from across the sea. He
-always liked me; once he took me to England on a voyage. It was a Boston
-ship he owned an interest in. I can reef and steer. I had a sloop in
-Maine—all one summer."
-
-"Can you handle a rifle?"
-
-"Yes. Only I don't want to kill anybody."
-
-Stirling stepped to a gun rack on the starboard side of the cabin, went
-over the rifles racked there, and picked out a light gun which Marr had
-brought North for shooting seals.
-
-"We'll load this," he said, laying it across the table. "It's yours in
-case of trouble. The revolutionists are getting into deep ice and the
-time is coming when they will call on me. I may have to take command of
-the ship. Otherwise——"
-
-His pause was suggestive. Helen Marr stared out through the nearest
-porthole, then turned with a pucker showing at the corner of her mouth.
-"What were you going to say?" she asked.
-
-"Otherwise we will be cast away in the land that Heaven forgot. There is
-nothing up here but death and starvation. There is no food or shelter;
-there is only cold and ice and desolation. It is almost all unexplored.
-Coronation Gulf, where we are heading, leads to Victoria Strait and
-Lancaster Sound. The passage was never made."
-
-"But the Russians may make it. Isn't the season an open one?"
-
-"So open that I fear we will go too far to turn back. There's coal
-enough aboard to take us to Baffin Bay."
-
-"Uncle has been there."
-
-"But not from this side of the world." Stirling glanced about the cabin
-and then stepped over to an ornate bookcase beneath which was a drawer
-filled with maps.
-
-He unrolled a map and spread it across the table. "Come here," he said,
-nodding to the girl. "I'll show you where we are and where we're
-heading."
-
-The girl stepped close to his side and leaned over the chart, following
-his pointing finger as he traced a course from Point Barrow to the mouth
-of the Mackenzie River. "From there," he said, "we may strike two ways.
-The most likely course is through Coronation Gulf, and then by Boothia
-Gulf, but there's another route to the eastward. It leads west by the
-compass and around this land." Stirling pressed his thumb on a maze of
-inlets and narrow straits. "If the revolutionists try that course we're
-cast away in the polar pack. It'll be all up with you and me."
-
-The girl drew back the chart and raised her finger to her lips, almost
-pouting as she asked: "Are you afraid?"
-
-Stirling stammered and rolled up the chart with a swift motion of his
-right palm. "Not exactly afraid," he said; "but with the crew on deck
-that we have, there is every chance of getting nipped."
-
-"Nipped?"
-
-"Yes! Caught in the ice and crushed. Many ships have had that happen. I
-remember the *Beluga* and the *Prince Charles* and the schooner *Rosy
-Enders*. They all were nipped to the eastward of Herschel Island. We're
-in the same waters."
-
-"But wouldn't it be splendid if the Russians got through to Baffin Bay?
-Just think what the world would say. The Northwest Passage!"
-
-"The Northeast," corrected Stirling, with a faint smile.
-
-"Isn't there a big reward for going around the American Continent?"
-
-"There was; I don't know about it now. The Norwegians did it in a little
-ship, but it took them years."
-
-The girl moved across the cabin and pressed her face to the nearest
-porthole, then turned and found Stirling's eyes fastened upon her.
-
-"I see lots of ice," she said, naïvely. "There's ice everywhere."
-
-"Except ahead. We're going down a lane of open water between the floes
-and the shore. Cape Bathurst should soon be sighted."
-
-The girl turned her head and glanced through the porthole. "I see land!"
-she exclaimed, with a quiver in her voice. "It doesn't look so terrible.
-There're green moss and trees—I think they are trees."
-
-"Arctic pines," Stirling said. "It's No Man's Land on this side of the
-world. You stand watch with that Remington and I'll go look that sailor
-over. He must be hungry."
-
-Stirling moved toward the curtain as the girl turned away from the open
-porthole and stepped to the table where the rifle lay. She lifted it,
-and frowned in perplexity as her fingers toyed with the trigger guard
-and cocking mechanism.
-
-Suddenly she wheeled and laid down the rifle. "I couldn't shoot
-anybody," she said, staring across the cabin. "Nobody is going to bother
-us, now."
-
-"I'm not so sure, Miss Marr. There's a time coming when the
-revolutionists will be in distress. Then there's Slim to reckon with. He
-might escape while I'm sleeping. You know I haven't slept for days—just
-a nap now and then in the crow's-nest and the shaft alley."
-
-Stirling hurried to the dock rat's cabin and pressed open the door
-after inserting the key in the lock. Slim sat up and twisted his body.
-
-"Nice way you've left me," he said, bitterly.
-
-Stirling examined the bonds and smiled grimly, but he did not answer the
-sailor. He glanced about the cabin, saw that the porthole was fastened
-securely, then hurried back to the girl.
-
-"Please get biscuits and water," he said. "That sailor is doing fine. If
-he doesn't keep it up I'll turn him over to the revolutionists."
-
-"He was all right until after uncle died," Helen said. "Then he started
-drinking and saying things to me. I wasn't afraid of him, only——"
-
-"Only," interrupted Stirling, "you should have kept that little
-revolver. I appreciated it, but you needed it worse than I did. Here it
-is."
-
-Stirling dropped his hand into his pocket and brought out the little
-silver-plated gun. "Take it, please," he said, "and—will you get me
-some biscuits and water? I'll feed the sailor."
-
-The girl hurried through an after doorway, opened some tins in a small
-pantry, and returned with a tray of crackers. She set these on the
-table, and drew a pitcher of water from the tap in the cabin.
-
-Stirling studied her motions, and dreamed of a fairy or an elf. He was
-staring at the steps which led to the cabin companion as she offered him
-the pitcher of water. His eyes dropped, and his lips grew firm. "I'll be
-back soon," he said in a far-off voice. "You watch for the
-revolutionists. Fire that rifle if they attempt to get down."
-
-The sailor took the offering with bad grace, as Stirling propped him up
-in the bunk and released one hand so that he could eat. He retied him
-securely as the last of the crackers was consumed between yellow teeth.
-
-"Stay right there," said Stirling, as he closed the door. "Better keep
-mighty quiet, too," he added, sternly, as he drew the key from the lock.
-
-The girl had climbed partly up the companionway steps, and she turned,
-drawing her skirts about her ankles as she saw Stirling coming from the
-forward alleyway.
-
-"What's up there?" he asked, setting the empty pitcher and tray on the
-table. "Can you see anything, Miss Marr?"
-
-"The leader and two other revolutionists are at the wheel," she said.
-"They are puzzled over something. I think the leader wants to steer
-toward the north."
-
-The girl pointed at the port side of the ship, and Stirling shook his
-head. "That's west now," he said. "It's magnetic west. You see the
-directions are all changed. We're heading north by the compass. If he
-changes to the west it means that he is going to try and clear Banks
-Land. That'll lead us to Melville Sound. It may be open."
-
-Helen Marr lifted her chin and beamed into Stirling's face. "There's
-sunshine on the ice," she said, pointing out through a starboard
-porthole. "See it? You should smile. I don't think we are in any
-danger."
-
-Stirling caught the contagion of youth and high spirits. The season was
-so remarkable that he doubted his own senses, for the *Pole Star* was
-steaming at twelve knots through waters which were usually closed to all
-save the lucky ships in the whaling service. The progress from Point
-Barrow had been continuous. They had gone farther east than most Arctic
-expeditions, and the way north was clear save for small ice floes. It
-might be possible to reach Melville Sound and unknown straits leading to
-Baffin Bay.
-
-The Ice Pilot bent his head and thought deeply, but the ship suddenly
-swerved, and he straightened. The sunshine now streamed through the
-after starboard portholes of the cabin, striking across the racks of the
-table and bringing out the details of the bookshelves and piano.
-
-Helen Marr clapped her hands, ran to the porthole nearest the after
-bulkhead, and peered out, then turned with eyes of flame. "See," she
-said, "we're going north now—or west. There's open water and an open
-sea. Oh, I'm glad of it!"
-
-Her slight body flitted to the piano. She drew down the cover and pulled
-out a stool. The music she played was familiar to Stirling:
-
- | "Whither, oh, splendid ship, thy white sails crowding,
- | Leaning across the bosom of the urgent West,
- | Thou fearest nor sea rising, nor sky clouding,
- | Whither away fair rover, and what thy quest?"
-
-The girl turned on the revolving stool and glanced toward Stirling. "How
-do you like that?" she asked, blithely. "Do you want more?"
-
-Stirling smiled and nodded, and her fingers strayed over the ivory keys
-for a moment. The song she sang was new to Stirling, but as he listened,
-he heard above the silver-running notes another sound. Steps came
-overhead; a shadow blotted out the glass of the deck light. The Russian
-leader had been attracted by the music, and he was joined by one of the
-revolutionists. The two Russians stood in rapt attention as Helen Marr
-sang to her own accompaniment:
-
- | "The fair wind blew, the white foam flew,
- | The furrow followed free;
- | And we were the first that ever burst
- | Into that silent sea."
-
-The girl turned. "That's from the 'Ancient Mariner,'" she said. "I set
-it to music. I think it's appropriate, don't you, Mr. Stirling?"
-
-"The silent sea part is," he said. "I shouldn't wonder if you sang the
-truth. Even the leader was interested. I wonder if he understands
-English?"
-
-The two in the cabin stared up at the shadows on the deck light, and
-these shadows moved away as the girl rose from the piano stool and came
-across the deck.
-
-"You had better go into the stateroom and get some sleep, Mr. Stirling,"
-she suggested. "You look tired and worn. Sleep would do you a world of
-good. I'll stand guard."
-
-Stirling climbed the companion steps and tested the barricade of oak
-timbers which Marr and Slim had fitted, then came down and went forward
-to the curtain. A second doorway, which was at the end of the alley, had
-been nailed shut with three-inch spikes, and there seemed no way for the
-revolutionists to break into the after part of the ship.
-
-He moved the table over the hole he had cut in the deck, and upon this
-piled stools and a bookcase for a barricade.
-
-"Let me know if anything happens," Stirling said, as he stepped toward
-Marr's stateroom. "Be sure and do that!"
-
-The girl lifted the rifle and stood at attention. "Good-night!" she
-said. "Shut the door; I'll wake you if it's necessary."
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER XXXI—DANGER AND DOUBT
-=============================
-
-
-When Stirling awoke it seemed to him that he had passed through an ocean
-of dreams. He rolled over and blinked through leaden eyes at the
-porthole. Dawn was breaking across a wild waste of Northern waters; ice
-floes and ancient packs floated by; seals sported; whale slick showed in
-oily patches, and the sun glanced over the smooth surface of the sea. A
-ripple showed where the *Pole Star's* sharp stem was cleaving the
-surface.
-
-Stirling rubbed his eyes and listened. The steady clank of the engines
-and the vibration of the tail shaft beneath him still continued. He
-glanced upward. The tiny, telltale compass overhead was pointing west.
-The ship was headed for the true pole!
-
-"Madmen!" said Stirling, springing out of the bunk.
-
-He emerged into the larger cabin to find that Helen Marr had vanished.
-The rifle lay across the table, and her knitted tam-o'-shanter was
-hanging from one corner of the piano; the deck light had been thrown
-open, and the companionway was unbarred.
-
-Stirling strode through the curtain and tested the door which led to
-the sailor's cabin. It was locked. A bitter protest in Frisco slang
-greeted his query. He hesitated. The girl had eluded him in some manner.
-She had gone on deck.
-
-He crossed the alleyway, cocked the rifle, and burst into the larger
-cabin. Up the steps which led to the companion he climbed with savage
-strength, and the light of dawning day and the gust of salty air which
-filled his lungs cleared his brain. He stared about the quarter-deck,
-then dropped the rifle's butt down upon his boot.
-
-The girl, bareheaded and with ribbons flying, was sitting in a deck
-chair; near by were the Russian leader and two other revolutionists.
-They turned as she laughed buoyantly, but the leader frowned and reached
-for his pocket. Stirling raised the rifle and swung it under his arm.
-
-"Good morning, Mr. Stirling," called the girl. "Come aft with me. These
-poor men are not our enemies. They're lost and want a pilot."
-
-Stirling lowered the muzzle of the rifle, but still eyed the leader, and
-his lips grew hard and level with suspicion. He raised his shoulders
-slightly.
-
-The girl saw the motion and sprang out of the deck chair with a cry.
-"They're only big boys!" she exclaimed. "I was playing the piano and
-singing—while you were sleeping. One song they liked, and the leader
-knocked on the glass and called to me. There were tears in his eyes.
-He's escaped from Siberia and wants to get to America. They all have
-escaped, Mr. Stirling. They wouldn't harm anybody!"
-
-Stirling remembered the carnage when the revolutionists took the ship.
-But perhaps they had thought that the *Pole Star's* crew would resist
-and therefore had anticipated an expected attack. And they seemed to
-have treated the girl with the attention due a princess. A cushion was
-at the foot of the deck chair; tea steamed in a kettle; crackers had
-been brought from the galley.
-
-"I think you had better go below," said Stirling glancing at the girl's
-upturned face.
-
-"Speak to them; they don't mean us any harm."
-
-Stirling turned toward the leader, and the small eyes before him
-lightened where they had been filled with fear. A gross, hairy hand
-swept forward expressively.
-
-"You don't know where you are?" asked Stirling, gesturing.
-
-The man, apparently getting the sense of the Ice Pilot's question, shook
-his head.
-
-"Do you want to go back?" Stirling pointed the rifle toward the jack
-staff and the stern of the ship.
-
-The leader repeated his nod, then spoke to the two others, who, Stirling
-decided, also held office among the revolutionists. They lumbered to the
-rail and stared forward, raising their arms and pointing.
-
-Stirling shaded his eyes from the rays of the sun which was swinging on
-a long slant over the sea, and saw ahead, and to starboard, the glint of
-horizon-down ice. He knew the reason—they were within thirty miles of
-Banks Land.
-
-The sea was open to the magnetic west, where a hard line rimmed the
-surface. Gulls flew overhead, and the smoke of the furnaces blotted
-across the waters. The entire scene was one of desperate enterprise.
-They were steaming on an unknown ocean of danger and doubt, where no
-explorers had been able to penetrate. Only an open season, such as
-Stirling had never known before, permitted the *Pole Star's* progress.
-
-With a mastering glance, he turned toward the leader, his head back, the
-cords of his neck showing like roots of some giant oak. Helen Marr
-seized his left hand and crept close up to him.
-
-"I'll pilot this ship!" he said.
-
-"Where?" asked Helen Marr.
-
-"Through the Northeast Passage!"
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER XXXII—TO THE LAST DAY
-=============================
-
-
-As the sun rose above the ice-covered sea on the morning following
-Stirling's talk with the leader of the revolutionists, the ship was
-swung toward the magnetic north and driven within the opening which lies
-between Banks Land and Prince Patrick Island.
-
-Banks Strait the passage was called, and it led from Beaufort Sea and
-the uncharted waters east of Keenan Land to Melville Sound and Barrow
-Strait. From the appearance of the ice and direction of the wind,
-Stirling decided to chance the passage. There was no way back!
-
-He climbed the shrouds and dropped into the crow's-nest. The after deck,
-from the companion hatch to the taffrail, had been reserved by the
-revolutionists for Helen Marr and her steamer chair. She had conquered
-the Russians by her smiles and songs. They all stood in the presence of
-death and the unknown. The appearance of the sea; the strange tides and
-currents; the action of the compass at variance with the stars—all
-these drove the haunting desire of companionship within men's breasts.
-Old differences were forgotten in the face of despair.
-
-Stirling took quiet charge of the ship. He gave the orders, which were
-partly understood by the leader, who, Stirling soon learned, really knew
-a fair amount of English, although at first he had been loath to
-disclose his knowledge, no doubt for strategic reasons. One or two
-others of the Russians had a smattering of English.
-
-The *Pole Star* dodged in and out of ice floes and drifting packs which
-had been loosened by the unusual warmth. The way ahead was unknown and
-uncharted, and it was barely possible that the heavier ice had gone
-south and west with the current.
-
-Gripped with the desire for research and discovery, Stirling made many
-notes in Marr's old log book. He held the crow's-nest until the sun
-rimmed the western waste of waters and ice; then descended to the deck
-as an open lane appeared before the course of the ship.
-
-With his hand in his pocket he moved among the silent revolutionists,
-and they made way for him as he stepped across the waist of the ship and
-climbed the quarter-deck steps. Their attitude was one of respect. Had
-he not driven the *Pole Star* that day through a wilderness of drift ice
-which none of them believed passable? His hearty "Steady, port; hard
-aport—now starboard!" was a revelation in piloting.
-
-The coffee he drank as Helen Marr appeared from the companion way
-cleared his brain. He tapped the log book and swept his hand over the
-sea to the north.
-
-"All new!" he said, proudly. "We're about the first ship to make this
-passage. McClintock on a sledge was up here."
-
-Helen Marr brushed the hair from her forehead and turned with the silver
-coffeepot in her hand. She pointed over the taper jib boom of the *Pole
-Star*. "I remember," she said, "a painting in an old book, of Lady
-Franklin and Sir John Franklin sitting together in an old London room.
-The painting was called 'The Northwest Passage.'"
-
-"He died down there," said Stirling, pointing toward the magnetic north.
-"See the glint of ice? The sun won't sink to-day, it will rim the world
-to the west and slowly rise."
-
-The girl watched Stirling and stepped closer to his side. "Do you think
-we can get through to open sea?" she asked, turning her face up to his.
-
-He shook his head. "I don't know," he answered. "We'll try! We're
-heading for Barrow Strait and Lancaster Sound. Both may be jammed with
-ice. If they are——"
-
-Stirling's pause was suggestive. The girl shuddered and drew a coat
-about her shoulders, then set the coffeepot down on the deck and glided
-to the taffrail. A nip had come into the air, and it was no longer day
-or night. The sea birds rested upon the floes without motion; the seals
-and walrus watched the fast-gliding ship, then slipped into the water,
-and were gone. Desolation and death ruled the world above seventy-three.
-
-Stirling waited until the girl came back. She picked up the coffeepot,
-and her eyes were filled with longing as she said:
-
-"Go back and do what you can. There seems to be ice everywhere."
-
-Stirling squared his shoulders and stepped briskly to the wheelsman. He
-bent there and consulted the binnacle, reached and took the chart which
-the leader held out to him. Its details were vague enough. Dots showed
-where land *might* be, and the soundings were in spots where explorers
-had lowered a lead line through the frozen surface.
-
-"A bad place to be," Stirling said to the leader. "I think we are in for
-it from now on."
-
-The leader thrust out his hands, and at that moment the ship struck a
-sunken ledge of ice. The bow sheered, and cries came from forward.
-
-"Steady!" Stirling shouted into the wheelsman's ear. "Hold her steady,
-you, until I see!"
-
-He leaped the planks and sprang down to the waist. He was up the weather
-shrouds and into the crow's-nest with the agility of a young boy, and
-his eyes swept the way ahead. The stretch of ice seemed interminable,
-since the long spit of sand which marked a portion of Prince of Wales
-Land had caused the floes to ground, and there seemed no way to the
-eastward. Stirling turned and stared aft over the stern of the ship. The
-way by which they had come was now blocked by floes.
-
-"Nipped!" he said between strong white teeth. "We're nipped!"
-
-With the binoculars he swept the entire ice-bound horizon. The sun was
-rising through the western mist, and appeared a ball of cold fire. The
-aurora played across the Northern heavens and leaped to the zenith.
-Through it shone the light points of the high swinging dipper and the
-overhead lodestar.
-
-Stirling braced himself, pressed the glasses to his eyes for a second
-glance, then set them down. He leaned over the edge of the crow's-nest
-and called to the leader, who was at the wheel:
-
-"Give her full speed and starboard the helm!"
-
-The ship gained and churned forward. The jib boom swung off toward a
-lower shelf of ice, and the crash that followed as the stout sheathing
-cut through the floes drove the Russians to their knees. The foremast
-whipped like a willow rod. The girl cried a warning.
-
-"Back her!" shouted Stirling. "Reverse, and try again!"
-
-The manœuvre was repeated. The ice gave way; the *Pole Star* lunged
-on and cleared to an open lane. Beyond this lane was still another icy
-barrier.
-
-Stirling attacked this with fury. He felt the grip of winter in the air,
-and tiny patches of new ice were forming despite the rising sun. The
-sea, once frozen, would lock them in the North for many winters. The one
-way out was to crush the floes ahead.
-
-The ship grounded on a hidden sand bar which jutted from the nearest
-land to starboard. Stirling gave the order which cleared it, but only
-after an anxious half hour of backing and plunging forward. He mopped
-his brow. The ice had drifted around the point and was bearing down on
-the ship. This time there seemed no escape. Reluctantly he gave the
-signal to cease the attempt, and climbed from the crow's-nest down the
-rigging. They were ice-bound in Barrow Strait.
-
-The ship swung her jib boom toward the land and began drifting ashore.
-Stirling paused at the rail long enough to order the anchor dropped,
-then went aft as the Russians cut the deck lashings and began lifting
-the anchor.
-
-The rattle of the rusty chain through the hawser woke him to the terror
-of the situation. Steam plumed from aft the funnel, but the screw was
-still. The engine-room crowd had emerged from the companion and were
-staring at the wilderness of ice and snow. The sea water overside and
-around the *Pole Star* was scummed with a film of mush ice.
-
-The leader offered Stirling the chart when he reached the quarter-deck,
-and as he took it, he removed his mittens, and breathed upon his
-fingers. They tingled as he tracked the course of the ship from the
-mouth of the Mackenzie, and studied all that the chart had to tell him
-of the strait ahead.
-
-The position of the *Pole Star* was desperate. The formation of heavy
-ice would press her ashore, and a shift of current or advancing floes
-was sure to wreck the ship.
-
-Stirling raised his eyes and rolled up the chart, then passed it back
-to the leader with a shrug of his broad shoulders. The Ice Pilot braced
-his legs against a step, and his eyes swept along the deck. The
-revolutionists had gathered in the waist, and some were pointing to the
-land which lay to starboard, where green patches of moss showed upon the
-lowland, but the hills were crusted with perpetual snow. The weather
-side of the ridge showed deep gullies filled with black ice from which
-streams of water had issued, and then frozen. There was no sign of life,
-save an Arctic bird which wheeled in the sky and started toward the
-southward.
-
-Helen Marr glided across the deck and came to Stirling's side, glancing
-up at him with wonder breaking through the beauty of her eyes. She had
-donned a sealskin cap and long coat, and her red lips and crimson cheeks
-struck him with the force of an accusation. He lowered his glance and
-stared at the deck.
-
-"Can't we go on?" she asked, a tremor in her voice.
-
-"Not now, Miss Helen. Perhaps the ice barrier will open by night, the
-current is still in our favour, but it's the wind that counts. See, it
-is toward shore. That brings the ice."
-
-The girl studied the drifting floes which were gathering about the
-whaler, like chicks about a mother hen. Beyond these floes came others,
-crashing and tumbling, driven by the northeast wind. She turned toward
-the land, and her hand went up to shield her eyes from the glint of sun
-on ice. "What country is that?" she asked.
-
-"That's Russel Island off Prince of Wales Land. If we could get around
-that point we might go on through Barrow Strait."
-
-The girl bit her lip, wheeled suddenly, and stared down at the waist of
-the ship. The revolutionists had grown excited over their argument which
-was as to whether they should leave the ship before it was crushed by
-the gathering floes. They pointed toward the land and the sky beyond,
-where the haze marked still other land. Green spots showed close to
-shore—Arctic moss and tundra.
-
-Stirling touched the girl on the shoulder. "I see them," he said. "They
-may decide to abandon the ship. Let's go below and boil some coffee. I'm
-going to wait until the wind shifts before I decide. They may want me to
-lead a landing party, but I'll stick to the ship."
-
-"And me?"
-
-"Yes; and you—to the last day of my life!"
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER XXXIII—A GRIM WARNING
-=============================
-
-
-The statement was made so fervently that Helen Marr blushed and did not
-answer as she followed the towering form of the Ice Pilot across the
-quarter-deck and down into the cabin, which was warm from the steam
-pipes which led from the boilers. The coffeepot was filled and placed
-over an alcohol stove, and she added some biscuits and marmalade to the
-meal.
-
-Stirling had removed his cap, showing a slight sprinkle of gray in his
-hair, but his eyes spoke of youth and were strong with resolve. She
-raised her glance and smiled as she offered the coffee.
-
-It came to her with force that he was no longer the aged, shaggy bear
-who had crawled up the trapdoor in the deck of the cabin. Her influence
-had been for good, and he reminded her of a faithful Viking who would
-shed his last drop of blood for her protection. The revolutionists were
-potentially dangerous, but she sensed with the intuition of woman that
-they feared Stirling.
-
-He rose from the table and stood with his head close to the deck beams.
-"I'll go up now," he said, "and watch the ice. Your coffee was a fine
-bracer."
-
-She, too, rose and followed him to the step leading to the deck
-companion. "Do you think the Russians will desert the ship?" she asked.
-
-"They go to their death if they do. The land is impassable. It is five
-hundred miles to the nearest Hudson Bay post. Franklin and others could
-not cross that barren land. Nor can the revolutionists."
-
-"But they are Russians and used to the cold."
-
-Stirling shook his head and replaced his cap. "The ship is the only way
-out," he said, sincerely. "We must stick by it!"
-
-He was halfway up the steps when she called to him. He turned and
-glanced down, his fingers on the combing of the hatch. His eyes widened
-as she lifted her face to his and pouted slightly.
-
-"There's one thing we've forgotten," she said.
-
-"What is that?"
-
-"About the man from San Francisco, the one you locked in the cabin.
-Don't you think you should let him loose?"
-
-Stirling caught the note of sympathy in her tones, but he shook his
-head.
-
-"He will behave," she added, quickly. "I'm sure that he will. He is
-afraid of you."
-
-Her eyes were wide and very blue.
-
-"Please let him go," she asked. "I'm sure of him."
-
-The Ice Pilot turned and strode across the cabin, brushed aside the
-curtain, and passed into the alleyway. Voices sounded as Helen Marr
-waited, then Slim appeared with one hand grasping the wrist of the
-other.
-
-He leered through the half light of the cabin, and glanced up at the
-deck opening. "It's a fine way to——" he began, but Stirling silenced
-him with a glance.
-
-"Get on deck!" the Ice Pilot commanded. "Get up and forward! The
-Russians won't kill you, they're too busy deciding whether to abandon
-the ship or not. You'll find food in the galley. Go now!"
-
-Slim paused at the top of the steps and glared down, then ducked his
-unshaven face as Stirling moved toward the foot of the stairs and
-started upward. There was that in Stirling's face which brooked no
-excuses; his jaw was set with a fighting bulge at the point.
-
-The deck was deserted, the wheel swung idle, and the *Pole Star* rose
-and fell with the ground swell which lifted the ice floes and packed
-them upon the shelving beach.
-
-Stirling crossed the planks, after shutting the cabin companion hatch,
-and stood by the canvas rail, studying the excited knot of
-revolutionists in the waist below him. The leader had mounted a hatch
-and was speaking rapidly, pointing now and then to the menace of the ice
-gathering to the north and west.
-
-The land over the starboard rail held a certain lure to ignorant minds,
-the green moss and lichens which showed being apparently a promise of
-greener things to the southward. But Stirling knew that this inference
-could not be made. The way to the American continent was ice strewn and
-bare of animals; a trail of death and starvation.
-
-The Russians moved in a flock to the rail and studied the ice about the
-ship—already firm enough to support a man's weight. The low swinging
-sun had not warmed the air enough to prevent the sea from freezing, and
-floes and drift ice were being cemented in the laboratory of nature. The
-ship alone was free, but encompassed by a ring of spongy ice and snow.
-
-The sky overhead was pale; light flurries of ice particles dropped down
-to the deck, while the Northern aurora played and shot streamers up to
-the zenith. The sun plunged into a heavy haze which seemed to rim the
-entire horizon, and the temperature fell. The barometer was steady at
-twenty-nine, point six. Stirling played for a shift of wind which alone
-would free the ship from the coming deadlock.
-
-He waited, and watched the revolutionists. The dock rat emerged from the
-galley door and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, stared at the
-Russians and then toward the quarter-deck. He made no attempt to come
-aft, and the evil that was stamped in his face held Stirling rigid.
-
-The leader shouted something in Russian, and a hoarse cheer broke from
-many throats. A decision had been reached in regard to abandoning the
-*Pole Star*. Russians to the number of a score sprang forward, ripped
-the battings from the fore hatch, and disappeared into the hold. Others
-ransacked the galley for food and clothes.
-
-A rude sled was devised from part of a whaleboat and rope-yarn
-splicings. Upon this the leader climbed and pointed dramatically toward
-the low-lying land, slapped the chart with the back of his hand, and
-traced out an imaginary course. Stirling leaned far forward and watched
-him, amusement, mingled with pity sweeping over his strong face. He
-called, and then repeated the call. The leader lowered his chart and
-turned.
-
-"You're going to your doom!" declared Stirling. "Abandon this ship and
-you are lost. There is no way to civilization by the land route!" He
-pointed a mittened finger toward the island and the magnetic north.
-
-The leader flushed and struck the chart with a sharp blow, sprang from
-the sled, and hurried aft. Stirling met him with a cold smile. "I told
-you," he said, "that there is no way. No way! Do you understand that?"
-
-"There is a——"
-
-Stirling thrust the leader from the quarter-deck, then turned and strode
-to the companion. Pausing at the hatch, he glanced aloft. Ice had
-appeared upon the cap of the mizzenmast, the rigging was coated with
-frost, and the wind, from the north and east, held steadily. Its
-velocity was not more than eight miles an hour, and it showed signs of
-changing some time during the short Arctic night.
-
-Stirling went below after sliding open the cabin hatch. Helen Marr stood
-by a landward porthole, and she turned and smiled at Stirling, but the
-smile died as she saw the sombre light in his eyes. "What happened?" she
-asked.
-
-"They're going to abandon the ship. It means their death."
-
-"Can't you stop them?" The girl had begun to believe that Stirling was
-strong enough to accomplish anything.
-
-"It would be no use trying," he said, removing his cap and fingering it
-with fingers which tingled. "Their minds are made up. The leader thinks
-he can reach a Hudson Bay post. He does not know what I know——"
-
-Stirling's voice trailed off into an expressive pause, as he thought of
-the grim tales he had heard of Banks Land and the Gulf of Boothia. Many
-trappers and explorers had laid their bones out on the Arctic wilds. The
-land was barren, extending to the white ramparts of the Mackenzie River
-on the south and west, and to the Hudson Bay on the east and north. It
-was without vegetation or animal life for nine months of the year, and
-the water courses were frozen over to the same dead level as the rest of
-the world. Only the white fox and the skulking wolf were to be seen, and
-these two animals were far too wary to be shot.
-
-"They're lost if they leave the ship," said Stirling, waking from his
-thoughts. "We'll stay here and winter, if necessary. The ice may crush
-the *Pole Star*, but we can get enough provisions and fuel ashore to
-last out. It might be possible to work to the west next summer in a
-whaleboat. It all depends on the season. I never saw one so open as this
-one was, but there may never be another like it, Miss Marr."
-
-The girl turned toward the porthole, and the cold breeze which cut
-through the opening brought colour to her cheeks and fanned her hair.
-
-"Is there no chance of getting through to the open sea this summer?" she
-asked, shivering slightly and drawing her deerskin jacket about her
-slight waist.
-
-"Yes, by Heaven; there is a chance!" Stirling's voice rose and filled
-the cabin. "There's a fighting chance, Miss Marr!"
-
-She turned and stared at him, and her lips formed the question. He laid
-his cap on the table and opened his pea-jacket, breathing with giant
-gulps of suppressed emotion. Suddenly the air had grown warm to him. "I
-can get through," he said, "if within a few hours the wind shifts to the
-south and west. That will clear Barrow Strait of ice. Once out of the
-Strait, the way is open to Baffin Bay through the Lancaster Sound."
-
-Helen Marr clapped her hands, then wheeled with swishing skirts and
-stared out through the porthole. "The wind," she said, "is dying. Does
-that indicate anything?"
-
-"Everything!"
-
-"Then the Russians will stay?"
-
-"No; they are going. I want a few to remain with us. That dock rat will,
-he's too lazy to try for the American continent. Perhaps there are
-others who will listen to reason, but the time is short. Maybe through
-the leader I can get the case stated to them, and ask for volunteers who
-are willing to wait for the wind to shift."
-
-Helen Marr glided to the piano and lifted a sealskin coat from its
-stool. She thrust her arms into the sleeves of this as Stirling stepped
-forward with wonder written across his features.
-
-"What are you going to do?" he asked.
-
-"Going to see all of them and talk to them. I'm going to make myself
-understood in some way. Don't you see, Mr. Stirling, the matter is
-serious? If they go, there will be nobody but you and me to work the
-ship when the wind shifts. We couldn't do it alone."
-
-"Well, it's worth trying," said Stirling. "I'll stand on the
-quarter-deck at the weather steps, and you go down to them. Try Slim
-first. The leader won't stay, but some of the younger Russians might."
-
-The girl pressed a cap upon her head, gathered her hair into a knot, and
-ran up the stairs which led to the deck. Stirling picked up a rifle
-before he followed her. They stood in the frosty air and glanced
-forward. The Russians had lowered the sled and provisions to an ice floe
-which had grounded alongside the ship. More ice extended from the floe
-to the shore, and three of the revolutionists had already made the
-passage. They stood on the beach waving their arms.
-
-The girl went down the quarter-deck steps and glided forward over the
-main hatch. She touched Slim on the arm, and the dock rat followed her
-forward to where the revolutionists were breaking out stores from the
-hold.
-
-Stirling watched and waited. The Russians took time to listen to the
-girl's request, but most of them stared at each other dumbly. She
-pointed to the telltale on the mizzenmast, her arm swinging in a
-graceful circle and indicating that the wind would change. She finished
-her argument by springing to the weather rail and showing where the ice
-had cleared from the ship's side.
-
-The magic of her voice and soft presence had its influence upon the
-Russians, and they gathered and surged, and separated into groups.
-Seven, after a shrewd glance toward the barren shore, moved with Slim to
-the galley where the leader had stationed himself. These seven raised
-their arms and turned toward Stirling.
-
-"Come up!" shouted the Ice Pilot, gesturing to help make clear the
-meaning of the words.
-
-Fear had gripped the hearts of every Russian aboard the *Pole Star*; the
-unknown sea and the frost which nipped to the bone had driven a panic
-within their breasts. The leader had stated that it was possible to
-reach a Hudson Bay fort before the setting in of winter, and had added
-that the sea would soon be frozen and the ship crushed.
-
-They believed this to be the case, and the seven which Helen Marr had
-persuaded to remain were in danger from their fellows. Mutiny might
-spread. The leader quickly shouted an order, and the boxes and cans were
-hurled overboard to the ice floe, the Russians following in a long line.
-They stood and glanced upward, their mouths agape, their whiskered faces
-white with hoarfrost.
-
-"Good-bye!" shouted Stirling, waving the rifle. "Good-bye to you all!"
-
-The leader snarled an answer and set about getting the load onto the
-sled where there was scant room for one half of the boxes and cans
-thrown overside. The remainder was left as the troop started across the
-floes and straggled to the beach. Here they turned and watched the ship
-as if loath to give it up.
-
-The girl climbed swiftly to the quarter-deck to Stirling's side.
-
-"Seven stayed," she said, breathlessly. "Seven, and the man from San
-Francisco. Didn't I do well?"
-
-Stirling smiled down upon her and touched his cap. "Yes, little
-captain," he said, gallantly. "You did fine! Tell Slim and four of the
-squad—I guess you can make the Russians understand—to jump below and
-get steam on in the boilers. Tell the men to bank the fires when they
-get well started."
-
-The girl touched her forehead with a regulation salute as she turned and
-smiled upward from the waist of the ship, then advanced upon the dock
-rat and the Russians by the galley door. The Russians understood her
-gestures if not her words, and Slim frowned and scratched his matted
-head, glancing from Russian to Russian. They had accepted him as their
-leader without question, but their sheeplike eyes strayed aft and
-fastened upon the grim figure of Stirling.
-
-Four followed the sailor to the engine-room companion and went down the
-iron ladder. Soon sounds of fires being freshened by new coal came
-through the ventilators, and the ship surged and shook as if freeing
-itself.
-
-Stirling motioned for the three Russians who remained by the galley, and
-they followed the girl to the waist of the ship. He leaned over the
-quarter-deck canvas and stared at them.
-
-The girl climbed the steps and stood by his side. He shielded her with
-his body as they waited while the sun glided within the horizon haze. A
-frosty nip came with its disappearance, and the lines about Stirling's
-lips softened slightly. He turned from the girl and strode to the rail
-on the landward side of the ship, where she joined him, and they watched
-the Russians streaming in a long line over the snow-mantled island. The
-leader turned on the brow of an icy hill and waved farewell; then he was
-gone.
-
-The wind died to a faint breeze which varied during the hours of
-semi-darkness while Stirling and the girl stood the watch. Ice creaked
-and splintered to the north and east; the aurora flamed and crimsoned
-the heavens, with cold light points dying beneath its glow. The moon
-rose with a double ring, revealing its position in the haze, and the
-far-off North pack groaned and whispered its grim warning of danger.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER XXXIV—THROUGH THE DRIVING SNOW
-======================================
-
-
-Soon Stirling felt the girl's body close beside him, but she had said no
-word for hours. The glory of the Arctic night had held her spellbound;
-the beauty of the North enthralled her. She was in tune with the great
-wilderness of ice and snow.
-
-Suddenly a soft gust of vapour-laden air swung over the island and
-pressed the ship toward the true north. This gust was repeated. The
-*Pole Star* tugged at her anchor chain, the floes parted to leeward, and
-a lane of open water showed. This led through the deeper part of Barrow
-Strait; it was the road to open sea and Baffin Bay.
-
-A Russian forward sang out a warning, leaning over the forepeak rail and
-pointing toward the anchor chain.
-
-"The wind has veered!" Stirling said, simply.
-
-"From the south?" she asked.
-
-"No; to the south and west, Miss Marr. We will have open water soon.
-See!"
-
-Helen Marr moved slowly to the rail and stared with brimming eyes toward
-the white sheen of Russel Island, then turned impulsively. "Can't we
-save the Russians?" she asked.
-
-"No," he answered. "They have gone, perhaps to their doom. At least
-there is nothing that we can do for them. For ourselves, we have chosen
-the right road. It leads into the open sea!"
-
-It was midnight by the ship's clock in the cabin when Stirling climbed
-up the companion steps, glanced down at Helen Marr with an assuring nod,
-then strode out upon the deck and swung four-square to the task ahead of
-him.
-
-The sun rimmed the world toward the true west, and through the opal
-haze, its glow brought out the details of the drifting ice which was
-being driven through Barrow Strait by the south wind.
-
-Stirling made a note of this drift, and then moved toward the rail on
-the lee side of the ship. The lane of open water, which showed black
-against the floes and new ice, led toward the east and Melville Sound.
-
-He measured the drift of a passing ice island, sniffed the air, raised
-his hand, then turned slowly and glided toward the wheel. Leaning over
-the canvas barricade he called down to the waist of the ship, and a form
-stirred in the galley's shadow. It was Slim.
-
-"Get below!" snapped Stirling. "Get steam on the forward winch. We're
-going through the ice!"
-
-This terse order rolled along the ship's deck, and brought the remaining
-Russians from the warmth of the forecastle. Slim shrugged his shoulders
-and slouched for the engine-room companion.
-
-Steam soon plumed aft the funnel, when the banked fires were blown into
-glowing coals. The winch wheezed and groaned as a Russian unskilfully
-turned on the two-way cock. Stirling sprang to the lee steps and dropped
-to the waist of the ship, going along the rail like a muffled bear in
-search of prey.
-
-"Unshackle it!" he shouted into the Russian's ear. "The winch is too
-slow. Drive that pin from the anchor chain!"
-
-Stirling pointed to where the chain passed through a hawse hole flush
-with the deck, and the Russian understood. He lifted a belaying pin from
-the rail and drove out the bolt. The anchor chain dropped overside as
-Stirling sprang back, glanced forward, then hurried toward the
-quarter-deck.
-
-Swinging the wheel he reached and jerked the engine-room indicator for
-quarter speed. The engines started, the screw thrashed the new ice
-astern, and the *Pole Star* sheered from the island, driving forward
-toward the lane of dark water.
-
-The sheathed prow cut sharply as Slim opened wide the main valve and
-shouted for more steam. The ship listed, righted, and held a course
-between rail-high floes until Stirling steadied the helm. The way was
-open down the strait.
-
-Helen Marr came through the cabin companion and stood by the nearest
-deck light to Stirling, fearing to bother him or to call his name. Her
-face was flushed with the agony of the moment, as the grinding floes
-under the ship's counter threatened to rip the planks from the ribs.
-The swing of Stirling's body as he wrestled with the wheel was a
-compelling sight, and held her eyes as she waited. She breathed deeply
-of the Arctic air, and called to Stirling, but he did not hear her. His
-straining muscles stood out from his neck, and his shoulders lunged and
-contracted.
-
-The ship plunged on, the funnel belching forth smoke and cinders, which
-starred the night like fireflies, and then fell hissing into the sea
-astern. The land on the starboard beam rose to a barrier below which the
-ice floes curled and eddied.
-
-Stirling smashed through, with his unmittened hands gripping the spokes
-of the wheel. Ahead showed the silvery glint of the moon. Astern, the
-sun mellowed the Arctic world. About was death and cold, gripping
-horror.
-
-It was the passage that Franklin in the *Erebus* and *Terror* had sought
-in vain, and it was open from sea to sea. Stirling realized this fact as
-he reached for the engine-room telegraph and set it for full speed.
-There was a chance to drive through before the wind shifted from the
-south, but he was attempting a thing that the world called impossible.
-
-Four bells came with the *Pole Star* swirled in a white curtain of
-driving snow which had been born of the south wind. The moon showed as a
-silver disk directly over the frosted jib boom, and the sun had been
-blotted from the view.
-
-Helen Marr moved timidly toward the straining form of the Ice Pilot. He
-felt her presence but did not swerve.
-
-She whispered into his muffled ear: "Carry on!"
-
-Stirling nodded and swung the spokes a quarter turn. They came back
-against the palm of his hand, and he peered through the snow. The moon
-had a double ring, and it awoke a verse from the girl who stood wrapped
-in her furs:
-
- | "That orbéd maiden, with white fire laden,
- | Whom mortals call the moon,
- | Glides glimmering o'er my fleece-lined floor,
- | By midnight breezes strewn."
-
-Stirling turned his head slightly and smiled with the snow dripping from
-his lips. The girl glanced ahead and shuddered as a drifting cloud
-obscured the moon. The way was mantled with falling ice particles, and
-the ship's rigging showed up ghostlike. The muffled Russians on the
-forepeak moved about in the gloom like walruses that had climbed aboard.
-
-The *Pole Star* hurtled on. Stirling sensed the true direction with the
-skill of a master pilot and dodged looming ice floes by fathoms. He
-swung the ship toward the magnetic west and reached for the high land
-which towered there, then sheered from this into the channel made by the
-inky waters. The *Pole Star* glided eastward along the meridian, and
-thrust her sharp stem through a lane of seething waves which marked the
-open reaches of Lancaster Sound.
-
-The way to the south—north by the magnetic compass—was also open.
-Stirling sensed that it would be possible to drive through the Gulf of
-Boothia, and this route might take him to Hudson Bay and Hudson Strait.
-He chose the easterly passage and set his feet wide apart as the floes
-dashed down upon the staunch ship.
-
-Helen Marr leaned over the wheel and watched the binnacle. The compass
-whirled and was never still. They were over the true magnetic pole, and
-north was south; only the sense of direction told Stirling the course to
-steer, but he held on grimly, with his jaw set to a block. The Russians
-on the forepeak shouted warnings, waves came over the jib boom and the
-forecastle, and the churning vortex of cross currents and storm dashed
-the ship like a chip in a whirlpool, while the snow fell in circling
-clouds.
-
-The passage led to the lee of North Somerset Island, and a towering
-headland of basalt protected the ship from the fury of the south wind. A
-calm spot showed ahead, through which moonbeams shone.
-
-Stirling released one hand from the wheel and pointed. "See," he said.
-"See, that is Somerset! We're heading for North Devon Island and
-Lancaster Sound. We are already in the Strait. I never knew it was
-open!"
-
-Open it was, as the girl saw. The moon revealed the serrated outlines of
-the land to the southward, where the sharp teeth of the coast range,
-which buttressed the shore, stood out bare of ice or snow. It seemed a
-huge saw cutting across the top of the world.
-
-Stirling breathed deeply and studied the compass, then sheered to the
-true north, crashed through a ledge of locked ice, and won the way to an
-open lane which led toward the east and Baffin Bay.
-
-The girl turned as a light struck across the churning waters, and cried
-out as she saw the orange disk of the sun rising in the south. It had
-broken through the snow flurry. It revealed the land and Sound, which
-were coated in places with the recent snow, and brought out the flying
-clouds as they scudded before the south wind.
-
-She reached and clasped Stirling's arm. "The sun!" she exclaimed. "See,
-our beacon! We shall win through to open sea!"
-
-Stirling brought the wheel up and steadied it, smiling down into the
-girl's glowing face. She watched him as he braced his legs and threw
-back his head, then he turned away from her with a regretful jerk and
-leaned down over the binnacle. He straightened up again as she quoted:
-
- | "The sanguine sunrise with his meteor eyes
- | And his burning plumes outspread,
- | Leaps on the back of my sailing rack
- | When the morning star shines dead."
-
-"The morning star," Stirling said. "It's up there!" He pointed toward
-the zenith, and Helen Marr followed the direction of his steady arm,
-widening her eyes in amazement as she noted the lodestar almost
-overhead. She waited for a cloud to pass and traced out the light points
-of the Great Dipper. She saw then that what she had taken for overhead
-was fourteen or fifteen degrees from the true vertical line.
-
-"We're in about seventy-six degrees," she said, with certainty. "Almost
-to the Pole!"
-
-Stirling unclasped one hand from the spokes of the wheel and touched the
-frosted glass over the binnacle compass. "Run your eyes along the south
-line and you'll be looking toward the Pole. It's a long way down there,
-Miss Marr. We're trying to work in the other direction."
-
-The ship had covered the worst of the passage and the parting floes
-showed the road to open sea. Stirling had made no mark of time, but he
-realized dimly that Slim and the others who had gone below were getting
-the utmost out of the boilers. The screw thrashed at its best speed, and
-the smudge of smoke which drifted toward the north blotted out the view
-of North Devon Island along which the course had led them.
-
-Stirling breathed for the first time, sure of himself. He turned and
-smiled at Helen Marr. "Cape Hay," he said, "is somewhere over there!"
-
-The girl had never heard of Cape Hay, but shielding herself by the
-ice-coated shrouds of the mizzen rigging, she strained her eyes toward
-the south and east. Clouds showed beneath the silver reflection of the
-moon, and a darker line was below the clouds. It rose in one point to a
-headland.
-
-She came back across the slippery deck and nodded. "I see it," she said
-into his ear. "It's a long way off, Mr. Stirling."
-
-Stirling smiled and nodded toward the binnacle. "We're on the course,"
-he said. "How about a little coffee, Miss Marr?"
-
-She was gone across the quarter-deck and down the cabin companion in an
-instant.
-
-Stirling opened two buttons of his pea-jacket and drew forth his great
-silver watch. It was running, but the hours which had passed were
-effaced from his memory. He had stood at the wheel for seven tricks, but
-the distant Cape was thirty miles away through the driving snow. The
-wind was shifting toward the west and abeam, and he knew that it would
-be nip and tuck if he were to gain the open waters of Baffin Bay.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER XXXV—A MATTER OF MINUTES
-================================
-
-
-The floes through which Stirling guided the ship became larger and
-higher. Old "grandpas" drifted by—their sides honeycombed by the action
-of the water. These floes had broken from the true pack and had come
-south through Smith Sound. Icebergs were to be expected, since the coast
-of Greenland was filled with glaciers. Stirling peered forward and
-searched the sea, momentarily expecting to glimpse a white barrier
-beyond which he could not go, but none showed as the watch lengthened.
-
-The girl appeared with a steaming can of black coffee, and also biscuits
-and bread. Stirling set the can on the top of the brass binnacle hood
-and munched a biscuit, eying Helen Marr with concern. Dark circles
-showed upon her face, her lips had lost some of their blood, and tiny
-puckers ran from the corners of her mouth.
-
-He moved the wheel and said to her, "Please get some sleep. You look
-tired, Miss Marr. I'll hold on!"
-
-She laughed, drawing close her deerskin jacket, and reaching for the
-spokes. "Let me steer?" she asked. "It isn't so bad now. I can hold the
-course."
-
-"Keep her steady, then!" said Stirling with a smile, releasing the
-spokes and staring at the compass. "Steady, she is, while I go forward.
-There's a lane of open water ahead somewhere. We must find it."
-
-She nodded, stared at the binnacle, and the spokes moved slowly and in
-the right direction as Stirling crossed the deck and descended to the
-waist of the ship. He paused a moment at the galley house and glanced
-in. Two Russians stood by the stove, cooking a mess for the engine-room
-crew.
-
-Stirling nodded and worked his way forward over the icy deck. He climbed
-up the weather shrouds and out and over the cross jack, dropping into
-the crow's-nest.
-
-Floes were scattered over the waters of Lancaster Sound near where it
-reached Baffin Bay. The wind had driven a mass of ice up through Prince
-Regent Inlet, and its reaching fangs threatened to dash the ship ashore
-on North Devon Island.
-
-Stirling with his binoculars swept the entire horizon. The wind had
-shifted a point over the hour, and now came from over the high plateau
-of Baffin Land, as it circled to the magnetic north and the true west.
-This would close Lancaster Sound so that no ship could drive a passage
-through.
-
-Reaching forward, Stirling rested his elbows upon the edge of the
-crow's-nest and strained his eyes toward the opening which showed in the
-direction of Cape Hay and Baffin Bay. It was partly choked with ice, and
-a low berg loomed in the haze.
-
-Turning, Stirling called down to Helen Marr, and the order he gave was
-to put the wheel up and then steady it. The new course was more toward
-the true south than the east, and was calculated to head off the
-reaching arm of ice which threatened to close Lancaster Sound.
-
-After a last glance over the wild waste of waters and snow-mantled
-lands, Stirling swung out of the crow's-nest and started toward the
-deck. Icicles and frozen patches of snow fell from the shrouds as the
-ship swerved and steadied on the given course. Stirling saw that the
-girl had avoided a floe by a skillful lift of the wheel.
-
-This fact cheered him. He had a companion who was doing her best, a true
-friend to a sailorman who had broken through to a desperate sea. He went
-down the remainder of the shrouds and over the deck with his head
-lowered in thought. The chance to save the ship was slight, and it would
-call for all his cunning in ice work. The fangs were being bared for the
-final nip. Already the floes had thickened ahead.
-
-"I'll take the wheel," he said as he stepped to her side. "You go below
-for an hour. Then I shall call you."
-
-"Is there any danger?"
-
-"We'll either be nipped within two hours, or we will gain the Northeast
-Passage. Baffin Bay lies ahead!"
-
-"Then I'll stay on deck!" declared the girl. "I'll stay right by your
-side!"
-
-Stirling took the wheel and set the course a point more toward the
-south. He was between the alternative of striking directly toward the
-swinging arm of ice which was closing the sound like a door, or seeking
-a narrow passage between the giant field and the forbidding coast near
-Cape Hay. He chose the latter.
-
-The hour that followed drove the spike of fear into the Russians'
-hearts. The engine-room crew, led by Slim, left the fires in order to
-peer through the companion, and were forced back by the menace in
-Stirling's voice.
-
-The ship met the giant floes, backed, reeled, and drove on, threading
-through the new ice and gaining open patches of water which closed
-behind. Bergs drifted down upon them, but Stirling avoided the shelving
-spires and worked toward the south and east.
-
-Snow flurries blotted out all view; the wind swung from the true west to
-the north, and held in its grip the icy cold of winter. It struck
-through the girl's furs and chilled her body, as she walked back and
-forth along the quarter-deck watching Stirling, who seemed possessed
-with a Viking's rage at the elements gathered about. His one aim was to
-guide the ship between the Cape and the ice field. Open water still
-showed ahead of this narrow passage.
-
-The *Pole Star* swirled in the current and ran down the wind which was
-now abeam. A leaden pall crept over the surface of the watery world, and
-the ice floes ground against the skin of the ship and obstructed the
-way. Stirling shaded his eyes from the snow and peered forward. The ice
-had gathered upon the spokes of the wheel, and a sleet drove from aft to
-forward.
-
-Gripped by the majesty of their danger, the girl watched Stirling and
-prayed for deliverance. She knew that the reaching arm had overtaken the
-driving ship. It was a matter of minutes now whether they would gain the
-waters of Baffin Bay or be crushed between the floes and the rocky
-headland. A single screw's turn might decide the matter.
-
-The ship staggered and swerved; a crash sounded as the sharp stem
-mounted a floe. The world seemed to the girl to spin, as Stirling
-reached downward, grasped the spokes, and lifted the wheel so that the
-staggering ship could turn from the land. He sheered in the moment of
-time, and the spars grated along the overhang of basalt.
-
-Suddenly Stirling stiffened and rapidly twirled the wheel, leaned far
-over the spokes, and watched the waters ahead of the *Pole Star*. A rift
-showed through the floes, and toward this he steered. The last of the
-reaching ice sprang landward, leaped the distance, and drove its teeth
-toward the ship. It missed by a scant cable's length, and the crash and
-reverberation as this ice was dashed upon the shore woke Helen Marr from
-her prayers. She staggered to her feet, and stood swaying on the
-slippery deck. Stirling had swung and was staring at her, his strong
-face covered with a broad smile.
-
-He turned the spokes by instinct as he continued to look at her. "Look,"
-he said, pointing a steady finger aft. "Look, Miss Marr!"
-
-She wheeled and looked over the taffrail of the *Pole Star*. Ice, piled
-upon ice, blocked the passage through which they had come. The roar of
-the great North pack was like a baffled horde held at bay. The ship
-plunged on and out into open water.
-
-"Where are we?" she asked, pressing a hand to her forehead. "Where are
-we, Mr. Stirling?"
-
-The Ice Pilot smiled, swung, steadied the wheel, and motioned over the
-wild world of tossing waves. "That's Baffin Bay!" he said. "We have made
-the Northeast Passage!"
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER XXXVI—ACROSS THE CABIN
-==============================
-
-
-Helen Marr glided to the canvas rail that overlooked the waist of the
-*Pole Star*, brushed the hair from her face, and wrung the water from
-her mittens.
-
-Then she turned to Stirling with a high toss of her chin. "Are you going
-across?" she asked.
-
-"To Greenland, miss."
-
-"But why not south and—home?"
-
-Stirling moved the wheel a spoke and blocked it with his knee, pointing
-toward the shores of Baffin Land.
-
-The girl cried aloud as she saw the reason for the Ice Pilot's course.
-Ice backed by more ice was rushing northward; winter had arrived, and
-new floes and bergs were forming in the west. There was no route to the
-southward, and the ship held the only open lane.
-
-"Greenland," she said with hesitancy. "But Greenland is as wild as that
-coast." She pointed over the *Pole Star's* quarter.
-
-Stirling smiled and removed his knee from the wheel. He changed the
-course more to the true north, and the ship plunged on as Slim and the
-Russians realized that they had escaped from the white jaws of an icy
-death.
-
-"Greenland," said Stirling, "is Heaven compared to Baffin Land. You
-shall see."
-
-The girl hesitated and glanced at Stirling, who was consulting the
-binnacle, reaching an arm through the spokes of the wheel and wiping the
-glass with his bare fingers. A tiny light showed over the compass as the
-wheel moved with a slow lifting of the starboard rope.
-
-The ship steadied, a halo of smoke and flame crowning the single funnel.
-Slim, the Frisco dock rat, was redeeming himself, and his voice rolled
-up through the ventilators as he urged the Russians in the stokehold to
-renewed efforts.
-
-Stirling partly turned his face and watched the girl, who soon was gone
-over the quarter-deck with a faint nod backward. The closing companion
-slide told Stirling that she had been slightly offended by his
-preoccupied manner, and wondered at this as he stared with unseeing eyes
-out over the waters of Baffin Bay.
-
-Hour after hour he guided the ship, a lone figure wrapped in thought and
-retrospection. He knew nothing of women; he felt that Helen Marr was as
-remote as the stars above him, and he had grown to look upon her as a
-companion—that was all. He feared to trust his mind to go more deeply
-into the matter.
-
-The course he had chosen revealed the hand of a super-pilot. The
-grinding floes to leeward were blown by the wind in such a manner as to
-leave an open lane between them and the pack which was rushing to fill
-the Bay. The last days of the open season had arrived; a week, at the
-most, would see the water frozen over and cemented into an icy lock
-which would hold until the next July.
-
-There was a limit to his endurance—strong man as he was. A swerve of
-the ship—the running off a full point—brought the truth home to him
-that he had been asleep. He woke and gathered himself together with a
-shrug of his shoulders, only soon to doze again. The ship went off the
-course, crashed against a drifting floe, and a Russian called a warning
-from the forepeak.
-
-Stirling stiffened and twirled the spokes in time to avoid an ice island
-of an acre's extent. He stared upward, as if in the heavens would be
-found inspiration, and the haze of sky and snow and whirling sleet
-allowed the faint light of the sun to penetrate its veil. He calculated
-the sun's position, and drew out his watch, remembering the drift of the
-currents in Baffin Bay. It might be necessary to take a lunar or solar
-observation before he reached the Greenland shore, which was more than a
-day's steaming to the eastward.
-
-Grimly Stirling blocked the wheel, replaced his watch, rose on tiptoes,
-and called the Russian from the forepeak. Fortunately, this lookout had
-some slight knowledge of steering. He climbed the steps on the leeward
-side and touched his cap.
-
-Stirling pointed at the binnacle. "Keep that course," he said. "Do you
-understand?"
-
-The Russian grinned and grasped the spokes of the wheel. Stirling
-stepped back a foot or more and watched the jib boom of the ship as it
-hung steady above the dark waters, then staggered toward the cabin
-companion. Down this he went, paused irresolutely in the light which
-streamed from the deck cluster, then pitched across a divan which was
-between two closed portholes, and sank into the deepest slumber of his
-life.
-
-He awoke as if his sleep had been but a moment. Every limb ached. He
-glanced upward and saw Helen Marr standing over him, her expression
-intent and compassionate. She opened her lips, but did not speak, and
-her eyes travelled over Stirling's features, then swung toward the
-table. A steaming pot of coffee stood there, and beside it were biscuits
-and potted beef.
-
-Stirling staggered to his feet and felt around with his hands. His coat
-had been removed while he slept; a pillow lay where his head had been,
-and the divan was partly covered with a Navaho blanket.
-
-He realized that she had covered him up, and he appreciated, too, her
-thoughtful attention in keeping warm the coffee.
-
-Stirling stepped to the table and turned. "Thank you," he said.
-
-She smiled with comradeship and came across the cabin. "I've been on
-deck," said she, pointing toward the cabin companion. "The sun is on
-the ice, and the Russian is still holding the course you gave him."
-
-Stirling looked at his pocket; he had slept thirteen hours. Soon he
-began to eat, now and then glancing at the girl by his side. He finished
-without words and entered Marr's cabin. When he emerged, ten minutes
-later, his chin was clean shaven and his hair parted.
-
-He crammed some tobacco into a cord-wrapped pipe, found his cap and
-coat, and turned toward her as he placed one foot on the steps leading
-to the cabin companion. "Are you coming up?" he asked.
-
-"Do you want me to?"
-
-Stirling smiled. "You're my first mate," he said. "You and I shall
-finish the passage to Greenland. We should reach Upernivik by midnight."
-
-"Is that a port?" Her voice had taken on new strength as she watched
-him.
-
-"Yes," he answered. "About the only place we can safely winter. Are you
-sorry I didn't try for Davis Strait and the North Atlantic?"
-
-"You knew best," she declared, turning away from his level glance. "I
-shall be on deck in ten minutes," she added, softly.
-
-Stirling thrust his head and shoulders above the cabin companion and
-studied the scene on the deck. The Russian drowsed at the wheel, with
-his body leaning over the spokes; the funnel was still mantled with a
-rolling cloud of smoke; two of the revolutionists stood forward by the
-break of the forecastle peak, keeping watch.
-
-Crossing the icy planks, Stirling touched the Russian on the shoulder
-and motioned for him to go forward and get some sleep. Stirling's smile
-was so contagious that the Russian thrust out his hand impulsively, and
-Stirling grasped it with fervour.
-
-He looked at the binnacle and then swept the sea, his eyes widening in
-calculation. The lane of open water stretched east and west across
-Baffin Bay. South, by the glint on the horizon haze, ice was gathered
-for the closing in of winter. Northward, bergs and floes showed,
-marshalled in squadrons and companies like soldiers preparing for a
-charge. The sky, seen through the falling snow, was leaden.
-
-With some slight trepidation, Stirling awaited the coming of Helen Marr.
-She had acted strangely of late. They were to be thrown together during
-the ten months of winter at Upernivik; there would be no possible escape
-to a more civilized community.
-
-Slim, the Frisco dock rat, appeared at the railing of the engine-room
-companion. He emerged to the deck and walked aft, his face grimy. Up the
-quarter-deck steps he came—on the leeward side, out of deference to
-Stirling.
-
-Slim glanced forward, and swung his head as he reached the wheel.
-"Thought I'd sort of apologize," he said, thrusting out his hand. "I'm
-with you all the way now for what you did."
-
-Stirling released his hand from the spokes and clasped the dock rat's
-fingers. "Keep up steam the way you have and I've no kick coming," said
-the Ice Pilot. "We should reach winter quarters by midnight."
-
-Slim went forward and disappeared down the engine-room companion. The
-Russians on the forecastle head, who had seen the attitude of the two
-men, raised their arms and waved, then turned to faithful duty as
-lookouts. Peace had settled on the former poacher.
-
-Stirling studied the back of one of these Russians as he waited for
-Helen Marr to appear. Ivan, he was called. It was Ivan, of the Russians
-from the province of the Don Cossacks, who had stood the long trick
-while Stirling slept. The Ice Pilot made a note of this.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER XXXVII—THE CALLING BEACON
-=================================
-
-
-The companion slide opened suddenly and Helen Marr emerged from the
-cabin. She stood in furs and close-drawn cap as Stirling swung the wheel
-and looked at her. She surveyed the wild waste of dark waters with a
-thoughtful pucker on her brow before she came to his side. Then her eyes
-lifted to the faint light which streamed from the leaden vault of
-heaven. The sun was rimming the horizon behind the veil of mist.
-
-For hours the two stood side by side, Stirling keeping the course with
-easy movements. The ship threaded in and out of small ice floes which
-were gathering by mutual attraction.
-
-There was the smell of land in the air. The seals sported and dived
-before the dark form of the onrushing ship, and walrus and killer whales
-appeared within the lane of water. Birds wheeled and circled the frosted
-spars that moved through the mist.
-
-Stirling sensed that they were nearing the shores of Greenland. He rose
-on tiptoe and peered ahead, where a darker mass, broken here and there
-by ice fields, came out of the haze. It was indented by fiords and
-inlets.
-
-He turned to the girl. "No chance to take an observation," he said.
-"We're going to run a bit down the coast. I think I can make the
-headland at Upernivik. There should be lights there."
-
-She nodded her head and fastened upon him the fine glance of a comrade
-to a comrade. "I'll steer," she suggested, holding out her hands.
-
-Stirling shook his head slowly, leaned away from her, and bent over the
-binnacle, then changed the course of the *Pole Star* until the dark
-coast was over the port bow. Holding this course, he waited and strained
-his eyes for some sign of light.
-
-He heard the beat of waves within the coves, a glacier separated, and
-the sound of the falling berg thundered far out to sea. The ship rocked
-and trembled in the swiftly running waves; then it steadied and crept
-closer to land. They glided like a dream thing in the shadow of a haven.
-An opal citadel took the place of the leaden vault, as the moon rose in
-the south and east and bathed the fast-flying clouds with a pale, unreal
-light. Through these clouds white stars shone and twinkled.
-
-"We're near Upernivik!" said Stirling as midnight approached. "Keep a
-sharp lookout for lights, Miss Marr."
-
-His voice troubled her, and his use of the "Miss Marr" instead of a more
-familiar name caused her to creep closer to the wheel.
-
-"What are we going to do?" she asked, vaguely.
-
-"Winter at Upernivik and go out in the spring."
-
-"But won't that be many long months?"
-
-"Nine or ten," said Stirling, rubbing his eyes with the back of his
-right hand and turning toward her. "There is nothing else to do," he
-added. "We can save the ship that way. The *Pole Star* belongs to
-you—now."
-
-A flush swept over her cheeks, and she reached up her mittened hands,
-brushing her hair back from her ears. "Let the Russian steer," she
-suggested. "Let him steer and you and I can talk by the rail."
-
-Stirling noted the course, then called forward. Ivan turned and hurried
-aft, coming over the break of the quarter-deck with his hand on his cap.
-
-"Steady, as she is," said Stirling, releasing the spokes. "Watch for
-lights ashore. Upernivik—you understand?"
-
-The Russian nodded. Helen Marr and the Ice Pilot moved aft and stood by
-the taffrail as the ship glided on with its jib boom parallel to the
-sombre Greenland shore.
-
-The girl turned her face away from Stirling's and looked over the
-taffrail where the silver phosphorescence of the wake was broken in
-countless places by the reaching waves. The moon had emerged from the
-clouds, and it scudded along as if driven by silver sails, its rays
-illuminating the quarter-deck.
-
-Stirling felt strangely troubled in the presence of the silent girl. He
-stepped back a foot, then came forward with the roll of the ship, as her
-hand reached out and rested upon the taffrail.
-
-Through the citadel the *Pole Star* glided under half steam. A faint
-roar of running waters came from the shore, and there was the echoing of
-waves on the shelving beaches. The headland toward which the ship
-steered was rounded, and beyond, like a jewel in a locket, glistened a
-sapphire light.
-
-"Upernivik!" said Stirling.
-
-The girl nodded her head, turning away from the land and staring at the
-surface of Baffin Bay. Then her eyes fastened upon Stirling's and in
-them he read the secret of her silence. He flushed and raised his hand
-to his smooth-shaven chin, then lowered it and reached forward timidly.
-
-"Look!" she said, suddenly.
-
-Stirling stiffened his arm and turned. He saw the spire of a little
-church on the beach in the cove, where it showed against the snow of the
-hillside like a calling beacon.
-
-"Starboard half a point," said Stirling to the wheelsman.
-
-The Russian swung the wheel, and the girl still stared at the glistening
-spire, parting her lips to whisper:
-
-"A house of worship—a church."
-
-Stirling thrust out his hand and covered her fingers where they rested
-on the rail of the ship. She allowed them to remain there, and a glad
-warmth mingled and surged through their bodies.
-
-The ship plowed on within the land ice which crunched under the sharp
-bow. Stirling glanced upward and saw the white spire against the dark
-clouds which had been driven across the snowy mountains of Greenland.
-
-Then he clasped the girl's fingers as he drew her to him, and he felt
-her heated breath when their lips met.
-
-
-.. class:: center
-
-THE END
-
-----
-
-
-
-.. class:: x-large
-
-BOOKS BY HENRY LEVERAGE
-
- | `Ice Pilot, The`
- | `Shepherd of the Sea, The`
- | `Where Dead Men Walk`
- | `Whispering Wires`
- | `White Cipher, The`
-
-|
-|
-|
-|
-|
-
-.. _pg_end_line:
-
-\*\*\* END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ICE PILOT \*\*\*
-
-.. backmatter::
-
-.. toc-entry::
- :depth: 0
-
-.. _pg-footer:
-
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diff --git a/35518-rst/images/cover.jpg b/35518-rst/images/cover.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 82f0bf8..0000000 --- a/35518-rst/images/cover.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/35518-rst/images/front.jpg b/35518-rst/images/front.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index cb67e48..0000000 --- a/35518-rst/images/front.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/35518.txt b/35518.txt deleted file mode 100644 index f8d3e26..0000000 --- a/35518.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,8317 +0,0 @@ - THE ICE PILOT - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost -no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it -under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this -eBook or online at http://www.gutenberg.org/license. - -Title: The Ice Pilot - -Author: Henry Leverage - -Release Date: March 07, 2011 [EBook #35518] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: US-ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ICE PILOT *** - - - - -Produced by Darleen Dove, Mary Meehan, and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net. - -This file was produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive/American Libraries. - - - - THE ICE PILOT - BY HENRY LEVERAGE - - - - - FRONTISPIECE BY - RUDOLPH TANDLER - - GARDEN CITY, N. Y., AND TORONTO - DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & COMPANY - 1921 - - COPYRIGHT, 1921, BY - DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & COMPANY - - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, INCLUDING THAT OF TRANSLATION - INTO FOREIGN LANGUAGES, INCLUDING THE SCANDINAVIAN - - COPYRIGHT, 1919, BY STREET AND SMITH CORPORATION - - DEDICATED TO - THE CAPTAIN OF THE _KARLUK_ - SEASON 1897-8 - - - - -[Illustration: _The floes through which Stirling guided the ship became -larger and higher_] - - - - -CONTENTS - - - - CHAPTER I--THE COAST OF BARBARY - - CHAPTER II--ON A MAN'S SEA - - CHAPTER III--OVER THE QUARTER-DECK - - CHAPTER IV--ON THE SPARKLING SEA - - CHAPTER V--INTO A PURPLE TWILIGHT - - CHAPTER VI--BY THE GREAT-CIRCLE ROUTE - - CHAPTER VII--DRIFTERS AND DERELICTS - - CHAPTER VIII--ON A LOWER BUNK - - CHAPTER IX--THE POLAR BARRIER - - CHAPTER X--TO THE LAST DAY - - CHAPTER XI--BENEATH THE SURFACE - - CHAPTER XII--THE MANNER OF MAN - - CHAPTER XIII--INTO THE ICE - - CHAPTER XIV--A WHISPERED WARNING - - CHAPTER XV--OUT OF THE PORTHOLE - - CHAPTER XVI--FROM HIS POCKET - - CHAPTER XVII--INTO FORBIDDEN WATERS - - CHAPTER XVIII--WITH THE SPEED OF WIND - - CHAPTER XIX--A TOAST FROM MARR - - CHAPTER XX--THE MOVING SHADOWS - - CHAPTER XXI--THROUGH THE PORTHOLE - - CHAPTER XXII--ALONE IN THE CABIN - - CHAPTER XXIII--OVER THE STERN - - CHAPTER XXIV--BEFORE THE WHEEL - - CHAPTER XXV--IN THE GRIP OF THE UNKNOWN - - CHAPTER XXVI--IN THE SUDDEN DARKNESS - - CHAPTER XXVII--IN THE PIT - - CHAPTER XXVIII--THE THIRD DOOR - - CHAPTER XXIX--TO SEE IT THROUGH - - CHAPTER XXX--IN SWIFT SALUTE - - CHAPTER XXXI--DANGER AND DOUBT - - CHAPTER XXXII--TO THE LAST DAY - - CHAPTER XXXIII--A GRIM WARNING - - CHAPTER XXXIV--THROUGH THE DRIVING SNOW - - CHAPTER XXXV--A MATTER OF MINUTES - - CHAPTER XXXVI--ACROSS THE CABIN - - CHAPTER XXXVII--THE CALLING BEACON - - - - -CHAPTER I--THE COAST OF BARBARY - - -It was raining in San Francisco. - -Over that Bagdad of the West a thin drizzling mist swept like some fine -seiner's net; over the Bay a fog hung. - -A man stood alone on the crest of Telegraph Hill. Below him the city -stretched with its square-checked habitations; its long, blurred lanes -of lights; its trolley cars creeping like glow-worms up and down the -slippery inclines. - -That evening the man had watched the sun go down in yellow splendour. He -had seen the shadow of night chase the sunlight in a mad frolic beyond -the edge of the world. He had noted--for his eyes were sharp--the -fore-topsail of a windjammer cut a square nick out of the horizon, and -come like a scared white thing through the Golden Gate. - -Directly below the man a house, which was perched on the declivity, -seemed to burst with drunken mirth and laughter. A woman's voice swung -in tune with a tinkling piano. She sang an old chantey that whalers -know: - - "'Rah for the grog-- - The jolly, jolly grog. - 'Rah for the grog and tobacco. - We've spent all our tin with the ladies, drinking gin, - And across the briny ocean we must wan--der----" - -The man shrugged his shoulders, clinked two silver coins together, and -descended the hill to the Blubber Room, from whence the song had come. - -The piano drummed out a noisy welcome when he opened and closed the -door. - -He took a seat at a table, removed his cap from his gray-sprinkled head, -leaned back, and looked around the smoky interior of the Blubber Room. -The figures of old salts, crimps, half-pay officers, and one -square-jawed sailor loomed through the fetid air. A woman with carmined -lips and a thin blue neck stood by a youth who played the piano. - -It was all familiar to Stirling--known from the Clyde to the Golden Horn -as Horace Stirling, the Ice Pilot. He had been in such dives before. He -knew Number Nine, Yokohama, and the Silver Dollar at Manila. - -Stirling had struck hard luck, chicken farming over Oakland way. His -chickens died as sailors die of scurvy at Herschel Island, and he wanted -to quit the shore. - -The sea and the Arctic called, and he had little money left. There was a -chance for adventure in the Blubber Room that night; rumour had it that -a ship was outfitting for a passage to East Cape, Siberia, and the -unknown land around the Pole. - -Stirling possessed a countenance stamped with the seal of misfortune--a -face with which destiny loves to toy, the face of a rover and a -castaway, yet withal, a strong face which would remain strong to the -very end. - -His eyes were dark brown and wide-set. His nose was long and divided -full; round cheeks blood-veined to a purplish tinge that spoke not only -of wind and weather, of the sea and brine, but also of the lees and -dregs of a wanderer's life. - -The figure of him, sitting at the table, seemed blocked from sturdy oak. - -He eyed the patrons of the Blubber Room and concluded that the adventure -he sought for was far away from that noisy, smoke-filled dive. There was -but one occupant who looked capable of a desperate enterprise--the -sailor--and this man sat hunched in a chair as if he had been drinking -heavily of temperance-time alcohol. - -Stirling studied the sailor's face and found lines in it which were -slightly familiar. It brought to his mind the Revenue Service and a -second lieutenant whom he had met off the Little Diomede Island in -Bering Strait. - -Turning from his scrutiny of the sailor, Stirling looked at the door of -the Blubber Room through which two men stepped who would have attracted -attention anywhere. - -These men, glistening from the rain, took seats at a table and called -for a bottle of light wine. One man was a Yankee, by his nasal -undertones and tobacco-stained goatee. The other man was half the weight -of the first, thin, alert, with a well-trimmed Vandyke beard over which -glittered a pair of eyes that resembled gimlets in their pointed -intensity. - -Upon both of these men lay the badge of the sea--in their gestures, -their pea-jackets, and their peculiar habit of always leaning against -something, which is acquired on decks of ships. - -Stirling studied these men, watched them drink the wine, and saw that -they had fallen under the hidden observation of the sailor who resembled -a second lieutenant of the Revenue Service. - -The Ice Pilot sensed adventure. He also ordered a bottle of light wine, -and paid for it with his last dollar. He sipped the liquid slowly, -pretended to be interested in the woman at the piano, and waited for -something to happen. - -He had not long to wait. - -The two seamen rose from their table, tossed down coins, glanced -meaningly toward the woman at the piano and the waiter who had served -them wine, and went out from the Blubber Room. - -Stirling looked at the sailor, who half-lifted himself from his chair, -thought better of the action, dropped back, thrust his elbows on the -table, and buried his face in his palms. - -The woman's song rose and fell in the heated air, while the lamps -flickered and almost went out. The piano's tinkling notes settled to a -shrill tune that was a signal. - -There followed swifter than Stirling could make note of the events, an -oath from the waiter, a curse upon somebody, a loud banging of the -piano, and a woman's penetrating scream. - -A chair, a cuspidor, and part of a table hurtled across the Blubber -Room; bottles struck the walls; the light went out when the lamps fell -in a thousand pieces to the floor. - -Stirling overturned his table, stumbled through the gloom, tripped over -a body, went down on all fours, and crawled to the door. He raised -himself and attempted to turn the knob, but it would not budge. He heard -behind him the shrieks of the woman and the thud of many blows, then, -after a minute's uproar, a match was lighted, shielded in a red palm, -and its rays directed downward to the sawdust floor. - -The Ice Pilot felt his heart throb in his staunch body. The woman, who -had stood by the piano, lay face upward with the hilt of a seaman's -knife protruding from her breast; carmine stained her neck and waist. - -"Watch th' door an' windows!" a seaman cried. "Somebody's gone an' -croaked Thedessa." - -Accusing eyes glowed in the match's yellow light, and the Ice Pilot felt -that he was the centre of suspicion. A hand was raised and a long finger -pointed toward him. - -He waited until someone lighted the wick of a smashed lamp, then -stepping from the locked door he went to the woman and knelt by her -side. Rising, he said, "I didn't kill her. I think the piano-player -did." - -"Maybe she ain't dead," said a voice that Stirling recognized as coming -from the sailor. - -The waiter took off his apron, closed one eye craftily, and, after a -brutal laugh and a sharp glance around the circle of seaman, exclaimed: - -"Aw, nobody killed her-she just fell on th' knife!" - -Stirling sought for the piano-player who had vanished. He square-set his -shoulders, clenched his fists, and cleared his throat. - -"I'll go for the police," he said. - -The waiter and a seaman grasped his sturdy arms. "Hol' on," they urged. - -"Why should I hold on?" - -The waiter eyed the woman on the floor. - -"She's dead. Nobody knows who killed her. Let's all help carry th' body -out to Meigg's Wharf an' set her afloat." - -Stirling shook his head. He heard behind him the soft step of the -piano-player who came from a door set near the piano. - -"I'll swing for it," he said to the Ice Pilot, a whine in his voice. -"Help me out of th' mess, matey. Let's set Thedessa adrift--she always -wanted to float out to sea that way." - -Stirling felt an urging glance from the sailor who resembled the -second-lieutenant. He moved to this man's side and was going to question -him when the wick of the lamp sputtered and went out. - -Another wick was lighted and this was thrust in the mouth of a wine -bottle, where it flared like a torch at sea. - -"What d'ye say?" questioned the piano-player. "What does everybody say? -Th' police will pinch us all for th' murder an' keep us in jail for -weeks." - -"You knifed that woman!" declared Stirling. - -The piano-player blinked his pale lashes, then went to the door, drew a -key from his pocket, and threw back the bolt of the lock. He looked out -into the vale of mist and fog that stretched from Telegraph Hill to the -waters of the Bay. - -"Who'll help me carry Thedessa?" he queried. - -A crimp, the waiter, and one or two seamen offered their services. -Stirling hesitated, but again he felt the urge from the -second-lieutenant, and agreed by nodding his head. - -The piano-player, who knew the path, led the way with the woman's feet -under his arm, the waiter and a seaman supporting Thedessa's head. -Stirling and the sailor brought up the rear. - -"My name is Eagan," said the sailor. "We'll go along and see what -happens. It's th' best way out of a nasty jam." - -"Were you in the Bering Strait three seasons ago?" - -Eagan shook his head, clutched Stirling's arm, and guided him after the -trio who had carried the woman out upon Meigg's Wharf and were lowering -her into a Whitehall boat. - -"No," he said to Stirling. "But I got something to say to you--after -awhile. Something important." - -The Ice Pilot hesitated on the stringer-piece of the wharf and looked -toward the fog-covered Bay, but again Eagan guided him on. They seized -hold of a painter that was hitched to a cleat, descended to the -Whitehall boat, and cast loose from the wharf. - -Thedessa lay in the stern of the boat where the piano-player and waiter -sat with their heads close together. A seaman rowed skilfully, and the -sharp-prowed boat cut through the short waves, swung, steadied, and made -toward a dark mass on the surface of San Francisco Bay. - -Stirling suddenly felt water around his boots. He glanced down and -lifted his feet. He heard a cry from the piano-player. - -"We're sinking! There's no plug in this boat!" - -Eagan attempted to find the plug-hole. He rose with his hands dripping -bilge muck. The man at the oars dug the blades deep into the bay, bent -his back, and dug again as if his life were at stake. - -Stirling climbed into the bow of the boat, stared through the fog, and -heard a ship's bell striking. He motioned for the oarsman to row in that -direction, and the light craft steadied upon the dark mass. - -Reaching upward, the Ice Pilot warded off the boat and grasped a -dangling line that ran over a ship's rail at the waist. He nudged Eagan -and went hand-over-hand upward until one palm hooked the rail, then he -turned his head and looked at the boat. - -The piano-player, the waiter, and the woman--all three very much -alive--were standing on the thwarts. Eagan and the other seamen had -found lines up which they were climbing. - -Stirling saw the woman draw a bent knife from her breast, toss it -overboard, and wring the water from her skirts. - -He heard her mocking song as the Whitehall boat merged in the fog, and -finally was gone back toward Meigg's Wharf and the Blubber Room: - - "It's 'rah for th' grog-- - Th' jolly, jolly grog! - It's 'rah for th' grog an' tobacco! - For you've spent all your tin with th' ladies, drinkin' gin, - An' across th' brimy ocean you must wan--der----" - - - - -CHAPTER II--ON A MAN'S SEA - - -Breathing the invigorating night air, Horace Stirling climbed over the -ship's rail, squared his shoulders, and started toward the poop steps. -The consciousness that he had been shanghaied came to him; the sensation -was a novel one. - -He reached the weather steps. There he paused and swung, facing the -after part of the ship. A group of seamen were gathered in the waist. -They were receiving the shanghaied sailors who had been brought out in -the Whitehall boat. - -Stirling gathered in the details of the whaler and his jaw dropped in -wonder, while his eyes softened with an appreciative glow. He had never -sailed or steamed upon such a ship. She was complete and yachtlike, and -her deck house extended fore and aft between the main and mizzenmast. It -was such a cabin as one would expect to find on a government revenue -cutter. A squat, drab funnel reared from a boat deck, and glowed through -the mist like the end of a fat cigar. - -Stirling turned and mounted the poop, to face two of the men with whom -he had drunk in that tavern near the wharves. One thrust out a hamlike -hand. "Remember me?" he said, with a twinkle in his eyes. "I'm Cushner -who took the Anderson expedition to the mouth of the Lena River. You -were ice pilot of the _Northern Lights_ that season. You gammed us in -Bering Strait. Remember?" - -Stirling stared up into the big seaman's face, squinting his eyes in an -attempt to recall a vague memory. Slowly the details of the Anderson -expedition came back to him. - -"You're Cushner!" he blurted out. "By the jumpin' bowheads, you are! -Who's the little fellow?" Stirling motioned toward the second seaman who -had descended the lee poop steps and started forward to where a knot of -men were gathered about the corner of the deck house. - -The big mate of the ship leaned over the quarter-deck rail and said: -"He's Marr--Captain Marr of the Baffin Bay crowd. See, he's mixin' with -th' men. No man leaves this ship, but you, out of the bunch. Sailors are -scarce as bowheads in the western ocean these days." - -"Do you need a pilot?" - -"We certainly do! You can come if you want to." - -"How about this ship?" - -"She's the _Pole Star_. She once was called the _Alexander_. She was a -Russian yacht. She's fitted out for whaling and trading. Good food and -all that. The old man will be glad to sign you on a big lay. We're going -right up in the ice." - -"Who'll be the afterguard?" - -"Well, you'll make one if you join us. There's Marr and Whitehouse, who -just came by rail. That puts me back to second mate. Then there's -Sanderson and Manley--third and fourth. Besides, there's Maddox and -Baldwin of the engine-room force. It's a good outfit. Fair play and -money to be had." - -Stirling rubbed his nose, lifted his eyes to the rigging, squared his -shoulders, and turned toward Cushner. "How about all this?" he asked -with a wide sweep of his arm. "Kind of queer, eh?" - -"Well, no," drawled the big mate, tugging at his long beard. "No; not -that I know of, Stirling. Everything's on deck as far as I can see. The -old man is a part owner--it's a private venture. He and Whitehouse know -their business. Just keep your tongue spliced and say nothing. The old -man will be in the cabin at six bells. We'll talk to him then; if you -want to go ashore, you can. If you stay, I'll promise you some fair game -on a man's sea." - -Stirling took a turn about the quarter-deck of the _Pole Star_, then -came back to the rail and leaned over. Marr had disappeared. - -A bell struck over the misted waters of the city, and was followed by -others. A roar sounded to the westward, where the surf beat upon Seal -Rocks and the entrance to the harbour. A salty gust stirred the standing -rigging of the ship, and it filled the Ice Pilot's lungs with remembered -calling. He braced his shoulders, lifted his head, and felt like a man -who has shaken off a bad dream. He was going North again, on a good ship -with a staunch crew. - -Stirling turned toward the big mate, who stood under the shadow of a -long, white whaleboat. "I'll join," the Ice Pilot said, simply. "Let's -go below and see Marr. It's six bells and more. Like as not he and I can -get along. I ain't a hard man to please. Only, this has got to be an -honest voyage. I ain't in for anything downright crooked. It ain't my -nature!" - -"Mine, neither," said Cushner. "Come on!" - -Stirling followed the second mate across the deck to an ornate companion -close by the taffrail, and they descended by turning, in the manner of -seamen the world over. Stirling removed his cap and stood rooted in the -doorframe as his eyes gathered in the details of the cabin. - -A soft electric cluster shone overhead, and walls and bulkheads were -hung with draperies. The deck was covered with Persian carpets, while -here and there--scattered in haphazard fashion--gleamed the tawny yellow -pelts of wild animals. - -Athwart the ship, from inner skin to inner skin, the cabin extended, -with staterooms fore and aft of the companion stairway. The round -portholes, covered with silken curtains, alone remained to tell that the -room was upon a ship. - -Stirling blinked his eyes, then opened them wide and drank in the -details of wealth and luxury. He stared at shelves of morocco-bound -books, their titles stamped in gold; he noted a baby-grand piano--the -first he had ever seen--lashed with silken cords to the after bulkhead. -Upon it music lay in well-bound sheaths. - -Cushner advanced and gripped the Ice Pilot's elbow. "Come on," he -whispered, pointing toward an alcove between two bookcases. "The captain -is sitting there." - -Half hidden by a portiere, stretched three quarter length upon a divan, -Marr reclined, deep in a book of modern verse. He lifted his legs and -dropped them to the deck, laid the book down, and rose with a quick -thrust of his hand toward Stirling. "Be seated," he said, clasping the -Ice Pilot's hand with a nervous grip then indicating a long, cushioned -seat. - -Stirling followed the second mate's example and sat down on the nearest -cushion, stretching out his long legs, hitching up his trousers, and -fingering his cap. He raised his chin and met Marr's eyes, studying the -clean-cut nostrils of the little captain. He gauged the mentality of the -man, and thrashed the events of the night over in his mind as he held a -steady poise. - -"This is Horace Stirling!" blurted out Cushner, with a voice like a -bull. "He's the best all-around whaler and ice pilot in the game. I -didn't recognize him in that room in Frisco. We landed a bigger fish -than we thought. I reckon he can go ashore if he wants to. We can't keep -him unless he wants to stay." - -"How about it?" asked Marr. - -Stirling fingered his cap, but he had already made up his mind. The ship -suited him, Cushner was a good mate, and the North called with all the -strength of the wide places. - -"I'll sign on," he said, simply. "Like as not I couldn't do better. I -don't like the way you shipped part of your crew; outside of that, this -suits me, if it's honest." - -"The crew," said Marr, softly, "was a serious problem. I wanted a few -more men, and just at the time I saw no other way to get them than by -straight, old-time shanghaing. It worked!" - - - - -CHAPTER III--OVER THE QUARTER-DECK - - -The Ice Pilot placed the captain as he listened to the apology--Marr was -of a nature to brook no excuse. He had determined upon sailing the _Pole -Star_ for a voyage of discovery and profit, and he had acted outside the -law in order to obtain a crew. This was not unusual upon the Coast of -Barbary. Stirling, as honest as a dollar, had seen the same method -employed before, and he puzzled his brain for a deeper motive, which -might be behind the little skipper's steel-gray eyes. - -There seemed no fathoming the beard-hidden face of the captain, and -Stirling leaned back, dropping his eyes to the rug at his feet, where he -studied the polished points of his shore boots. - -"We go with the tide at sunup," said Marr. "This is the reason, and the -only one, that we took matters in our own hands and obtained a complete -crew. Whalers must have a bad odour in these waters, from all -indications." - -Stirling glanced up. He nodded. - -"We go North," continued Marr, rubbing his hands together. "North, for a -season of seven months, to whale! Mr. Cushner knows who I am. The mate, -Mr. Whitehouse, is ashore. He'll be out very soon, and he'll attest to -my financial responsibility. Roth & Co. have outfitted the _Pole Star_. -They know me! I'll take Mr. Cushner's word that you are a first-class -ice pilot. You sign on with me and I'll see that you get a thousand -dollars in minted gold when we drop anchor at Frisco. In addition to -that bonus, I'll give you the lay of the mate--a one-twenty-fifth of the -proceeds of the voyage. Is that satisfactory?" - -Stirling considered the figures mentioned. The amount was at least a -captain's share in the old days of whaling. - -"That's handsome enough, captain," he said. "That suits me. But one -thing--I'm plain spoken--is this ship going whaling, or something else? -I want to know." - -Marr smiled pleasantly. "Why did you ask?" he said, stroking his Vandyke -beard with slender fingers. - -"Only to know. You see, I can go ashore and sign on with one of -Larribee's ships. Larribee knows me. I brought in many a head of bone -for him." - -"And you'll do the same for me!" exclaimed Marr, resting his hand on -Stirling's shoulder. "Sign on and I'll promise you that there will be no -regrets. All's honest and aboveboard. Whitehouse--Mr. Whitehouse is an -English gentleman. He talks like a cockney, but that is an affliction. -You'll get along with him. He's new to the Bering." - -"I'll sign!" said Stirling, rising. "I'll have to get my dunnage bag. -It's at Antone's, down by the ferry." - -"We'll tend to that!" - -Stirling turned toward Cushner. "Have you entirely outfitted?" he asked, -professionally. "Got all of your whaling gear aboard?" - -"We have! Six boats! A forehold chockablock and whale line and irons. -Papers, everything, all right to clear. Some of the crew have been North -before. The rest can learn. You and I can tend to that, eh?" - -Stirling swept the cabin comprehensively. "Too fine a ship to buck the -old floes with," he said, glancing down at the skipper. - -"Nothing too fine for the North!" exclaimed Marr. "Write me out an order -for your bag. I'll send Snowball, my cabin boy, with the dinghy." - -Stirling scribbled an order on the back of a shipping master's card. He -passed it over to Marr, who touched a button at the end of the piano. A -negro, sleepy-eyed and curious, thrust a kinky head through an after -doorway. - -Marr stepped over the rugs and whispered his instructions. Stirling, -whose ears were sharp, caught a command to wait on shore for somebody. -This order was repeated. - -The negro vanished, and Marr paced athwart the ship. Wheeling suddenly, -he listened with his ear cocked toward the deck beams. A shuffling of -feet sounded overhead as men sprang down from the rail. The bell in the -wheelhouse struck seven times. It was echoed from forward. - -"That's Whitehouse!" said the captain. "We'll all have a drink!" - -The slide to the deck companion opened, and two men descended. One was a -square block of a man, with long arms and a pair of bushy brows which -thatched perpetually smiling eyes. He was Baldwin, the American -engineer. - -The second man held Stirling. "Mr. Whitehouse," Marr introduced, with a -comprehensive chuckle as he nodded toward the English mate. - -Whitehouse had the long, beaklike nose of the typical cockney, while his -lips were thick and somewhat red. His tanned features and knotted hands, -his quick manner and alert stride, spoke the Dundee and Grimsby whaler, -who had sailed many seas and fastened to more than an ordinary number of -bowhead whales. - -"We're all here!" declared Marr. "Ship's completely outfitted with -seamen and material. We'll drink to success!" - -The little captain disappeared through an after doorway, returning with -a tray and a bottle. Setting these down on a table, he drew forth a -chart of the Arctic and Bering Sea. - -"While we're drinking," he said, hardening his eyes, "let's look over -the chart. You, Stirling, might help us out. Glad you're coming along." - -Stirling upended a decanter and poured out a generous portion of brandy. -He tasted this, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, then leaned -forward over the chart. His finger traced a line from the Aleutians -northward. - -"There," he said, "is the first whaling ground--just the other side the -islands. The ice will lie about here, and the bowhead can't go north -till it opens. They're wise fish, but they can't get through any more -than we can." - -"How about the other whaling spots?" asked Marr. - -"Well, captain," said Stirling, "after the Bering Strait, you'll find -aplenty, there's Herald Island and Wrangel Land. There's Point -Barrow--I've caught late whales at the Point. Then there's the lane -between the grounded ice floes and the coast, all the way to the mouth -of the Mackenzie River. I've wintered three times at Herschel Island, -and we always got bone in the early spring when the ice broke." - -Marr leaned over the chart and asked softly: "How is the whaling close -to the Siberian shore? I've heard of catches in the Gulf of Anadir. I -think it would be wise that we go there as soon as the ice permits." - -Stirling glanced keenly at the little skipper, for he sensed a deeper -motive in the question. The Gulf of Anadir was close indeed to Russia. -It was a favourite sealing ground; few whales were to be found there. -The season was generally too late to capture any bowheads on account of -the ice barrier which held back the ships. - -"I don't recommend it," he said, simply. "I've been there twice. First -time was in the _Beluga_. We didn't fasten to anything that year. The -second time was in the old _Norwhale_--Captain Gully commanding. We -fastened to one head close by the Siberian shore. That was all. It's -barren waters unless you can put the ship in early." - -"Can't you do that?" - -"Not always; sometimes. I've seen the pack ice so thick at the -Pribilofs, or just north of St. Paul Island, that it was late in July -when we broke through and reached Bering Strait. We got nothing but some -trade stuff from the natives that season. It was too late to find -bowheads; they'd taken the Northeast Passage and gone through to Baffin -Bay." - -"Just the same," said Marr, "I'd like to try for the Gulf of Anadir. -Ever hear of Disko Island?" - -Stirling narrowed his eyes. Disko Island was the very heart of the -richest sealing ground in all the world--outside of the Pribilofs. It -belonged to Russia, and around it were gunboats of England, Japan, and -the United States. - -"I know it well," he said, dryly. "There's plenty of seals there, but -darn few bowheads!" - -Marr glanced at Whitehouse, then his eyes travelled the circle and -rested upon the chart. He followed Stirling's pointing finger. - -"It's a blym shame!" blurted out the English mate. "It's an outrage that -them Russians got all them nice little pelts. What's the 'arm in lookin' -the island over? Who's going to bother now? Who's running Russia, -anyway?" - -"The Bolsheviki," said Marr. "What do you say we take a look at the -island? Stirling can put us through the early ice. We'll skirt the -Siberian shore afterward. I want to drop in at East Cape, they say -trading is good there." - -Stirling gripped a glass and raised it to his lips. He stared at the -chart, then fastened a penetrating glance which bored into the little -skipper's brain, and smiled faintly as Marr remained silent. - -"I'm willing," he said. "I'll take you anywhere. We're all together. I -see no harm in looking over Disko Island." - -"All we want," said Cushner, rising, "is to follow the skipper, here, -and keep our jaw tackle closed. He'll bring results!" - -Stirling was watching Marr's face, which lightened perceptibly. - -The captain of the _Pole Star_ thrust his hand out, palm upward. "Well -spoken," he said. "I'll guarantee good results!" - -Marr rolled up the chart with a swift whirl of his hands, then rose and -stared at Baldwin, who had remained silent. - -"Have you everything aboard?" the little skipper asked. - -"Yes; we're coaled. I can safely say the engine-room force is complete. -Naturally we'll have to recoal at whatever point we can on the Siberian -coast or at Unalaska. The bunkers are chockablock, but you know that ice -work takes the steam. And coal is high; it'll be about twenty dollars a -ton at Dutch Harbor or Point Barrow, if there's any there at all." - -"Confounded little!" blurted Stirling. "There's an on-shore whaling -station there and a missionary settlement. But"--the Ice Pilot paused -and smiled at a memory--"there's a spot on the coast east of Point -Barrow where we can dig out all the coal we need. I know it. I was there -in the old _Northern Lights_, and I saw more coal than you could find in -Pittsburgh. There's mountains of it hidden under the snow." - -"That's fine!" Marr exclaimed. "We'll fill the bunkers there. Now -everybody stand up and we'll drink a final toast to the success of our -venture. What'll the toast be?" - -"To a full hold of bone!" Stirling suggested. - -Marr glanced at Whitehouse. The mate winked and stared at his glass. -"I'd say," he muttered, "that there's a better toast. Let's all drink to -success at Disko Island, where the seals are." - -Stirling grew thoughtful. Again the subject of seals had come up, and he -glanced from face to face about him. The circle of men who comprised the -afterguard of the _Pole Star_ would have supported most any desperate -enterprise. None was a young man; all were experienced. - -Stirling set down his glass. Marr had stepped toward the after bulkhead -of the cabin, and rested his hand on the piano. - -A slight bump, as if a small boat had touched the outer run of the ship, -sounded, and this was followed by steps on the deck overhead. Voices -echoed, and a low call drifted through the open portholes. - -The captain turned with a quick jerk and glanced upward, his hand lifted -for silence. There came a knocking on an after door. This knocking was -repeated. - -"Good-night, gentlemen!" Marr exclaimed. "Get to your bunks and turn in. -I'll expect you at sunup. We'll sail then!" - -Stirling followed the big second mate, who knew the run of the ship. As -they stood at last in the waist where the shadow of the dark deck house -lay across the planks, two riding lights shone through the mist, and a -flare marked the cap of the rakish funnel. High steam was in the _Pole -Star's_ boilers. - -"Who came aboard?" asked Stirling with directness. - -Cushner gripped his palms, gulped, and stroked his long, pointed beard, -then turned and stared at the low rail which was over the break of the -quarter-deck. - -"A passenger!" he said. - -"A passenger?" - -"Sure! Didn't you hear the voice? It was a woman's. At least, it sounded -that way to me. They're always bad luck at sea." - -"I've heard tell they are," said Stirling. - - - - -CHAPTER IV--ON THE SPARKLING SEA - - -The pall which lay around the _Pole Star_ was like an ultramarine depth. -The narrow circle of visible waters rose and fell sullenly, while aloft -the taper spars merged into the mist. Now and then a grinding jerk of -the anchor chain sent a vibrating shudder from stem to jack staff. Below -the holystoned decks the watch snored, unaware that the tide hung at its -flood and that a wan yellow sun was rising over the Coast Range like a -paper lantern in a summer's garden. - -Stirling moved restlessly, his eyes opened like a quiet child's, and he -surveyed his cabin. The events of the night and the early morning rushed -back to him, and he blinked as he caught a reflection of his face in a -white-bordered mirror at the head of the bunk. - -He sprang to the deck, ducked his head in a basin, tested the taps, then -dried himself with a thick towel. Staring about, he found his clothes -hanging from hooks on the ship's sheathing. Donning the clothes, he -opened the door and strode out into an alleyway which led to the waist -of the ship. He lifted his eyes to the mist as he emerged upon the damp -planks and sniffed the morning air. - -"Howdy!" exclaimed Cushner from a position at the rail. "About time -you're risin'. We're going to yank the mudhook up as soon as Marr gives -the order." - -Stirling dropped his eyes and stepped to the mate's side. Staring over -the rail, he raised his finger, sniffed for a second time, then -declared: "She'll be clear by noon. This fog is light." - -Cushner led the way forward to the ornate forecastle and Stirling -glanced down through the open booby hatch, to where a row of bunks lined -each side of the ship. In these bunks seamen slept with their arms over -their faces and their legs extended. A molasses barrel was lashed to the -heel of the foremast, and on top of this barrel stood a large pan of -white bread. The entire forecastle struck Stirling as far too clean and -too large for a whaler's. It was more like an expensive yacht's. - -"Them's picked men!" said Cushner. "Some has been picked from the gutter -and some from the boarding houses. I guess I'll wake them. It's time for -both watches on deck." - -The second mate lifted a belaying pin from the pinrail and pounded upon -the deck like a policeman pounds on the pavement. "Rise and shine, -lads!" he shouted, leaning over the companion's coaming. "We've got to -pay Paddy Doyle for his boots. All out!" - -Cushner listened and then repeated his tapping. "All hands on deck!" he -called. "Step lively now, men! It's five bells an' th' tide is turning!" - -Stirling heard protests from the sleepy crew; shoes flew across the -forecastle, pans banged, growls and feeble protests rose as the two -watches gathered together their clothes and attempted to dress in the -dark. - -"Coffee they get," said Cushner. "Coffee and eggs and plum duff and -white bread and bully beef. They're lucky. In my day we chewed hardtack -and drank bilge water. Whaling has changed!" - -Stirling nodded, and raised his eyes to the rigging of the _Pole Star_, -where spar varnish glistened from yards and masts, and snow-white canvas -looped downward like lingerie on clotheslines. The running rigging was -of new hemp. It all struck him as a dream as he turned and strode to the -rail by the port-anchor davit. - -"See here," he said to Cushner. "I doubt if there's a finer sea boat -afloat, but how about the ice? She's sheathed, but with wood. She ought -to have a steel plate forward." - -The big second mate grinned. "She's a good ice ship, Stirling," he said, -leaning over the rail and pointing downward. "That's teakwood and yew. -There's nothing better, and it don't impede her speed to any extent. You -ought to have been aboard coming up from Sandy Point--eleven point five -for days at a stretch. She'll do thirteen under forced draft. She'll do -two more knots with the wind abeam. That's six-day boat speed!" - -Stirling shook his head. He had been accustomed to blunt-bowed whalers -with solid planking forward and steel sheathing aft to the waist. It was -the only construction he knew of which would stand the grind of the -Northern ice floes. - -"Take a look at the whaleboats!" said Cushner. "Simpkins, of Dundee, -built them. They're mahogany trimmed. You don't often see that." - -Stirling climbed the lee fore shrouds and grasped a white boat's rail -where it swung from polished davits just aft the break of the forepeak, -and peered inside. The whaling gear was all in place; he counted two -tubs of whale line which was carefully protected by new tarpaulins. The -oars were fully sixteen feet in length, and paddles were racked beneath -the seats. A mast and boom--harpoons, lances, bomb guns, blubber spades, -bailing dippers--lay in position between the centerboard well and the -skin of the boat. - -"Good equipment!" he declared, dropping to the deck with a light -rebound. "They'll do. Wouldn't wonder if we have some sport this voyage. -Last season was a bad one. It ain't natural for two bad years to run -together. They take turns about--watch and watch." - -"She's well outfitted, Stirling. Thar ain't no better ship going North -this season. You ought to drop down into the engine room and see that -triple-expansion dream. Baldwin and Maddox say it's one of the finest -engines ever turned out of Clyde-bank. Russia bought good stuff in the -early days. She had the money then!" - -Stirling stared aft to the deck house, out of which sleepy-eyed Kanakas -and boat steerers were appearing, then stepped to one rail and studied -the swinging sheer of the _Pole Star_. He saw beyond the smoke of the -cook's stovepipe the swinging lift of the quarter-deck. Upon this a -figure strode from rail to rail. It was Marr. - -"How about that woman?" The question dropped from Stirling's lips as he -turned toward the Yankee second mate. - -"Your guess is as good as mine. I didn't know Marr had any woman in view -when he dropped anchor in this port. There's a kind of a law against -women going North in whalers, ain't there?" - -"The owners don't allow it! But then Marr is an owner. He could do -anything." - -Cushner stroked his beard. He twirled its point. "I heard voices on deck -last night," he said with reserve. "I'm willin' to venture five plugs of -tobacco that one was a woman's voice. Maybe she came out to say good-bye -to the skipper. Maybe she didn't. Maybe it's his wife." - -Stirling reached in the pocket of his pea-jacket and fished out a plug -of select tobacco. "I don't often chew," he said, "but I'll bet this -plug against another that it wasn't a woman's voice you heard." - -"You're on!" exclaimed the mate. "It was a woman's voice. She went -below, and she's aboard now. Time will fetch her out. Marr is as -close-mouthed as an oyster. She's some relation; that's sure!" - -Stirling pocketed the plug, folded his arms, and stood smiling before -the big mate. He shook his head. "I'll win that plug," he said, -sincerely. "I'm a simple man, Cushner. It don't stand to reason that -Marr would bring a woman on a whaling trip. If he's figuring on going to -Disko Island and the Siberian coast it would be dangerous. Those are -desperate seas!" - -"Here's the watches!" exclaimed the second mate. "Let's stir our stumps -and get the ship out, smart-like. We'll forget the lady till you see for -your own eyes. Likely she's pretty." - -Stirling snorted, his mind running back to his only love affair. It was -merged in the failure of a chicken farm over Oakland way. A widow had -cast eyes at the farm until the chickens began to pass away. This widow -had often dwelt upon the happiness of married life. Stirling, still in -his late forties, had thought long and seriously over the matter. He was -a man's man, and felt that women, and particularly dashing widows, -belonged to another sphere. They were as much out of his life as the -stars that floated in the heavens--as remote as the centre of the -antarctic continent. He had sailed the Northern seas too long and far to -allow his mind to dwell upon the land as a final anchorage to his -ambitions. - -He made his way aft to the wheel while the mate lunged forward and -joined the group upon the forecastle head. Marr stood close by the -binnacle, and just then turned to the wheelsman. - -"Stand ready," he said, raising his eyes to Stirling's. "You take -charge," he added, smiling faintly as the Ice Pilot shot a keen glance -upward where the morning sun was breaking through the last of the mist. -"The deck is yours, Mr. Stirling. Mr. Whitehouse will go forward and -join Mr. Cushner." - -Stirling squared his shoulders and braced his legs. - -The little skipper, spick and span in blue pea-jacket and well-cut -trousers, strode briskly to the quarter-deck rail and leaned over. - -"Steam on the winch!" he shouted. "Lively now, men!" - -A racking grind sounded, and the iron teeth of the winch swallowed the -rusty chain like a giant biting a meal. The ship steadied in the tide -which was flowing through the Golden Gate as the anchor lifted from the -mud and silt of the bay. - -"All's clear!" Cushner called over the whaleboats. - -"Hard aport!" said Stirling, sensing the position. "Put her hard aport. -Now up a spoke! More! Steady there!" - -Marr reached for the engine-room telegraph, a bell clanged below, the -single screw thrashed the water astern and the _Pole Star_ rounded on a -long arc, gliding down the bay to a position off Meigg's Wharf. - -A pilot and the last papers were brought out in a revenue cutter as -Stirling kept the ship under bare headway. The siren aft the funnel -plumed into one short blast, and they were off on the first leg of the -passage to the Arctic and the Bering Sea. - -Foghorn and whistle sounded in cadence, and was answered from starboard -and port. Once a bell rang directly ahead through the fog. The engines -raced in reverse, and the _Pole Star_ swung with her dainty jib boom -groping through the fog like an antenna. She straightened under the -pilot's directions. - -The veil thinned, as the sun struck through, bringing out the clean-cut -details of the yards and spars. A stagelike setting appeared. To port -lay the city--hill after hill of close-packed habitations; to starboard -reared the green slopes of the Coast Range and the higher land of Mount -Tamalpais. Beyond and directly ahead the sun kissed the sparkling ocean. - -The _Pole Star_ glided under the frowning guns of the Presidio, and -danced across the bar. The Cliff House and the seal rocks were thrown -astern. The land of California sank to a low, black line after the pilot -had been dropped upon the deck of a tossing kicker yacht. - - - - -CHAPTER V--INTO A PURPLE TWILIGHT - - -A breeze, fresh and gripping with the taste of brine, swept over the -stern of the ship and filled the canvas which Cushner and Whitehouse -ordered set. The anchor was brought inboard and lashed to the cleats -close by the port cat. The crew, feeling their sea legs, brought out -hose and swabs and started cleaning up the shore litter and dunnage, -working to the old-time chantey: "'Rah for the grog--the jolly, jolly -grog." - -Stirling turned the wheel over to the quartermaster after Marr had -indicated a compass point, then rolled across the quarter-deck and stood -by the green starboard light of the ship, which was turned out. He felt -the warm breath of the following wind, gulped the sea air, and squared -his shoulders, casting a shrewd eye at the poop-deck log, which was -outrigged from the starboard rail. - -The land of California was a haze over the starboard quarter. It lifted -in places like a cloud bank, and the cleft which marked the Golden Gate -was crossed by the white water of the bar. The Ice Pilot smiled, as the -simplicity of clean living came to him as a flood. - -He turned away from the land vision and studied the ship. On what -mission was she headed, he wondered? Upon what seas would they force the -taper jib boom? What trade stuff and spoil would be crammed between the -hatches? He revolved these questions over and over in his mind, and was -in the grip of the unknown. The little dapper skipper, the woman's -voice, the mention of Disko Island, and the seal rookeries, all wove -their spell: - - "Though I plow the land with horses, - Yet my heart is ill at ease, - For the wise men come to me now and then - With their sagas of the seas." - -He quoted this verse as he pulled out a great silver watch, gathered in -the log line, and timed fifty revolutions. - -The _Pole Star_ was striking out into the Pacific on her first leg at -fourteen point three knots an hour. - -"Somebody's pullin' the strings," Stirling said as he let the slack out -of the line and replaced the silver watch. "Maybe the Mazeka girls of -Indian Point," he added, striding to the poop rail. - -He stared with idle interest at the crew which were still under the able -tutelage of Whitehouse and Cushner. The British whaler had a voice like -a costermonger, and "Blym me, yes" and "Heaven strike me pink" rolled up -the wind and burst like shrapnel upon the poop. - -Stirling narrowed his eyes, and indeed the sight of the two mates in sea -boots and the ragged crew swarming along the waist was one to charm the -heart of a sailor. It brought to his mind other voyages, and he recalled -an expedition he had piloted to Point Barrow and the reaches of the -Mackenzie. A younger son, with money to spend, had chartered a whaler -and taken the Northern seas in search of new game. Game he had found in -plenty: walrus, seals--both hair and fur--killer whales, bowheads, polar -bears, and musk ox had fallen to the younger son's rifle or harpoon. The -crew, however, had proved too strong a stench for polite nostrils. They -were picked from the slums of the Barbary Coast. - -The _Pole Star's_ foremast hands and the most of the harpooners and boat -steerers would have delighted the eyes of an ethnologist. Stirling -studied them and called their breeds. One was a cockney, like the mate. -Another was a blue-eyed Dane. Three Gay Island natives were mixed with -two Kanakas. Two bore the high cheekbones of Swedes. Four, at least, -were Frisco dock rats who had been gathered in by the boarding-house -runners and promised an advance, little of which they secured. - -Stirling searched the faces for the sailor whom he had seen in the -Frisco room, but he was not in evidence. That sailor had impressed -Stirling as far out of the ordinary. It was not only the polished -fingernails and the resolute set to the jaw, but also the certain air -which the seaman had carried that led to the deduction that he had at -one time commanded other men. - -Cushner mopped his face with the back of his sleeve and worked aft to -the break of the poop on the starboard side where he glanced up at -Stirling. - -"Hello, old man!" he said, out of hearing of the busy crew. "What do you -think of the _Pole Star_ by now?" - -"Good ship. Some crew, though." - -The second mate mopped his brow for a second time, then squinted at a -gang working down the deck with squeegees. "Eighteen hands before the -mast," he said. "That ain't much for six boats. We'll need them all if -we lower for bowheads." - -"Where's the sailor who came out with me?" - -"He's below!" This was said expressively, with a heavy wink. "I think -he'll stay below for a watch or two. Somebody--maybe it was -Marr--bounced a belaying pin over his figurehead. It'll heal in time." - -"What did you make of the sailor?" - -"Maybe a spy. Maybe a good man gone wrong." - -"He recognized Marr in the Blubber Room!" - -Cushner shook his head. "We'll watch that fellow like a killer whale. -He'll walk straight under me and Whitehouse." - -The second mate closed his jaws with a snap and glared forward, then was -off with a rolling lurch to where a slight spot showed on the deck. -Grasping a Gay Islander by the neck, he led him to the omission and -pointed downward. Stirling heard the racking volley of exclamations as -the native fell to work with vigour. - -The _Pole Star_ plunged on. She took the long, oily rollers of the North -Pacific and parted them like a sharp knife going through frosting. She -was logging fourteen knots with reserve steam. The fore, main, and -mizzen sails filled and billowed and the foretopmast staysail and jib -held the following wind. Whitehouse, casting an eye aloft, ordered the -top-sails braced then sprang to the weather braces as the crew hauled -manfully under the directions of Cushner. - -Marr leaned over the canvas of the poop and rested his elbows on the -light rail, searching the sea ahead with his glasses. He turned to the -wheelsman. "How you heading?" he asked as the last yard was braced. - -"Nor'west by north." - -"Hold her northwest by north. Hold her steady!" - -The ship drove through the day and into a purple twilight, and the land -of California disappeared astern. It left to mark its position a low -line of gray clouds upon which the sun gleamed and paled and died to -darker hues. - - - - -CHAPTER VI--BY THE GREAT-CIRCLE ROUTE - - -The steady clanking of the triple-expansion engines driving the screw at -a racing speed of one hundred and ten revolutions a minute, the glow -over the drab funnel, the hiss of sea alongside--these all denoted that -they were reaching for the far-off Aleutian and the pass that marked -Dutch Harbor, where whalers and Yukon boats left the Pacific and entered -the waters of the Bering Sea. - -Stirling shared the mess with Cushner and Whitehouse and the two -engineers. Marr had given orders that in no circumstances should he be -disturbed in the after cabin. This order, communicated by the cockney -mate, caused the conversation to veer from speculation to concrete -suspicions. - -Cushner rose from his meal with a nod toward Stirling. "Let's go on -deck," he said, steadying himself by grasping the racks. "Let's have a -smoke and turn about. Mr. Whitehouse has the watch till eight bells." - -Stirling crammed a palmful of tobacco into a cord-wrapped pipe, clutched -the second mate's arm, and led him to the waist of the ship, where they -stood beneath the shadow of the starboard whaleboat. - -"We're not wanted on the poop!" exclaimed Cushner. - -"The wheel's there and the binnacle's there, and the log line's there," -suggested Stirling, pressing his thumb down upon the glowing coals of -his pipe. "We've got to go aft." - -"'Only for duty,' that's what the old man said. What do you make of -that? He wants the after part of the ship to himself." - -"It's his ship, Cushner!" - -The Yankee mate counted on his fingers. "There's only two aft," he said. -"Two--the old man and Snowball, the cabin boy." - -Stirling pulled on his pipe. "How about the woman you heard?" he asked, -dryly. - -"Maybe she's there, Horace. Maybe she is! Maybe that's his reason for -wanting the quarter-deck to himself. He had two Gay Islanders rig up a -screen between the wheel and the taffrail. All that's aft of the screen -is the companion to the cabin and a bucket rack. Thar's just about room -to turn about in. A nice little cubby place I'd call it." - -Stirling thought the matter over, backing into the gloom and shading his -eyes. The tip of the wheel, with one spoke, showed over the low canvas -sail. Beside this spoke was the soiled tassel of the wheelman's cap. Aft -rose the mizzenmast with its spotless canvas billowing forward like -Carrara marble. The telltale on the top of the mast denoted a freshening -south wind. The swing of the ship, the thrust of the screw, the song -which sounded from forward where a group of seamen were gathered on the -forecastle head--all these spoke of action and a driving force to -Northern seas where hearts beat strong and staunch winds cut to the -quick. - -The Ice Pilot turned to Cushner, pressing the bowl of his pipe with his -broad thumb. "We're making good time," he said, thoughtfully. "Five days -of this and we'll sight our Aleutian landfall. I guess we'd better not -worry about the cubby-hole aft and the woman. I never could understand -them, anyhow." - -Cushner laughed and clapped Stirling on the back. He withdrew a foot or -more, spread his legs wide, and surveyed Stirling with mingled pride and -calculation. - -Cushner squinted as he drawled: "You're all right, old man! You ain't no -clothing-store dummy or one of them smart ducks with spar-deck shoes and -a gold lanyard to your watch chain; but you'll pass where they won't. -You're a man--every inch of you! I've heard thar ain't no better, when -it comes to ice work." - -Stirling was silent. He dragged on his pipe. - -"A woman's man," continued Cushner, "ain't for these seas or the seas -we're agoing to. And by saying that I don't mean no disrespect for the -skipper. I was with him coming round the Horn. A fighter, he is, and all -that--but there's a polish to him I don't like. It ain't natural. He's -like a polite boarding-house runner. Them's the sharks to look out for. -They know more than we do!" - -"We'll keep our jaw tackle chockablock!" said Stirling, tapping his pipe -against the rail and cramming it into his side pocket. "We'll sail ship -and tend to our duties. I'll get the crow's-nest up in the morning. -You'll find me ready for anything--short of breaking the law of the -three nations. I'll put the _Pole Star_ where the old man says, but I -won't raid no rookeries with him. I won't do that!" - -The positive set to Stirling's jaw was a relief to Cushner. He nodded. -"Me, too," he said, moving aft. "I'm willin' to whale or trade or go to -the Pole with you in charge of th' ship." - -Stirling went to his cabin, latched the sliding door which led to the -starboard waist, and undressed slowly. He sank into a profound sleep, -broken once by a dream of Frisco and the Coast of Barbary. - -He awoke as the little marine clock above the bunk was striking seven -bells, reached to a shelf and drew toward him a compass set in a leather -binding. It was part of his possessions brought out in the dunnage bag -from Antone's cigar store. - -Steadying his compass by a crack at the head of the bunk, he made a -shrewd calculation as to the direction the _Pole Star_ was heading. - -The course had been changed overnight. It was now northwest by west. The -needle vibrated with the throbbing of the engines, but each time it -settled back to the first point. - -Stirling rose and dressed without haste, clapped his cap on his head, -and strode through the doorway to the damp deck. Here he leaned over the -starboard rail and glanced downward at the swift-running foam which -seethed alongside the ship's planks, then raised his eyes and swept the -horizon. It was pale to the eastward with the first rosy flush of dawn. - -For a moment he remained in one position, then turned and stared aft -with his eyes wide and intent. The gloom which shrouded the poop of the -ship was lightened by the upward glow of an open companion, and a figure -stood to the extreme port side of the quarter-deck. This figure was -shrouded and muffled but the red reflection from the side light brought -out some details. - -Stirling gripped the rail and continued staring. It was Marr, no doubt, -who had taken the position so near the wheelsman. There was that to the -set of the head, however, which caused Stirling concern. Marr generally -held his chin high. This head, as seen over the drab canvas, was dropped -and thoughtful. - -The wheelsman turned and touched his cap. Stirling heard part of a -question, which concerned the course, and it was not answered. The -figure started, half leaned away, then swung about and disappeared in -the gloom of the smudge astern where the funnel smoke drifted and -swirled. - -The shaftlike light from the open cabin companion grew pale, then was -blotted out by a descending figure. A slide closed with a loud slam, and -the ship plunged on, leaving Stirling no wiser for his impressions. He -turned with a half grumble and hurried forward. - -Cushner was emerging from the deck house, having stolen a trip inside to -the cook's galley, where coffee was always steaming. - -"Good morning!" he exclaimed, recognizing Stirling's form on the deck. -"Sun's clear and wind's abeam--almost. Light wind and a flowing sea. -Good morning, I said!" - -"Who changed the course?" asked Stirling, point-blank. "We're not headed -right. We can't make Dutch Pass or anywhere near it on this tack. What -does Marr mean?" - -Cushner scratched his head, raised his hand, and pointed astern. -"Whitehouse gave me the new course when the watches were changed," he -said. "That's all I know. It's a long way from where we expected we were -going, Stirling." - -"Jumping bowheads, yes! It's toward the great-circle route. Another half -point and we'll be on it. What does that mean, Cushner?" - -"I'll be skull-dragged if I know!" - -"The great-circle route leads to Japan and northern China. We'll sight -Rat Island on this route, and miss the only good pass to the Bering by -five hundred leagues. That ain't right!" - -"Thar's a lot about this ship what ain't right!" declared the Yankee. -"We're in the hands of Captain Marr." - -Stirling reached for his pipe, gathered together a palmful of cut plug, -struck a sulphur match on the rail at his side and held the flame to the -bowl till it glowed. He drew in the smoke, then squared his jaw and -clamped the amber stem. - -"We'll keep our eyes open!" he said through white teeth. "I think I saw -the woman on the poop. I think it was a woman. She wouldn't answer the -man at the wheel. She had Marr's clothes on. That's mighty queer doings -for a simple whaler bound after bowheads and trade stuff!" - -Cushner thrust out a calloused hand. "Put it there," he said. "We'll see -this voyage through and find out what's wrong if it takes three seasons. -I'm just almighty curious to know!" - - - - -CHAPTER VII--DRIFTERS AND DERELICTS - - -Stirling kept a careful record of the changes given in the course of the -_Pole Star_, and found that the little skipper was reaching for the true -great-circle route to Yokohama. This was checked by Cushner, who was a -good rule-of-thumb navigator. - -They kept their observations from Whitehouse. The mate was a frugal soul -who spent much of his time driving the crew over the decks or keeping -them polishing the brass work with a sand-and-paste preparation which -was homemade and cheap. - -"Hit keeps 'em from thinking of their troubles," he had declared to -Stirling. "Now that the skipper has taken charge of the poop, there -isn't much for them to do." - -Stirling bided his time and kept a close watch on the quarter-deck. He -often saw Marr striding from port to starboard and back again directly -aft the wheelsman, though the canvas that had been rigged shut off most -of the view of the taffrail and the jack-staff. A position in the -crow's-nest, however, was a fair one to observe the after part of the -_Pole Star_. From this coign of vantage Stirling watched developments -with eyes which had been sharpened by suspicion and a determination to -find out the truth about the unknown woman. - -Cushner climbed up through the lubber's hole on the third day of the -outbound passage, lifted himself over the edge of the crow's-nest, and -dropped down beside Stirling. - -Their course had been changed a half point by Marr's orders. The wind -was southerly and came over the port quarter in soft billows of warmth. -It had been tempered by the Japan Current. - -"Got a chew?" asked the second mate, resting his elbows on the edge of -the crow's-nest and squinting aft to where the mizzen sail billowed, -with the yard set sharply around. - -Stirling passed over a plug. "Save me some," he said, slowly. "Go easy, -Sam. I don't often use the weed, but I may have to do something -desperate if Marr keeps changing his course. We're almost on the Japan -route. Another half point will see the great-circle route. That takes us -far up and out in the North Pacific. Wouldn't wonder if it was a -rendezvous." - -"What's that?" asked Cushner, clamping his huge jaws on the plug and -parting his icicle-like beard for a second bite. - -"A meeting-place. A gamming spot in the ocean!" - -Cushner understood the last. "Gamming" was a term used only by whalers. -It meant visiting another ship or being visited by the afterguard of a -whaler. - -"Maybe, Stirling. Maybe. Who could we gamm out in this ocean?" The -second mate swept an arm to the northward. A wild waste of harrowed -waters, stirred into whitecaps by the southern breeze, extended to a -linelike horizon. There was no speck or sail to gladden the view. It -appeared like a stretch which would reach infinity. - -"How about seals?" continued Cushner. - -"Ain't likely we're going after them," said Stirling. - -Stirling turned and stared down upon the quarter-deck. The wheelsman--a -Kanaka--hung on the spokes with his dark eyes glued into the binnacle; -the canvas shield was too high to allow a view of the taffrail and the -cabin companion. Once only Stirling saw moving shadows against the -light, as if more than one body had passed from starboard to port. He -frowned and turned away, as there was no way to discover the exact -situation. - -Cushner borrowed the plug of tobacco for a third bite, passing it back -without thanks. He stared at Stirling, lifted one huge leg over the edge -of the crow's-nest, waited till the ship steadied, and then was gone. - -Stirling remained. He glance ahead over the wilderness of Northern -waters, and the soft rush of their passage charmed him. The neat manner -in which the whaler cleft the seas, the throbbing of the sweet-running -engines, gladdened his heart, and he began to whistle a little tune of -the West coast. After all, he decided, the world was not such a bad -place for a man to fight in and conquer. He had made many mistakes. He -should have commanded a ship instead of being an ice pilot. The chicken -venture and the wiping out of his scanty fortune had been unfortunate. -It had set him back five years in his ambitions. - -His face lighted and grew resolute with the wine of living. He had a -code, which was the code of right. He had always played fair with seamen -and natives, and decided to see the voyage out, earn every penny he -could, then try for a ship of his own. Whalers would stake him to almost -anything. Marr might be open for an investment. The thing to do was to -keep the little skipper's good will, and watch developments, which came -fast enough. - -On the seventh day after leaving the Golden Gate, a gleam of light was -thrown upon the mystery of the great-circle passage. - -Stirling, Cushner, and Whitehouse stood in the waist of the ship with -nothing more to do than watch the crew lolling forward in indolent -respite from their light labours. - -The sun hung high in the south with gray clouds creeping up to it like a -closing hand. The wind had veered to the south and west, and canted the -whaler ever so slightly, as all yards were braced fore and aft. - -"What is the exact position?" asked Stirling, turning toward Whitehouse, -who had shot the sun and finished his figuring. - -"I make it 49-52 and 179-58! We're near the Aleutians and close to the -one hundred and eightieth meridian!" - -Cushner glanced at the sun. "We're about that!" he said with Yankee -shrewdness. "I can smell my position in these waters. I smell shore -stuff--fish and moss." - -"It comes down the wind!" snorted the cockney with a burst of disgust. - -"All the same, I don't need no sextant. All I need is a lead line and -experience." - -Whitehouse gulped at this and worked his brows up and down like a -gorilla, then turned toward the after part of the ship. "Seen the -skipper?" he asked. "Seen the old man? 'E's been shaved--'e 'as! 'E -looks fine--'e does!" - -"Shaved?" exclaimed Stirling, wheeling and staring at the quarter-deck. -"What do you mean? Has he taken off his beard?" - -"You're blym well right, 'e 'as! I wouldn't know 'im! Looks like a -regular, 'e does. All spick and span. 'E was askin' about our position -not a bell ago. 'E's expectin' to meet with something on these seas. -Likely it will be another ship!" - -"You and he are rather thick," suggested Stirling. - -"As thick as costermongers--once! Now 'e's retired from view like a -loidy of the music 'alls. I don't know what to think." - -The mate was evidently in earnest, and Stirling eyed him sharply, then -turned away and stared at Cushner. The Yankee hitched up his beard and -thrust it under the collar of his soiled pea-jacket--then started as he -glared toward the poop. - -"Old man wants you," he said. "He's callin' you, Mr. Whitehouse." - -The cockney mate braced his shoulders and hurried aft to the poop steps -on the weather side. He mounted them and disappeared behind the canvas -where Marr had sauntered. - -"What do you think?" asked Cushner. - -"Nothing yet, Sam. Hold your jaw tackle. Where did you first meet with -Whitehouse?" - -"The same day you was shanghaied. He came across the States by rail. He -brought two dunnage bags and a whacking accent with him. Had papers, all -right. Said he'd been in the British navy. I asked him why he left." - -"What did he say?" - -"He said it was a mere matter of five thousand pounds. That's just what -he said. That's money, isn't it?" - -"Considerable money! I wonder if he is under obligations to Marr in any -way?" - -"Might be. Looks mighty like it. At that, the old man isn't telling -anybody anything. He owns the ship. He's got a right to whale and seal -and trade with the natives. Nothing's going to stop him doing that." - -"Not if he goes after pelagic seals and keeps within the law." - -"Why is he working in these waters?" - -Stirling did not answer this question, but stared forward and directly -at the watch on deck. He counted them, searching for the seaman who had -put up the fight when brought aboard. He was not in evidence. - -"I wonder," asked Stirling, with a pucker on his brow, "if Marr expects -that crew to follow him in a lawless enterprise? Outside of three or -four, I know them from hearsay. They're drifters. They expect nothing -but an iron dollar. Larribee hasn't paid a whaling hand a cent over the -legal dollar in five seasons. He figures the advance money and the stuff -they draw from the slop-chest is enough for sea scum. He has no heart at -all!" - -"Dirty work!" - -"It is," said Stirling, sincerely. "Particularly when they don't even -get the advance money. The boarding-house keepers, crimps, and runners -get that. They furnish a man with an outfit and a dunnage bag. The -outfit consists of a 'donkey's breakfast' for a mattress and a pair of -pasteboard sea boots which will melt under the first hose. That's no way -to send a man North!" - -Cushner glanced at the Ice Pilot. He shook his head. "You're sticking up -for poor Jack," he said. "That's no more than right. The laws are all -for the owners and the boarding-house crimps. Poor Jack is friendless. -What can he do?" - -"There's seamen and seamen, Sam! There's the coasting crews and the -deep-water bunch who know enough to get big wages and hold to the Union. -The ones who suffer are boys like we got forward. They have no chance; -they work eight months for an iron dollar and are cheated out of that!" - -Cushner slanted his eyes forward. "They don't look as if they'd care -what happened," he said. "Marr, or anybody else, could give them a good -argument and they'd follow him to the end of the world. Five square -faces of gin and tobacco would buy the whole fo'c's'le." - -Stirling lifted his strong shoulders expressively. "You're partly -right!" he admitted. "I wouldn't blame them, either. But you're here and -I'm here, and we're going to see that this ship keeps within the law." - - - - -CHAPTER VIII--ON A LOWER BUNK - - -Suddenly Stirling ceased speaking and strode to the rail, glancing -keenly under the shelter of his right palm. - -"Speck in sight!" he called. "Looks like a ship headed this way! Make it -out, Cushner?" - -The second mate strained his eyes, then mopped them with his sleeve and -tried again. "Not yet," he said. "You have fine sight. Where away?" - -"About two points off the bow. There she is. See her? A brig, I think. -See the smoke?" - -Cushner nodded with a sudden jerk of his chin. "Just a smudge. She's -hull down!" - -It was a full half hour later before Stirling made out the Japanese flag -which fluttered at the stern of the brig. He called out her nationality -then swung and glanced toward the poop and the wheelman. Marr stood -under the shelter of the rail with both elbows resting upon the canvas -and a pair of twelve-diameter glasses focused ahead. He lowered these -glasses, reached for the engine-room telegraph, and the throbbing of the -_Pole Star's_ screws died to a quiver. The yards were braced back and -the whaler came up into the wind with scant headway. This brought the -Japanese brig upon the starboard waist. - -The funnel of the strange ship belched forth a volcano of smoke which -could come only from Japanese coal. She wallowed across the sea and came -up into the wind on the same tack as the _Pole Star_ was headed. - -A longboat was dropped awkwardly. Seamen to the number of four swarmed -overside and waited for a fifth figure to descend a ladder lowered for -his benefit. The boat sheered from the brig and danced across the waves -under the swing of four oars which were smartly handled. - -_Penyan Maru_ was the name Stirling made out on the brig as it hove to a -double cable's length away. A greater contrast to the _Pole Star_ could -not have been fashioned. Built in Japan before the war, the brig still -carried some of the top-hamper which rightly belonged to a junk. Her -yards were canted, her masts sloped forward instead of aft, her standing -rigging was loose and weather-rotted. - -Along the rail of the _Penyan Maru_ ran a line of pigeon-blue boats -which were too large for dories, too small for whaleboats. She bore the -unmistakable evidence of a Japanese sealer, a vampire of the sea--as -much an object of suspicion to every revenue cutter as a jailbird would -be to a self-respecting policeman. - -The four seamen who rowed the longboat lifted their oars smartly enough -as they rounded under the starboard rail of the _Pole Star_. Whitehouse, -on the poop, lowered a bosn's ladder, and up this climbed the figure of -a man who would have attracted attention on any ocean. - -He was fat and yellow; his moon-broad face was stabbed here and there -with tiny bristles like the nose of a walrus; his slanted eyes glittered -and beamed as he raised himself over the rail, took Whitehouse's hand, -and sprang to the deck of the _Pole Star_. He advanced to Marr's side -with a rolling waddle, and the two men clasped in friendly grasp. It was -evident to the watchers on the whaler that they were friends. - -They stood a moment on the deck, then Marr pointed toward the north and -east. The Japanese followed his direction, smiled blandly, and whispered -something into the little skipper's ear. They went below by way of the -cabin companion, the slide of which they closed after them. - -Stirling glanced keenly at Cushner, walked to the rail, and leaned over -with his eyes fixed upon the dingy sides and crazy rigging of the -sealer. He dropped his glance and studied the four of a crew who were -alongside the whaler's run, just aft the break of the poop. These seamen -made no effort to communicate in any way with the crew of the _Pole -Star_. They sat silently waiting for their master to return. - -Cushner rolled to Stirling's side and leaned his elbows on the rail. He, -too, glanced at the small boat and its contents. - -"A sealer's crew," he said. "Them's Japanese sealers. See the rifles and -the clubs. They ain't found in an ordinary boat. They're for pelagic -sealing, or any other kind. Nice-lookin' outfit." - -"Efficient and minding their own business!" declared Stirling. - -"What did you think of the emperor who came aboard? He was welcome!" - -Stirling turned and glanced toward the poop. "Sam," he said, "there's -more things on these seas than we will ever know. That brig is a supply -ship of some kind. If not that, it is going to meet us at some later -date and take off our trade stuff." - -"Also seal pelts." - -"Yes; seal pelts if they're secured in an honest manner. I don't care -where Marr disposes of his catch, as long as the catch is square and -aboveboard!" - -"Here comes the walrus again. Look how he's smiling. They must have had -a nip of gin. Marr is rubbing his hands like as if he'd made a good -bargain." - -The Japanese waddled to the rail, climbed upward, and descended the -ladder to the waiting small boat. Marr stood over him and cast off the -painter, and the boat sprang away from the sheer of the _Pole Star_. It -danced across the sea, vanished under the _Penyan Maru's_ counter, and -was hoisted aboard. - -A plume of black Japanese coal smoke shot up from the rusty funnel. The -yards were squared and the sealer wallowed toward the north and west, -vanishing in a cloud of its own making. - -A bell later Marr gave the order for a change of course and reached for -the engine-room telegraph. The screw thrashed; the crew sprang to -weather and lee braces. The _Pole Star_ started back over the old -pathway on the trackless ocean. Her compass point had been given as -east. - -It was a hushed company that gathered about the table that night in the -steerage of the _Pole Star_. The change of course, the gamming by the -Japanese sealer, the mystery of the skipper's actions--all these drove -silence into the mates' hearts. - -Stirling and Cushner soon departed and left the first and second -engineer to their thoughts. - -The two seamen, who had found a tie in common, strode to the forepeak of -the whaler, lighted their pipes from the same match, and stared out over -the dark velvet of the North Pacific. - -Cushner dragged on his stem for a long five minutes. He was awakened to -speech by the striking of the ship's bell forward when the lookout -lifted a marlinespike from the belfry and chimed two short strokes, -repeated by two more. - -"Four bells!" declared the Yankee. "She's four bells, Stirling. Four -bells, an' we're going back. Wouldn't wonder if we make California for -our first landfall." - -Stirling squared his shoulders, removed his pipe from his mouth, and -stared at the glowing bowl. He pressed the coals down with his broad -thumb, wheeled sharply, and glared aft. His face hardened as he made out -a shadow on the poop, and tried to discern if it were Marr. A swing of -the ship, the lowering of the mainsail at the sheet, blotted out his -view. - -He turned and gripped Cushner's arm. "We're not going to Frisco," said -the Ice Pilot. "We're headed for Dutch Pass and the Bering Sea. We're a -point south of the true course for that, but Marr is taking advantage of -the drift." - -"Why didn't he go through one of the outer straits? There's plenty by -the Rat Group." - -"Perhaps he wants to coal at Unalaska. He could take aboard fifty tons -there." - -"How about the ice?" - -"It hasn't cleared yet. It lies about ten knots to the south'ard of the -Pribilofs. It'll break up and clear within a week, though. It always -does." - -Cushner nodded. He held a wholesome respect for Stirling's ice -knowledge. The pilot had no peer when it came to working through the -loose floes or finding a lane to the northward. These lanes were both -dangerous and deceptive, and many led to thicker floes and barren ice. - -"We'll soon be in the ice?" asked the second mate. - -"Five days, allowing for a day's stop at Unalaska. First comes the light -floes and the whale slick. Afterward is the barrier line which stretches -to the Pole. It starts to open and break. Through these lanes the whales -go into the Arctic. There's usually a big jam at Bering Strait. The -current sets east by north in summer and south by west in the fall. -There are no bergs north of the Aleutians or west of Point Barrow. -Leastwise, I never saw any!" - -"People always talk about the bergs of the Arctic." - -Stirling nodded. "I know that," he said with positive tones. "The reason -is not hard to find. There's bergs where there's glaciers. There's any -number of big fellows on the lower Alaskan coast. These bergs melt in -the warm Japan Current. The harbour of Unalaska and the strait at Dutch -Pass never freezes. That's on account of the same current." - -"But the Arctic bergs, Stirling?" - -"There's very few in the western Arctic. There's no glaciers along the -Northern coast of Alaska and Canada. There's a few on the Siberian -coast. The land is all low. The big floes--some of them a century -old--resemble small bergs. That's the reason for the mistake made by -Northern travellers." - -Stirling turned and tapped his pipe against the rail then pocketed it -and glanced aft. There was no sign on the poop of any watcher save the -wheelsman, whose eyes were glued ahead. - -Cushner yawned. "It's Whitehouse's watch," he said. "I'm going to turn -in. Good-night!" - -Stirling followed the second mate into the galley cabin, and climbed -into his bunk with a tired glance at the compass point. The _Pole Star_ -was headed on the same course as given when they left the Japanese -sealer. The wind had veered and now swung from over the Aleutian -Islands--fifty miles to the northward. It was slightly tempered with -ice. Stirling closed his porthole and rolled over to sleep. - -He was awakened at midnight, and the change in the watch, by Cushner. -The second mate held a cautious finger over his mouth as he finished -shaking Stirling's shoulder. - -"Come on deck," the Yankee whispered. "Put on some clothes and hurry. I -got to relieve Whitehouse." - -Stirling rolled from his bunk, stood swaying on the deck, and drew on -part of his clothes. He finished by buttoning a great sea coat about his -sturdy form and clapping a cap down over his ears. Already the -temperature had fallen to a marked degree. He emerged to the waist of -the whaler and stood breathing great gulps of Arctic-tinged air which -sent the wine of living through his veins. He felt more of a man than he -had since his last venture in the Bering. - -Cushner touched his elbow. "Come forward," the mate said, softly. "Get -under the lee of the deck house and then the foresail. Don't make any -noise." - -The watch on deck had surged forward to the capstan, and some of the -watch below were climbing up through the booby hatch. Others were -gathered about the form of the sailor who had been in the Frisco room. -He lay across the soiled planks of the forecastle, his arms stretched -out, his legs extended and resting on the edge of a lower bunk. - -Stirling brushed aside the seamen who had gathered about the booby -hatch. The Ice Pilot descended backward and stood in the gloom of the -forecastle. A single electric globe was hung over a molasses barrel at -the heel of the foremast. Its light was far too pale to bring out the -details. - -"What happened?" asked Stirling, grimly. - -A dock rat, who had been shamming sickness during the voyage, thrust out -a frowsy head from the forepeak and said: "The crew beat him up. They -say he's a government spy. They say he's goin' to queer the skipper's -game with th' seals. He looks it--he does!" - -Stirling stooped and felt of the sailor's wrist. He examined a bruise on -the right temple then straightened and glanced up through the booby -hatch toward Cushner. - -"Go aft," he said, "and tell Mr. Marr to give you the medicine chest. -Tell him that----What does this fellow call himself?" - -"Eagan," said the dock rat; "Mike Eagan, so he says, Mr. Stirling." - -"Tell Mr. Marr that a seaman named Eagan was struck by a block. Don't -tell him what happened--yet. I'm going to look out for Eagan! If he -represents the United States he has got to be protected north of 53 deg. -as well as south of that latitude!" - -Cushner hurried aft and mounted the lee poop steps. - - - - -CHAPTER IX--THE POLAR BARRIER - - -Stirling had finished his examination of the seaman's wound by the time -Cushner returned from aft with the medicine chest. This contained -bandages and crude cures which had the merit of being overly strong. - -The Ice Pilot washed the wound with heavy fingers and pressed on a pad -of salve which was rank with iodoform and arnica. He glanced keenly at -Cushner, as Eagan sat up and stared about the forecastle with bewildered -eyes. - -"What did the old man say?" asked Stirling. - -"Not much! Said the crew of this ship looked able to dodge blocks." - -Stirling stooped to Eagan. "Who struck you?" he inquired, feelingly. - -The seaman pressed his left hand to the bandage, then eyed his fingers. -He gathered his senses, frowned deeply, staring about the empty bunks, -and up through the opening to the deck. Faces were pressed there, faces -curious and hard. - -"I wasn't struck!" - -The seaman's voice carried the lie in its tones. "I fell down over a -bucket," he continued. "Slipped, I guess. Must have hit the corner of -the molasses barrel. It's deuced sharp, it is." - -Stirling removed a small portion of salve from a can, spread it upon a -piece of paper, and handed it to the seaman with steady fingers. - -"You lie!" he said with clenched teeth. "You lie about falling down. -Remember that it may happen again." - -Eagan squared his jaw and glanced for a second time toward the booby -hatch then he rubbed his hands together, reached and took the salve -offered by Stirling. - -"I'll tend to the next time," he said, huskily. "I'll tend to it! I -don't need no afterguard to fight my battles. I can lick any three men -of this crew, Mr. Stirling." - -The Ice Pilot turned, strode across the rude planks of the forecastle, -and mounted the ladder to the deck. Cushner removed the medicine chest -from beneath his arm and started aft with it. - -"Hold on," said Stirling. "Just a minute, Sam!" - -The second mate turned. - -"Don't say anything more to Marr. Just give him the chest and meet me in -the waist. We'll have a smoke over this. That crew look as if they were -in earnest. They'll murder Eagan if he don't keep his eyes peeled." - -The mate bobbed his head and climbed the weather poop steps as Marr -appeared at the side of the wheelsman and stared over the canvas rail. -His eyes locked with Stirling's and were unable to hold the Ice Pilot's -accusing scrutiny. Already and before entering the Bering Sea, there was -a full crop of suspicion and cross-purpose sowed upon the _Pole Star_. - -Cushner moved to the rail as Marr disappeared in the gloom. The two -seamen lighted pipes and stared out over the Northern sea. A nip was in -the air, and the higher stars shone with frosty effulgence. - -"I've got to take the poop," said Cushner, folding close his pea-jacket -and glancing aft. "Whitehouse has gone into the galley. Marr won't stand -for a watch alone; he'll probably go below." - -Stirling shrugged his broad shoulders, pressed the bowl of his pipe, -then blew upon his thumb with thoughtful air. - -"I'm kinda summing things up, Sam. First the shanghai party; then the -seaman who wanted to come aboard. Then, Sam, there's the mystery of the -gamming by the Jap. All looks as if Marr has a fixed purpose. Looks like -a crooked compass point to steer by!" - -"Darn crooked!" - -Stirling wound his strong fingers about the second mate's arm. "I'm a -simple sailorman," he said, heavily. "I've sailed the Arctic and the -Bering and the North Pacific, man and boy, for thirty years. I have no -kith or kin. I've one star to guide. That's truth and right doing, Sam. -It's over there!" - -The Ice Pilot pointed along the leader stars of the Great Dipper and -notched his fingernail on the lodestar. "That's my guide," he said. "I -play square! I never made anything much by playing square, but I'm going -to steer my course by that light point. Marr won't mislead me a quarter -point." - -"Spoken fair!" declared Cushner. "You can call on me." - -The mate vanished in the gloom of the waist. - -Stirling dragged on his pipe, held it out, tapped it against the rail -and dumped the glowing coals overside with a sweeping motion. He paused -at the door to his galley cabin. The ship was plunging eastward with her -screw turning over at three-quarter speed. A soft halo capped the -funnel, like the tip of an ashless cigar, and the throbbing shook the -deck which was canted ever so slightly under the influence of the -northeast wind. - -"Headin' full and by," said Stirling. "We're making for Dutch Pass. I'll -be glad to see the ice. Somehow or other that Bering always seemed like -a man's sea." - -The days which followed the assault upon Eagan were hard ones for the -mixed crew of the _Pole Star_. The course of the whaler was into the -teeth of a wind which swung over the watches from point to point. - -The night between the spume-filled days revealed the stars overhead in -all their Northern glory--steel pointed they seemed. Within them and -over the Northern world a pale sheen glowed, and vanished and glowed -again. This was the reflection of the aurora upon the great north -barrier. - -Fur coats, skin boots, woollen socks with moss filling, mittens, and -watch caps were broken from the slop-chest and distributed to the crew. - -At high noon of the third day from the gamming by the Japanese sealer, -Stirling mounted to the crow's-nest, paused on its edge for a glance at -the deck, then dropped down into a snug, far-swinging berth from which -he had command of a hundred leagues of icy water. - -He reached and secured a pair of twelve-diameter glasses which had been -placed in a small chart rack, rested his elbows on the rim of the -crow's-nest, and swept the horizon with keen eyes. - -Mile by mile he searched for signs of whale slick or spout, but none -showed, then he turned and squinted ahead. Two needlelike peaks showed -well to the eastward. They were the highest points of the Aleutian -group, and marked the pass through to the Bering Sea. - -The day unrolled and lifted the archipelago up and into the Northern -sky. It seemed a white-robed mountain chain--with each spire and crag -forming the teeth of a giant saw. A rose light gleamed and reddened this -barrier as the sun rimmed the Western world. The light paled to a -flamingo and then to purple night as the ship drove on. - -It was midnight, with Whitehouse and Marr standing watch on the poop, -and Stirling and Cushner in the crow's-nest, when they reached the -overhanging shadow of the pass to the Bering. The ship steadied, swung, -then darted under the lee of a barren island; the strait with its score -of sharp turnings lay ahead. - -They passed the entrance to Dutch Harbor and Unalaska, raised the Rock -of the Bishop, sheered and drove with all steam through the narrow -outlet to the strait, entering at morning the waters of the Bering. - -Stirling breathed, for the first time sure of sea room. Raising his -glasses, he greeted the morning sun that slanted cold and bright along -the arctic waters which rose and fell in slow gliding. He lowered his -elbows and leaned far out over the crow's-nest edge, studying the small -patches of spring ice through which the ship's sharp prow cut like a -knife going through satin. - -Floes, in the form of old "grandfathers," were passed to starboard and -port. These had drifted with the current down through the Bering Strait -and were destined to melt in the warm waters of the Japan Current. Some -were small cakes, which had been formed that winter, and upon some of -these arctic birds and hair seals sported. - -A larger formation appeared ahead--part of the great North pack. Walrus -and polar bear dove overside as the whaler bore down upon this floe, -sheered, and entered a wide lane leading toward the north and east. - -"Take the ship!" called Marr from the poop. "It's your ship from now on, -Mr. Stirling." - -The Ice Pilot leaned over the edge of the crow's-nest. "Where are you -headin' for?" he asked with a stout laugh. "I don't know your compass -point. You didn't tell me." - -"Tie to the ice--the pack!" Marr had consulted the binnacle before -giving the order. - -Stirling chuckled like a big boy, turned in his narrow quarters, and -crooked his elbows with the glasses clasped in his hands. He studied the -currents and the drift of the lighter floes, sniffed the wind, then -swung his eyes from northeast to northwest. - -"Hard astarboard!" he called down to the quartermaster. "Put her hard -astarboard." - -"Hard astarboard," rolled up to the crow's-nest. "She's hard astarboard, -sir!" the wheelsman corrected. - -"Steady now. Steady! Over with it. Now steady. Port! Port! Hard aport! -Stead-y thar!" - - - - -CHAPTER X--TO THE LAST DAY - - -The _Pole Star_ threaded the ice floes like a dancer on a polished -floor. She drove all that day north and east; she crashed through new -ice; she dodged the ancient floes and worked into the pack and through -the lanes under the masterful handling of the Ice Pilot, who sought no -rest. Coffee was brought to him by the galley boy. With this, and now -and then a drag from his pipe, he held down three watches until morning -broke and revealed to the east the higher line of the barrier beyond -which the ship could not go. - -"Pack ahead!" he announced, turning and staring shrewdly toward Marr who -stood with Cushner on the poop. "Yon's the North pack!" - -Marr lifted his face and returned the stare, then dropped his eyes under -the steady scrutiny and consulted Cushner. - -Stirling swung and rimmed the white line without glasses. He knew it of -old and knew that it was too early to find a lane leading north or east. -The ancient floes were still cemented together in an unyielding mass. -Upon them snow glistened, and pools of fresh water showed. - -"Tie to the pack!" called Marr. "Pick out a place to get water. Find a -hummock we can lash to. We'll lie here a while!" - -Into a tiny bight of open water, sheltered on three sides by ancient -ice, Stirling drove the _Pole Star_. Here she was lashed to a hummock by -a hawser which three of the crew carried overside and hitched in a -bowline of staunch hemp. - -The seamen and boat steerers swarmed over the whaler's rail and -stretched themselves by a swift run upon the ice. They caught a hose -thrown to them and carried its end to a pool of fresh water which had -been formed by melting snow. - -The pump clanked, the deck tanks were filled, and the first engineer, -assisted by the engine-room force, started work on a boiler which had -three leaking tubes in the tube sheet. The smallest of their number -crawled through the manhole and started clipping the scale, his tapping -sounding throughout the ship. - -Stirling descended from the crow's-nest, after a last glance toward the -northeast. There floe ice, packed and cemented together, extended to the -cold rim of the horizon, with no sign of lanes. The warm sun of the day -and its work was undone each night by the freezing cold. - -Cushner met Stirling at the rail, thrust out his broad hand, and smiled -proudly. - -"Fine ice work!" said the second mate. "I knew you could do it. Marr was -watching you all the time!" - -"Does he know anything about ice?" - -"Thundering little! He's a Baffin Bay man, so he says. There's a lot of -difference between the Bay and the Bering." - -"Considerable! It's a question of currents, here. The pack is farther -south than I ever saw it at this time of the year. That means an open -season when it breaks. What do you make of the weather?" - -The second mate glanced at the telltale on the cap of the mizzenmast. -"Good," he said. "Wind's swinging to th' south'ard." - -"That means a thaw, Sam." - -"The ice is soft on top. See the water holes?" - -Stirling nodded then turned and stared over the broken surface where the -crew was moving. "There's hair seals aplenty," he said. "Too bad, Sam, -them ain't fur seals. Maybe Marr would be satisfied to stay right here." - -Cushner widened his eyes. "Still thinking of a raid?" he inquired, -shrewdly. - -"That, and other things. Look to the south'ard. Did you ever see better -whaling ground? There's slick aplenty. My, how I'd like to lower for a -bowhead! They're all along this ice." - -"Nobody's raised any spouts, yet." - -"They're there! They can't get north. The barrier holds them. It was -just like this when we caught three big bowheads from the _Mary Foster_. -Lowered four boats and fastened to three whales. That was a great day!" - -The earnestness in Stirling's strong voice showed Cushner where his -heart lay, and he glanced at the low-swinging sun which was going down -on a long arc that marked the end of a Northern day. - -"Good-night," he said. "Go turn in and forget bowheads. I don't think -the old man is thinking about them. He's full of seals. He asked me a -thousand questions about them. Darn sealing, says I! Whaling's a man's -game! Many an old bowhead has fought back. Many a boat's been smashed by -a bull whale--up here or in the South Pacific." - -Stirling nodded his head in complete understanding, for he realized the -call which was in the big mate's blood. He watched him disappear into -the galley-house, then followed, after a glance about the deck. Many of -the crew were still out upon the ice. - -His cabin seemed strangely small and constricted, and he opened a -porthole which overlooked the deck and rail and sea to the south. He -examined his few possessions with wistful eyes--a bomb gun, brightly -polished, standing in one corner of the cabin, a sextant and ancient -chronometer resting upon a shelf, a Bowditch and well-thumbed almanac -which comprised his library. His clothes were but few and worn. - -He turned in, after undressing, snapping off his light and rolling over -on his right arm. He drowsed with the music of the grinding floes in his -ears, then heard a racking shiver which came from the north and east; it -was the great North pack breaking along its entire length. - -He awoke like a startled child. Cushner's pointed beard was thrust -through the open porthole, and the second mate's wide-set eyes were -intent and hard. - -"Climb out of your bunk!" he said. "Get in your boots and join me on the -ice. I'll be right by the hummock where the shore line is." - -Stirling hastily dressed and wrapped a great sea coat, with shell -buttons, about his form. He stepped out on the dark deck with firm -stride, glancing intuitively aft as he threw one leg over the port rail, -after rounding the deck house. - -Nothing showed on the poop. A faint light, however, struck upward and -brought out the lacery of the after standing rigging. This light -vanished suddenly, then a companion hatch slammed. - -Stirling dropped to the ice and crawled over its surface till he reached -a towering hummock. Behind this Cushner was crouching, and the big mate -laid a finger across his whiskered lips. - -Stirling knelt upon the snow and listened. He heard the lapping of the -waves as they ran up the shelving ice, with now and then a breaker which -shot a white plume starward. The broken fragments of the southern floes -ground together, and the night was filled with a thousand sounds which -blended into a roar. - -Then, and suddenly, there rose from the poop of the whaler a shaft of -yellow light. A voice was raised, and the notes of a song drifted -through the open portholes of the after cabin. Marr was singing: - - "English there be and Portigee, - Who hang on the Brown Bear's flank, - And some be Scot, but the worst of the lot-- - The boldest thieves be Yank!" - -Cushner gripped Stirling's arm. "That's ain't all," he said with a deep -warning. "Who is standing on the poop? Who's that in the shelter of the -canvas, aft--right by the jack staff?" - -Stirling peered out from behind the hummock, grasped the hawser, and -drew himself forward. He pulled down his cap and opened wide his -splendid eyes. Cushner was right. There was a figure on the poop, and -this figure moved and came slowly across the planks to the rail which -overlooked the waist of the whaler. - -Glasses clinked in the cabin. Whitehouse joined his cockney accents to a -song: - - "Oh, I'm th' son of a gentleman, - For I takes m' whisky clear-- - I takes m' whisky clear----" - -The figure on the poop leaned over the rail. Stirling strained his ears; -a sob racked the Arctic air, and the figure on the quarter-deck -straightened with a convulsive shudder. Whitehouse's voice broke out -afresh, and the song was drunken and masterful. - -The form above the bold singer turned away from the rail of the ship and -glided slowly aft. A yellow light shot upward as a companion was slowly -opened, then this light was blotted out degree by degree; the companion -hatch clicked shut. - -Minutes passed. Neither man on the ice moved; both were deep in thought. -The two facts were hard to gather to the brain: Marr and Whitehouse were -in the cabin, drinking; another Marr had stood upon the quarter-deck. It -was the little captain--line for line. In one thing only did it -differ--the racking sob at the drunken levity below was from a woman's -throat. It was a protest which she believed fell upon the Northern -silences. - -Stirling sprang to his feet with an icy glint in his blue eyes. - -"We'll fathom that mystery," he told Cushner. "We'll fathom it if it -takes to the last day of the voyage!" - - - - -CHAPTER XI--BENEATH THE SURFACE - - -The sun came up on a long slant, to swing its southern arc. Glancing -from ice floe to ice floe, it seemed a cold bronze disk placed in motion -by some Norseman of the Arctic wilds. - -Stirling, haggard and with hot, fevered eyes, sat at the steerage table -watching the light striking across a red-checked table cover and -bringing out the rude details of the cabin. - -He had not slept since seeing that strange figure on the quarter-deck of -the whaler. He had sat erect throughout the morning watch, laying facts -against facts, which seemed to dull and stupefy his sober senses. - -At no time in his life had he believed in the supernatural. He did not -share the beliefs, common to most seamen, that the sea held unfathomable -mysteries. He had sniffed often at the tales told by old salts. Times -without number he had pointed out that natural causes rule the -happenings of this world. St. Elmo fire; the creaking of blocks in a -calm; the dust on a dustless sea; the tapping that a bolt might make in -a hollow spar--these were all phenomena which could be explained by -science or good common sense. - -The spectre on the poop of the _Pole Star_ was as unexplainable as life -itself. It bore the shape and form of Marr; it was not Marr, for the -captain had been drinking and singing in the cabin. Stirling put trust -in the sound of the human voice. It was one thing which could not easily -be changed or disguised. - -He rose, at six bells, with a slow shrug of his broad shoulders. He -stood a moment with his hands gripping the racks, his face deeply lined -with the ravages of a sleepless night. He held out his palm and stared -at it; his fingers trembled uncontrollably. They always had been steady. - -He made his way to the deck and stood by the rail which was nearest the -great North pack. The cook, yawning, was making fire in the galley -stove. A lone "anchor watch" pacing back and forth at the break of the -forecastle head turned and stared at Stirling. - -The air was cold with a snap of frost. A gale came from the south and -west with a puff that ground the loose floes together. North, to the -slaty horizon, stretched the broken surface of the ice field. It had a -sound of its own--a grind and a creaking like a soul in agony. - -Stirling rested his hands on the rail and stared downward. The whaler -surged against the shelving ice, steadied, then surged back again. Seals -peered curiously from the depths of the Bering. Some scrambled from the -floes and plumped into the icy water. Walruses were upon the pack. They -had broken through the thin ice formed overnight, and their whiskers and -tusks were white with hoar frost. - -Stirling stared aloft, then shuddered slightly and drew his great coat -close about him. The ratlines and standing rigging, the downhauls and -halyards formed a ghostly tapestry, like the gossamer web of some forest -glade. - -He raised his hands, breathed upon them to secure circulation, slowly -climbed the rail, and reached for the shrouds, and thrusting his feet -through the chains he mounted until he reached the Jacob's ladder. Going -over this he leaned far outboard, glanced down at the deck, then -finished the climb to the crow's-nest which was coated with frost. - -Some whim of the current had cleared the sea to the south and east. It -was as if a broom had swept through the pile of a purple carpet. The -floes which had broken from the main pack had been whisked southward to -melt in the warm waters of the north Pacific. Occasionally, however, a -hoary old "grandpa" went drifting by with its load of walrus and hair -seals, while over them hovered gulls and other birds. - -Stirling narrowed his eyes and searched long and carefully for some sign -of another whaler. The season was an early one. Bowheads were to be -expected in such waters; the whale slick which showed marked their -feeding ground. He saw no sign of sail or smoke. A slight haze to the -southward marked the smoky sea where the chilled waters of the Bering -met the first warm current which seeped through the passes of the -Aleutian Group. - -Climbing from the crow's-nest, Stirling swung out over the ladder and -smiled slightly as he saw a patient fisherman, in the shaggy form of a -polar bear, all too intent upon the circular opening of a seal's hole -through the ice. - -A whiff of galley smoke and the rattle of falling ice from the shrouds -disturbed the fisherman. He raised his yellow snout, blinked his tiny -eyes, and was off with a lumbersome trot toward the shelter of higher -hummocks in the east. - -Cushner appeared like a giant who had slept without turning over. He -lifted his long arms, stretched, pointed his icicle-sharp beard aloft, -and held his mouth open as he stared at Stirling swinging down the -shrouds. - -"By the stars, old man!" he exclaimed. "You're an early bird. Ain't more -than seven bells, if it's that. Raised any bowheads yet?" - -Stirling sprang from the rail to the deck and rubbed his frosted hands. -He stepped to Cushner's side and clapped him on the back. "Not yet!" he -said. "No whales, but there's an ocean of fine slick. It's a whaling day -if ever there was one." - -"Waal," yawned Cushner. "Waal, I'll call the watches and get ready. We -might as well drop away from the pack." - -Without consulting Marr, the second mate gave the order to bring in the -hawser and hoist easy canvas on the fore and main. The _Pole Star_ -sheered and drifted toward the southward. Stirling emerged from the -galley house, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, felt the glow -of the strong coffee he had drunk, then crossed the deck and mounted -again to the crow's-nest where he took position to observe any signs of -whales or white water. - -The whaler was hove to, with her yards braced, and steam pluming from -the pipe after the raking funnel; the boats were swung outboard; the -gear was gone over and the water kegs filled. - -Marr appeared at one bell. He glanced toward the distant pack, frowned -slightly, then leaned over the rail of the quarter-deck. "Who gave the -order to drop down here?" he asked Cushner. - -The second mate stood erect in the starboard-waist boat. "I did," he -said, slowly. "I thought, seeing as how there was whale slick, that we -better get in position for lowering. We could only lower three boats -where we were." - -Marr motioned for Whitehouse, who sprang up the weather poop steps, and -the two men went aft behind the canvas screen. Cushner glanced toward -Stirling in the crow's-nest, and Stirling nodded. He seemed to say -without words that he would stick by the second mate's statement. - -Whitehouse appeared and glanced upward. "What d'ye make out?" he asked, -pointing over the ship's rail. "'Ow's the sea to lee'ard?" - -"Plenty of signs," said Stirling. "There's a sail far down toward that -big floe. Looks like the first of the Frisco fleet. She's headin' for -the ice. Likely there'll be more. Old 'Hank' Peterson and his _Beluga_ -always fasten around about here. That looks like the _Beluga's_ -fore-topsail. It's dirty enough!" - -The _Beluga_, so it proved, tacked and went about with its long row of -white boats showing clear and distinct in the Northern sunlight. -Peterson was cruising over known ground. He drove the ship away from the -pack and vanished through the smoke of the seas with the patches of his -ancient sails allowing the last sight of him. - -Another ship climbed up over the rim of the world. Smoke showed in a -long slaty line, and soon was revealed the fine sheer and trim rig of a -revenue cutter. Stirling lowered his glasses with a dry smile, and -stared toward the whaler's poop. Marr stood there with feet braced and a -telescope clapped to his eye. - -The little skipper muttered vehemently as he wheeled swiftly and strode -to the rail. "What ship's that?" he called up to Stirling. - -"The United States revenue cutter _Bear_, Mr. Marr!" - -The captain frowned, turned, and looked over the ice-dotted waters. -"Which way is she heading now?" he asked. - -"Same course. She's sizing us up. Likely she'll skirt the pack, back and -forth, until she finds a lane to the east. She always does." - -"How many cutters come North?" - -"Usually three----the _Bear_ and the _Wolverene_ and the _Northern -Star_." - -Stirling's voice contained a shaded warning, as he leaned over the edge -of the crow's-nest and watched Marr intently. The little captain was -plainly disturbed. He coiled and uncoiled his well-manicured fingers, -stroked his smooth chin, then went aft with a quick stride and -disappeared through the cabin companion. - -Cushner climbed up the fore shrouds and dropped alongside Stirling. -Pinching the Ice Pilot's arm, he chuckled as he twirled the knob of the -glasses and extended his arm outward. - -"She's th' _Bear_, all right," he said after a careful glance. "She's -giving us a good lookin' over. We're new to her. I reckon th' whaleboats -will satisfy her. There's nothin' to excite suspicion." - -The _Bear_ slowly vanished into the mist, and a line of dark smoke -marked her going. - -Cushner laid down the glasses and exclaimed through his beard: "They -ought to know you, old man!" - -"Not in this rig," Stirling said. "Last time I saw the _Bear_, I was -pilot of the _Mary Foster_. They gammed us the other side of St. -Lawrence Island. They were looking for poachers. Somebody had raided the -northeast point of St. Paul's, and three hundred bachelor seals were -missing." - -"Fair game, I say, when you do it out beyond the three-mile limit. It's -just the same as highway when it's done on the rookeries." - -"That's the way I think. Marr had better take warning. It would be a -short shift to McNeal's Island and a long sentence if he tried -anything." - -Cushner climbed out of the crow's-nest and lowered himself to the deck. -Standing by the rail he watched the crew who were alert to raise a -spout. Whitehouse, at a suggestion from Marr, had offered ten plugs of -tobacco and two square faces of trade gin for the first blow reported. - -The morning passed without any sign of whales. At two bells in the -afternoon watch a second whaler wallowed by and offered the signal that -she had already fastened and cut in. A dark slab of muck tuck, or -blubber, was dangling from her stumpy jib boom. - -Stirling knew the ship as he knew the palm of his strong hand. She was -the _Norwhale_ out of Frisco. He called down her name and pointed out -her aged captain to the crew of the _Pole Star_. - -"The luckiest man in the North!" Stirling exclaimed. "Already fastened -and lookin' for more. Keep your eyes peeled to lee'ard, boys. There's an -ocean of slick and plenty of signs." - -The sun was rolling into the west when a stir passed through the _Pole -Star_. A voice forward had half shouted, then died to a whisper. One -lookout pointed far down to the south and east; Stirling swung his -glasses and studied the wide surface of the Bering. He saw a spout which -proved to be waves dashed from the weather side of a floe, and sea gulls -hovering over an oily patch. He tested the direction of the wind by -holding his finger aloft, and stared at the telltale which draped from -the mizzen top. - -Clapping the glasses to his eyes, he swung about in a slow circle. Due -south, he steadied and grew rigid. He saw the low bore of water which -marked the presence of some animal beneath the surface. He closed his -lips in a hard, firm line; his face cleared; his arms grew rigid as bars -of steel. He waited with every muscle tense. Then, and suddenly, he -lowered the glasses, leaned far out over the edge of the crow's-nest, -and called loudly: "A blow! A blow! There she blows!" - - - - -CHAPTER XII--THE MANNER OF MAN - - -The ship shook with the running of many men. The mate sprang to the -shrouds and shaded his eyes. - -"Where away?" called up Cushner. - -"Direct to the south'ard! Right over that floe! There she blows again. -There she blows!" - -For a second time a bore of white water showed. This was followed by a -plume of soft spray which spurted up into the frosty air and vanished to -leeward. The whale was rising for breath. - -"All 'ands to the boats!" This order was given by Whitehouse who stood -at the top of the lee poop steps. - -There sounded a rush along the deck, and a snarl of excited men tumbled -over each other in their haste to reach the boats. It was for all the -world like being submarined in war time. - -Stirling scowled down on the untrained crew, then glanced toward the -little skipper. He feared that the noise would gally the quarry; a whale -has remarkable hearing in certain circumstances. The Ice Pilot had known -of failure to fasten with a harpoon on account of the striking of a -paddle against the inner skin of a boat. - -He called a warning and pointed toward the sea where last a spout had -shown. The crew heeded this call, and stood silent by the falls of each -boat. - -"Lower away!" called out Whitehouse. - -The boats splashed into the sea, the falls were loosened from their -eyebolts in bow and stern, and long oars were thrust out as the crews -swarmed downward. - -Led by the second mate's boat, the tiny fleet swung like a covey of -pigeons and ran before the wind with their single sails billowed out -over the lee rails and their centerboards raised. - -Skipping from sea to sea, as light as spindrift, they assumed a fanlike -formation and closed about the position where the whale had been seen. - -The leading boat, guided by Cushner, gained slightly and drew away, the -big mate, with his white beard, standing erect in the stern. His hand -was closed over the tiller, his eyes glued on a spot to leeward. - -Stirling and Marr, who had remained as ship keepers, with the cook and -engineers, watched the arena like spectators at a battle. The Ice Pilot -had hastened to many bowheads and realized that Cushner had taken the -proper direction and would most likely intercept the whale upon its next -appearance. - -A short wait followed, and Stirling fastened a small red flag to a -signal halyard which could be raised from the crow's-nest. This was in -the event that the whale was sighted from the ship. Two jerks would be -the signal that the fleet should go to leeward; one jerk, into the wind. - -Across the whale slick the mate's boat darted, then came up and held its -position with sail flapping. Cushner drove farther to the south where -he, too, brought his boat in the wind and waited. - -Marr lowered his glass and stared up at the Ice Pilot. "It's time, isn't -it?" the captain asked. - -"Almost," replied Stirling. "That old bull's been down eighteen -minutes." - -The Ice Pilot replaced his watch and waited like a hunter in a jungle -tree. His were the highest eyes on those waters. He swept them across -the sea and somewhat ahead of Cushner's boat, then he stiffened and -jerked up his flag. He held it at the masthead, then jerked again. The -whale had showed white water not a cable's length from the second mate's -boat. - -"He's up!" called Stirling in his excitement. "Sam's right there!" - -Cushner caught the signal from above the crow's-nest of the _Pole Star_. -He swung his body and allowed the boat to run before the wind, peering -under the bulging sail with its lifted boom. He pointed and pressed the -tiller handle. - -The harpooner of Cushner's boat was a giant Kanaka. He was whale wise, -and had once been known to fasten to a whale over the sail of another -boat. Stirling saw him reach downward, lift a heavy harpoon, with its -bomb-gun attachment, and poise rigidly in the bow of the whaleboat. His -bronzed arm was raised inch by inch. The small boat drove on and into -the smothering plume of vapour which rose out of the sea and slick as -the whale emerged and exhaled its breath. - -Cushner's boat drove onward. The Kanaka straightened, drew back his arm, -and then hurled the heavy harpoon down and into the waves as the -whaleboat mounted the first of the bore set up by the passage of the -monster. - -The mast of the boat came down on the run, oars were thrust outboard, -Cushner unshipped the tiller and hurried forward. The Kanaka passed him, -stooped, and lifted up a long steering oar which he placed in the -oarlock aft. - -Stirling watched the second mate as he poised in the bow with a brass -bomb gun under his arm and his eyes glued upon the coil of hemp which -was floating on the surface of the sea. The whale had been struck, and -it was sulking just below the boat, but had not yet sounded. - -Seconds passed, while the watchers on the ship remained mute with -expectancy. Then, and suddenly, the white boat swung, almost upsetting -Cushner, and started into the wind with the speed of a swift launch. The -whale had come to life, had recovered from the stunning blow of the -harpoon and the bomb, and was "carrying the mail" for the great North -pack, with the boat dragging after it. - -Cushner motioned aft with the flat of his right hand, dashed the spray -from his eyes, stooped, and felt of the whale line where it disappeared -over the bow. He then straightened and motioned aft for a second time. - -Stirling interpreted the signal. It was for the sheet tender to throw -water into the tubs. Already smoke was rising from the round wooden butt -in the bow about which the line was coiled. - -The sheet tender, a Frisco dock rat, scooped a dipper overside, stumbled -forward, and dashed sea water into the rapidly uncoiling hemp. He -slipped as the boat swung over a wave, and the dipper flew from his -hand, dropping into the larger of the two tubs. - -There followed a leaping snarl of inch rope. A slender python seemed to -reach and coil about Cushner in the bow, who flung up his arms and -dropped the bomb gun. A noose fastened about his waist, and he was drawn -forward and downward as the whale surged onward. Fighting with all his -giant strength, he went over and then into the depth of the sea. - -"Heavens!" shouted Marr. "Did you see that, Stirling?" - -The Ice Pilot was over the edge of the crow's-nest and down the rigging -within the space of five seconds. He struck the deck and dashed aft. -"He's done for!" he shouted. "Get up steam and hurry. There's only one -chance." - -Marr stared at the Ice Pilot. "Who's giving orders here?" he asked, -cuttingly. "Let the fool take care of himself. He picked out that sheet -tender." - -Stirling gulped, then clenched his fists and held them out under the -skipper's chin. He drew them back inch by inch. His emotion was a -compelling thing. He could crush the little skipper with one blow, but -held himself in hand and turned, his eyes filled with the fire of -battle. - -"Follow me!" he shouted to two of the engineers who stood in the waist. -"Help lower the dinghy. The whale's coming to windward. I can get it!" - -The tiny boat was lowered in clumsy fashion. Stirling shoved off and sat -down to the oars. Over his shoulder he saw the sneering figure of the -little skipper standing by the taffrail, but only bent his back and dug -the oars deeper into the sea. He brought the boat directly into the -pathway of the onrushing whale which had risen and was showing a bent -harpoon in its foam-coiled hump. - -Dropping the oars, Stirling sprang to the bow of the boat and lifted a -bomb gun from its position on the starboard side. He cocked this, and -waited, peering into the sea. He straightened, took aim, and fired a -tonite bomb full into the mass which was rushing in his direction. - -The acrid smoke from the gun drifted to leeward, and the low report of -the bomb's explosion shook the sea. Particles of flesh flew upward, the -whale milled and rose, then splashed down, with its giant flukes beating -the surface of the water in a death flurry. The small boat was drawn -into the vortex and as both engineers called a warning, Stirling opened -a pouch under a seat, drew out another bomb and cartridge, fitted them -to the breech of the gun, then waited grimly, tensely. He no longer -resembled the placid pilot who had come aboard the whaler at Frisco. - -The other boats of the fleet drove into the wind with their centerboards -lowered and their sheets close drawn, waiting until the whale's efforts -died, stroke by stroke. They took Stirling's signal to haul in on the -line which was still fastened to Cushner's boat. Foot by foot it was -drawn upward and coiled in the tubs. The whale was dead upon the bottom -of the sea. - -Stirling waited until the ship bore down upon the fleet and thrust her -sharp prow over the spot where the quarry had sunk. He gave the order to -rig the line over a yardarm and to attach it to a foreward winch. Steam -was turned on and the stout hemp held, although it was drawn to pencil -thinness. The carcass of the whale was sucked from the mud and silt and -lifted surfaceward. Foot by foot--fathom by fathom--the line was -scanned. There sounded a low cry, and a boat steerer pointed downward. -Stirling and the engineers leaned over the rail of the dinghy. - -They saw why the boat steerer had called their attention, and they -blanched--strong men that they were. Then they stood erect and removed -their caps. - -Cushner's body, looped in a bight of the whale line, dangled before -their eyes, all life throttled out by the whale's mad strength. - -One thing showed the manner of man the second mate had been. He had -drawn a long knife from a sheath on his belt and held this gripped -firmly in his left hand. But it had not been used. The rope was -unhacked. Cushner had preferred to go to his death, rather than sever -the hemp and allow the whale to escape. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII--INTO THE ICE - - -They buried the second mate in the conventional sea manner, Marr reading -the simple service from the Bible. - -Stirling saw the sack-sewn body plunge into the icy waters of the Bering -Sea, and replaced his cap when the last ripples had died. He turned and -glanced upward at Marr, watching the skipper fold the Book and look over -the rail. The whale lay alongside with only a slight hump to mark its -bulk, and in the centre of this hump a harpoon had been thrust. The -stout iron, of Swedish construction, was bent and twisted, and to it was -fastened a bight of inch hemp which had held throughout the struggle. - -Purple night was falling when Stirling had the whale's body in a -position for cutting in. More irons had been driven home, lines were -brought aboard and fastened to cleats, a strong hawser was passed about -the giant flukes. - -Cutting in a whale to Stirling was like peeling an apple. It had been -one of the greatest joys the seas had granted to him. It was the -culmination of months of preparation and searching. The value of a head -of bone was well up in the thousands, and Stirling estimated the length -of the whale to be all of seventy feet. The bone, therefore, being in -proportion, he expected slabs from the upper jaw to reach fifteen feet. - -The waist of the ship was cleared of riffraff and dunnage; a strong -whale tackle was rigged between fore and mainmast, one line of this -tackle being wound about the foreward winch. The other end was carried -down the cutting-in stage and hitched to a slice of blubber which had -been peeled from the whale's neck. This slice of blubber was called the -blanket piece. - -Kanakas climbed then over the slippery body and started work with -blubber spades and axes. They severed the strip, as the winch was -started, the whale rolled over and exposed an open cut which banded its -neck. Into this the crew slashed until the backbone was reached. They -then climbed aboard, after rigging a second line through a purchase in -the upper jaw. - -"Hoist away!" ordered Stirling. A watch tackle creaked, the line -tightened, and the upper jaw of the monster came aboard and was swung -over a spot in the waist, lowering to position when the tackle was -slacked. The carcass, useless now, was cast adrift by cutting the lines. -It drifted to leeward where it was soon surrounded by polar bears and -screeching sea gulls. - -Marr appeared at the quarter-deck rail and sent down a huge jug of -whisky, which the crew shared with boisterous shouts. The skipper -watched them, then shrugged his slight shoulders, glanced at the ice to -the northward, and disappeared as Stirling gave the order to clear decks -and cut the bone from the upper jaw. - -This baleen, as it was called, had to be split from a white gristle by -blubber spades and knives. The bone ran from sixteen feet in length down -to little whiskers, and its value was all of five dollars a pound. - -The last of the slabs was taken below to be stored in the forehold, and -the great jaw, after the cook had removed a barrel of muck tuck, was -hoisted overboard. This sank to the bottom of the Bering. The decks were -then swabbed and squeegeed, and the watch on duty finished cleaning up. -It was midnight before Stirling turned toward Whitehouse and reported -that all was clear. - -The cockney mate climbed from the dark poop, took a turn about the ship, -ran his fingers over the planks and pinrails, and peered down the -forehold. - -Then he came to Stirling and asked: "'Ow much do you think that 'ead of -bone will weigh?" - -"All of twenty-two hundred pounds. It's as big as I ever cut in." - -Whitehouse glanced aft. "The old man wasn't figurin' on that," he said, -reflectively. "I think it was out of 'is calculations. 'E's just -confided in me--not a watch below--that 'e is up North for trade stuff. -Also, 'e said there's a firm of Dundee & Grimsby owners interested in -the voyage. I thought all along 'e owned the ship." - -Stirling studied the face of the mate in an endeavour to ascertain if he -were speaking the truth. Whitehouse was far from stable in his -statements. - -"That's news," said Stirling. "I thought you, or somebody else, told me -he was the sole owner." - -"Maybe Cushner told you that." - -"Maybe! It settles a point or two I was trying to fathom." - -Stirling glanced at the poop, and in fancy he thought a figure appeared -there. He stepped to one side of the galley house and stared aft. A -shadow moved against the canvas screen, a light shot skyward, then was -blotted out as the companion closed. - -"Marr?" he asked, striding over to Whitehouse. - -The mate grinned and reached in his pocket for a plug of tobacco. -"Sure," he said. "W'o else could hit be? The old man is very irregular -in 'is 'abits. Never saw any one like 'im. You never know where 'e is. -All the time walking around." - -Stirling crammed his hands into his pockets and turned away from the -mate, but he paused at the door leading into the alleyway and his cabin. - -Whitehouse, believing Stirling had passed inside, jerked his elbows, -buttoned up his coat with care, smoothed down his hair, and otherwise -spruced himself up. Then he started aft and mounted the poop steps, his -whistle merging into a low song. Stirling heard it and wondered: - - "England, oh, my England! - Gone for many a day; - I never knew I loved you - Until I sailed away." - -The Ice Pilot raised his brows and closed his mouth in a firm line. The -mate had revealed another side of his character. He had come down into -the waist of the ship in order to make an inspection, and was returning -like a man who expected to meet with a cheerful welcome. Perhaps, -decided Stirling, he had gone aft and below in order to create an -impression. The impression could hardly be made upon Marr. That little -skipper was no more interested in whaling than in cob fishing. He had -treated the entire chase of the day as a diversion which would answer -until the ice opened and allowed the _Pole Star_ to drive northward -toward some coast where bigger game was waiting. - -The morning dawned, warm, gray, and cloud-shrouded. An east wind swung -over the North pack and loosened the lighter floes. They drifted toward -the south, as the seals gave the warning of the first breaking up of the -ice, and loud reports were heard to windward. - -Stirling rolled from his bunk and sniffed the air, pressed his face to a -porthole, then rapidly dressed. Taking coffee from the galley boy, he -hurried to the deck and stared about him. The ship was hove to in a -position that commanded a view of the pack ice and the sea to the south -and west. - -Climbing hand over hand, Stirling reached the Jacob's ladder, and then -the crow's-nest. He settled down and clapped the glasses to his eyes. - -A voice rose from the quarter-deck, and increased in volume as Stirling -still stared to leeward. - -"Aloft, there!" Marr shouted, angrily. "Hey, you aloft!" - -Stirling leisurely removed the glasses from his eyes and glanced -downward. He said nothing. - -"How's the ice?" asked the skipper, jerking his thumb toward the north -and east. "What do you make of it?" - -Stirling turned and lifted the glasses. "She's breaking," he called. "I -see a few lanes to the east. This wind will clear things in a day or -two. We can go then!" - -Marr paced the deck, bringing up against the rail on the ice side of the -ship. "We'll go now!" he shouted. "Right now, if there's any possible -route open. I want to be at Indian Point within the week. Can you do -it?" - -"I can!" said Stirling. "I'm----" - -"A blow!" called a foremast hand from the forepeak. "A blow! There she -blows!" - -Stirling turned and darted his eyes out over the sea to leeward. He -squinted slightly and saw the white vapour of a huge whale's spout. He -closed his lips and shaded his brow. Another blow showed to windward of -the first. A school of bowheads was approaching an open lane to the -north and the Arctic. - -"Stand by the boats!" shouted Stirling, eagerly. "Call both watches and -stand by!" - -Marr stiffened in his position close by the rail, turned, and glided -forward until he stood at the weather steps which led to the waist of -the ship. He darted a savage glance out over the sea then fastened his -eyes upon Stirling. "Countermand that order!" he shouted. - -Stirling stared over the edge of the crow's-nest. "What's that?" he -asked. "Don't you know there's whales to leeward? They're making for the -ice. There's a----" - -"I don't give a darn if there's a million whales. I told you what to do. -Do it! I'm captain of this ship!" - -"A blow!" repeated the foremast hand. - -Marr reached and snatched up a brass belaying pin from the pinrail. He -leaned forward after grasping the step rail with his left hand, and -brandished the weapon out over the waist of the ship in the direction of -the cry. "'Vast that!" he snarled. "'Vast with you! There's no need of -yelling your lungs out! This ship is going into the ice. D'ye get me?" - - - - -CHAPTER XIV--A WHISPERED WARNING - - -Stirling climbed over the edge of the crow's-nest and reached for a -line. He dropped to the deck like a plummet, strode aft and mounted the -poop, where Marr stood with the pin in his hand. - -The hastily dressed crew had rushed aft and were gathered in the waist -as Stirling thrust his jaw forward and locked glances with the little -skipper. An explosion was brooding; the foremast hand, who had whaled -for ten years, kept repeating, "A blow! A blow!" - -"What d'ye mean?" snapped Marr. "What d'ye mean by coming up here -without orders?" - -Stirling's eyes flashed dangerously, the brown in them changing to hazel -and red. His fists clenched into great balls of hate; he was seeing -fire. - -"What do I mean?" he asked. "Why, what do _you_ mean? What's the answer -to letting that school of whales escape? I never saw more in these -waters." - -Marr toyed with the belaying pin, lifted it, and swung his arm. "I don't -intend to argue the case with you!" he declared. "I want my orders -obeyed! I am in command of this ship. I order you to make for the ice. I -command you to take me to Indian Point on the Siberian coast." - -Stirling reached and clutched the belaying pin, wrenching it from Marr's -hand with a half effort. Replacing it in the pinrail, he turned and -stared at the crew. The little skipper had reached backward and clapped -his hand on a hip pocket. Thinking better of this action, he hesitated. - -"Men," said Stirling, "you're under the skipper's orders, as you know. I -want you to take notice that he has forbidden you to lower for whales. -You, Eagan, step up here!" - -The seaman mounted the poop steps. "Eagan," said Stirling, laying his -hand on the sailor's shoulder, "you are my witness that I've done all I -could to earn a fair lay for the foremast hands and mates. From now on, -we are embarked upon an unknown enterprise of doubtful character. I wash -my hands of the voyage. I'll take orders until they conflict with the -laws of these waters. After that I'll request Mr. Marr to place me -ashore." - -Eagan rubbed his unshaven chin, blinked, and swung toward Marr. "I'm -with the skipper," Eagan said. "I think he's right. I would rather load -up with trade stuff--and other things--than mess with those whales. I -think the crew are with me in this." - -Stirling stared about him blankly. He felt as if the planks of the ship -were slipping from under his feet. Eagan, from all reports, was a -government spy. Now he was siding with the captain and the wilder -members of the crew who had most certainly laid him low at the beginning -of the voyage. - -"Repeat that!" sneered Marr, rubbing his hands. "Just turn and tell that -to this crew. Tell them what you said. Tell them you're with me as well -as they are. This man Stirling is trying to cheat us out of fair game. -He'll be running a Sunday school, next. I know his breed--afraid of the -law! What law is north of 53?" - -"Heaven's law!" Stirling said, sincerely. "You won't raid the rookeries -if I can prevent it. Don't you know that there's only one revenue cutter -in these waters? Are you going to take advantage of that fact?" - -Whitehouse came across the quarter-deck, clutched Marr by the arm, and -drew the captain halfway toward the wheel and the companion skylight. -They whispered there as Stirling shouldered Eagan to one side, saying -cuttingly: "You're with them, too? I thought you were a man!" - -The sailor flushed and glanced down at the deck, then turned toward the -crew. "Fight it out yourself," he said as he climbed to the lower deck. - -Stirling waited for Marr to come forward, glancing longingly over the -slick-covered seas. In mockery, it seemed, the whales were sporting -about the silent ship. One came so close to the bow that a dropped block -on the forecastle deck startled it. It was gone with a defiant toss of -black flukes, and the school started toward the ice. - -Whitehouse finished whispering to the captain, glided to Stirling, and -grasped his arm. "The old man says to get aloft and work into the ice. -Says we'll whale later. The school's gone, anyway." - -The peaceful ending to what Stirling had expected would lead to a -general drawing of lines aboard the ship was more than he could stand. -He turned and fastened upon Marr a glance of deep determination, his -fingers coiling into knots. - -"Remember," the Ice Pilot said, distinctly, "I'll always be on deck. I -want no double crossing." - -With this shot delivered through his white teeth, Stirling moved -leisurely over the deck and as he descended to the waist, one of the -crew hissed. He wheeled, reached out, grasped the man by the waist and -neck, and threw him over his shoulder like a sack of meal. - -"Any more?" he asked, grimly. - -No man of them offered himself though Stirling waited with his glance -taking in the rough circle. He dropped his fingers, moved slowly to the -rail and up the shrouds he climbed till he reached the crow's-nest. -Standing on the edge of this, he rimmed the ice pack from horizon to -horizon. - -"One bell!" he called down. "All hands stand by braces. Three of you -come aloft and loosen sail." - -The ship sprang with life. Whitehouse jerked the engine-room telegraph; -the propeller thrashed astern; the sails dropped from the yards and were -sheeted home. The taper jib boom swung toward the open lane to the north -and east and ice floes ground under the stem. - -For two watches Stirling remained aloft, calling down his orders in a -strong voice. He knew the ice as few men were ever gifted to know it, -and took advantage of all his experience. He held the course through the -lane until, balked, he drove across a sea of slush and thin ice and -crashed the way open to still another pathway to the north. - -The Pribilofs, already green with moss and spring verdure, were sighted -at sundown. A low shed marked the sealing station where the bachelor -seals had been skinned in days gone by, and a flag flew from a pole at -the side of the Commissioner's house. Its bars of white and red cheered -Stirling. It was the emblem of his country in the Northern seas. - -No other ships showed within the ice field; Stirling had taken chances -lesser pilots feared. He drove north and east under steam and canvas, -saving the ship from being crushed a score of times. He announced -quietly upon the fourth day that East Cape lay ahead, and pointed over -the bow. Marr, on the quarter-deck, clapped Whitehouse across the -shoulders, and the mate grinned and danced over the planks. - -The massive solemnity of the great headland, as it rose above the ice -field, held every eye aboard the whaler. It was the farthermost point -east and north of the Siberian continent. Near the foot of the Cape -nestled a native village. - -"Indian Point?" asked Marr, glaring upward at Stirling. - -The Ice Pilot nodded as he guided the ship through the last of the shore -ice and ordered the anchor dropped in a sheltered nook. The rattle of -the chain in the hawser hole awoke echoes within the cliff; Indian -canoes in the shape of hair-sealskin umiaks and kayaks darted out to -meet them, and other boats flecked the Straits of Bering, coming down -with the wind and current from East Cape. - -The _Pole Star_ was the first ship of the season, and the natives -welcomed it with a great noise. Chiefs were hastily paddled out, and -mounted the quarter-deck to gather about Marr and Whitehouse. Stirling -attended to the throng which swarmed up the anchor chain and forepeak. -Native girls, old women, men and children brought trade stuff of varied -character--salmon, walrus tusks, small whalebone, carved idols, feather -coats, skin caps, and hoods. - -A large umiak appeared from the ice of the strait, and in its bow stood -a chief, who called Stirling's name. The Ice Pilot reach over the rail -and grasped the hand of the leader of the Diomede Islanders. They had -brought the best of Mazeka boots, which are prized by whalers and the -hunters of the North. These boots were sealskin moccasins, capped to -full length with deerskin, watertight and warm. - -"Plenty bone ashore," said the native chief, pointing at the igloos of -Indian Point. "Plenty whales this season. Me catchum two." - -Stirling smiled at the broad face of the Eskimo, then shook his head. -"Plenty ships come soon," he said. "You sell to old Peterson. You -remember, he pay big trade stuff. Don't take whisky." - -The chief blinked shrewdly, dug deep within his fur parka, and brought -forth a pipe, which he filled with a pinch of cut plug. Stirling offered -a match, and the chief puffed and stared about the ship. - -"New!" he said with brevity. "Fine ship. You own?" - -Stirling shook his head and pointed toward the quarter-deck, where Marr -was in conference with the Indian Point chiefs. - -"He buy whalebone?" asked the Diomede Islander. - -"I don't think so. You try old Peterson. Maybe he give you plenty." - -"I want two whaleboats this year," said the shrewd native. "I want ten -guns and whale lines. Next year I catch plenty whales." - -Stirling recalled the method employed by the natives in capturing -bowheads. They usually fastened from kayaks or umiaks and drove in as -many irons as they could. To each iron was fastened a skin line which -terminated in a seal poke inflated with air. These, if in sufficient -numbers, prevented the whale from sounding and allowed it to be finished -with long, ivory-pointed lances. - -Drunken natives staggered from the poop and swarmed about the waist and -forepeak of the ship. Marr had distributed whisky for what trade stuff -he needed. He bought three heads of bone for twelve kegs of alcohol and -water mixed. This bone came out in umiaks and was stored with the other -baleen in the forehold. - -Time passed at the Point. Marr seemed in no great hurry to enter the -Arctic, even going ashore and remaining overnight with the native -chiefs. Sounds of their mirth and drunken carousing floated out. - -Stirling chafed at the delay. The skipper was evidently waiting for some -message from across the sea. Each ship which passed or dropped anchor at -East Cape was gammed; each time the captain returned without word of his -purpose. Five whalers went through to the summer whaling ground which -extended all of the way to the mouth of the Mackenzie River and beyond. - -A night came when the sun barely dipped below the western waters. -Stirling had tried to sleep, but finally emerged to the deck with hot, -fevered eyes. The air was heavy and sultry, and mosquitoes buzzed. They -had been blown from off the Siberian tundra. - -The pack long since had gone through the Straits and down the long reach -of the Bering Sea. A group of natives slept on the forepeak of the _Pole -Star_, while a single member of the crew walked slowly from port to -starboard and back again, holding the anchor watch. - -Some slight noise upon the quarter-deck caused Stirling to turn aft till -he stood in the gloom of the galley cabin. He glanced keenly upward, to -where the drab canvas of the rail showed, with a shadow behind it. A -faint light shone from the open companion. - -Then, and suddenly, he heard his name called. He started for the lee -poop steps, then paused as a warning was whispered to him. He stared -upward in rising perplexity. A white hand reached over the rail, its -fingers uncoiled, and a dark object fell to the deck. There followed the -sound of soft feet over the quarter-deck's planks and of the shutting of -the cabin companion. - -Stirling stooped and picked up the object. Unrolling it slowly, he -blushed through his sea tan as he held out a tiny glove. It was such a -glove as only a dainty woman could wear. - -"By the jumping bowheads!" he exclaimed. "A pretty girl's aboard and -she's noticed me. I wonder who she is?" - - - - -CHAPTER XV--OUT OF THE PORTHOLE - - -Pressing the glove within the pocket of his pea-jacket, Stirling strode -to the waist of the _Pole Star_. From this position he glanced upward at -the quarter-deck, which was deserted. - -The soft aroma of the perfume struck to his nostrils and he searched his -brain for the events which led up to the dainty offering tossed down to -him. - -Marr and Whitehouse knew the secret of the after cabin of the whaler. -They never had given any sign that another shared the meals and splendid -staterooms with them. This other had been brought upon the voyage -against her will--Stirling remembered the sob, and the lone figure upon -the poop when they had tied to the North pack. He pieced together the -few observations he had made, and they all led to one conclusion: a -dainty woman, who closely resembled the skipper in height and weight, -was aboard the _Pole Star_. She had made the first advance to him. -Others might follow. - -He rounded the shadow of the galley house and stared at the frowning -headland of Indian Point, then turned and glanced out over the waters of -the Bering Strait. The ice had gone south from around the base of the -headlands. The road to the Arctic was open. - -He heard then, above the snoring of the natives who were sleeping upon -the foreward deck, the low boom of a distant cannon. It was repeated. A -ship of some kind was signalling to leeward. - -Searching the sea, Stirling strained his eyes without discovering sign -of smoke or sail. The night was starlit and strangely warm. The -glimmering waters of the Bering to the southward hung like a burnished -mirror. An early sun was starting to swing its upward arc, and a pink -flush made visible the far-off land of Alaska. - -Again the sound of cannon came to Stirling. It stirred the natives and -brought the lone anchor watch around in his position. He stared at -Stirling. - -"A ship to leeward," said the Ice Pilot. "Keep your eyes peeled. She's a -long ways off." - -The seaman went to the rail and leaned over it. He was in that position -when Stirling opened the door of his cabin and stepped inside. He -switched on the light, removed the glove from his pocket, and touched it -to his wide nostrils. He sensed the perfume with throbbing heart. -Feeling the rush of blood to his face, he turned with a guilty start and -placed the glove within an inlaid sextant box. The closing of the lid -sealed his purpose to stand by the woman who was aft. - -Morning dawned at an Arctic hour, and the white light crept through the -open porthole of Stirling's cabin. He rose and dressed, emerging to the -deck with a wide yawn. The striking bell told him that he had not slept -more than two hours. - -A seaman brushed by him and hurried forward to where the natives were -standing on the higher coign of vantage which marked the forepeak. All -eyes were turned out over the swiftly running Strait, where a two-funnel -light cruiser cutter plowed with a bone at her stem. She carried no -flag, and the signals set to her bridge halyards were in an unknown -code. - -Whitehouse glided to Stirling's side. The mate was tensely agitated; he -sputtered and stuttered. "Bly me," he said, "what's she doing 'ere?" - -"Light cruiser," said Stirling, thoughtfully. "An American--or British. -She's just this side the Diomedes. She did not see us." - -Whitehouse twisted his loose lips into a purse, and stroked his long, -red nose. - -Stirling widened his eyes. A dark plume of smoke was all that remained -to mark the ship. This plume stretched along the eastern horizon, then -faded and paled in the sun's first rays. - -Marr called from aft. Whitehouse turned with a guilty start, hurried -along the weather side of the ship, and mounted to the poop. - -He returned within a few minutes and touched Stirling on the arm. -"Skipper wants to see you," he said. "It's blym important." - -Stirling glanced about as he went aft. The ship lay deep within the -shadow of the Point. Her deck forward was covered with natives and trade -stuff. The crew had brought out all of their red underwear and -slop-chest stuff in a search for bargains, and their voices were mingled -with the clatter of native maids and hunters. - -"What did you make of that cutter?" asked Marr as Stirling reached the -poop. - -"American or British. Going into the Arctic on some mission. I don't -believe she saw us." - -"How was that?" Marr was plainly nervous. - -"We were well under the headland with no lights or canvas showing. We -were in such a position that she could be seen without her seeing us. At -least, that is my opinion, Mr. Marr." - -The little captain toyed with the buttons of his pea-jacket. "That -sounds reasonable," he said. "Why is she up here?" - -"I don't know." - -"Did you ever see cruisers up here before?" - -"Only once. That was the old _Bainbridge_." - -"What brought her to these waters?" - -"Seal poachers!" - -Stirling weighed his words and shot them directly at Marr, then watched -their effect like a gunner watches a shot go home. Marr dropped his hand -from his buttons and paled slightly. - -"Did she get them?" he asked. - -"She certainly did! She also removed Captains Jones and Priestly from -the _Spouter_ and the brig _Belvidere_. Both captains were trading -whisky for bone; there is a law up here that men should not do that!" - -Again Stirling watched the effect of his words. Marr had many barrels of -cheap trade whisky aboard the _Pole Star_, and already had sent some -ashore. - -"That will be all," said the skipper with a quick frown. "You are too -confounded personal! Haven't I a right to ask you a few questions? Who's -captain of this ship?" - -"Captains are not immune from certain laws. One law applies to all men. -You cannot trade rotten whisky with natives. You cannot rob them of -their bone for a barrel of water and alcohol. You cannot raid rookeries -and get away with it. That cruiser is the answer. You have escaped so -far. You may not be so lucky next time." - -Marr wheeled with a vicious oath. "Get forward!" he said. "Get where you -belong. You ought to join some of these canting missionary schools. -There's one or two I'd like to drop you at." - -Stirling paused on the first poop step and closed his fists, but opened -them again and went on down to the deck, moving slowly forward to where -the crew and natives were trading. He singled out the Diomede Islander -who had disposed of most of his sealskin boots. - -"When do you go back?" he asked, guardedly. - -The native tapped the rail with his pipe and filled its bowl with a -pinch of cut plug. He then broke off a match from a block and scraped it -carefully upon the deck, straightened, and drew in five deep breaths -before the tobacco was consumed, and he answered. - -"Pretty soon, now," he said, replacing the pipe in his deerskin coat, -and glancing through puffed eyes at the sea in the direction of the -Lesser Diomede. "Me take umiak and trade stuff and wife and little ones -and me go." - -"Do you remember old Hank Peterson?" - -"Me savvy him. All the same whaling captain." - -"Big captain!" said Stirling, with a smile. "You see him this season?" - -"Yes! Me see him. He always stops for boots." - -"You give him something for me?" - -"Yes; I give." - -Stirling hurried into his cabin and tore a leaf from an ancient log -book. Upon this he wrote a message to Peterson which he felt was certain -to be delivered by the faithful Diomede chief. - -The message concerned the Seal Islands and the danger of a raid being -made against them. - - Notify any revenue cutters or cruisers, - -Stirling commanded. - -The native chief took the scrap of paper, glanced about in caution, and -crammed it into a bead-woven poke wherein were his most valuable -possessions. "Me give 'em!" he declared, positively. "White captain, he -get maybe day or two. Plenty whale ships come now." - -Stirling was satisfied with his messenger. The chief departed from the -_Pole Star's_ side after bundling aboard his umiak all of his trade -stuff and relatives. These last were seventeen in number, and the skin -boat was deep enough in the sea to suggest that a catastrophe would -happen before the Lesser Diomede was reached. - -The last sight of the chief, however, was a reassuring one to Stirling. -The faithful native had skilfully risen in the bow of the umiak, -steadied his short legs, and taken out his beaded poke. This he waved -overhead, being careful not to capsize the laden boat. - -Stirling had answered by lifting his cap and holding it aloft, then the -boat was paddled around a rocky point. Other umiaks and kayaks followed. -Many of the natives went ashore, taking the stuff they had bought; the -few that remained were aft with Marr. One was singing a drunken song -which never before had been heard on land or sea. - -Eagan stepped to Stirling's side as the last notes of this song floated -down the deck. - -"Booze!" said the seaman, laconically. - -"Alcohol!" exclaimed Stirling. "These natives were all right until the -white men came. They hunted and fished and lived simple lives." - -Eagan smiled. "What are you going to do about this Siberian bunch?" he -asked. "The U. S. A. has no jurisdiction over here." - -"It has! Russia is not to blame. It isn't Russian whalers and traders -who do the mischief." - -"Forget the preaching," said Eagan with Frisco slang. "Keep your -opinions to yourself, Stirling. The day for booze in the United States -seems to be about over, anyway. Just now----" - -The seaman's voice trailed off into silence. He thrust out a strong jaw, -drilled Stirling with a meaning glance, then was gone with a swift turn -across the deck. - -Stirling was still thinking of the whisky; like all strong natures, he -dwelt too long on one subject. - -He moved to the rail and leaned his elbows upon the chains where they -were spliced to the shrouds and standing rigging. He swept the native -village with a painstaking glance; it was not the same as first he had -known it. The igloos back in the valley, which was still crusted with -winter snow, were few and small in dimensions. The frame shacks and rude -tents of the summer village bore the certain stamp of neglect and -carelessness. Dogs hunted about for scraps of meat. Children in trade -calico played with a listless air. The umiaks and kayaks were patched -and broken. - -Stirling frowned. Other villages along the Siberian and Alaskan shores -were similarly stamped. They had been touched and polluted by the -influence of those whalers who found it easier to allow the natives to -secure the whalebone than it was to go out to sea and get it. - -A sharp command broke through Stirling's thoughts, and he turned from -his view of the village. Marr stood at the weather poop steps. - -The little skipper pointed toward the waist of the whaleboat. "Lower -that!" he snapped. "You and Eagan and about two seamen drop up to East -Cape. See if there's any bone there." - -Stirling answered the skipper's command with a slow glance, moved not -too hastily toward the whaleboat, and climbed inside. From this -position, he called Eagan and two seamen who were idling on the -forepeak. - -The boat was cleared of lashings and lowered, with Stirling in the bow -and Eagan in the stern, then the seamen came down the dangling falls and -dropped aboard. They thrust out two long oars and shoved the whaleboat -from the ship. - -Stirling glanced at the telltale on the _Pole Star_, then motioned to up -the single sail and lower the centerboard. The light craft sailed into -the wind and canted far to leeward, gliding from the shadow of the -headland as the sun swung over the shoulder of Siberia. - -East Cape was reached soon after dark. Stirling sprang ashore and -shouted; then repeated the call. Lights shone from the windows set in -the summer shacks. - -A pack of shaggy dogs, followed by three natives, came out and stared at -the whaleboat. One dog crept down the beach and sniffed Stirling's -native boots, then raised his snout and called a wolf's long howl of -welcome. - -A rude door was opened in the larger shack, and the chief stood revealed -in the glow of the inner fire, about which native women were squatted. -Stirling advanced and held out his hand, touching the chief on the -shoulder. "You remember me," he said. "Me ice pilot of the _Beluga_. You -got any whalebone to trade?" - -The chief's face cleared, and he voiced a noisy welcome. He had no -whalebone; furs he showed and also tusks. Some of these were carved with -running men and spouting whales. - -It was after dawn when Stirling gave the order to run out the whaleboat -and make for the _Pole Star_. The chief, his family, and a score of -natives waved a silent farewell, standing on the beach until the boat -turned a ledge of rock and vanished into the smooth waters of the -Strait. - -Stirling was steering as the light boat swung under the _Pole Star's_ -stern and glided alongside. He glanced up at the overhanging poop where -lights showed through the portholes. Out of one an arm reached and -waved, and he heard a low-voiced warning. It was muffled and indistinct, -but it was a girl's tones which warned. He had but time to swing the -tiller when the boat scraped against the whaler's sheathing and Eagan -caught a dangling fall. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI--FROM HIS POCKET - - -The Ice Pilot reached the deck by way of the chains in the waist, and -saw that the entire crew had gathered between the galley house and the -break of the poop. - -Marr was with them. He wheeled, strutted over the planks, and planted -himself before Stirling. "What did you find at East Cape?" he asked. - -Stirling doubled his fists and stepped back. "Little or nothing," he -said, glancing over the skipper's slight shoulder and meeting the eyes -of the crew which seemed suddenly hostile. "Little or nothing," he -repeated, simply. "There's pelts there and ivory, but no bone. I told -them we had no whisky to trade." - -"You did?" - -Stirling flushed and backed to the rail. He heard Eagan drop to the deck -beside him, and the seaman was followed by the two sailors who had made -the trip to East Cape. - -"I did!" - -"Don't you know that this crew is trying to make an honest living? Don't -you know that every brave man aboard gets a two hundredth lay of the -bone we trade or capture? Why didn't you try the natives with a little -whisky bait? You'd have found bone hidden in every igloo." - -"Go yourself!" said Stirling. "I won't do your dirty work!" - -Marr turned to the half-moon of menacing men. "You heard that," he said. -"That's the kind of man this pilot is--all for himself. I told you we'd -have to look out for him. We can't go on any further until he is taken -care of." - -The crew had reached some sort of agreement before Stirling arrived from -East Cape; this much he saw with widening eyes, glancing from face to -face. The Kanakas had been chosen for their loyalty to the little -skipper. The boat steerers were Frisco dock rats who had the run of the -steerage--an elevated position to them. The rest of the crew had scant -hopes for anything save plunder and spoils in this life. They would have -willingly followed Marr through the entire group of rookeries, starting -at Disko Island and winding up at the Pribilofs. - -Stirling reached and rested his hand on the pinrail, where were a dozen -brass belaying pins. He lifted his hand, wound his fingers about the -nearest, and raised it an inch or more. A tenseness of desperate right -steeled his muscles; his jaw muscles hardened to balls, and his lips -closed in a grim line. - -Marr reached backward and clapped his palm over his right hip. The -motion was a signal. The crew snarled in a running line of anger, -advanced in a half-circle, and closed about Stirling. One held a sheath -knife openly displayed in his hand. - -"Kill the squealer!" he exclaimed. "Kill him! He's preventing us from -getting what's coming on this voyage. Darn, says I, if I'll go to Frisco -broke. What d'ye say, mates?" - -"Hold on!" cried Stirling, raising his ponderous right fist. "The first -man who tries anything gets this!" - -Eagan stepped out from the rail a half step, and stood partly between -Stirling and the little skipper. There was that written in the seaman's -face which held every man upon the ship. His eyes glittered with high -light, and his body rested on the balls of his feet as if to spring. - -"A moment!" Eagan snapped in steeled tones. "This layout will lead to -murder. Murder leads to swingin'. I don't want to swing. I'm with the -skipper in every way. Get that?" - -The crew glanced at each face before them--Stirling's strong, but -uncertain; Eagan's masterful; Marr's openly sneering. - -"We get it," a sailor answered back. - -"Then, I suggest we all go slow. This Stirling has been cracking too -much about whisky and seals. He's liable to see too much and say too -many things afterward. You get me, don't you?" - -"We get you." - -"On the other hand," continued Eagan, "there's the danger of messing the -whole voyage up. If we croak this fellow, it'll get out and we'll have -to pay. If we maroon him anywhere along this coast, he'll find a way to -signal that cruiser that went north, or the _Bear_." - -"How about an island?" a boat steerer asked. - -"That's it!" declared Eagan, dropping his hand. "We'll put him on an -island after we get done with the little trip the captain has planned -for us. That island will be in the North Pacific. We can pick out a -nice, quiet one." - -Stirling, with fist still ready for action, turned toward Eagan and -exclaimed: "You're with them, eh?" - -"Certainly; all the way! You're one against thirty--more than that, -counting the engine-room force and the stokehold bunch. Put down that -fist and get into your cabin; stay there and don't come on deck. -Otherwise they're going to mop up the ship with you." - -"I'll chance that----" started Stirling, advancing upon the crew, both -fists now clenched. - -He never hesitated in the charge. It was bull strong and intended to -clear the way to the poop; men went over as ninepins; blows glanced from -his shoulders. He reached the poop steps with arms twined about him, -threw these off with a savage twist and squirm, and went up as a Kanaka -harpooner seized his legs. Dragging slowly, he grasped the rail and bent -his body. - -It was then that a belaying pin flew across the waist of the ship, -glanced from the quarter-deck rail, and struck Stirling in the temple. -He rolled down the steps--the centre of a snarling pack of men--then lay -quiet, with blood flowing from the wound in his head. - -Eagan pulled off the pack and lifted him like a heavy sack of meal. -"I'll put him in his cabin," he said with a grunt. "I'll watch him. -Leave that part to me." - -Marr turned and faced the crew. "Get the anchor up!" he ordered. "We'll -drop down the wind and make for our landfall. Remember, we're looking -for bowheads until I give other instructions." - -Eagan laid Stirling on his bunk and went to work. He found water and a -clean towel, bathed the swollen wound, leaned over, and shook Stirling -into consciousness. - -"Lay low!" he whispered. "Don't you know who I am?" - -Stirling rolled, and pressed his hand to his eyes. "I don't know," he -said, weakly. "Who are you?" - -Eagan reached into his pocket and drew forth a gold badge. He held it -before Stirling's swimming eyes. - -"I am a Deputy Seal Commissioner," said the seaman. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII--INTO FORBIDDEN WATERS - - -The long Northern day died at last as the _Pole Star_ drove south and -west through the ice-flecked waters of the Bering Sea. - -Night shaded overhead and the wind sank to a following breeze which -flapped the sails on the polished spars. Steam was got up in the -boilers, the screw thrashed, and the ship plunged on--her sharp stem -cutting through the drift ice like a knife going through thin paper. - -Into the upward swing of the Arctic sun the whaler steered. Fog drifted -upon them, and when it lifted there was exposed a wide waste of sullen -waters upon the surface of which seal and walrus sported. Once a killer -whale attracted attention. Some of the green crew called "A blow!" - -Marr knew better than this. He urged the ship on as if it were carrying -the mail for Southern waters. He stood the watch with Whitehouse, and -both seamen had received Eagan's report that Stirling was resting easily -and was making no trouble. - -They consulted as to the best course to pursue in regard to Stirling. -Marr was for locking him securely in the chain-locker--this was a tiny -space forward the forecastle. Whitehouse, who had taken a liking to -Stirling, admiring his prowess with the ice and the conditions met in -the Bering, suggested that Eagan should be left in charge of the captive -and held responsible. Marr agreed, neither man suspecting that the -sailor had any motive in staying near Stirling. Their first suspicion -had been forgotten. Eagan had played a difficult part and won his point. - -It was on the third day that the _Pole Star_ entered, as dusk crept -across the sky, the zone of danger where no ships were allowed at that -season of the year, the strictest patrolled patch of water in the world. -Seals of the fur-skin variety, which are so valuable and scarce, sported -about. - -Marr drove on with all lights shaded and a canvas cone capping the _Pole -Star's_ funnel and steam pipe. Orders had been given for each man to -stand at position. Guns had been laid in the whaleboats, and great oak -capstan bars took the place of the whaling gear. - -An air of expectancy filled each sailor's breast; the die was cast, and -they were close to the great game. Whaling was for old men and -weaklings. Stories had been told in the forecastle and steerage -concerning the sudden profits of a seal raid. MacLane was cited as an -instance of desperate daring and tremendous enterprise, MacLane who had -raided both the Copper Group and the Pribilofs in one season. He had -brought his schooner into Seattle with her deck planks bulging from the -salted skins beneath. - -Eagan moved from Stirling's cabin to the forecastle and back again. He -had secured a pair of rusty handcuffs with which he made great show of -securing the Ice Pilot, where he lay on his back. Now and then one of -the galley crowd peered in through the open porthole and reported to the -sailors on deck. - -A double lookout was maintained from forepeak and quarter-deck, and the -horizon was closely scanned by Marr and Whitehouse. The rookeries lay -close to the south and west and the ship had been driven toward the -northeast point of St. Paul's Island. - -Stirling sensed his position by the slowing of the screw and the -direction of the slight wind and he reviewed the entire series of events -since coming aboard the ship. His head had now cleared, and the slight -swelling at the temple was going down under Eagan's skillful treatment. - -The situation was desperate enough. Marr had taken the long chance and -reached the waters about the rookeries. But two armed ships were known -to be in the Bering Sea or the Arctic. One was the revenue cutter -_Bear_; the other, the unknown cruiser which had driven through Bering -Strait. - -Stirling's anger boiled and simmered as he lay in a handcuffed position -and waited for reports from Eagan, who had to be careful. There was -scant chance of their ever capturing the ship. Two against forty offered -little hope to dwell upon; another method than violence would have to be -found. - -Eagan came in at one bell before midnight, closed the door, pocketed the -keys, then moved over to the porthole and glanced keenly out. - -"How're we heading?" whispered Stirling. - -"Southwest." - -"Dead on St. Paul?" - -"She's just been raised from aft. Marr and Whitehouse sent the word -forward. The whole tribe of Kanakas, Gay Islanders, dock rats, and -cinder-muckers--to say nothing of the two first-class engineers, who -ought to know better--are itching to get at the seals. It will be as -much as our lives are worth to interfere. Marr has them all worked up." - -"Where's the _Bear_?" - -"Heaven only knows! Seagraves, her captain, told me in Frisco that he -had an entire ocean to guard. There's the Russian coast and the Kotzebue -and Norton Sound." - -"That other cruiser?" - -"She's helping him out. Likely there's an expedition cast away in the -Arctic. The _Kadik_ was reported crushed. The cruiser may have gone -through to pick up the survivors." - -"Then Marr will succeed?" Stirling hinged himself upward and stared at -Eagan. - -"Looks that way." Eagan closed his fists and turned from the porthole. -"Looks bad," he continued with hard eyes. "At that, Stirling, we've -three or four hours yet. Much can happen in that time. The _Bear_ may -swing around St. Paul." - -"Have you made no plans? The Commission must know that you are on this -ship. They will be waiting for word from you." - -Eagan smiled despite his doubts. "We're two," he said. "They don't -suspect me, and I have a plan. I shall land at the rookeries and try to -reach the guard. If I fail, then you can spike the ship in some manner -till the _Bear_ is reached by wireless." - -Stirling raised his wrists and eyed the handcuffs. - -"They're tight," he suggested. "Suppose you let them out a notch. Then, -whatever happens to you during the raid, I'll be on deck and active. Who -was it threw that belaying pin?" - -"Whitehouse." - -Stirling made a mental note for future guidance. "Now, Eagan," he -continued, "you had better loosen the cuffs and leave me an automatic -revolver. I hear the screw slowing. We're right off the rookery. Listen. -That's the surf on the beach." - -"Worse than that," said the government agent. "There's also the sound of -seals barking. Hear them? I wouldn't wonder if they sense what is -coming." - -The seaman reached downward in the half-light and inserted a key in the -handcuff lock. Stirling guided him with cool fingers, and soon the cuffs -fitted loosely. - -"Now the gun," said Stirling. - -Eagan glided to the porthole, glanced shrewdly out, then returned to -Stirling's side. "Take mine," the deputy said. "I won't need it. Hide it -under your mattress." - -The icy coolness in the man's tones steeled Stirling. He lay back as -Eagan went across the cabin, opened the door, and stepped swiftly out -upon the deck. A lock clicked. - -An impending silence lay over the _Pole Star_. The shuffling of men on -deck, the creak of blocks, the straining of falls, told of boats being -lowered. Voices were muffled as a light anchor was dropped at the end of -a whale line, serving to swing the ship and hold it toward the shelving -shore. - -Stirling caught the deep roar of the bachelor seals. In fancy he saw the -boats glide across the water and grate upon the beach. He saw, in fancy -again, the raised capstan bars and the shattered skulls of the prey. - -A boat ground against the ship's side, a block creaked, a laugh rang and -was stilled. Then footfalls sounded, and the porthole was darkened. - -Whitehouse thrust his long nose through the opening and squinted toward -Stirling. "You're there," the mate muttered. "Be blym quiet, let me tell -you that. It'll all be over in 'alf a hour. Too bad you weren't with us, -Stirling." - -The Ice Pilot did not answer and the mate's face disappeared from the -porthole. Another boat touched the ship's side. Bundles of pelts were -dragged to the forehold and dropped downward. Hushed instructions were -given to return to the rookery. - -Stirling rolled over and felt for the gun under his mattress. Its cold -barrel nerved him to rise and sit upon the edge of the bunk. He cocked -the trigger and waited, his eyes toward the porthole, then turned and -stared at the locked door. - -"Time to be doing something," he said, simply. "They're ripping the -rookeries wide open, without being discovered. Like as not they've -overpowered the native guard. That'll go hard with them later." - -He stood erect and worked one hand free from the cuff. Winding the chain -about his wrist, he moved toward the porthole and peered out. A black -velvet band stretched over the sea, and through it came stars as his -eyes accustomed themselves to the view. He stared out over the ship's -rail, to where he saw faint white spots which marked the drift ice. -Beyond these was a silver running ripple. - -The position of the ship with its whale-line anchorage was close to the -hidden beach. Stirling sensed the slow rise of the waves, which marked -shallow bottom. The idea came to him that if the line were cut which led -to the anchor, the _Pole Star_ most certainly would go ashore. Once -ashore, the crew would be unable to work her out in time to escape. -Eagan could be expected to give some sort of alarm, and the guard on the -other islands of the seal group would descend upon them. - -"I'll chance it," said Stirling. "Here goes for the door and a rush to -the anchor rope. I didn't hear them drop a chain." - -He took one step away from the porthole. A gliding foot sounded outside -upon the ship's planks, and he stood rigid, then leaned toward the bunk. - -The footfall was repeated. It came closer to the corner of the galley -house, and a voice sounded from somewhere forward. A rattle of oars -swung up the slight breeze, and seals barked from the red shores of the -rookery. - -"Quiet!" - -Stirling touched the side of his bunk with both hands, bent, and -prepared to roll over. The handcuff chain clicked metallically. - -"Quiet!" The sound was faint and came to him as a warning. He waited, -his shoulders lifted with his deep breathing, his eyes fastened upon the -velvet circle of the open porthole. - -A face came slowly into view like the shadow of the moon crossing the -disk of the sun, and Stirling dropped his jaw in wonderment. It was far -too soft a face for any of the crew. The eyes that stared in at his were -deep blue and trustful. - -"Quiet!" - -"Yes; yes," he answered, feeling a rush of blood to his cheeks. - -"Take this quickly." - -Stirling rose by straightening his legs and back and stepped over the -floor of his cabin, his unshackled hand reaching out. He touched the -edge of the porthole, and his fingers groped outside. They came in -contact with a tiny pearl-handled revolver. He drew it in and wondered -at its diminutive size. - -"Quiet, Mr. Stirling!" - -He tossed the revolver to his bunk and turned toward the porthole. A -cupid's bow of red lips, through which shone white teeth that met in an -even row, greeted him. - -"What is it?" he asked, huskily. "What--who are you?" - -A pink finger touched the lips so invitingly offered; golden-bronze -hair, capped with a tam-o'-shanter, bobbed and moved away, then came -again as the blue eyes searched about the gloom of the cabin. - -A sound of more oars in locks struck up the wind; a voice warned from -the quarter-deck; and a shuffle echoed along the deck in the lee of the -galley house. - -"Who--why did you come to me?" - -The lips closed doubtfully and then opened. "You will know soon enough," -said the girl. "I'm going now. Be careful, Mr. Stirling. Be very -careful, for my sake. Don't do anything that would endanger your -life--or the captain's." - -"Are you the captain's----?" - -Stirling never finished the question. A white pallor drove the colour -from the girl's cheeks, and she was gone even as he stared out through -the open porthole. Her footfalls sounded along the deck, died away aft, -and there came then the heavier feet of a sailor. He rounded the corner -of the galley house, peered over the rail to the north and east, and -then strode by Stirling. - -A heavy capstan bar was over his shoulder, an open knife gleamed from -his belt, his jaw was set and thrust slightly outward. Stirling -recognized in him one of the Frisco dock rats who had been most -aggressive in the attack when Whitehouse had hurled the belaying pin. - -Stirling turned and glanced at the panels of the door; they were not -strong. He lifted his shoulder and faced about. He could break to -freedom in one bull-like lunge; afterward would come the severing of the -anchor line and the casting away of the ship. - -He dwelt upon the exact situation and eyed the velvet beyond the -porthole. The stars were paling. They had changed from white light -points to yellow specks; they swam and danced in the morning's haze. An -Arctic sun would soon be leaping the eastern horizon. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII--WITH THE SPEED OF WIND - - -The girl had given him courage, since her tiny offering still lay upon -the bunk. Unconsciously he reached for it and twirled the silver-plated -barrel. It was fully loaded with six cartridges. - -"Two guns," he said. "I'll go!" - -He moved not too quickly to the door and bent down. The lock was on the -inside, held by four small screws. He tested the bolt by pressing -against a panel with his shoulder. A click sounded in the chamfer. - -Searching his pocket with his freed hand, he touched a ten-cent piece, -drew this out and eyed it. It would do as a screw driver, and he found -the slot of the first screw. It turned easily enough then; rapidly he -worked with every nerve alert. Boats arrived and pushed off from the -side of the ship; the crew were busy in the forehold; a watch-tackle -creaked; and coarse remarks rolled along the deck. The poachers were -intent on getting the seal pelts stored below before morning. - -Stirling removed the third screw from the lock, pocketed it and drew -back for a last glance through the porthole. A streak of yellow and a -flaming whorl had shot athwart the sky; dawn was breaking swiftly in the -Arctic east. It presaged a cloudless day. - -He returned to the door, after listening intently, and tore the loosened -lock from the woodwork. Tossing this to the bunk, he strained with his -fingertips, digging deeply into the nearest panel. The door slid open on -noiseless guides, and a breath of salty air greeted him. - -He felt to see if both revolvers were in his pockets, then, working -rapidly, arranged a rude dummy in the bunk. This he formed out of a -blanket and two southwesters, so that it resembled the sleeping form of -a man. He stepped to the door with a dry chuckle of satisfaction, and -went out on deck and close under the rail without being detected. - -Raising his bare head, he glanced toward the island, with its looming -shadows and rocky walls. Below these walls were the homes of the great -bull seals and their mates. The animals had been disturbed, and their -barking and roar blended with the sound of the waves on the sand. - -Beyond, and to leeward of the bull herd, were richer rookeries where had -gathered the bachelor seals and those denied the other homes. It was to -this portion of the beach that Marr had guided his hunters, and they had -made short work of most of the bachelor seals. They had plied capstan -bars, while the Kanakas and Gay Islanders had done the skinning. - -Stirling saw the white sheen of a whaleboat being paddled out to the -ship. He reached into his pocket, removed the automatic which Eagan had -given him, and crept on hands and knees toward the forepeak. - -Five of the crew were below in the hold from whence a light struck -upward and illuminated the standing rigging and spars of the ship. A -voice called from the quarter-deck. It was Whitehouse who stood there, -Marr having gone ashore with the raiders. - -Stirling watched his chance and stood erect. There seemed no way to -fail. The ship swung with gentle tugging in the bight of a whale line -that had been lashed to a small anchor. The double line showed -distinctly from the position where he stood. He had but to rush forward, -lean over, sever the line, and get back to the cabin before Whitehouse -discovered that the ship was adrift. - -The Ice Pilot turned and stared along the deck to where the mate's -figure moved grotesquely behind the canvas rail. Two or three seamen had -hurried aft to meet the outcoming boat, and they mounted the poop ladder -on the weather side and joined Whitehouse. - -Stirling reached the heel of the foremast after cautiously rounding the -fore hatch. His eyes hardened as he lifted his hand, poised it before -him, and took one step toward the capstan and the starboard-anchor davit -to which the whale line had been fastened. - -Then like a scarlet snake with myriad scales, there rose from the island -a rocket which reached to the higher skies, curved, and burst into a -star shower of green and blue lights. The flare from this rocket brought -out the rookeries and the whaleboats; the dead, skinned seals; the -crouched figures of the crew ashore. It bathed the entire ocean with -sinister light; it struck a spike of terror into the raiders' hearts. - -They threw down skinning knives and bludgeons. They charged down across -the red sands and thrust out the boats, glancing back with blanched -faces as they frantically rowed toward the ship. - -Stirling heard Whitehouse roll out a string of oaths which were as lurid -as the rocket's warning glare. A stout shout sounded from Marr, who was -in the leading whaleboat. Fire doors were opened below deck, scoops -grated across the stokehold plates, the first engineer climbed swiftly -to the companion and sprang out on deck. - -The seal raiders were discovered; the guards had been warned on the -other islands of the group. A wireless message was even then flashing -across the waters of the Bering Sea. The _Bear_, or some other ship, -would be down upon them. - -Stirling realized exactly what had happened, and his brain worked -swiftly. There was yet time to cut the anchor lines, but this would be -done by the returning crew. In no other way could they sheer the ship -from the shore and make to open sea. - -He stepped back, brushed against a seaman who had risen from the -forehatch, and rounded the galley house before the startled sailor could -detect who had pressed against him. - -The door to the cabin was slightly open. Stirling thrust through his -fingers and tugged, then slipped inside and closed the door. Still -thinking clearly, he shoved the two guns under the mattress of his bunk, -screwed the lock back in place, then lay down and replaced the cuff over -his freed wrist. - -A quiet smile wreathed his face as he listened to the sounds which -floated in through the open porthole. Curses and commands mingled in a -jargon; boats were hurriedly hoisted to their positions on the davits; -seamen sprang to the decks and rushed forward. - -A bell sounded in the engine room; the screw thrashed and bit deeply -into the sea. The _Pole Star_ swung, cleared the beach by a scant -cable's length, and drove out toward the north and east. - -A grim face darkened the porthole, and Marr's glance bored the gloom of -the cabin until he discerned Stirling's form on the bunk. - -"You're there!" he said, bitterly. "Well, you'll stay there for some -time. You and that rat Eagan came near spoiling our plans." - -Stirling did not answer the irate skipper, thinking an answer beneath -him. It was plainly evident, however, that Eagan was out of the lives of -the men aboard the _Pole Star_. He had awakened the entire Bering Sea -against the poachers. - -Driving rapidly, under all steam and a well-set foresail and main, the -_Pole Star_ lay the island of St. Paul over her counter as the sun -brightened the waters of the Bering Sea to the eastward. - -The alarm had been given; they were in great danger. Watchers on the -island, including Eagan, would see the poacher going spars down before -they laid aside their glasses. Its course would be given to the first -government boat raised by wireless. It was more than probable that the -_Bear_ would take up the chase by noon. - -Stirling felt the swift shift of helm which came at sunrise. Marr had -realized his danger and had sheered toward the west at least two points. -This course, by magnetic compass, would bring the ship broadside of -Siberia and into the wide mouth of the Gulf of Anadir. - -The galley boy, accompanied by Whitehouse, appeared at the cabin door as -the ship's bell was struck eight times. The mate noticed the loose -condition of the lock as he inserted his own key. He stepped inside and -examined the screws which Stirling had hastily replaced, his glance -shrewd and hard. - -"You'll go aft!" he said in bitter tones. "We're not taking any chances -with you from now on. It's a blym long woiy from here to the port we'll -reach some doiy." - -Stirling sat upright and reached for the food which the boy had brought -on a tin tray. He drank the coffee, smiling as Whitehouse lingered in -the open doorway. - -The two men locked glances. Stirling's eyes held, steady and -penetrating, but Whitehouse turned with a quick oath. "I'll be back," he -said over his shoulder as he vanished from the opening. - -The galley boy was gathering up the tins and cups when Marr appeared, -followed by the mate. The little skipper looked somewhat the worse for -the events of the night--his face was unshaven, a splotch of dried -seal's blood showed on his cheek, one hand was bandaged, and his eyes -were sunken and red-rimmed. - -"Had your lock off," he said, as he clapped a hand to his side pocket -and strode into the cabin. "Well, you didn't do much. Eagan did it all. -At that we got enough seals to make expenses." - -Stirling crossed his wrists and clicked the irons. - -"Better release me," he said with sincere directness. "It'll go mighty -hard, Marr, as it is. A little more and you will swing as sure as there -is a law in this sea. I don't doubt that Eagan will manage to run you -down. It isn't the time of MacLane and the others whom you have -imitated." - -"Confound you and Eagan--the stool! He don't know my course." - -"He knows you gammed that Japanese sealer off Rat Island. That's almost -enough to know. I'd advise you to swing to Dutch Pass, surrender to the -port officer there, and get off light." - -Marr whipped out a string of imprecations. "I'm a hard man!" he finished -by saying. "I brook no interference. You'll go aft and into a strong -room, where you'll stay for the balance of the voyage, eh, Mr. -Whitehouse?" - -"This cabin won't 'old 'im," the mate declared, fumbling with the lock. -"E's too blym near the crew and the steerage. The starboard room aft the -cross alleyway is the place for our friend here." - -"It's too darned good!" exclaimed Marr. "Stand up, Stirling. We'll lead -you to your new home." - -Stirling was of two minds. There was scant chance for resistance as he -twisted and untwisted the handcuff chain. He glanced about the cabin. -The objects of personal value most certainly would be stolen by the crew -or the galley crowd, and he prized a few of these beyond price. - -"I want my things," he said in cool resignation. "Let me bundle up a few -geegaws and I'll come along. It'll take me five minutes." - -Marr tapped his side pocket suggestively. "Go ahead," he said, backing -from the cabin and glancing meaningly toward Whitehouse. "Five minutes, -you get. No more! Take off his cuffs." - -The two seamen stood between the cabin door and the rail of the ship, -and whispered each to the other, but Stirling could not catch their -words. He stood erect, turned slowly, and reached under the mattress as -Marr gripped Whitehouse by the arm and pointed toward the horizon. - -Stirling's hands came away with the little revolver which the girl had -passed in to him. This he thrust down between his collar and neck, and -its chill sent a remembered thrill through his body. - -Whitehouse stuck his head within the doorway. "Be deuced quick habout -hit!" he snarled. "Get your traps and come along. There's a smudge o' -smoke to windward." - -"Glad of that!" said Stirling, stooping on one knee and reaching for his -dunnage bag. "I hope it's the _Bear_ or the _Corwin_ or the cutter we -saw going for the Arctic. She's about due back." - -"Bally fine chance!" Whitehouse snickered. "More likely she's a blubber -hunter tryin' out. It's more than likely." - -Stirling knew better than this. No ships in the Bering whaled for oil; -that pursuit was confined to Southern seas. - -Marr was plainly nervous as he led Stirling toward the after part of the -_Pole Star_, and kept glancing to the south and west. He halted on the -poop steps and stared downward. - -Whitehouse followed Stirling. The mate had motioned the crew to one -side, and they had gathered in the waist, jeering as the trio passed -them. They, too, were nervous. The smudge of smoke had widened to a -splotch which streaked the horizon; a ship of some kind was dashing -parallel to the course taken by the _Pole Star_. - -The chase was on. - -Stirling hitched his dunnage bag under his left arm and turned as he -reached the quarter-deck. His eyes were the best upon the whaler, and he -knew every ship that came into Bering Sea. He threw all his power into -determining the nature of the fast-flying stranger, then he smiled -slowly. She was the _Bear_. A vague sense of the position of the masts -and the rake of the funnel told him that the redoubtable revenue cutter -had received Eagan's message from St. Paul Island. She was coming with -the speed of the wind, and was not more than seven knots astern. - -Marr realized that Stirling had detected the name of the pursuer, and -his face clouded. He shouted an order to the wheelsman, then sprang to -the speaking tube which led down to the engine room. A volcano of smoke -belched from the _Pole Star's_ funnel. She swerved like a skater on ice, -and the deck planks vibrated and trembled. A bellow of rage and defiance -came from the crew at the change of course; they lined the rail and -stared over the sparkling sea, shaking their grimy fists and calling -down anathemas. - -"Come on," cried Whitehouse into Stirling's ear. "Get down to your -cabin. It'll be a blym long time before that revenue ship gets in range -of us. I think we are the faster." - -Stirling followed the mate through the cabin companion and down to an -alleyway. At the starboard end of this Whitehouse inserted a key in a -lock and slid open a door, motioning inside with a jerk of his thumb. - -The Ice Pilot found himself in a small stateroom which was trimmed with -maple and white tiling. He dropped his dunnage bag as the mate closed -the door and turned the bolt, and his eyes roamed about the cabin. - -The single porthole, set deep in the double skin of the ship, was -brass-rimmed and no larger than a small dinner plate. It could be opened -by turning two bronze wing screws, and the view through it was upon a -patch of water, with swift-flowing ice darting by. - -"Prison or palace?" he said as he turned and studied the cabin, swaying -with the motion of the ship. The list was slightly to port. Some sail -had been spread to catch a light breeze which had sprung up with the -sun. The deck overhead resounded with gliding steps; Marr and the mate -were doing everything possible to hold their speed. - -The cabin's furnishings were yachtlike and serviceable. The bunk was -covered with a hair mattress and an eiderdown counterpane. Over it were -two brass racks for luggage and dunnage, and on the opposite wall a -washbowl and towel rack could be folded into a seat. Pictures were -strewed about, which were all marines painted by a decorator of merit. - -Stirling glanced from one to the other. Tropic scenes brought to mind -the incongruity of their latitude--the _Pole Star_ was hustling from the -equator as fast as steam could drive her. Her last course was toward the -barren land of Siberia and the upper headland of the Gulf of Anadir. It -was terra incognita to most seamen and all save a few whale-ships or -traders. - -Stirling examined the lock of his door. It was far stronger than the one -in the galley cabin, and had been set within the wood and mortised so -that only a small, flat keyhole showed. - -He bent his head and listened. A step had glided along the alleyway. It -was repeated in shuffling motion, going from starboard to port and back -again across the ship. Whitehouse had left a seaman on guard. - -Stirling stood erect and squared his shoulders, towering almost to the -dunnage-racks over the white bunk. His eyes hardened as he glanced from -the green-filled porthole to the door and back. The cabin was a secure -prison, as Marr had said. It would require considerable ingenuity to -escape from it. The sentry on guard was sure to be armed with one of the -sealing rifles; he would be changed each watch. - -The ship hurtled onward toward the Siberian coast. The screw thrashed -astern, bit deeply into the waves, and thrashed again--each time the -foam boiled astern the ship trembled and racked. - -Bells clanged; shouts sounded; running feet were overhead; blocks -creaked; the wind freshened and called for more canvas. The menace -astern crept up to a four-mile range. A gun boomed across the wild waste -of Northern waters. A shot fell to windward; another followed. Then, and -slowly, the grip of the pursuer was shaken off. Superspeed, a fair wind, -and a straining stokehold crew, made the slight difference. - -Stirling frowned as he sensed that the _Bear_ was being distanced. He -opened the porthole glass and pressed his face to the aperture. He could -see little save following seas and ice floes. The revenue cutter was -somewhere astern. Her guns were silent; this meant that the range had -increased to useless distance. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX--A TOAST FROM MARR - - -It was sundown and six bells upon the _Pole Star_, when the lock -clicked, and Whitehouse entered. - -"Well, old man," he said, boastfully, "we've turned the trick. Night's -coming on and the _Bear_ is 'ull down. This is a regular king's -yacht--speed of the best, and seaworthy." - -"It won't help you--in the end. How are you going to get out of the -Bering?" - -"I'll leave that to Captain Marr. I just dropped in to see if you 'ad -been fed. I don't nurse any 'ard feelings. I forgive my enemies, I do." - -In a way, Whitehouse spoke the truth. Stirling had always held a slight -liking for the English mate, who was one of England's outcasts--one who -had left his country for his country's good. He had the roving -disposition of the British, forgave quickly, and hated only for a short -period of time. - -"You're about the best of the bunch," said Stirling, feeling his temple -where the belaying pin had struck. "I hold being knocked out against -you, but that is all. Why don't you play like a man, which you are, and -prevail on Marr to abandon his useless expedition? The entire shipping -world will be searching for him. You haven't as much chance of escaping -as a thief in a crowded street." - -"That's when the thief escapes," Whitehouse said. - -"I'll take the regular galley mess of food," Stirling abruptly remarked. - -The mate nodded. "All right," he said, backing to the door and standing -in the alleyway. "All right, old man. No 'ard feelings?" - -Stirling allowed the shadow of a smile to creep across his lips. He eyed -the cockney with a calculating expression, thinking swiftly and to one -point. "Where are we heading?" he asked. - -"Siberia. We 'ave a nice little cove picked out." - -"In the Gulf of Anadir?" - -"There or thereabouts." - -"Marr don't know that coast." - -"The second engineer does. 'E was with the De Long expedition. Says it's -a bloomin' fine shore all the woiy to the mouth of the Lena." - -"Fine is right!" said Stirling with a smile, sitting down on his bunk -and crossing his legs. "It's barren and death-haunted. One thing----" - -Whitehouse paused with the key in his hand. - -"There are revolutionists at that point," said Stirling. "Marr should be -careful where he puts in." - -"They won't bother us." - -"I'm not so sure. They would cheat a cheater any time." - -Whitehouse flushed. "A cheater?" - -"That's what you and Marr are! Cheaters! You raided the rookeries. Your -judge will be the retribution which governs all wrongdoing. Your own -heart and soul rebel against what you have done." - -Whitehouse disappeared from the opening, and Stirling could hear him -giving instructions to the sentry. Footfalls sounded going up the -companion and along the quarter-deck, and then the mate came back to the -door and leaned against the chamfer. He rubbed his long red nose with a -reflective finger. - -"I'm in hit too bloomin' far to get out now, Stirling. I'll do my best -by you. Do you want to get away at the mouth of the Anadir? I can fix -that." - -Stirling made a slow calculation on his fingers. He glanced upward -toward the deck and furrowed his brows. "The Gulf," he said, dropping -his glance and staring at Whitehouse, "is about three thousand miles -from any sort of civilization. I think I'll stay on board--a prisoner." - -The mate nodded good-naturedly and turned toward a Kanaka, who brought a -tray upon which were two tins of stew and a steaming pot of coffee. - -Stirling took these and set them at the end of the bunk. Whitehouse -shrugged his shoulders, examined the lock with a smirk, and closed the -door. The bolt clicked. - -The Kanaka resumed his sentry duties, but Stirling had secured a good -glance at him. He was an old Arctic Ocean harpooner, and had once sailed -on a whaler which had been gammed by the Ice Pilot. He was the weak link -in the chain, concluded Stirling. A native would be more likely to -listen to reason than any member of the _Pole Star's_ crew. There was a -latent loyalty for the right in every Kanaka's breast. Many had been -brought up by missionaries. - -"With a dainty friend somewhere aft, and a sentry like that harpooner, -I've a fighting chance," said Stirling, leaning over the savoury stew. - -The pockets of his pea-jacket contained a few crumbs of tobacco and a -pipe. He set down the tray with the empty tins upon the deck, leaned -back, and lighted a match. - -The puffs of smoke he blew toward the porthole were like salvos of -shrapnel. The situation had cleared during the hours since leaving St. -Paul Island and the rookeries. Whitehouse had become genial; the -grumbling voices of the crew were more or less stilled; the little -skipper was in a desperate position. - -Stirling sensed the general direction of the swiftly driving poacher. -The cant to port, the general steadiness of the wind in the Bering, the -drifting floes--all these were points by which he guided his deductions. - -Siberia and the open Gulf of Anadir should be reached by noon of the day -to come. This would mean little less than twelve steaming hours. The -Island of St. Lawrence lay some few leagues to the northward. The -_Bear_, provided she had not given up the pursuit, might search the -shores of that island. There were two native settlements on the western -coast, and these were a likely refuge for poachers and those who lived -beyond the law. - -There came then to Stirling's straining ears the soft sound of a piano. -He set his pipe on a rack at the head of the bunk and moved stealthily -toward the door. Pressing his ear to the panel of this, he listened. He -heard the shuffling of the sentry's feet, and above this sound lilted a -thin, pure note which could come only from a woman's throat. It rose, -fell, and was raised once more into a remembered song: - - "Whither, oh, splendid ship, thy white sails crowding, - Leaning across the bosom of the urgent West, - Thou fearest nor sea rising, nor sky clouding, - Whither away, fair rover, and what thy quest?" - -Stirling breathed with deep intakes of close breath. He caught the swing -of the words as if they were attuned to his own thoughts, and they -steadied him in his determination to remain aboard the _Pole Star_ and -ascertain what manner of woman or girl lived in the after ship. She was -related to Marr--that much was evident. He wondered if she were his -wife, sister, or ward. One of the three would explain her being aboard. -None would explain why she seemed to be almost a prisoner. - -He listened for more music, and now and then the piano throbbed a -vibrant note. At last it was still. There alone remained the swish of -the waves, the creak of blocks, the sliding footfalls on the -quarter-deck, to mark their passage. - -The last light of day died from the surface of the waters, and the first -bright star lay horizon down. It came up grandly out of the east and -from the direction of Alaska, shining through the open porthole like an -eye of promise. Stirling rose from the seat he had taken on the bunk and -turned out the electric light. He leaned back and studied this star, -finding solace and resolve in its white rays. - -Daybreak, at the early hour of two bells, brought Stirling out of his -dreams and into the grip of a coming dawn. He washed himself and glanced -ruefully at his unshaven features, but there was no way to remedy the -matter. Seamen in the Bering and Arctic often went for an entire season -without shaving. - -He thought of the girl and her song as he idled through the hour which -followed. She had grown closer to him in some manner. It was as if there -were two prisoners on one ship. Her voice had contained the vibrant note -of anxiety. She had asked in a manner which he could fathom, where the -tall poacher was going? She, too, was gripped by the mystery. - -The first glimpse of the haze-surrounded sun, which rose over the Bering -Sea, was the magnet that drew Stirling away from his thoughts of the -girl and to the open porthole. The sea was specked and laced with drift -ice and whale slick. Old "grandpas" floated by--grimy and honeycombed -from the action of the brine. Walruses and seals dived from these -ancient ice clusters. Birds wheeled away from the course of the -fast-driving poacher. - -The course had been changed overnight, this Stirling detected with a -guilty start as he noted the position of the sun. They were now well -within the Gulf of Anadir, and the ice which floated about had just been -detached from the shore. Its surface was partly snow. - -Seven bells brought the first glimpse of land to Stirling. A dark -promontory lifted into the Arctic sky, and this was crowned with a hedge -of Northern pines. Green moss grew down the folds of the headland. A -tundra stuck out from the lower silt. They were skirting the wild coast -of Anadir. - -"Siberia," said Stirling. "What a land!" He turned from the porthole and -studied the interior of the cabin. The little revolver which the girl -had given to him was still within the grip of his garter. He reached -downward and loosened it, examining its butt and silver-plated barrel. -It was loaded. - -He eyed the door leading to the alleyway, and pocketed the revolver as -steps sounded outside. - -Whitehouse shouted in through the keyhole: "Hold steady and wait, old -man. I'll see that you're well fed by eight bells. No 'ard feelings, -eh?" - -Stirling did not answer. He moved about, however, and otherwise let the -mate know that he was still aboard the ship. - -Eight bells did not bring the promised food. Instead, the ship slowed -down, and at last glided across the sea with her screw still. - -The sound of running feet came to Stirling who sprang to the porthole -and glanced out. They were rounding a rocky wall whose fissures gushed -white from descending torrents of snow water. The ship ported, steadied -in slow circling, and entered a mountain-encompassed harbour as lovely -and as lonely as any in all the world. - -Her taper yards scraped the stones to starboard and port, her keel once -touched a sandy split, but she went on by the billowed pressure of the -wind on the canvas. The way opened to a glen in solid granite and -schist, and here the anchor chain was let go with a rusty clank. The -stern swung, almost touching a narrow shelf, up from which an agile man -could climb, or down to which he might lower himself. - -A jubilant voice rolled throughout the sheltered ship. It came from -Whitehouse, who had danced upon the quarter-deck planks in his glee. -"All 'ands aft to spice the main brace!" - -Stirling understood this last order. The crew, the engine-room force, -the stokehold gang, and the steerage crowd were invited to empty a case -of whisky. - -Marr's toast to his fellow conspirators was given with a bold attempt to -hold their confidence. "Drink hearty, mates!" he exclaimed. "Drink to -the eternal confusion of the revenue cutters!" - -Stirling hardly smiled, but scraped his pockets and found some few -crumbs of tobacco. These he pressed into his pipe and lighted with a -sulphur match. "I'll smoke to that promise," he said, simply. "A bear -never lets go when its grip fastens." - - - - -CHAPTER XX--THE MOVING SHADOWS - - -Landlocked and secure, the crew of the _Pole Star_ worked out the day by -odd jobs about the deck. Stirling heard them swabbing down, and caught -the cockney accent of the mate raised in cheerful encouragement as the -skipper sent forward more grog. - -The long Arctic day died slowly out over the waters of the Bering and -the Gulf of Anadir. The waves which beat upon the rocky headlands, -buttressing the tiny harbour, curled inward and ran with seething foam -up a shelving beach. - -Marr had made one trip to the outer sea. He returned and called -Whitehouse to the poop. Their voices were raised incautiously, and -Stirling heard the _Bear_ mentioned. The boastful laugh which followed -showed that the revenue cutter had gone by without being aware of the -harbour's entrance. The view from the sea was one of solid rock and -towering headland. - -It was at five bells that Stirling heard steps within the alleyway. The -sentry had been sleeping on duty, and he woke as Marr's voice broke the -stillness of the ship. The lock of his door clicked, and Stirling -switched on his electric light and waited, his breast exposed, showing -the hairy massiveness of his shoulders and the supple muscles beneath. - -Marr came in with cautious eyes, glanced about the cabin, stared at the -porthole thoughtfully, then lifted his chin to Stirling. "How are things -with you?" Marr asked. "Getting along all right?" - -"As well as could be expected on this criminal ship!" - -Marr frowned and sat down on the edge of the bunk. "Don't take it that -way," he said, fingering the horn buttons of his natty pea-jacket. "Come -over with us and see the thing through. We'll wait around here a few -days more, then----" - -The pause was suggestive. Stirling backed slowly to the skin of the ship -and lowered his hands to his sides. "Then what?" he asked. - -"Ah, there is a wide world to roam in. There are many ports of call." - -Stirling clenched his fists; his eyes were levelled toward the assured -skipper. "I think you had better get out of here!" Stirling said, -sharply. "I don't want to listen to suggestions from you. Brave men do -not raid the rookeries. They don't lock up a man for doing his duty." - -Marr smiled, and Stirling studied him. The little skipper had come into -the cabin for some reason other than the one he had stated; he was far -too genial and condescending. - -"What do you want with me?" the Pilot inquired. "Out with it and then -leave. I'll trouble you to allow me this small space for myself. It's -not much to ask." - -"I want your good will, Stirling. The fact of the matter is this----" - -Stirling saw the smile vanish from the skipper's lips, and the face -which peered out from the shadow of the bunk was not nearly so assured. - -"The fact is this," repeated Marr: "there's a person aboard who is -interested in you. I have made the argument that you will join us sooner -or later. I am going to make it to your interest to join us." - -"Who do you mean?" - -"That I can't say now! This person, however, believes that you will be -very dangerous to my interests in the future. In other words, you are -standing out for the foolish laws of the sea. If you persist in this -stand, there can be only one finish to you." - -"What finish is that?" - -"You'll either be marooned on a barren island or tapped on the head and -dropped overside. You can't expect to squeal on us." - -"How about Eagan?" - -"He saw and guessed too much, but he will not see what is coming. I have -a plan to avoid the _Bear_ and the other cutters. It will take us to -strange seas and glorious coasts. We have seal pelts enough to make -every man aboard rich; we can get more at Disko and Copper Island. All -hands shall share alike, and spread to the four winds." - -Stirling saw the drift of the little skipper's argument. He was offering -a bribe for silence and cooeperation. "I'll never change my views," he -said, stoutly. "You can't get away with that raid or the pelts. Right -will beat you. Public opinion is the strongest force I know. You have -been moving contrary to it." - -Marr rose from the bunk and glanced at the door, outside of which the -sentry was pacing energetically back and forth. "You're doomed," -whispered the skipper. "I gave you a chance. This person cannot help -you. You'd better consider the matter carefully." - -The captain's tone had changed; he was far too sure of himself to suit -Stirling. It was possible that he would not be allowed to see the dawn. - -"Who is this person who is interested in me?" asked Stirling with -candour. "Whitehouse?" - -"No; not the mate. You perhaps think he is your friend, but he is with -me to the finish of this passage. The rest of the crew are with me. None -of them wants a squealer somewhere ashore where he can harm us. They're -all for sewing you in a sack and dropping you overboard." - -Had the skipper snapped out his threats or otherwise acted in a bullying -manner, Stirling would have felt less concern, but there was that in the -icy tones and matter-of-fact statements which chilled red blood and -caused a presentiment to reach and grip at the heart. - -The two men stood in silence, then slowly turned and stared at each -other. Marr's eyes were the first to drop. He raised them again with an -effort. "I hate to finish you off," he said, without moving his lips, -"but it's got to be done. I've posted a second sentry on the poop. Both -have orders to shoot you down if you try to escape." - -"Who is the person?" repeated Stirling, like a child with but one -lesson. - -Marr glided toward the door and stood in the opening. - -"Who is the person?" - -The little skipper leaned forward and hissed his words as he said: -"You'll never see her! She wants me to spare you. I can't do it and live -on this earth. You know too much!" - -The door closed with a click. Marr was gone. - -Stirling's brain grew numb, and as the hot blood rushed to his cheeks, -he raised his hand and pressed his fingers against his throbbing -temples. He stared at the door with every muscle tense and eager. It -would be possible to break through to the alleyway. There, however, he -would meet with the Kanaka sentry, and the native was far too stolid to -be moved by a sudden rush. - -The ship rocked slightly with the movement of the inner waves which had -risen over the early hours of the night. A murmur came to Stirling's -ears, and he crossed the cabin, pressing his face against the brass rim -of the porthole. A rocky wall, seamed here and there with dark fissures, -reared a barrier, while the _Pole Star_ swung at her anchor chain with -her stern toward the opening to the gulf. - -Stirling heard the pacing of the sentry on deck, and above the sound of -his sliding foot he sensed the voices of men aft of the canvas barrier. -Marr and the mate were in whispered consultation. - -Whitehouse allowed his voice to rise above its ordinary pitch. He was -insisting upon some matter which was of vital importance to him, and _it -concerned making away with the only spy in their midst_. Marr's answer -was unheard by Stirling, but it quieted the mate as if a hand had -smoothed out a difficulty with clever, cunning fingers. Marr was doubly -dangerous. He held close control of his brain and tongue. - -Stirling paced back and forth within the narrow confines of his cabin. -He had measured the porthole with the span of his hand, and knew it was -far too small for escape. It could not well be enlarged by any tool in -his possession. He turned toward the door as a last resort. Its stout -panels and heavy oaken planks called for super efforts, but they could -be cut, providing the sentry dropped off into sleep. Stirling waited and -listened for this to happen. - -Midnight and eight bells found him crouched with his ear close to the -lower starboard panel. The strength to right a wrong and fight to the -bitter end had crept over him. He was a match for Marr and half of the -others of the crew. He feared no five men aboard the ship if the fight -were to be with fists. - -A clean life and steady purpose had often accomplished wonders. He -reviewed the entire situation, and summed it up in a slow, firm way. -Marr and the mate and the others of the crew had taken a lesson from -Eagan. They were in the poaching matter far too deeply to back out, -since the spoil was 'tween decks, and was also waiting on the Copper -Islands. - -"Better snatch a delusion from a woman," said Stirling, grimly, "than -deny a Bering Sea crew the right to poach." - -He thought of Marr's parting words, the lack of venom in which showed -that the end would come swiftly and after deliberate preparations. His -one hope was the woman who had pleaded for his life. She had to be -reckoned with--perhaps she was resourceful. Her eyes were wide ones and -undying in their intensity. - -Stirling moved toward the wall and reached for the electric light, then -dropped his hand without turning it on. He found the bunk, searched -under the seaweed mattress, and the cold thrill of the tiny revolver -nerved him as he held it in the palm of his right hand. After all, he -thought, there was a man's life or two in the silver-plated barrel. A -bold rush when the door was opened, a stream of lead, and the open deck -might offer possibilities. - -The night was dark. There was one fissure leading up from the shelving -beach to the higher tableland. If he reached this he would be free. -Siberia and a wide sky was the vaulting place for a possible revenge. - -He stepped toward the porthole and pressed his forehead against the cold -metal rim, his eyes slowly making out the details of the harbour and the -shore. They grew keen and penetrating. - -A gushing and tossing stream of creamy water issued from the face of the -rock. It silvered down and flattened out where the waves lapped up a -shelving shore. The roar of this waterfall was faint and musical, like a -melody set in a dream. - -Stirling remained at the porthole, looking toward the shore. His eyes -grew intent, and now he made out details which had at first been -overlooked. Crags and moss were apparent; a shelf grew from a dark line -to a possible passageway for an agile man. He traced the course of this -and saw that it vanished over the extreme edge of the highest cliff -where the dark stone stood out against the star-scattered sky. - -"I can climb that," he said with conviction. "That is a road to -Siberia." - -He listened as a sound floated from the quarter-deck. Steps were -directly over him, and a shadow fell along the surface of the heaving -waters, a shadow slight and elfin. - -Dangling before his startled eyes, and partly blotting out the view of -the open night, there had appeared an object which was fastened on the -end of a loose line. - -As it swung back and forth a foot scraped close to the ship's rail, and -a low voice called with musical timbre. - -Stirling reached out through the porthole and drew in the line. He -untied the packet, which was knotted by a square knot, and waited. The -line was drawn upward; a belaying pin creaked in the pinrail; the steps -sounded again. Then they seemed to be aft. - -Backing from the ship's skin, and feeling behind with his left hand, -Stirling found the edge of the bunk and sat down with heavy thoughts. He -toyed with the packet and weighed it by moving his right hand up and -down in the gloom. - -Unbinding it slowly, he scented for the first time the aroma of -heliotrope. Once before he had detected that perfume. That was when the -girl had appeared at the galley porthole and handed in the revolver. - -He removed a lace handkerchief, thrust it into his shirt pocket, and -smiled at the practical present which had been lowered from the poop. -The offering was to the point and suggestive. He counted twenty-five -tiny cartridges which most certainly were designed for the little -silver-plated revolver. - -"I like her," he said, thrusting the bullets within his shirt. "She's -true blue and thinks of the right things. Likewise, she's a daughter of -the sea!" - -He rose and moved slowly toward the porthole. The outside now seemed -nearer, for some reason; the friend on deck had warmed his blood. She -was standing by in case of a blow. - -The ship's bell was struck with a muffled marlinespike as Stirling stood -in patient idleness. He counted the strokes, and heard a far closing of -a hatch, sign that the anchor watch had changed. The sentry in the -alleyway spoke to another who came to take his place. The new arrival -tested the door and otherwise acted as if he would remain awake over the -time allotted to his duties. - -Suddenly, and in an unwarned manner, Stirling grew aware that ashore a -shadow moved along the higher shelf of the cliff. This shadow was -followed by a second and then a third. Men in ragged guise were -descending the trail that led from the Siberian tableland to the -land-locked harbour wherein lay the _Pole Star_. - -The descending forms disappeared, as they entered a chasm in the rocky -wall. They came into view again and stood upon a shelf which was -directly over the taper jib boom of the ship. They pointed with swaying -arms, first at the _Pole Star_, and then toward the open Gulf of Anadir. -It was evident to Stirling that they never had been in the same locality -before. - -He drew upon his imagination as he tried to fathom the reason for the -ragged visitors. They were not natives or Eskimos. Their matted hair and -bold, staring eyes betokened Russians. - -The leading figure issued a silent order by pointing upward, whereupon a -man climbed the trail, disappeared in the chasm, and reappeared upon the -shelf which marked the tableland. He vanished against the velvet of the -sky, and a slow minute passed. There came then a score of heads over the -edge, and a blurred mass of outcasts started down the pathway with the -messenger leading them. - -Stirling had seen enough to realize that the ship was in danger. Out of -the barren land of Siberia figures had crept in an endeavour to reach -the sea. They bore all the evidence of a terrible journey, and were in -numbers sufficient to capture the ship. - -No sound came from the deck of the poacher; the sentry at the door was -leaning against the barrel of his rifle; the anchor watch slept -profoundly. Fair game lay in the cove, and the hour was close when its -enemies would strike. - -"Let them come," said Stirling. "I'll not warn Marr. He brought it on -himself." - - - - -CHAPTER XXI--THROUGH THE PORTHOLE - - -In a maze of doubt and resolution Stirling stared out over the dark -harbour and saw that the band of outcasts had reached the shelving beach -and were making preparations to swim to the ship. - -He turned away and glanced toward the locked door. The sentry stirred -restlessly; his gun's butt was lifted and dropped to the deck. A hacking -cough sounded. - -Steps glided across the poop from the forward rail to the cabin -companion; a slide shot back; the sentry called and was answered. Then a -key clicked in the lock of the door, and Marr stood in the gloom. Back -of the little captain loomed two of the galley crowd. There was no mercy -in their hard, level glances. - -"Come on, Stirling," said the captain. "Step out and come with us. -You're on trial. Search him, men." - -Stirling backed step by step to the bunk, and secured the tiny revolver -firmly in his palm. His broad thumb pressed through the trigger guard, -and the feel of the cold metal decided him. He folded his arms, thrust -the gun through to his skin, and allowed it to drop down. - -The search, as Marr switched on the electric light, was done in haste. A -Kanaka harpooner ran clumsy hands over Stirling's pockets. He turned and -shook his head. - -"Me find nothing." - -"Bring him to the galley!" Marr ordered. "Watch him, too." - -The sentry brought up the rear. Stirling breathed with deep intakes of -the keen air as he crossed the quarter-deck and descended the lee-poop -ladder. He entered the galley cabin with his head thrown back and his -eyes blazing. - -Whitehouse sat at the head of the table, and about the mate was gathered -all of the afterguard and three of the crew. They had been drinking from -square faces of gin. The empty bottles and glasses littered the sea -racks; sour limes were scattered about. - -The two engineers sat in one corner of the cabin with their feet -sprawled along the deck and their eyes bleared and baleful. They had -been loudest in calling for the death of Stirling, since the seal pelts -within the forehold of the _Pole Star_ constituted a king's ransom. Each -man's share would be well up in the thousands. They saw no reason for -taking the slightest chances. - -Baldwin leered at the Ice Pilot and nudged his companion. "Shootin' is -too good," Baldwin said. "I'd like to put the squealer in a fire box and -turn on forced draft--if we had forced draft." - -Stirling faced the two men with composure. The possession of the little -revolver, the knowledge that a hungry, ragged horde was even then -approaching the ship, held him confident. Much might happen within the -space of minutes. The drunken afterguard would be no match for the -outcasts. - -Marr cleared his throat, moved to the door, and, closing it, turned with -sudden fire and anger. "We've been talking all of an hour," he said, -bitterly. "Time's up! It'll be daybreak before we do anything. We're all -together in this. What do you say we take a vote and decide. There's -just two things to do to him--cast him ashore, or drop him overboard." - -"And if you drop that lad," said Whitehouse, "see that there is a blym -big anchor spliced to 'is legs. 'E's a water dog, besides being a hard -hitter. 'E's dangerous--'e his!" - -"Him good man--dead!" - -Stirling turned and faced a Kanaka harpooner. "What have I ever done to -you?" he asked. "You know me. I've always treated you boys right. -Remember the _Beluga_ and the _Karluk_ and the _Norwhale_? You forget -easy. You've been filled with gin, and you are not yourself." - -"Me like hear 'em talk," the Kanaka said, with a sheepish grin. - -Marr saw the drift of affairs and assumed swift control. Stirling was -well thought of among the natives of the Siberian shore and the islands -of the Pacific. The simple-minded Kanakas could be easily influenced. - -"Have done!" the little skipper exclaimed. "If you're all for marooning -him, I'm satisfied. But----" - -The pause was doubly suggestive. Marr glanced at the two engineers and -Whitehouse. "You know the consequences," Marr said. "This fellow will -bob up some day with all our names and with two or three revenue men -behind him. There's no getting away from that fact. It may be in -Shanghai and it may be in Frisco." - -"Or Liverpool," Whitehouse suggested. "I'm going to Liverpool and -Birkenhead when I get the bloomin' pile from the pelties. What's to -prevent 'im bobbin' hup there?" - -"Nothing!" said Marr. - -"Then let's take a deuced vote. I 'ate's to do hit, but I votes for -walkin' the plank." - -"Same here," said the two engineers in one voice. - -"You, Crinko?" - -The Kanaka's face softened as he leered at Marr, and the bronze of his -sea-beaten features took on a yellowish tinge. He turned and smiled -openly toward Stirling, who stood with folded arms and the weight of his -body resting on the balls of his feet. - -"Me like 'em," the native said. "Me no vote. He good man--sometimes." - -Marr caught the note in the simple tones and frowned. He felt himself -slipping. There were two more Kanakas in the cabin who would follow the -big harpooner; the three together might prove troublesome. - -"You're out!" Marr snapped. "Now the next. How do you vote, Slim?" - -Slim was the leader of the stokehold and engine-room crew, which was -entirely under the influence of the two engineers. Marr smiled as six -cinder rats and oilers stood up from the seats they had taken about the -table and voted for Stirling's death. Each man had reached for a drink -of gin as his name was called. - -"That almost settles it," whispered Whitehouse, drunkenly. "Old horse, -you're gone. Hit's a 'ard, 'ard thing to do but we----" - -"But you're not going to do it!" broke in Stirling, backing toward the -door and crouching with his hand toward his right shoe. "You're only -drunk and full of false courage!" - -The blaze that sprang from Stirling's eyes simmered and darted across -the smoke-filled room. Each man felt the sudden power that flashed at -him; each leaned away for a second. - -"Get back!" - -Stirling crouched lower and shelved forward his massive shoulders. The -bulk of him seemed to fill the room. He was more than a fighting match -for the entire crew. They knew it with dawning intuition. - -Marr slyly placed a cool hand within the inner pocket of his pea-jacket, -and was drawing a gun when Stirling leaped the distance, hooked his -right elbow, and uppercut with vicious force. The blow would have lifted -the cabin deck. It hurled Marr over the table, and laid him across the -planks where he dropped unconscious. - -"Now the next!" shouted Stirling, backing away and lowering his fists to -his knees. "The next! Come on!" - -Baldwin, the engineer, watched the Ice Pilot's eyes, and in them he saw -the dying fire of rage turn to cool calculation. It was like gazing at -horizon-down ice, as the steely glint changed to cold gray. But the -glance was over the heads of the seamen who leaned upon the table. It -was toward on open porthole. - -Some intuition, stronger than the desire to murder, swept the crew. They -turned as one man and followed Stirling's steady gaze. They dropped -their chins and stared out through the porthole. - -"By the jumpin' bowheads!" Whitehouse screamed. "By Heaven, mates. Look! -Look!" - -Framed by the dull brass was the face of a whiskered Russian whose small -eyes surveyed the cabin greedily. A crash sounded at the door, shouts -rolled through the iron of the ship, and a grim struggle was begun at -once. The _Pole Star_ had been captured by revolutionists. - - - - -CHAPTER XXII--ALONE IN THE CABIN - - -The invaders, led by the same whiskered Russian who had peered through -the porthole, swept around the deck and crashed through the door leading -to the galley cabin. - -It was a mad wave of victory for them. They brought surprise and -determination as their allies, and were in great numbers. Already they -had mopped up the anchor watch and some of the crew who had climbed from -the forecastle. - -Stirling, rooted to the spot where he had faced his accusers, for the -first time in his life felt the grip of fear. He saw Whitehouse felled -with a descending swing of a giant club, and the second engineer -staggered toward the table with a knife through his breast. - -A Kanaka harpooner, whose gin-dulled brain refused to act, dashed into -the midst of the inpouring horde and went down, the centre of a wave of -infuriated invaders. One hooked-nose boat steerer, noted for his -mildness of manner, became crazed, snatched a harpoon from the wall of -the cabin, and drove it through a Russian's neck. He, too, was downed -and then killed with heavy clubs. - -This resistance stemmed the wave of Russians for a moment. Marr shouted -shrilly. He was answered by a Russian, who shouted instruction from the -doorway. Stones were hurled through the length of the cabin; capstan -bars were raised; the invaders faced the survivors, and prepared to -charge Stirling and the little skipper who had found common cause in -resistance. - -Mechanically, Stirling reached downward and grasped the tiny revolver, -though afterward he had no recollection of the action. The gun steadied -his nerves as he glanced at it, and then into the peering faces gathered -about the doorway and the after end of the cabin. - -He fired with coolness, and six jets of flame flashed across the table -and seared the faces before him. Russians went down as if poleaxed, -others shouted in pain, and two backed away covering their faces with -their arms. - -Stirling reloaded the revolver with clumsy fingers. The action was new -to him; the time was short. He wondered as he waited for coolness to -return how it happened that the cartridges were in his breast, since the -Kanaka had searched him in the after cabin. They had been overlooked. - -Marr coughed in the acrid mist and shouted out through a porthole. He -was answered by a Russian imprecation; a face peered in and a whale -lance darted through the opening. It missed the skipper by inches. - -He backed and touched Stirling's arm. "Kill them!" he cried. "Kill them, -Stirling!" - -The shout was a signal to the dock rats and sea scum who had crouched in -the gloom of the cabin. They advanced with heads lowered and rude -weapons snatched from the deck. One hurled a gin bottle into the face of -a Russian who stood half in and half out of the door. This sign of -defiance brought the wrath of the horde down upon the defenders. A -jagged rock hurtled through the porthole and crashed against the -electric dome in the ceiling. The falling glass tinkled upon the table, -and darkness blotted out Stirling's view of what followed. It was a -press of mad men who would not be denied, and he fired without knowing -whether he struck Russians or the remnant of the _Pole Star's_ crew. - -He stepped back and felt about with his left hand. His fingers touched a -wall, and following this he came to the end of a table where he stumbled -over the body of a Kanaka. Rising, he worked forward and found the knob -of a door which led into the cook's kitchen. This door was locked, and -he bunched his shoulders for a crashing blow. - -The Russians had advanced in the gloom of the shambles and were feeling -about for Marr and the others of the crew who had escaped their -onslaught. Now and then a loud cry marked a victim. A Russian thrust -inward the smoking end of a torch made out of rope yarn. It flared and -died to a glow. - -Stirling stepped away from the door, lowered his shoulder, and lunged -forward with all the weight of his well-nourished body behind the blow. -He rebounded, crouched, lunged for a second time, and the door -splintered on the port side and tore loose from its chamfer. - -Hurtling through to the kitchen and stumbling over an assortment of -clanging pans, Stirling found the second door which led to the deck. -This, also, was locked. He crashed his foot against a lower panel, and -the wood splintered, making an opening sufficient to pass through. He -crawled out like a determined bear and stood erect, his great chest -rising and falling as he gulped the air of the night. - -Chaos ruled the after part of the ship, and heavy blows sounded forward -where the invaders were mopping out the forecastle. Bodies were hurtled -overside, the last cries of doomed men echoing and reechoing among the -rocks of the shore and awakening the sea birds nested there. - -A deep silence followed the slaying of the crew. Stirling crouched in -the shelter of the galley house where the cook's pipe was thrust through -the wall, then turned his eyes and stared aft. - -The thought had come to him that the girl was alone in the cabin. Marr -had been seen last fighting Russians who had invaded the galley room, -and a show of resistance was still there. The lurking forms of men were -about the door, but the waist of the ship seemed filled with men who had -climbed aboard from out of the sea. These men were waiting for some -signal. - -It came with startling suddenness. Marr, the first engineer, and two -seamen burst through the doorway, shouting defiance, and plunged -straight for the poop and the shelter of the after cabins. One seaman -and engineer were felled and dragged to death. Marr and the second -seaman gained the poop steps, glanced forward, and vanished in the -direction of the cabin companion. - -This sally filled the ship with wild imprecations and cries, and -Stirling was swirled in a maze of doubt. The quarter-deck was shadowed -with climbing Russians; the forepeak and waist rocked with their feet as -they searched about for survivors. - -A thin tongue of flame from an after porthole burned through the night. -A rapid hail of lead from a rifle spattered along the deck and -splintered the woodwork. Marr had reached the ship's arsenal and was -firing from the break of the poop into the Russian horde. The situation -had changed during the period of seconds. - -Before he had time to gauge the battle, Stirling heard the rush of men -who were seeking safety behind the galley house and within the gloom of -the whaleboats on the port side. He raised his revolver and emptied it -along the deck. One shot went home; the others missed. He pocketed the -weapon, faced about, and darted for the lee shrouds which led up to the -crow's-nest. He then mounted the rail and climbed by the strength which -was in his arms. - -The vanguard of Russians leaped for his legs, but he drew himself up and -worked toward the crow's-nest with beating heart. He reached the Jacob's -ladder and went out instead of going through the lubber's hole. Here he -turned and stared downward; the deck seemed far away; a whizzing -belaying pin missed his head by many feet. He chuckled and touched his -face with his hand. Blood was there from some unnoticed wound. - -Whiskered faces showed through the gloom, and Stirling chuckled for a -second time and climbed swiftly to the crow's-nest. Dropping inside, he -pressed his chin to the edge of the nest and glanced toward the rocky -wall which loomed over the ship. Other Russians were descending the -trail that led to the shelving beach, and he watched a score more who -were swimming through the dark waters of the harbour. - -Suddenly all the fight went out of him, as water leaves a sponge. The -odds were far too great--Marr and the seaman and the girl comprised the -afterguard. They were well armed, but the invaders were in such number -as to indicate the exodus of an army. They either had worked northward -by land from Vladivostok, or, concluded Stirling, they had taken ships -and been wrecked on the coast. This was a possibility, considering the -remote locality of the Gulf of Anadir. - -A call lifted upward from the dark side; Stirling turned away from the -harbour view and looked downward. A revolutionist stood by the square -outline of the after hatch, and he raised his arms. - -Five Russians were climbing the starboard shrouds, each with a knife in -hand. Each glared down at the man on the after hatch and then resumed -climbing. - -Stirling leaned farther out, steadied his revolver, sighted it in the -half light, and blazed the night with a cone of leaping fire. He fired -for a second time. One Russian let go his knife, spun on the ratlines, -and dropped like a plummet to the deck below. The others hurried from -their exposed position and crouched under the Jacob's ladder where a -jack offered some shelter. Stirling waited for an open sight at these -two. - -The man near the hatch shouted an order. The two invaders grasped lines -and slid to the deck. They landed clumsily and staggered for the gloom -of the whaleboats. Stirling replaced his revolver in his pocket and sank -back into the crow's-nest. The attack had steadied his nerves, and he -felt secure for some time to come. - -Dawn mantled the sky above the dark cliff's edge; a plume of flamingo -red shot to the zenith, and the sun was peering over the Siberian -tableland. It would not be long before the harbour would be illuminated -sufficiently to reveal the state of chaos on the deck of the _Pole -Star_. - -The higher peaks of the mountains grew rosy and white. The light came on -and down with pale shadowings, revealing the surface of the sea in -ghastly detail. Seamen and Russians floated about like dead seals. - -The deck was a shambles where Marr's lead had scattered the Russian -horde. A hastily erected barricade at the after hatch prevented the -little skipper from sweeping the entire deck. Behind this barricade the -Russians crouched, and forward by the forecastle they swarmed in great -numbers, having broken into the stores. - -The men were crunching on ship's biscuits and drinking from square faces -of gin. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII--OVER THE STERN - - -From his lofty perch Stirling tried to count the number of -revolutionists, and had reached two hundred and ten before he stopped -counting. Others were ashore. A whaleboat had been lowered and paddled -under the shelter of the ship to the beach. It returned with crude -weapons and a ragged crew who could not swim, and they added their -shouting to the turmoil as they fell upon the ship's stores and gin. - -"Nice party," said Stirling. "I wonder how I'll get out of this." - -His thoughts swung to the afterguard, a seaman of the lowest coast type. -Stirling remembered him as a Frisco dock rat called "Slim." He had been -too lazy to work--too handy with a knife, yet he alone of the crew had -survived. - -This seaman appeared suddenly and thrust his shoulders above the -companion. Stirling leaned forward and watched him. There was that in -his leer which spoke of deep drinking and a desire for revenge. He -poised himself a moment, ducked as he sighted the revolutionists, then -appeared with a brass bomb gun. It was of the type whalers use in -finishing a whale, and was capable of great execution. - -The gun went up to the seaman's shoulder; he squinted along the barrel -and pressed the trigger. The bomb hurtled past the mainmast and exploded -forward of the galley house on the starboard side of the ship, where -three refugees were crouched. They seemed to spring up into the racking -air and vanish. The ship rocked with shouts as the seaman loaded the gun -and prepared for a second attempt. - -Stirling realized that the last defenders had a weapon in a million. It -was similar to the rifle grenades used in trench warfare, and against it -the Russians were at a great disadvantage. They could not face eight -ounces of tonite exploded in their midst. - -Marr appeared alongside of the sailor, and he, too, carried a bomb gun. -The shot he fired exploded against the break of the forepeak and missed -the open forecastle companion. Its explosion racked the morning air and -sent showers of splinters as high aloft as the crow's-nest. - -Stirling watched the fight which followed. The revolutionists had one -advantage: their number was sufficient to overcome any resistance, -provided they were well led. They seemed, however, to lack a leader. - -The Russian who had stood by the after hatch and directed operations had -been struck by a splinter of ash from a whaleboat. He was carried below -to the forecastle. The man who took his place crouched behind the -mainmast and shouted his orders in a weak, squeaking voice. - -The rush came at last and in straggling infiltration. The invaders -seeped along the two rails and out from the barricade, then swarmed up -the poop. Marr fired point-blank and dropped down the cabin companion as -a stone crashed against his breast. The seaman stood his ground and -swung the bomb gun by the muzzle. He bowled over a trio of Russians, -drew back, and then glanced downward. - -The little skipper, pale and bleeding, had appeared for a moment, and -motioned that he was going to close the companion slide. The seaman -swirled the gun, braced himself, and drove it into the gathering knot of -men at the quarter-deck canvas, then he turned and swiftly dived below. -The companion hatch shut with a loud click. - -Stirling counted his cartridges as the baffled Russians swarmed over the -poop. He could hit a few of them with careful aiming, but he held his -fire. There was always the chance that he, too, would be rushed. A squad -of determined men could reach the crow's-nest if they ignored the cost -to themselves. - -The sun's rays brought out all the details of the night's fight. Unreal -and ghastly seemed the deck of the ship. Stirling rubbed his eyes and -glanced downward, to where the revolutionists had gathered in a knot -forward of the galley house. The man who had stood near the hatch was -speaking to them; his gestures were strained and dramatic. He pointed -aloft. - -Faces were turned upward and weapons were raised, but no man started for -the rigging. The determined leader called for volunteers. He seemed to -realize that the crow's-nest was a dangerous point of vantage and the -tiny revolver in Stirling's hand was a potent argument. The Ice Pilot -held it out and took aim. The leader ducked beneath the shelter of a -splintered whaleboat. The other revolutionists were more stolid; they -stared and brandished their weapons. - -An hour passed with the invaders combing the ship for more gin and -stores. Stirling lay back and pressed against the side of the -crow's-nest. His eyes closed, but he opened them with a sudden start. It -would not do to sleep while the Russians were alert; any minute might -find them climbing the rigging. - -Sounds floated upward which told that the ship's captors were cleaning -up the deck and otherwise making preparations for her departure. They -had nailed down the companion hatch which led to the after cabins, and -two stood guard there with capstan bars. Others were below in the engine -room, where the clang of doors sounded. Scoops grated across the aprons -in the stokehold, and shrill calls came up the ventilators. - -A smudge of smoke issued from the funnel, curled the masts, and rose -straight upward in the Arctic air. Stirling coughed and stiffened -himself; he leaned over the edge of the crow's-nest and watched for -developments. It was evident that there was an engineer or two among the -Russians. - -The leader appeared through the engine-room gratings and stood by the -handrail. He staggered slightly from the effects of the gin he had -drunk, and he turned a weak chin aloft and sneered. His eyes swung -downward and swept the harbour's entrance where it closed to a shelving -rock about which the _Pole Star_ would have to be steered in order to -make for open sea. - -The orders he gave were obeyed in listless manner; some of the Russians -openly holding back and consulting. Three of them went to the falls of -the starboard whaleboat and threw the lines from the cleats. The boat -was lowered bow foremost, and almost filled as it struck the sea. A -second boat, which had been used to bring the horde from the shore, -rounded the _Pole Star's_ bow and was rowed alongside. The two boats, -with the leader in the stern of the one which had been lowered, glided -across the harbour and disappeared around the wall of rock. - -Stirling wondered at this manoeuvre, but had not long to wait. The -leader's boat returned soon and the Russians crowded to the rail. Their -leader came up a dangling falls and pointed toward the entrance, then -gave a series of orders. The anchor chain was cleared of wreckage and -steam plumed from a leak in the capstan engine. The clank of chain -coming through the hawse was followed by the slow turning of the screw. -A roar greeted this sign of departure, and was thrown back by the rocky -walls. - -Putting down the wheel, a Russian marine acted as pilot in a slovenly -manner. The ship grazed the shore, scraped over a ledge of rocks, and -swung too far for the entrance. It was backed by a quick reversal of the -engines. A second try was more successful. The taper jib boom pointed -down the narrow strait and sheered in time to meet the first rollers of -the Gulf of Anadir. - -Stirling was openly astonished at the ability shown by the Russians, in -building steam in the boilers. One of their number understood engines -and bells; he had even turned the globe valve which led to the capstan -cylinder. This revealed that there were men in Siberia who had missed -their calling. - -The ship met the long-running rollers, swung a point toward the east, as -near as Stirling could determine from the position of the sun, and drove -on swiftly. - -A cape jutted out into the Gulf of Anadir, and toward this headland the -leader pointed as the speed increased and the propeller thrashed astern. -Stirling shaded his eyes from the sun's glint and studied the cape. He -saw the reason for the change of course. A wreck lay athwart two -fanglike rocks over which surf beat. The skeleton of a giant ship marked -how the revolutionists had been cast away. - -The _Pole Star_ neared this wreck and reversed her screw. The leader -sprang to the forepeak and called a loud order. A whaleboat was lowered, -and ten minutes later the Russians returned from the wreck with a -chronometer and a sextant. These had been denied them when Marr had -barricaded the cabin of the poacher. - -Stirling felt the lack of sleep creep over his tired, aching muscles. He -shook himself like a shaggy dog and forced his brain to remain awake. -The creaking of the fall blocks, the clang of an engine-room bell, the -throbbing of the propeller--all were so shiplike and real that he had -difficulty in believing the ship was captured, pillaged, and now off for -a new venture in Northern waters. - -He widened his tired eyes and allowed them to stray over the deck which -lay like a pointed seed below him. The Russians went about their duties -with newborn vim and determination, as the leader stood at the canvas -rail which overlooked the waist and called his orders. The lower sails -were set to a western breeze. Under the influence of these and the -steam, the _Pole Star_ rapidly threw the dark coast of Siberia over her -stern and drove for the Strait of Bering and the American shore. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV--BEFORE THE WHEEL - - -Marvelling at the turn of events, Stirling groped about the crow's-nest -and found his twelve-diameter glasses, which had been used in whale -hunting. He turned their screw, adjusted the focus for his eyes, and -swept the open Gulf of Anadir and the Bering beyond the jib boom. No -sign of ship or sail showed. Ice was here and there in dotted specks, -drifting with the great North current which would reverse its direction -and flow back to the Arctic before the month was old. - -Noon passed with the _Pole Star_ changing its course degree by degree. -Stirling dozed in an erect position. Each time he awoke it was with a -guilty start. There was grave danger that some of the Russians would -mount the shrouds, since they had already been along the yards. The -canvas they had set billowed before the breeze and blotted out a full -view of the deck. - -Stirling thought of the girl who must be with the skipper and the Frisco -dock rat. It was evident that Marr had received a crushing blow from the -rock hurled by the Russian; the little skipper's face had been white and -drawn as he barricaded the hatchway. - -Stirling dwelt on thoughts of the girl in a dazed manner. He realized -that the situation called for every ounce of his energies, yet he would -have given a year of life for a nap in security. - -Afternoon and six bells, which a Russian struck forward, brought sight -of the open sea rimmed by a dark line to southward which marked the -island of St. Lawrence. Stirling raised his glasses and swept the -horizon to the north and east. He was on the point of lowering them from -his eyes when a speck stood out with tiny distinctness. He focused for -this speck, and pieced together detail by detail, with splendid sight. -He smiled slightly as he dropped his hands to his sides and glanced down -at the deck. The revenue cutter _Bear_ had already sighted the _Pole -Star_. She was bearing to the north so as to head off the ship. There -seemed no escape, for the land on either coast ran into a funnel whose -snout was the Bering Strait. - -"Saved!" exclaimed Stirling. "I'm saved and she's saved. I think we are -saved--the girl and I. But Heaven help the others on this unfortunate -ship." - -Sincerely hoping for capture, Stirling prayed silently, raising the -glasses for a second sweep of the sea to the north and east. The speck -had grown into a trailing pencil of smoke which lay athwart the slaty -sky. - -Glancing over the crow's-nest, Stirling watched the Russian leader on -the poop. He saw a chart being unrolled like a huge rug, and two -Russians followed a pointing finger. The leader rose from a crouched -position and started to give an order to the wheelsman, then this order -died in his throat. A cry rolled along the ship, and was repeated in -guttural accents. The revolutionists gathered on the forepeak had -discovered the smoke over the starboard rail, and pointed and muttered -as they realized its import. - -A bell clanged as the leader reached for the engine-room telegraph and -set it for full speed. Seamen of doubtful ability swarmed aloft and -started unfurling the upper canvas; three reached the fore-topgallant -yard and went out on the footrope with clumsy feet. - -They were so near to Stirling he could have shot them from the spars. -The _Pole Star_ canted and drove north along the meridian line, its -course parallel to that of the fast-coming _Bear_. - -The hour that followed was filled with mingled hopes and fears. The -revenue cutter had been rated a speedy ship by whalers who knew it, but -it was two knots slower than the _Pole Star_. This fact came home to -Stirling with the force of a blow. The canvas which the Russians set had -aided in the long running. The _Bear_ was not closing the gap to any -extent, but held doggedly on. - -Stirling studied the distance, saw that it was a losing game, then -reached in his pocket for the revolver. He could hit the wheelsman, who -was standing on the poop, and this would cause the ship to sheer. He -took slow aim. The shot he fired missed the wheelsman's head by inches; -the second shot splintered a spoke; the third caught the wheelsman in -the left shoulder. He released his hold and cried a warning. - -The crew swarmed up the poop steps, glared toward the crow's-nest, and -set about building a barricade before the wheel. This was done as -Stirling ceased his firing; their number was too great to accomplish -anything of lasting moment. The cartridges in the tiny gun were running -low, and the bullets were of too small a calibre to slay save when they -struck a vital spot. - -A second idea came to him as he pocketed the gun. Reaching downward he -searched for a knife, which should have been in the binocular case of -the crow's-nest. With it he could cut the lines leading to all the sails -on the foremast, which ran by the crow's-nest and up the topmast. The -knife was missing! - -"I'm beat!" he said. "The _Bear_ will never catch us!" - - - - -CHAPTER XXV--IN THE GRIP OF THE UNKNOWN - - -The _Bear_ had one fact in its favour: the two ships were driving for -the Bering Strait. The Strait was less than forty miles from headland to -headland, and between the two capes lay the Diomede Islands. It was -possible that the _Bear_ would head off the _Pole Star_ before reaching -the Arctic Ocean. - -Stirling studied the situation with scant hope. The Russians, urged to -desperation, had succeeded in getting every turn that was possible from -the screw. Steam plumed in the pipe aft of the funnel; the ship throbbed -and racked; the clang of doors and the lurid light which streamed from -the engine-room companion and the open hatches told of frantic work by -the leader who had a firm grip on the revolutionists. - -The Diomede Islands rose out of the sea and stood with their rocky walls -black against the sun. Far-off Cape Prince of Wales seemed a cloud bank -of sombre aspect. Stirling climbed to the top of the crow's-nest and -studied the picture. The fast-flying _Bear_ had held her own. The -distance between the two ships was not more than eight miles; this, -however, was beyond range of the _Bear's_ guns. - -"A stern chase," he said, with a glance at the horizon ahead. "We'll -make the Arctic." - -The _Pole Star_ crashed through light floe ice and sheered abeam of the -Diomedes. She headed almost west by the compass, which course would -bring her in sight of Herald Island and Wrangel Land. - -Heavier ice fields loomed ahead, and Stirling watched them with concern. -The Russian wheelsman peered over the barricade and took his orders from -the leader; the ship ported and starboarded, then steadied with clumsy -steering. The crash of ancient floes against her stem, and the grating -as the ice slipped alongside, caused the revolutionists to cry aloud. -They swarmed over the forepeak and pointed excitedly. - -Stirling glanced aft. The _Bear_ had not been so fortunate in choosing a -passage through the ice, and had dropped back in the chase. He acted -with sudden inspiration. - -Leaning over the edge of the crow's-nest he cried: "Make for the open -sea, you fools! Starboard three points! If you don't we'll all be -crushed!" - -The leader blinked upward and widened his small eyes. He was a gross man -in a uniform of furs and sealskin boots stolen from the _Pole Star's_ -slop-chest. He turned to the wheelman after a quick squint toward the -ice ahead. - -The wheel was changed. The ship sheered, missed a heavy-floe formation, -and entered a lane of drift ice. - -"Steady!" shouted Stirling, feeling the wine of the game. "Hold her -steady, there!" - -He smiled despite the danger, for the act of giving commands and finding -them obeyed showed that the Russians were new to ice work. They would -most certainly wreck the ship and drown all on board. The century-old -floes through which they glided had been detached from the polar pack, -but once past these, a course held for the America shore would bring -safety. - -The _Bear_ had not been as fortunate as the poacher. The ice between the -Diomedes and Cape Prince of Wales was almost impassable, and the -lieutenant in charge of the revenue cutter decided to take no chances. -He reduced speed and struck for the Alaskan coast, since it was evident -that this course would again intercept the poacher. Their place of -meeting would be off Kotzebue Sound. - -Stirling forgot the massacre aboard the _Pole Star_. He never had sided -with the former crew; and the revolutionists, with their ignorance of -the ice, were less to be feared. They had seized a ship, were running -amuck, but at least had the virtue of motion. Their end might come in a -score of ways, and it was to Stirling's interest to see that the ship -remained afloat. There were the girl and Marr and the Frisco dock rat to -consider. - -Stirling's blood tingled at the excitement of the game; he breathed the -refreshing air and raised his square shoulders. Open water and whale -slick showed ahead, and beyond this the eastern horizon and the gray -shadow of land. They were now plunging north by the compass, with a -slight inclination toward the east. The course, he figured, should read -northeast by north. - -Lulled by the swaying and throbbing of the ship, he sensed a progression -of true adventure. He had come North to whale. The whaling voyage had -turned into an illicit sealing expedition. Now the revolutionists -closely followed by the _Bear_, held the deck. - -The low Arctic sun swung closer to the horizon. Within the purple haze -astern came flashes of crimson light which died to lavender, and the -lavender into velvet dusk. Night was falling upon the wild sea. It was -well past ten o'clock. The revolutionists, busy at the fires and the -gin, gave scant attention to the ship's bells. - -Stirling dozed with his head against the rim of the crow's-nest, woke at -odd times, and yawned. Sleep had overcome his stout frame. He peered -down at the deck, saw that it was almost deserted, then lowered himself -into the bottom of the nest and rested his chin on his drawn-up knees. -Here he slumbered through the night. - -Awaking with a start of surprise, he found that the day had dawned. He -rose and stared out over the bow of the ship. Ice floes showed close to -the port rail, and beyond these the open sea and the cold glint of the -great North pack. He swung to starboard and studied the haze through -which the sun was rising on a long slant. Land was there, and he made a -swift calculation--the ship must be crossing the open Kotzebue Sound. - -Out of the land mist as the sun veiled itself behind a cloud there -emerged a leaping thing of well-sheeted canvas and belching funnels. The -_Bear_ had stolen a march on the poacher during the hours of the night, -and a shot came skipping across the waves. It missed the _Pole Star's_ -stern by a scant cable's length. Another followed from the revenue -cutter's bow gun, and this burst in the whaleboats that lined the -starboard rail. - -A roar of fright and defiance rolled upward to Stirling. The leader -sprang from the galley house and dashed up the poop steps. A horde of -his followers swarmed from the forecastle hatch and the forehold, and -some leaped down the engine-room companion. The funnel belched big -clouds of smoke and the fire doors clanged. The _Pole Star_ swerved -toward the west and the open sea. This manoeuvre saved the -revolutionists from certain capture. - -Stirling waited with held breath and rigid lips. It was nip and tuck for -the flying poacher, but gradually the distance between her and the -cutter increased. The next shots fell short. - -Men danced on deck and shook their fists toward the cutter, while the -stokehold crew took turns in coming to the rail of their hatchway and -raving at the _Bear_. They glanced aloft at the lone figure in the -crow's-nest, but there was no malice in their expressions. - -Stirling's blood tingled at the excitement of the game, and he lost his -enmity for the Russians. They acted like children freed from bondage. -They had fled from Vladivostok, been wrecked in the Gulf of Anadir, and -were now on the second leg of their adventure. It led to the icy North -and strange waters. - -The ship plunged away from the coast and toward the North pack. Stirling -realized that the _Bear_ would follow to the bitter end, and he knew -there was also another revenue cutter in the Arctic Ocean--the chances -were slim for the Russians to escape, and the trap might be sprung at -Point Barrow which juts far out into the Arctic. - -Hurtling west, and then edging toward the north as the day advanced, the -_Pole Star_ avoided the pack and settled down to steady progress toward -the American shore in the vicinity of Icy Cape. - -The day unrolled with the cold sun swinging over the land and through -the mists. The night, which came with slow shadowing, found Stirling -weak and listless from lack of food and water, and he realized that an -effort would have to be made to escape from the crow's-nest. The crew -had drunk the entire store of gin and trade whisky, and they roamed the -deck in groups, their attention fastened upon the low coast along which -many Arctic whalers had been wrecked. The passageway between this coast -and the grounded ice was narrow in places. A north-easter would crush -the ship and drive it ashore. - -The lane of ice-free waters widened as Cape Lisburne was passed. This -lane often had been blocked by light floes, and Stirling studied the -grounded pack to the west and north, coming to the conclusion that the -season would be an extremely open one. Never before in his experience -had he seen clearer steaming to the eastward. - -Night came on with the _Pole Star_ logging thirteen knots. The ship was -surprisingly handled by the Russians, who worked more by intuition than -from experience, but they had the sense of drift and direction. The -_Bear_ was left hull down in the flecked field astern, but still coming -on grimly. - -Walruses and seals were distributed by the wash of the ship; lone wolves -howled from the shore; a polar bear lumbered over the ice as the _Pole -Star_ crashed through, staggered, and resumed its eastward course. The -Russians on deck surged aft for fear of catastrophe. Surrounding the -wheelman and the leader, they peered anxiously toward the after -companion which was barricaded on the inside. - -Streamers of yellow light shot athwart the eastern heavens, and this -light brightened into a nebula of crimson. The aurora played and -flickered and surged upward toward the zenith, while through it the pale -stars shone. A moon rose and rolled along the lowland which lay between -Lisburne and Icy Cape. The Barren Country stood revealed in cold -splendour, stretching to the ramparts of the Mackenzie River and the -mountains at Fort Yukon. - -A sense of motion came to Stirling, for he knew the waters. Never -before, however, had he found the sea so open. The aged and grounded -floes were well to the northwest, and had not been driven above the -seven-fathom line. The lane they left for navigation was wide enough to -float all the navies of the world, and only a great storm would close it -behind the _Pole Star_. - -Midnight found Stirling weary of the details of the voyage and weak from -lack of food and water. A languor stole over his rugged frame; he yawned -and attempted to sleep, but a clang of a fire door and a quarter-point -swing of the ship awakened him to dull consciousness. He peered over the -edge of the crow's-nest. - -The deck below seemed a haven; there was food and water there. The way -down would be short. He searched about for some sign of the Russians. -Aside from the wheelman's head over the barricade and a towering leader -standing by the weather rail of the quarter-deck, there was no one in -sight. - -The funnel, almost beneath shrouds, was crowned with a ring of fire, and -a shift of wind now and then drove smoke upward. Stirling choked in -this, tried to marshal the details of an escape, but felt his position -was far too desperate to await daylight. The Russians were sleeping off -the last of the gin. Their leader had given orders to drive for Point -Barrow and take the chances to be met there. - -Stirling widened his eyes and pressed his hand to his hot brow, studying -the white lane of water which was bordered by ice on one quarter and the -dark land upon the other. A providence had the ship in its grip. Small -floes were avoided by no effort of the wheelman and thin ice, formed -overnight, was ripped as satin by a knife. - -Point Barrow was less than five hours' steaming ahead, and beyond the -Point, with its whaling station and its native village, lay the open Sea -of Beaufort and the unknown land of Keenan. It was a desperate sea into -which to venture, and the horror of the short month came home to -Stirling. He was facing cold, starvation, and isolation--a trinity of -despair. - -The stars paled as the slow dawn started creeping along the eastern -heavens. The onward surge of the ship through the dream scene of flecked -ice patches and mirrorlike water became a vision of unreality. - -Stirling searched the way ahead, and recognized familiar landmarks from -other voyages. The ribs of a whale ship showed high driven upon the -tundra. This was the wreck of the _George M. Foster_, thrust ashore -three seasons before by the pressure of the North pack. - -Other wrecks marked the beach, showing where a fleet of whalers had -attempted to gain the shelter of Point Barrow. A northwester had -scattered them and laid their bones out upon the pale Arctic wilds. Men -had died there from starvation and cold. - -Native villages showed, with their summer huts gaunt and bare against -the snow, and behind them igloos, fast melting in the warm air. Kayaks -and umiaks dotted the beach; dogs came down to the shore and stared at -the ship. A head was thrust through a tent's bark door, and a hand -waved. Then afterward had come the rushing of dark forms along the -tundra and the cries of natives. - -The wheelsman held the centre of the course between the North pack and -the sand spits. The leader, muffled to the eyes in sealskin, came out of -the galley and glanced aloft. The orders he gave were for more steam, -and the funnel belched forth smoke and driven cinders. The screw -thrashed as the ship hurtled on into the brightening dawn. - -Stirling climbed out of the crow's-nest, lowered his legs over its -forward edge, and sat there with his hands gripping one of the -downhauls. The sea ahead was polished and rippleless, the way to Point -Barrow was open, and already the land had bent to the north and west. -They were now rounding Alaska. - -A shout rose from the dark deck, forms swarmed from the forecastle, and -the ship took on churning life. The leader had sensed the danger to be -met with at Point Barrow. A premonition had seized him that the _Bear_ -might have signalled by wireless to a waiting government boat. - -Stirling divined that this would be the case, and pressed his palm -against his head. The throbbing of the ship, felt at the masthead, drove -a surge of nausea through his stout frame. The end was close at hand, -unless they struck out to open sea, through the ice floes, and avoided -the Point. - -A misted sun rose in the north and east, directly before the taper jib -boom of the _Pole Star_. It drove the last of the aurora from the sky, -rose in a rolling eye of fire, and brought out all the details of the -stretching Arctic wild. - -To the north and west showed great floes, which had grounded upon the -shallow land which marked the seven-fathom bank. Between these floes -lanes appeared, filled with whale slick and sporting seals. They led to -the true north and the solid pack below the cold horizon. - -Swinging the helm with sudden intuition, the leader drove the ship down -a wide lane and away from the shore. Stirling sensed this manoeuvre was -to avoid being sighted at the Point. The leader had spread a chart out -upon the quarter-deck, and his thumb traced a course which would take -him away from any possible pursuit; it would also be a venture into an -unknown sea. Blond Eskimos and castaways from Franklin's expedition were -supposed to people the polar shores of Banks and Keenan Land. - -Stirling studied the ship's deck with eyes brightened by hunger and -resolve. He sought for a place to descend--an opening which would allow -him to reach the forehold where stores and water could be found. - -The revolutionists were scattered from the forepeak to the break of the -poop. Smoke showed from the galley stovepipe. The engine-room crew and -stokehold crowd had redoubled their efforts in order to sheer the ship -from the land. Word had been passed down that the _Bear_ might signal -the government people at Point Barrow, which was almost in sight. - -Stirling glanced aft to where the Russian at the wheel was taking his -orders from the leader who had sprung upon the weather rail and was -holding to the mizzen shrouds. - -The chance for escape from the crow's-nest had come. The mainsail hung -from the main yard, and its flapping canvas would afford some slight -shelter. Stirling weighed the opportunity and prepared to make the -effort. The open main hatch invited with its glimpse of boxes and -scattered trade stuff. - -He lowered himself from the crow's-nest and stood on the jack above the -Jacob's ladder. Here he was sheltered from a chance glance aloft. He -poised himself, gathered together his remaining strength, then reached -downward and grasped the ladder's top, his eyes slowly swinging aft. -They rested on the barricade of canvas which had been erected forward of -the cabin companion. A form moved behind this canvas, and the eastern -light brought out the details. It was Slim, the Frisco dock rat, a -ragged tam-o'-shanter capping his uncut hair. - -With his face pressed over the edge of the canvas, Slim took in the -details of the ship and the revolutionists and frowned. A second form -moved close to his side and the girl glanced over the canvas, her eyes -raised in tearful search of the crow's-nest. When they lighted upon -Stirling, she beckoned with a white finger, then gave a heart-rendering, -poignant call of distress. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVI--IN THE SUDDEN DARKNESS - - -The Ice Pilot had no way to answer the piercing call of the girl, yet -the revolutionists might detect her presence at any moment. The leader -was alert and kept sweeping the sea to port for a chance opening which -would lead farther away from the land. He turned once toward the -wheelsman, berated him in Russian for not putting the wheel over soon -enough, as the ship narrowly escaped a heavy floe. - -Again the girl beckoned as Stirling watched the two forms beyond the -canvas barricade. This time she had lifted her pale face so that he -could see her shoulders and arms. They were slight and childish, and -tears glistened upon her cheeks. Her call was not to be denied, and -Stirling lowered his legs, swung far out over the deck, hesitated in -that position, and turned his head. - -Slim, the sole survivor of the forecastle crew, was reaching downward, -his back straining. He straightened up and staggered aft to the -taffrail. The burden he carried froze Stirling in the act of descending -the ladder, and an icy chill swept through the Pilot's body, which -almost unnerved him. He wound his fingers about the ratlines and -breathed deeply. The Arctic air seemed strangely quiet. - -Slim reached the rail and lifted one leg to the top. He removed his -tasselled cap, shifted his burden, turned and glanced at the girl, who -had covered her eyes with her hands; then he raised the body he carried -and hurled it astern of the fast-driving _Pole Star_. - -Stirling watched the rude burial with straining eyes. Marr had been -wounded by the rock which had struck his breast in the fight with the -revolutionists, and the little skipper must have died some time after -the blow. He, perhaps, had been nursed tenderly by the girl during the -hours of the chase from the Gulf of Anadir. Her call showed that she -feared Slim, who was now alone with her in the stern of the _Pole Star_. - -Again Stirling stared at the girl. She removed her hands from her eyes, -turned slowly, and grasped the edge of the canvas barricade. Her hair -had fallen and she stood revealed as a frail creature in the grip of a -strong man. She motioned with a flutter of her hand as she released her -fingers from the canvas, then slowly sank to her knees, buried her face -in her palms, and sobbed. - -Slim turned from the taffrail, squared his shoulders with an upward -jerk, and eyed the girl. He smiled cunningly, then came forward, glanced -at the Russian leader in the shrouds, and tapped the girl on the arm. - -Stirling started descending the shrouds with fevered energy. He reached -the standing rigging and found a foothold in the ratlines, turned his -chin, and glared aft like a shaggy bear. The girl and Slim had vanished -down the companion and the noise they made in closing the companion -slide had attracted the attention of the leader. His head was quarter -faced away from view. - -It was then that Stirling sprang to the deck, and dashed for the open -main hatch. His way to the poop was barred by a group of revolutionists -gathered at the port rail in the waist. They were watching the unfolding -shore where it flattened out into Point Barrow. A cruiser cutter showed -there, flags flying from her signal halyards, steam jetting from aft her -funnel. She was balked, however, for a rampart of century-old ice formed -a barrier between the lane in which she rode and the one through which -the _Pole Star_ was striking out to the north and west. - -Stirling hesitated a moment at the hatch. He saw that the cutter had -waited off the Point in expectancy of capturing the poacher. The chase -might lead out from shore and into the pack ice which extended to the -Pole. - -A shout rolled along the deck from aft, and the leader turned in time to -see the crouching figure by the main hatch. He called, and the Russians -at the rail wheeled and started over the deck. Stirling reached in his -pocket, brought forth the little silver-plated revolver, and jabbed it -forward. The knot of men recoiled. Others swarmed out from the galley -house and rounded it with careful steps, but they, too, held back. - -Stirling laughed defiantly. He feared the croaking sound of his own -voice, so parched and dry was his throat. He pocketed the revolver, -grasped the edge of the hatch, swinging out and into the sheer. His feet -crushed a box as he landed in the hold. He straightened himself, raised -his arms, and, blinking in the sudden darkness, stumbled aft toward the -lazaret, and the way to the cabin where the girl was quartered. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVII--IN THE PIT - - -The main hold was littered with a maze of boxes, bales, and bundles, the -last made up of sealskins roughly bound, with salt sprinkled upon the -fleshy side of the pelts. This precaution had been taken by Marr and -Whitehouse on the day following the raid. - -Stirling paused near where the deck beams allowed a narrow passage -through to the lazaret, and under a hatchway which led to the galley -house and the cook's quarters. He glanced around and allowed his eyes to -accustom themselves to the darkness. - -None of the revolutionists had dared follow him down through the main -hatch. The sight of the revolver he had flashed at them was a stern -reminder, and he felt of this weapon as he waited. He heard the steady -clamp of the engines and the calls in Russian as the stokehold crew were -urged to greater efforts. - -The _Pole Star_ was striking away from Point Barrow, and had sheltered -herself in a long lane of ice reaching deep within the North pack. It -would be fortunate, indeed, if this lane opened and allowed the ship -through to the sea to eastward. - -Stirling found a box in the lazaret which had been crashed open by a -rude heel, and through the hole in this he drew out a double handful of -hard and dry ship's biscuits. He munched on these, and glanced about for -water. None was in sight. He found several empty gin cases from which -the square faces had been removed; a dark corner of the lazaret was -piled with small, strong boxes. The lower tier of these contained -bottles of ginger ale and soda. He emptied three bottles of soda, waited -a few minutes, and then started drinking the fourth. - -The effect was magical. The ship's biscuits, whose food value is high, -served to refresh his weary body, and he stared around with some -interest in his surroundings. - -A stout door, heavily barred by a crossbeam in the bulkhead, indicated -the way to the stokehold and the after part of the ship. He moved -through the gloom and tested this crossbeam. It could be lifted, but he -paused to listen. Clanking doors and scraping shovels on the iron plates -of the stokehold marked where the Russians were feeding the _Pole -Star's_ fires. - -There was no way through to the cabin and the girl save by way of the -stokehold and the engine room, and the deck was crowded with alert -revolutionists. - -Stirling dropped his hand into the side pocket of his pea-jacket and -felt the cold assurance of the little revolver's steel. It nerved him as -he drew out his hand and lifted the crossbar which the cook had placed -in order to prevent a raid on the lazaret. - -An opening showed, lurid with furnace fires and hot coals. Three -Russians, stripped to the waist, were lounging in one corner of the -stokehold, and all were smoking cigarettes made from cut plug and tissue -paper. Their attention was on a fourth Russian, who was watching the -steam gauge above the central boiler. - -Stirling widened the door by a steady pull with his fingers, and stared -beyond the Russian to where an opening showed in the bulkhead. This -opening marked the way to the engine room and the after part of the -ship. - -Bunker doors and slides showed to port and starboard, and the coal lay -piled where the passers had shovelled it. A Russian tossed away his -cigarette, seized a scoop shovel, and stepped to the after door of the -forward furnace. The glare which filled the stokehold as he opened the -door gave Stirling an opportunity. - -Risking all on the venture, he flung wide the bulkhead door which led -from the lazaret and dashed across the scattered coal, reaching the -opening to a spare bunker on the starboard side of the hold before he -was discovered. Then a Russian shouted a warning, and the chief of the -stokehold crew swung from the furnaces and stared through the half -light. - -Stirling brushed aside the lunging form of a revolutionist, and struck a -second Russian a swinging blow beneath the ear. Plunging on, he gained -the door which led to the engine room as a slice bar was hurled in his -direction. - -He wheeled at the door and braced himself. The Russian he had struck was -slowly rising from the iron plate before the spare bunker, and a form -swung from the reflection of light which streamed out of an ash box and -lunged forward. Stirling called a warning as he bent, twisted, and -worked his way through the bulkhead door until he reached the alleyway -which led to the engine room. - -Flashing crank shafts and the polished glow of metal blinded him. Men -were on the gratings and halfway up the ladder which led to the deck -companion. Stirling dodged around the first and second intermediate -cylinders, rested a hand on the huge low-pressure cylinder; then he -dropped to one knee, squirmed beneath the tail shaft, and started -crawling down the shaft alley. - -The Russians had been too startled to prevent this manoeuvre, but now -they came aft with torches and pinch bars. The glow from the overhead -sun which streamed through the deck light brought out the details of the -shaft alley as far aft as the second coupling. Behind this was a narrow -pit compressed on each side by heavy planking and sloping at the bottom -into the fan-shaped overhang of the _Pole Star's_ stern. - -Stirling worked his way aft to the thrust bearings, which were three in -number. Here the pit was dark and damp, and he turned and glanced -forward. The faint light which marked the outlines of the shaft alley -grew stronger as he waited. - -A burly form moved within the gloom, then another man joined the first -Russian. Hammer blows sounded, and the light vanished as if a shade had -been drawn. Stirling, with every sense alert, guessed the reason for the -darkness. The revolutionists in the engine room had brought aft a number -of sheets of boiler plate, and these they had erected about the tail -shaft where it entered the engine room. - -A grim smile creased Stirling's lips as he waited. The way now was -barred by three-eighth-inch iron; he was a prisoner in the pit. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVIII--THE THIRD DOOR - - -A faint sound from above echoed throughout the alleyway, and Stirling -turned his head, listening with every sense alert. The sound was -repeated, then footfalls grated on the deck planks. The clank of the -engines and the whirling shaft drowned out further steps in the cabin. - -Stirling reached toward the thrust bearings, measured the distance, and -thought deeply. He was directly beneath the alleyway which extended from -the staterooms to the after companion--the girl and Slim, the Frisco -dock rat, were above him. - -He touched the planks, feeling the seams between the inch-thick decking. -He traced these seams and found that they ended in a coaming at each -side of the shaft alley. These were secured to the deck beams by screws -which in turn were covered by tree-nails. The barrier seemed impassable. - -The throbbing of the screw, driven to its limit, had a lulling effect -upon Stirling, who sank to his knees and crawled along the alleyway -until his fingers touched a thrust block; sitting on this he dropped his -head into his greasy hands and thought, his brain swirling in the maze -of doubt and unreality. - -He had no tool with which he could cut his way upward, and his problem -was to get in communication with the girl so that a passage could be -bored through the deck planks. - -The polished shaft at his side attracted his attention and he felt of -it, counting the revolutions. They were slightly faster than the beat of -his pulse. The power of a thousand horses was there in that rod of -steel, and he wondered vaguely if there was any way to turn it to -account. - -The covers for the thrust blocks and shaft bearings were firmly bolted -down. He groped about and searched every corner of the alleyway, finding -an inch bolt and a battered oil can. These he placed by the thrust block -and continued the search. - -A faint light from the engine room illuminated the forward end of the -shaft alley, and he crawled to this opening and peered through. The -low-pressure cylinder and the engine frame prevented further scrutiny, -but the shadows that moved across the gratings above the cylinder marked -the presence of the revolutionists. One, perhaps, was on guard. - -Stirling thrust his fingers through the plate which had been nailed to -prevent his escape. Straining, he saw that he could move the lower -section of iron sheeting. An object under the after bearing of the -engine had attracted his attention--a long strip of leather belting -coated with grease and oil. - -He moved the plate, and waited; then he crawled halfway through the -opening and secured the belt, Backing carefully, he worked his way aft -to the thrust block. - -He now had a belt and a bolt and with these crude tools he intended -boring through the planks over his head. The task was a painful one. He -would have to arrange the belt so that it would run under the shaft and -over the bolt, which was turned by the shaft's power. Its corners might -work through the plank. - -He found that the bolt was too small in diameter to secure any result, -and that the belt slipped and would not turn the shank. He laid the bolt -down and picked up the oil can, whose shape suggested the solution of -the problem. - -Removing the oil spout by unscrewing it from the top of the can, he -inserted the bolt in its place. The can turned freely with the bolt as -an axle. - -Stirling smiled through the grime upon his features. His mind had -evolved a saw of the superior order, power driven and bound to be -effective. He waited before he went on with the experiment. - -The seething of the water told him that they were still hurtling through -the lane of ice, and floes grated alongside. A shout echoed backward -from the engine room, and the clank of steam-driven rods rose to a -crescendo of effort. The _Pole Star_ was striking out to open sea and -the unknown waters to the north and east of Point Barrow. - -The cutter cruiser had been distanced, and the _Bear_ was a slow third -in the chase. There was no way to tell where the pursuit would lead. -Stirling thought dimly of the northeast passage and the way to Baffin -Bay. Only madmen could effect such an enterprise. - -Steps sounded above as Stirling toyed with the can, and he heard them -going aft. Others followed; these were lighter. There came then the -faint echo of a scuffle and the low cry of a woman, followed by a man's -rude laugh as the light steps ran forward and a door slammed. - -Stirling constructed the scene in his mind: The dock rat had seized the -girl and embraced her, and she had torn herself from his grasp. The -slamming door told that she had barricaded herself in the cabin. It was -time to interfere. The inch-thick planks overhead formed the only -obstruction, and he felt of them, then reached for the oil can. - -The belt tightened over the polished shaft and over the rim of the can, -which was at least three inches in diameter. The bolt acted as a rod, -and the cutting edge as it touched the plank ground through for a -quarter inch and then refused to work deeper. - -Stirling saw the reason for this: The copper of the can had no abrasive -edge. He lowered the can, drew out his revolver, and started nicking the -metal. Each blow sounded like a hammer stroke in his straining ears, and -he feared to dent the bottom of the can so freely that it could not be -straightened. He pocketed the revolver and felt the edge. It was rough, -at any rate. - -The improvised saw now cut into the overhead plank as he pressed the -bolt upward with straining arms. The belt slipped at times, but he -waited and tried anew. The power which was in the tail shaft of the -engines was sufficient for a thousand saws. - -Dust and splinters dropped down upon his tense face, but he held on -grimly with one determination mastering his thoughts: The girl was in -danger. She was barricaded in her stateroom, and the dock rat was -probably sitting by the great table in the main cabin--with a vast -reservoir of gin and whisky from which to draw. - -Stirling felt the edge of the can bite through the plank in one place. -He lowered it and examined the opening. The belt had stretched under the -strain and had permitted a cut of seven or eight inches in length. - -Crossing the belt, Stirling started a second cut at a right angle to the -first, and worked on with his arms aching and growing numb from the -strained position. The oil in the can had served for lubrication to the -bolt, but when this oil dried, the bolt squeaked, and the can became -hot. - -He lowered it from the cut in the deck plank and the smell of hot oil in -the shaft bearings gave him an idea. There was enough grease and oil -packed with waste there to keep the bearings cool. He lifted a cover and -dug out a handful of dripping packing, which he squeezed into the can. -The bolt was now lubricated. - -Though working in almost total darkness, he made rapid progress, and -still no sound came from above. The dock rat probably was sleeping -across the table; the girl had not moved in her cabin. - -The first faint light which streamed through the crack he made steeled -Stirling to renewed efforts. He enlarged the opening and stood erect. - -The view was a limited one of an ornate ceiling stamped here and there -with fresco and border designs. In the centre of this ceiling gleamed -the frosty light from an electric dome. Three lamps burned, despite the -fact that a soft glow was filling the splendid cabin. This glow came -from the breaking dawn which made rosy the deck light and cabin -companion. - -Stirling removed his eye from the crack and felt the grooves he had cut -in the planking. They were almost sufficient for his purpose. He trimmed -a corner with his improvised saw, ran the saw through a deep cut till it -severed the plank's edge, then pressed firmly upward. The trapdoor he -had cut was held by only a few splinters. - -He waited and reviewed his position. The revolutionists were busy with -the engines and the furnaces, and their shouts came aft with muffled -curses. The clang of a bell told that the leader had urged more steam, -and the ship was hurtling through a sea free from ice. Stirling could -hear no grating along the run. - -He worked forward, guiding himself by the touch of the polished tail -shaft. The barricade of iron plates was an effective barrier to a sudden -rush. There was scant danger from the Russians. The sentry they had -placed on guard stood high on the gratings overlooking the opening to -the shaft alley. Stirling peered through a crack in the plates and -watched him. He was looking intently at the two intermediate cylinders. - -Working aft with careful steps, Stirling reached his trapdoor and -listened. A sound of deep breathing came to him. Slim, the dock rat, was -directly above, where he choked now and then, and his arms moved over -the racks of the table. Then he was still--save for the drunken -breathing which subsided almost to nothingness. - -Stirling braced his shoulders against the planks, pressed his feet upon -the shaft bearing, and strained with every muscle. A splintering noise -sounded. A second thrust tore loose the last of the planks. They -showered about him as he reached upward, rested his elbows on the edge, -and sprang to the deck of the cabin. - -Slim raised an arm, fell forward, lifted his chin, and turned it in a -slow arc. His eyes blinked as Stirling lunged for him with a bearlike -glide which was not to be denied. Strong fingers clasped about the dock -rat's throat; he was lifted from his chair and hurled across the floor -of the cabin. Stirling was after him with a quick stride. - -The struggle which followed was terrible in its intensity. Stirling had -the strength given to outdoor men; he was unskilled, however, and faint -from loss of sleep and food. Slim had learned boxing and wrestling along -the San Francisco water front. He squirmed to his knees, twisted from -Stirling's grip, and lowered his head for a rush. Stirling met this -attack with a savage reaching of arms and a grunt as Slim uppercut with -vicious strength. They fell into a clinch, they swayed and staggered -about the cabin, overturning chairs and stools. - -Stirling's clean living began to tell as the Ice Pilot recovered his -wits and became more careful. Lunging blows straightened and became -jabs, hugs gave place to standing exchange of blows. The dock rat leered -from puffed eyes and searched about for a weapon. A brass bomb gun and a -Remington rifle lay across the table. He dodged and reached for the bomb -gun, his fingers closing over the barrel, when Stirling leaped the -distance and wound his arms about Slim's waist. - -The dock rat, catapulted through the air, crashed against the sheathing -of the starboard wall. He managed to rise, but Stirling was over the -planks and upon him with a vicious outthrust of his jaw. The madness of -the struggle had completely mastered the Ice Pilot, who fought -furiously. - -Soon Slim lay still. Stirling, looking about for a cord or line, saw a -tassel protruding from a curtain which covered the alleyway leading aft. -Jerking this loose, he lunged swiftly to Slim's side, drew his arms -behind him, and completed a sailor's job of tying and splicing from -which no man could escape. - -The dock rat opened one eye and moaned. Stirling drew back and glanced -sternly at him, his bulk seeming to fill the cabin. - -Slim closed his eyes and moaned for a second time. "Let me loose," he -managed to say. - -"Stay there!" Stirling said with a slow glance around. - -The curtain attracted his attention. It had been partly wrenched from -its pole by the drawing away of the cord. Beyond it lay the alleyway and -the cabins of the after part of the ship. The girl's cabin was one of -four. - -"Which stateroom is the girl in?" he asked, leaning over Slim. - -The sailor squirmed and dragged at his arms where they were bound, -rolled over, and stared upward at the deck. A light streamed down from -the barricaded companion, a light which heralded the rising of the sun. -Stirling followed the dock rat's glance and studied the shadow, then -wheeled swiftly and saw a tiny ship's clock set in the wall. A hasty -calculation of time and shadow showed him that the _Pole Star_ was -driving east by true reckoning and north by compass. The variation was -all of ninety degrees. - -He listened to the progress of the ship as he waited for the dock rat to -answer his question. The throbbing of the screw and the swift rush of -water under the counter showed that the revolutionists were still -extending their efforts. The great bight of sea beyond Point Barrow and -off the mouth of the Mackenzie River was being crossed. The land ahead -would be unknown territory, filled with danger and starvation. - -Weakly Stirling turned; all the fight seemed to have left him, and he -swayed as he glanced downward. The sailor had closed his lips in a hard -line, and there was malice and calculation in his sharp, darting glances -about the cabin. - -Stirling shrugged his shoulders, dropped on one knee, and felt the cord. -It was drawn sufficiently tight. Rising slowly, the Ice Pilot breathed -deeply, feeling the aching muscles of his chest as they expanded; then -he set in order the chairs and stools of the cabin and lifted the rifle -until it swung in a natural manner under his right armpit. - -"Stay right there!" he commanded as he glanced toward the sailor. He was -surprised at the sound of his own voice, unnatural and falsely tuned. - -Shaking his head with weariness, he advanced to the curtain, brushed it -aside with his left hand, and strode down the alleyway, where four doors -offered themselves. Each was closed. He knocked at the first, but there -was no answer; it was the same with the second. - -The third door proved to be that of the girl's room. He heard her -stirring inside as he repeated the knock, then listened with bent head. -He felt the room was sacred--he had known so little of women that they -all were holy to him, and he told himself that he was committing a -sacrilege. - -He tapped again--this time lightly. A poignant sobbing greeted his ears. - -He bent his head closer and said: "It's me. Don't be afraid. I'm -Stirling--the Ice Pilot. I'm the one who was in the crow's-nest." - -He strained his ears, and the sobbing ceased. A hand was on the latch; -the door started to slide open. - -"It's me," he repeated as the hand that pressed the door hesitated. "I'm -all right," he added, with tired assurance. "I'm armed, and that sailor -is taken care of--the one who insulted you." - -The door slid open swiftly, and the girl stood framed in the aperture. -Her hair was down her back, her wide eyes swollen from tears and -distress. - -He rested the rifle against his hip. "Are you all right?" he asked, -sincerely. "Are you?" - -"Yes--now, I am." The glance that lifted to his own was frank and -shimmering with amazement. Stirling glanced over her shoulder full into -a long cheval mirror, and recoiled as he looked at his own reflection. -The oil and grease of the shaft alley, the week-old stubble of beard, -the wan, red-rimmed eyes which shone from hollow sockets--these made a -picture of desperate adventure. - -"You'll have to excuse me," he said. "I didn't know I looked like this." - -The girl smiled and extended her hand. "You came to me," she said, -bravely. "That's what I wanted." - -Stirling nodded and rubbed his chin with his palm, then turned and -stared toward the curtain. Slim had rolled over and was hammering the -cabin deck with his heels in an endeavour to escape the bonds around his -wrists and elbows. - -"I found him," said Stirling. "What do you say if we go in -there--Miss--Miss----" - -"Miss Marr--Helen Marr," she said, quickly, as she came gliding out of -the door. "You see," she added, "I'm not a bit frightened--at you!" - - - - -CHAPTER XXIX--TO SEE IT THROUGH - - -Rough-garbed and soiled from his efforts, Stirling led the way aft to -the large cabin of the _Pole Star_, then turned and held the curtain -back for Helen Marr. He bowed as she passed through and stood staring at -the prone form of the Frisco dock rat. - -"I'll attend to him, miss," declared Stirling. "Did he insult you?" - -The girl flushed slightly, but there was an assurance in her manner that -bespoke the daughter of the sea. She braced her slight form by leaning -against the table and turned to the Ice Pilot. "No; he didn't insult -me," she said. "He couldn't. But he is not a gentleman and never can be -one." - -Stirling stepped over the deck and reached downward, coiled his arms -about Slim, and raised him from the planks. - -"Hold the curtain," he said, softly. "I'll put this fellow out of harm's -way. There's a cabin just made for him, where we can feed him and watch -him." - -Helen Marr stared at Stirling as he shifted his burden, smiled slowly -through the grime of his lips, and staggered with Slim through the -curtain and down the alleyway to the cabin where Whitehouse and Marr had -kept him prisoner. - -He was back in three minutes with a key held between his fingers. "You -take this," he said with concern. "Take it and keep it. I'm going to -look around and find some water and a razor. I expect we're going to be -together for some time, as the revolutionists are heading east. I don't -want to frighten you with my appearance, Miss Marr." - -"There's running water and razors in uncle's cabin." - -Stirling stiffened and passed his hand over the stubble of his cheeks, -removing his cap as he asked, "So he was your uncle?" - -"Yes; Mr. Marr was my uncle. He brought me along on this trip because -there was nobody to look after me ashore. I was at boarding school in -Concord when he came for me." - -Stirling glanced at the girl with open sympathy, and she returned his -look, then blushed slightly, and moved away from the table. The key he -had given her dropped to the deck. She recovered it and brushed back her -hair as she rose. - -"I'm sorry he died," Stirling managed to say. "I'm sorry. But I don't -think he was doing right in bringing you North, and I don't think the -seal raid was right. You see I'm plain-spoken. I'm not used to young -ladies." - -A laugh echoed through the cabin. "You're a sight!" said Helen Marr. -"We'll get along. I don't fear anything at all now. Those awful Russians -are afraid of you." - -Stirling glanced at the barricaded deck light, and listened to the swift -rush of the ship through the smooth sea. A slight chill was in the air, -which spoke of ice fields to the north and east. - -He dropped his glance and swept the cabin. The bomb gun on the table was -a weapon in a thousand, and with it it would be possible to hold the -cabin against a large number of men. - -"The thing we have to find out," he said, "is how to stop the ship -before we go too far. We're off Herschel Island now. Another day's mad -steaming will wreck us sure. I don't want to see you wrecked." - -The girl pointed toward an after doorway. "That's uncle's cabin," she -said. "Go shave and fix yourself. Then we'll talk about things. I don't -think being wrecked is so terrible." - -Stirling shook his head and moved toward the cabin. He opened the door, -turned, and glanced backward, then went inside with the girl's face -stamped upon his memory. She was full of fire and youth, the voyage of -the _Pole Star_ had been an adventure for her. The death of Marr had not -saddened her. He found soap and a razor resting behind the washstand, -and with these started to make himself presentable. - -Strength and youth came through his features as he scraped and hacked; -simple in all his motions, he found himself for the first time in a -great hurry. The girl had appealed with elfin charm, though he knew no -more of women than landsmen know of the mysteries of the sea. - -After he had finished shaving, a good wash in cold water, a swift -parting of his hair, and a borrowed necktie from Marr's collection, -caused him to smile at his reflection in the glass. He stood the proper -figure of a man--four square to wind, weather, adversity, or the -revolutionists. - -The situation was desperate enough to call for all the strength of -Stirling's mind and muscle. The ship was heading due east by the -meridian, or north by magnetic compass, and the true Pole was being -thrown over the ship's port waist like a sinister shadow. Ahead lay the -Magnetic Pole and the land where Franklin and his brave men had perished -in the search for the northwest passage. - -Stirling looked from the mirror to the open porthole of the cabin, and -saw the low-lying land which marked the American continent. The water -was muddy and filled with driftwood, which indicated that Herschel -Island and the mouth of the Mackenzie River were being passed. - -"Our last wintering place," he said, with his face pressed to the -porthole. "Yonder she is. There's scant chance from now on." - -He turned and glanced about the cabin. A telltale compass over a -brass-bound bunk showed that the course read north. It changed a point -as the _Pole Star_ swung and dashed by a field of ancient ice. Then the -ship steadied, the engines clanked, and steps sounded overhead. The -revolutionists had gathered for a consultation. - -Stirling opened the door of the cabin, stepped out, and faced Helen Marr -who stood by the baby-grand piano which was lashed to the after part of -the bulkhead. - -"We're off Herschel Island," he said, running his fingers over his face -in anxiety. "I'm sorry for your sake. There are no winter quarters -beyond the Island that I know of; it's all lowland and dangerous -anchorage. We're in for it!" - -The girl inclined her head and listened, then pointed upward. A wan, -tired smile, that threw tiny wrinkles in the corners of her mouth, held -Stirling's eyes. She seemed suddenly older to him, and he wondered at -this change as he waited for her to speak. - -"They are above," she said at last. "Do you think they are plotting to -capture you?" Her voice had changed, and Stirling detected a note of -concern. He looked up and caught her glance full upon his own. She bit -her lip and flushed. - -He tried to stammer an answer, but none came that fitted the question. A -gulf had suddenly opened between them, and her eyes no longer held the -shimmer they had once contained. She had stared at him as if he had been -a ghost or spectre from another world, her manner suddenly grown cold. - -"What did I do?" he exclaimed. "Why do you look at me that way?" - -"Because--why, because I thought you were an old man. You're not!" - -Stirling straightened, and he felt his heart throbbing. "I'm forty-six," -he said. "That's old, isn't it?" - -The girl's face dimpled; the lines vanished from her lips and left her -openly frank and childish looking. "Forty-six?" - -"Going on forty-seven." - -"That isn't old. You look so different with a shave and a--wash. I'm -going to make you promise one thing." - -Stirling was ready to promise any number of things. "What is it?" he -asked. - -"That from now on you shave every day, and from now on we're--friends." - -"I'll promise that!" said Stirling, heartily. "We two are going to see -this thing through--as friends. You can trust me! We'll stand -guard--watch and watch." - - - - -CHAPTER XXX--IN SWIFT SALUTE - - -"You're not going to kill anybody?" Helen Marr asked, after a moment's -pause. - -"Not unless they try to harm you," Stirling replied. - -The girl raised her chin and thrust out her right hand. "I was always a -wild creature," she said. "Father died soon after I was born, and mother -let me run wild in Concord. Then uncle came from across the sea. He -always liked me; once he took me to England on a voyage. It was a Boston -ship he owned an interest in. I can reef and steer. I had a sloop in -Maine--all one summer." - -"Can you handle a rifle?" - -"Yes. Only I don't want to kill anybody." - -Stirling stepped to a gun rack on the starboard side of the cabin, went -over the rifles racked there, and picked out a light gun which Marr had -brought North for shooting seals. - -"We'll load this," he said, laying it across the table. "It's yours in -case of trouble. The revolutionists are getting into deep ice and the -time is coming when they will call on me. I may have to take command of -the ship. Otherwise----" - -His pause was suggestive. Helen Marr stared out through the nearest -porthole, then turned with a pucker showing at the corner of her mouth. -"What were you going to say?" she asked. - -"Otherwise we will be cast away in the land that Heaven forgot. There is -nothing up here but death and starvation. There is no food or shelter; -there is only cold and ice and desolation. It is almost all unexplored. -Coronation Gulf, where we are heading, leads to Victoria Strait and -Lancaster Sound. The passage was never made." - -"But the Russians may make it. Isn't the season an open one?" - -"So open that I fear we will go too far to turn back. There's coal -enough aboard to take us to Baffin Bay." - -"Uncle has been there." - -"But not from this side of the world." Stirling glanced about the cabin -and then stepped over to an ornate bookcase beneath which was a drawer -filled with maps. - -He unrolled a map and spread it across the table. "Come here," he said, -nodding to the girl. "I'll show you where we are and where we're -heading." - -The girl stepped close to his side and leaned over the chart, following -his pointing finger as he traced a course from Point Barrow to the mouth -of the Mackenzie River. "From there," he said, "we may strike two ways. -The most likely course is through Coronation Gulf, and then by Boothia -Gulf, but there's another route to the eastward. It leads west by the -compass and around this land." Stirling pressed his thumb on a maze of -inlets and narrow straits. "If the revolutionists try that course we're -cast away in the polar pack. It'll be all up with you and me." - -The girl drew back the chart and raised her finger to her lips, almost -pouting as she asked: "Are you afraid?" - -Stirling stammered and rolled up the chart with a swift motion of his -right palm. "Not exactly afraid," he said; "but with the crew on deck -that we have, there is every chance of getting nipped." - -"Nipped?" - -"Yes! Caught in the ice and crushed. Many ships have had that happen. I -remember the _Beluga_ and the _Prince Charles_ and the schooner _Rosy -Enders_. They all were nipped to the eastward of Herschel Island. We're -in the same waters." - -"But wouldn't it be splendid if the Russians got through to Baffin Bay? -Just think what the world would say. The Northwest Passage!" - -"The Northeast," corrected Stirling, with a faint smile. - -"Isn't there a big reward for going around the American Continent?" - -"There was; I don't know about it now. The Norwegians did it in a little -ship, but it took them years." - -The girl moved across the cabin and pressed her face to the nearest -porthole, then turned and found Stirling's eyes fastened upon her. - -"I see lots of ice," she said, naively. "There's ice everywhere." - -"Except ahead. We're going down a lane of open water between the floes -and the shore. Cape Bathurst should soon be sighted." - -The girl turned her head and glanced through the porthole. "I see land!" -she exclaimed, with a quiver in her voice. "It doesn't look so terrible. -There're green moss and trees--I think they are trees." - -"Arctic pines," Stirling said. "It's No Man's Land on this side of the -world. You stand watch with that Remington and I'll go look that sailor -over. He must be hungry." - -Stirling moved toward the curtain as the girl turned away from the open -porthole and stepped to the table where the rifle lay. She lifted it, -and frowned in perplexity as her fingers toyed with the trigger guard -and cocking mechanism. - -Suddenly she wheeled and laid down the rifle. "I couldn't shoot -anybody," she said, staring across the cabin. "Nobody is going to bother -us, now." - -"I'm not so sure, Miss Marr. There's a time coming when the -revolutionists will be in distress. Then there's Slim to reckon with. He -might escape while I'm sleeping. You know I haven't slept for days--just -a nap now and then in the crow's-nest and the shaft alley." - -Stirling hurried to the dock rat's cabin and pressed open the door after -inserting the key in the lock. Slim sat up and twisted his body. - -"Nice way you've left me," he said, bitterly. - -Stirling examined the bonds and smiled grimly, but he did not answer the -sailor. He glanced about the cabin, saw that the porthole was fastened -securely, then hurried back to the girl. - -"Please get biscuits and water," he said. "That sailor is doing fine. If -he doesn't keep it up I'll turn him over to the revolutionists." - -"He was all right until after uncle died," Helen said. "Then he started -drinking and saying things to me. I wasn't afraid of him, only----" - -"Only," interrupted Stirling, "you should have kept that little -revolver. I appreciated it, but you needed it worse than I did. Here it -is." - -Stirling dropped his hand into his pocket and brought out the little -silver-plated gun. "Take it, please," he said, "and--will you get me -some biscuits and water? I'll feed the sailor." - -The girl hurried through an after doorway, opened some tins in a small -pantry, and returned with a tray of crackers. She set these on the -table, and drew a pitcher of water from the tap in the cabin. - -Stirling studied her motions, and dreamed of a fairy or an elf. He was -staring at the steps which led to the cabin companion as she offered him -the pitcher of water. His eyes dropped, and his lips grew firm. "I'll be -back soon," he said in a far-off voice. "You watch for the -revolutionists. Fire that rifle if they attempt to get down." - -The sailor took the offering with bad grace, as Stirling propped him up -in the bunk and released one hand so that he could eat. He retied him -securely as the last of the crackers was consumed between yellow teeth. - -"Stay right there," said Stirling, as he closed the door. "Better keep -mighty quiet, too," he added, sternly, as he drew the key from the lock. - -The girl had climbed partly up the companionway steps, and she turned, -drawing her skirts about her ankles as she saw Stirling coming from the -forward alleyway. - -"What's up there?" he asked, setting the empty pitcher and tray on the -table. "Can you see anything, Miss Marr?" - -"The leader and two other revolutionists are at the wheel," she said. -"They are puzzled over something. I think the leader wants to steer -toward the north." - -The girl pointed at the port side of the ship, and Stirling shook his -head. "That's west now," he said. "It's magnetic west. You see the -directions are all changed. We're heading north by the compass. If he -changes to the west it means that he is going to try and clear Banks -Land. That'll lead us to Melville Sound. It may be open." - -Helen Marr lifted her chin and beamed into Stirling's face. "There's -sunshine on the ice," she said, pointing out through a starboard -porthole. "See it? You should smile. I don't think we are in any -danger." - -Stirling caught the contagion of youth and high spirits. The season was -so remarkable that he doubted his own senses, for the _Pole Star_ was -steaming at twelve knots through waters which were usually closed to all -save the lucky ships in the whaling service. The progress from Point -Barrow had been continuous. They had gone farther east than most Arctic -expeditions, and the way north was clear save for small ice floes. It -might be possible to reach Melville Sound and unknown straits leading to -Baffin Bay. - -The Ice Pilot bent his head and thought deeply, but the ship suddenly -swerved, and he straightened. The sunshine now streamed through the -after starboard portholes of the cabin, striking across the racks of the -table and bringing out the details of the bookshelves and piano. - -Helen Marr clapped her hands, ran to the porthole nearest the after -bulkhead, and peered out, then turned with eyes of flame. "See," she -said, "we're going north now--or west. There's open water and an open -sea. Oh, I'm glad of it!" - -Her slight body flitted to the piano. She drew down the cover and pulled -out a stool. The music she played was familiar to Stirling: - - "Whither, oh, splendid ship, thy white sails crowding, - Leaning across the bosom of the urgent West, - Thou fearest nor sea rising, nor sky clouding, - Whither away fair rover, and what thy quest?" - -The girl turned on the revolving stool and glanced toward Stirling. "How -do you like that?" she asked, blithely. "Do you want more?" - -Stirling smiled and nodded, and her fingers strayed over the ivory keys -for a moment. The song she sang was new to Stirling, but as he listened, -he heard above the silver-running notes another sound. Steps came -overhead; a shadow blotted out the glass of the deck light. The Russian -leader had been attracted by the music, and he was joined by one of the -revolutionists. The two Russians stood in rapt attention as Helen Marr -sang to her own accompaniment: - - "The fair wind blew, the white foam flew, - The furrow followed free; - And we were the first that ever burst - Into that silent sea." - -The girl turned. "That's from the 'Ancient Mariner,'" she said. "I set -it to music. I think it's appropriate, don't you, Mr. Stirling?" - -"The silent sea part is," he said. "I shouldn't wonder if you sang the -truth. Even the leader was interested. I wonder if he understands -English?" - -The two in the cabin stared up at the shadows on the deck light, and -these shadows moved away as the girl rose from the piano stool and came -across the deck. - -"You had better go into the stateroom and get some sleep, Mr. Stirling," -she suggested. "You look tired and worn. Sleep would do you a world of -good. I'll stand guard." - -Stirling climbed the companion steps and tested the barricade of oak -timbers which Marr and Slim had fitted, then came down and went forward -to the curtain. A second doorway, which was at the end of the alley, had -been nailed shut with three-inch spikes, and there seemed no way for the -revolutionists to break into the after part of the ship. - -He moved the table over the hole he had cut in the deck, and upon this -piled stools and a bookcase for a barricade. - -"Let me know if anything happens," Stirling said, as he stepped toward -Marr's stateroom. "Be sure and do that!" - -The girl lifted the rifle and stood at attention. "Good-night!" she -said. "Shut the door; I'll wake you if it's necessary." - - - - -CHAPTER XXXI--DANGER AND DOUBT - - -When Stirling awoke it seemed to him that he had passed through an ocean -of dreams. He rolled over and blinked through leaden eyes at the -porthole. Dawn was breaking across a wild waste of Northern waters; ice -floes and ancient packs floated by; seals sported; whale slick showed in -oily patches, and the sun glanced over the smooth surface of the sea. A -ripple showed where the _Pole Star's_ sharp stem was cleaving the -surface. - -Stirling rubbed his eyes and listened. The steady clank of the engines -and the vibration of the tail shaft beneath him still continued. He -glanced upward. The tiny, telltale compass overhead was pointing west. -The ship was headed for the true pole! - -"Madmen!" said Stirling, springing out of the bunk. - -He emerged into the larger cabin to find that Helen Marr had vanished. -The rifle lay across the table, and her knitted tam-o'-shanter was -hanging from one corner of the piano; the deck light had been thrown -open, and the companionway was unbarred. - -Stirling strode through the curtain and tested the door which led to the -sailor's cabin. It was locked. A bitter protest in Frisco slang greeted -his query. He hesitated. The girl had eluded him in some manner. She had -gone on deck. - -He crossed the alleyway, cocked the rifle, and burst into the larger -cabin. Up the steps which led to the companion he climbed with savage -strength, and the light of dawning day and the gust of salty air which -filled his lungs cleared his brain. He stared about the quarter-deck, -then dropped the rifle's butt down upon his boot. - -The girl, bareheaded and with ribbons flying, was sitting in a deck -chair; near by were the Russian leader and two other revolutionists. -They turned as she laughed buoyantly, but the leader frowned and reached -for his pocket. Stirling raised the rifle and swung it under his arm. - -"Good morning, Mr. Stirling," called the girl. "Come aft with me. These -poor men are not our enemies. They're lost and want a pilot." - -Stirling lowered the muzzle of the rifle, but still eyed the leader, and -his lips grew hard and level with suspicion. He raised his shoulders -slightly. - -The girl saw the motion and sprang out of the deck chair with a cry. -"They're only big boys!" she exclaimed. "I was playing the piano and -singing--while you were sleeping. One song they liked, and the leader -knocked on the glass and called to me. There were tears in his eyes. -He's escaped from Siberia and wants to get to America. They all have -escaped, Mr. Stirling. They wouldn't harm anybody!" - -Stirling remembered the carnage when the revolutionists took the ship. -But perhaps they had thought that the _Pole Star's_ crew would resist -and therefore had anticipated an expected attack. And they seemed to -have treated the girl with the attention due a princess. A cushion was -at the foot of the deck chair; tea steamed in a kettle; crackers had -been brought from the galley. - -"I think you had better go below," said Stirling glancing at the girl's -upturned face. - -"Speak to them; they don't mean us any harm." - -Stirling turned toward the leader, and the small eyes before him -lightened where they had been filled with fear. A gross, hairy hand -swept forward expressively. - -"You don't know where you are?" asked Stirling, gesturing. - -The man, apparently getting the sense of the Ice Pilot's question, shook -his head. - -"Do you want to go back?" Stirling pointed the rifle toward the jack -staff and the stern of the ship. - -The leader repeated his nod, then spoke to the two others, who, Stirling -decided, also held office among the revolutionists. They lumbered to the -rail and stared forward, raising their arms and pointing. - -Stirling shaded his eyes from the rays of the sun which was swinging on -a long slant over the sea, and saw ahead, and to starboard, the glint of -horizon-down ice. He knew the reason--they were within thirty miles of -Banks Land. - -The sea was open to the magnetic west, where a hard line rimmed the -surface. Gulls flew overhead, and the smoke of the furnaces blotted -across the waters. The entire scene was one of desperate enterprise. -They were steaming on an unknown ocean of danger and doubt, where no -explorers had been able to penetrate. Only an open season, such as -Stirling had never known before, permitted the _Pole Star's_ progress. - -With a mastering glance, he turned toward the leader, his head back, the -cords of his neck showing like roots of some giant oak. Helen Marr -seized his left hand and crept close up to him. - -"I'll pilot this ship!" he said. - -"Where?" asked Helen Marr. - -"Through the Northeast Passage!" - - - - -CHAPTER XXXII--TO THE LAST DAY - - -As the sun rose above the ice-covered sea on the morning following -Stirling's talk with the leader of the revolutionists, the ship was -swung toward the magnetic north and driven within the opening which lies -between Banks Land and Prince Patrick Island. - -Banks Strait the passage was called, and it led from Beaufort Sea and -the uncharted waters east of Keenan Land to Melville Sound and Barrow -Strait. From the appearance of the ice and direction of the wind, -Stirling decided to chance the passage. There was no way back! - -He climbed the shrouds and dropped into the crow's-nest. The after deck, -from the companion hatch to the taffrail, had been reserved by the -revolutionists for Helen Marr and her steamer chair. She had conquered -the Russians by her smiles and songs. They all stood in the presence of -death and the unknown. The appearance of the sea; the strange tides and -currents; the action of the compass at variance with the stars--all -these drove the haunting desire of companionship within men's breasts. -Old differences were forgotten in the face of despair. - -Stirling took quiet charge of the ship. He gave the orders, which were -partly understood by the leader, who, Stirling soon learned, really knew -a fair amount of English, although at first he had been loath to -disclose his knowledge, no doubt for strategic reasons. One or two -others of the Russians had a smattering of English. - -The _Pole Star_ dodged in and out of ice floes and drifting packs which -had been loosened by the unusual warmth. The way ahead was unknown and -uncharted, and it was barely possible that the heavier ice had gone -south and west with the current. - -Gripped with the desire for research and discovery, Stirling made many -notes in Marr's old log book. He held the crow's-nest until the sun -rimmed the western waste of waters and ice; then descended to the deck -as an open lane appeared before the course of the ship. - -With his hand in his pocket he moved among the silent revolutionists, -and they made way for him as he stepped across the waist of the ship and -climbed the quarter-deck steps. Their attitude was one of respect. Had -he not driven the _Pole Star_ that day through a wilderness of drift ice -which none of them believed passable? His hearty "Steady, port; hard -aport--now starboard!" was a revelation in piloting. - -The coffee he drank as Helen Marr appeared from the companion way -cleared his brain. He tapped the log book and swept his hand over the -sea to the north. - -"All new!" he said, proudly. "We're about the first ship to make this -passage. McClintock on a sledge was up here." - -Helen Marr brushed the hair from her forehead and turned with the silver -coffeepot in her hand. She pointed over the taper jib boom of the _Pole -Star_. "I remember," she said, "a painting in an old book, of Lady -Franklin and Sir John Franklin sitting together in an old London room. -The painting was called 'The Northwest Passage.'" - -"He died down there," said Stirling, pointing toward the magnetic north. -"See the glint of ice? The sun won't sink to-day, it will rim the world -to the west and slowly rise." - -The girl watched Stirling and stepped closer to his side. "Do you think -we can get through to open sea?" she asked, turning her face up to his. - -He shook his head. "I don't know," he answered. "We'll try! We're -heading for Barrow Strait and Lancaster Sound. Both may be jammed with -ice. If they are----" - -Stirling's pause was suggestive. The girl shuddered and drew a coat -about her shoulders, then set the coffeepot down on the deck and glided -to the taffrail. A nip had come into the air, and it was no longer day -or night. The sea birds rested upon the floes without motion; the seals -and walrus watched the fast-gliding ship, then slipped into the water, -and were gone. Desolation and death ruled the world above seventy-three. - -Stirling waited until the girl came back. She picked up the coffeepot, -and her eyes were filled with longing as she said: - -"Go back and do what you can. There seems to be ice everywhere." - -Stirling squared his shoulders and stepped briskly to the wheelsman. He -bent there and consulted the binnacle, reached and took the chart which -the leader held out to him. Its details were vague enough. Dots showed -where land _might_ be, and the soundings were in spots where explorers -had lowered a lead line through the frozen surface. - -"A bad place to be," Stirling said to the leader. "I think we are in for -it from now on." - -The leader thrust out his hands, and at that moment the ship struck a -sunken ledge of ice. The bow sheered, and cries came from forward. - -"Steady!" Stirling shouted into the wheelsman's ear. "Hold her steady, -you, until I see!" - -He leaped the planks and sprang down to the waist. He was up the weather -shrouds and into the crow's-nest with the agility of a young boy, and -his eyes swept the way ahead. The stretch of ice seemed interminable, -since the long spit of sand which marked a portion of Prince of Wales -Land had caused the floes to ground, and there seemed no way to the -eastward. Stirling turned and stared aft over the stern of the ship. The -way by which they had come was now blocked by floes. - -"Nipped!" he said between strong white teeth. "We're nipped!" - -With the binoculars he swept the entire ice-bound horizon. The sun was -rising through the western mist, and appeared a ball of cold fire. The -aurora played across the Northern heavens and leaped to the zenith. -Through it shone the light points of the high swinging dipper and the -overhead lodestar. - -Stirling braced himself, pressed the glasses to his eyes for a second -glance, then set them down. He leaned over the edge of the crow's-nest -and called to the leader, who was at the wheel: - -"Give her full speed and starboard the helm!" - -The ship gained and churned forward. The jib boom swung off toward a -lower shelf of ice, and the crash that followed as the stout sheathing -cut through the floes drove the Russians to their knees. The foremast -whipped like a willow rod. The girl cried a warning. - -"Back her!" shouted Stirling. "Reverse, and try again!" - -The manoeuvre was repeated. The ice gave way; the _Pole Star_ lunged on -and cleared to an open lane. Beyond this lane was still another icy -barrier. - -Stirling attacked this with fury. He felt the grip of winter in the air, -and tiny patches of new ice were forming despite the rising sun. The -sea, once frozen, would lock them in the North for many winters. The one -way out was to crush the floes ahead. - -The ship grounded on a hidden sand bar which jutted from the nearest -land to starboard. Stirling gave the order which cleared it, but only -after an anxious half hour of backing and plunging forward. He mopped -his brow. The ice had drifted around the point and was bearing down on -the ship. This time there seemed no escape. Reluctantly he gave the -signal to cease the attempt, and climbed from the crow's-nest down the -rigging. They were ice-bound in Barrow Strait. - -The ship swung her jib boom toward the land and began drifting ashore. -Stirling paused at the rail long enough to order the anchor dropped, -then went aft as the Russians cut the deck lashings and began lifting -the anchor. - -The rattle of the rusty chain through the hawser woke him to the terror -of the situation. Steam plumed from aft the funnel, but the screw was -still. The engine-room crowd had emerged from the companion and were -staring at the wilderness of ice and snow. The sea water overside and -around the _Pole Star_ was scummed with a film of mush ice. - -The leader offered Stirling the chart when he reached the quarter-deck, -and as he took it, he removed his mittens, and breathed upon his -fingers. They tingled as he tracked the course of the ship from the -mouth of the Mackenzie, and studied all that the chart had to tell him -of the strait ahead. - -The position of the _Pole Star_ was desperate. The formation of heavy -ice would press her ashore, and a shift of current or advancing floes -was sure to wreck the ship. - -Stirling raised his eyes and rolled up the chart, then passed it back to -the leader with a shrug of his broad shoulders. The Ice Pilot braced his -legs against a step, and his eyes swept along the deck. The -revolutionists had gathered in the waist, and some were pointing to the -land which lay to starboard, where green patches of moss showed upon the -lowland, but the hills were crusted with perpetual snow. The weather -side of the ridge showed deep gullies filled with black ice from which -streams of water had issued, and then frozen. There was no sign of life, -save an Arctic bird which wheeled in the sky and started toward the -southward. - -Helen Marr glided across the deck and came to Stirling's side, glancing -up at him with wonder breaking through the beauty of her eyes. She had -donned a sealskin cap and long coat, and her red lips and crimson cheeks -struck him with the force of an accusation. He lowered his glance and -stared at the deck. - -"Can't we go on?" she asked, a tremor in her voice. - -"Not now, Miss Helen. Perhaps the ice barrier will open by night, the -current is still in our favour, but it's the wind that counts. See, it -is toward shore. That brings the ice." - -The girl studied the drifting floes which were gathering about the -whaler, like chicks about a mother hen. Beyond these floes came others, -crashing and tumbling, driven by the northeast wind. She turned toward -the land, and her hand went up to shield her eyes from the glint of sun -on ice. "What country is that?" she asked. - -"That's Russel Island off Prince of Wales Land. If we could get around -that point we might go on through Barrow Strait." - -The girl bit her lip, wheeled suddenly, and stared down at the waist of -the ship. The revolutionists had grown excited over their argument which -was as to whether they should leave the ship before it was crushed by -the gathering floes. They pointed toward the land and the sky beyond, -where the haze marked still other land. Green spots showed close to -shore--Arctic moss and tundra. - -Stirling touched the girl on the shoulder. "I see them," he said. "They -may decide to abandon the ship. Let's go below and boil some coffee. I'm -going to wait until the wind shifts before I decide. They may want me to -lead a landing party, but I'll stick to the ship." - -"And me?" - -"Yes; and you--to the last day of my life!" - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIII--A GRIM WARNING - - -The statement was made so fervently that Helen Marr blushed and did not -answer as she followed the towering form of the Ice Pilot across the -quarter-deck and down into the cabin, which was warm from the steam -pipes which led from the boilers. The coffeepot was filled and placed -over an alcohol stove, and she added some biscuits and marmalade to the -meal. - -Stirling had removed his cap, showing a slight sprinkle of gray in his -hair, but his eyes spoke of youth and were strong with resolve. She -raised her glance and smiled as she offered the coffee. - -It came to her with force that he was no longer the aged, shaggy bear -who had crawled up the trapdoor in the deck of the cabin. Her influence -had been for good, and he reminded her of a faithful Viking who would -shed his last drop of blood for her protection. The revolutionists were -potentially dangerous, but she sensed with the intuition of woman that -they feared Stirling. - -He rose from the table and stood with his head close to the deck beams. -"I'll go up now," he said, "and watch the ice. Your coffee was a fine -bracer." - -She, too, rose and followed him to the step leading to the deck -companion. "Do you think the Russians will desert the ship?" she asked. - -"They go to their death if they do. The land is impassable. It is five -hundred miles to the nearest Hudson Bay post. Franklin and others could -not cross that barren land. Nor can the revolutionists." - -"But they are Russians and used to the cold." - -Stirling shook his head and replaced his cap. "The ship is the only way -out," he said, sincerely. "We must stick by it!" - -He was halfway up the steps when she called to him. He turned and -glanced down, his fingers on the combing of the hatch. His eyes widened -as she lifted her face to his and pouted slightly. - -"There's one thing we've forgotten," she said. - -"What is that?" - -"About the man from San Francisco, the one you locked in the cabin. -Don't you think you should let him loose?" - -Stirling caught the note of sympathy in her tones, but he shook his -head. - -"He will behave," she added, quickly. "I'm sure that he will. He is -afraid of you." - -Her eyes were wide and very blue. - -"Please let him go," she asked. "I'm sure of him." - -The Ice Pilot turned and strode across the cabin, brushed aside the -curtain, and passed into the alleyway. Voices sounded as Helen Marr -waited, then Slim appeared with one hand grasping the wrist of the -other. - -He leered through the half light of the cabin, and glanced up at the -deck opening. "It's a fine way to----" he began, but Stirling silenced -him with a glance. - -"Get on deck!" the Ice Pilot commanded. "Get up and forward! The -Russians won't kill you, they're too busy deciding whether to abandon -the ship or not. You'll find food in the galley. Go now!" - -Slim paused at the top of the steps and glared down, then ducked his -unshaven face as Stirling moved toward the foot of the stairs and -started upward. There was that in Stirling's face which brooked no -excuses; his jaw was set with a fighting bulge at the point. - -The deck was deserted, the wheel swung idle, and the _Pole Star_ rose -and fell with the ground swell which lifted the ice floes and packed -them upon the shelving beach. - -Stirling crossed the planks, after shutting the cabin companion hatch, -and stood by the canvas rail, studying the excited knot of -revolutionists in the waist below him. The leader had mounted a hatch -and was speaking rapidly, pointing now and then to the menace of the ice -gathering to the north and west. - -The land over the starboard rail held a certain lure to ignorant minds, -the green moss and lichens which showed being apparently a promise of -greener things to the southward. But Stirling knew that this inference -could not be made. The way to the American continent was ice strewn and -bare of animals; a trail of death and starvation. - -The Russians moved in a flock to the rail and studied the ice about the -ship--already firm enough to support a man's weight. The low swinging -sun had not warmed the air enough to prevent the sea from freezing, and -floes and drift ice were being cemented in the laboratory of nature. The -ship alone was free, but encompassed by a ring of spongy ice and snow. - -The sky overhead was pale; light flurries of ice particles dropped down -to the deck, while the Northern aurora played and shot streamers up to -the zenith. The sun plunged into a heavy haze which seemed to rim the -entire horizon, and the temperature fell. The barometer was steady at -twenty-nine, point six. Stirling played for a shift of wind which alone -would free the ship from the coming deadlock. - -He waited, and watched the revolutionists. The dock rat emerged from the -galley door and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, stared at the -Russians and then toward the quarter-deck. He made no attempt to come -aft, and the evil that was stamped in his face held Stirling rigid. - -The leader shouted something in Russian, and a hoarse cheer broke from -many throats. A decision had been reached in regard to abandoning the -_Pole Star_. Russians to the number of a score sprang forward, ripped -the battings from the fore hatch, and disappeared into the hold. Others -ransacked the galley for food and clothes. - -A rude sled was devised from part of a whaleboat and rope-yarn -splicings. Upon this the leader climbed and pointed dramatically toward -the low-lying land, slapped the chart with the back of his hand, and -traced out an imaginary course. Stirling leaned far forward and watched -him, amusement, mingled with pity sweeping over his strong face. He -called, and then repeated the call. The leader lowered his chart and -turned. - -"You're going to your doom!" declared Stirling. "Abandon this ship and -you are lost. There is no way to civilization by the land route!" He -pointed a mittened finger toward the island and the magnetic north. - -The leader flushed and struck the chart with a sharp blow, sprang from -the sled, and hurried aft. Stirling met him with a cold smile. "I told -you," he said, "that there is no way. No way! Do you understand that?" - -"There is a----" - -Stirling thrust the leader from the quarter-deck, then turned and strode -to the companion. Pausing at the hatch, he glanced aloft. Ice had -appeared upon the cap of the mizzenmast, the rigging was coated with -frost, and the wind, from the north and east, held steadily. Its -velocity was not more than eight miles an hour, and it showed signs of -changing some time during the short Arctic night. - -Stirling went below after sliding open the cabin hatch. Helen Marr stood -by a landward porthole, and she turned and smiled at Stirling, but the -smile died as she saw the sombre light in his eyes. "What happened?" she -asked. - -"They're going to abandon the ship. It means their death." - -"Can't you stop them?" The girl had begun to believe that Stirling was -strong enough to accomplish anything. - -"It would be no use trying," he said, removing his cap and fingering it -with fingers which tingled. "Their minds are made up. The leader thinks -he can reach a Hudson Bay post. He does not know what I know----" - -Stirling's voice trailed off into an expressive pause, as he thought of -the grim tales he had heard of Banks Land and the Gulf of Boothia. Many -trappers and explorers had laid their bones out on the Arctic wilds. The -land was barren, extending to the white ramparts of the Mackenzie River -on the south and west, and to the Hudson Bay on the east and north. It -was without vegetation or animal life for nine months of the year, and -the water courses were frozen over to the same dead level as the rest of -the world. Only the white fox and the skulking wolf were to be seen, and -these two animals were far too wary to be shot. - -"They're lost if they leave the ship," said Stirling, waking from his -thoughts. "We'll stay here and winter, if necessary. The ice may crush -the _Pole Star_, but we can get enough provisions and fuel ashore to -last out. It might be possible to work to the west next summer in a -whaleboat. It all depends on the season. I never saw one so open as this -one was, but there may never be another like it, Miss Marr." - -The girl turned toward the porthole, and the cold breeze which cut -through the opening brought colour to her cheeks and fanned her hair. - -"Is there no chance of getting through to the open sea this summer?" she -asked, shivering slightly and drawing her deerskin jacket about her -slight waist. - -"Yes, by Heaven; there is a chance!" Stirling's voice rose and filled -the cabin. "There's a fighting chance, Miss Marr!" - -She turned and stared at him, and her lips formed the question. He laid -his cap on the table and opened his pea-jacket, breathing with giant -gulps of suppressed emotion. Suddenly the air had grown warm to him. "I -can get through," he said, "if within a few hours the wind shifts to the -south and west. That will clear Barrow Strait of ice. Once out of the -Strait, the way is open to Baffin Bay through the Lancaster Sound." - -Helen Marr clapped her hands, then wheeled with swishing skirts and -stared out through the porthole. "The wind," she said, "is dying. Does -that indicate anything?" - -"Everything!" - -"Then the Russians will stay?" - -"No; they are going. I want a few to remain with us. That dock rat will, -he's too lazy to try for the American continent. Perhaps there are -others who will listen to reason, but the time is short. Maybe through -the leader I can get the case stated to them, and ask for volunteers who -are willing to wait for the wind to shift." - -Helen Marr glided to the piano and lifted a sealskin coat from its -stool. She thrust her arms into the sleeves of this as Stirling stepped -forward with wonder written across his features. - -"What are you going to do?" he asked. - -"Going to see all of them and talk to them. I'm going to make myself -understood in some way. Don't you see, Mr. Stirling, the matter is -serious? If they go, there will be nobody but you and me to work the -ship when the wind shifts. We couldn't do it alone." - -"Well, it's worth trying," said Stirling. "I'll stand on the -quarter-deck at the weather steps, and you go down to them. Try Slim -first. The leader won't stay, but some of the younger Russians might." - -The girl pressed a cap upon her head, gathered her hair into a knot, and -ran up the stairs which led to the deck. Stirling picked up a rifle -before he followed her. They stood in the frosty air and glanced -forward. The Russians had lowered the sled and provisions to an ice floe -which had grounded alongside the ship. More ice extended from the floe -to the shore, and three of the revolutionists had already made the -passage. They stood on the beach waving their arms. - -The girl went down the quarter-deck steps and glided forward over the -main hatch. She touched Slim on the arm, and the dock rat followed her -forward to where the revolutionists were breaking out stores from the -hold. - -Stirling watched and waited. The Russians took time to listen to the -girl's request, but most of them stared at each other dumbly. She -pointed to the telltale on the mizzenmast, her arm swinging in a -graceful circle and indicating that the wind would change. She finished -her argument by springing to the weather rail and showing where the ice -had cleared from the ship's side. - -The magic of her voice and soft presence had its influence upon the -Russians, and they gathered and surged, and separated into groups. -Seven, after a shrewd glance toward the barren shore, moved with Slim to -the galley where the leader had stationed himself. These seven raised -their arms and turned toward Stirling. - -"Come up!" shouted the Ice Pilot, gesturing to help make clear the -meaning of the words. - -Fear had gripped the hearts of every Russian aboard the _Pole Star_; the -unknown sea and the frost which nipped to the bone had driven a panic -within their breasts. The leader had stated that it was possible to -reach a Hudson Bay fort before the setting in of winter, and had added -that the sea would soon be frozen and the ship crushed. - -They believed this to be the case, and the seven which Helen Marr had -persuaded to remain were in danger from their fellows. Mutiny might -spread. The leader quickly shouted an order, and the boxes and cans were -hurled overboard to the ice floe, the Russians following in a long line. -They stood and glanced upward, their mouths agape, their whiskered faces -white with hoarfrost. - -"Good-bye!" shouted Stirling, waving the rifle. "Good-bye to you all!" - -The leader snarled an answer and set about getting the load onto the -sled where there was scant room for one half of the boxes and cans -thrown overside. The remainder was left as the troop started across the -floes and straggled to the beach. Here they turned and watched the ship -as if loath to give it up. - -The girl climbed swiftly to the quarter-deck to Stirling's side. - -"Seven stayed," she said, breathlessly. "Seven, and the man from San -Francisco. Didn't I do well?" - -Stirling smiled down upon her and touched his cap. "Yes, little -captain," he said, gallantly. "You did fine! Tell Slim and four of the -squad--I guess you can make the Russians understand--to jump below and -get steam on in the boilers. Tell the men to bank the fires when they -get well started." - -The girl touched her forehead with a regulation salute as she turned and -smiled upward from the waist of the ship, then advanced upon the dock -rat and the Russians by the galley door. The Russians understood her -gestures if not her words, and Slim frowned and scratched his matted -head, glancing from Russian to Russian. They had accepted him as their -leader without question, but their sheeplike eyes strayed aft and -fastened upon the grim figure of Stirling. - -Four followed the sailor to the engine-room companion and went down the -iron ladder. Soon sounds of fires being freshened by new coal came -through the ventilators, and the ship surged and shook as if freeing -itself. - -Stirling motioned for the three Russians who remained by the galley, and -they followed the girl to the waist of the ship. He leaned over the -quarter-deck canvas and stared at them. - -The girl climbed the steps and stood by his side. He shielded her with -his body as they waited while the sun glided within the horizon haze. A -frosty nip came with its disappearance, and the lines about Stirling's -lips softened slightly. He turned from the girl and strode to the rail -on the landward side of the ship, where she joined him, and they watched -the Russians streaming in a long line over the snow-mantled island. The -leader turned on the brow of an icy hill and waved farewell; then he was -gone. - -The wind died to a faint breeze which varied during the hours of -semi-darkness while Stirling and the girl stood the watch. Ice creaked -and splintered to the north and east; the aurora flamed and crimsoned -the heavens, with cold light points dying beneath its glow. The moon -rose with a double ring, revealing its position in the haze, and the -far-off North pack groaned and whispered its grim warning of danger. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIV--THROUGH THE DRIVING SNOW - - -Soon Stirling felt the girl's body close beside him, but she had said no -word for hours. The glory of the Arctic night had held her spellbound; -the beauty of the North enthralled her. She was in tune with the great -wilderness of ice and snow. - -Suddenly a soft gust of vapour-laden air swung over the island and -pressed the ship toward the true north. This gust was repeated. The -_Pole Star_ tugged at her anchor chain, the floes parted to leeward, and -a lane of open water showed. This led through the deeper part of Barrow -Strait; it was the road to open sea and Baffin Bay. - -A Russian forward sang out a warning, leaning over the forepeak rail and -pointing toward the anchor chain. - -"The wind has veered!" Stirling said, simply. - -"From the south?" she asked. - -"No; to the south and west, Miss Marr. We will have open water soon. -See!" - -Helen Marr moved slowly to the rail and stared with brimming eyes toward -the white sheen of Russel Island, then turned impulsively. "Can't we -save the Russians?" she asked. - -"No," he answered. "They have gone, perhaps to their doom. At least -there is nothing that we can do for them. For ourselves, we have chosen -the right road. It leads into the open sea!" - -It was midnight by the ship's clock in the cabin when Stirling climbed -up the companion steps, glanced down at Helen Marr with an assuring nod, -then strode out upon the deck and swung four-square to the task ahead of -him. - -The sun rimmed the world toward the true west, and through the opal -haze, its glow brought out the details of the drifting ice which was -being driven through Barrow Strait by the south wind. - -Stirling made a note of this drift, and then moved toward the rail on -the lee side of the ship. The lane of open water, which showed black -against the floes and new ice, led toward the east and Melville Sound. - -He measured the drift of a passing ice island, sniffed the air, raised -his hand, then turned slowly and glided toward the wheel. Leaning over -the canvas barricade he called down to the waist of the ship, and a form -stirred in the galley's shadow. It was Slim. - -"Get below!" snapped Stirling. "Get steam on the forward winch. We're -going through the ice!" - -This terse order rolled along the ship's deck, and brought the remaining -Russians from the warmth of the forecastle. Slim shrugged his shoulders -and slouched for the engine-room companion. - -Steam soon plumed aft the funnel, when the banked fires were blown into -glowing coals. The winch wheezed and groaned as a Russian unskilfully -turned on the two-way cock. Stirling sprang to the lee steps and dropped -to the waist of the ship, going along the rail like a muffled bear in -search of prey. - -"Unshackle it!" he shouted into the Russian's ear. "The winch is too -slow. Drive that pin from the anchor chain!" - -Stirling pointed to where the chain passed through a hawse hole flush -with the deck, and the Russian understood. He lifted a belaying pin from -the rail and drove out the bolt. The anchor chain dropped overside as -Stirling sprang back, glanced forward, then hurried toward the -quarter-deck. - -Swinging the wheel he reached and jerked the engine-room indicator for -quarter speed. The engines started, the screw thrashed the new ice -astern, and the _Pole Star_ sheered from the island, driving forward -toward the lane of dark water. - -The sheathed prow cut sharply as Slim opened wide the main valve and -shouted for more steam. The ship listed, righted, and held a course -between rail-high floes until Stirling steadied the helm. The way was -open down the strait. - -Helen Marr came through the cabin companion and stood by the nearest -deck light to Stirling, fearing to bother him or to call his name. Her -face was flushed with the agony of the moment, as the grinding floes -under the ship's counter threatened to rip the planks from the ribs. The -swing of Stirling's body as he wrestled with the wheel was a compelling -sight, and held her eyes as she waited. She breathed deeply of the -Arctic air, and called to Stirling, but he did not hear her. His -straining muscles stood out from his neck, and his shoulders lunged and -contracted. - -The ship plunged on, the funnel belching forth smoke and cinders, which -starred the night like fireflies, and then fell hissing into the sea -astern. The land on the starboard beam rose to a barrier below which the -ice floes curled and eddied. - -Stirling smashed through, with his unmittened hands gripping the spokes -of the wheel. Ahead showed the silvery glint of the moon. Astern, the -sun mellowed the Arctic world. About was death and cold, gripping -horror. - -It was the passage that Franklin in the _Erebus_ and _Terror_ had sought -in vain, and it was open from sea to sea. Stirling realized this fact as -he reached for the engine-room telegraph and set it for full speed. -There was a chance to drive through before the wind shifted from the -south, but he was attempting a thing that the world called impossible. - -Four bells came with the _Pole Star_ swirled in a white curtain of -driving snow which had been born of the south wind. The moon showed as a -silver disk directly over the frosted jib boom, and the sun had been -blotted from the view. - -Helen Marr moved timidly toward the straining form of the Ice Pilot. He -felt her presence but did not swerve. - -She whispered into his muffled ear: "Carry on!" - -Stirling nodded and swung the spokes a quarter turn. They came back -against the palm of his hand, and he peered through the snow. The moon -had a double ring, and it awoke a verse from the girl who stood wrapped -in her furs: - - "That orbed maiden, with white fire laden, - Whom mortals call the moon, - Glides glimmering o'er my fleece-lined floor, - By midnight breezes strewn." - -Stirling turned his head slightly and smiled with the snow dripping from -his lips. The girl glanced ahead and shuddered as a drifting cloud -obscured the moon. The way was mantled with falling ice particles, and -the ship's rigging showed up ghostlike. The muffled Russians on the -forepeak moved about in the gloom like walruses that had climbed aboard. - -The _Pole Star_ hurtled on. Stirling sensed the true direction with the -skill of a master pilot and dodged looming ice floes by fathoms. He -swung the ship toward the magnetic west and reached for the high land -which towered there, then sheered from this into the channel made by the -inky waters. The _Pole Star_ glided eastward along the meridian, and -thrust her sharp stem through a lane of seething waves which marked the -open reaches of Lancaster Sound. - -The way to the south--north by the magnetic compass--was also open. -Stirling sensed that it would be possible to drive through the Gulf of -Boothia, and this route might take him to Hudson Bay and Hudson Strait. -He chose the easterly passage and set his feet wide apart as the floes -dashed down upon the staunch ship. - -Helen Marr leaned over the wheel and watched the binnacle. The compass -whirled and was never still. They were over the true magnetic pole, and -north was south; only the sense of direction told Stirling the course to -steer, but he held on grimly, with his jaw set to a block. The Russians -on the forepeak shouted warnings, waves came over the jib boom and the -forecastle, and the churning vortex of cross currents and storm dashed -the ship like a chip in a whirlpool, while the snow fell in circling -clouds. - -The passage led to the lee of North Somerset Island, and a towering -headland of basalt protected the ship from the fury of the south wind. A -calm spot showed ahead, through which moonbeams shone. - -Stirling released one hand from the wheel and pointed. "See," he said. -"See, that is Somerset! We're heading for North Devon Island and -Lancaster Sound. We are already in the Strait. I never knew it was -open!" - -Open it was, as the girl saw. The moon revealed the serrated outlines of -the land to the southward, where the sharp teeth of the coast range, -which buttressed the shore, stood out bare of ice or snow. It seemed a -huge saw cutting across the top of the world. - -Stirling breathed deeply and studied the compass, then sheered to the -true north, crashed through a ledge of locked ice, and won the way to an -open lane which led toward the east and Baffin Bay. - -The girl turned as a light struck across the churning waters, and cried -out as she saw the orange disk of the sun rising in the south. It had -broken through the snow flurry. It revealed the land and Sound, which -were coated in places with the recent snow, and brought out the flying -clouds as they scudded before the south wind. - -She reached and clasped Stirling's arm. "The sun!" she exclaimed. "See, -our beacon! We shall win through to open sea!" - -Stirling brought the wheel up and steadied it, smiling down into the -girl's glowing face. She watched him as he braced his legs and threw -back his head, then he turned away from her with a regretful jerk and -leaned down over the binnacle. He straightened up again as she quoted: - - "The sanguine sunrise with his meteor eyes - And his burning plumes outspread, - Leaps on the back of my sailing rack - When the morning star shines dead." - -"The morning star," Stirling said. "It's up there!" He pointed toward -the zenith, and Helen Marr followed the direction of his steady arm, -widening her eyes in amazement as she noted the lodestar almost -overhead. She waited for a cloud to pass and traced out the light points -of the Great Dipper. She saw then that what she had taken for overhead -was fourteen or fifteen degrees from the true vertical line. - -"We're in about seventy-six degrees," she said, with certainty. "Almost -to the Pole!" - -Stirling unclasped one hand from the spokes of the wheel and touched the -frosted glass over the binnacle compass. "Run your eyes along the south -line and you'll be looking toward the Pole. It's a long way down there, -Miss Marr. We're trying to work in the other direction." - -The ship had covered the worst of the passage and the parting floes -showed the road to open sea. Stirling had made no mark of time, but he -realized dimly that Slim and the others who had gone below were getting -the utmost out of the boilers. The screw thrashed at its best speed, and -the smudge of smoke which drifted toward the north blotted out the view -of North Devon Island along which the course had led them. - -Stirling breathed for the first time, sure of himself. He turned and -smiled at Helen Marr. "Cape Hay," he said, "is somewhere over there!" - -The girl had never heard of Cape Hay, but shielding herself by the -ice-coated shrouds of the mizzen rigging, she strained her eyes toward -the south and east. Clouds showed beneath the silver reflection of the -moon, and a darker line was below the clouds. It rose in one point to a -headland. - -She came back across the slippery deck and nodded. "I see it," she said -into his ear. "It's a long way off, Mr. Stirling." - -Stirling smiled and nodded toward the binnacle. "We're on the course," -he said. "How about a little coffee, Miss Marr?" - -She was gone across the quarter-deck and down the cabin companion in an -instant. - -Stirling opened two buttons of his pea-jacket and drew forth his great -silver watch. It was running, but the hours which had passed were -effaced from his memory. He had stood at the wheel for seven tricks, but -the distant Cape was thirty miles away through the driving snow. The -wind was shifting toward the west and abeam, and he knew that it would -be nip and tuck if he were to gain the open waters of Baffin Bay. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXV--A MATTER OF MINUTES - - -The floes through which Stirling guided the ship became larger and -higher. Old "grandpas" drifted by--their sides honeycombed by the action -of the water. These floes had broken from the true pack and had come -south through Smith Sound. Icebergs were to be expected, since the coast -of Greenland was filled with glaciers. Stirling peered forward and -searched the sea, momentarily expecting to glimpse a white barrier -beyond which he could not go, but none showed as the watch lengthened. - -The girl appeared with a steaming can of black coffee, and also biscuits -and bread. Stirling set the can on the top of the brass binnacle hood -and munched a biscuit, eying Helen Marr with concern. Dark circles -showed upon her face, her lips had lost some of their blood, and tiny -puckers ran from the corners of her mouth. - -He moved the wheel and said to her, "Please get some sleep. You look -tired, Miss Marr. I'll hold on!" - -She laughed, drawing close her deerskin jacket, and reaching for the -spokes. "Let me steer?" she asked. "It isn't so bad now. I can hold the -course." - -"Keep her steady, then!" said Stirling with a smile, releasing the -spokes and staring at the compass. "Steady, she is, while I go forward. -There's a lane of open water ahead somewhere. We must find it." - -She nodded, stared at the binnacle, and the spokes moved slowly and in -the right direction as Stirling crossed the deck and descended to the -waist of the ship. He paused a moment at the galley house and glanced -in. Two Russians stood by the stove, cooking a mess for the engine-room -crew. - -Stirling nodded and worked his way forward over the icy deck. He climbed -up the weather shrouds and out and over the cross jack, dropping into -the crow's-nest. - -Floes were scattered over the waters of Lancaster Sound near where it -reached Baffin Bay. The wind had driven a mass of ice up through Prince -Regent Inlet, and its reaching fangs threatened to dash the ship ashore -on North Devon Island. - -Stirling with his binoculars swept the entire horizon. The wind had -shifted a point over the hour, and now came from over the high plateau -of Baffin Land, as it circled to the magnetic north and the true west. -This would close Lancaster Sound so that no ship could drive a passage -through. - -Reaching forward, Stirling rested his elbows upon the edge of the -crow's-nest and strained his eyes toward the opening which showed in the -direction of Cape Hay and Baffin Bay. It was partly choked with ice, and -a low berg loomed in the haze. - -Turning, Stirling called down to Helen Marr, and the order he gave was -to put the wheel up and then steady it. The new course was more toward -the true south than the east, and was calculated to head off the -reaching arm of ice which threatened to close Lancaster Sound. - -After a last glance over the wild waste of waters and snow-mantled -lands, Stirling swung out of the crow's-nest and started toward the -deck. Icicles and frozen patches of snow fell from the shrouds as the -ship swerved and steadied on the given course. Stirling saw that the -girl had avoided a floe by a skillful lift of the wheel. - -This fact cheered him. He had a companion who was doing her best, a true -friend to a sailorman who had broken through to a desperate sea. He went -down the remainder of the shrouds and over the deck with his head -lowered in thought. The chance to save the ship was slight, and it would -call for all his cunning in ice work. The fangs were being bared for the -final nip. Already the floes had thickened ahead. - -"I'll take the wheel," he said as he stepped to her side. "You go below -for an hour. Then I shall call you." - -"Is there any danger?" - -"We'll either be nipped within two hours, or we will gain the Northeast -Passage. Baffin Bay lies ahead!" - -"Then I'll stay on deck!" declared the girl. "I'll stay right by your -side!" - -Stirling took the wheel and set the course a point more toward the -south. He was between the alternative of striking directly toward the -swinging arm of ice which was closing the sound like a door, or seeking -a narrow passage between the giant field and the forbidding coast near -Cape Hay. He chose the latter. - -The hour that followed drove the spike of fear into the Russians' -hearts. The engine-room crew, led by Slim, left the fires in order to -peer through the companion, and were forced back by the menace in -Stirling's voice. - -The ship met the giant floes, backed, reeled, and drove on, threading -through the new ice and gaining open patches of water which closed -behind. Bergs drifted down upon them, but Stirling avoided the shelving -spires and worked toward the south and east. - -Snow flurries blotted out all view; the wind swung from the true west to -the north, and held in its grip the icy cold of winter. It struck -through the girl's furs and chilled her body, as she walked back and -forth along the quarter-deck watching Stirling, who seemed possessed -with a Viking's rage at the elements gathered about. His one aim was to -guide the ship between the Cape and the ice field. Open water still -showed ahead of this narrow passage. - -The _Pole Star_ swirled in the current and ran down the wind which was -now abeam. A leaden pall crept over the surface of the watery world, and -the ice floes ground against the skin of the ship and obstructed the -way. Stirling shaded his eyes from the snow and peered forward. The ice -had gathered upon the spokes of the wheel, and a sleet drove from aft to -forward. - -Gripped by the majesty of their danger, the girl watched Stirling and -prayed for deliverance. She knew that the reaching arm had overtaken the -driving ship. It was a matter of minutes now whether they would gain the -waters of Baffin Bay or be crushed between the floes and the rocky -headland. A single screw's turn might decide the matter. - -The ship staggered and swerved; a crash sounded as the sharp stem -mounted a floe. The world seemed to the girl to spin, as Stirling -reached downward, grasped the spokes, and lifted the wheel so that the -staggering ship could turn from the land. He sheered in the moment of -time, and the spars grated along the overhang of basalt. - -Suddenly Stirling stiffened and rapidly twirled the wheel, leaned far -over the spokes, and watched the waters ahead of the _Pole Star_. A rift -showed through the floes, and toward this he steered. The last of the -reaching ice sprang landward, leaped the distance, and drove its teeth -toward the ship. It missed by a scant cable's length, and the crash and -reverberation as this ice was dashed upon the shore woke Helen Marr from -her prayers. She staggered to her feet, and stood swaying on the -slippery deck. Stirling had swung and was staring at her, his strong -face covered with a broad smile. - -He turned the spokes by instinct as he continued to look at her. "Look," -he said, pointing a steady finger aft. "Look, Miss Marr!" - -She wheeled and looked over the taffrail of the _Pole Star_. Ice, piled -upon ice, blocked the passage through which they had come. The roar of -the great North pack was like a baffled horde held at bay. The ship -plunged on and out into open water. - -"Where are we?" she asked, pressing a hand to her forehead. "Where are -we, Mr. Stirling?" - -The Ice Pilot smiled, swung, steadied the wheel, and motioned over the -wild world of tossing waves. "That's Baffin Bay!" he said. "We have made -the Northeast Passage!" - - - - -CHAPTER XXXVI--ACROSS THE CABIN - - -Helen Marr glided to the canvas rail that overlooked the waist of the -_Pole Star_, brushed the hair from her face, and wrung the water from -her mittens. - -Then she turned to Stirling with a high toss of her chin. "Are you going -across?" she asked. - -"To Greenland, miss." - -"But why not south and--home?" - -Stirling moved the wheel a spoke and blocked it with his knee, pointing -toward the shores of Baffin Land. - -The girl cried aloud as she saw the reason for the Ice Pilot's course. -Ice backed by more ice was rushing northward; winter had arrived, and -new floes and bergs were forming in the west. There was no route to the -southward, and the ship held the only open lane. - -"Greenland," she said with hesitancy. "But Greenland is as wild as that -coast." She pointed over the _Pole Star's_ quarter. - -Stirling smiled and removed his knee from the wheel. He changed the -course more to the true north, and the ship plunged on as Slim and the -Russians realized that they had escaped from the white jaws of an icy -death. - -"Greenland," said Stirling, "is Heaven compared to Baffin Land. You -shall see." - -The girl hesitated and glanced at Stirling, who was consulting the -binnacle, reaching an arm through the spokes of the wheel and wiping the -glass with his bare fingers. A tiny light showed over the compass as the -wheel moved with a slow lifting of the starboard rope. - -The ship steadied, a halo of smoke and flame crowning the single funnel. -Slim, the Frisco dock rat, was redeeming himself, and his voice rolled -up through the ventilators as he urged the Russians in the stokehold to -renewed efforts. - -Stirling partly turned his face and watched the girl, who soon was gone -over the quarter-deck with a faint nod backward. The closing companion -slide told Stirling that she had been slightly offended by his -preoccupied manner, and wondered at this as he stared with unseeing eyes -out over the waters of Baffin Bay. - -Hour after hour he guided the ship, a lone figure wrapped in thought and -retrospection. He knew nothing of women; he felt that Helen Marr was as -remote as the stars above him, and he had grown to look upon her as a -companion--that was all. He feared to trust his mind to go more deeply -into the matter. - -The course he had chosen revealed the hand of a super-pilot. The -grinding floes to leeward were blown by the wind in such a manner as to -leave an open lane between them and the pack which was rushing to fill -the Bay. The last days of the open season had arrived; a week, at the -most, would see the water frozen over and cemented into an icy lock -which would hold until the next July. - -There was a limit to his endurance--strong man as he was. A swerve of -the ship--the running off a full point--brought the truth home to him -that he had been asleep. He woke and gathered himself together with a -shrug of his shoulders, only soon to doze again. The ship went off the -course, crashed against a drifting floe, and a Russian called a warning -from the forepeak. - -Stirling stiffened and twirled the spokes in time to avoid an ice island -of an acre's extent. He stared upward, as if in the heavens would be -found inspiration, and the haze of sky and snow and whirling sleet -allowed the faint light of the sun to penetrate its veil. He calculated -the sun's position, and drew out his watch, remembering the drift of the -currents in Baffin Bay. It might be necessary to take a lunar or solar -observation before he reached the Greenland shore, which was more than a -day's steaming to the eastward. - -Grimly Stirling blocked the wheel, replaced his watch, rose on tiptoes, -and called the Russian from the forepeak. Fortunately, this lookout had -some slight knowledge of steering. He climbed the steps on the leeward -side and touched his cap. - -Stirling pointed at the binnacle. "Keep that course," he said. "Do you -understand?" - -The Russian grinned and grasped the spokes of the wheel. Stirling -stepped back a foot or more and watched the jib boom of the ship as it -hung steady above the dark waters, then staggered toward the cabin -companion. Down this he went, paused irresolutely in the light which -streamed from the deck cluster, then pitched across a divan which was -between two closed portholes, and sank into the deepest slumber of his -life. - -He awoke as if his sleep had been but a moment. Every limb ached. He -glanced upward and saw Helen Marr standing over him, her expression -intent and compassionate. She opened her lips, but did not speak, and -her eyes travelled over Stirling's features, then swung toward the -table. A steaming pot of coffee stood there, and beside it were biscuits -and potted beef. - -Stirling staggered to his feet and felt around with his hands. His coat -had been removed while he slept; a pillow lay where his head had been, -and the divan was partly covered with a Navaho blanket. - -He realized that she had covered him up, and he appreciated, too, her -thoughtful attention in keeping warm the coffee. - -Stirling stepped to the table and turned. "Thank you," he said. - -She smiled with comradeship and came across the cabin. "I've been on -deck," said she, pointing toward the cabin companion. "The sun is on the -ice, and the Russian is still holding the course you gave him." - -Stirling looked at his pocket; he had slept thirteen hours. Soon he -began to eat, now and then glancing at the girl by his side. He finished -without words and entered Marr's cabin. When he emerged, ten minutes -later, his chin was clean shaven and his hair parted. - -He crammed some tobacco into a cord-wrapped pipe, found his cap and -coat, and turned toward her as he placed one foot on the steps leading -to the cabin companion. "Are you coming up?" he asked. - -"Do you want me to?" - -Stirling smiled. "You're my first mate," he said. "You and I shall -finish the passage to Greenland. We should reach Upernivik by midnight." - -"Is that a port?" Her voice had taken on new strength as she watched -him. - -"Yes," he answered. "About the only place we can safely winter. Are you -sorry I didn't try for Davis Strait and the North Atlantic?" - -"You knew best," she declared, turning away from his level glance. "I -shall be on deck in ten minutes," she added, softly. - -Stirling thrust his head and shoulders above the cabin companion and -studied the scene on the deck. The Russian drowsed at the wheel, with -his body leaning over the spokes; the funnel was still mantled with a -rolling cloud of smoke; two of the revolutionists stood forward by the -break of the forecastle peak, keeping watch. - -Crossing the icy planks, Stirling touched the Russian on the shoulder -and motioned for him to go forward and get some sleep. Stirling's smile -was so contagious that the Russian thrust out his hand impulsively, and -Stirling grasped it with fervour. - -He looked at the binnacle and then swept the sea, his eyes widening in -calculation. The lane of open water stretched east and west across -Baffin Bay. South, by the glint on the horizon haze, ice was gathered -for the closing in of winter. Northward, bergs and floes showed, -marshalled in squadrons and companies like soldiers preparing for a -charge. The sky, seen through the falling snow, was leaden. - -With some slight trepidation, Stirling awaited the coming of Helen Marr. -She had acted strangely of late. They were to be thrown together during -the ten months of winter at Upernivik; there would be no possible escape -to a more civilized community. - -Slim, the Frisco dock rat, appeared at the railing of the engine-room -companion. He emerged to the deck and walked aft, his face grimy. Up the -quarter-deck steps he came--on the leeward side, out of deference to -Stirling. - -Slim glanced forward, and swung his head as he reached the wheel. -"Thought I'd sort of apologize," he said, thrusting out his hand. "I'm -with you all the way now for what you did." - -Stirling released his hand from the spokes and clasped the dock rat's -fingers. "Keep up steam the way you have and I've no kick coming," said -the Ice Pilot. "We should reach winter quarters by midnight." - -Slim went forward and disappeared down the engine-room companion. The -Russians on the forecastle head, who had seen the attitude of the two -men, raised their arms and waved, then turned to faithful duty as -lookouts. Peace had settled on the former poacher. - -Stirling studied the back of one of these Russians as he waited for -Helen Marr to appear. Ivan, he was called. It was Ivan, of the Russians -from the province of the Don Cossacks, who had stood the long trick -while Stirling slept. The Ice Pilot made a note of this. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXVII--THE CALLING BEACON - - -The companion slide opened suddenly and Helen Marr emerged from the -cabin. She stood in furs and close-drawn cap as Stirling swung the wheel -and looked at her. She surveyed the wild waste of dark waters with a -thoughtful pucker on her brow before she came to his side. Then her eyes -lifted to the faint light which streamed from the leaden vault of -heaven. The sun was rimming the horizon behind the veil of mist. - -For hours the two stood side by side, Stirling keeping the course with -easy movements. The ship threaded in and out of small ice floes which -were gathering by mutual attraction. - -There was the smell of land in the air. The seals sported and dived -before the dark form of the onrushing ship, and walrus and killer whales -appeared within the lane of water. Birds wheeled and circled the frosted -spars that moved through the mist. - -Stirling sensed that they were nearing the shores of Greenland. He rose -on tiptoe and peered ahead, where a darker mass, broken here and there -by ice fields, came out of the haze. It was indented by fiords and -inlets. - -He turned to the girl. "No chance to take an observation," he said. -"We're going to run a bit down the coast. I think I can make the -headland at Upernivik. There should be lights there." - -She nodded her head and fastened upon him the fine glance of a comrade -to a comrade. "I'll steer," she suggested, holding out her hands. - -Stirling shook his head slowly, leaned away from her, and bent over the -binnacle, then changed the course of the _Pole Star_ until the dark -coast was over the port bow. Holding this course, he waited and strained -his eyes for some sign of light. - -He heard the beat of waves within the coves, a glacier separated, and -the sound of the falling berg thundered far out to sea. The ship rocked -and trembled in the swiftly running waves; then it steadied and crept -closer to land. They glided like a dream thing in the shadow of a haven. -An opal citadel took the place of the leaden vault, as the moon rose in -the south and east and bathed the fast-flying clouds with a pale, unreal -light. Through these clouds white stars shone and twinkled. - -"We're near Upernivik!" said Stirling as midnight approached. "Keep a -sharp lookout for lights, Miss Marr." - -His voice troubled her, and his use of the "Miss Marr" instead of a more -familiar name caused her to creep closer to the wheel. - -"What are we going to do?" she asked, vaguely. - -"Winter at Upernivik and go out in the spring." - -"But won't that be many long months?" - -"Nine or ten," said Stirling, rubbing his eyes with the back of his -right hand and turning toward her. "There is nothing else to do," he -added. "We can save the ship that way. The _Pole Star_ belongs to -you--now." - -A flush swept over her cheeks, and she reached up her mittened hands, -brushing her hair back from her ears. "Let the Russian steer," she -suggested. "Let him steer and you and I can talk by the rail." - -Stirling noted the course, then called forward. Ivan turned and hurried -aft, coming over the break of the quarter-deck with his hand on his cap. - -"Steady, as she is," said Stirling, releasing the spokes. "Watch for -lights ashore. Upernivik--you understand?" - -The Russian nodded. Helen Marr and the Ice Pilot moved aft and stood by -the taffrail as the ship glided on with its jib boom parallel to the -sombre Greenland shore. - -The girl turned her face away from Stirling's and looked over the -taffrail where the silver phosphorescence of the wake was broken in -countless places by the reaching waves. The moon had emerged from the -clouds, and it scudded along as if driven by silver sails, its rays -illuminating the quarter-deck. - -Stirling felt strangely troubled in the presence of the silent girl. He -stepped back a foot, then came forward with the roll of the ship, as her -hand reached out and rested upon the taffrail. - -Through the citadel the _Pole Star_ glided under half steam. A faint -roar of running waters came from the shore, and there was the echoing of -waves on the shelving beaches. The headland toward which the ship -steered was rounded, and beyond, like a jewel in a locket, glistened a -sapphire light. - -"Upernivik!" said Stirling. - -The girl nodded her head, turning away from the land and staring at the -surface of Baffin Bay. Then her eyes fastened upon Stirling's and in -them he read the secret of her silence. He flushed and raised his hand -to his smooth-shaven chin, then lowered it and reached forward timidly. - -"Look!" she said, suddenly. - -Stirling stiffened his arm and turned. He saw the spire of a little -church on the beach in the cove, where it showed against the snow of the -hillside like a calling beacon. - -"Starboard half a point," said Stirling to the wheelsman. - -The Russian swung the wheel, and the girl still stared at the glistening -spire, parting her lips to whisper: - -"A house of worship--a church." - -Stirling thrust out his hand and covered her fingers where they rested -on the rail of the ship. She allowed them to remain there, and a glad -warmth mingled and surged through their bodies. - -The ship plowed on within the land ice which crunched under the sharp -bow. Stirling glanced upward and saw the white spire against the dark -clouds which had been driven across the snowy mountains of Greenland. - -Then he clasped the girl's fingers as he drew her to him, and he felt -her heated breath when their lips met. - - - THE END - - - ---- - -BOOKS BY HENRY LEVERAGE - - _Ice Pilot, The_ - _Shepherd of the Sea, The_ - _Where Dead Men Walk_ - _Whispering Wires_ - _White Cipher, The_ - - - - - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ICE PILOT *** - - - - -A Word from Project Gutenberg - - -We will update this book if we find any errors. - -This book can be found under: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/35518 - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no one -owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation (and -you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without permission -and without paying copyright royalties. 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