diff options
| -rw-r--r-- | .gitattributes | 4 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | LICENSE.txt | 11 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | README.md | 2 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60270-0.txt | 6618 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60270-0.zip | bin | 129272 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60270-h.zip | bin | 242532 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60270-h/60270-h.htm | 8793 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60270-h/images/appleton.jpg | bin | 3708 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60270-h/images/cover.jpg | bin | 36508 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60270-h/images/frontispiece.jpg | bin | 65334 -> 0 bytes |
10 files changed, 17 insertions, 15411 deletions
diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..c333827 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #60270 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/60270) diff --git a/old/60270-0.txt b/old/60270-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 597e690..0000000 --- a/old/60270-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,6618 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's Deep Sea Hunters in the Frozen Seas, by A. Hyatt Verrill - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world 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 -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Deep Sea Hunters in the Frozen Seas - -Author: A. Hyatt Verrill - -Release Date: September 9, 2019 [EBook #60270] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DEEP SEA HUNTERS IN FROZEN SEAS *** - - - - -Produced by Tim Lindell 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.) - - - - - - - - - - -DEEP SEA HUNTERS IN THE FROZEN SEAS - - - - -_By A. HYATT VERRILL_ - - - THE RADIO DETECTIVES - THE RADIO DETECTIVES UNDER THE SEA - THE RADIO DETECTIVES SOUTHWARD BOUND - THE RADIO DETECTIVES IN THE JUNGLE - THE DEEP SEA HUNTERS - THE DEEP SEA HUNTERS IN FROZEN SEAS - THE BOOK OF THE MOTOR BOAT - ISLES OF SPICE AND PALM - THE REAL STORY OF THE WHALER - THE REAL STORY OF THE PIRATE - - - - -[Illustration: “SEAL OVER TO WIND’ARD!” HE SHOUTED.] - - - - - DEEP SEA HUNTERS - IN THE FROZEN SEAS - - BY - A. HYATT VERRILL - - AUTHOR OF “THE DEEP SEA HUNTERS,” “THE - RADIO DETECTIVES,” “THE BOOK OF - THE MOTOR BOAT,” ETC. - - [Illustration] - - D. APPLETON AND COMPANY - NEW YORK :: 1923 :: LONDON - - COPYRIGHT, 1923, BY - D. APPLETON AND COMPANY - - PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - - - - -CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER PAGE - - I. THE NARWHAL 1 - - II. THE BOYS SPRING A SURPRISE 12 - - III. ON THE BANKS 27 - - IV. A CLOSE SHAVE 43 - - V. ON THE ICEBERG 56 - - VI. THE BATTLE 70 - - VII. THE GLACIER 82 - - VIII. WHALES AND WHALES 103 - - IX. THE WALRUS HUNT 120 - - X. UNAVIK SPINS A YARN 137 - - XI. THE BOYS CATCH A TARTAR 155 - - XII. FROZEN IN 171 - - XIII. UNAVIK TO THE RESCUE 189 - - XIV. AN ARCTIC CHRISTMAS 204 - - XV. FRIENDS IN NEED 222 - - XVI. SOUTHWARD HO! 249 - - - - -DEEP SEA HUNTERS IN THE FROZEN SEAS - - - - -CHAPTER I - -THE NARWHAL - - -Old Cap’n Pem was seated on the stringpiece of the wharf, his short black -pipe gripped firmly in his mouth, and his wooden leg stretched stiffly -before him like the stubby bowsprit of a coasting sloop. Beside him was -his crony, Mike, another wooden-legged old mariner, for since a cruise -the two had made to the Antarctic on the bark _Hector_, they had become -inseparable companions.[1] - -Although they were fast friends, they were ever chaffing each other and -made it a point never to agree upon anything. - -As Mike said, “Phwhat’s the use av talkin’ if yez don’t be afther -arguin’? Shure an’ if yez agrees there’s not a bit more to be said.” - -So, as usual, the two ancient mariners were in the midst of a discussion -regarding a weather-beaten, disreputable, unkempt craft which was being -towed across New Bedford harbor by a fussy little tug. - -“Looks like they wuz a-comin’ to berth her here,” remarked Old Pem. -“Reckon Dixon mus’ calc’late to fit the ol’ _Narwhal_ out fer a cruise.” - -Mike snorted. “B’gorra thin ’twill be a cruise to Davy Jones she’ll be -afther takin’!” he exclaimed. “Shure, ’tis l’ave o’ yer sinses ye’re -takin’, ye ol’ walrus! ’Tis to junk the schooner they do be towin’ av her -here.” - -“Walrus yerself!” retorted Cap’n Pem. “Ye’re a Irish lan’lubber if ye -think the ol’ _Narwhal’s_ only fit for junk. That there ol’ hooker’s -a-goin’ for to fit out, I bet ye. An’, by heck! if she do, I’ll be blowed -if I don’t ask Dixon to ship me erlong.” - -Mike guffawed. “Glory be!” he cried. “An’ do yez be afther thinkin’ as -Dixon’ll be fittin’ out av a floatin’ horspittle, ye ol’ cripple?” - -Pem bristled. “Dern yer hide!” he roared. “If he was I’ll be sunk if he -wouldn’t grab ye fust, ye peg-legged Harp. I’d——” - -Cap’n Pem’s sentence was interrupted by a shout and Jim Lathrop and -Tom Chester, who had been with the old whalemen on the _Hector_ in the -Antarctic, came racing towards them. - -“Hurrah!” cried Tom. “That tug’s coming in here with that old brig. Say, -Cap’n Pem, what do you suppose they’re going to do with her?” - -“Bless ye, that ain’t no brig,” responded the old man. “That’s a torpsa’l -schooner—the ol’ _Narwhal_. Ain’t seed her afloat fer years. Reckon -Dixon’s goin’ fer to fit her out fer a cruise.” - -“Cruise!” cried Jim. “Gee, you don’t mean to say any one would be crazy -enough to go to sea on her! Why, the old _Hector_ was bad enough, but she -was new compared to that tub, and was big enough to hoist this boat up to -her davits.” - -Mike chuckled. “Glory be!” he exclaimed. “Even the b’ys is afther knowin’ -’tis no cruise she’ll be takin’. Shure, me laddies, Oi wuz just afther -tellin’ Pem ’twas a-junkin’ av her they’ll be. But b’gorra, he’ll be -havin’ av it his own way an’, phwat’s more, the ol’ idjit’s a-sayin’ as -he’ll be afther a-tryin’ to ship along av her.” - -The boys laughed. “I thought you were never going to sea again, Cap’n -Pem,” cried Tom. “You said you were going to settle down ashore and buy a -farm with your share of the _Hector’s_ catch.” - -“And you said only an old fool like Mr. Nye would ship a wooden-legged -mate,” put in Jim. “Isn’t Mike going too to keep you company?” - -“Divvil a bit!” declared Mike positively. “’Tis solid land Oi do be -afther wantin’ to feel ben’ath me two feet—an’ me havin’ but wan.” - -“Waall, I’ll bet ye she’s a-goin’ fer a cruise annyways,” rumbled Cap’n -Pem, “an’ we’ll soon fin’ out.” - -Rising, the old whaleman stumped across the dock to where the ancient -craft was being moored. At his heels followed the two boys and Mike. - -“Hey there, Ben!” shouted the old sailor to the captain of the tug. “What -in tarnation ye bringin’ the _Narwhal_ over here fer?” - -The tug’s skipper stuck his head from the pilot house, twirled the big -wheel with one hand, and jerked the bell pull with the other. “Goin’ for -a cruise,” he shouted back. “Heard Dixon’s aimin’ to send her to the -Arctic.” - -Cap’n Pem turned triumphantly to Mike. “There ye be, ye ol’ derelic’,” he -cried. “Didn’t I tell ye?” - -“Faith an’ yez did thot,” admitted Mike good-naturedly. “An’ by the same -token, ’tis goin’ along av her ye’ll be jus’ fer to be afther provin’ yez -was right altogether.” - -“Well, I’m ready to believe anything now,” declared Tom. “You remember -I thought you were fooling about the _Hector_ when you said she was -fitting out, and I never dreamed we’d go on her. And she _was_ a fine -old ship! Gosh, do you remember the way she went through that blow in the -south Atlantic, Jim?” - -“Do I!” replied Jim enthusiastically. “And say, I shouldn’t wonder if -this old _Narwhal’s_ just as staunch a ship too, after she’s fixed up.” - -“Bet ye she will be!” exclaimed Cap’n Pem. “I tol’ ye whaleships wuz -built to las’ forever, and this here _Narwhal_ ain’t so drefful ol’. Why, -I can recollec’ when she wuz new. Le’s see, reckon I must ha’ been ’bout -the size o’ ye, an’ she warn’t more’n twenty year ol’ then. Yep, I’ll bet -she ain’t much older’n I be.” - -“B’gorra, an’ that’s a-plenty,” chuckled Mike. “An’ faith, ’tis a foine -pair yez do be afther makin’! Shure yes, Pem, for the love o’ Hivvin be -afther shippin’ on her—’tis comp’ny yez’ll be for wan another.” - -“And the captain of the tug said she was going to the Arctic!” cried Jim, -paying no heed to Mike’s interruption. “Do you suppose they’re going -after whales, Cap’n Pem?” - -“Dunno,” replied the whaleman. “Reckon they’re goin’ fer mos’ anythin’ -what they gets. Seals, walrus, furs, ile an’ bone.” - -“Furs!” exclaimed Tom inquiringly. “What kind of furs do you mean?” - -“Different kinds,” replied Pem. “White b’ar, fox, musk ox, reindeer, -anythin’ what the Eskimos bring in or the hands on the schooner kin -shoot.” - -“Gosh, wouldn’t it be fun to go!” shouted Jim. “Say, Tom, I’m going to -ask Dad if I can go. That is, if Cap’n Pem goes. Now we’ve been on the -_Hector_ and everything came out so well I’ll bet he’ll let me.” - -“Me too!” declared Tom. “Say, that will be bully!” - -“’Tis daffy yez all do be afther gettin’!” declared Mike shaking his -grizzled head sadly. “Furrst ’tis ol’ timber-lig here an’ thin ’tis yez -b’ys—goin’ to look afther him Oi’m thinkin’, an’ ’tis meself’ll have to -be afther goin’ along to be lookin’ afther the three of yez.” - -“Oh, you old fox!” cried Tom. “You know you’re just as crazy to go on -another trip as any of us. You said yourself that voyage on the _Hector_ -made a man of you. And you’d never be happy ashore without Cap’n Pem.” - -“Shure, Oi dunno but phwat it’s the truth yez do be afther sp’akin’, -Master Tom,” agreed the Irishman grinning. “But b’gorra ’tis wan thing to -be talkin’ av goin’ an’ another to be aboarrd. Shure ’tis no knowin’ as -Misther Dixon’ll be afther takin’ anny av us, at all, at all.” - -“Well, we’re going to find out if we can go first—before we ask him,” -said Jim. “And if we can, I’ll bet we can get Mr. Dixon to take you and -Cap’n Pem. Mr. Nye and Captain Edwards can put in a good word for you, -and besides, everybody in New Bedford knows you’re the two best whalemen -here, and real whalemen are scarce nowadays.” - -“Well, ’tis havin’ av me doots Oi do be, as the Scotchman sez,” -declared Mike. “Cruisin’ to the Ar’tic’s not a bit the same as cruisin’ -south—phwat wid the oice an’ all.” - -“Fiddlesticks!” snorted Cap’n Pem. “What do ye know erbout it? Ye -ain’t no whaleman. Bet ye he’ll be right glad fer to git us. ’Tain’t -so all-fired easy to git navergators these times. An’ I’ve been in the -ice—why, durn it, wuzn’t I ice pilot fer the ol’ _Petrel_?” - -“Well, I hope he will take you—both,” said Tom. “Our folks will be -more likely to let us go if you two are along. When do you think the -schooner’ll be ready to sail? And say, I never saw a schooner like her. -She’s got yards on her foremast like a brigantine.” - -“Course she has,” replied Cap’n Pem. “Thet’s what makes her a torps’l -schooner. Didn’t ye never seed one afore? But shucks, ’course ye didn’t. -Ain’t many on ’em knockin’ erbout nowadays. Time wuz when they wuz -thicker’n rats on a lime juicer. Yessir, an’ mighty handy craf’ in the -ice, I tell ye. Thet’s why Dixon’s a-fittin’ o’ the _Narwhal_ out I -’spect. Ye see a or’nary fore-an’-aft schooner’s all right fer a-sailin’ -on the wind, or when the win’s on the quarter or abeam, but she ain’t no -use dead afore it, an’ ye can’t back her. An’ by glory! I’m a-tellin’ ye -that when ye’re a-handlin’ of a ship in the ice, with bergs fore-an’-aft -an’ to po’t an’ sta’board, an’ jes leads in the floes, ye wants a ship -what kin back an’ fill an’ make steerageway st’arn fummust. Yessir, an’ -the torps’l schooner’s the hooker what fills the bill. An’ as fer gettin’ -ready, how can I tell? Reckon if there ain’t too pesky much to be did, -she’ll be gettin’ away long ’bout the fust o’ June. Have ter fetch Hudson -Straits by fust o’ August to git through safe an’ soun’.” - -“Hurrah! that makes it all the better,” cried Tom. “School will be pretty -near over and we could miss a few days—at the last. There’s just a lot of -graduation exercises and such things. Come on, Jim, let’s go and see what -our folks say.” - -But the boys’ parents frowned upon the scheme at once. “That cruise in -the _Hector_ should be enough to last you boys for a lifetime,” declared -Mr. Lathrop. “And a cruise to the Arctic is a very different matter. The -_Narwhal’s_ a very old and small ship, and she’ll spend the winter there -probably, freeze in and take chances of being crushed. And you’d find it -far from a picnic. Why, just imagine being locked hard and fast in the -ice for six or eight months with the temperature fifty or sixty below -zero, and shut up in the ship with a crowd of greasy whalers and Eskimos. -No, Jim, there’s far too much risk.” - -“Oh, hang it all!” cried Jim bitterly. “You said there’d be danger on the -_Hector_ and everything was all right, and I’d love to be in the ice all -winter and see Eskimos and hunt polar bears and walrus and everything. -Say, if Cap’n Pem and Mike go, can’t I go too?” - -Mr. Lathrop shook his head decisively. “If the entire crew of the -_Hector_ went along, I’d not consent,” he declared. “But I’ll ask Tom’s -father and see if he agrees with me.” - -Mr. Chester, however, was as much against the idea as Jim’s parent. “No, -Tom,” he said, after Tom had explained matters. “It would mean a year -from school at least, and while I realize the knowledge you boys would -obtain would be of real value, still it’s too risky a trip. You’d be -frozen in for six months or more, the ship might be stove—in which case -you might be killed or might be marooned in the Arctic for months or -years—or she might strike a berg or a floe and founder. Arctic whaling’s -dangerous, and I don’t feel sure the _Narwhal_ is seaworthy. Besides, I -don’t know who Dixon is sending as ice pilot. It’s been years since a New -Bedford whaler went to the Arctic and it takes men experienced in the ice -to bring the ships through safely.” - -“But Cap’n Pem was an ice pilot—on the _Petrel_,” argued Tom. “And you -have faith in him.” - -Mr. Chester laughed. “Yes, as far as looking after you boys to the best -of his ability and being a good whaleman is concerned. But don’t for a -moment think that Dixon will ship him or Mike. In the Arctic they need -able-bodied young men—half the work is done ashore and there are long -tramps over ice and snow. No, Tom, Cap’n Pem won’t go, that’s certain.” - -“You said that about the _Hector_,” Tom reminded him. “And yet he went. -Oh, Dad, if Cap’n Pem and Mike go, can’t I?” - -“I suppose you want me to make another bargain,” chuckled his father, -“and make a condition that seems impossible but may be fulfilled. No, -Tom, even if Cap’n Pem went I would hesitate to consent. But I’ll tell -you what. If the owners of the _Narwhal_ invite you to go—remember -you’re not to ask them—and if they guarantee that they’ll be personally -responsible for your safety, then I’ll consent.” - -“Well that’s poor comfort!” exclaimed the disappointed boy. “Just as if -the owners are going to invite us without even knowing we want to go, -and as if they’d be responsible for us! Gee, they’d have to double their -insurance, I guess.” - -“One’s as likely as the other, I admit,” laughed Mr. Chester. “But don’t -be so disappointed, Tom. Maybe there’ll be a ship going to the West -Indies or the Atlantic this summer that you can go on—some short cruise.” - -“Bother the West Indies!” cried Tom petulantly. “I want to go to the -Arctic, and maybe Mr. Dixon may take Cap’n Edwards and maybe he or Cap’n -Pem or some one may tell him we can navigate, and if he wants mates -perhaps he will ask us.” - -“Well, if he does you can go—that is, of course, if Jim goes too,” smiled -Tom’s father. “But remember you’re neither to ask, nor hint about it. And -I don’t think you’ll need to get out your winter things this June.” - - - - -CHAPTER II - -THE BOYS SPRING A SURPRISE - - -The following day the two boys wandered to the wharf with disconsolate -faces. - -“Reckon yer folks didn’t take to the idee, hey?” ventured Cap’n Pem, as -he turned from watching a gang of men working on the old _Narwhal_. - -“No, they wouldn’t listen to us,” replied Tom. “Not even if you and Mike -went. Dad said if the owners invited us—and we didn’t ask—and that if you -and Mike went too, he’d let us, but there’s a swell chance of that.” - -“H-m-m!” muttered the old whaleman. “Waall, I dunno as I’d be so -everlastin’ly cut up about it. I don’t reckon ye’d have went annyhow -without me, an’ there ain’t one chance in a million o’ that. Mike was up -to see Dixon and the ol’ grampus jes laffed at him. Asked what he thought -the _Narwhal_ wuz—a floatin’ old sailors’ home?” - -“The mean old thing!” cried Jim. “Say, I’ll bet he won’t get a man -that’s as good a sailor as you or Mike.” - -“Is he the owner?” asked Tom. - -“Wall, not perzactly,” replied the old man. “He’s the agent. The -_Narwhal’s_ owned by a comp’ny—an’ I reckon they ain’t none too conf’dent -o’ the cruise a-bein’ so everlastin’ly profit’ble. Mike says he saw Cap’n -Edwards an’ ol’ Nye, a-tryin’ fer to get ’em to put in a word fer us, -an’ Nye says as how they’s a lot o’ shares—or stock or whatever ye calls -it—what ain’t been took up yit. He’s thinkin’ o’ buyin’ on it hisself if -he kin git a good skipper like Edwards.” - -Tom let out a yell like an Indian, threw his hat in the air and danced. - -“Hurrah!” he fairly screamed. “We _can_ go! I’ve a scheme! Oh, Jim! Oh, -Cap’n Pem! It’s bully! Oh gosh, we’ll put one over on Dad again!” - -“Whatever be ye talkin’ on?” demanded the old whaleman. “’Pears like -ye’ve gone plumb crazy.” - -“Listen!” cried Tom, as he quieted down. And in earnest tones he -explained his scheme to old Pem and to Jim. - -“Gee!” commented Jim, “that _will_ work. Tom, you’re a wonder.” - -“Derned if ’twont,” agreed the old whaleman. “I’ll be swabbed if I don’ -reckon we’ll all be a-goin’ erlong o’ the _Narwhal_ arter all.” - -A few moments later the boys were speeding towards New Bedford on a -trolley car. Alighting near the water front they hurried to Mr. Nye’s -office. - -There was a long conference with the genial shipowner. Then another -visit, with Mr. Nye accompanying them, to a broker’s and to a law office. -Several hours later two grinning, jubilant boys made their way back to -Fair Haven and entered Mr. Chester’s home. - -“Well, Dad, they’ve invited us!” exclaimed Tom, as his father turned at -their entrance. - -“What?” cried Mr. Chester incredulously. “You mean to say the _Narwhal’s_ -owners have asked you to go on a cruise—without your mentioning it to -them?” - -Tom grinned and Jim chuckled. “They sure did,” declared Tom. “And they’re -going to take Cap’n Pem and Cap’n Edwards and Mike—and Ned if they can -find him—and all the others that were on the _Hector_ that can be hired.” - -“But how—how on earth did they know you wanted to go?” demanded Tom’s -father, “and why are they going to take that crew of cripples? There’s a -mystery here, boys; what is it?” - -The two boys were thoroughly enjoying themselves. “And that’s not all, -Dad,” went on Tom. “The owners said that if Jim and I couldn’t go, the -_Narwhal’s_ cruise would be given up—they wouldn’t even fit her out.” - -“What _is_ all this nonsense?” exclaimed Mr. Chester. “The owners must be -crazy—talking about giving up a cruise if you two kids don’t go along! -Who _are_ the owners of the old ship anyway?” - -“Well, you see it’s a company,” explained Tom, scarcely able to control -himself, “and the members who own the most shares are managing owners and -have the say about everything.” - -“Yes, yes, I understand all that,” interrupted Mr. Chester impatiently, -“but who _are_ the managing owners?” - -Jim could contain himself no longer. “We are!” he shouted. “Tom and I!” - -Mr. Chester was speechless. “What?” he gasped presently. “You two boys -are the ship’s owners?” - -“I’ll say we are!” cried Tom. “We took the money we got for our lays of -the ambergris and bought up the controlling shares to-day. Mr. Nye said -it was a good investment. And so we invited ourselves, and we won’t let -the _Narwhal_ sail unless we go, and we’re going to hire all the old -_Hector’s_ crew.” - -“Well I’ll be——” began Mr. Chester, and then, a smile broadening on his -face, he turned to the telephone. - -“Hello!” he exclaimed presently. “That you, Lathrop? Well, the boys have -put one over on us two old fogies again! Yes, owners invited them all -right. Say the ship won’t sail without them too. Yes. Guess we’ll have to -let them go. Oh, Edwards. Yes, both Mike and Pem. Oh, yes, I forgot—Tom -and Jim bought up the controlling interest—managing owners themselves. -Ha, ha! Yes, they’ve won out!” - -“Then we can go!” cried Tom, as his father hung up the receiver. - -“I always stick to a bargain,” replied Mr. Chester, “and Jim’s father -says he does too. So you might as well hire your crew and get the old -_Narwhal_ fitted out.” - -Cap’n Pem and Mike were as tickled as two children over the boys’ ruse -and its success. Both the old sailors having been engaged, they set to -work, Cap’n Pem looking after the details of reconditioning the schooner, -while Mike haunted New Bedford’s water front and lodging houses, -searching out the former crew of the _Hector_. - -The next few weeks were very busy ones for the two boys, who had -invested their little fortune in the _Narwhal_, and now found themselves -the principal owners of a real whaling vessel. The details of the -business, as well as the financial arrangements, repairs, and outfitting -were turned over to Mr. Dixon and to Mr. Nye, for the latter had bought -considerable stock in the _Narwhal_ also. And work proceeded rapidly -aboard the ship. - -There seemed to be an endless number of things to be done. The old ship’s -timbers were in good shape and little of her planking had to be replaced, -but she had to be caulked and pitched and painted and ice sheathing was -put on. Her spars were worthless and her rigging had to be entirely -stripped from her, and new rigging rove. Much of her decks were also -badly rotted and, as Tom said, when on one occasion he looked ruefully -at the almost empty hulk, minus masts and rigging, “By the time they get -through she’ll be a new ship.” - -But old Cap’n Pem did not agree with him. “Hanged if she will!” he -exclaimed, “why, Lor’ love ye, ’tain’t a ship’s spars an’ riggin’ what -makes the ship. It’s the timbers an’ hull. Bless my soul! If ev’ry time -a ship got dismasted an’ had ter have a new set o’ spars, it made a new -ship of her, thar wouldn’t be nary an ol’ ship lef’. Shucks! Ye wouldn’t -say yer Dad built a new house jes ’cause he put a new chimbly or a new -verandy on it, would ye?” - -Tom laughed. “No,” he admitted, “but if Dad took out all the inside of -the house, and then took off the boards and just left the old cellar, I’d -call it pretty near a new house, and that’s what we’re doing with the -_Narwhal_.” - -“Not by a long shot!” burst out the old whaleman, to whom an old hull was -almost sacred. “Ye’d find a purty diff’runce in what ye’d have to pay if -ye wuz to build a new schooner ’stead o’ refittin’ this here hooker.” - -Then, when at last the hull and decks were done and it came to rigging, -dissension arose as to how the _Narwhal_ should be rigged. Mr. Dixon, who -was of the new school, wanted a three-masted schooner and some of the -other owners, a two-master, while one old fellow insisted a bark was the -only rig. But the boys stoutly insisted that their ship, as they called -her, must be rigged as she was originally and they were sustained by -Mr. Nye, while old Cap’n Pem vowed he’d not take the place as ice pilot -unless she was a square topsail schooner. - -“If you take my advice,” said Mr. Chester, when on one occasion he was -discussing the matter with the boys and Mr. Nye, “you’ll put a motor in -her. I suppose it will be little less than heresy to suggest it to the -whalemen, but a motor will be a godsend in the ice.” - -“You’re right,” assented Mr. Nye. “Whale-ships have had auxiliary power -before now and the _Narwhal_ can stand a motor. Yes, I think there’s no -question that a motor will prove a most valuable asset. Why, even in -towage it’ll save its own cost.” - -But when Cap’n Pem heard of this he almost exploded. “Consarn sech -rattletrap contraptions!” he exclaimed. “Ain’t sails an’ the win’ God -gave us good enough fer to take this here ship where we aim fer to go? -Motor! By cricky! do ye want fer to make a ottymobil out o’ the ol’ -_Narwhal_.” - -“Shure thin’ an’ ’twill be a shofure yez’ll be afther wantin’,” put -in Mike. “An’ b’ the same token, ’tis a foine motorneer Oi am meself. -B’gorra ’tis a shame to be a-turnin’ o’ the ould schooner into a power -boat, but handy ’twill be Oi do be thinkin’ manny the toime.” - -But despite Pem’s protests and contempt and sarcastic remarks, the motor -was installed and Mike, who really had had experience in handling motors -in the navy, was rated as engineer. - -In regard to the rigging, Cap’n Pem and the boys had their way. Captain -Edwards had agreed with the old whaleman that a topsail schooner was the -handiest vessel to navigate in the ice; also he had pointed out that, -having been originally rigged as such, it was cheaper and easier to -re-rig the _Narwhal_ in the same way. - -So the tall and tapering spars were set up, the long and beautifully -proportioned cross yards for the foremast were slung, the standing -rigging was bowsed taut, served, and tarred; the huge blocks and the maze -of halyards, lifts, braces, sheets, lines and ropes were rigged, and, -resplendent in a coat of new paint, the rejuvenated _Narwhal’s_ motor was -started and she chugged slowly across the harbor to the New Bedford dock. - -“Now what do you think of her?” asked Tom of old Mike as the staunch, -trim schooner was warped alongside the dock, and her lofty, golden-tinted -spars loomed high above the water-front buildings. - -“Waall, b’gorra, ’tis not the same ship at all, at all,” declared the -Irishman. “Shure ’tis loike the sailor’s knoife she do be—the same ould -knoife, barrin’ new blades an’ a new handle.” - -“Gid out!” cried old Pem. “By heck, if ye got a new timber leg I ’spec’ -ye’d be a dod gasted new man, eh?” - -“No!” responded the Irishman. “But shure an’ if Oi foun’ me a foine new -hidpiece an’ a new body an’ a new pair o’ han’s, the wooden lig o’ me -remainin’ would niver be afther makin’ ould Moike out o’ the broth of a -b’y Oi’d be.” - -“Well, I don’t care what you say, it’s the same old _Narwhal_,” insisted -Tom, “just as much as the _Hector_ was the same old _Hector_.” - -“Yis, yis, so she do be,” agreed Mike. “An’ ’tis a foine cruise we’ll be -takin’ in her—an’ foine luck we’ll be havin’ Oi’m thinkin’—phwat wid the -same ould crew o’ the _Hector_. An’ thanks be to Hivvin there’ll be no -bo’sun burrds for to be a-perchin’ on the yarrds an’ a-scarin’ the loife -out of us all.” - -Even when the ship was reconditioned there was much to be done. The boys -had thought that the old _Hector_ had carried vast quantities of stores, -but when they saw the mountain of barrels, shooks, boxes, cases and casks -that were piled on the wharf, and the steady stream of trucks and drays -that kept adding their loads to the accumulation, they declared that the -_Narwhal_ would sink at the wharf if all the supplies were stowed aboard -her. - -“Don’t ye fergit we’re a-goin’ for a long v’yage,” Cap’n Pem reminded -them. “Lord knows when the ol’ _Narwhal_’ll be a-pokin’ of her jib boom -pas’ New Bedford light ag’in. An’ there ain’t no delic’tessen ’roun’ the -corner in the Ar’tic, by gum!” - -“But what do they want all that salt for?” asked Jim, who had been -watching barrel after barrel of coarse Turks’ Island salt being slung -aboard. - -“Curin’ skins,” replied the old whaleman. “’Spect we’ll be a-gittin’ a -purty good cargo o’ seals. Ain’t been hunted much fer a spell an’ pelts -is purty high. Yessir, better’n ile now’days.” - -“And what do we need lumber for?” queried Tom. “Any one would think we -were going to build a house up there.” - -“So we be,” declared Pem. “Come winter an’ she freezes in, we’ll be -a-makin’ on her shipshape an’ comfy for six months o’ everlastin’ night. -House the ol’ hooker in—didn’t ’spec’ ye could spen’ the winter in that -there mite of a cabin an’ the fo’c’s’le, did ye?” - -“Well, I see we’ve a lot to learn yet,” laughed Tom. “What about guns and -things for shooting the seals and bears?” - -Cap’n Pem guffawed. “Lor’ love ye!” he exclaimed. “They don’t scarcely -never shoot seals—jes knock ’em over the head same as we did them -there sea el’phunts. But they’ll be guns aboard fer huntin’ musk ox an’ -reindeer an’ b’ars, an’ a lot o’ ol’ muskets fer to trade to the Eskimos.” - -“Well, we’re taking our own rifles,” said Jim, “but I don’t see any heavy -clothes or overcoats in the stores.” - -“Ain’t none,” declared the old whaleman. “Plenty o’ warm woolens an’ -mitts an’ sea boots an’ sou’westers though. Don’ never take no overcoats -along. Jes git fur clothes from the Eskimos. They’re a heap sight warmer -an’ cheaper.” - -So, with the boys constantly plying the old sailor with questions, and -daily learning more and more about the outfitting and the coming cruise, -the work of loading and storing the pile of supplies went on, until at -last, to the boys’ amazement, the stevedores and sailors managed to find -a place for everything. - -Finally the final package was aboard. The _Narwhal’s_ deck was littered, -the cabin was choked with boxes, half the galley was filled with coal, -and even the spare boats were filled with stores. Still the _Narwhal_ -showed plenty of freeboard and rode buoyantly on the water. - -Then came trucks carrying huge rolls of new white canvas, a crowd of men -swarmed up the rigging and over the yards, the great sails were bent on -and stretched. The _Narwhal_ was ready to start on her long cruise to the -frozen north. - -It only remained to get the crew together, and when the two boys finally -stepped on to the schooner’s decks on the day of leaving, they felt -as if they were once more aboard the old _Hector_. There was Cap’n -Edwards, with his merry blue eyes, white hair and leatherlike face. -Cap’ Pem stumped back and forth with a frown on his face and his old -cap at a rakish angle on his grizzled head. Mike was bawling orders and -punctuating quaint commands with his Irish wit, and Mr. Kemp, longer and -lankier than ever, grinned at the boys with his mouth twisted by the -ghastly scar received when his ship was sunk by a German U-boat. From the -galley door, the ebony-faced cook bobbed his woolly head in greeting, -and, with a mallet in one hand and wooden wedges in the other, the -dried-up, chin-whiskered Irish carpenter was busy battening down hatches -with the help of big, raw-boned Ole Swanson, the cooper. Even one-eyed -Ned and deaf-and-dumb Pete were there, and so the only faces the boys -missed from the _Hector’s_ crew were those of the pop-eyed boy and the -big gorilla-like black sailor. - -“Why, you got all the old men back!” cried Tom delightedly, as he -recognized one after the other. “Even Pete!” - -Cap’n Pem grinned. “Yep,” he replied, “that there old fool Mike jes’ -nat’rally did like ye told of him. But, arter all, they ain’t sech an -all-fired bad lot o’ han’s, an’ they knows me and the skipper an’ Mr. -Kemp, an’ ol’ shipmates is ol’ shipmates—spite o’ their bein’ mos’ly -derelic’s. An’ I reckon Pete’ll be a sort o’ mascot—Eskimos is so dumb -they allers thinks dummies is big med’cine an’ is supe’stitious ’bout -’em. ’Sides, we had sech everlastin’ luck las’ v’yage, mebbe we’ll be -lucky ’long o’ this, seein’s we’ve got the hull crowd ag’in.” - -As Cap’n Pem was speaking, the hawsers had been cast off, Mike had -started the motor and the screw churned the water. The crowd gathered on -the dock, shouted farewells and good lucks and the boys sprang to the -taffrail, and waved and yelled good-by to their parents. The _Narwhal_, -gay with bunting, her big sails hanging loosely in the buntlines and -brails, slipped into the stream, swung slowly about, and under her own -power was headed towards the harbor mouth. - -Once more to the boys’ ears came the rousing chantey as the men piled -aloft, scrambled out on yards, and manned the halyards and hoists. - - The ship she’s a-sailing out over the bar, - Away Rio! Away Rio! - The ship she’s a-sailing out over the bar, - We’re bound for the Rio Grande! - -Thus sang the men as the sails rose slowly, with many a rattle and purl -of blocks, and the _Narwhal’s_ white wings gleamed in the bright June -sunshine. The boys thrilled with pride and delight as they glanced aloft -at the tapering spars and taut rigging and at the sheen of sails. As they -felt the gentle motion of the deck, Tom and Jim realized that they were -once more starting forth on adventures—and this time in their own ship. - - - - -CHAPTER III - -ON THE BANKS - - -Once past the lighthouse, and with a fair wind, the _Narwhal’s_ motor -was stopped, sheets and braces were trimmed, and, heeling gently to her -immense square foretop and foretopgallant sails and the vast expanse of -her fore and mainsails the schooner plunged eastward. - -“Golly, isn’t she a fine old ship!” cried Tom, as he stepped to the lee -rail and watched the hissing froth speed past. “Why, she’s going like a -yacht and there’s not much wind either!” - -“Used to was the fastest hooker ’round the Cape,” rumbled Cap’n Pem. - -“And spreads enough canvas to drive a clipper ship,” added Captain -Edwards, glancing at the straining spars and rigging. “Pem, you’ll have -to keep a weather eye liftin’ an’ be ready to shorten sail at the first -sign of a blow.” - -“Yes, sir,” agreed the other, “that there’s the wust o’ these here -torpsa’l schooners—too derned much canvas aloft. It’ll drive ’em like -blazes in a light win’, but keeps the crew everlastin’ly on the jump -a-reefin’ and short’nin’ sail. Reckon soon’s ever we get no’thard o’ the -Banks, we’d be a leedle mite snugger if we housed that there to’gallant -sail.” - -“Yes, better do that,” agreed the skipper, “we won’t need it in the ice.” - -Now that the boys had a chance to look about, they noticed for the first -time that there were no swarthy-faced Portuguese among the crew. - -“Never take ’em to the Arctic,” Mr. Kemp told them in reply to their -question. “Ain’t no good there—just shiver and freeze like a lot of -frozen turnips.” - -“Is it really as cold as that?” asked Jim. - -“Cold!” exclaimed the lanky second officer. “Cold! Well, let me tell you -a fellow doesn’t know what cold is ’til he’s spent a winter froze in up -’round the North Pole.” - -“Have you ever been there?” asked Tom. - -Mr. Kemp looked at Tom in surprise. “_Of_ course,” he declared. “Wish I -had as many dollars as I’ve put in days in the ice.” - -“And did you ever shoot white bears, and walrus, and musk oxen, and see -Eskimos?” cried Jim. - -“Did I?” grinned the officer. “Didn’t do much else durin’ the winter -’cept have shenannigans with the Eskimos aboard.” - -“Do they talk English?” asked Tom. “Or do you have to know how to speak -Eskimo?” - -“Well, some of ’em talk what they _call_ English,” said Mr. Kemp. “Those -are the fellows that’s been whalin’ long of Yankee and Scotch ships, but -the most of ’em just palaver in their own lingo—and I can talk that. I -was brung up with a Eskimo kid, and learnt it from him.” - -“Why, how was that?” asked Jim, “I thought you came from right here on -Cape Cod.” - -“Nope, Noank, back in Connecticut,” said the other. “And there was a -Eskimo there—Eskimo Joe they called him—what had a kid ’bout my age. We -went to school together and was reg’lar chums.” - -“I didn’t know there were any Eskimos in Connecticut,” exclaimed Tom. “I -thought they always died when they came down here.” - -“Joe didn’t,” the other assured him. “And say, he could have told you a -bully good yarn. I don’t know as I can spin the whole of it for you, but -he an’ his squaw come down on a cake of ice. That is, they come most o’ -the way.” - -“Oh, tell us about it!” cried Tom. “How did he happen to be on a cake of -ice and how could he come down on it?” - -“Well, there don’t seem to be much to do right now, so I expect I _can_ -spare a couple o’ minutes to tell you,” agreed Mr. Kemp. “Especially,” he -added with a grin, “as long as the owners is tellin’ me to.” - -“You see,” he began, seating himself on a coil of rope and lighting -his pipe, “Eskimo Joe was one o’ the hunters an’ pilots on the old -_Polaris_—a ship what was up huntin’ for the North Pole long afore my -time—back in 1871 ’twas. Well, the _Polaris_ got froze in hard an’ fast, -and the crew, thinkin’ she might get stove, put most of the stuff on the -ice and was gettin’ ready for a bust up. But it come afore they expected -of it. Ice broke up and left some of the folks on the ice ’longside the -ship and the rest of ’em on a big piece of floe adrift in the water. -Eskimo Joe was with that crowd along with his squaw and Captain Tyson of -the _Polaris_ and a bunch o’ men—twenty there was all told—and nary a -mite of food. - -“Just as soon as the ice got adrift it commenced to travel in a current, -and there they was, driftin’ about on an ice island that might go to bits -or capsize any minute. Times was when they pretty near starved, but -they caught gulls and murres and auks and other birds, and Joe fixed up -a fishin’ tackle and got fish now and then. Sometimes, too, a seal would -come aboard the cake and Joe’d get him; and once a white bear clumb on -to the ice and Joe nailed him, too. I don’t guess bear’s any too good -meat, but it sure was welcome to those folks. Well, to make a long story -short, they was driftin’ on that ice cake for six months, yes, sir and -the cake gettin’ smaller all the time as it drifted along south. Then, -along in April ’72 a sealin’ ship—steamer, _Tigress_, o’ St. John’s, -Newfoundland ’twas—hove in sight and picked ’em up, and every man jack o’ -the twenty-one safe and hearty.” - -“Why, I thought you said there were only twenty!” exclaimed Tom. - -Mr. Kemp grinned. “So I did and so there was,” he declared, “when they -went adrift. But you see, while they was navigatin’ ’round on their ice -island, Joe’s squaw had a baby an’ that was the kid I used to be chums -with.” - -“Gee, I hope we don’t get adrift like that!” exclaimed Jim. “But it must -have been some adventure!” - -“Well, you can’t never tell,” remarked Mr. Kemp as he rose and hurried -off. “But I guess after bein’ sunk by a sub, driftin’ on a ice floe -wouldn’t be so bad as it might be.” - -The Elizabeth Islands were now close ahead, and the _Narwhal_ was soon -passing through the narrow channel between Naushon and Woods Hole and, -to the south, Martha’s Vineyard was in plain sight. With every stitch of -canvas set, the schooner sped on across Nantucket Sound towards distant -Monomoy Light. - -It was a perfect June day, warm and bright, and with a steady northwest -wind on the _Narwhal’s_ quarter. Captain Edwards declared that if the -breeze held throughout the day and night, they would pass George’s Banks -before noon the following day. Before dark, long, low Monomoy Point was -sighted and with the last of the land astern, Cap’n Pem roared out orders -and the willing crew raced to sheets and braces. - - Oh, whisky is the life of man, - Whisky! Johnny! - It always was since time began, - Oh, whisky for my Johnny! - -Lustily the men roared out the old chantey as the fore and mainsail -sheets were hauled in, and the big foretopsail yard swung to the heave -of the braces. Then, as the _Narwhal_ turned towards the north and the -freshening wind abeam buried her lee rails under the tumbling suds-like -froth, the crew swarmed aloft. Presently the foretopgallant sail was -thrashing and snapping like a battery of rapid-fire guns, as the men -furled the canvas to the rousing chantey: - - Around Cape Horn, where wild gales blow, - To me way-hay, hay-yah! - Around Cape Horn through sleet and snow, - A long time ago——! - -The schooner headed across the broad Atlantic, and darkness fell upon the -sea. Monomoy Light was but a tiny twinkling star astern, and the boys -felt their cruise had really begun. - -The next morning was fair but almost calm. As the boys came on deck, they -were surprised to see a score and more of trim schooners riding easily on -the long ocean swell under light canvas. - -“It must be a yacht club!” exclaimed Tom, “but I didn’t know they came so -far to sea.” - -“Fishing fleet from Gloucester,” said Captain Edwards, who heard Tom’s -remark. “We’re passing George’s Banks. Don’t you see the dories yonder?” - -“Oh yes, I do now,” declared Tom. “But why do they call it a Bank? I -don’t see any land.” - -“Waall, I swan!” cried Cap’n Pem. “To think o’ ye young scallawags -a-bein’ navigators an’ owners o’ a torps’l schooner, and a-havin’ v’y’ged -to the Sou’ Shetland’s, an’ not a-knowin’ on a fishin’ smack when ye -sees ’em, nor a-knowin’ nothin’ ’bout the Banks. Lor’ love ye, there -beint no lan’ here ’bouts ’ceptin’ straight down. Ye see the Banks is -’bout a hundred fathom deep, an’ that’s plumb shaller fer mid-ocean, so -they calls on ’em Banks. Ain’t no ’cause to be skeert o’ runnin’ the ol’ -_Narwhal_ agroun’!” - -“Well, I suppose we _are_ awfully green,” laughed Tom, “but they never -told us that in school when we learned about the ocean and the coast in -physical geography, and I thought fishing schooners were dirty old boats.” - -“Finest little ships afloat,” declared the skipper. “And just as fast as -they can be built. Have to be to get the catch to market—price depends on -the first to make port. Look there! There goes one of ’em now. She’s got -a full catch an’s beatin’ it for Boston.” - -As he spoke, he pointed to one of the schooners that had run a flag to -her maintopmast head. As the boys looked, the schooner blossomed into a -perfect cloud of snowy canvas. - -“Gosh, look at her go!” cried Jim delightedly, as the trim black -schooner heeled towards them until they could see the full sweep of her -deck. With a mountain of foam about her bows, she fairly raced through -the oily sea. - -“And hardly enough wind to fill our sails,” added Tom. “Say, I wish the -_Narwhal_ could go like that!” - -“And there goes another and another!” cried Jim. “Golly, it’s like a -race.” - -“So ’tis a race,” chuckled the captain. “With thousands of dollars to the -winner.” - -“Jiminy, I’d like to sail on those boats,” declared Tom as the schooners -swept by with a hiss and roar. “It must be exciting.” - -“Pesky hard work if ye asks me,” declared Cap’n Pem. “An’ no fun, come -winter, I tell ye. By gum, I’d ruther be froze up in the Ar’tic.” - -“And plenty of danger too,” added the skipper. “Hardly a week passes that -fishermen are not lost on the Banks—though it’s on the Grand Banks more -than here.” - -“I don’t see what’s dangerous about it,” said Tom as they turned to go to -breakfast. “Just coming out here in a fine schooner and fishing.” - -“There’s not—on a day like this,” agreed Captain Edwards, “but in fog, -the schooners or dories are often run down by steamers; the dories get -parted from their ships and are lost, and in winter storms they are often -swamped or driven to sea by gales. I tell you, boys, if you want to read -exciting stories of heroism and hardship, just get the Gloucester papers -and read ’em. Why, it’s worse than whalin’—almost.” - -By the time breakfast was over, the fishing fleet was a mere group of -flashing white specks astern, and the boats which had raced to port were -out of sight. - -Presently Cap’n Pem called Mr. Kemp and suggested that it was a good day -to break in the green hands. For several hours the boys were amused by -watching the frightened men, who had never before been to sea, as they -were compelled to go aloft. It was a familiar sight to them for they had -seen it day after day on the _Hector_ but they could not help being sorry -for the fellows, as the two whalemen forced the men into the rigging. - -There was no actual brutality—although, judging from the words and looks -of Cap’n Pem and the second mate, the men might well have thought they -were ready to do murder if they were not obeyed. After a bit, the green -hands were allowed to come down, the big yards were swung, the schooner -was hove to, and for several hours the “greenies” were put through a -grilling boat practice. This they thoroughly enjoyed, and they chaffed -and jollied one another whenever they caught a crab with the huge ash -oars, or made some similar breaks that brought down a fiery string of -comments from the officers. But there was not a great deal of this -drilling and breaking in, for the _Narwhal’s_ crew was small and only a -very few of the men were raw hands, the captain explaining that the bulk -of the work on the “grounds” would be done by the Eskimos who could be -taken aboard at Labrador or Greenland. - -“Gee, it sounds funny to be talking about going to Greenland!” laughed -Tom. “I can’t really believe it yet. How long should it take us to get -there, Captain Edwards?” - -“Impossible to say,” replied the skipper. “Depends on wind and fog and -how much ice we find when we get to the Straits.” - -“Oh, there—there she blows!” shouted Jim. “Off the port bow!” - -Instantly all eyes were turned in the direction Jim indicated, and Mr. -Kemp raced up the rigging. The next moment a dozen little fountains of -spray rose above the green surface of the sea, and a number of the huge -black bodies rolled sluggishly into view. - -“Blackfish!” shouted Mr. Kemp. - -“So they be!” echoed Cap’n Pem. “Don’t ye youngsters know whales yit?” - -“Aren’t they whales?” demanded Tom. “They look like ’em to me.” - -“No, blackfish-grampus,” declared the skipper. “But after all, they _are_ -a kind of whale.” Then, after a moment, he exclaimed. “Pem, let’s lower -away and go after ’em. Good practice for the men, an’ blackfish ile’s -worth takin’. There ain’t no wind an’ we won’t lose ’nough time to count.” - -“Stan’ by to lower away the sta’board boats,” roared the old whaleman. - -Then, as the yards were swung and the schooner came to a standstill, the -boats were lowered, the men tumbled in, and to the pull of the six long -ash oars in each, they went racing towards the school of blackfish. - -To the boys’ delight, they were allowed to go after the grampus, for -they had always longed to go in one of the boats as it dashed across the -waves after a whale. To be sure “going on” the blackfish was not the same -as attacking a monster cetacean. But it was the nearest thing to it, -and both Tom and Jim thrilled with excitement as the ash oars bent to -the brawny muscles of the men, and the keen-stemmed boat fairly leaped -through the water. - -Cap’n Pem was as excited as if he were after a real whale. Standing at -the huge steering oar, with his hair flying, he shouted to the straining -crew. - -“Lift her, lads!” he cried. “Get in on the pesky critters! Don’t let that -there swab o’ a secon’ mate git fust! Git arter ’em, ye lubbers!” - -Forward the harpoonier or boat-steerer laid aside his oar and unsheathed -a keen-pointed harpoon or “iron,” a lighter weapon than the one the boys -had seen used for sperm whales. Bracing his knee in the clumsy cleat, he -stood ready to strike the blackfish that were now but a few hundred feet -distant. - -Close behind came Mr. Kemp’s boat, his crew striving their utmost -to reach the grampus in time to make a strike before the fish were -frightened. Almost side by side the two boats swept upon the unsuspecting -creatures. - -Nearer and nearer the boat crept. The boat steerer raised his weapon, -braced himself, every muscle taut, and was on the point of heaving the -iron at a huge grampus a few yards ahead when Tom let out a terrified -yell. - -Within a few feet of the boat a huge, triangular fin had cut through the -water and the next instant an immense body hurled itself into the air -and, with a sweep of its stupendous tail, struck the water with a blow -like a bursting shell, drenching the occupants of the boat. - -“Thrasher!” shouted Cap’n Pem. - -The harpoonier picked himself up from where he had stumbled, as the -deluge of water almost drowned him. He poised his iron and glanced about. -Not a grampus was in sight. - -“Dern his everlastin’ hide!” yelled Cap’n Pem. “Look out! There, he’s -a-comin’! Strike him, Nat!” - -As the old whaleman spoke, the big fin again ripped through the sea and -with a grunt the boat-steerer heaved his long weapon. The next second -the water was lashed into foam, the heavy manilla whale line was rushing -through the chocks like a streak of light, and the heavy boat was tearing -through the sea at express-train speed. - -“Fast!” screamed Cap’n Pem, as he tugged and strained at his big oar. - -Then, “Breachin’!” he cried, as once more the immense creature flung -itself clear of the water. The boys, dazed, frightened, and gasping, saw -that it was a gigantic shark with an enormously long tail. - -Hardly had the thrasher struck the water again when the line ran out a -few feet. Suddenly it grew slack and the boat came to a standstill. - -“Drew!” exclaimed Cap’n Pem. “Consarn it, reckon we might’s well go back. -Nary mite o’ use a-tryin’ fer them blackfish now.” - -Crestfallen, the men took to the oars and started to pull back to the -ship. - -“What _is_ a thrasher?” asked Tom, now that the excitement was over. - -“Kind o’ shark,” replied Cap’n Pem. “Biggest nuisance ever was. Jes rush -in an’ thresh about and kill a lot o’ fish, and then gobbles of ’em up. -That there consarn rascal was after them blackfish, though.” - -“Whew, do they kill—Oh, look, Mr. Kemp’s boat’s fast!” - -Sure enough, the second mate’s boat was rushing through the sea evidently -towed by some creature, and a few moments later the boys saw the officer -stand erect in the bow, poise his lance and lunge forward with it. - -“Reckon we might jes as well pull over thataway an’ mebbe get a chanct to -strike,” remarked Cap’n Pem, swinging the boat’s head as he spoke. - -In a few minutes they were within hailing distance of the second mate’s -boat. - -“Did you get one?” yelled Tom. - -“I’ll say so,” shouted back Mr. Kemp. “Come over here and bear a hand to -tow this critter to the schooner.” - -“Waall I’ll be sunk!” cried Cap’n Pem. “What’s the matter with thet there -crew o’ yourn? Ain’t they got beef ’nough for to tow in a consarned -leedle blackfish?” - -The boats were now close together and the boys saw a huge black body -rolling in the swell beyond the second mate’s boat. - -“Blackfish?” yelled Mr. Kemp. “You’re a fine whaleman! What’s the matter -with your eyes, Pem?” - -But the old whaleman had now caught sight of the other boat’s kill -and the expression that came over his weather-beaten old face was so -ludicrous that the boys roared. His eyes seemed popping from their -sockets, his mouth gaped and he looked as if he had seen a ghost. - -“By the great red herrin’!” he ejaculated at last. “I’ll be everlastin’ly -keelauled if ’tain’t a whale! An’ sparm at thet!” - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -A CLOSE SHAVE - - -“I told you they were whales!” exclaimed Tom triumphantly, as the two -boats drew side by side, and the men busied themselves getting tow lines -fast to the dead whale. - -“They wasn’t,” declared Cap’n Pem, “jes or’nary blackfish.” - -“But this is a whale,” argued Tom. - -“Jes dumb luck o’ Mr. Kemp,” replied the old whaleman. “Jes happened to -be ’long o’ them there grampuses. An’ ’tain’t much o’ a whale neither—jes -a baby.” - -“Well it’s just our luck to be in the boat that didn’t get the whale,” -lamented Jim. “Did you have much of a tussle, Mr. Kemp?” - -“Nothin’ worth while,” responded the second officer. “Towed us a bit and -died with nary a flurry.” - -“I didn’t know they had sperm whales ’way up here,” said Tom, as the -crews bent to their oars with the whale in tow. - -“Don’t, so everlastin’ly often,” Cap’n Pem told him. “Come warm weather, -they swims in by the Banks now an’ ag’in—that is, sparm do—an’ times gone -there used to was a powerful lot o’ Biscay whales ’roun’ about the New -Englan’ coast. Yes, sir, I recollec’ when a ship could v’yage out o’ New -Bedford or Nantucket an’ fill up with Biscay ile an’ bone inside o’ six -weeks.” - -The schooner had now caught a light wind and was bearing down upon the -boats. A few moments later, the whale was alongside and the two boats -had been hoisted to the davits. Then followed the dirty, busy work of -cutting in and boiling, with all of which the boys were familiar from -their cruise in the Antarctic. But the whale, as Cap’n Pem had said, was -scarcely more than a baby. The work was all over before midnight, with -twenty barrels of oil stowed in the schooner’s hold. - -“Pretty good beginning—for three days out of port,” chuckled Captain -Edwards. “I reckon you boys—ahem, owners—must be mascots. Just hope the -luck holds all through.” - -“Well, there won’t be any bo’sun birds to bring bad luck, anyway,” -laughed Jim. “Although I suppose there must be some bad omen even up here -or sailors wouldn’t be satisfied.” - -“Plenty on ’em,” declared Cap’n Pem. “But don’t go to talkin’ an’ -a-bringin’ o’ it on. Ain’t it bad ’nough to have that there black cat -aboard—an’ nary a dod-gasted soul a-knowin’ where she come from?” - -The boys roared. “I knew you’d find something,” cried Tom. “Why, I -thought the cat belonged to the crew. Why don’t you kill her or something -if she’s such bad luck?” - -“Kill her!” exclaimed the old man. “By the eternal, don’t ye know no -more’n thet? Ye mought jes as well kill a Mother Cary’s chicken or a -bo’sun bird. No sirree! Let good enough alone’s my motter.” - -“Well, you _are_ the most superstitious old whaleman I ever saw,” laughed -Tom. “I’ll bet the cat’s what brought the good luck.” - -Cap’n Pem snorted. “Ye mark my words,” he muttered as he strode aft. -“We’ll be gittin’ inter some sort o’ mess long o’ that there cat yit.” - -But for the next three or four days none on the _Narwhal_ could have -asked for better weather. The breeze, though light, was fair and steady. -The sea ran in long, easy swells and the schooner, curtseying gently and -with every stitch of canvas set, pressed steadily on her course. - -Then one night the boys were awakened by the tolling of a bell and the -ear-splitting screech of a horn. Hastily throwing on a few clothes, they -hurried on deck. - -At the first glance about they realized what the trouble was. The man at -the wheel was barely visible, although less than a dozen feet distant. -The faint light of the binnacle was a mere glow and the sails, spars, and -forward part of the vessel melted into nothingness. The _Narwhal_ was -enveloped in a dense fog. - -From the unseen bows of the ship came the monotonous tolling of the bell. -At intervals the raucous horn screeched from the blanket of gray mist. -Borne in strangely ghostly fashion from the blackness, came the voices of -men. - -Tom glanced at his watch and found that it was nearly sunrise but nowhere -was there a hint of light or of dawn. - -“Gosh, but it’s thick!” exclaimed Tom. “I wonder where we are.” - -“Where I wish we wasn’t,” replied a voice so close to the boys that -they jumped. “Right plumb on the Grand Banks,” continued the invisible -speaker, whom the boys now recognized as Captain Edwards. - -“What’s wrong with the Banks?” asked Tom. - -“Nothing wrong with them,” replied the skipper who now stepped from the -curtain of fog and stood near the boys. “But Lord alone knows when we -may be a-knockin’ into a fishin’ smack, or a-bearin’ down on a dory, or -gettin’ run down by a liner. I wish to heaven this condemned fog would -lift.” - -Hardly had he ceased speaking when there was a hoarse shout from forward, -a tearing, grating sound, and a vast dark mass loomed alongside as the -_Narwhal_ scraped past a fishing schooner, snapping off the smack’s jib -boom. A moment later the stranger was lost in the fog and only faint, -angry cries told of her whereabouts. - -“Sarved the lubbers right!” exploded Cap’n Pem, as he came hurrying aft -to see if the _Narwhal_ had been injured. “Never a-blowin’ o’ nary a -horn, nor a-ringin’ o’ their bell!” - -“Did it hurt us any?” asked Tom excitedly. - -“Carried away a couple of backstays,” replied the skipper. “Lucky we was -both headed the same way.” - -By now the fog was getting lighter with the rising sun. The boys could -see the lower portions of the sails, the lower masts, the ship’s deck -as far forward as the forerigging, and the dull gray-green sea for a -few hundred feet about the schooner. Beyond that, all was a solid wall -of gray through which the _Narwhal_ forged slowly ahead, horn and bell -constantly sounding warnings, and with men aloft striving to peer into -the impenetrable murk. - -“I should think they’d stop and anchor, or heave to until it lifts,” -remarked Jim. - -“Better to keep movin’,” declared Mr. Kemp, who was peering first to one -side and then the other. “Long as we’ve steerage way on, we’ve a chance -to dodge another ship—if we see ’em in time.” - -Presently, from the starboard, came the sound of a bell. Then from ahead -came the muffled roar of a horn, and soon, from all directions, there -were warnings issuing from the fog. - -“Golly, there are boats all around us!” cried Tom. “Look! See there, Jim.” - -Jim turned in time to see a ghostly phantomlike shape appear as if by -magic—a schooner with all sails set, and seemingly within a dozen yards -of the _Narwhal_. But almost before he could grasp the fact that it was a -vessel, it had vanished as weirdly as it had appeared. - -For an hour or more the schooner picked her way through the fog, often -swinging sharply to port or starboard at the skipper’s hoarsely bellowed -orders, a dozen times avoiding collision with a smack by a few feet -and twice swerving just in time to avoid running down the tiny bobbing -dories. - -At last the bells and horns grew faint. The captain breathed more freely -and declared he must have left the fleet astern. As the fog began to lift -and a wider expanse of sea and the upper sails became visible, the boys -decided all danger was over and prepared to go to the cabin and dress -properly. - -Then, from the lookout, a frightened yell rang out. A shrieking bellow -roared from the fog ahead. With a bound Captain Edwards leaped to the -wheel. “Hard aport!” he screamed, as he grasped the spokes and strained -with the steersman at the helm. Startled, realizing that imminent unknown -peril threatened, confused by the shouts, orders and rush of men, the -boys stood gazing helplessly about. - -Then once more that ear-splitting, terrific bellow thundered from the -fog. As the _Narwhal’s_ head swung slowly to starboard, a vast, towering, -mountainous shape came tearing, rushing, through the fog. Dimly through -the opaque gray mist, the terror-stricken boys saw the tremendous fabric -bearing down upon them. Far above the schooner’s crosstrees reared the -lofty stem of a gigantic steamship. Within a cable’s length of the -_Narwhal_, the billowing mass of foam about the keen steel stem roared -with the sound of surf. Each second the boys expected to hear the -crashing blow, to feel the splintering, terrific impact that would spell -their doom. Paralyzed with fright, they stood motionless and speechless. -Nothing, they felt, could save them. The great, shearing prow of the -steamer seemed to overhang their heads. Their staring eyes glimpsed dim, -tiny figures leaning over the rails far above, shouting, gesticulating, -life rings in hand. - -And then, with a hissing roar like a passing train, the huge liner swept -by. Endless rows of port holes filled with white faces rushed past the -terror-stricken boys. The next second the _Narwhal_ was bobbing and -jumping like a cork on the tumbling heaving wake, with only the pall of -smoke and the churning foam to mark the liner’s passage. - -Leaping upon the schooner’s wildly tossing taffrail, Captain Edwards -shook his fist at the spot where the liner had disappeared in the fog. -Cap’n Pem, unable to stand on the rail, seized a belaying pin, hurled it -after the liner and, throwing his cap on the deck, fairly danced with -rage. - -“Consarn their everlastin’ hides!” he screamed. “A-tearin’ ’crost -these here Banks like a house afire, an’ fog thicker’n cheese. Blasted -murderers! A-riskin’ lives o’ honest sailor men jes fer to make time an’ -save a few dirty, blasted dollars! I’d like to git at ’em!” - -Despite the narrow escape, the seriousness of the situation, and the old -whaleman’s earnestness, the boys could not suppress a grin at the old -fellow’s towering and thoroughly justified rage at the reckless officers -of the liner. - -Then, as if the steamship’s passage had been the signal, the fog lifted -rapidly. A fresh breeze came up and presently the _Narwhal_ was speeding -over a wide clear sea with only a few wisps of whitish vapor to mark the -fog which had so nearly brought an end to the schooner and those upon her. - -“Didn’t I tell ye that there black cat would a be bringin’ o’ bad luck!” -cried Cap’n Pem, as his temper cooled down and the fog disappeared. - -“Nonsense!” laughed Tom. “She brought good luck three times now—first the -whale, then escaping from that schooner, and then being saved from the -steamer. And I shouldn’t wonder if she made the fog lift, too.” - -“Humph!” snorted the old man. “’Course ye’ll have it your way, but if she -didn’t bring that there fog an’ that consarned pesky liner, what did?” - -“And if she didn’t save us and make the fog clear, what did?” responded -Jim. - -Cap’n Pem pursed his mouth, jerked his cap down over his eyes and stumped -off. “No use argufyin’,” he declared. “But ye’ll see! Mark my words.” - -Three days after their narrow escape from the liner, the boys saw Cape -Breton light. Tacking in long reaches, the _Narwhal_ worked across the -Gulf of St. Lawrence, and with the thrill of seeing strange lands, -Tom and Jim stared through their glasses at the forbidding shores of -Newfoundland and at bleak Anticosti. - -It was slow, hard work beating against tides, currents and head winds. -Late in the season though it was, masses of ice still lingered in the -coves of the shores. Once, as they watched the dirty white masses of ice, -Tom cried out in delight as he saw a number of sleek brown creatures -scramble into the sea when the schooner approached. - -“Hurrah, those were seals!” he cried. - -“Yep, harbor seal,” said Captain Edwards. “Not worth much. But you’ll see -a-plenty of real seals after a bit. Shouldn’t wonder if we’d get some -hides up round Belle Isle. Never did see so pesky much ice in the Gulf -this time o’ year.” - -At last the Straits of Belle Isle were reached, the wind shifted and -once more sailing free, the _Narwhal_ made good time through the narrow -waterway between Newfoundland and Labrador. - -As they passed the lonely, wave-washed Belle Isle, men were sent aloft on -the lookout for seals. Nothing but a few herds of the little harbor seals -were seen, however, and these were so wary that Captain Edwards vowed it -would be a waste of time to attempt to hunt them. - -Then, swinging past Cape St. Lewis, the schooner was headed up the coast -of Labrador for Hebron where she was to put in for Eskimos. - -Two days after passing the Cape, the boys were scanning the ugly green -sea with their glasses when a faint, shimmering, cloud-like shape rose -upon the horizon. - -“Oh, there’s a ship!” exclaimed Jim. “And a big one.” - -Mr. Kemp looked up, shaded his eyes with his hand and stared in the -direction Jim indicated. “Ship!” he exclaimed. “That’s a berg.” - -“A berg!” cried Tom. “You mean an iceberg?” - -“Sure,” replied the second mate. “Pretty sizeable one too.” - -“Oh, let’s sail over and see it!” exclaimed Jim. - -“Less we see of ’em the better it’ll suit me,” said the skipper who had -been studying the berg. “But you’ll have a chance to see it all right. -We’ll have to go out of our course if we don’t want to bump plumb into -it.” - -Rapidly the berg rose before the schooner, a massive mountain of ice, its -summit carved and melted into spires, pinnacles and huge, overhanging -shelves, steep precipitous sides rising from the wide hummocky base just -above the waves and gleaming and shimmering with every color of the -rainbow. - -“Gee, isn’t it pretty!” cried Jim. “I never knew ice was so many colors. -And look at those big caves in the sides.” - -“And look—oh look, Jim!” exclaimed Tom. “There’s some one on it! See, -right in front of that big green cave!” - -“What in tarnation ye talkin’ of?” demanded Cap’n Pem. “Here, gimme them -glasses.” - -Adjusting the glasses, the old whaleman stared fixedly for a moment -at the distant iceberg. “Some one on it!” he exclaimed. “Waal, I’ll -be blowed if there beint—but ’tain’t no human critter. That there’s a -whoppin’ big b’ar!” - -“A bear?” cried Tom. “Hurrah! that’s all the better. Oh say, Captain -Edwards, can’t we go over and shoot him?” - -“Hmm,” muttered the skipper, “I dunno, but I reckon you can. Pem, soon’s -ever we get ’bout half a mile from the berg, have the yards swung an’ -lower the sta’board quarter boat. White bear skins is worth takin’ and -it’ll give the boys—I mean owners—a chance to try their hands. Better let -Mr. Kemp go along with ’em.” Then, turning to the boys, he continued. -“Now mind you do just as Mr. Kemp tells you. Bergs is mighty pesky -things, an’ a gun shot’s li’ble to start a break or a slide or topple the -dumb thing clean over. Better to lose the bear than get kilt.” - -The boys scarcely heard what he said. Filled with excitement at thoughts -of visiting the berg and shooting a polar bear, they dashed to their -cabin, hastily got out their rifles and, stuffing their pockets with -cartridges, rushed back on deck. - - - - -CHAPTER V - -ON THE ICEBERG - - -Within half a mile of the berg, the _Narwhal_ was hove to and lay resting -motionless, gently rising and falling to the swell. Towering like a -mountain peak, the mass of ice shimmered and scintillated like a gigantic -gem against the sky. - -Rapidly the boat sped towards the ice; and the boys shivered and buttoned -their coats and turned up their collars as they drew near the immense ice -mountain that chilled the air for a mile or more. - -The bear still squatted upon a hummock in front of the deep green -cavern in the side of the berg. As they drew close and the men rowed -more slowly, the two boys crept to the bow of the boat and loaded their -rifles. Nearer and nearer they came. The air was like the interior of a -refrigerator. Still the huge white bear sat motionless, as if awaiting -the boat, and wondering why he was to receive visitors on his drifting -ice home. - -Now a scant one hundred yards of open water lay between the boat and the -berg. In low tones, Mr. Kemp ordered the men to cease rowing and as the -boat lost headway, he spoke to the excited boys. “Aim for his breast and -shoot,” he said. “He’s a fair mark and you ought to get him first crack.” - -Kneeling in the bow of the boat, Tom and Jim rested their rifles on the -gunwale, took steady aim, and pulled triggers. At the dual report a -shower of ice splinters flew up from beside the bear. The big creature -reared up on his hind legs, roared out a growl that echoed from the -cavern behind him, pawed wildly at the air and toppled backwards out of -sight. - -“Got him,” shouted Mr. Kemp. “Give way, lads!” - -“Hurrah!” yelled Jim. “Gee, won’t he make a fine skin for a trophy. Say, -I wonder which of us hit him.” - -“We can tell when we get him,” replied Tom. “One of us missed and hit the -ice; but your rifle’s a .30-.30 and mine’s a .45 so we can tell by the -bullet hole in him.” - -A moment later the boat grated on the shelving ice. The boys leaped on to -the berg, and Jim, being the first to land, rushed up the rough hummocky -ice towards where the bear had fallen. - -As he reached the spot where the bear had stood, he uttered a terrified -yell, leaped back, slipped on the ice and came rolling and tumbling down -the slope towards Tom. Rearing gigantic at the summit of the ridge was -the bear, his lips drawn back over his huge white teeth, blood dribbling -from his mouth, his long neck stretched out, and his wicked-looking head -swaying from side to side. - -Instantly Tom threw his rifle to his shoulder and took hasty aim at the -bear’s breast. - -“Hey, look out!” yelled Mr. Kemp. “Don’t——” - -But his warning was too late. The roar of the rifle cut his words short. -There was a stunning, rending, thunderous crash, the solid ice reeled and -tossed like the deck of a ship in a heavy sea, and the boys and Mr. Kemp -staggered drunkenly and fell sprawling. - -“Wha—what happened?” cried Jim picking himself up with a dazed expression -on his face. - -“Berg’s goin’ to pieces!” yelled the second officer. “Come on back to the -boat! That shot started the darned ice to slippin’! It’s rotten as punk. -Come on, the whole blamed thing’s likely to go any minute!” - -“But, but, where’s the bear?” gasped Tom, still unable to fully grasp -what had occurred. - -“Blast the bear!” ejaculated the second mate. “Get a move on!” - -Urging the boys forward, Mr. Kemp rushed down the slope. As the boat drew -in to the edge of the ice, the three scrambled aboard. - -“Lift her, lads!” cried the excited officer as the boat shoved off, and -the men bent to the long ash oars with a will. Hardly had they cleared -the berg when there was a terrific, ripping, splintering roar. The -overhanging summit of the berg moved bodily forward, hesitated an instant -and then, with the deafening roar of thunder, came plunging, crashing -down upon the spot where the three had been but a few moments before. - -“Gosh!” exclaimed Tom. “Gosh! I’m glad we got away.” - -“Gee Whitaker! yes,” cried Jim. “That old bear must be squashed flat as a -pancake.” - -Everywhere about the berg, huge detached masses of ice were floating, -bobbing and turning and twisting about. Constantly more and more of -the ice mountain was crashing down to the berg’s base, falling with -prodigious splashes into the sea. Once started by the reverberations of -Tom’s shot, the berg, softened, full of holes, and rotten, was going to -pieces before the boys’ wondering eyes. It was a marvelous, fascinating, -awe-inspiring sight to see the huge avalanches of gleaming ice, the -jewel-tinted spires, the needlelike pinnacles, and the great overhanging -precipices rending and tumbling. And as each mass dashed itself to -pieces upon the base of the berg, or plunged into the waves, sending -great mountains of spray into the air, the vibrations and shock of the -blow loosened other masses. Then, as those in the boat gazed upon the -dissolution of the mighty berg, Tom uttered an excited cry. - -“Look!” he yelled. “The berg’s moving!” - -It was true. The towering summit of the iceberg was swaying. Slowly, -almost imperceptibly, it swung to one side. More and more it leaned and -then, with a sudden rush, the mountain of ice toppled over. Vast billows -of green sea rose high and, with the noise of a mighty cataract, the -berg capsized. Where the sharp, sky-piercing berg had loomed, only a low -hummocky stretch of ice tossed and heaved upon the waves. - -The boys, overwhelmed with the wondrous spectacle, clung to the boat’s -gunwales as the tiny craft bobbed and rocked on the great combers from -the berg’s final plunge. - -“Whew!” cried Jim when at last the seas subsided and the men pulled -towards the schooner. “Wasn’t that a sight though? Say, that _was_ worth -seeing.” - -“You bet!” agreed Tom. “But just the same I’m mighty sorry we lost that -bear.” - -Mr. Kemp grinned. “You ought to be glad you didn’t lose your own hides,” -he declared. “I never seen a berg so plumb rotten or go to pieces so -blessed fast.” - -“Jiminy, I’d hate to be drifting south on one the way Eskimo Joe did,” -said Tom, “if that’s the way they act.” - -“’Twouldn’t be no picnic,” agreed Mr. Kemp, “but even a berg’s a heap -better’n nothin’.” - -“Thank Heaven you’re all safe!” cried Captain Edwards as the boat reached -the _Narwhal’s_ side. “When I saw that first slip, I thought ’twas all -over with you.” - -“Waall, I reckon a miss’s good as a mile,” commented Cap’n Pem. “But I -swan, if you two young scallawags ain’t everlastin’ly gittin’ inter more -close shaves than ever I heerd of afore.” - -Tom winked at the skipper. “I suppose the black cat started that!” he -remarked. - -“Drat that there cat!” cried the old whaleman petulantly. “Jes the same -I wish t’ blazes she was a-settin’ over to that there berg ’stead o’ on -this here ship.” - -For several days after the boys’ adventure on the iceberg the _Narwhal_ -bore steadily on. Several times she passed tiny rocky islets over which -were clouds of screaming sea birds, and through their glasses the boys -could make out the thousands and thousands of black and white birds that -covered the rocks from sea to summit. There were great white gannets, big -gray-and-white gulls, shining black cormorants, acres of swallow-tailed -terns, row after row of closely packed auks, puffins, and guillemots. -Even though the schooner was a mile or more from the rookeries, the -harsh cries and screams of the countless birds came to the boys’ ears in -raucous chorus. - -“Say, I thought there were a lot of birds down at Tristan da Cunha,” said -Jim. “But they weren’t a patch on these.” - -“Why, there must be millions of them!” agreed Tom. “Wouldn’t it be fun to -climb up there among ’em?” - -Constantly in the schooner’s wake also were flocks of birds and many of -these were strange to the boys. Some—big gray fellows with pearly white -breasts and enormously long wings—Mr. Kemp told them were shearwaters. -Others, that seemed constantly attacking the gulls and terns, and that -looked like swift-winged hawks with spiked tails, they learned were -jaegers and the captain told the boys these lived by robbing the other -birds, and a few snowy white creatures that Tom thought were sheathbills -were fulmar petrels, he was told. - -By now the weather was cold, cheerless, and chilly and the boys were glad -to don their winter clothes. Though the sun shone brightly, the wind was -raw and had winter’s bite and sting to it and the spray felt like ice -water as it dashed into the boys’ faces. - -“Whew, but it’s cold!” cried Tom as he came on deck one morning, and -buttoned his reefer and oilskins tighter. “Feels like midwinter. I -wonder—oh, say, Jim! Look here!” - -Fascinated, the two boys gazed about. On every hand, some within a -few hundred yards, others a mile or two distant, still others mere -ghostly forms upon the horizon, were scores of gleaming, shimmering, -rainbow-tinted icebergs. - -“Reckon there’s enough bergs to suit you!” exclaimed Captain Edwards. “I -never seen so pesky many of ’em so far south this time o’ year. Must ha’ -been a mighty cold winter up this way.” - -“Is that what makes it so cold?” asked Jim. - -“Yes,” replied the skipper, “a sailor can feel ice long before he sees -it, and there’s enough ’round us to keep all the whales in the sea in -cold storage for a million years.” - -All through the day the _Narwhal_ navigated slowly through the -berg-filled sea. Throughout the night the boys were constantly aroused -by shouts, the creaking of tackle, and the rushing feet of the crew as -the schooner turned, and tacked, and picked her perilous course among -the mountains of ice. But the next morning only a few distant bergs and -scattered masses of honeycombed floe ice were visible, and before noon -the gray shores of Labrador were sighted, with the little port of Hebron -straight ahead. - -To the boys it was a wonderfully novel experience to gaze shoreward at -this out-of-the-world village in the Arctic. They cried out in delight -when tiny, sharp-ended kayaks came dancing towards the _Narwhal_, with -their Eskimo occupants paddling furiously. But as the tiny, skin-covered -craft drew near, the boys were disappointed. - -“Oh pshaw!” cried Tom, “they don’t look like Eskimos. They’re not dressed -in furs, but are wearing dirty overalls and caps. They look like Chinese -dressed up like whalemen.” - -“Shure ’tis that they do!” agreed Mike, who stood near. “B’glory they do -be wan an’ the same specie with the haythen Chinee, I do be thinkin’.” - -“Ye’ll be seein’ plenty on ’em in hides an’ furs afore ye’re done,” -declared Cap’n Pem. “These here boys is whalin’ han’s, an’ is sort o’ -civ’lized. But ye don’t expect ’em to be a-wearin’ o’ a everlastin’ lot -o’ furs in this hot weather, do ye?” - -“Hot weather!” cried Jim. “_I_ call it cold.” - -The old whaleman chuckled. “Waall, by cricky, ye don’t know what’s -a-comin’ to ye, then!” he declared. “This here’s midsummer; but come -’long an’ meet these Eskimo lads.” - -The kayaks were now alongside and the Eskimos were clambering over the -schooner’s rails. They were a happy, good-natured-looking lot, with -broad yellow faces, flat noses, little slant, beady black eyes, wide -mouths, made still wider by a constant grin, and lank, stiff black hair -hanging to their shoulders. All looked so much alike that the boys could -not understand how any one could tell one from another, and all were -identical in the matter of dirtiness. - -“Whew, but they _are_ dirty!” exclaimed Jim. “I’ll bet they haven’t ever -taken a bath!” - -“And aren’t they little!” added Tom. “Why, they’re no bigger than boys.” - -But if the two boys were interested in the Eskimos, the latter were -simply fascinated with the boys, and gathered about them talking and -laughing and jabbering in their own tongue. - -Mr. Kemp, Cap’n Pem and the skipper were also busy conversing with two of -the Eskimos who appeared to be leaders or chiefs. When the second officer -addressed one of them in his own dialect, the filthy little fellow fairly -beamed with pleasure. - -Presently one of the men approached Tom and held out a greasy, -soot-blackened paw. “H’lo!” he exclaimed with a broad grin. “Me Unavik, -plenty good whaler feller, betcher life!” - -Tom laughed and shook hands gingerly. “Glad to know you, Unavik. My -name’s Tom. This is Jim, my cousin. You going along with us?” - -Unavik shook hands very cordially with Jim—far too cordially to suit him -in fact—and rolled his tiny eyes as he looked over the schooner. “Betcher -life!” he announced. “Gimme chew t’bac. How much feller you want?” - -“Oh, Mr. Kemp, get us some tobacco,” cried Tom, “this boy wants some.” - -“Boy!” exclaimed Mr. Kemp, as he tossed over some plugs of tobacco. “He’s -an old man—great-grandfather, I expect.” - -Unavik bit off a huge chunk of the plug, passed it to his companions, -and nodded his big head. “You betcher!” he mumbled. “Me ol’ feller. Got -fif’y year mebbe.” - -Then the other Eskimos began talking, telling their names—which the -boys could not remember or pronounce—jabbering away with their quaint -broken English, and surrounding the boys, so that they were thankful when -Captain Skinner broke up the party by inviting them to go ashore. - -Accompanied by the flotilla of kayaks, the boat pulled to the beach. To -the boys’ surprise they found that there were a number of white people in -the settlement; which contained several good buildings, a tiny church, a -little mission school, a post office, and a police station. - -There was also a low, rambling trading-post, presided over by a -red-faced, white-whiskered old Scotchman and this proved the most -interesting spot to the boys. - -Here was exactly the sort of place they had read about in stories—the -low-ceiled, big room with shelves piled with blankets, sacks of meal, -axes and knives, guns and ammunition, and great bales of furs. Antlers -and heads decorated the walls. There was a huge open hearth, snowshoes -and dog sledges were stacked in corners, polar bear skins covered the -floor and the stocky Eskimos, and even a few tall, grave-faced Indians, -were lounging about or dickering over a trade with the clerk. - -Here Captain Edwards secured a number of fur garments as well as other -supplies. Then with the boys he strolled about the village. The boys -had never stopped to realize that Eskimos did not dwell in ice igloos -all the time and they were greatly surprised to find them occupying -roughly built huts and much-patched tents of old canvas and skin. They -saw drying racks covered with thousands of salmon and other fish which -the Eskimo women—even more unkempt and dirty than the men—were cleaning -and splitting and suspending on the racks. They visited the church and -talked with the good-natured, rotund priest. They looked at the school -and watched the bright-eyed, broad-faced Eskimo kiddies striving to -master the rudiments of English and arithmetic. They even stopped for a -chat with the straight, clean-featured, bronzed-faced, military-looking -representative of the law. - -“Gosh, I never saw so many dogs!” exclaimed Tom as they walked back -toward the boat. “They simply swarm here.” - -Captain Edwards laughed and the police officer, who was with them, -smiled. - -“And I’ll warrant you never saw such pure bred mongrels!” he chuckled. - -“But they’re mighty useful to the natives—they hunt with them, use them -for teams and, if they’re hard up, eat them.” - -“Well, they look as if there’d be mighty little to eat on them,” declared -Jim. - -Taken altogether, there was not much to be seen, while the overpowering -smell of fish which filled the entire village almost nauseated the boys, -and they were mighty glad to be once more aboard the _Narwhal_. - -In the afternoon the boat again went ashore and returned packed with -Eskimo hands who had been signed on. The bundles of garments and other -things were hoisted aboard, and with the Eskimos helping the crew at the -capstan, the _Narwhal’s_ anchor was hoisted, the sails were spread, and -Hebron was left astern. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -THE BATTLE - - -Steadily, day after day, the _Narwhal_ continued on her way northward. -From morning until night—throughout the short night as well—bergs or floe -ice were constantly in sight; but the boys had become accustomed to such -things and scarcely gave the ice mountains a second glance. They had -spent hours searching each berg or ice cake they passed, in the hopes -of seeing another bear but, aside from an occasional seal or flocks of -birds, not a living creature was seen. - -The Eskimos, much to the boys’ surprise, proved splendid sailors. Always -at the mastheads men were on the lookout for whales. At times the -schooner wallowed slowly through the cold green seas, with barely enough -wind to enable the captain to steer clear of jagged cakes or towering -bergs. At other times, she tore storming through the tremendous waves -under shortened sails, rushing between giant bergs, crashing into masses -of drift ice hidden in the foam of breaking waves. Again she would rest -motionless, becalmed, shrouded in dense fogs, while resounding through -the impenetrable mist came the roar of surf on bergs, the crashing of -falling ice masses, and the shrill screams of sea birds. Then every man -was on the alert, peering with straining eyes into the blanket of fog. A -dozen times the boys’ hearts seemed to skip a beat, as, close at hand, a -vast white phantom loomed suddenly from the fog, and the _Narwhal_ rocked -and rolled to the backwash of the giant seas breaking upon ice. Again -and again, too, the schooner drifted so dangerously close to a berg that -boats were lowered and, straining at the oars, the men towed the heavy -vessel clear. - -“Funny thing, that,” remarked Mr. Kemp, as the _Narwhal_ was thus being -dragged from a towering berg. “Put two ships, or a berg and a ship, in -the middle of the sea and the blamed things’ll drif’ together—jes as if -they loved comp’ny.” - -“That is funny, though I never thought of it before,” said Tom. “Don’t -you suppose it’s currents or something?” - -“Nope,” declared the second officer, “just chuck a couple of matches into -a basin of water an’ leave ’em be, an’ you’ll see they’re boun’ to git -side of each other.” - -“Say, I have noticed that!” exclaimed Jim. “What’s the reason?” - -“Give her up,” replied Mr. Kemp. “Mystery to me, but then there’s a heap -of mysteries at sea.” - -The boys had been greatly surprised too to find that they could see -throughout the night, that there was no darkness, and that the sun set -like a dull yellow ball, hung at the rim of the sea for a space, and -almost before it disappeared, popped up again. - -“Gosh, I never realized we were where the sun never sets,” cried Tom the -first time he noticed this. “Somehow I can’t believe we’re way up here in -the Arctic.” - -The boys were vastly interested and fascinated in the Northern Lights, -although compared with the midnight sun, they were faint and pale. -Captain Edwards told them they would see the sight of their lives when -winter came, and the Aurora blazed in all its glory. - -But all these things grew tedious, and the boys longed for a whale to -be seen, or for some exciting thing to happen. Then one day the shout -so long expected rang from the masthead, and at the cry, “She blows!” -all was excitement. Leaping into the shrouds, the two boys ran up the -rigging. As Captain Edwards’ shout of, “Where away?” was answered by, -“Three points off the lee bow!” the boys stared in that direction to -see two little fountains of spray rise above the waves, and two immense -rounded black objects break the water. - -“Hurrah! there’re two of them,” cried Tom. “Oh, Captain Edwards, can’t we -go after them?” - -“Not a bit of it!” snapped the skipper. “I ain’t riskin’ your lives goin’ -on whales!” - -“Well, suppose the owners order you to take us?” demanded Jim. - -Captain Edwards scowled and tried to look savage. “Have to ’bey orders, I -guess.” - -“Well, then you’re ordered!” yelled the boys in chorus, and without -waiting to hear the skipper’s comment, they raced toward Cap’n Pem’s boat -and leaped into it with the men. - -“Here, what the tarnation ye doin’ in here?” demanded Cap’n Pem as he saw -the two boys. “This here boat ain’t no place fer youngsters.” - -“Owners’ orders,” grinned Tom, “come on, Cap’n Pem, or Mr. Kemp’ll get -those whales ahead of you.” - -“Waall, I’ll be blowed!” exclaimed the old whaleman, as he entered -the boat. “Annyhow, mind ye keep still an’ don’t go a-screechin’ or -a-talkin’. Bowheads has derned sharp ears.” - -“All right, we’ll be as still as mice,” promised Jim. - -To the boys’ surprise, the men did not take to their oars, but set up the -short mast and spritsail in the boat. With Cap’n Pem at the rudder, they -went speeding before the wind toward the two whales. - -Mr. Kemp’s boat was also sailing swiftly toward the huge creatures and -neck and neck the two little craft danced over the long green seas. Then, -shifting the helm slightly, Cap’n Pem swung around and held his course -directly towards the heads of the monsters. - -“Gee, that’s funny,” whispered Tom. “When they rowed after those whales -on the _Hector_ they always went at them towards the tail. They’ll see -the boat coming this way, sure.” - -A minute later Cap’n Pem raised his hand and the men silently and quickly -furled the sail and unshipped the mast. Pulling noiselessly on the oars, -the crew drove the boat closer and closer to their quarry. The two whales -were swimming slowly along, now and then sinking below the surface until -they were almost invisible, and then rising high and blowing. The boys -noticed that the little columns of vapor rose from the middle of the -creatures’ heads instead of from the tip of the noses as was the case -with the sperm whales they had seen. - -Tom nudged Jim. “That’s one thing I’ve learned,” he whispered. “You can -tell a bowhead whale from a sperm by the blow.” - -“Ssh!” muttered Jim. “Cap’n Pem’s scowling at us.” - -The boat steerer had now unsheathed his harpoon and was standing in the -bow and the boys, glancing towards the other boat, saw that Mr. Kemp’s -boat steerer had done the same. Evidently both men would strike at almost -the same moment and the boys hardly knew whether to keep their eyes fixed -on their own harpoonier or the other. Nearer and nearer to the great -black creatures the boat crept. The boys could see the huge curved upper -jaws, the gray fringed masses of whalebone in the animals’ mouths and -even the rough growth of great barnacles on the whales’ noses. Then, -when it seemed as though the boat would bump into the nearest monster, -the craft was deftly swung to one side. It slipped past the enormous -head and, before the surprised whale could dive or dodge, the harpoonier -lurched forward with a grunt, and the immense, heavy, barbed iron struck -the whale with a sickening thud. Instantly the men backed water furiously -and not a second too soon. With a crash that almost stunned the boys, -the whale’s stupendous flukes struck the water within a yard of the -frail boat, sending a deluge of water over the occupants, and the next -instant the boat was being hurtled through the sea at a terrific pace -as the stricken whale strove to escape the stinging iron in its side. -White-faced, gripping the gunwale tightly, the boys stole a hurried -glance towards Mr. Kemp’s boat and saw that he too was fast. But unlike -their own craft, which was being towed at express-train speed, the second -mate’s boat was being whirled in circles as the whale milled. - -Hardly had the two boys noticed this, when their craft tipped perilously. -Green water poured over the rail as the whale altered his course. There -was a warning shout from Cap’n Pem and the boys saw that they were headed -directly towards Mr. Kemp’s boat. - -“Git ready to cut loose!” yelled Cap’n Pem. “Dod gast the critter, we’ll -foul Kemp!” - -At his cry, one of the men started forward to seize the hatchet. But -as he raised it, the whale again turned, the boat almost capsized and -the man, in his frantic effort to prevent himself from being thrown -overboard, dropped the hatchet which flashed into the sea. - -Before he could whip out his sheath knife, the whale had dashed across -the line fast to the second mate’s boat. The two crafts careened, rocked, -zigzagged wildly and crashed together with a bump that tumbled the -occupants from their seats. Then, before the dazed and struggling men -could act, the two boats were dashing through the sea with rails together -and with the two whales tearing at topmost speed side by side as though -having a race. - -“Let ’em go, dod gast ’em!” screamed Cap’n Pem. “Never seed nothin’ like -it afore. Stand ready to cut loose ef they mill or soun’!” - -Onwards the two creatures sped. The schooner was miles astern and then, -so suddenly that the skilled steersmen could not swerve their craft one -of the whales checked his onward rush and sounded. The next instant he -rose within a dozen rods of the terrified boys, and, with thunderous, -crashing, terrific blows of his huge tail, strove to demolish the boat -and his enemies. - -Speechless with deadly fear, the boys cowered in the boat, while -seemingly over their heads the great black mass of flukes waved and -whipped, striking down to right, to left, in front of the frail -cockleshell of a boat, half filling it with water churned up by the -fearful, irresistible blows. The men strained and shouted and pulled -frantically, grim-faced, wild-eyed and with superhuman efforts dodging -the lashing, death-dealing flukes by a hair’s breadth. - -To the boys it seemed hours that they were within that awful danger zone. -Each second they expected to be tossed high in air, bruised, battered, -crushed amid the shattered planks and timbers of the boat. - -Then there was a sickening crash as Mr. Kemp’s boat banged into them. For -a moment the two craft were locked tight and then the second mate’s boat -leaped ahead, dragging Pem’s boat with it. Scarcely had it moved a yard, -when the great trip-hammer tail struck a fearful blow where it had been -an instant before, and, as the boat sprang into the air on the upflung -wave, the second mate’s boat drew free and flew off after the whale to -which it was fast. - -“Go in!” yelled Cap’n Pem excitedly. “We’ll git him!” - -At his words, he dropped the steering oar, scrambled forward and, as the -boat steerer reached the stern and seized the big oar, the grizzled old -whaleman braced his wooden leg against the knee chock and seized a bomb -lance. Then he tossed the weapon down, unsheathed the long, keen-bladed -hand lance, and poised it ready to strike. Bobbing on the water, still -being churned up by the furious creature’s tail, the boat crept close. -The boys’ hearts seemed to cease beating as they saw the great mountain -of black skin almost within arm’s length. Now but a few feet separated -the boat from the maddened whale. Cap’n Pem gathered himself for the -death stroke; the boat’s bows seemed almost to touch the whale’s side, -when, without warning, the great body sank beneath the sea and, drawn by -the swirling suction of the whale submerging, the boat leaped forwards -directly over the creature’s back. But the gray-headed old veteran of a -hundred battles with giant whales was not to be cheated of his prey. As -the boat lurched forward into the eddying froth above the whale, Cap’n -Pem leaned over the boat’s bow, and with a shout drove the long lance -straight down. - -The next instant the boat was flung high. It careened dizzily, oars were -wrenched from the men’s hands and, as the mortally wounded whale flung -himself up, the craft slid like a toboggan from his back, buried its -bow beneath a wave, rose sluggishly, and swung around broadside to the -thrashing, rolling mass of pain-crazed flesh and blood and bone. - -So close was the boat to the whale’s side that the men struggled to -fend it off by their oars. With wild yells and shouts, Cap’n Pem warned -them to keep close; for all around them the awful tail was striking, -crashing, whipping, as the dying whale lashed the water into a maelstrom -of foam and, only by keeping the boat so close to the monster that his -tail could not reach them, could their lives be saved. - -That they could escape seemed impossible. They were in the very center -of a cyclone of mortal peril, a circle of death, and even the tough, -fearless, experienced whalemen grew white-faced. Their jaws were hard set -and they knew that any second might spell their doom. - -Then, with one stupendous effort, the whale reared its head high. The -flukes swept above the boat, a crimson column spurted from the monster’s -head and, with a whistling sigh like escaping steam, the whale rolled -upon its side, dead. - -“Fin up!” screamed Cap’n Pem. “By Moses, that there was the closest shave -I ever seen. Jes dumb luck, nothin’ more!” - -At this instant a strange sound issued from the bottom of the whaleboat. -Cap’n Pem’s jaw fell. The men stared at one another wonderingly. - -“What’s thet?” gasped the old whaleman. - -Tom leaned forward, reached into a locker and drew out—the black cat! - -Cap’n Pem’s eyes seemed about to burst from their sockets. “Waall, I’ll -be——” he began and then stood staring absolutely bereft of speech as Tom -dragged out the canvas bucket and disclosed four blinking-eyed kittens. - -“Now what about bad luck!” he cried triumphantly. - -Cap’n Pem scratched his head, frowned and spat over the boat’s side. “I -calc’late them kittens must ha’ changed the luck,” he declared. “I don’t -recollec’ ever hearin’ o’ sech a thing afore. But jes the same, I’ll bet -ye if that there cat hadn’t been ’long of us, we’d never ha’ had all this -here fracas. Wussedest fight I ever seed.” - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -THE GLACIER - - -Now that the excitement was over and the boys had a chance to look about, -they searched the sea for Mr. Kemp. But nowhere was he to be seen. Then -their glance turned towards the schooner, and Tom uttered a frightened -cry. - -“The _Narwhal_’s gone!” - -Cap’n Pem turned from where he was directing the men as they labored to -get a fluke chain about the dead whale’s tail, shaded his eyes and swept -a swift glance around the horizon. “Reckon she are,” he remarked quite -undisturbed. “Get a waif up, Nate,” he continued, addressing the boat -steerer. “Swan if I know whar she be. An’ looks like Kemp’s hull down, -too.” - -“But what will we do?” cried Jim. “How can we get to the _Narwhal_?” - -“Won’t,” replied the old whaleman, once more bending to his work. “Let -the schooner come to us. Reckon the skipper hain’t los’ track o’ us.” - -“Ye see,” explained the boat steerer as he fastened a red flag to the -mast and, with two of the men to help him, stepped the spar, “folks -’board the schooner can see us a heap farther than we kin see them. -They’ll be havin’ a lookout to the to’gallan’ crosstrees an’ keep track -o’ where we be.” - -“Oh, I understand,” said Tom. “But say, Nate, why did you go for the head -of that whale? When we were on the _Hector_ they were always careful to -go on them from the tail end.” - -“Them was sparm whales,” replied the boat steerer. “A sparm whale kin -see for’rard but not aft, an’ a right whale or bowhead kin see aft an’ -not for’rard. ’Sides, a sparm fights mos’ly with his jaw an’ a right or -a bowhead fights with his flukes. ‘Bewar’ o’ a sparm’s jaws an’ a right -whale’s flukes,’ is a ol’ whalin’ motter.” - -“But what’s become of Mr. Kemp, do you suppose?” queried Jim. “Do you -think anything’s happened to him?” - -“Naw, I guess he’s jus’ been towed out o’ sight,” declared Nate. “Anyhow -it’s every man for hisself a-goin’ arter whales. Reckon the Old Man kin -see him.” - -The fluke chain was now fast about the whale’s “small,” as the portion -of the creature’s body near the tail is called, and the boat, fastened -to it by the stout hemp line, rode as steadily and as easily as though -moored to an island. The immense carcass formed a lee, and the oil oozing -from his wounds, smoothed the water, making a broad “slick.” - -“Purty good-sized critter,” commented Cap’n Pem, as he seated himself and -lit his pipe. “Bet ye he’ll turn a hundred bar’ls, an’ nigh half a ton o’ -bone. Put up a right smart fight though—blowed if he didn’t. Waall, boys, -how did ye like the fun?” - -“Fine, now it’s over,” laughed Jim. “But I admit I wished I was on the -_Narwhal_ a good many times while that old whale was thrashing around -with his flukes.” - -“Gosh, but he did come near smashing us!” cried Tom. “Just the same, I’m -glad we were here, and that the first time we went in on a whale he was a -fighter. Say, won’t the boys back home open their eyes when we tell them -about this?” - -“Oh, there’s the _Narwhal_!” exclaimed Jim, who had stood up and was -gazing about. “And not a bit where I expected her to be.” - -“Waall, if ye could ha’ kep’ track o’ which way was which, ye’d ’a been -a heap sight better’n I be at keepin’ my bearin’s,” chuckled Cap’n Pem. -“By heck, fer a spell I actooaly did think that there ol’ whale was -a-goin’ fer to git the best on us.” - -“Would have if ye hadn’t a-fetched him as we run over his back,” declared -one of the men. “By glory, Cap’n, that was some stunt ye pulled off. But -say, it mos’ made me split, a-seein’ of ye a-diggin’ that lance into the -water like as if ye was a-spearin’ eels.” - -“Shucks, that weren’t nothin’,” declared Cap’n Pem. “I don’ calc’late to -miss a chanct even if the dumb critter do sound jes when I’m a-gettin’ -ready fer to lance him.” - -“But he almost wrecked us!” exclaimed Tom. “If he’d come up a second -sooner, he would have capsized the boat and we’d all have been drowned or -smashed by his flukes.” - -The old whaleman chuckled. “Waall, I reckon we mought ha’ been,” he -admitted. “But we wasn’t. ’Sides, no whaleman never thinks o’ sech -things. We wuz out fer to git this here whale, and it’s git him or git -stove.” - -“But why didn’t you use the bomb lance?” asked Jim. “You had a good -chance.” - -“Look here, son,” said the old man petulantly. “I was brung up along with -a reg’lar iron an’ a reg’lar lance. These here new-fangled contraptions -may be all right fer them as likes ’em, but give me the old fashion’ -weepons every time. By gum, I want ter see whar I’m a-drivin’ o’ the -lance at. ’Sides, any dumb-foozled lan’lubber could git whales by a -settin’ off an’ a-shootin’ of ’em. They ain’t no sport in it.” - -By now the _Narwhal_ was within a quarter of a mile of the boat. As her -yards were swung and she was hove to, the men picked up their oars and -headed for the schooner. As they drew alongside, Cap’n Pem shouted up to -Captain Edwards and asked if they had seen the second officer’s boat. - -“No, he was towed hull down,” replied the skipper. “But we can fetch him -all right. Just stick a waif in that whale, get your boat aboard and -we’ll run down to him.” - -One of the men scrambled on to the whale’s body, and drove a sharp -pointed iron bar bearing a flag at the end into the carcass. Then, -casting loose the line to the fluke chain, the crew clambered on to the -schooner and hoisted the boat to its davits. - -“Well, boys, how did you like it?” asked Captain Edwards as Tom and Jim -reached the deck. “Had a right pretty tussle—I was watchin’ you from -aloft.” - -“Fine!” declared Tom. “But we _were_ scared some of the time, and oh, we -had a great joke on Cap’n Pem! The cat was in the boat and she had four -kittens.” - -The skipper roared. “Well, that must have broken the spell!” he -exclaimed. “What did Pem say?” - -“Same thing,” replied Jim, “but he added that if it hadn’t been for the -cat we wouldn’t have had so much trouble.” - -“Waall, I bet ye that’s so!” burst out the old whaleman. “An’ there’ll be -other bad luck a-comin’ from the dumb critter.” - -“B’ the powers!” exclaimed Mike who stood near. “’Tis a ol’ fool yez be. -Shure, didn’t yez know a cat bein’ afther havin’ kits aboorrd a ship do -be the foinest luck in the world? B’gorra ’tis four av thim yez is afther -sayin’? Thin ’tis four whales yez should be afther gettin’.” - -Instantly, as usual, the two one-legged old sailors began to argue, and -the boys and the captain turned away to let them have it out. Presently, -from the masthead, came a shout that the missing boat was sighted. Soon -it was visible from the deck. But the boys, even with their glasses, -could not distinguish a whale fast to Mr. Kemp’s boat. - -“I wonder if they lost it,” said Jim. “Say, if they did, Cap’n Pem will -swear it was the cat.” - -But a moment later, Tom’s sharp eyes spied a tiny rag fluttering above -the waves some distance from the second mate’s boat. “There’s the whale!” -he shouted. “See, it’s got a waif on it.” - -“You’re right,” agreed Jim. And then a moment later, “Gosh, Tom, is that -another waif—over there to the west of the boat?” - -Tom looked steadily for a moment. “Golly, it is!” he cried. “Oh, Captain -Edwards, they’ve got two whales!” - -“What?” cried the skipper hurrying to the boys and taking Tom’s glasses. -“By the great red herring, you’re right!” - -“Why in tarnation ain’t he fas’ to ’em?” cried Captain Pem, who had -stopped his discussion with Mike at the boys’ announcement. - -“Expect he was pullin’ for the ship and couldn’t tow ’em,” said the -skipper. - -A few minutes later they were within hailing distance. Then the schooner -was hove to, and the boat drew alongside. - -“See you had good luck, Mr. Kemp!” cried the Captain heartily. “Pem got a -big bull too—put up purtiest tussle I ever seen—and that’s three bowheads -in a afternoon! Guess Mike’s right about those kittens, boys! Only need -one more whale to make the four!” - -Mr. Kemp grinned. “If you’ll jus’ run down to the east’ard a couple o’ -miles, you’ll find t’other one,” he announced. - -“What in thunder ye talkin’ ’bout?” cried Cap’n Pem, staring at the -second mate as though he thought he had gone mad. “Ye don’t mean to stan’ -there an’ say—oh, ’tain’t nat’ral!” - -“True jus’ the same,” grinned Mr. Kemp. “I beat ye by two bowheads, Pem.” - -“Shure, Oi knowed it,” commented Mike. “B’gorra, ’tis hopin’ the blessed -cat’ll be afther havin’ o’ kittens iviry day, b’jabbers.” - -Every one aboard the schooner was in high spirits over the phenomenal -luck of getting four whales in one day, and as one after the other of the -big carcasses were picked up and made fast by stout hemp lines, the men -sang and laughed. Nate, the harpoonier, roared out the quaint song: - - My father’s a hedger and ditcher, - My mother does nothing but spin, - While I hunt whales for my living, - Good Lord, how the money comes in! - -And lustily all joined in the chorus, for thousands of dollars had been -won in the past few hours, and every member of the _Narwhal’s_ crew would -share in the prize. Even old Captain Pem grudgingly agreed that he could -find no fault with the ship’s luck, and admitted the black cat’s spell -must have been broken. “But don’t fergit weather’s allers ca’mest jes -afore a squall,” he said as a parting shot. - -Mr. Kemp’s three bowheads were soon alongside, but that taken by Cap’n -Pem’s boat was several miles distant, and the schooner could make no -progress with the light wind with the three huge carcasses in tow. - -“Now aren’t you glad we had that motor put in?” asked Tom of Cap’n Pem, -as Mike started the motor and, with the staccato reports of the exhaust -echoing over the Arctic sea, the _Narwhal_ slowly pushed through the -long swells, with the dead whales like a string of deeply laden barges -trailing astern. - -“Waall, I reckon I got ter admit ’tis a bit handy,” replied the old -whaleman. “An’ I ain’t so all-fired ol’ fashioned I can’t admit it, -neither. An’ time we gits inter the ice pack, I reckon it’ll come in -mighty useful, too. But jes the same I ain’t got no use fer bumb lances -nor dartin’ guns, nor such new-fangled contraptions. No, siree, my father -and my granther used good, hand-wrought irons, an’ what was good ernough -fer them’s good ernough for me, by cricky.” - -With the four whales alongside, cutting in and boiling began in earnest, -and so anxious was the crew to get the oil and bone stowed and start -after more whales, that they worked almost without cessation, cutting -their periods or watches of rest to half the usual time. - -“Mighty glad we took them Eskimos aboard over to Hebron,” remarked Mr. -Kemp, as he paused a moment from his labors and watched the busy brown -men, who had stripped to the waist and were scrambling about, jabbering -incessantly, reminding the boys of a group of big monkeys. “And that -‘boy’ as you called him, Unavik, is a corker. Guess we’ll make him boss -of the Eskimo bunch.” - -A little later Unavik approached the two boys, grinning from ear to ear, -covered with grease and soot, and gnawing at a strip of raw blubber. -“H’lo!” he exclaimed. “Plenty work me tell. Suppose you no got chew -t’bac?” - -“No, but I’ll get you some,” said Tom, and hurrying to the cabin he -returned with a plug. - -The Eskimo bit a huge piece from the tobacco, tore off a mouthful of the -blubber and industriously chewing both together smacked his lips. - -“Gosh, but that must be _some_ combination!” exclaimed Jim. - -“I suppose it’s a regular treat to him,” said Tom. “But it makes me sick -just to think of eating that oily blubber, not to mention the tobacco.” - -“All right, me go work, you betcher!” ejaculated Unavik as soon as he -could talk. “You good frien’. Bimeby me go ’long hunt bear ’side you -feller.” Stuffing the tobacco in his grease-soaked trousers, the Eskimo -hurried back to the cutting stage. - -All through the night, with the Aurora flickering above the northern -horizon, and with the dull orange sun just visible upon the southern rim -of the sea, the men toiled on. All through the following day the dripping -strips of blubber were hauled on deck, the mincing knives thudded through -the greasy mass upon the horse, the try works belched thick columns of -black smoke, the cooper’s hatchet rang incessantly as casks were headed -up, the tackles groaned and whined as the filled barrels were lowered -into the hold, great masses of the whalebone were piled on deck and -carcass after carcass, having been stripped of its precious covering of -blubber, was cut loose and drifted slowly away from the ship. - -Screaming, screeching, and squawking, a vast flock of sea birds had -gathered about, swooping fearlessly among the men to tear bits of -flesh and blubber from the whales. The birds rested by hundreds upon -the grease-slicked water, sweeping back and forth above the decks, and -hovering in clouds above the discarded, floating bodies. Never had the -boys seen so many birds. They spent hours watching them as they sailed -and wheeled and fought over the scraps and offal. Then at last the fourth -carcass was cast adrift, the final pieces of blubber were boiled, the -smoke from the try works dwindled and died out, the casks were stowed, -and with over three hundred barrels of oil and more than two tons of -choice bone in her hold, the schooner’s sails were hoisted. The men -cleaned and swabbed the decks, and onward into the north and east the -_Narwhal_ held her course. - -For two days the schooner sailed steadily on, but no whale, no tiny puff -of spray, broke the even surface of the sea. On the third morning, the -boys glanced ahead to see soft gray mountains looming against the sky. - -“Greenland!” announced Mr. Kemp who was on watch. - -“Gosh, it doesn’t seem possible,” exclaimed Tom, gazing fixedly at the -distant land. “Now we really _are_ in the Arctic. Will we have a chance -to go ashore, Mr. Kemp?” - -“Guess you will,” replied the second officer. “The skipper’s goin’ to get -some more Eskimos yonder—puttin’ into Disko Bay. Shouldn’t wonder if he -did some sealin’ or walrus huntin’ too.” - -“Hurrah! won’t it be great to say we’ve really been in Greenland?” cried -Jim. “Golly, I never realized there were mountains there though.” - -Rapidly the land grew more distinct. The boys could see deep bays—which -Captain Edwards told them were fiords—great clefts cut far into the -cliffs and marvelously colored with soft purples, mauves and blue. Here -and there a valley between the hills gleamed green as an emerald, while -vast, glistening, white masses of ice and snow zigzagged through narrow -defiles. Stretching seaward from the shores was a broad white plain that -rose and fell and moved like a restless white sea. - -“What _is_ that white?” asked Tom who could not make it out. - -“Shore ice, pan ice,” replied the captain. “Tide and wind sets it -inshore, but it’s all pretty mushy now. Look, there’s a bit of it ahead.” - -Bobbing up and down upon the waves, gleaming like silver in the sunshine, -the boys saw several acres of drifting ice. As the schooner slipped by -it, they exclaimed in delight at the wonderful beauty of the vivid green -and blue of the submerged parts of the ice. - -“Why, the water’s as clear as in the West Indies!” exclaimed Jim. “And -almost as blue. Say, I always thought this place was dull and gray and -covered with ice and snow, and it’s as fresh and lovely as anything. Now -I know why it’s called Greenland.” - -“Oh, what’s that big white wall there?” cried Tom. - -“It looks like a great white cliff.” - -The skipper glanced shoreward. “That’s a glacier,” he replied. “River of -ice, like. They’re what make icebergs.” - -“How on earth can they make icebergs?” asked Jim, studying the -precipitous face of the glacier. - -“Water cuts under ’em and they break off, and the pieces are the bergs,” -explained the captain. “That’s what we call calving.” - -“Well, it’s the prettiest colored thing I’ve ever seen,” declared Jim. -“It’s for all the world like a giant opal and constantly changing. Gosh, -it doesn’t look like any ice I ever saw.” - -The _Narwhal_ was now sailing close to the outer edge of the pack ice and -a sharp lookout was kept for seals or whales. Then, rounding a jutting -cape, the boys saw a deep blue fiord with a stupendous glacier leading -down a great valley to the rocky beach. The mouth of the fiord was clear -of ice, and so the _Narwhal’s_ course was shifted, and she slipped into -the dark shadows of the towering cliffs. The water, calm as a millpond, -was deepest indigo, and upon it the rocky heights and the great glacier -were reflected as in a burnished mirror. Fascinated, the boys were gazing -at the beautiful picture when the lookout’s hail reached the deck. “_Pod_ -o’ seal over to wind’ard,” he shouted. “Close in shore!” - -Captain Edwards sprang into the rigging, gazed in the direction indicated -and leaped back to the deck. “Harps!” he announced. “We’ll have a try for -’em. Stand by to lower away the port boat. Mr. Kemp, you take charge, -you’ve had more experience with them critters than any one else.” - -“Can we go?” asked Tom. - -“Guess you can,” responded the captain, “no danger sealin’.” - -In a few moments the boat was in the water, the sealing clubs, with guns -and rifles, were placed in readiness, and with a will the crew pulled -toward the dark specks that marked the dozing, unsuspecting seals. - -As they drew near shore, the mountains seemed to overhang the boat, and -the face of the glacier loomed enormous against the background of the -hills. Here and there, grounded on bars or shoals, were small bergs and -one enormous one, with lofty pinnacles like the many spires of a great -cathedral, was floating majestically near the head of the fiord. From the -cliffs, where they stood in endless rows, the auks, guillemots, puffins, -and cormorants gazed down and protested in raucous cries. Presently the -boys could distinguish the seals—great brownish yellow creatures with -dark harp-shaped markings on their backs—a hundred or more, drawn far up -on the shore among the rotting cakes of ice and sleeping soundly in the -warm summer sunshine. - -Silently the boat crept nearer. Without a sound, it grated against the -shore. Armed with their clubs and one or two firearms, the men leaped -towards the herd. Instantly the seals were awake, their heads were thrown -up, their big lustrous eyes turned wonderingly. Then in terror at the -onrushing horde of men, with short sharp barks and yelps of fear, they -commenced scrambling towards the sea and safety. But the men, led by the -Eskimos, had spread in a half circle. They were between the seals and -the water. As the first panic-stricken creatures reached the shouting, -yelling crew, the heavy clubs rose and fell with dull, sickening thuds. -The seals dropped dying in their tracks and the others, turning, strove -blindly to get away from these new enemies. - -“Gosh, it makes me sick!” exclaimed Tom as he saw the slaughter of the -poor helpless creatures. “It’s worse than killing sea elephants. No more -sealing for me!” - -“Nor me either,” declared Jim, “it’s just murder. And aren’t they pretty -things!” - -In a few moments it was all over. The beach and ice were strewn with -the dead seals—not a single one had escaped—and the men, flushed and -perspiring with exertion, and shouting triumphantly, tossed aside their -bludgeons and commenced stripping the hides from the dead seals. - -The two boys shouldered their rifles and started along the beach -towards the glacier, now and then stopping to pick up some odd shell -or bright-colored pebble. Once they came to a tiny brook brawling over -the stones and followed it into a little valley, rich green with grass -and brilliant with scarlet poppies and bright golden yellow flowers. -From almost under Tom’s feet, a ptarmigan whirred up and stopping, the -boys discovered the nest filled to overflowing with the heavily spotted -brown eggs. A moment later Jim had his turn as he flushed a black and -white snow bunting and found its cleverly hidden nest and spotted green -eggs in their bed of fur and down. All about, from waving weeds stalks -and jutting bowlders, buntings and longspurs, gray sparrows and dainty -horned larks twittered and sang. From far up in the blue sky came a sweet -rollicking song as a lark soared and bubbled over with joy. The boys, -seating themselves on a ledge of rock, looked silently about, enjoying -the peaceful scene and unable to believe that this warm sun, these bright -flowers, these trilling birds were in far-off Greenland, a land they had -always pictured as barren, desolate, and cold. Then, as they retraced -their steps towards the beach, Jim jumped as a big Arctic hare leaped -from its resting place and went bounding off among the rocks. - -“Whew, he _was_ a whopper!” cried Tom. “Why didn’t you shoot him, Jim? -He’d have tasted fine for a change from canned meat.” - -Jim laughed. “I was so startled I forgot I had a gun,” he admitted, “and -say, I’m rather glad I did. Somehow I’d hate to shoot anything here, it’s -so pretty and happy.” - -“Well, I guess we can struggle along without stewed rabbit for a while -yet,” said Tom. “It does seem kind of a shame to kill anything here.” - -“The men aren’t half through yet,” announced Jim as the two boys reached -the beach once more. “Say, Tom, let’s walk over to the glacier.” - -“All right,” agreed Tom readily, “it isn’t far and it will be fine to see -it close to. Say, doesn’t the _Narwhal_ look like a speck off there—with -all these big hills round!” - -“Yes,” assented Jim, “and just think of how she looked when we first saw -her being towed into Fair Haven. Say, Tom, it’s almost weird, looking at -her off there and with us here and thinking she’s that same old tub we -saw, and that we came clear up here on her.” - -“Yep, and that we’re her principal owners,” chuckled Tom. - -So, talking and chatting, the two drew closer and closer to the towering -face of the great glacier. Presently they stopped to admire the play -of colors in the mighty mass of ice and, to get a clearer view, they -clambered up the steep slope of the rocky hillside. They were standing -there, gazing at the gigantic face of the glacier, when there was a -splintering, awful roar, the whole end of the glacier plunged forward -like a falling mountain and, as the crash of its fall echoed and -reverberated from the hills, a mighty, foaming, surging wave came hissing -and roaring up the beach. Never had the boys seen such a huge comber. -Green and irresistible, it raced straight towards them, the mighty swell -raised by the plunge of the stupendous mass of ice. The boys, already -startled and frightened half out of their wits by the deafening crash of -the falling ice, stood breathless and wide-eyed, watching the oncoming -wave that threatened to engulf them. - -But they were just beyond its reach. With the upflung spray drenching -them to the skin, the wave dashed itself against the rocks at their feet -and then, with a sullen growl, drew back. Again and again the big waves -came tearing in, but each was smaller than the preceding, and soon the -beach stretched smooth and clear to the gently lapping ripples. - -“Whew! it was lucky we climbed up here!” exclaimed Jim. “Say, it wouldn’t -have been any fun to have been down on the beach.” - -“Or alongside that glacier,” added Tom. “Jiminy, look at that berg! We -_are_ lucky! We’ve seen a glacier calving!” - -“And it’s _some_ calf!” cried Jim, as he gazed at the enormous berg which -but a few moments before had been a portion of the glacier. - -“And look at the _Narwhal_!” exclaimed Tom. - -The schooner was tossing and bobbing as if beset by a tempest, the masts -cutting great arcs against the sky, the bow shipping green water, white -froth pouring from the scuppers. - -“Golly, that berg _did_ set a sea going!” ejaculated Jim. “I’ll bet Cap’n -Pem’ll swear it was all due to the cat.” - -“Well, it’s no bad luck anyhow, unless—Say! Jim, how about the men? Gosh! -perhaps they were drowned or smashed by the waves. Come on, let’s beat -it!” - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -WHALES AND WHALES - - -Shouts assured the boys that the men were still there long before they -rounded a point and came in sight of the scene of the killing. They had -not escaped unscathed. The rending crash of the falling ice had warned -them and, knowing what would follow, they had raced up the beach beyond -reach of the waves. But the boat, lifted on the tremendous sea, had been -left high and dry, wedged among the rocks and ice, hopelessly shattered. -The bodies of the seals had been scattered far and wide. Some were -floating far from shore, others had been cast high on the beach. The -skins which had already been stripped from the creatures were rolled and -tossed among the rocks for a hundred yards up and down the shore. The men -searched out the pelts and proceeded to skin the remaining seals. A waif -had been raised on the boat’s mast to attract attention of those on the -schooner, and as the boys arrived at the spot another boat was speeding -across the bay towards them. - -“Hello!” cried Mr. Kemp as he caught sight of the boys. “I was just about -settin’ off to look for you. Feared you might ha’ been catched in that -wave or somethin’. Where was you?” - -“We were on the way to the glacier,” said Tom, “and got up on a rock to -see it better when it calved.” - -“Darned lucky you wasn’t ’longside of it,” declared the second officer. -“Don’t never go foolin’ ’round a glacier this time of year. Never can -tell when they’re goin’ to bust loose. Stove our boat too, darn it.” - -By the time the second boat arrived, the last of the seals was skinned. -Piling the hides and the contents of the stove boat into the other craft, -and dragging the shattered boat to the water, the party set out for the -_Narwhal_, towing the injured craft. - -“By gum, didn’t I tell ye thet cat was a-goin’ fer to bring bad luck?” -exclaimed old Pem as the boys and Mr. Kemp climbed over the rail, and the -old whaleman saw the boat with its shattered planking. - -“Oh, dry up!” burst out the second officer. “Don’t care if you are mate, -you’re an old croaker. Ain’t nothin’ to do with the puss. You know’s well -as any one glaciers is always calving in summer.” - -Cap’n Pem’s eyes opened in wonder and he stared speechless at Mr. Kemp. -Twice he opened his mouth as if about to speak, but both times he failed. -At last, shaking his grizzled head dolefully, he turned and walked away. - -Soon the schooner was again under way, chugging out of the fiord under -her own power. Once more in the open sea, she heeled to the wind and bore -northward for Disko Bay. As she came in sight of Disko Island, passing -close to the many islets at the bay’s mouth, the boys were enthusiastic -over the beauty of the scene. Presently they caught sight of a little -cluster of huts and tents before which a row of kayaks were drawn upon -the beach. - -Before the _Narwhal’s_ anchor plunged overboard the schooner was -surrounded by the little bobbing skin canoes. To the boys’ joy they saw -that these Eskimos were clad in skins and were exactly like the pictures -they had always seen of these people. The Eskimo hands on the schooner -greeted them with yells and chattered rapidly with them. Presently the -newcomers were scrambling on to the _Narwhal’s_ deck. But at close -quarters these Greenland Eskimos proved as greasy and filthy as those the -boys had seen at Hebron. - -“I never saw such dirty people!” exclaimed Tom as he edged away from the -ill-smelling crowd. - -“Don’t be expectin’ of ’em to be nothin’ else, do ye?” said Cap’n Pem. -“How the Sam Hill they goin’ fer to keep clean? Reckon ye’d be a mite -dirty if all the fresh water ye had fer to bathe in wuz melted snow.” - -“But I should think they’d all be sick and die,” said Jim. “Why, they -must live exactly like pigs.” - -“Shure thin’, ain’t pigs the hilthiest av’ cr’atures!” exclaimed Mike. - -But later, when, the boys went ashore, they found much of interest, -despite the odors and the dirty inhabitants. They saw fat-faced Eskimo -women, their hair done up in big greasy topknots, industriously chewing -skins to cure them. They saw others carrying their bright-eyed little -kiddies in the pouchlike hoods on their backs. They peered into the smoky -reindeer skin tents and saw the soapstone lamps with their wicks of moss -floating in oil. They saw the men carving walrus tusks into weapons and -utensils, and they watched a couple of boys as they broke a dog team to -harness. The Eskimos seemed very friendly and good-natured, and when Tom -uttered an exclamation of surprise as a boy lashed out with his rawhide -whip and deftly flipped the ear of a surly dog a dozen feet distant, the -young Eskimo grinned broadly and said something in his own tongue. - -“Says if you’ll give him a coin he’ll show you something,” interpreted -Mr. Kemp who stood near. - -Tom tossed the boy a quarter which the youngster examined critically, -and bit with his firm white teeth. Apparently satisfied, he walked a -short distance away and placed the coin upon the top of a little bowlder. -Retracing his steps until fully twenty feet from the coin, he swung his -whip about his head, suddenly lurched forward and with a crack like a -pistol the snakelike lash struck the coin and sent it spinning high in -the air. Dashing forward the boy caught it dexterously as it fell. - -“Gosh, that _was_ fine!” cried Tom. “Whew! he _can_ handle a whip!” - -Instantly the two boys were surrounded by the Eskimo lads, all clamoring -for a chance to exhibit their skill and for some time the two boys were -busy handing out their loose change and watching the Eskimos flip them -from resting places with whips or hit them with their arrows as the coins -were tossed into the air. - -Not until the boys’ money was exhausted did they stop. Then, followed by -the troop of young Eskimos, Tom and Jim continued on their round of the -village. - -“I never knew Eskimos lived in tents,” said Jim as Mr. Kemp stopped to -bargain with a wrinkled old man for some carved ivory curios. “I thought -they lived in igloos.” - -The second mate laughed. “Funny, most all folks get that idea,” he -replied. “Wonder how they think these lads is goin’ to build snow houses -in summer.” - -“Well you see we never realized it was summer—that is, warm—up here,” -said Tom. “Somehow we always thought of the Arctic as cold and covered -with ice all the year round.” - -“Won’t we have a lot to tell the fellows at home?” said Jim. “How these -women chew the skins to tan them, and how they live in wigwams just like -Indians and say—what’s that man doing? Look, he’s splitting up a match.” - -Sure enough, the Eskimo they were watching was very carefully splitting a -sulphur match into tiny shavings with his knife while holding it over a -bit of dry moss. - -“He’s getting a light for his pipe or a lamp,” replied Mr. Kemp. “Matches -are scarce and the Eskimos ain’t folks to waste nothing. When they want -to use a match, they split it same’s he’s doin’, and bimeby one of the -pieces’ll light and he’ll have his fire, and ’stead of havin’ a match -less he’ll have a dozen more. Look, there she goes!” - -“Well that _is_ funny!” cried Tom. “But those tiny slivers can’t be used. -They’d break just as soon as he tried to scratch them.” - -“Trust the Eskimos to look after that,” chuckled the second mate. “When -he wants to use one of them slivers, he’ll tie it on to a bit of bone -afore he scratches it.” - -“Gee, but they _are_ clever!” declared Jim. “Talk about thrift!” - -“I’ll tell you another thing,” went on Mr. Kemp. “Tobaccer’s scarce too, -so, after they’ve smoked a pipe for a spell, they cut up the wooden stem -and smoke that along with the tobaccer. Jus’ as good flavor, I reckon, -and goes a blamed long ways towards savin’. Yes, sir, they’re a thrifty -bunch. Even a Scotchman’d have blamed hard work to teach ’em much. And -say, don’t throw away them brass shells from your rifles. Over to Hudson -Bay you can trade ’em for good pelts. Yes, sir, get good fox skins for a -shell each.” - -“Oh, you’re kidding us!” cried Tom. “They can’t be such fools as all -that.” - -“Honest Injun, I ain’t,” protested the mate. “And they ain’t fools to -do it. What a thing’s worth depends on how much you want it. And them -Eskimos want brass shells a heap more’n they want fox skins. They can go -out and get foxes most any old time, but they can’t dig up brass or shoot -it.” - -“Yes, I suppose that’s so,” said Jim thoughtfully. “Sorry we threw away -those shells we fired at the bear, but I guess we’ll have plenty more -before we’re through.” - -Although the boys were anxious to get some of the beautiful skins -they saw, Mr. Kemp advised them to wait, assuring them that they’d be -able to get all they wanted from the Eskimos about Hudson Bay, where -the _Narwhal_ would winter, even if they did not succeed in killing -the creatures themselves. But they could not resist the temptation to -buy a complete fur suit each. Tom chose a costume of white baby bear -trimmed with blue fox, while Jim secured a suit of sheeny, silvery -seal elaborately ornamented with intricate designs worked in strips of -reindeer skin and with a fringe of white fox fur about the hood and -collar. - -Both boys roared with laughter as they tried on the suits while the -Eskimos gathered about and joined in the merriment. - -“Gosh, if you wear that and any one sees you, they’ll take you for a -bear and shoot you,” declared Jim. - -“And if they see you they’ll think you’re a new kind of walrus,” retorted -Tom. - -“Hello, been getting outfits, eh?” exclaimed Captain Edwards who now -appeared. “But come along, we’re getting off within the hour.” - -A dozen Eskimos had been obtained at the village, and in addition, the -skipper had secured several bales of valuable furs, nearly two hundred -pounds of walrus ivory, and a quantity of whalebone. - -“Guess you’ll have a chance to hunt walrus, boys,” remarked Captain -Edwards as the boat pulled towards the _Narwhal_. “We’ll run across to -Baffin Island. These Eskimos tell me there’s a herd of walrus over about -Cape Hewitt. Then we’re off for Hudson Bay, after dropping these chaps -here again.” - -“Well, if hunting walrus isn’t any more sport than sealing, I’ll not care -for it,” announced Tom. - -“You’ll find it very different,” the skipper assured him. “No knocking -walrus over the head. Not a bit of it—they’re tough propositions and show -fight. You’ll have all the excitement you’re looking for.” - -A number of the Eskimos had come off to the schooner in their kayaks, -some of which were large boats with double apertures in their -skin-covered decks to accommodate two men. These were all hoisted on to -the _Narwhal’s_ deck, Mr. Kemp explaining to the boys that much of the -walrus hunting was done by the Eskimos in their frail boats. - -Once more under way, the _Narwhal_ headed westward across Baffin Bay. -As usual the lookouts were constantly searching the sea for whales. -Tom and Jim, anxious to test their skill and having nothing else to -amuse them, also went aloft and relieved the men, for Captain Edwards -had already had a demonstration of the boys’ keen vision when on the -_Hector_ in the Antarctic. For a long time the two boys swept the broad -expanse of sparkling water in vain. Here and there floating ice broke -the blue-green surface, rafts of big eider ducks floated lightly on the -waves, cormorants, gulls, and other birds sailed and wheeled about and -occasionally a round black head, which the boys recognized as a seal, -would break through the surface, stare curiously at the schooner and with -a splash and a flirt of the back flippers, disappear in the depths. But -no great, shiny, black expanse of glistening skin, no tiny fountain of -spray, rose above the rippling water and the boys drowsed at their posts. - -Then, Jim’s sleepy eyes noted a curious looking object upon the sea half -a mile or so to the north. At first he took it for a soggy cake of ice, -but it seemed to be moving as though carried in a swift current. Then he -decided it was a water-logged spar, and yet it did not look just right -for that either. Puzzled, he stared and then gave a shout. Clearly from -the grayish white object a little puff of steamlike vapor had risen. - -“Blows!” he yelled almost unconsciously, and then, half ashamed of his -involuntary cry and realizing it was no whale he saw, he cried out, “Come -up and take a look, Mr. Kemp.” - -The second mate ran nimbly up the rigging, glanced about, gazed fixedly -in the direction Jim indicated, and cupping his hands yelled down, -“Beluga! ’Bout four p’ints off the starboard bow—school of ’em.” - -“Beluga?” exclaimed Jim as the officer started down the shrouds. “What’s -that?” - -“White whale!” replied Mr. Kemp, as he rapidly descended to the deck. - -“Well, that’s a new one on me,” declared Jim, yelling across to Tom. “I -thought all whales were black. Oh look, Tom! There _is_ a school of the -things and—Gosh! I thought they were ice!” - -Already the boats were being swung, and by the time the boys reached the -deck, two craft were being lowered over the side and the men and Eskimos -were tumbling into them. Without waiting to ask permission, the boys -leaped into one of the boats and a moment later were speeding towards the -odd whitish creatures swimming slowly along and all unconscious of danger. - -As the boats drew near the whales, they spread out, the harpooniers -laid aside their oars and stood in the bows with irons in hand, and in -a moment more were within striking distance of the creatures. Almost -at the same instant the various harpoons darted forward, and as the -keen points of the irons buried themselves in the animals’ sides, the -belugas leaped half from the water, looking to the boys’ wondering eyes -far more like gigantic white seals than whales. Then, with a rush, the -creatures started off, towing the boats at a terrific rate through the -water, turning and twisting, sounding and milling, sometimes leaping -high in air, at other times rolling over and over, and striving by a -hundred unexpected moves to rid themselves of the stinging weapons in -their sides. As Tom said afterwards, it was like playing enormous trout, -for the men alternately hauled in or let out the line; they laughed and -shouted and yelled as if thoroughly enjoying the sport and there was none -of the tense strained attitude that the boys had seen when attacking the -bowheads. - -But the fight did not last long. Within fifteen minutes from being struck -the white whale was tired out. He rested almost motionless, blowing -frequently; and, hauling in the line hand over hand, as the crew urged -the boat forward, the men drew the craft close to the big, dirty-white -creature. An instant later the long, keen-bladed lance flashed, the -stricken whale threw its head high in air, thrashed madly with its tail, -and rolled slowly over on its side in the reddening water. - -“That wasn’t much of a fight!” exclaimed Tom as the boat was run -alongside the dead beluga and the fluke chain was made fast. - -“Never do give much of a tussle,” said Mr. Kemp, “they ain’t much more’n -second-rate whales anyhow. No bigger’n blackfish.” - -Towing the dead whale, the boat pulled toward the schooner and a few -minutes later the other three boats came in, each with his white, -twenty-foot carcass bobbing along behind it. Then for the first time, -the boys saw that the Eskimos were also out in their big kayaks and were -paddling furiously over the waves in pursuit of the remaining belugas. -Running into the rigging the boys watched the Eskimos through their -glasses. They saw the foremost paddler in the nearest kayak urge his skin -craft among the speeding whales; the man in the forward seat raised his -arm, there was a flash as a harpoon sped through the air, and the next -moment a huge, dark-colored, balloon-shaped object was bobbing up and -down, dashing this way and that where the beluga had been, while the -kayak paddled off in another direction. - -“Gee, he missed him!” cried Tom. “And say, what on earth is that thing on -the water?” - -“Search me!” replied Jim. “Golly, there’s three more of ’em. And not a -single kayak is fast to a whale. Let’s ask about it.” - -Hurrying to the deck the boys approached Captain Edwards. “Oh, Captain,” -cried Tom, “what are those big round things out there by the Eskimos’ -kayaks? And how is it not a single kayak is fast to a whale? Those -fellows must be dubs not to get fast when they’re right among the whales.” - -The skipper roared with laughter. “Dubs!” he exclaimed. “Why, my boys, -I’ll warrant not a Eskimo missed gettin’ fast. But of course you don’t -understand. Them things you see a-bobbin’ about yonder are floats—skin -bladders, and fast to the Eskimos’ irons in the whales. They don’t risk -their kayaks a-gettin’ fas’, but jus’ let the whales tire ’emselves out -a-towin’ the buoys ’round and meantime go after other critters. They’ll -bring ’em all in, don’t you worry.” - -“Well, we _have_ got a lot to learn,” remarked Jim turning away. “Look, -Tom, there comes a kayak now, and—yes, they’re towing two whales.” - -Interestedly the two boys watched the approaching Eskimos, and one after -another, the kayaks came paddling alongside, each towing one or more -belugas. By the time all were alongside the schooner, twelve white whales -were floating under the vessel’s lee and the crew were working like -beavers cutting in the dull white creatures. The work was easy and rapid -compared with cutting in the bowheads or a sperm whale, for the belugas -were tiny creatures compared with the other monsters the boys had seen. - -Within twenty-four hours after first sighting the school, the last of the -catch had been cast adrift, and the _Narwhal_ was again sailing westward -toward Baffin Island and the walrus grounds. - -Elated at their success in sighting the white whales, the two boys ran up -the rigging to their places on the crosstrees. Scarcely had Tom glanced -about when his shout of, “She blows!” rang out. Barely a mile ahead a -sparkling jet of vapor had risen above the sea, and an instant later a -stupendous body had broken the surface, gleaming like polished metal in -the sun. Cataracts of water poured from it. Tom fairly gasped at the size -of the creature, and his voice was shaking with excitement as he yelled -back, “a point off the port bow, about a mile away,” in response to the -Captain’s call of, “Where away?” - -“It’s the biggest whale ever!” he cried excitedly to the officers as he -reached the deck. “Say, we _will_ have a fight with him!” - -Captain Edwards chuckled. “I’ll bet we would—if we gave him a chance,” he -replied. “But we ain’t a-goin’ to meddle with that critter.” - -“You mean you’re not going after him?” cried Tom in wondering tones. -“Why, why, he’d give over a hundred barrels!” - -“Don’t doubt it,” smiled the skipper, “but he can keep it under his -blamed old hide for all of us.” - -“Do you mean you’re afraid to tackle him?” demanded the puzzled boy. - -Mr. Kemp and Cap’n Pem burst into a roar of laughter. “Yes and no,” -declared the second officer, “that’s a finback.” - -“Finback!” exclaimed Jim. “What’s that?” - -“Consarndest critters there be,” declared Cap’n Pem. “Ef ye wanter git -stove or kilt or towed ter kingdom come, jes go in on a finback. ’Course -I ain’t skeered o’ doin’ of it—never seed a whale yit thet skeered me, -but shucks, what’s the use? Derned critters’ll tow ye nigh fifty mile -’fore ye kin lance ’em an’ fight like Sam Hill. An’ arter ye’ve druv home -the lance, ef yer boat ain’t smashed ter kindlin’ wood, an’ ye ain’t -kilt, the consarned critter’s jes mean an onderhanded enough fer to sink.” - -“Then you don’t touch them!” exclaimed Tom. “Gosh, it seems a shame to -let such big fellows go. Aren’t they ever killed?” - -“Steam whalers—Scotch and Skowhegians take ’em,” replied Mr. Kemp. “But -you got to have harpoon guns and bomb lances and three inch cables and -steam winches to get ’em.” - -By now the whale which had been the subject of the conversation was -within plain view from the deck, and the boys fairly gasped as they noted -its enormous size. An instant later it had caught sight of the schooner -and in a swirl of foam sounded and disappeared. - -“Well, we’re still learning,” laughed Tom. “I always thought whales were -whales, but I know now that there are whales _and_ whales.” - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -THE WALRUS HUNT - - -Hour after hour the _Narwhal_ sailed steadily on, and ever as she -proceeded, the floating ice and lofty drifting bergs grew larger and more -numerous. When the shores of Baffin Island at last rose above the sea, -the water was only visible as narrow lanes of green amid the wide stretch -of rough ice. How the schooner could ever get through the vast field with -its bobbing close-packed cakes and its towering bergs, was a mystery to -the boys. They watched intently as old Cap’n Pem, now in charge as ice -pilot, bawled out quick, sharp orders, and at his commands, the helm was -shifted, yards were swung and sails trimmed instantly as the _Narwhal_ -tacked and turned and twisted and threaded her devious way through the -narrow leads. Often after the schooner’s passage, the ice, disturbed by -her wake, would drift across the channels, and soon the boys, looking -astern, could see nothing but the vast field of ice showing no sign of -the open water by which they had entered. - -Here, too, the boys saw why the topsail schooner was such a favorite -with Arctic whalemen. To be sure, Cap’n Pem had already explained it to -them when they had first discussed the _Narwhal’s_ rig, but until they -actually saw it demonstrated they did not fully realize how handy the rig -was amid the ice. Often, as the vessel plunged forward along a narrow -lead, the passage would end in an impenetrable barrier, and the boys held -their breaths as the schooner seemed about to dash into the mass of ice. -But each time the old whaleman’s voice would roar out an order. The men, -ready at sheets and braces, would bend to the ropes and, as the huge -topsail yard swung about, the _Narwhal_ would slow down, hesitate, and at -the very instant the boys expected to hear the splintering of ice and the -crashing of shivered planking, the schooner would begin to move backward. -But at last the leads became so narrow, so tortuous and so choked with -ice that Cap’n Pem declared they could go no farther. - -“Reckon we’d better be gettin’ out ice anchors, an’ lyin’ here till she -opens up,” he declared, addressing Captain Edwards. “Soon’s wind or tide -changes, the derned ice’ll begin ter move.” - -“Humph, and take us with it, like as not,” responded the skipper. “Never -did see such a lot of ice ’long here this time o’ year. And time’s -flyin’. If she don’t open up mighty quick, we’ll have to put about and -make for the Straits or we won’t be a-gettin’ into the Bay this season.” - -“Can’t you run in with the motor?” asked Tom. “Seems to me that’s easier -to handle than sails.” - -“By glory! I must be gettin’ old,” cried the captain. “Say, Pem, what -sort of a’ ice pilot are you that you didn’t think of that?” - -“How in tarnation’d I think o’ thet there contraption?” demanded the old -whaleman. “Fust time I ever wuz shipmates long o’ one.” - -In a few minutes the motor’s exhaust was ringing loudly across the ice -pack, and under half speed, the schooner was cautiously feeling her way -through the zigzagging, winding lanes of water; bumping into floating -cakes, grating against the solid masses on either side, but each moment -getting farther and farther into the vast field and nearer to the gray -rocky coast. Presently, from the lookout came the shout of “Open water -ahead!” An hour later the _Narwhal_ was resting at anchor in a broad -expanse of open sea with only isolated grounded bergs and drifting floes -upon the surface. Seaward, the white barrier through which she had -passed stretched to the horizon to north and south. - -Hardly had the schooner come to rest before the Eskimos were launching -their kayaks, and in a few minutes were darting away in various -directions. - -“Where are they going?” asked Tom as he and Jim watched the skin boats -leave the vessel’s side. - -“Lookin’ for walrus,” replied the captain. “When they sight a herd -they’ll come back and report and like as not get a few to bring along as -samples.” - -“I’d love to be with them,” declared Jim. “I’m going to ask Unavik to -take us in a kayak some day.” - -“Better start with a real boat,” advised the captain. “If you see a big -bull walrus rearin’ up his head and glarin’ at you with them red eyes of -his, and roarin’ and bellowin’ and heavin’ his tusks up and down, and -rushin’ at you like he’s gone crazy, you’ll be mighty glad you’re in a -whaleboat ’stead of a skin kayak.” - -“Whew, are they like that?” cried Tom. “They look so big and clumsy in -the pictures and when they’re stuffed, that I didn’t suppose they could -really do much harm.” - -“Wussedest critters I know,” declared Cap’n Pem, “and ye wouldn’t git me -fer to hunt ’em in them there cockleshells o’ kayaks, not fer nothin’. -With a good musket an’ a whaleboat ’tain’t so bad, but a bull walrus -ain’t to be sneezed at, lemme tell ye!” - -“All the more excitement,” laughed Tom. “I’m just crazy to go after them!” - -“Guess ye mus’ be crazy to wanter,” muttered old Pem. “But long’s ye’re -out fer to git adventure an’ own the consarned ol’ ship, there ain’t a -mite o’ use my tellin’ ye not to.” - -Jim laughed. “You know perfectly well you wouldn’t let us go and neither -would Captain Edwards, if there was any real danger,” he said. - -“There’s always danger on a whaler in the Arctic,” said the skipper, -“but you two boys know how to shoot and ain’t reckless, and Kemp’s an -old hand, and there ain’t any likelihood of your gettin’ hurt, in a good -boat.” - -“But there’s that there cat——” began Pem. - -“Oh nonsense!” interrupted Tom. “If we go, we’re going to take that cat -with us as a mascot.” - -“Waall, fools _will_ rush in, ye knows,” muttered the old whaleman as he -stumped aft. - -While waiting for the Eskimos to return with word as to the whereabouts -of the walrus herd, the boats were lowered, the masts stepped, guns and -other appliances and weapons stowed, and all prepared in readiness for -the hunt. At last, after several hours wait, the boys spied the kayaks -returning. As they drew near, Tom and Jim saw that the two leading craft -were towing some huge object. Grasping the glasses, Tom ran up the -rigging. “They’ve found them!” he cried out an instant later. “They’re -bringing in the ‘sample’ just as the captain said.” - -“How they can get a walrus and tow him in with those kyaks gets me,” -declared Jim. - -“Trust those boys to do it though,” said Mr. Kemp. “Why, they even get -big bowheads in kayaks. They can handle them canoes to beat all. I’ve -seen ’em flop clean over and come up a smilin’ t’other side.” - -Tom laughed. “You must think we’re greener than we are, to swallow that,” -he declared. - -The second officer grinned. “All right, I’ll prove it,” he announced, and -calling to a young Eskimo who stood near, he said something to him in the -fellow’s own language. - -With a broad grin the Eskimo slipped over the schooner’s rail, settled -himself in the tiny craft, pulled the string of the lacing to the -circular opening about his body, and with a few strokes of his paddle -drew away from the _Narwhal_. - -“Now watch him!” exclaimed Mr. Kemp. - -Glancing up at the watching boys, the Eskimo waved his hand, gave a -sudden lurch to one side, and to the boys’ utter amazement, the kayak -capsized. The next instant they could see only the smooth rounded bottom -of the canoe. - -“Oh, he’ll be drowned!” cried Tom. “He’s laced in and can’t——” - -Before he could finish the sentence, the kayak had rotated, and scarcely -believing their eyes, the boys saw the craft bob right side up with its -swarthy occupant still grinning. - -“Well, that _is_ a stunt!” cried Jim. - -“Yes, I take it all back,” said Tom. “I’ll believe any yarn you tell us -after that.” - -Over and over again the Eskimo performed the feat for the boys’ benefit, -and then, the walrus hunters approaching, he darted off and joined them. - -As the kayaks came alongside, the boys looked with wonder at the enormous -creature they had in tow—a huge bull walrus, partly supported by -air-filled skin floats, and with gleaming white tusks nearly two feet in -length. - -Swarming on to the schooner, the Eskimos all began chattering at once in -a mixture of broken English, Danish, and their own tongue, until Captain -Edwards threw up his hands in despair. “Here, Mr. Kemp,” he called, “come -and get this. I can savvy a bit o’ the lingo, but this is too much for -me. They’re worse nor a flock o’ poll-parrots!” - -The second officer pushed his way through the group, uttered a few sharp -words in the Eskimos’ dialect, and instantly all ceased talking. Then, -turning to a man who appeared to be a leader, he asked him a question. -Rapidly and with sparkling eyes the fellow replied, and Mr. Kemp turned -to the skipper. “Says there’s a whoppin’ big herd of walrus over to -Lewis’ Inlet,” he announced. “’Cordin’ to him, must be pretty nigh two -hundred of the critters. Leastwise, he says ‘twenty pair of hands of ’em’ -and that’s all the same as two hundred. Says they’re well up on land and -easy to cut off from water. They picked the bull up outside on a cake of -ice.” - -“All right,” replied the captain. “Man the boats and get started. Guess -you’ll need pretty near all hands. Swanson’s been after walrus afore, he -tells me, and I guess Pem and Mike and two or three of the men can take -care of the ship. I’ll go along in one boat, you take another, Swanson -can take the third and—hmm, Mr. Chester, you’re to take the fourth boat!” - -For a moment Tom did not realize that the captain was addressing him, and -then, as it dawned upon him, “Wha—what’s that?” he stammered. “You don’t -mean——” - -“That you’re in charge of the port after-boat,” interrupted the skipper -with a twinkle in his eye. “You can take Mr. Lathrop as mate if you wish. -Might as well learn how to handle a boat now as ever.” - -“Gee Whitaker!” exclaimed the dazed boy as he and Jim dashed to their -cabin for their rifles. “I’m as nervous as a cat! Of course I can steer -the boat—with the rudder and under sail; but I don’t know what to do when -we get to the walrus.” - -“Oh, just do like the others do,” advised Jim. “Gosh, I’d like to have -your chance! Say, you’ll be a regular boat steerer next! Besides, Captain -Edwards will probably tell you what to do when we get near.” - -But despite Jim’s encouraging words, Tom’s knees were shaky as he took -his place in the boat assigned him, slipped the rudder in place, and sat -waiting the captain’s order to cast off. - -“When you get near the herd, spread out,” directed Captain Edwards, “and -go in as near the same time as you can. Pick the biggest bulls and aim -for the ear or neck close to the head. Take them that’s near the water -first, and if one of ’em comes for you, keep off and shoot him. Don’t -take no chances—a bull walrus can stave a boat’s easy as a egg shell.” - -A moment later the boats were cast off, sails were trimmed, and the -little fleet went dancing across the calm sea, each boat towing several -kayaks with their Eskimo occupants behind it. - -Nearer and nearer they approached the shore. The schooner was a mere -speck in the distance, and the captain’s boat, guided by a wrinkled old -Eskimo, swung more towards the south. Presently they passed a jutting, -rocky cape, about whose shores the drift ice was piled high, and entered -a tiny bottle-shaped bay. And at the sight which greeted them, the boys -exclaimed in wonder. - -Everywhere upon the shingle and the grounded cakes of ice were the bulky, -dull-brown, clumsy-looking walrus. There were scores—hundreds of the -creatures. Giant bulls with enormous, wrinkled, warty-skinned necks and -gleaming ivory tusks; smaller, light-colored cows, and little seal-like -pups. The pups and cows were some distance from the water’s edge, the -younger bulls were scattered in groups near by and along the shore. -Resting on rocks or ice cakes with their tiny heads raised high, were the -old veterans of a thousand fights, the giant, scarred, elephantine bulls. - -Instantly, as with one accord, sails were lowered, the kayaks were cast -off and, under oars and paddles, the fleet of boats and canoes swept upon -the herd. For a moment the bulls stared wonderingly at the unexpected -visitors. Then a low, growling, barking roar echoed across the bay. The -great creatures wheeled about to face the intruders and, shaking their -tusked heads threateningly, prepared to defend the cows and their young. - -The next instant, rifles and muskets roared. The boys glimpsed several -big bulls as they swayed and sank lifeless. They heard the shouts of the -excited men, the shriller cries of the Eskimos, and then forgot all else -as their boat approached a gigantic bull walrus who had dragged himself -to the very verge of an ice cake, and was on the point of diving into the -sea. Taking careful aim, Jim fired; but at the very instant he pulled the -trigger, the boat lurched, his rifle wavered, and the bull with a roar -plunged with a tremendous splash into the water. - -“Gosh, I missed!” cried Jim. - -“There’s another!” screamed Tom. “Get him!” - -Once more Jim’s rifle crashed out and a smaller bull sagged like an empty -sack upon the shingle. - -“Hurrah!” cried Tom, and then his glad shout died on his lips and he -screamed a warning filled with terror. Within two feet of the boat—so -close he could have touched it with his outstretched hand—a great, -ferocious-looking head had burst from the water, the tiny, wicked eyes -gleaming like those of an enraged elephant, the stiff, horny whiskers -bristling, the two-foot yellow tusks dripping blood from a deep gash -across the forehead where Jim’s bullet had cut its way. - -Wounded, mad with fury, the walrus reared its massive neck above the -water and hurled itself at the boat. Frantically Tom yelled. The men -seized the oars and struggled desperately to swing the boat. Jim hastily -reloaded and strove to shoot. But the boat was swaying and tipping to the -men’s efforts and Jim could not aim. Almost before they realized their -peril, the boys saw the maddened creature’s head raised above the edge -of the boat. With a tremendous blow, the long tusks came crashing down, -splintering the thwart, breaking the stout oak rail and bearing the boat -down to the water’s edge. - -Instantly the men threw themselves to the opposite side of the craft. -With oars, clubs and whatever they could grasp they rained a shower of -blows upon the animal’s head, but they might as well have struck at a -helmet of steel. With blood pouring from the wounds, but not affected by -them in the least, the bull walrus lashed the water into a maelstrom -of froth, wrenched his head back and forth, bellowed with rage, and -swung the heavy thirty-foot boat from side to side and up and down as -though it were a thing of paper. Excited, rattled, terror-stricken, Tom -was paralyzed with fear, and neither he nor any of his men realized -that their antagonist was striving with might and main to tear free his -tusks wedged in the splintered wood; that, with his head thus held as -in a trap, he could not lift himself high enough to withdraw his tusks, -and that he was in reality almost as terrorized as the occupants of the -boat. Owing to some mistake, none of the old hands were in Tom’s boat. -Not a member of his crew had ever before seen a live walrus, much less -an infuriated wounded one. They were so thoroughly frightened by the -creature’s sudden and savage onslaught, that they completely lost their -heads. - -Then, suddenly and with a wild shout, one-eyed Ned leaped forward, seized -a boat spade and, yelling like a fiend and holding the weapon as though -it were a bayonet, he plunged the keen-edged spade time after time -into the thick, wrinkled neck of the walrus. The sea turned crimson, -the walrus lashed the water into scarlet foam. Gradually his struggles -ceased, his eyes closed, and he lay dead, with his tusks still locked -over the boat’s rail. - -But the danger was not over. The inert, heavy body tipped the craft until -every wave lapped over the side, and while several men struggled and -heaved and tugged to lift the creature’s head free, the others bailed for -their lives, but seemingly to no purpose. Not only was the buoyancy of -the boat pressing upwards against the weight of the walrus, but the tusks -were driven so firmly through the thwart that they were locked as though -in a vise. Each second it seemed as if the boat would fill and all would -be struggling in the icy water. - -Their shouts and cries had attracted the attention of the other boats -and Swanson, who was nearest, had come racing to Tom’s aid. Before his -boat was alongside, the battle was over, however, and seeing the trouble, -the cooper and several of his men leaped into Tom’s boat and with their -weight on the upper side, the water ceased to come in. Then Tom, suddenly -remembering his responsibility, recovered his scattered wits. “Here!” he -shouted. “Get the handle of an oar under his head and pry him loose!” But -even with the stout handle of the heavy ash oar as a lever, the walrus’ -head could not be budged. - -“Get the hatchet and cut away the thwart!” ordered Tom. As the keen-edged -little ax cut through the splintered wood, the men heaved up on the oar, -and with a splash the animal’s head slipped over the rail into the sea. - -Swanson stood up, pulled at his huge mustache, drew his pipe from his -pocket and commenced to fill it with a blunt, blackened forefinger. “Ay -tank you bane have close shave,” he remarked, as he glanced about. “By -yiminy, you bane pretty near cut das fellow head off.” - -“I’ll say we had a close shave!” exclaimed Tom. “And if it hadn’t been -for Ned we’d all have been drowned or killed. Gee, I’d have hated to be -overboard with that beast. Ned was the only one who kept his head.” - -The big Swede nodded approvingly, squinted his pale blue eyes and turned -his gaze curiously on the ex-soldier. - -“Ay tank mebbe das glass eye he got more better as two some fellers got. -He bane gude fellow, Ned,” he declared gravely. - -“Aw, forget it!” exclaimed the one-eyed veteran flushing. “I didn’t do -nothin’. The bloomin’ beast’s face was so darned like that of a Hun what -stuck his ugly mug into my dugout over there, that I plumb forgot myself -an’ went at him with a bay’net same’s if he was a Heinie.” - -“Well, if that was a sample of the way you went after the Germans, I’m -sorry for them!” laughed Tom. - -“Vell, Ay tank Ay bane goin’ back,” remarked Swanson as he scrambled into -his own boat. “Yumpin yiminy! Das bane vun big bull you get!” - -Now that the excitement was over, the boys glanced about. No more -walruses were to be seen ashore. The rocks and ice were deserted save for -a half dozen dead bulls and a couple of badly wounded ones. A few cows -could be seen swimming some distance away. The other boats’ crews were -busy working at the kill. The Eskimos, however, were paddling furiously -about and the interested boys saw the forward man in the nearest kayak -lunge forward with his harpoon as a bull walrus broke water. - -“Golly, if that fellow goes for ’em they’ll be sunk!” exclaimed Jim. - -But the Eskimos gave the stricken and angry creature no chance. As with a -snort of rage he broke the surface and charged the kayak, the tiny craft -whirled as on a pivot, dodged the oncoming creature and, as it passed by -him, the Eskimo in the bow leaned over and drove a long lance into the -animal’s neck. Over and over again the maneuver was repeated. Fascinated -the boys and men watched this battle between the wounded, infuriated bull -walrus and the frail craft of skin, with its Eskimo occupants armed -with their primitive weapons. But, as always, brains and intelligence -triumphed, and presently the grinning natives were paddling toward shore, -towing the carcass of their victim behind them. - - - - -CHAPTER X - -UNAVIK SPINS A YARN - - -Many days had passed since the boys’ first walrus hunt. They had learned -much by experience and had killed many of the enormous ugly creatures -without mishap. They had retained the skull of that first huge bull as -a trophy, and no walrus taken since had approached it in the length -and beauty of the perfectly matched and pointed tusks. Tom, to his -unspeakable delight, had been made boat steerer and had been assigned to -the same craft in which they had battled with the walrus and Jim, not to -be outdone, had bent every energy to acquiring skill in using the harpoon -and lance. - -In this Cap’n Pem had played an important part, and finding the regular -irons far too heavy for the boy, he had had the blacksmith fashion some -special lighter weapons for Jim’s private use. Jim was as proud as a -peacock of these and kept them, sharpened to a razor edge and carefully -sheathed and greased, in the bow of the boat. And when, one day, two -white whales were sighted and Tom’s boat drew into one of the creatures, -and Jim had his first chance to test his skill, he was trembling with -excitement. - -Standing in the bow, bracing himself in the knee cleat, the boy raised -his iron, and as the huge beluga broke water close by, he heaved the -iron with all his strength. A roar of approval came booming across the -waves from Cap’n Pem as the weapon struck fair and buried itself in the -white whale’s back. All by themselves the boys and their crew played the -stricken creature and by Tom’s orders the men worked as the line was -hauled or slackened. When at last the white whale lay tired upon the sea, -the boat drew close, and Jim killed the beluga with a single stroke of -his lance. Then indeed, the two boys felt that they were full-fledged -whalemen and they longed for the time when they could go on a real whale, -a bowhead, and fight the thrilling, exciting, dangerous battle with a -monster of the deep and bring him “fin up” unaided. - -But no bowheads were seen, and the boys were forced to content themselves -with lesser game. They had learned to handle the kayaks, and under -Unavik’s tutelage they had become quite expert with the ticklish -skin-covered craft. Often they had paddled ashore and, armed with rifle -and shotgun, had gone hunting in the rocky hills or over the tundra, but -they had seen neither bear, musk ox, reindeer, or other large game. But -they invariably returned with full bags, for ducks, plover, geese and -swan, as well as the big Arctic hares, were everywhere, and those on the -_Narwhal_ never suffered for lack of fresh meat. Once too, Jim had spied -a grayish shape skulking along a hollow several hundred yards away and -taking careful aim had brought it down at his first shot. - -“Gee, I guess it’s some Eskimo’s dog!” he exclaimed when the two boys -reached the creature and saw a gaunt, pale, grayish yellow, doglike -animal lying among the rocks and sparse grass. - -“Well it’s got a good hide anyway,” said Tom. “We’ll skin it and take it -along. It’ll make a nice rug when we get home.” - -But when, on reaching the schooner, they exhibited the skin, and Mr. -Kemp told them they had killed a huge wolf, the boys fairly gasped with -astonishment and then danced and yelled with delight. - -Another time, Tom had killed a beautiful blue fox as the creature raced -away from a half-devoured young Canada goose, and in a pen on the forward -deck, they had a miniature menagerie of young ducks, geese, swans, gulls, -and other birds. - -It was now late summer and the young birds of the year were able to take -care of themselves, but when the boys had first gone ashore on their -hunts, ducks, geese, and other wild fowl were nesting by thousands in -every hollow and swale. - -It was on their first trip that Jim had an amusing experience, and for -months afterwards Tom and the ship’s officers never ceased teasing him -about it. The two boys were strolling across a little vale, a spot -carpeted with deep reindeer moss and stunted bushes, when, from almost -under Jim’s feet, a duck fluttered away apparently unable to take wing. -Leaping forward to grasp it Jim’s foot tripped and he plunged headlong -into the bushes. There was a crunching crash beneath him and, as he -regained his feet, Tom fairly doubled up with uncontrollable laughter. -From chest to waist Jim was drenched with a sticky yellow mass dotted -with broken and crushed bluish egg shells. He had fallen squarely upon -the duck’s nest! - -“Oh you _are_ a sight!” choked Tom. “Gosh, you certainly did find that -nest, Jim!” - -Jim looked ruefully at the dripping mess and without a smile exclaimed: -“Gee, I like eggs, but I don’t like ’em scrambled that way!” - -The story was too good to keep, and whenever eggs were served thereafter -some one would invariably ask Jim if he’d have his scrambled. - -At last the signs of approaching autumn warned Captain Edwards that -they must leave the shores of Baffin Island and speed southward to -Hudson Straits and winter quarters in Hudson Bay. Long strings of swans -and great V-shaped flocks of geese passed daily across the sky, headed -south. The vast rafts of ducks became uneasy. The Old Squaws whistled -querulously, the eiders swam restlessly about, buffle heads and teal -winged swiftly back and forth, and the blackheads darkened the sky -with their veering, ever-turning flocks. The plover lost their black -waistcoats and took on silvery white ones; the snow bunting became gray -and white; the ptarmigan were dotted with white feathers among their soft -brown plumage and the Arctic hares grew paler and paler as they gradually -assumed their winter coats to match the spotless snow. The days grew -shorter, the sun disappeared below the horizon, and the Aurora glowed and -flashed and scintillated in tongues and bands of lambent hues across the -zenith. The wind was chill with the feel of frost and ice as it swept -across the land which now showed hardly a tint of green or a speck of the -scarlet, blue and yellow that had formerly decked the hillsides. - -So, with many casks of oils, great piles of walrus hides, bundles of -sealskins, sacks stuffed full of eider feathers, and many hundred pounds -of walrus ivory in her hold, the _Narwhal_ picked and felt her way out -through the leads among the ice pack and into the broad waters of Baffin -Bay. To the strong and biting wind her sails were spread, and across the -short sharp waves with their spiteful hissing caps of foam, the schooner -plunged towards Disko Bay. Here the Eskimos were landed laden with axes, -powder and lead, cloth, brass, and gee-gaws as their wages. Then with -yards braced sharp up and sheets close hauled, the _Narwhal_ buried -her blunt nose deep in the tumbling foam, and with lee rail awash sped -southward for the entrance to Hudson Straits. - -Twice bowheads were sighted and boats lowered; but to the boys’ chagrin -and disappointment, Captain Edwards absolutely refused to let them go -in on the giant creatures without an experienced man in charge, for the -weather was squally, swirling flakes of snow fell now and then, the sea -was rough and time was precious. - -At last, the entrance to the Straits was reached. Passing Resolution -Island close to windward and with a fair wind, the _Narwhal_ sped -through. Slipping swiftly past Coats Island and through the narrow -Fisher Strait with big Southampton Island on the north, she headed for -Rowe’s Welcome, where Captain Edwards planned to pass the long and dreary -Arctic winter. - -“Gosh!” exclaimed Tom as the boys gazed across the vast expanse of the -bay. “This is like the ocean. I thought Hudson Bay was just like a big -lake.” - -Captain Edwards chuckled. “Mighty big lake!” he laughed. “About six -hundred miles wide and a thousand miles long—big enough to drop all -New England into it and just make a little island about the size of -Southampton yonder. And did you know we could go on sailing and come out -over north’ard of Alaska—that is, if the ice’d let us?” - -“No, I never did,” admitted Tom. “I wish geographies taught us all these -things. We learn that Lake Superior is awfully big but they never say -much about these out-of-the-way places.” - -“Well, Superior’s a pretty sizable pond,” declared the skipper. “But it’s -just a puddle ’longside this bay. Why, from James Bay to the north’ard -point of Melville Peninsula’s as far as acrost the Atlantic at the mouth -of the St. Lawrence; and from Nottingham Island at the end of the Straits -to the Seal River, t’other side of the bay, it’s as far as from New York -to Chicago.” - -“Whew, I guess I’ll have to remember that and tell the boys at home,” -said Jim. “Are there whales in here?” - -“Whales!” exclaimed the skipper. “One of the best grounds I know. If this -weather holds out we’ll get a heap of ile afore ice begins to make.” - -Cap’n Pem who stood near shook his head dolefully. “Too consarned good -fer to las’,” he declared. “Li’ble to come down a rip-snortin’ mos’ anny -minnet. Storm breeder’s what I calls it. Yes, sir. Feels like summer now, -but I’ll bet ye we ketch it afore we git to the Welcome.” - -It was, as the old whaleman said, “too good to last”—a soft, warm day -with a blue sky, a calm sea barely ruffled by the light southerly wind, -and altogether like an Indian Summer day in New England. But to the -experienced eye of the old whaleman there were many signs that the -weather would not last and that something was wrong. The ducks, that had -been winging southward, huddled together, raised their heads uneasily and -gabbled ceaselessly. The V-shaped flocks of geese were mere specks in -the sky, and their hoarse honks came faintly through the air. The gulls -uttered raucous cries and wheeled and screamed. Little knots of auks and -guillemots kept rising from the waves, heading on rapidly moving wings -for the craggy shores. The sun had a pale, hazy appearance while about it -was a huge ring of light, like the ghost of a rainbow. - -Lighter and lighter became the wind. It fell to a flat calm, the water -was smooth as oil and the _Narwhal_ drifted idly. Then the boys noticed -that the vast bulk of Southampton Island seemed to be fading away, the -farther shores of the bay were becoming faint and blue. Almost before -they realized what it meant, the air grew suddenly chill, a cold wind -whipped against their faces and, like a gray blanket, the fog descended -swiftly, unheralded, and wrapped schooner and bay in its dense gray folds. - -“Knowed sutthin’ wuz a-comin’ out o’ this,” declared Cap’n Pem. “Bust it -all, why couldn’t she ’a’ held off ’til we got inter the Welcome?” - -“What on earth _is_ this ‘Welcome’ you’re always speaking of?” asked Tom. - -“Shucks, ’course ye don’t know,” replied the old whaleman. “Why, a -Welcome’s a sort o’ harbor-bay like, where a ship kin put in an’ be snug -an’ safe from ice jams an’ win’s.” - -“Well, it’s a good name for such places,” laughed Tom. “I suppose the -first people who found them called them that because they were so -welcome.” - -“Yep, I reckon so,” assented Pem. “But this here blasted fog ain’t -welcome, an’ like as not it’ll come on cold and blow harder’n blazes fer -a week arter it lifts. I knowed that there cat’d play the everlastin’ -fumdiddles with us.” - -The fog was now so dense that only a few feet of the deck and bulwarks -were visible about the spot where one stood. The water although so near -was completely hidden and looking down into the greenish gray vapor, the -ship seemed floating in air. From every side came the whimpering cries of -gulls, the querulous chatter of ducks, the honk of geese, and the shrill -notes of other birds. Presently Unavik loomed silently close to the boys -and leaning upon the rail peered into the fog. - -“H’lo!” he greeted the two. “Plenty fog, me say. Me t’ink Ukla bus’ dis -day.” - -“What _are_ you talking about?” queried Jim. “What’s ‘Ukla,’ and what do -you mean by its busting?’” - -The Eskimo grinned. “Gimme t’bac, me say you,” he replied. - -So accustomed had the boys become to Unavik’s inevitable requests for -tobacco, that they always carried a plug or two in their pockets, and so, -at the Eskimo’s request, Jim handed him the coveted weed. - -“Reckon he’s goin’ to spin a Eskimo yarn,” remarked Mr. Kemp, who -stepped like a phantom from the surrounding mist. “These boys is full -of stories—have one to account for blamed near everything. Some of ’em -mighty good, too.” - -Unavik grinned, tore a huge mouthful of tobacco from the plug with his -strong white teeth and, having masticated it for a moment, began to -speak. It was not difficult for the boys to understand him, for they had -become familiar with his bizarre English. They listened intently to his -tale which, without Unavik’s dialect, was as follows: - -“Many, many winters ago,” commenced the Eskimo, “there was one great -white bear named Ukla. He and his wife lived many days’ travel towards -the west in a great skin house on a rocky plain, and all about the house -were the skulls of men and women, for Ukla and his wife ate people’s -flesh, and every night he traveled across the land to the Eskimo -villages. Then he would kill any one he found outside the huts, and if he -could not do this, he would steal the bodies of the dead and fastening a -thong about their feet, would drag them to his home. - -“Sometimes he was seen by the Eskimos, but oftener the people saw only -his giant footmarks in the snow, or found the graves opened and the dead -gone. For many years old Ukla did this, and although the Eskimos held -medicine feasts and asked the Great Spirit to help them, no help came. - -“Many times also the people lay in wait and tried to kill Ukla, the giant -bear, with their spears and arrows, but Ukla was a great _anticoot_ -(magician) and the weapons fell from his shaggy skin bent or broken. Then -one day a stranger came to the Eskimos—a tall fair man, and said: - -“‘Take heart, for I will destroy Ukla.’ - -“Then the Eskimos danced and beat their drums and were happy, and the -stranger said to them: ‘To-morrow I will pretend to be dead, and you must -wrap me in skins and bury me among the stones; and when Ukla comes let -him take me away in peace.’ - -“Then the people were sad, but the stranger said: ‘Weep not, for I will -return and never again will Ukla rob the graves or kill the people.’ - -“So the Eskimos did as the stranger told them, and wrapping him in skins -placed him among the stones and went to their homes, crying loudly as if -he had died. In the night came the great bear who had heard the Eskimos’ -wails across the hills, and seeing the body of the stranger, he fastened -a thong about the man’s ankles and started for his home. But the man -spread out his arms and grasped at stones and bushes, and although Ukla -pulled and tugged he could not travel fast, and every few miles he had -to stop and rest. Then as he looked at the man’s body lying quiet on the -ground he would shake his head in wonder. - -“‘Ah,’ he would mutter to himself, ‘who would think such a small man -would weigh so much; but he must be very fat and fine indeed! What a fine -supper he will make!’ Then, thinking of the fine feast he would have, -Ukla would start on again. At last, very tired, he reached his hut, and -dragging the man inside, the bear pushed him into a corner, and too tired -to eat he crawled into his sleeping bag, telling his wife they would -feast in the morning. - -“After a time the stranger opened his eyes to look about, but Ukla’s -wife, who was trimming the lamp, saw him and cried out to her husband: -‘This man is not dead—he is looking about!’ - -“But Ukla was very weary and said sleepily: ‘Oh, man dead, man frozen -stiff.’ - -“Then the man kept very still, and when the bear’s wife turned away, he -seized Ukla’s knife, and leaping up, killed her. As she fell dead Ukla -awoke, but the man, throwing down the knife, dashed out of the door and -across the plain with the big bear at his heels, panting and growling and -snapping his teeth. - -“At last, no matter how fast he ran, the man found Ukla was getting -nearer and nearer and would soon overtake him. But the man was a great -_anticoot_, and as he ran he made a great hill rise between himself and -Ukla. So as the bear climbed slowly up one side, the man raced swiftly -down the other. But when Ukla reached the top he curled up in a ball and -rolled so quickly down the hill that he almost caught the man. - -“Then the stranger made a big river flow between himself and the bear, -and weary with running he seated himself on a stone to rest. When Ukla -came to the river he roared and growled in anger and in a great voice -called out: ‘How, O man did _you_ cross the river?’ - -“And the man laughed and answered, ‘I drank my way across.’ - -“When Ukla heard this, he plunged into the water and drank and drank -until at last he made a dry path across the river, and crawled slowly -up the other bank towards the man. But his long hair was wet and heavy -and his body was swollen with the water he had drunk, so that the man -had no fear of him and taunted him. Then Ukla grew very angry and with -growls like icebergs clashing in a storm he roared: ‘Ugh! even though I -cannot overtake you, yet you shall not escape me!’ and giving himself a -mighty shake he burst, and the water which he had swallowed flew in all -directions and made a thick fog over the land. - -“Now the man was greatly troubled, for the hills and plains could not be -seen and he was lost. But he skinned Ukla, and taking the shaggy hide in -his hands, he waved it many times about his head. This made a great wind -which drove away the fog and the man walked safely to the Eskimo village. -Then there was great rejoicing and the men did not work or hunt for three -days, and the women did not comb their hair for three days and three -nights, but all danced and beat drums and feasted. - -“For many years the stranger dwelt among the people and taught them many -things, and so that the people would always remember him, he told them -that Ukla’s spirit would roam the plains, and would burst from time to -time, and that then, as the fog came, they must give offerings and hold -medicine dances, and that then he would know they had not forgotten and -would wave Ukla’s skin and drive away the fog.” - -“That is a good yarn!” cried Tom as Unavik ended. “And say, hurrah, the -fog’s lifting!” - -Unavik grinned. “Man, he hear plenty drum. You no hear? Me say he please -an’ wave um skin.” - -“Gee, I do hear drums!” declared Tom. “From over to the west.” - -“Sure Mike!” exclaimed Unavik. “Me say all same. Fog go.” - -Tom laughed. “Do you believe that yarn, Unavik?” he asked. - -The Eskimo stared at Tom with a puzzled expression. “Sure,” he declared, -“me see hill, me see river, me see fog. All time fog come Eskimo make-um -plenty dance, plenty drum, fog go, all same now.” - -As if further argument was useless in the face of such evidence, Unavik -waddled off towards the bows. - -Presently the water was rippling against the vessel’s sides. The fog had -thinned until the entire schooner was visible from where the boys stood. -In wisps and shreds the vapor was scudding by, while out of the west came -a strong, cold wind. - -As the last of the fog swept by, there was a hoarse frightened bellow -from forward. Quick sharp orders were roared out and the boys, racing -to the lee side of the schooner, fairly gasped. Almost under the bows -was a jagged reef of sharp black rocks! For a brief instant the boys -stood petrified. The schooner seemed doomed. Before her sails could be -trimmed, before she would have steerageway upon her she would be on the -rocks. Each second she was drifting, slipping nearer to the reef. The -boys listened with bated breath, expecting to hear the rending crash, the -awful jar that would mean the _Narwhal’s_ end. - -All about orders were flying thick and fast. Cap’n Pem was roaring from -the break of the poop. Captain Edwards had leaped to the wheel and was -shouting commands. Mr. Kemp in the main shrouds was cursing the men for -their slowness. Back and forth to braces, sheets and halyards the men -were rushing and hauling in a vain effort to save the ship. Then, from -under the boys’ feet came rapid pistol-like reports; above the cries of -the men, drowning the creak and squeal of block and sheave, barked the -exhaust of the motor; the _Narwhal_ forged ahead, she swung slowly to her -rudder and, with not five feet to spare, slid by the threatening reefs to -safety. - -With blank faces boys and men gazed at one another. Who had saved the -ship? It was not Mike, he was stumping hurriedly aft as puzzled as any -one. - -“B’ Saint Pathrick!” he cried. “’Tis a sphirit Oi’m thinkin’!” - -With the boys by his side he hurried through the cabin towards the tiny -engine room where the motor was still throbbing steadily. - -“Glory be!” he exclaimed, as he caught sight of the figure bending over -the motor. “Glory be, ’tis thot dummy av a blacksmith!” - -“Gosh, it is!” cried Tom. “The deaf-and-dumb man!” - -“B’jabbers thin ’tis no dummy in his brains he do be, at thot!” roared -Mike. “B’ the powers, ’tis lucky we do be, thot Oi tould him to be afther -doin’ a bit o’ worruk on the injine.” - -The deaf mute straightened up and stared blankly at the three. Then, -moving his fingers in an attempt to explain matters, he shut off the -motor, picked up his kit of tools and walked forward. - -“Gee, I’d like to know how it happened,” declared Tom. “He couldn’t have -heard the orders or excitement. I’m going to ask Swanson.” - -A broad grin overspread the big Swede’s features as, in response to Tom’s -questions, he interrogated the deaf mute and watched the fellow’s fingers -communicating his reply. - -“He say he bane fix das machine an’ he bane want to try him out. Ay tank, -by yiminy, it bane lucky he try him yust den.” - - - - -CHAPTER XI - -THE BOYS CATCH A TARTAR - - -It was indeed a lucky thing for the _Narwhal_ and all upon her that the -deaf-mute had been tinkering with the motor and had started the machine -at exactly the right instant. Scarcely had the schooner cleared the reef -when, to the north, the bay was blotted from sight by a white wall, a -roar like a cataract came booming across the water and sea birds flew -screaming past with wings aslant. - -One glance Cap’n Pem gave and then, at the top of his leathern lungs, -he bellowed orders fast and furiously. The men, yet at their posts, -leaped to his bidding. Captain Edwards who was still at the wheel tugged -desperately at the spokes. Mr. Kemp himself led the willing crew aloft -and, working like demons, the men stripped the vessel of her lighter -sails. And not an instant too soon. Before the first reef cringle was -knotted in the foresail, the squall was upon them. With a maniacal shriek -the gale tore through the rigging, the water dashed in bucketfuls of -icy spray across the decks, and at the sudden irresistible pressure the -_Narwhal_ heeled until half her decks were awash, and a raging blizzard -blotted out sea and land. - -Farther and farther the staunch old schooner heeled to the wind. Clinging -to shrouds, backstays, and rigging, the men and boys waited, expecting -each second that the schooner would actually capsize. The sleet beat upon -them, stinging like needles, and the blinding snow swirled and eddied and -piled in drifts upon the deck. - -Cap’n Pem’s mouth opened and shut. Mr. Kemp cupped his hands to his lips, -but not a word could be heard above the terrific din of the howling wind, -the rattle of hail, the roaring of the gale in the sails, the whipping -of loose rigging, the creak and groans of straining spars and the -lashing thunder of the rapidly rising seas. Then slowly, inch by inch, -the _Narwhal_ swung around. Gradually she righted, the water poured in -cataracts from her scuppers and, shaking herself like an impatient horse, -she leaped forward and tore madly through the foaming water towards the -south. - -Onward she sped through the blizzard, before the howling gale. With -jaws hard set and eyes straining, the three men at the wheel panted and -strained and threw their weight upon the spokes in a mighty effort -to hold her to her course. Forward, Mr. Kemp and two men huddled in -the lee of the winch and peered ahead, striving to pierce the eddying, -whirling wall of white. The two boys, awed, frightened, and shivering, -crouched beside the deck house, too fascinated, too thrilled to go -below for warmer garments. Twice great dim shapes loomed ahead. Each -time the frenzied shout of the lookout came in time and the _Narwhal_ -sped past the bergs in safety. Again and again a thundering crash shook -the schooner from stem to stern as her plunging bow sheared through -floating cakes of ice. Once a dark mass of rocks loomed for an instant -within a hundred yards and the next second was gone, swallowed up in the -all-enveloping white. - -But luck was with those on the _Narwhal_. By a miracle she escaped the -bergs; no large pan ice lay in her course; jagged reefs and rock-bound -islets were safely passed, and an hour after she had first started -on her mad rush before the gale, the squall ceased as suddenly as it -had commenced. The wind dropped to a steady blow, the snow ceased to -fall, blue sky showed overhead, and, ten minutes later, the decks were -streaming with water and there was a steady downpour from aloft as the -sun melted the tons of ice and snow that had accumulated during the -brief but terrific blizzard. - -“Didn’t I tell ye it’d blow a rip-snorter?” exclaimed Cap’n Pem -triumphantly, as, with sails once more spread, the _Narwhal_ turned back -on her course. “I knowed it,” he continued, “drat that there cat!” - -“B’gorra thin we’ll be afther havin’ foine luck fer the rist av the -cruise,” declared Mike. “Shure, the poor puss is gone entoirely. Didn’t -Oi see her with me own eyes—washed clane overboarrd whin the old schooner -wuz afther thyrin’ for to do the lay-me-down-to-slape stunt back there.” - -“Oh, that’s too bad!” cried Tom. “Couldn’t you save her?” - -“Save her, is it!” exclaimed Mike. “Shure yez wuz there and ’tis well -yez arre afther knowin’ ’twas a-savin’ av our own souls we wuz thinkin’ -av—and divvil a bit av the cat’s.” - -“Derned ef I ain’t glad,” declared Pem. “Mebbe we’ll be gittin’ on a mite -better now.” - -Mike grinned, winked an eye at the boys and, as he turned away, remarked, -“Shure, ye ould croaker, Oi’d not be afther countin’ av me chickens afore -they do be hatched, thin. ’Tis noine loives a cat does be afther havin’ -and b’gorra by the same token she’ll be a-comin’ back and be a-drowndin’ -eight toimes yit, loike as not.” - -“Shet up, ye dumb fool!” shouted the old whaleman. “We’re consarned well -rid o’ her.” - -“Well, we’ve still four cats aboard,” Jim reminded him teasingly. “And -two of them are black.” - -Cap’n Pem glared at the boy and stumped off without another word. - -Slowly the _Narwhal_ beat back to the northward. Two days later she -entered Rowe’s Welcome and came to anchor in the sheltered bay within -a short distance of the shore. Close to the spot, near the mouth of a -river, were a score or more of Eskimo skin tents, and upon the shingle -at the river’s mouth were drawn dozens of kayaks. Before the _Narwhal’s_ -chains roaring from the hawse holes had roused the echoes of the -hills, the Eskimos were paddling towards the schooner. At their first -glance the boys saw that here at last were the Eskimos they had always -pictured. Clad in garments of skin and fur they came scrambling over the -_Narwhal’s_ rail, laughing and grinning, copper-faced and slant-eyed, -but far cleaner than those at Hebron or Disko, and with something about -them which at once marked them as true primitive people untouched by -civilization. Their spears, harpoons, and arrows were tipped with -ivory or bone, their faces were tattooed and their garments were highly -decorated with beads and skin embroidery. - -Presently, from the waist of the ship, came roars of laughter and -good-natured shouts. The boys, glancing up, saw a number of the crew -leaning over the bulwarks while others were hurrying to join the group. - -“What’n tarnation’s up now?” exclaimed Cap’n Pem as with the boys by his -side he hurried forward. - -As they reached the crowd of men, Swanson straightened up from the rail -over which he was leaning, took his pipe from his mouth and grinned under -his big yellow mustache. With a humorous twinkle in his deep-set blue -eyes he remarked, “Ay tank das cat bane come back.” - -As the old whaleman peered over the ship’s side, his eyes seemed about to -pop from his head, his jaw dropped and he stared down at the kayaks below -as if he had seen a ghost. Perched on the rounded skin deck of one of the -canoes was the black cat! - -“Well, I’ll be everlastin’ly keelhauled!” ejaculated the old man and, as -a roar of laughter rose from the men’s throats, he jammed his cap over -his eyes and stumped aft. - -But even the superstitious old whaleman could find nothing in the way -of ill luck with which to blame the cat during the next few days. The -Eskimos had quantities of walrus ivory, many fine skins and pelts and a -goodly amount of whalebone on hand, and this was soon in the _Narwhal’s_ -hold while the natives were richer in calico, knives, iron, beads and -matches than they had ever dreamed of being. - -Old Pem fairly beamed, and he rubbed his calloused hands gleefully as he -saw the bales, packages, and bundles being stowed. “Purty nice little -nest egg,” he chuckled. “Nigh two thousand dollars wuth o’ stuff I -reckon. Swan, if this keeps on if we don’t go sailin’ inter New Bedford -full up.” - -The boys were far more interested in the Eskimos and their village than -in the skins and bone. They spent most of their time ashore, and with Mr. -Kemp or Unavik as interpreters they learned much of the Eskimos’ life -and ways. They watched them fish in the river, made friends with the -Eskimo boys, played with the roly-poly children, and spent hours in the -tents watching the women as they chewed the hides to cure them and deftly -fashioned the skins and furs into garments. - -“Gee, they use bone needles!” exclaimed Jim the first time he saw one of -the women sewing a pair of moccasins, “and thimbles made of raw hide and -threads of sinew. Say, I wonder how they’d like real needles and thread.” - -The next time they went ashore they carried a supply of needles, thread, -thimbles and other sewing material and presented them to the women. -Instantly the crude bone and rawhide utensils were cast aside and with -beaming faces and ejaculations of delight, the women chattered and -laughed as they experimented with the bright steel needles and shiny -thimbles. As Tom said, they were like children with new toys and when -in return—for even the least gift calls for a return present with the -Eskimos—the women loaded the boys down with exquisitely worked moccasins, -shirts of eider skins, blouse-like coats of fox and seal and robes of -wolf and musk ox skins, the two lads were as pleased and excited as the -women had been. - -“Say, we’ve got to learn to talk Eskimo,” declared Tom. “It’ll be lots -more fun if we can talk to these people.” - -So, with Mr. Kemp’s help, the two boys set diligently to work to learn -the Eskimos’ language and progressed rapidly. At first they found it a -most difficult task to pronounce the odd, clucking gutturals, but once -they mastered the rudiments they got on famously. Within a short time -they were able to ask questions and understand the replies, and they had -acquired quite a vocabulary of names and words. - -In the meantime, the crew of the ship had not been idle. The schooner -had been stripped of sails, topmasts and yards were sent down, and -preparations made for the coming winter. Daily the whale boats had been -manned, and under their spritsails had gone dancing off across the bay in -search of whales. Sometimes they were gone for several days and returned -empty handed, but often they would come sailing back in a long line and -towing the carcasses of one or two huge bowheads. Then every one worked -like beavers, cutting in and boiling until the oil and bone were safely -under hatches. - -At first the boys were crazy to go out on these hunts, but after one or -two experiences, they decided there was far more of interest about the -village and the shores, and devoted their time to hunting and paddling -about the Welcome in a kayak which they had secured for themselves. - -Near the village there was little game, for the Eskimos’ dogs roamed -about, picking up every stray hare, ptarmigan, or other live thing, and -so the boys went farther and farther afield on their excursions. The -weather still held warm and pleasant, although the nights were cold -and the little ponds and lakes between the hills were coated with ice. -A few miles from the village the boys found game in abundance. One spot -in particular was a favorite hunting ground—a little island in the broad -estuary of the Welcome where the Wager River emptied into the bay. Here -there were always ducks in the coves, hares nibbled the stunted shrubs -among the rocks, ptarmigan gathered in flocks on the southern sides of -the hills, and twice the boys had secured seals which they had surprised -basking on the shore. One of these was a magnificent silver seal; the -other a half-grown hooded seal. The two handsome hides had been cured and -made into garments by the boys’ Eskimo women friends. - -One day as the two boys were paddling their kayak around the island -keeping a sharp lookout for game, Jim muttered a low exclamation and -pointed towards the open water of the estuary. Tom peered intently as he -ceased paddling, but for a moment could see nothing. Then, a few hundred -yards away, something broke the surface of the water and a tiny column of -spray rose in the air. - -“Golly, it’s a whale!” cried Tom in subdued tones. “Say, let’s go for -him!” - -“All right,” assented Jim, “it’s a little fellow—a white whale, I guess. -Say, won’t it be fine if we can get him all by ourselves?” - -Swinging the kayak, Tom drove his paddle into the water while Jim, laying -aside his rifle, got out the harpoon and placed the lance ready for use. - -Apparently totally unaware that enemies were near, the creature remained -almost stationary, now and then rolling lazily at the surface, sometimes -raising its tail and bringing it down with a resounding splash as if -in play, and constantly blowing. Rapidly the kayak approached. Jim -grasped the harpoon firmly, saw that the line was clear and, shaking -with excitement, he prepared to strike. Then, as the frail craft slipped -within a dozen feet of the cetacean and Jim raised his arm, he realized -that it was no white whale, but a strange, dull-colored, bluish creature -with the skin covered with irregular blackish spots. But, whatever -it was, the animal was within striking range and, summoning all his -strength, Jim hurled the iron into the spotted animal’s back just as it -rose above the surface to blow. - -The next instant a volcano seemed to have burst into eruption beneath the -waves. The water boiled and frothed; a broad tail flashed and struck and -swung to right and left, the kayak danced and careened and bobbed upon -the heaving surface. Then as Jim, frightened half out of his wits by the -actions of the strange beast, was about to cut the line, the creature -hurled itself forward and raced off like a cyclone. With a terrific -jerk the kayak swung about, tipped until it almost capsized, and went -tearing after the stricken animal. This was something the boys had not -counted on. They had watched the Eskimos when they struck white whales -and had intended to follow the native method of throwing overboard the -float of skin. They had no intention of being towed in a cranky kayak by -a maddened whale. But the line had kinked and had fouled. Jim, despite -his frantic efforts, could not free it while it was under the terrific -strain, and so it was a case of either being towed and trusting to luck -to escape being capsized and drowned, or cutting the line. - -“Don’t cut it!” screamed Tom as he saw Jim raise his heavy hunting knife. -“Wait till we see we’re in danger!” - -Breathing hard, thrilled with the excitement and yet filled with terror, -Jim waited, knife in hand, while the whale sped this way and that, -sounded and milled; but to the boys’ surprise, never breached. But as -the bouyant kayak continued right side up and nothing happened, the boys -gained confidence and each time the creature slackened its pace Jim -hauled in line until the kayak was almost within striking distance of -the whale. Then, so suddenly that Tom could not check the kayak’s motion, -the creature halted in its rush and the next instant dashed straight -towards the canoe. - -Jim gave a terrified scream of warning. Tom dug his paddle into the water -and as the kayak responded to the effort and swung slightly, the spotted -creature dashed by within a foot of the craft. - -Jim, who had been expecting to kill the animal an instant before, still -held the lance in his hand. As the cetacean rushed past him, he lunged -forward and scarcely knowing what he did, plunged the weapon into the -creature’s side. At the blow, the animal threw itself from the water, -the lance was wrenched from Jim’s grip and the boys’ eyes grew wide in -wonder. In the brief instant that the whale was out of water they had -seen that a long, gleaming shaft projected from its head! - -But before they could utter a cry, before they realized what had -happened, the big spotted body crashed back into the water, bloody froth -spouted from its blow hole and with a convulsive flip of its tail it -rolled over on its side against the kayak, stone dead. - -“Whew!” cried Jim, as he wiped the perspiration from his face and -blinked his eyes. “We did catch a tartar that time!” - -“You bet we did!” agreed Tom heartily. “But we got him just the same. -Gosh, but that _was_ a dandy stroke of yours—getting him on the wing that -way. And did you see his head—he’s been struck before and the lance or -iron’s sticking in his nose. I wonder what the dickens he is anyway.” - -“Gee Christopher!” cried Jim who had been examining their catch. “That’s -not a lance in his nose—it belongs there—it’s a sort of horn. Look, it’s -like ivory and twisted.” - -“Hurrah!” shouted Tom. “I know what ’tis—we’ve killed the schooner’s -namesake. It’s a narwhal!” - -“Golly, you’re right!” cried Jim. “Won’t Cap’n Pem and the others be -surprised! But say—I’d never have dared touch him if I’d known. Remember -how Mr. Kemp told us about these fellows driving their tusks right -through a whaleboat and sinking it?” - -“I’ll say I do,” replied Tom. “I know what they’ll say—‘fools rush in,’ -you know.” - -“Well, fools or not, we won,” declared Jim, “and this old fellow’s -horn’ll make _some_ trophy up in our room.” - -Elated at their unexpected capture, the boys forgot all about their hunt -and, fastening a line about the narwhal’s tail, they started to tow him -to the schooner. It was slow, backbreaking work, but when at last they -reached their vessel and showed their catch to those on board, they felt -amply rewarded for their labors. - -“By the love av hivvin!” cried Mike, who was the first to see the dead -creature. “Shure and ’tis a unicorn yez do be afther killin’!” - -“I’ll be swizzled!” exclaimed Cap’n Pem. “Ye everlastin’ young -scallawags, what ye mean by a-goin’ in on one o’ them critters? Ye’re -lucky he didn’t sink ye. Jes like ye though—fools allers——” - -“I know it!” laughed Tom. “I told Jimmy you’d say that. But we got him -and didn’t get hurt, even if the cat did come back!” - -“Jes dumb luck,” declared the old whaleman. Then, as Captain Edwards -appeared, he shouted, “Look a-here, didn’t I tell ye these here boys wuz -born to be whalers? Jes take a squint ’longside an’ see what the young -scallawags been a-doin’.” - -“I’ll be——” ejaculated the skipper. “Reckon you’re proud of yourselves. -Whoppin’ big fellow, too. Give you a tussle, didn’t he?” - -“Oh, not so much,” replied Tom nonchalantly. “But he had us scared. The -line fouled and he towed us every which way and then went for us. And -say, you ought to have seen Jim get him! Lanced him as he went scooting -by the kayak full speed.” - -“Darned lucky he did!” declared Mr. Kemp who had joined the group. “If he -hadn’t the blamed critter’d have turned and drove his horn through that -kayak and through you too, like as not.” - -“Well, we didn’t know,” laughed Jim, “or we wouldn’t have tackled him. -But I’m not sorry now. Just the same, we’ll know better next time. I’m -not a bit anxious to catch another narwhal.” - -“I don’t know as we really did, this time,” said Tom. “Seems to me the -narwhal caught us and we didn’t have much to say about it.” - -“H’lo!” exclaimed Unavik strolling up. “Ugh! me say bimeby you feller be -big hunter. Gimme t’bac!” - - - - -CHAPTER XII - -FROZEN IN - - -On the morning after their capture of the narwhal, the boys came on deck -to find the weather completely changed. Above stretched a dull gray sky, -great flakes of snow were drifting down, the land was already hidden -under a thin coat of white and, at the first touch of the biting wind, -the two dodged back to their cabin to reappear clad from head to foot in -their Eskimo garments. - -Mr. Kemp laughed heartily as he saw them. “All ready for the winter, eh?” -he cried. “What you goin’ to wear when it’s really cold?” - -“You can’t say anything,” retorted Tom, “you’ve got on a sweater and a -reefer and oilskins yourself.” - -“’Tis a bit sharp, I’ll admit,” replied the second officer. “Looks like -summer’s about over. Them Eskimos know it. If this keeps up, they’ll be -a-setting up their igloos to-morrow.” - -“Why, the water’s freezing!” exclaimed Jim who had peered over the -schooner’s side. “Hurrah, we’ll be able to walk ashore now!” - -“Walk ashore!” exclaimed Mr. Kemp. “Why, bless you, if the weather keeps -on as it oughta, you could run a train acrost the bay inside a week.” - -Already thin ice had formed on the surface of the water and, although -each swell coming into the Welcome broke the newly formed ice with a -curious crackling sound, fresh ice formed almost as rapidly as it was -destroyed, and the upended little cakes were congealing in a jagged, -hummocky surface that bade fair to imprison the waves very soon and lock -them fast for many months. - -The rigging was white with snow and a couple of inches of the soft -feathery blanket lay on the decks. The crew, clad in oilskins and -sweaters, with caps pulled over ears and mittens on hands, were busy -hammering and pounding as they put the finishing touches to the long, -shedlike structure that they had erected extending from the poop to the -foremast. Ashore, the Eskimos were dragging their kayaks far from the -water’s edge and were placing them upside down on racks of whale’s ribs. -The women were piling stones upon the edges of their skin dwellings and -the boys were yelling shrilly and cracking their long whips as they -gathered the dogs together. - -Hourly the cold increased. The snowflakes became finer and fell faster -and faster; the wind came in fitful gusts and whirled the snow into -drifts. When the pale light faded soon after noon and the boys knew that -the sun had set, land, sea, and ship were covered deep with snow. - -Day after day the storm continued. The Eskimos’ tents were buried halfway -to their peaked tops in the drifts; the rough plank house upon the -schooner was like a huge snowbank, and even the tough and hardened old -whalemen had donned suits of skins and furs. Then one day came a muffled -hail through the blinding snow, and looking over the _Narwhal’s_ side, -the surprised boys saw two of the Eskimos standing upon the snow-covered -ice beneath them. - -“Hurrah, they can walk on it!” cried Tom and, followed by Jim, he -clambered over the schooner’s rails and leaped on to the ice. - -“Gee, we’re frozen in!” yelled Jim. “It’s really winter. Come on, let’s -go and see what the Eskimos are doing.” - -“Look out, ye young scallawags,” roared Cap’n Pem. “Ye’ll git lost.” - -“No danger,” called back Tom. “We’ll get one of the Eskimos to go with -us.” - -Turning, he spoke to the fur-clad men in their own tongue and -accompanied by one of them, the two boys pushed their way through the -snow towards shore. - -“Oh, they’re building igloos!” exclaimed Jim as they came in sight of the -Eskimos. “And on the ice too.” - -Interestedly the two boys watched the natives as they labored at their -winter homes. With long-bladed snow knives carved from walrus tusks the -men cut the blocks of frozen snow and piled them in a circle, tier on -tier, each a little smaller than the one preceding. Rapidly the low-domed -huts grew and took on form and soon the first one was completed. With -yells of delight Tom and Jim crawled into the tunnel-like entrance and -found themselves within the igloo. - -“Say, isn’t this jolly!” cried Tom. “Come on, Jim, let’s make one for -ourselves. It’ll be great sport having an igloo with the Eskimos.” - -Enthusiastically the two set to work, borrowing snow knives from their -Eskimo friends, but they soon found that building an igloo was an art -and they joined heartily in the Eskimos’ merriment when the wall tumbled -in and all their work came to nothing. They were not discouraged, and -presently one of the Eskimo boys came to their aid. With his help the -boys soon got the knack of the work and before it was time to return to -the schooner for dinner their igloo was completed. - -The night was almost as bright as day with the Northern Lights reflected -from the vast stretch of spotless white. By midnight the storm was over; -stars twinkled brilliantly in the deep purple sky, the little group of -igloos rose above the flat, white plain of ice-like, snow-covered bee -hives. The wind was so bitingly, intensely cold that the boys were glad -indeed to seek shelter in the deck house with its cheery red-hot stove. - -Then followed days filled with constant novelty, interest, and delight -for the two boys. They went with the Eskimos on hunts for seal, and -learned to find the blow holes in the ice through which the creatures -came up to breathe. With their snow knives they cut great rectangular -slabs of frozen snow and placed them upright near the holes as -windbreaks, and with rifles grasped in their fur-gloved hands, and warm -as toast in their eider skin undergarments and sealskin costumes, they -lay upon the surface of the frozen bay and watched the holes while the -wind swept downward from the North Pole, and the thermometer dropped to -many degrees below zero. Often their vigil would gain them nothing. But -many times a big hooded seal, a sheeny silversides, or a magnificent -harp seal would fall a victim to their rifles. Much of their time too -they spent in their igloo which they had fitted up exactly like those -of their Eskimo neighbors, with skins and furs covering the bench of -ice around the sides, a soapstone lamp filled with whale oil, with a -moss wick to give light and heat, and with their weapons and trophies -scattered about. From one of the natives they had purchased a team of -dogs. Unavik had made them a sledge, and after many trials, unending -merriment, countless upsets, and getting hopelessly tangled, the two -boys had learned to drive their huskies fairly well. There was nothing -they loved better than to go sledding over the frozen snow, yelling at -their dogs, cracking their long whips, and now and then leaping on to the -vehicle and traveling like the wind through the frosty stinging air lit -by the pale winter sun or the gorgeous Aurora. - -Much time also they spent in the Eskimos’ igloos and, their first -squeamishness at the dirt and filth of the people being overcome, they -found them very pleasant and good company. Sometimes, as a blizzard -howled outside, and the dogs cowered whimpering at the mouth of the -entrance tunnel, the Eskimos would while away the hours telling stories. -Some of these were very quaint, others were humorous and still others -were almost poems with their vivid descriptive phrases and beautiful -sentiments. - -But the boys’ favorites were the folklore tales about the birds and -animals they knew so well. Usually some chance remark or question of the -boys would start the story and all would listen attentively while the -gray-haired, wrinkled, old _ananating_ (grandmother) would tell in story -form why certain things were so. Once, for example, Jim was examining a -reindeer skin and called Tom’s attention to the white rump and the stubby -little tail. Amaluk, who was making a snow knife, glanced up. “Perhaps,” -he said in the dialect the boys now understood perfectly, “Nepaluka will -tell you how the reindeer lost their tails.” - -“Do,” begged Tom, “tell us the story, _Ananating_.” - -The old woman was busily mending a skin shirt, her near-sighted eyes -close to her work, her clawlike fingers moving deftly as she plied the -bone needle—for she alone of all the women still preferred the Eskimo -needles to those of the white men. - -“Ai ai!” she exclaimed. “The clothes are mended and my eyes are weary and -perchance it may be well to tell of Amook and the reindeer.” - -Laying aside the carefully mended shirt she leaned back among the thick -bearskins and began. - -“Many ages ago,” she said in her droning voice, “before the Eskimos first -came to the land, all the reindeer were brown from head to foot and all -wore bushy tails like the foxes. In those times lived a great _anticoot_ -(magician) named Amook and to him belonged all the animals and birds. And -all the creatures roamed at will except the reindeer, for these Amook -kept hidden in a great hole in the earth. - -“Every day Amook would come from the hole and, after pulling a big stone -over the entrance to his home, he would travel far and wide caring for -his creatures. In those days the birds and animals were all one color, -and when winter came and snow fell upon the land their brown bodies were -plain to be seen and the creatures saw one another afar, so it was easy -indeed for the owls and hawks to see the ptarmigan and kill them, and -for the foxes and wolves to see the hares and devour them. At last so -many were killed that Amook grew afraid that his live things would all -be destroyed, and he would be left without food to eat or furs to make -his clothes. So, being a magician, he made many spells, until at last, by -touching the fur of an animal or the feathers of a bird, he could change -the brown to white. Then, when the winter came, Amook would go forth and -call the birds and the beasts together, and as they came at his call, -he would stroke them with his hands, and they would go forth white and -spotless. But soon Amook was again troubled, for when spring came and -the snow melted and the rocks and moss were bare, the white creatures -were like spots of snow upon the brown land and fell easy prey to their -enemies. Then from far and near the birds and beasts flocked to their -master and begged him to make them brown once more. So Amook made another -spell in his hole under the earth, and when he came forth and touched the -birds and the beasts, behold! they were changed from white to brown as -before. - -“So, as each winter came, Amook would change the brown creatures to white -and when the winter had passed and the geese came to the northland, he -would again change the white to brown. - -“But some of the creatures were wary and would not come to their master’s -bidding and Amook had hard work to capture them. It was thus with the -great bear for he loved his white coat that helped him to hide on the -bergs and floes, and try as Amook might, he never caught him to change -his coat to brown, and so the bear to this day is always white and -changes not to brown in the spring. So too, the white owl in his white -coat could perch motionless on a rock and all creatures would take him -for a harmless bit of ice and would approach so near that he could pounce -upon them easily. Time and again Amook crept close to catch the owl, -but never did he grasp him, although the tips of his fingers touched -the owl’s feathers as he flew off and to this day you may see the round -brown finger marks left by Amook on the feathers of the owl. The weasel -too, timid and suspicious, but too cowardly to disobey his master, crept -sneaking from the rocks and crouched snarling to the earth as Amook -passed his hand over his back, and the tip of his tail, which was hidden -in the rocks, is always black and his belly that was pressed upon the -earth remains ever white. Many other things—the geese and ducks, the -snipes and hawks—flew southward before Amook came forth to change their -colors and so, throughout the year, their coats remain the same. But the -hare and the fox[2] and the ptarmigan came always at Amook’s call and -grew cunning and hid safely from their enemies. - -“Through all this time the reindeer, deep in their hole, remained brown, -for under the earth there was neither winter nor summer. One day as Amook -came back to his hole the raven, flying by, saw him step out of sight. -Always curious, the raven wondered what Amook had hidden in the earth -and pondering on the matter he flew to his friend the fox. ‘Ai, ai!’ -he exclaimed. ‘Tell me, O brother, what your master keeps in his home -beneath the earth. You whom he fondles and strokes to white or brown must -know.’ - -“But the fox knew not and said so to the raven. This made the black bird -more curious yet and he asked, ‘Why have you never found out? Have you -never wondered, O brother, where this Amook gets his power to turn brown -to white and white to brown? Think you how fine it would be to know the -secret of his power. With it in thy paws thou couldst change color at -will and like the owl pose as a bit of ice in summer or like a bare rock -in winter. Truly, O little friend, you would find hunting easy.’ - -“Now the fox was a born thief and most cunning, and the words of the -raven set him thinking. At last he spoke. ‘With thy help, black brother, -I may find out. We will hide close to the hole of Amook and when he comes -forth thou wilt fly high in the air and croak loudly, and when Amook -looks up I will place a bit of rock beneath the cover of the hole so it -will not close tightly. Then, when Amook has passed, we will enter his -dwelling and steal the charm.’ - -“So it came about that when Amook again went forth, the cunning fox -lurked near, and, in the air above, the raven croaked hoarsely. Just -as the two had planned, Amook looked up at the sound and the fox slyly -slipped a bit of stone under the edge of the door to Amook’s house, and -when he shoved the door in place a small opening was left which he did -not see. - -“Then, when Amook had gone, the raven flew down, and with his friend the -fox entered Amook’s home. After a long time they came to a great valley -and there, feeding on rich green moss, was a great herd of reindeer all -brown and with bushy tails. The fox and the raven were filled with wonder -at this sight of the strange creatures with the branching horns, and -the deer, who had never seen another living thing save Amook, were also -filled with wonder, and with fear as well, at sight of the fox and his -friend. - -“But the raven with his flattery and the fox with his cunning soon -overcame the reindeer’s fears and talked with them. The deer knew nothing -of Amook’s spell, for they had never been changed to white; and the fox -and raven, finding the deer dull and stupid, began to tell them of the -wonders of the outside world. At last the simple deer were interested, -and longed to go forth and gladly followed the raven and the fox to the -opening in the rocks. - -“One after the other they squeezed through and just as the last one had -come forth Amook came home. When he saw that the deer had escaped, he -rushed forward and with outstretched hands tried to push the deer back -into the hole. But the deer, pleased at the outside world, struck at him -with their feet and where Amook’s hands had touched their foreheads broad -white marks appeared, for Amook had been forth to turn all creatures -white for the coming winter and the charm was still upon his hands. - -“Then Amook, running about, seized the deer by their tails and strove to -pull them into the hole. The deer struggled and tugged and all at once -their tails broke off in Amook’s hands and the magician, tumbling head -over heels, rolled into the opening beneath the stone. - -“Then the deer pushed the bit of rock from beneath the stone door which -fell into place and shut Amook up forever. But as the deer’s leader -closed the rock door, one of the prongs of his antlers was caught between -the stones and in drawing it free it was bent and twisted in front of the -deer’s face. - -“And so, to this day, every reindeer has a twisted part to his horns -before his face and a stubby tail, and where Amook grasped their tails -and touched their rumps and pushed on their foreheads, the white patches -still remain.” - -“Bully!” cried Tom, quite forgetting the old woman did not understand -English, and then thanking her in her own tongue and telling her what a -fine story it was, the boys started to leave. - -At that instant a tousled black head appeared in the entrance tunnel, a -broad face grinned up, and Unavik crawled into the igloo. - -“H’lo!” he exclaimed in his invariable greeting. “Me feller see plenty -reindeer. Sure Mike, much plenty! Mebbe you like for shootum?” - -“Would we!” yelled the two boys in unison. “Come on, Unavik. You bet we’d -like to shootum.” - -Outside the igloo, Unavik’s sledge stood waiting. Stopping only to get -their guns the two boys piled on to the sledge, Unavik cracked his whip, -shouted to the shaggy dogs and they were off. Over the snow-clad land, -through the still, intensely cold air they sped, swinging along frozen -water courses, toiling up steep hills, dashing with dizzying speed down -the slopes for mile after mile. Then, with a low command, Unavik halted -his team, and signaling to the boys for caution, he unhitched his dogs -and led the way up a low knoll. Crouching on the snow beside the Eskimo, -Tom and Jim peered over the ridge. Below was a small swale or valley and -there, quietly feeding on the gray moss scraped free from snow with their -broad hoofs, was a herd of fully fifty big reindeer. - -But they were far out of range; there was no cover by which the boys -could stalk them, and it seemed as if their trip would be fruitless. As -the boys, disappointed, drew back, Unavik was rapidly freeing his dogs -from their rawhide harness, and with a low word of command he led them to -the hill top and turned them loose. - -With low growls the animals leaped forward and tore down the slope -towards the deer, yelping and barking, teeth bared and hair bristling. -Instantly, at sight of the dogs, the reindeer gathered together in -a close packed bunch, tails in center and threatening antlers in a -defensive ring. For a moment the dogs hesitated, and circled about, -uttering short savage snarls, but knowing well the deadly peril that -lurked in those sharp, lowered prongs and knife-edged hoofs. Then one big -husky, more courageous than his fellows, sprang forward with a yelp, and -the next second was tossed howling and bleeding for a dozen feet in the -air. - -Unavik touched the boys’ arms and beckoned for them to follow. Down -the hill he led them, across the end of the little valley and up a -frozen mound of drifted snow. Intent on the dogs, the deer gave no heed -to the fur clad figures sneaking across the snow, if indeed they saw -them, and in a few moments the three were within a few hundred feet of -the herd. Taking careful aim at the two largest deer, the boys fired. -As the reports rang out across the frozen land, the reindeer threw up -their heads and, forgetting the dogs in their new terror, raced down -the valley leaving two of their number dead upon the trampled snow. Now -was the dogs’ chance, and yelping, snapping, barking, they raced after -the deer, nipping at their heels, biting savagely at their flanks like -the half-wolves they were. Now and then a deer would turn and strike -viciously with his big hoofs at his tormentors and presently the herd -again formed in a circle with lowered heads and menacing hoofs. Already -they had forgotten the gun shots in the face of this greater peril of the -wolfish dogs, and the boys once more raised their rifles to shoot. - -“We don’t need more than one more,” whispered Jim. “You kill him, Tom. -Your gun’s better at that range.” - -Once more, as the report roared out, a deer fell and the herd, now -thoroughly terrified, fled at top speed towards the east with the savage -dogs at their heels. The dogs followed only a short distance. There in -the valley were the fallen deer and the scent of blood and, snarling -and baying, they came tearing back and dashed ravenously upon the body -of the last deer killed. Before they could tear the skin or bury their -sharp white teeth in the carcass, Unavik was among them, lashing out with -his cruel whip, shouting shrill orders and striking cutting blows right -and left. Growling sullenly, the dogs drew back, crouching, whimpering, -cringing with tails between legs and ears laid back. Paying no heed to -the threatening bared teeth and updrawn lips, the Eskimo stepped among -them, rapidly secured the thongs about their necks together and then, -with a word to the boys, drove his huskies over the knoll before him. - -In a few moments he was back with the sledge, and with the boys’ help the -deer’s body was lifted upon it and lashed securely in place. But one deer -was all the sled could carry, and Unavik told the boys they would have to -carry the first deer to the village and return with the sledge and more -dogs for the others. - -“But won’t something eat them while we’re gone?” asked Tom. - -“Sure Mike, mebbe,” replied the Eskimo who, proud of his fragmentary -English, never spoke to the boys in his own tongue if he could avoid it. -“Me say plenty wolf, plenty bear, mebbe eatum.” - -“Hurrah!” cried Jim as a sudden idea came to him. “Say, Tom, we’ll stay -here and watch while Unavik goes to the village. Then if wolves or bears -come we can shoot them.” - -“That’s a bully scheme,” agreed Tom. “Go ahead, Unavik, we’ll wait here.” - -For a moment the Eskimo hesitated. He knew the boys had no idea as to -where they were and he was responsible for their safety. But the sky was -clear, there was no danger of a blizzard and as long as they remained -within sight of the dead deer there seemed no danger. - -“A’right,” he agreed presently. “No try walk. You feller make get los’ -die plenty quick, me say; sure Mike!” - -“We’ll stay right here,” declared Tom. “No fear of our wandering off.” - -Satisfied that the boys were all right, Unavik shouted to his dogs, -cracked his whip, shoved on the handles of his sled to start it, and the -next minute was speeding away towards the village. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII - -UNAVIK TO THE RESCUE - - -Returning to the spot from which they had first shot the deer, the two -boys hollowed a little cavity in the frozen snow within easy range of -the dead reindeer and cuddled down cozily to await Unavik’s return or -the appearance of any wild beast that might be attracted by the scent of -blood. At first the land, stretching in undulating white hills to the -horizon, seemed deserted, absolutely devoid of life, a desolate, barren -waste. But presently the boys discovered that all about were living -creatures. - -A subdued twitter drew their attention to a sheltered spot under a -projecting ledge. Peering intently at it, the boys saw a little flock of -snow buntings and longspurs hopping about. On a low snow ridge a few rods -away, a bit of the white surface moved, and a big Arctic hare rose from -its hiding place and looked suspiciously about before leaping off. - -Suddenly there was a frightened cry from behind them. As the boys -wheeled, a great broad-winged white gyrfalcon swooped like a meteor, -struck deep into the snow and, with a cloud of dazzling, glistening -crystals like diamond dust swirling from his powerful wings, rose slowly -with a ptarmigan grasped in his talons. - -Presently from far up in the blue sky came a hoarse raucous croak. -Glancing up the boys saw two tiny black specks that rapidly increased -in size as two great ravens came flapping downwards. Perching upon the -antlers of the dead deer they eyed the carcass suspiciously and, cocking -their heads on one side, they peered in the boys’ direction as though -they knew human beings were there—as no doubt they did. - -“Say, if those birds start in they’ll ruin the deer,” whispered Tom. - -“No, they won’t,” replied Jim. “The bodies must be frozen stiff by now. -Don’t you remember Unavik told us ravens wait for some animal to tear the -hide and meat and scatter bits of it about before they can eat?” - -“That’s so,” agreed Tom. “Hello, look there!” - -Close to the deer a shadow seemed to slip across the snow. The boys -glanced up, expecting to see some big hawk or a snowy owl sailing above -the valley. But the sky was unbroken by any bird. Curiously Tom and Jim -stared through the narrow slits of their snow spectacles at the slowly -moving, indistinct shadow. Closer and closer the thing drew to the dead -deer. It seemed to have no definite outline, to be merely a faint, -bluish, shapeless haze against the snow—a ghostlike thing so unreal that -the boys began to think the dazzling snow had affected their eyes. Then, -with a sudden motion, the shadow sprang across the snow and a little ball -of white appeared upon the dark surface of the deer’s body as if by magic. - -“It’s a fox!” whispered Jim. “A white fox. I’m going to shoot him.” - -“Aim for his head,” cautioned Tom in a whisper, “or you’ll spoil the -skin.” - -Resting his rifle on the frozen ridge before him, Jim glanced through the -sights. But the fox’s head was turned and he hesitated, waiting until -he had a fair shot, for he knew that his soft-nosed bullet, striking -the beautiful snowy body, would tear it to bits and ruin the pelt. -Second after second passed and still the fox kept his head turned away -from the boys as he gnawed ravenously at the edges of the bullet wound -in the deer’s side, while the two ravens croaked at him in protest and -cautiously hopped nearer and nearer, in the hopes of stealing a stray -morsel from under the fluffy white creature’s nose. - -Tom chuckled softly. “There’s the raven asking brother fox where Amook -keeps his magic,” he whispered. “I can almost imagine I can understand -the black rascal’s words.” - -But Jim did not reply. The fox had suddenly stiffened. His head was -raised. His ears were pricked forward as if listening. The ravens flapped -back to their perch on the antlers. Jim’s finger pressed against the -trigger. If the fox raised his head an inch higher, he would send the -bullet true between the ears. And then, just as the sights were lined -fair upon the round white head, the fox leaped away. There was a sound -of crunching snow from the hillside and Jim, glancing around, uttered a -suppressed, startled exclamation. Within fifty feet of where the boys -crouched, a huge white bear was moving towards the dead deer! - -“Gosh!” whispered Tom. “What luck!” - -“Let’s both shoot together,” whispered Jim, his voice trembling with -excitement. “We can’t miss. Aim back of the fore shoulder and when I -count three, fire.” - -Instantly both rifles were swung towards the big, yellowish white -creature, and as for a moment he halted and his long neck moved back -and forth, and his black nose sniffed the air, Jim counted; “One, two, -three!” and the two guns roared out as one. - -With startled hoarse croaks the raven took wing. The huge shaggy bear -reared on its hind legs, pawed frantically at the air, growled, snapped -his long white teeth savagely, and then lurched forward and slid a dozen -feet down the hillside. - -“Hurrah! we got him!” yelled Jim and leaping up the boys raced towards -the fallen bear without stopping to reload their rifles. - -Like a miniature mountain of shaggy white fur he lay there, a broad red -splotch upon his side. The two elated boys, whooping and yelling, hurried -forward. They were within a dozen feet of the enormous creature when to -their horror and amazement the bear scrambled to his feet and with open -jaws and savage growls sprang at them. - -Uttering one wild yell of terror, the boys turned and fled up the hill -for their lives. Behind them they could hear the low, menacing, awful -growls and the sound of crunching snow. As they gained the summit of the -ridge they turned, threw up their rifles, took quick aim and pulled the -triggers. - -But the hammers clicked harmlessly upon the empty shells. There was no -time even to throw fresh cartridges into the chambers of their rifles. -Less than twenty feet separated them from the infuriated, wounded -monster. Again, yelling, they took to their heels. Then, to Tom’s brain, -came a sudden remembrance, the story of Ukla and the fog which Unavik had -told them, and in panting, gasping words he shouted to Jim: - -“Don’t run down hill! Run along the side and then up again!” - -Scarcely knowing why he did so, Jim obeyed, and winded, almost ready -to drop, the boys again gained the summit of the ridge. Once more they -glanced back. Tom’s ruse had worked. The bear, heavy and cumbersome, had -been unable to check his own momentum as he topped the ridge and had half -slid, half rolled for fifty yards down the slippery slope. But he had now -turned and was once more lumbering towards them. With shaking, trembling -hands they reloaded their rifles, took aim at the bear’s breast and fired. - -Their shots went wild. Bits of fur flew from the bear’s back. He jerked -his head to one side as a bullet nicked his cheek and then, with -redoubled roars of rage and increased speed, he fairly hurled his great -body up the slope. - -“Gee, I wish we were magicians!” gasped Tom. “Come on—run down the hill -a way and then up again. It’s our only chance!” - -Once more the two exhausted boys raced down the hillside and then, -quickly turning, ran to the top. But this time the bear did not follow. -He was no fool and had learned a lesson. Galloping along the ridge top he -was almost upon the boys before they knew it. As they glanced back and -saw his drooling red mouth and great yellow fangs within arm’s reach they -screamed in terror, dropped their rifles, and thinking only of escape, -tore straight down the hill. - -A roar behind them caused them to look back. The bear was standing upon -the hill, reared upon his haunches and striking terrific sweeping blows -at the rifles. Maddened with pain, all his savagery aroused, the creature -was venting his anger on the guns and the boys, almost exhausted, -drenched with perspiration, encumbered by their heavy fur garments, won a -breathing space by the reckless abandonment of their weapons. - -“We mus—must hu—hurry!” panted Jim. “May—maybe if we—if we can keep up -a wh—while longer he’ll get ex—exhausted from loss of blood. C—come on, -Tom. Gosh, I w—wish Unavik would come!” - -Before them rose the steeper hill bordering the valley to the west and up -this the boys hurried as fast as their wearied limbs would permit. - -“Golly, wh—why isn’t there a ri—river he can drink up?” panted Tom whose -sense of humor could not be downed even in the face of such danger. “Say, -wouldn’t _he_ ma—make a fog if he burst!” - -Barely had they gained the hill top when the bear, his fury spent upon -the rifles, was once more sliding and slipping down the opposite hill and -the boys knew that it was only a question of minutes before he would be -upon them. Near by, a ledge of rock jutted above the snow with its steep -sides sheathed in ice. The boys, too utterly exhausted to run, saw in -this their only hope. - -“If we can get up there, perhaps he can’t reach us,” suggested Tom. “Come -on, Jim. It’s our last chance.” - -“But we can’t get up,” objected Jim. - -“Yes, we can,” declared Tom as they hurried towards the rock. “I can -climb up on your shoulders and then reach down and pull you up.” - -With their last strength, the boys gained the rock. Tom clambered on -Jim’s shoulders, drew himself on to the flat summit and with a desperate -effort reached down and drew his companion up beside him. - -And not an instant too soon. Before Jim’s feet were over the edge the -bear had gained the base of the rock. He reared up, made a terrific swipe -with his fore paws at Jim’s dangling feet, and the boy escaped death -by an inch. Even as it was, one of the beast’s swordlike claws ripped -through Jim’s moccasin and he howled with terror. - -They were not yet safe. The bear, standing on his hind legs, could -actually reach the edge of the rock’s summit and again and again he -strove to draw himself up; growling horribly, cutting great grooves in -the ice on the sides of the rock as he dug his hind claws into it. The -boys huddled close and yelled each time one of the great, shaggy feet, -with its three-inch claws, appeared over the edge of their refuge. -Presently something of courage and confidence returned to them. Unless -the bear found a grip, a crevice or a roughness on the rock for his -hind feet, he could not reach them. Wounded as he was, his strength was -unequal to the task of lifting his enormous weight by his front feet -alone. Still, those fearful claws brought mortal terror to the boys each -time they appeared. Then an idea came to Jim. Whipping out his heavy -knife, he reached forward and each time a paw appeared he rapped it and -slashed at it with the heavy steel blade. - -Roaring until the air trembled, the bear drew back his feet and hurled -himself bodily at the rock. At his second onslaught the boys’ faces grew -white, their hearts seemed to stop beating. The rock moved! There was -not a question of it. Instead of a solid, upjutting ledge as they had -thought, it was merely a big upstanding bowlder, a loose stone frozen to -the hilltop. At any moment it might crash over and throw them, injured -and helpless, into the grip of the bear! - -Sick with deadly fear, speechless, scarcely breathing, the boys cowered -on their narrow refuge, while with each blow of the bear, the stone -swayed and rocked. Each time the boys expected to feel it toppling to -crash down into the snow. - -Never in all their lives had such utter terror filled their hearts. They -were absolutely at the bear’s mercy. The hope that his wounds might -tell and that his strength would give out were groundless. He seemed as -fresh, as strong and more maddened than ever. The boys felt that only -their mangled bleeding bodies would remain to tell of their fate when -Unavik arrived. It was awful to be killed this way—ripped and slashed and -torn by the infuriated bear. Bitterly the boys regretted having remained -behind to guard the bodies of the slain deer. - -“I—I guess it’s all up with us,” stammered Tom, trying to choke back the -lump in his throat. - -“Yes, I—I only hope we—we get stunned when we fall,” replied Jim, his -voice breaking. “The—then we won’t suffer so much.” - -Scarcely had he spoken when the bear again threw himself at the rock. -With a crackling of ice the bowlder gave and swayed perilously. The boys -clutched wildly at the ice-filled crevices. They knew that one more such -effort on the part of the bear would send the rock crashing over. - -And then a new light came into their eyes, their hearts beat faster. From -beyond the next ridge had come the sound of yelping dogs, the shrill -shout of an Eskimo. - -The bear, despite his rage, had heard it too. With lowered head and -swaying neck he stood listening. The next instant the galloping dogs -swung over the ridge. Behind them came the sledge with a fur-clad figure -shouting and brandishing the long whip. At the top of their lungs the -boys screamed, shouted and yelled. Forgetting their precarious position, -they leaped to their feet and waved their arms. Unavik’s sharp eyes -had taken in the situation at a glance. Midway in its mad career, he -overturned the sledge and swung it sidewise. The dogs, suddenly arrested -in their race, tumbled head over heels, and the next second, Unavik was -among them, slashing through the thongs and traces and shouting commands. - -Already the scent of the bear had reached the dogs’ nostrils. With stiff -hairs bristling on their shoulders they hurled themselves forward. Like -a pack of great, tawny wolves they came plunging towards the bear. At -their heels came Unavik, his old musket in his hands. As the bear turned -to face the snapping, snarling, savage ring of big dogs, the Eskimo -approached within a dozen feet, raised his heavy 50-caliber Remington and -fired at the bear’s broad chest. - -With a gurgling roar the great beast lurched forward, struck wildly with -his paws at the dogs and sank lifeless on the snow. - -“Gee Christopher!” cried Tom, as the two boys scrambled from their perch. -“It was lucky you came, Unavik. Another minute and we’d have been killed.” - -The Eskimo grinned. “Sure Mike!” he replied. “How you feller likeum hunt -bear?” - -“We didn’t,” declared Jim. “He hunted us. My, but isn’t he a whopper!” - -“Mos’ big all same Ukla, me say,” agreed Unavik. “Why you no killum?” - -“That’s what gets me,” said Tom. “We hit him all right. Look, there back -of the shoulder.” - -But when the boys stooped and examined the wound they knew instantly -why the bear had not died from their shots and why he had not become -exhausted from the wounds. Their bullets had struck the edge of the -massive shoulder blade and had glanced, tearing a great strip of hide and -flesh away, splintering the edge of the bone, but inflicting no mortal -injury, and not even disabling the leg. No wonder the bear had been able -to chase the boys, although the shock of the bullets had temporarily -knocked him out. - -Hardly had the boys satisfied themselves of this when the second sledge -arrived. The Eskimos gathered about, chattering and exclaiming. All -agreed that it was the biggest bear they had ever seen. To carry the huge -carcass to the village was impossible and so, as one of the men went with -the boys to the dead reindeer, Unavik and the other Eskimo set to work -to skin the bear. After having cut a haunch from the beast, and with its -skin and the deer loaded on the sledge, the party started on their return -to the village. - -Now that it was all over and their excitement had subsided, the two boys -felt weak and shaky and found it impossible to trudge through the snow. -For a while they gamely stuck it out, but at last they were obliged to -give in. Throwing themselves upon the sleds they lay almost as helpless -and motionless as the dead animals beside them. - -Great was the rejoicing in the village that night, for the death of a -bear is always celebrated. The rest of the beast’s carcass had been -brought in and the Eskimos gorged themselves on the meat. Throughout the -night the drums throbbed, the Eskimos’ voices rose and fell in discordant -chants and, grotesque in their fur garments, they danced and pranced -while the dogs howled in unison. - -“I’ll bet this is when the men don’t work or the women comb their hair -for three days,” laughed Tom as, fully recovered from their exciting -afternoon, they watched the merrymaking. - -But there was a fly in the boys’ ointment, so to speak. When they had -told their story to the captain he had grown serious and had told the -boys that hereafter they were not to go any distance from the village -alone under any circumstances. - -“I’d feel nice going home and telling your folks a bear or a wolf had -eaten you up, wouldn’t I?” said the skipper. “You may be owners, but I’m -responsible for you, and hereafter you take one of the Eskimos and a pack -of dogs with you if you stir from the village. I know you came through -safely this time, but you might not be so lucky next time. And don’t you -dare stay alone out there. If your Eskimo goes anywhere, you go too. Now, -that’s final.” - -“All right,” agreed the boys, “we’ll be careful.” - -While they knew the captain was looking after their safety, it galled the -two boys to think that their sled trips must be chaperoned by a native -and that they were being treated like “tenderfeet,” as Tom put it. But as -they looked at the enormous shaggy skin—twelve feet from nose to tail—and -thought how it would look upon the polished floor of the house in Fair -Haven, all else was forgotten in their pride at having secured such a -trophy, and their hearts beat more quickly as vivid memories of their -narrow escape from such a terrible death came to them. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV - -AN ARCTIC CHRISTMAS - - -Although the boys’ fathers had painted a picture of long and dreary -months in the Arctic with the ship frozen in, and only the whalemen and -Eskimos for company, the boys found it far from dull. - -To be sure there were many days when snowstorms raged and the wind -howled, and no one stirred from the long house on the deck. But even -then there were things to amuse and interest the boys. A number of the -native Eskimos were usually there, as well as those from Hebron, and the -two lots of tribesmen were never tired of holding competitions of skill -or strength. Gathered in a circle about the contestants, the whalemen -and the boys would clap and applaud, shout encouragement and roar with -laughter as the stocky natives struggled and strained in friendly, -good-natured contests. Often a prize of tobacco, knives, clothes, or -hatchets would be offered to the winner. - -Many of the contests were wonderfully novel and amusing and sometimes -the two boys would try their hands at them, much to the merriment of the -assembled men. - -One game which was a favorite with the Eskimos was a sort of tug of war. -Kneeling on the deck with heads close together, the competitors would -have their friends tie their necks together by a rope or thong, and then, -at a signal, would strain and tug and heave, each trying his utmost to -drag the other over a chalk line on the deck. Evidently there was a knack -in it, aside from strength of neck muscles; for very often the smaller -and weaker man would win. The boys after one or two trials decided this -was too strenuous a contest. - -Another game consisted of two Eskimos locking arms and legs together -while perched on a third man’s back, and then trying to see who could -dismount the other. Hard bumps and thumps always resulted, but the men’s -heads were well padded with their mops of coarse black hair, and they -always rose grinning and as good-natured as ever. - -The greatest sport was to see the Eskimos attempt to box. The whalemen -were always boxing, and after watching the white men for some time, -the Eskimos wanted to try their skill. At their antics as they struck -blindly at each other, dodged blows, ki-yied and shouted, twisted and -turned, and often fell sprawling, the boys and the assembled whalemen -roared until they almost choked. - -But the Eskimos were apt imitators, they had unlimited perseverance, -and gradually several of them began to develop skill in the use of the -gloves and before long there were acknowledged champions among them. The -sport-loving whalemen matched them up as lightweights, welterweights, -and featherweights; for not a native could be found who, by any stretch -of imagination, could be classed as a heavyweight. So interested did -the crew become that several of the whalemen took to training their -favorites; arguments over their respective merits grew heated, and the -men bet recklessly on the results of the bouts. They even nicknamed the -Eskimos, and Tom and Jim roared until their sides ached as Cap’n Pem -would get excited and leaping up would pound his wooden leg on the deck -and shout, “Wallop him, Dempsey! That’s a good one!” while Mike, whose -favorite was a bull-necked, fat-faced, bow-legged man from Hebron whom he -called Sullivan, would shout derogatory remarks about “Dempsey” and would -dance wildly about the improvised ring, urging his man to the utmost. - -While such things served to pass the time in bad weather and at night, -the boys found far more pleasure with their dogs and their Eskimo friends -ashore. Day after day they went hunting, always accompanied by Unavik or -some other Eskimo. They were woefully disappointed in not finding musk -oxen or another bear, but they often secured reindeer; and the pile of -fox, wolf and seal skins which they reserved for themselves increased -rapidly. The crew, too, went hunting, each man accompanied by an Eskimo, -and each week the _Narwhal’s_ cargo increased in value by many hundreds -of dollars. Very often also the men had better luck than the boys, and -several fine bearskins were brought in which spurred the boys to still -greater efforts and longer trips. At last they were rewarded. They had -traveled much farther than they had ever been before, following the -valley of the river, and had reached a district of low, sharp hills, -narrow ravines and small, rock-strewn valleys. Suddenly Unavik, who was -with them, halted his dogs, peered intently at the snow, and pointed to a -trampled trail leading across the valley. - -“Musk ox!” he exclaimed. “Me say him feller near. Mebbe shootum.” - -“Gosh, do you think we can?” cried Tom. - -“Sure, Mike, mebbe,” replied the Eskimo as he unharnessed his dogs. - -Cautioning the boys to be silent, Unavik crept to the top of the nearest -ridge and peered about. No living thing was in sight. Then, with eyes -on the tracks of the animals, he descended the ridge while the dogs, -sniffing and whimpering, strained at their thongs, and the boys, thrilled -with excitement, followed at the Eskimo’s heels. Along the little defile -the trail led, over another ridge, through another valley, and up a third -hill. “Him feller near,” declared Unavik, pointing to bare patches of -rock and moss where the animals had scraped away the snow. - -Very cautiously the three crawled among the ice-covered bowlders up the -hill. The boys could scarcely restrain a cry of delight as they peered -between the rocks and saw a dozen big, shaggy beasts pawing in the snow -and nuzzling in the moss beneath. - -Jim was about to raise his rifle, for the musk oxen were within easy -range, when Unavik stopped him with a gesture and rapidly slipped the -thongs that bound the dogs together. The next instant the huskies were -bounding towards the surprised musk oxen who threw up their heads, armed -with huge broad horns, snorted, and with one accord tore off up the -valley. - -“Gee, now we’ve lost them!” exclaimed Tom in disgust. “Why didn’t you let -us shoot, Unavik?” - -The Eskimo grinned but said nothing. Beckoning to the boys he turned -and ran rapidly along the ridge in the direction the animals had gone. -Presently, to the boys’ ears, came the barks, yelps, and growls of the -dogs. Rounding a rocky hillock they came in sight of the pack, nipping -and snapping at the musk oxen who had formed in a close ring with lowered -threatening horns towards their enemies. - -With their long, shaggy, black hair, their wild, reddened eyes and great -recurved needle-pointed horns, the creatures looked very savage indeed -and the dogs knew full well that death lurked in that ring of broad heads -and sharp horns. These were no timid reindeer and, though the wolflike -huskies now and then took chances and dashed at the snorting, stamping -creatures before them, none dared approach too closely. - -Suddenly one of the oxen uttered a low bellow, plunged forward and, -before the dogs could retreat, the wicked horns swung to right and left, -and a howling husky was tossed high in air to fall dead and bleeding on -the snow. - -“Golly, they’re _some_ fighters!” exclaimed Jim in a low voice. “Come on, -Tom, let’s shoot!” - -But before the boys could fire, the musk oxen had scented them. -Forgetting the dogs in their greater fear of human beings, they dashed -off in a close-packed bunch with the huskies at their heels. Once more -Unavik and the boys raced after them, and once more the dogs brought -the animals to bay. This time Unavik led the way behind bowlders and -snowdrifts down the wind. All unsuspected by the wild cattle, the three -approached within easy range and picking out two of the biggest bulls, -the boys fired. - -At the double report the musk oxen again dashed off and, confused by the -dogs, they came galloping, plunging, directly towards the three hunters. -Before the astonished boys realized what had occurred, the great shaggy -beasts were upon them. There was no time to reload and fire, no time to -rise and run. Like an avalanche the stampeded creatures bore down upon -the frightened boys. With lowered heads, rolling eyes, steaming nostrils -and swinging horns they came. With terrified yells the boys threw -themselves to one side, rolled among the rocks, and buried their heads, -faces down, in the snow. All about them pounded the galloping hoofs. Tom -screamed as he was struck a terrific blow and hurled aside. Over them -they heard the panting breaths, the loud snorts and the low bellows of -the creatures. Each second they expected to feel the sharp hooked horns -ripping through their garments and their flesh. - -But in an instant it was over. The musk oxen had passed; the boys were -unhurt, and slowly, and with wondering expressions, they cautiously -raised themselves as the pack of dogs raced by. - -“Jiminy crickets!” exclaimed Jim, “I thought we _were_ goners that time.” - -“Gosh, yes!” assented Tom. “One of ’em stepped on me, but I guess these -furs saved me. Say, what’s the matter with us? We didn’t kill a single -one.” - -“Search me,” replied Jim, “I don’t see how we missed.” - -“Me say hitum, sure Mike!” cried Unavik who was searching the trampled -snow where the beasts had passed. - -The boys hurried to his side and glancing down, saw big splashes of -crimson on the snow. Evidently they had not missed. Racing after the -Eskimo they hurried as fast as they could travel towards the distant -barking of the dogs. As they leaped the crest of a hummock, Unavik -uttered a sharp cry, and the boys shouted with delight as they saw a big -black bull lying half buried in a snow drift where he had fallen. - -“We got one anyway!” cried Tom as they hurried on. “Say, we _are_ in -luck!” - -Once again they found the oxen at bay and, this time when they fired, two -of the creatures were left behind when the herd galloped off. - -“Gee, that’s enough!” declared Jim, as panting and utterly exhausted -the boys seated themselves on one of the dead oxen. “I’m all in. These -clothes were never made for sprinting.” - -“Get the dogs, Unavik,” said Tom. “No use in killing more. We can’t even -get these three in to the village. We’ll wait here for you.” - -The Eskimo started off, but there was no need for him to recall his pack. -The musk oxen were thoroughly frightened and demoralized and had fled -over hill and dale into the vast white waste, and the dogs, realizing -that the creatures could not be brought to bay again with the scent of -blood behind them, came trotting back towards the dead oxen. - -It was, as Tom said, impossible to carry the three creatures to the -village and so, having regained their breaths, the two boys and Unavik -set to work skinning the two oxen. It was a hard slow job, but at last -it was done and the boys straightened their aching backs and eased their -cramped muscles. - -“Well, that’s over!” exclaimed Jim. “But how on earth can we carry those -skins and heads back? They weigh pretty near a ton, I’ll bet.” - -Unavik grinned. “Me say plenty easy,” he remarked and rolling the skins -in a bundle with the hair inside he lashed them firmly with the tough -sinews from the creatures’ legs, attached his dogs to the whole and with -a sharp command sent the huskies galloping over the snow with the bundle -of skins sliding like a sled behind them. - -“Golly, that’s easy!” cried Tom. “But I’d never have thought of it.” - -With the musk ox trail to guide them, the three had no difficulty in -locating the sledge and having harnessed the dogs they drove the team -back to the first ox they had killed. This Unavik dressed and, after a -deal of hard work, the body was loaded on the sled and the triumphant -and elated boys turned towards the distant village. It was a long, hard -tramp, the boys were tired, and except when traveling down a steep slope, -they could not rest by leaping on to the sledge, for the dogs had all -they could do to haul the vehicle with its load. But the boys did not -complain. With three musk oxen to their credit they could well afford to -undergo some hardship; but over and over again they were forced to halt -and rest. As a result, it was nearly midnight when they at last saw the -rounded igloos and the ghostly outline of the schooner in the flickering -light of the aurora, and with heartfelt thanks, they reached the end of -their journey. - -“Where’n tarnation ye been?” demanded Cap’n Pem, who was the first to see -them. “I swan, ye’ll have us all plumb crazy worryin’ over ye.” - -“You needn’t have worried,” declared Tom, “Unavik was with us.” - -“Shucks, he’s jes’ as bad as ye be,” declared the old whaleman. “H’ain’t -got no sense ’tall. What——” - -“Hello!” cried Captain Edwards, interrupting the old whaleman. “You boys -are late. Just beginning to think we’d have t’ start out to search for -you. Have any luck?” - -“Three musk oxen,” replied Jim. “We’re pretty near starved.” - -“I’ll bet ye be,” cried Cap’n Pem. “Blow me if ye ain’t reg’lar hunters. -Fetched in three o’ the critters, eh? Waall, I’ll be sunk!” - -As the half-famished boys ate ravenously, they told their story of the -hunt to the men and officers and then, having been unanimously acclaimed -the champion hunters of the ship, they crawled into their bunks, snuggled -among their furs, and were instantly sound asleep. - -So rapidly had the time passed that the boys could scarcely believe that -half the winter was over. As Tom, on the morning after their musk ox -hunt, started to write down the events of the preceding day in his diary, -he uttered a surprised ejaculation. - -“Gosh, Jim, it’s only two weeks till Christmas!” - -“No!” exclaimed Jim. “Gee, I didn’t realize it. We’ll have to have a -celebration. I wonder what they do up here.” - -“Of course we celebrate,” the captain assured them when they spoke to him -about the holidays. “Reckon we’d better be gettin’ ready pretty quick.” - -So for the next ten days every one aboard the _Narwhal_ was busy. There -was the same delightful mystery in the air as at home; preparations for -the Christmas festivities proceeded rapidly; and the boys were amazed to -discover what resources the men and the schooner possessed. Mike and the -carpenter worked early and late at building a miniature whaling ship to -serve in place of a Christmas tree. The grinning black cook labored from -morning until night—or rather from breakfast until bedtime—baking cakes -and pies, making mysterious dishes, and boiling great kettles of molasses -for candy, and from dinner until nearly midnight, the boys and men had -glorious fun pulling the molasses candy, roasting quarts and pecks of -peanuts, and popping hundreds of ears of corn. Half shyly the rough -whalemen brought out clumsily wrapped packages and placed them on the -pile of gifts on the chart table. Even the Eskimos seemed to catch the -spirit of Christmas, and grinned and clucked and chuckled as they saw the -preparations going on, for they had seen Christmas celebrations before -and knew what a fine time was in store. - -Two days before the great day, the completed model of the ship was set -up in the deck house, and all hands busied themselves stringing the pop -corn in its rigging, hanging the presents to the yards and masts, piling -candy wrapped in bright-colored paper on the decks, and attaching colored -candles along the bulwarks, up the shrouds, and along the yards. - -“Say,” cried Jim, as the boys surveyed the completed substitute for a -tree with approval. “Every one’ll have to hang up his stocking. Look at -that heap of presents!” - -At first the men demurred, trying to laugh off their embarrassment, but -the boys insisted, the captain seconded them, Mr. Kemp added his pleas, -and old Pem chuckled. - -“’Spec’ I’m a ol’ fool!” he exclaimed. “But I rec’on we kin all ’ford to -be kids, come Christmas. I’m a-goin’ fer to hang my stockin’!” - -Stumping to his cabin, the old whaleman returned carrying a huge rabbit -skin under-boot. “On’y stockin’ I got,” he declared as all burst out -laughing. - -“Well, b’gorra, ’tis lucky for ould Santa that yez have but wan lig -thin!” cried Mike. “Faith an’ wid two av thim there’d not be a prisint -for the rist av us.” - -Now that Cap’n Pem had started the fun, the men quickly caught the -spirit. Shouts of merriment, roars of laughter and good-natured chaffing -floated over the frozen wastes from the schooner as the whalemen brought -out socks, fur boots and heavy woolen stockings, and hung them in a long -row along one side of the deck house, while the captain and the boys -hurried back and forth filling them with bundles and packages. - -Christmas day dawned clear and cold. Not a breath of wind stirred the -frost filled air. The thermometer registered 45° below zero and the -boys noted that the sun rose above the frozen plain of the bay at 9.30. -Jumping from their bunk, the two boys ran hither and thither, wishing a -“Merry Christmas” to every one. Presently the men came trooping in and -seated themselves at the long table loaded with the Christmas breakfast. - -The meal over, the Eskimos began to arrive, for all had been invited to -spend the day aboard the schooner. Soon the deck house was packed with -the grinning men and laughing girls and women all decked out in their -richest furs and most elaborate costumes, every one carrying some bundle -of fur or skin. - -Then peanuts and pop corn were passed around, which the Eskimos munched -and enjoyed hugely. Presently the captain jumped upon a chair and -announced that there would be a dance. Swanson appeared with a much -battered concertina, the carpenter brought out a wheezy fiddle, the -ebony-skinned cook arrived with a banjo, and, to complete the orchestra, -Nate produced a mouth organ. - -Whatever the tune was—if tune it could be called—the boys never knew, -but the men cared not a jot and seemed perfectly satisfied. Presently -the deck was covered with couples, each dancing a different step, all -laughing and all as happy as a crowd of youngsters. Tom and Jim roared -with merriment as old Cap’n Pem seized a stout Eskimo woman and started -to waltz with her. Mike took the center of the deck and executed a weird -hornpipe which brought down thunderous applause, and Mr. Kemp, with -blackened face and with a strip of gaudy calico wrapped about his long -legs and a gay bandanna on his head, pranced up and down in a cakewalk. - -Then the Eskimos had their turn. The skin drums throbbed and boomed, a -man with a curious tambourinelike instrument, like a thin drum filled -with pebbles, added to the din, and the natives pranced around and -around, chanting a weird song, stepping high, twisting and turning and -moving in intricate figures. - -Then came games, followed by boxing matches, and the fun waxed fast and -furious. Finally there was a tug of war, Eskimos against whalemen, and -when, with wild shouts and yells, the Eskimos had pulled their rivals an -inch over the chalk line and were declared the victors, Captain Edwards -announced that the presents would be given out. - -As he ceased speaking, there was a shout from the companionway and every -one turned and gaped in astonishment, for there, pushing his way through -the narrow entrance was Santa Claus! Even the boys were surprised, for -Santa had been kept a profound secret. Clad in a suit of brown wolfskin -with ermine trimming, and with big sealskin boots on his feet, the fat -little fellow beamed upon all through his voluminous white whiskers of -bearskin, and entering the deck house, tossed down his heavily loaded -pack and brushed the snow from his sleeves and shoulders. - -At first no one recognized him, but at his first words a roar of -merriment burst from every one’s lips. “Had a everlastin’ tough time -a-gettin’ to ye, clean up here!” he cried, striving ludicrously to -disguise his voice. “But I reckon I brung presents fer all.” - -“B’ the saints, ’tis the fursst toime Oi iver see a wan-ligged Santa!” -chuckled Mike. “But sure ’tis a foine wan he do be afther makin’ at that.” - -Rapidly the presents were distributed. There were comfort bags for each -member of the crew, every bag containing buttons, thread, wax, combs -salve, thimbles, pins and a small mirror. Every Eskimo woman received a -bundle of bright-colored cloth and a little package of beads. The girls -were given bead necklaces and gold plated rings. Each native boy got a -shiny new jackknife, and every Eskimo man received a file and a plug of -tobacco. Then the presents piled around the ship were distributed, and -finally the men, sheepishly and flushing like children, received their -well filled stockings and giggled and snickered like schoolgirls as they -unwrapped the packages. - -The Eskimos had done their part also. The men and boys were fairly loaded -down with moccasins, fur boots, carved ivory curios, selected skins and -similar things, while the natives were mad with delight over the powder -and lead, the matches, the hatchets and knives, and the brass and iron -they received. - -Then came dinner, and such a dinner! There was a roast haunch of -reindeer, bear chops, musk ox steaks, roast ptarmigan and potted hare. -Even the cranberry sauce was there, with mince and pumpkin pies, and to -cap the climax, a great steaming plum pudding which the grinning cook -brought triumphantly in with its brandy sauce ablaze. - -And the Eskimos at their table also had a feast. The dainties so -appreciated by the white men held no attractions for the natives, and so -their feast consisted of canned fruits, thick tinned milk, and, to their -minds best of all, vast quantities of lard and oleomargarine. Not until -midnight did the celebration end. When the last Eskimo had departed and -eight bells pealed through the night, all vowed that this Christmas in -the Arctic was the jolliest one they had ever known. - - - - -CHAPTER XV - -FRIENDS IN NEED - - -One morning Tom came on deck, glanced ashore and rubbed his eyes. He -could hardly believe what he saw. Beyond the igloos, several of the -Eskimos were busily putting up a skin tent on the shore. - -“Golly, Jim!” he cried to his cousin. “Look, there—they must know that -spring’s coming. They’re putting up their skin tents.” - -“Cricky, so they are!” exclaimed Jim. “Say, I didn’t know spring came so -early.” - -“Won’t be here for some spell yet,” laughed Mr. Kemp who had overheard -the boys. “You’re rushing the season. Getting tired of winter?” - -“Not a bit of it,” declared Tom. “We’re having a bully time and I -wouldn’t mind being frozen in here for six months more. But if spring’s -not near, why are they moving ashore and putting up the skin tents?” - -“Going to mend some clothes,” replied the second officer. - -“Oh, say, you must think we’re easy,” laughed Jim. “They could mend -clothes in the igloos, couldn’t they? What’s the joke?” - -“No joke,” Mr. Kemp assured him. “And of course they _could_ mend clothes -in the igloos—only they don’t think so. That is, some kinds. You see, -these Eskimos believe there’s a water god and a land god—sorta spirit I -reckon—and each one’s boss of the critters where he reigns. So they think -if they mend clothes made of sea critters’ skins on shore, the water -spirit’ll be peeved, and if they mend things made of land animals’ hides -on the ice, t’other god’ll be vexed. I’ll bet, if you was over to that -tent, you’d find the old lady sewin’ at a shirt or somethin’ made of bear -or reindeer or fox, or some other land thing’s hide.” - -“Well, that is the funniest thing yet,” declared Tom. “Come on, Jim, -let’s go and see.” - -They found that it was exactly as Mr. Kemp had said. Inside the tent, two -of the Eskimo women were busily mending some garments which the boys at -once saw were made of wolf and deer skins. This discovery aroused their -interest and all of their spare time was spent questioning the Eskimos -about beliefs and habits. The two boys learned a great number of most -interesting things. All of these they recorded in their notebooks, and -once, as Tom was busily writing down a folklore story, Newilic, who had -been watching him, asked what he was doing. Tom explained as best he -could and the Eskimo grinned. Then, asking Tom to let him take the book, -the Iwilic[3] grasped the pencil in his fist, screwed up his mouth, bent -his eyes close to the paper, and commenced to draw several pictures. -Presently he handed the book back to Tom and as the boys saw what the -Eskimo had drawn they roared with laughter. There, unmistakable and -indescribably quaint and funny, were the birds and animals of the story -with a stiff-jointed, woodeny Eskimo among them. - -From that time on the boys had Newilic illustrate all the stories they -recorded, and the result was a collection of the most fascinating -pictures they had ever seen. Both boys declared they would have them -bound and the stories printed with them as soon as they reached home. - -Of course the two boys never lost their interest in hunting and one day, -when out for meat for the schooner’s table, Jim killed an Arctic hare, -and picking him up, was amazed to see that he was speckled with brown. - -“Hurrah!” he shouted to Tom. “Now I know spring’s coming. The hares are -getting brown.” - -“Perhaps Amook forgot to rub his hands all over him,” laughed Tom. “You -know one swallow doesn’t make a summer, and I don’t believe one hare with -brown spots makes a spring. Let’s get another one and see if he’s the -same way.” - -But oddly enough, now that the boys wanted a hare, there were none to be -found. Finally, tiring of searching for them, the two turned back. As -they crossed a little swale, a pair of ptarmigan fluttered up and Tom -bagged them. - -“Gosh, I guess you’re right,” he cried as he picked up the birds. “These -fellows have got brown feathers on them.” - -“Yep, ain’t no doubt of it,” declared Cap’n Pem when the boys returned to -the schooner and showed the brown feathers and hairs to the old whaleman. -“Can’t fool these here critters, by gum! I’ll bet ye, ye’ll see the geese -a-honkin’ back afore long.” - -Despite the fact that the hare and the ptarmigan, as well as many other -creatures the boys brought in, were all assuming their summer coats of -gray and brown, there was no let up in the biting wind. Snow storms -came and piled the drifts higher, and the thermometer hovered around the -thirty or forty mark below zero. - -Then one day the boys came on deck to find a soft wind blowing from the -south, water was dripping from the icicles on the _Narwhal’s_ rigging, -the sky was clear and blue, and there was an unmistakable feel of spring -in the air. Day after day the south wind blew, and the sky was cloudless -and though the nights were cold, the ice and snow thawed rapidly during -the short days. One morning a faint, faraway sound caused the boys to -look up, and they saw a little V-shaped string of black specks winging -swiftly across the sky. - -“There are the geese!” cried Tom. “I guess spring really is here.” - -Evidently the Eskimos were of the same mind, for they were all busy, -erecting skin tents and moving their household belongings from the igloos -to their new homes. Before long the low, rounded houses of ice were -deserted. - -“Looks like the ice might break up pretty soon,” remarked Captain -Edwards. “That is, if this weather holds. What do you think, Pem?” - -The old whaleman squinted at the sky, sniffed the wind and scratched -his head. “I reckon ’twill,” he replied at last. “But I’ll be sunk -if I hanker arter a early thaw. Mos’ gin’rally there’s a’ all-fired, -dod-gasted freeze arterwards an’ the ice buckles an’ raises Sam Hill. -I’ve seen many a good ship stove an’ sent to Davy Jones by a freeze -arter the ice breaks. No, sir, gimme a late spring an’ no danger of it -a-freezin’ solid arterwards.” - -“Hmm,” muttered the skipper. “Yep, I know that, Pem, but if the ice -breaks we’ll clear it away about the schooner and then she’d ought to -stand it. Clear water’ll freeze smooth black ice and won’t do any harm.” - -“Mebbe ye will, an’ mebbe ye won’t,” grumbled the old man. “Course I -ain’t a-lookin’ fer trouble but I’ll bet ye we git it.” - -A few days after this conversation the boys were wakened by a report like -a cannon and started up. “What’s that?” cried Tom. - -“Ice breakin’ up,” called back Mr. Kemp from the next berth. “Reckon -she’ll be a-goin’ good by to-morrow.” - -Throughout the rest of the night the crackling reports, dull crashes and -sharp detonations woke the boys a score of times, and when they reached -the deck the next morning, they gazed with amazement at the vast plain of -white that marked the bay. Where yesterday it had been solid ice—rough, -hummocky and rugged—it was now broken, and cracked in every direction. -Narrow strips of dark water could be seen here and there, and the mass -rose and fell in undulations like the swell of the ocean. - -“Hurrah! it’s broken!” cried Tom. “Now we’ll soon be getting away.” - -It did indeed look as though the bay would soon be cleared of ice, for -the tide or current and the wind were slowly but surely moving the ice -away from the land. Already a stretch of fifty feet of water separated -the igloos from the shore, and along the beach tiny waves were lapping -at the shingle. For the first time in many months, the boys felt the -schooner gently rising and falling beneath their feet. But Tom and Jim -did not know the treacherous Arctic weather. Two nights later they were -aroused by shouts and cries, the sound of hurrying feet, and crashing -shivering blows that shook the schooner from stem to stern. At first they -thought the _Narwhal_ had gone adrift and was on the rocks. Hurrying into -their garments they rushed on deck to gaze upon a terrific, wild and -magnificent sight. The wind had shifted and was blowing half a gale from -the east and the broken ice, that had been drifting out of the bay for -the past three days, was now being driven back. - -Tossing on the waves, the great masses of gleaming ice came in, grinding -together, crashing like thunder as one collided with another, bumping and -roaring as they lifted and fell upon the seas. In a vast solid rampart, -the upended jagged cakes were approaching the _Narwhal_, and already she -was surrounded by scores of the cakes—huge, sharp-edged bits of floe -twenty feet or more in thickness, and hurled like battering rams by wind -and waves. - -Instantly, the boys realized the peril the schooner was in. Each time a -great cake was flung against the stout ice sheathing of her hull, the -_Narwhal_ shivered and trembled. It seemed impossible that any vessel -could withstand the steady buffeting, the constant impacts, of the -tossing cakes. - -Shouting, and yelling, the men and the Eskimos labored, striving to ward -off the ice with poles, by lowering great rope fenders over the sides, -and by paying out cable, but their puny efforts made no impression on -the irresistible oncoming ice. Presently, however, the boys noticed that -there were fewer shocks, that the blows seemed less severe and then they -saw the reason. The first cakes of ice had reached the shore, others had -piled upon them, back of these the oncoming ice was checked and, unable -to move farther, the countless thousands of heaving, crashing, grinding -cakes were jammed together and the schooner was locked fast in their -embrace. - -“Gosh! that _was_ a narrow escape!” cried Jim. “But I guess we’re all -right now.” - -“All right!” burst out Mr. Kemp. “Here’s where we’re a-goin’ to get it -good an’ plenty. If the _Narwhal_ ain’t stove it’ll be nothin’ short of a -miracle.” - -For a moment the boys could not see where the danger lurked and every one -was too busy to answer the questions they longed to ask. But presently -they understood. The gale, the heavy seas outside the bay and the tide -were all pushing with terrific force against that vast mass of millions -of tons of ice, and the schooner was gripped within it as in the jaws of -a titanic vise. Only her hull of oak and pine, a mere egg shell in that -stupendous field of ice, lay between the cakes, and no fabric built by -human hands could withstand that awful pressure. - -With sickening creaks the timbers and planks began to give. With -horrified eyes the boys saw the stout sides and bulwarks bending and -buckling inwards. The heavy oak rail parted, splintered and ripped like a -match stick. With a report like a gunshot the decks sprang into the air -and rose in a steep hill-like ridge above the shattered bulwarks. - -“Gosh, Jim, it’s all over with the old _Narwhal_!” cried Tom, scarcely -able to realize that the stout old schooner had met her fate at last. -“Now what _will_ we do?” - -Even as he spoke the boys were thrown headlong on to the ripped deck -and with a terrific lurch the schooner’s stern reared high in air. She -careened terribly, and a moment later was lying almost on her beam ends -on the top of the floe which had forced its way beneath her keel. Captain -Edwards, old Pem and Mr. Kemp were shouting and yelling orders while the -Eskimos who had seen their plight from the shore came hurrying over the -ice to help. Soon every one was laboring like mad, unloading the cargo, -getting out stores and supplies and preparing to desert the schooner, for -all knew, that should the wind shift and the ice go out, the _Narwhal_ -would plunge to the bottom like a lump of lead. - -Rapidly the casks of oil, the bales of whalebone, the bundles of skins, -and the sacks of walrus ivory were lowered over the schooner’s sides. -In a constant stream the Eskimos’ sledges went back and forth between -the stove schooner and the shore, carrying the salvaged goods which were -piled in a great mound well back from the beach. - -At last everything movable had been saved. The spars and sails, the -chains and cables, the blocks and tackle and the running rigging were -stripped from the _Narwhal_ and with lumber hastily torn from the long -deck house a shed was built over the pile of valuables and supplies. - -“Gee, we’re marooned here now,” cried Jim when the last sledge had come -from the schooner and her sorrowing crew had tramped over the hummocky -ice and stood gazing at the pitiful-looking ship which had served them so -well. - -“Reckon we won’t have to stay here long,” said Captain Edwards. “The -_Ruby_’s up to Nepic Inlet and, if we can make her, we’ll be all right.” - -“The _Ruby_?” queried Tom. “What’s she?” - -“Little brigantine out o’ Nova Scotia,” replied the skipper. “Bluenose -sealer. Guess her skipper’ll be willin’ to come in here an’ pick up this -stuff of ourn an’ give us a lift to port.” - -“But how can we get to her?” asked Jim. - -“Sleds,” replied the captain. “’Tain’t over a hundred miles by land to -the inlet an’ we can make it all right. Snow’s still good enough for -sleddin’.” - -Since another warm spell and a thaw might arrive at any moment, and make -it impossible to travel over the slushy snow, no time was to be lost. -Within two hours from the time the crew had come ashore, all were on -their way across the snow-covered land toward Nepic Inlet and the _Ruby_. - -Leading the party was Amaluk, with his sledge laden with necessities, the -men’s personal belongings, food, and supplies. Behind him came team after -team and the schooner’s men and officers. In the rear were the two boys -with their own dog team, their sledge laden with their trophies, and with -Unavik a few paces ahead of them. - -Although the snow had been softened by the warm spell, the change in -wind and temperature had frozen a hard crust upon it, and sledding was -easy and rapid. But the heavily loaded sledges broke through here and -there and the boys, bringing up the rear, found that they could travel -far easier by swinging to one side on to the unbroken crust. Often, -for several miles, they were out of sight of the others, for they made -detours around hills and deep drifts and once or twice stopped to shoot -game. They had no fear of going astray for the shrill shouts of the -Eskimos, the cracking of whips, and the yelps of the dogs were borne -plainly to them on the strong easterly wind. - -They had traveled in this way for several hours when Tom, who was running -ahead, halted and signaled the dogs to stop. “Look here, Jim,” he cried, -“there are reindeer near. See, here’s where they’ve been scraping away -the snow and feeding.” - -“Golly, that’s so,” assented Jim as he saw the bits of moss on the white -surface and the bare spots where the animals had pawed away the snow from -a deep bed of moss. - -“Let’s go after them!” suggested Tom. “They may be near, and Captain -Edwards said to get meat if we could, to help out the provisions.” - -“Better not,” cautioned Jim. “You know he told us not to go off alone.” - -“But that was different,” argued Tom. “He meant not to go off on long -trips. There’s no danger in this. We can’t get lost. It’ll be dead easy -to find the others’ trail, or follow our own back. See, it’s plain as can -be.” - -“No, I guess there’s no danger of that,” admitted Jim. “All right, come -on, but if we don’t find the deer soon, we’ll have to come back.” - -Urging their dogs forward, the boys followed the deer’s trail and -presently, by the dogs’ yelps and growls and the way they strained at -their traces, the boys knew they were on a fresh scent, and that the deer -could not be far away. The trail led up a narrow circuitous valley, and -as the marks of the reindeer’s hoofs became more and more distinct, and -the bits of moss where the animals had stopped to feed were fresher, the -boys knew they were nearing the herd, and halted their dogs. - -“Let’s look over that ridge before we go farther,” suggested Tom. “They -may be in the next hollow.” - -Crawling up the low ridge, the boys peered over and to their joy saw a -dozen reindeer lying down and resting. Hurrying to the dogs, the boys -unharnessed them, looped the neck thongs together and led the pack to -near the summit of the hill. Then, unleashing them, they let them go. -With loud barks and growls the dogs rushed down at the surprised deer. - -Leaping to their feet the reindeer, as always, formed a defensive ring, -and while they were busy keeping off the snapping dogs, the boys slipped -around the hill to get within easy range. So intent were the deer upon -their four-footed enemies that the boys crept within fifty yards and -brought down two of the creatures. It was almost as simple and as little -sport as killing domestic cattle but the boys were out after meat and not -for sport and, having all they needed, they ran towards the herd, yelling -and shouting. - -Instantly the survivors turned and fled, and the dogs, after chasing -them a short distance, came loping back to the dead deer. - -“We can’t carry both these, as they are,” said Tom. “And we can’t afford -to waste them. Let’s dress them and leave the heads and horns. We have -better ones than these and the meat’s what we want most.” - -“Guess we’ll have to,” agreed Jim, and at once the two set to work. - -Although the boys had assisted Unavik and the other Eskimos in dressing -deer and musk oxen, they had never before tried it alone and they soon -found that it was a hard and difficult undertaking. The deer were heavy, -the boys were no expert butchers and the time passed more rapidly than -they imagined. - -As they finished the first deer and with grunts of satisfaction stood -up and looked about, they noticed for the first time that the sky was -overcast, that heavy dun-gray clouds were scudding low overhead, and that -the wind had increased. - -“Gee, I guess it’s going to storm!” exclaimed Jim. “Don’t you think we’d -better leave the other deer?” - -“Why?” asked Tom. “If it does storm, it won’t make any difference. We’re -not two miles from the trail, and we can make it in a few minutes. Come -on, let’s get busy on this other fellow. If it storms it will be all the -easier to catch up with the other sledges. They’re slower than we are and -may have to stop.” - -Once more the boys bent over the deer, cutting and dressing the big -carcass, and they had almost finished when a few big snowflakes dropped -upon the animal’s hide. - -“Golly, it’s snowing!” exclaimed Jim. “Say, we’ve got to hurry!” - -The snow was falling thick and fast by the time the deer was dressed. -Bending to the force of the wind, the boys called to their dogs and -started for the sledge. - -And then they realized that they had made a fatal blunder. All intent -upon dressing the deer they had forgotten to knot the dogs’ thongs -together, the animals had been eating their fill of the offal from the -deer, and instinctively knowing a storm was approaching, they were -running nervously about, sniffing the air and whining. - -At Tom’s call, two of the dogs, old huskies who had been long trained to -obedience, came trotting to him, but the others kept their distance. - -“Come on, we’ll have to get them,” cried Jim, as the boys knotted the -thongs of the two together. “Gosh, we _were_ boobs not to have fastened -them!” - -But as soon as the boys started towards the dogs, the animals turned, -dashed away with tails between their legs and growled savagely. - -“Confound them!” cried Tom, and yelling a command in Eskimo he made a -rush at the nearest dog. - -With a sharp bark, and baring his teeth, the creature leaped away and -then, lifting his head in air, he uttered a long wolflike howl and -galloped off over the hill with the pack at his heels. - -The boys looked at each other with real fear upon their features. - -“They’ve gone!” exclaimed Tom. “Now we _are_ in a fix.” - -“We’ll have to leave the deer and the sledge and hike it,” declared Jim. -“Maybe these two dogs can lead us to the trail.” - -It was their one chance and urging the dogs on, the boys started back -over the trail of their sledge. But presently they were again at a loss. -The rapidly falling snow had now covered the runner marks, the dogs -seemed confused and ranged back and forth, and the boys grew more and -more frightened. Then one of the dogs gave a glad yelp and with noses to -the snow they strained at the leading thongs. - -“It’s all right!” shouted Tom. “The dogs have picked up the trail!” - -“Well, they’re going in exactly the opposite direction I think they -should have gone,” declared Jim. “But I suppose they know.” - -Over low hills and through valleys the dogs led the boys while the -blizzard raged. To the frightened and nervous lads it seemed as if they -had covered twice the distance they had come when the dogs barked loudly, -sniffed the air and tugged harder than ever at the leash. - -“Guess the others are near now!” panted Tom, striving to keep pace with -the dogs. “They smell something.” - -The next instant the dogs cringed back, the hair rose upon their necks -and with tails drawn in they whimpered as if in fear. - -“Gosh, I wonder what’s up now!” exclaimed Tom. - -“Maybe a bear or wolf ahead,” suggested Jim, cocking his rifle. - -Anxiously the boys peered into the misty white ahead and saw a low, -irregular mound of snow with a dark object projecting from it. - -“Say, what’s that ahead?” queried Jim in low tones. - -“Looks like a sled covered with snow,” replied Tom. “We’ll soon see.” - -Approaching cautiously, while the dogs struggled to keep back, the -boys neared the little white mound, and the next instant Jim uttered a -piercing, frightened cry and leaped back. Sticking stiffly up from the -snow was a human arm! - -“Gee, it’s a man!” exclaimed Tom. “What are you afraid of? Maybe he’s got -lost or injured and is not dead yet. Come on, let’s see.” - -With fast beating hearts the boys, overcoming their fears and -nervousness, stepped close to the ominous pile of snow. Tom grasped the -outstretched fur-clad arm. - -But the next instant he let go, yelled, and jumped away with a white -face. The arm was frozen stiff. It was the arm of a corpse! - -“He—he’s dead!” stammered Tom. - -Jim had now recovered himself. “Well, he won’t hurt us if he is,” he -reminded Tom. “It’s awful I know, but we must find out who he is. It may -be one of our men.” - -“Ugh, I hate to go near it!” declared Tom. - -“So do I, but we’ve got to,” said Jim. “Come on, Tom, we’re no babies or -silly nervous girls. Brace up.” - -Striving to control their nervous fears, the boys grasped the furs -encasing that gruesome stiff arm and tugged. Presently, with a horrible, -terrifying motion, the arm moved, the snow broke loose and the boys -involuntarily screamed and jumped away as the body rolled over free from -snow. - -With wide eyes the two gazed upon the corpse and backed still farther -off. The body, clad in furs, was that of a short, heavily built man, but -the face, swarthy, black-bearded and black-browed, was frightful with the -expression of fear and awful agony stamped upon it. At the first glance -the boys saw with inexpressible horror that the whole side of the skull -was crushed in and the scalp ripped off. - -“Wha—wha—what killed him, I wo—wonder!” stammered Tom, his teeth -chattering. - -Jim, summoning all his courage, took a step nearer. “A bear!” he -exclaimed, as he caught sight of a row of great gashes in the man’s neck -and the ripped and torn back of the fur coat. - -“Well, le—let’s get away from here,” stuttered Tom. “We ca—can’t do -anything.” - -Without replying Jim turned and with boyish terror of death gripping -their hearts, and all their courage flown, the two raced away from the -body. - -Not until they had topped the next rise did they stop. Then, as they -halted to regain their breaths, they noticed that the snow had almost -ceased, the wind had gone down and they could see for a long distance -across the white landscape. - -A moment later Tom gave a glad cry. “Look Jim! Look!” he yelled. “We’re -all right! see, over on that second hill! There’s some of the men!” - -“Hurrah! you’re right!” yelled Tom as he too caught sight of two sledges -just topping a distant ridge. “Come on!” - -Yelling and shouting, the boys raced forward as fast as the newly fallen -snow would permit. As they gained the summit of the second hill, they -waved their arms wildly. But they were already seen. The dogs wheeled, -the sleds swung around, and with the two drivers riding the runners, they -came racing towards the boys. - -As they came near Tom and Jim looked at each other in surprise. The -dogs, they knew, were not the Eskimos’. One team was made up of huge -black and white Newfoundlands, the other of shaggy-haired, magnificent, -cream-colored huskies. At the boys’ first glance they were sure the men -were utter strangers. - -“Hello!” cried the foremost man as his sledge, drawn by the -Newfoundlands, came to a halt close to the boys. “What you kids doing out -here?” - -“We got separated from our party and lost,” explained Tom. “Our dogs -broke away and cleared out. You’re from the _Ruby_ aren’t you?” - -That any other white men should be here had never occurred to the boys, -and yet the men did not look like whalemen or sailors. One was clad in -a gay Mackinaw, the other in furs; both were large, powerfully built -fellows and both had an alert, erect, peculiar bearing that was very -different from any whalemen the boys had even seen. The man in the -Mackinaw was lean-jawed, with keen gray eyes and wore a close-cropped -mustache, while the other was smooth-faced. Although both were as red -as Indians from wind and weather and had a week’s stubble of beard upon -their faces, they wore an indefinable stamp of authority about them. - -The boys remembered that Captain Edwards had said the _Ruby_ was a Nova -Scotia ship, and as they had never seen Nova Scotia seamen, they thought -the men before them might be the officers of the brigantine. - -But at Tom’s words the man with the mustache laughed pleasantly. - -“Well, hardly!” he replied. “I’ve been taken for most everything, but -never for a sealer before. No, we’re just ordinary Northwest Police. I’m -Sergeant Manley and this chap”—jerking his head towards his comrade—“is -Private Campbell. We’re from Fort Churchill. Been mushing it for two -weeks. Looking for the darkest-dyed rascal that ever disgraced the -Dominion. Fellow named Pierre Jacquet—Chippewa half-breed. Wanted for -murder and with a thousand dollars reward for him, dead or alive. Haven’t -seen anything of him, have you?” - -Tom shook his head. “No,” he replied. “But say, Sergeant, we found a dead -man back there. He’d been killed by a bear or something. He was awful! -His head smashed in and torn to pieces! Gee, it makes me feel sick to -think of him.” - -“Dead man!” snapped the Sergeant. “What did he look like?” - -“He was short and stout with a black beard and bushy, black eyebrows,” -replied Tom, “and had on a suit of harp seal trimmed with blue fox.” - -The Sergeant whistled. “Boys,” he cried, slapping Tom on the back. -“You’re lucky kids! Not many can get lost and make a thousand dollars by -doing it!” - -“Why, what do you mean?” asked Tom puzzled. - -“Mean!” cried Sergeant Manley. “Why, that dead man’s Jacquet. You’ve won -a thousand dollars by finding him. Come on, lead us to him.” - -Now that the snow had ceased to fall it was easy to retrace their -footsteps, and in a few minutes the party was once more approaching the -dead man. - -“It’s Pierre all right!” declared the Sergeant, as he glanced at the dead -man. - -“Aye, there’s nae doot o’ it,” agreed Campbell. “Mon, but ’tis a fit -endin’ he met.” - -“Can’t take him back to the Fort,” commented the Sergeant, half to -himself. “Can’t bury him. Guess we’ll have to leave him. Campbell, search -his clothes for anything that will identify him.” - -Rapidly the private went through the pockets of the dead outlaw, turning -the body over as nonchalantly as though it were a log, and presently he -straightened up. - -“Aye, here’s his dirk an’ a wee bit o’ siller,” he announced as he handed -the Sergeant a long-bladed hunting knife reddened with blood and a -buckskin bag of money. - -“Must have shot at the bear and wounded him, and had a hand-to-hand -fight,” remarked Manley. “Used his knife evidently, but the bear got in -the finishing blow. Hmm, there must be papers or jewelry or a watch or -something on him.” - -Stooping, the Sergeant again examined the body, stripping aside the furs, -and presently rose with a satisfied grunt. “Guess this is all we need,” -he said as he showed a heavy, old-fashioned silver watch, a bundle of -letters and small book. “Nothing more to do here,” he continued. “We’ll -see you to the _Ruby_ now.” - -“But we can’t leave our sledge,” objected Tom. “It’s got all our things -on it.” - -Sergeant Manley stroked his mustache and bit his lip as he hesitated. -“All right,” he assented at last. “Guess we can find it. You saved us a -lot of hard work by finding Jacquet, so we can afford to do our bit.” - -With keen, trained eyes the officers followed the boys’ trail, half -hidden though it was, and long before Tom and Jim realized that they were -near it, private Campbell sighted the abandoned sled covered deep with -snow. - -“Might as well take your meat, too,” said the Sergeant. “These -Newfoundlands can manage one deer and we can load the other on your sled -and hitch your two huskies on with Campbell’s dogs to haul it.” - -In a few minutes the deer were lashed to the sledges, the boys’ dogs had -been harnessed to Campbell’s team, and with the boys riding, the dogs -raced forwards over the soft fresh snow. - -“Have to give us your address so that reward can be sent you,” said the -Sergeant as they dashed down a long slope. - -“I don’t want it,” declared Tom. “It belongs to you and private Campbell, -doesn’t it, Jim?” - -“Of course,” agreed Jim. “I wouldn’t think of taking it. Why, we just -stumbled on the body by chance and you’d have found it if we hadn’t.” - -“That’s being too generous,” declared the Sergeant. “It belongs to you. -We might have passed by and never found the body.” - -“Well, we want you to have it—even if you call it a present—or to show -our gratitude for finding you and getting saved,” insisted Tom. - -“I can’t thank you—only to say thanks awfully,” declared Manley, “and -I’ll tell the wife what a couple of fine kids you are when I get back to -the Fort.” - -“Aye!” shouted the private. “Yon bit o’ siller’ll come muckle handy i’ -celebratin’ o’ a weddin’ wi’ a bonny lass awaitin’ me i’ yon Fort.” - -Then as the boys sped on, they talked with the two stalwart guardians of -His Majesty’s law in the frozen wastes, and told them all about their -trip, their hunts, and the staving of the _Narwhal_, and even of their -former cruise in the _Hector_, to the Antarctic. - -To all of this Campbell and his Sergeant listened attentively, laughing -gaily over Cap’n Pem and Mike, now and then asking a question, uttering -surprised ejaculations as the boys told of their adventures, and now and -again glancing at each other and raising their eyebrows as Tom and Jim -told of the rich catch of furs, hides, and ivory the _Narwhal_ had made. -Rapidly the time passed. Untiringly the powerful dogs raced on, until at -last, Sergeant Manley raised his fur-mittened hand and pointed ahead. - -“Tinavik Cape,” he said. “See that conical hill? Guess you’ll see your -people when you get to the ridge there.” - -Down into a deep, wide valley the sledges sped; across a broad frozen -river, and up the farther slope, and gaining the top of the sharp, high -ridge the dogs came to a standstill, panting and winded. - -“Hurrah! We’re there!” shouted Tom as the boys looked down from the -hilltop. “There’s the brigantine!” - - - - -CHAPTER XVI - -SOUTHWARD HO! - - -For a moment the little group paused on the summit of the ridge, and -gazed down at the inlet with the brig floating amid the great cakes of -ice. - -“Gosh, we weren’t far off after all!” exclaimed Jim. - -Sergeant Manley smiled. “You don’t have to be far off to get lost up -here,” he said, “and I’m blessin’ the day we met you. Best of luck all -around. Saved you boys, saved us the Lord alone knows how many weeks of -mushing it, and ended the hunt for Jacquet.” - -“Aye, an’ nae forgettin’ the tidy bit o’ siller comin’ to our pockets,” -put in the practical Campbell. - -“Say, what _are_ they doing on the shore?” cried Tom who had been -studying the scene intently. “Look, they’ve got tents and I can see a lot -of the men there. Why aren’t they on the brig?” - -Sergeant Manley whipped out his glasses and focused them on the shore of -the inlet. - -“Something queer!” he exclaimed. “Wonder if the _Ruby’s_ stove too. Let’s -go.” - -The next moment the powerful Newfoundlands were tearing down the slope -with the lighter, cream-colored Eskimo dogs in the rear, and with the two -stalwart policemen riding the runners and “yip-yiing” at the teams. Like -the wind the sleds raced down the steep hillside, and the two boys bent -their heads as the cold wind whistled across their faces. - -Out on to the flat they dashed, and leaping off, the two officers brought -their teams to a sudden halt within a dozen yards of the first tent. - -“Wall, I’ll be squeegeed!” cried Cap’n Pem as he turned at the sound -of the party’s arrival. “Where’n——” Then, catching sight of the boys’ -companions he leaped forward with a hop and a skip. - -“By the etarnal, I’m glad to see ye!” he cried. “Nor’west perlice, ain’t -ye? Where’n Sam Hill’d these youngsters pick ye up?” - -“Any trouble?” demanded Sergeant Manley without stopping to reply to the -old whaleman’s queries. - -“Trouble!” exploded old Pem. “Mut’ny! Them there critters has seized the -_Ruby_ an’ won’t let nary a man aboard, dod gast their hides!” - -“Where’s the captain?” snapped out the sergeant as he slipped his carbine -from its sheath and Campbell did the same. - -“Here he comes,” said Tom. “What started the mutiny, Cap’n Pem?” - -“Them there gutter snipes!” replied the old whaleman. “Said this here was -a salvage job an’ wouldn’t stir hand nor foot lessen we give ’em half the -valer o’ the _Narwhal’s_ cargo. I swan, I never heered o’ sech a thing. -Never knowed a whaleman t’ talk o’ salvage. That’s what comes o’ these -here unions an’ new-fangled idees.” - -“Hello!” cried Captain Edwards, who now joined the group with Mike and -the other members of the _Narwhal’s_ company behind him. “See you’ve -brought reënforcements, boys. Glad you’re here, officers.” - -“Understand you’ve a mutiny aboard,” said the Sergeant. - -“Not my ship,” replied the captain, “that’s the trouble. We could rush -’em but they’ve got their skipper an’ mates there and she’s a British -ship and I don’t know how far we Yankees could go.” - -“Got any guns?” snapped out Manley. - -“’Bout a dozen,” Captain Edwards assured him. - -“Plenty!” declared the Sergeant. “Get your best men together, give them -the guns, and I’ll take charge. Campbell, get the kayaks ready.” - -Throwing off his mackinaw, Sergeant Manley strode forward, uttered -sharp, crisp orders and with twelve of the _Narwhal’s_ crew, including -Nate, one-eyed Ned, Swanson, and Mr. Kemp, he marched to the waiting -kayaks, ordering the men to shoot and shoot to kill if he gave the word. -With ready carbine he stepped into a canoe. Behind him came the little -flotilla. Instantly all was excitement on the decks of the brigantine. -Men ran here and there. One or two leaped into the rigging, and the -watching boys saw the flash of steel, and the glint of gun barrels. - -“Golly, they’re going to fight!” exclaimed Jim. - -“B’jabbers thin ’twill be a sorry day for thim!” declared Mike. “’Tis the -King’s constabulary they do be afther resistin’, bad cess to thim.” - -But the battle the boys expected never took place. No sooner did the -mutineers recognize the police officers than all ideas of resistance were -cast aside. Clambering on to the rail a man waved a white rag frantically -in token of surrender. An instant later the kayaks were alongside, and -Sergeant Manley and Campbell leaped over the bulwarks. - -Cowed, with all the braggadocio gone from them, the _Ruby’s_ crew backed -away and stood muttering together near the foremast. - -“Where’s the captain and mate?” snapped out the Sergeant, keeping the men -covered with his weapon. - -“Aft, in the cabin,” replied one of the men. - -“Search that crowd, Campbell!” ordered the Sergeant, “and hold ’em.” - -A minute later he reappeared accompanied by the skipper and his chief -officer. - -“Those are the ringleaders,” declared the captain, pointing to a big, -bull-necked, low-browed fellow and a weasel-faced, shifty-eyed creature. -“They started the trouble. Jones there’s the one killed the bo’sun.” - -“That’s a lie!” roared the heavy man. “S’help me——” - -“Silence!” roared Sergeant Manley. “Here, Campbell——” - -With a quick motion, the bull-necked fellow whipped out a revolver. There -was a sharp report and the mutineer plunged forward upon the deck and -his gun clattered upon the planking. Campbell nonchalantly threw out the -empty shell and snapped another into his carbine. - -Terrified at the death of their leader, the mutineers, already -frightened at the realization of their position, drew back with blanched -faces while the rat-faced ringleader fell on his knees and pleaded for -mercy. - -“Get up!” ordered the Sergeant, and as the fellow rose a pair of -handcuffs snapped upon his wrists. - -“We’ll take him along with us,” announced Sergeant Manley. “Any others -you want to lose, Captain?” - -“I’d jolly well like to lose the whole bally lot,” replied the skipper -earnestly, “but I can’t. Got to handle the ship you know.” - -“Don’t think they’ll give you further trouble,” declared the Sergeant. -“Have ’em searched. Keep ’em workin’ an’ carry a gun—each of you. Don’t -forget you’re on a British ship and labor unions don’t go under that -flag. You’re boss and let ’em know it. Expect those Yankees’ll be glad to -lend you a hand with this crowd.” - -Presently Captain Edwards and old Pem, with the remaining members of the -_Narwhal’s_ crew, came aboard; the few belongings of the shipwrecked -whalemen were stowed and preparations were made for departure. - -“Think I’ll go along with you to Rowe’s Welcome,” said Sergeant Manley -as the whale boats were lowered and the repentant crew prepared to tow -the _Ruby_ out of the worst of the ice. “Have to report the loss of the -_Narwhal_, and I’d like to see you safe on your way. Campbell, take the -dogs and go overland.” - -Then, as the brigantine moved slowly from the inlet, bumping her blunt -bows into the floating ice and grinding between the cakes which went -bobbing astern, the boys had their first chance to tell the story of -their adventures. - -“Thank heaven, this cruise is over—or near it!” cried Captain Edwards. -“I’d be a nervous wreck if I had you boys to look after much longer, even -if you do always come out smilin’ as a clam.” - -“I’ll be b’iled if ye can’t git into more consarned scrapes’n a passel -o’ monkeys!” declared Cap’n Pem. “Fast as ye’re outen one ye’re into a -wusser.” - -Mr. Kemp spat reflectively into the sea. “Some kids,” he remarked tersely. - -At last the brigantine was clear of the shore ice, ahead stretched -patches and lanes of open water, and under a light wind the _Ruby_ went -bumping and crashing on her way towards Rowe’s Welcome and the stove -_Narwhal_. - -“I suppose you men have a heap of queer adventures,” remarked Mr. Kemp as -Sergeant Manley stopped for a chat. “I was mate with a chap what was in -the force once, when I was on the destroyer.” - -The Sergeant smiled. “Yes, we get our share,” he replied, “but most -of ’em pretty much alike—runnin’ down renegades and outlaws. If any -one wants plenty of exercise and out-doors air, I’ll recommend the -force. To-day’s job’s the queerest I ever had yet, though. A Northwest -policeman’s supposed to do most anything that turns up, but I’d never -have dreamed of bein’ called on to board a ship and put down a mutiny.” - -The next day the _Ruby_ worked her way past Southampton Island into the -Welcome. Eagerly the boys peered ahead for the first glimpse of the -_Narwhal_ and the village of their Eskimo friends. - -“It’s been a fine cruise,” declared Jim, “but it makes me feel almost -sick to think of leaving the old _Narwhal_ here.” - -“Humph!” snorted Cap’n Pem. “Ships has got ter go sometimes—same’s folks. -Reckon the Welcome’s as good a place’s any ter let her ol’ bones rest. -’Sides, ye won’t lose nothin’, Dixon had her insured ter the limit.” - -“That’s not it,” said Tom. “It’s like losing an old friend. Why, you know -how we’d feel if we left you or any of the others up here, Cap’n Pem.” - -The old whaleman turned his head, blew his nose loudly on his red cotton -handkerchief and cleared his throat. “Derned if I don’t know jes how ye -feel,” he replied. “Hate fer to see a ol’ ship go myself. Wall, there -ain’t no help fer it. Everlastin’ lucky we salvaged all the cargo.” - -“And luckier yet the _Ruby_ was up here,” added Captain Edwards. - -“Seems to me the whole trip’s been lucky—no matter what happened,” said -Tom. - -“Even with the cat,” laughed Jim. - -“Gosh, where is she?” cried Tom. “I’d forgotten all about her and her -kittens.” - -“Lef’ her an’ t’others behin’,” said Cap’n Pem. “Ye didn’t think we could -be a-totin’ a passel o’ cats ’long o’ us on that there sledge trip, did -ye? Jes the same, I reckon I got ter take back what I said erbout her. -Mebbe times has changed an’ cats is lucky now’days, what with injines an’ -bumb lances an’ perlice a-puttin’ down mut’nies an’ all sech new-fangled -contraptions.” - -“Hurrah, you do admit it!” cried Jim. “If we keep on we’ll knock all your -superstitions to pieces.” - -But Cap’n Pem had not waited to hear. - -A few minutes later, the _Ruby_ rounded a jutting cape and there, before -them, was the well-known cove with the _Narwhal_, forsaken and deserted, -looming above the cakes of ice. - -“Why, why—Gosh! She’s afloat!” cried Tom, hardly able to believe his eyes. - -“Holy mackerel, she is!” agreed Mr. Kemp. - -“I’ll be blowed!” exclaimed Captain Edwards. “By glory, we may go home in -her yet!” - -With wondering eyes the crew of the _Narwhal_ gazed upon their schooner, -for the ship they had left with her deck bulging above the bulwarks from -the terrific pressure of the ice; the vessel whose stern had been raised -high in air and that they were positive would sink to the bottom of the -bay when the ice broke up, was now floating on an even keel, low in the -water to be sure, but apparently sound and unhurt. - -Scarcely had the _Ruby’s_ anchor dropped over before Captain Edwards, -Pem, Mr. Kemp, and the boys tumbled into a boat and were pulled rapidly -to the _Narwhal_. Grasping the main chains, Tom leaped on to the deck and -as he did so a ball of black fur sprang from a coil of rope and with a -friendly “meow” the ship’s cat rubbed herself against the boy’s legs. - -“Hurrah!” he shouted as the others jumped on to the deck. “It’s all -right, here’s the cat!” - -“Waall, I’ll be everlastin’ly swizzled!” cried Cap’n Pem as he looked -about. “The ol’ deck’s dropped inter place. I’ll be b’iled if I think -there’s a mite the matter with her!” - -“Five feet of water in the hold,” announced Mr. Kemp who had been -sounding the well. - -“Course there is,” replied the captain. “May have sprung a leak, but if -she did, it’s stopped now. If it hadn’t she’d have sunk. Reckon she dove -off the ice too an’ shipped some down the for’ard hatch. Men, what do you -say? Shall we take the chance and sail in the old _Narwhal_?” - -“Aye! aye!” responded the men in chorus. “No lime juicers for us, long’s -the schooner’s a-floatin’.” - -“But how—how could she be squeezed all together as she was and be all -right now?” asked Tom. “Why, her deck was like a hill and her bulwarks -were bent in.” - -Cap’n Pem chuckled and rubbed his hands together in glee. “Didn’t I tell -ye whaleships was built to las’ forever?” he cried. “Bless yer souls! -what’s a mite o’ squeezin’ to a ol’ hooker like the _Narwhal_. I bet ye -she’s a-sailin’ an’ a-crusin’ an’ a-gettin’ jammed in the ice arter you -an’ me and the rest ’re dead an’ gone. Yes, sir, nothin’ like a Yankee -whaleship!” - -All having agreed that they would sail home in the _Narwhal_, the crew -were transferred from the _Ruby_. Then Sergeant Manley bade them all -good luck and a quick voyage, and joining Campbell, who had arrived the -day previously, he sped swiftly into the southwest towards distant Fort -Churchill with his rat-faced mutineer prisoner. - -With doleful shakes of his head the skipper of the _Ruby_ said farewell, -muttering something about “Yankees taking chances where no sane man -would,” and hoisting sail, he headed his tubby old craft for the open sea. - -Working steadily, toiling for hour after hour, the men pumped the water -from the _Narwhal_. They labored with light hearts, for steadily they -gained and when at last the pumps sucked, and the following day the -sounding rod showed less than a foot of water, all knew that the schooner -was tight and safe. Rapidly the long deck house was dismantled, the big -foretopmast yard was sent up to the words of a rousing chantey, sails -were bent on and running rigging rove. Then, like beavers, the men and -the Eskimos toiled, bringing the casks of oils, the bales of whalebone, -the great bundles of skins and hides, the sacks of ivory, and the -countless other valuables, as well as stores and supplies, from the shore. - -At last all was done. The last of the cargo was stowed. The standing -rigging was taut and well tarred. The carpenter had patched the cracked -rails and bulwarks, and had relaid some of the deck planks. The motor -had been overhauled and tested. The sails hung loosely in their brails -and the boats were at their davits. All this had taken much time to -accomplish, and the Arctic spring had come swiftly to the land. The -hills and valleys showed gray and bare. The black rocks loomed above -the patches of sodden snow. The ice, rotten and spongy, had almost -disappeared from the bay. The Eskimos’ igloos had long since gone, and -the natives were living in their skin tents once more. Far overhead in -the blue sky, the long files of geese and swans winged northward; great -flocks of eiders gathered on the bay; curlew and snipe filled the night -air with their plaintive whistling, and the snowbirds twittered from -rocks and last year’s weeds. - -For the last time the boys paddled ashore in their kayak and bade -farewell to Nepaluka, to Newilic, to Kemiplu, the wrinkled old story -teller, and to all their Eskimo friends whom they had grown to love and -respect. - -Then the clank of the windlass and the rousing chantey of the men warned -them it was time to leave, and swiftly they paddled to the schooner, gave -a farewell wave of their hands to the crowd of Eskimos ashore, and saw -their little kayak hoisted to the deck. - - Oh first came the herring, the king o’ the sea, - Windy weather! Stormy weather! - He jumped on the poop. “I’ll be capt’n,” says he! - Blow ye winds westerly, gentle sou’westerly - Blow ye winds westerly—steady she goes! - -Loudly the chantey rang over the bay. Loudly the Eskimos shouted and -yelled as the dripping chain came in link by link, and the great anchor -rose from the mud that had held it fast for half a year. Up the rigging -the men sped. Quickly the huge sails were spread and sheeted home. Braces -were manned, and the _Narwhal_ slowly gathered way and the short seas -splashed in spray from her forefoot. Out towards the vast reaches of the -bay she sailed. Behind her, the land grew dim and faint. To a fair, stiff -breeze she heeled, with every sail drawing, headed southward. - -Battered by countless storms, scarred by ice, the veteran of a thousand -battles with hurricanes and tempest, with crushing floes and grinding -bergs, still staunch and sound, the gallant old schooner lifted her bow -and plunged through the hissing green seas. - -Safe within her old hold were the hard won treasures of the Arctic; yard -long icicles and masses of frozen spray draped her bobstays, her rails, -and her chains. But shaking the icy brine from her decks as she reared -on the crests of the waves, sliding into the great hollows, crushing -ice cakes with her shearing bows, she tore onward, while at braces and -halyards and sheets the men roared out that most welcome and glorious of -whaleman’s songs: - - Did you ever join in with those heart-ringing cheers, - With your face turned to Heaven’s blue dome, - As laden with riches you purchased so dear - You hoisted your topsails—bound home? - - -THE END - - - - -FOOTNOTES - - -[1] See _The Deep Sea Hunters_. - -[2] The Arctic Fox is the one referred to in this story. - -[3] The tribe of Eskimos inhabiting the vicinity of Rowe’s Welcome. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Deep Sea Hunters in the Frozen Seas, by -A. Hyatt Verrill - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DEEP SEA HUNTERS IN FROZEN SEAS *** - -***** This file should be named 60270-0.txt or 60270-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/0/2/7/60270/ - -Produced by Tim Lindell 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.) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law 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. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, -and may not be used if you charge for the eBooks, unless you receive -specific permission. If you do not charge anything for copies of this -eBook, complying with the rules is very easy. You may use this eBook -for nearly any purpose such as creation of derivative works, reports, -performances and research. They may be modified and printed and given -away--you may do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks -not protected by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the -trademark license, especially commercial redistribution. - -START: FULL LICENSE - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full -Project Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at -www.gutenberg.org/license. - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or -destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your -possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a -Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound -by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the -person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph -1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this -agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the -Foundation" or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection -of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual -works in the collection are in the public domain in the United -States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the -United States and you are located in the United States, we do not -claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, -displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as -all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope -that you will support the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting -free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm -works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the -Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with the work. You can easily -comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the -same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg-tm License when -you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are -in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, -check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this -agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, -distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any -other Project Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no -representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any -country outside the United States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other -immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear -prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work -on which the phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, -performed, viewed, copied or distributed: - - This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and - most other parts of the world 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 www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the - United States, you'll have to check the laws of the country where you - are located before using this ebook. - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is -derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not -contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the -copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in -the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are -redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply -either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or -obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any -additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms -will be linked to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works -posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the -beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including -any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access -to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format -other than "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official -version posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site -(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense -to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means -of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original "Plain -Vanilla ASCII" or other form. Any alternate format must include the -full Project Gutenberg-tm License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -provided that - -* You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed - to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he has - agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid - within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are - legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty - payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in - Section 4, "Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg - Literary Archive Foundation." - -* You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all - copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue - all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg-tm - works. - -* You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of - any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of - receipt of the work. - -* You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work or group of works on different terms than -are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing -from both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and The -Project Gutenberg Trademark LLC, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark. Contact the Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project -Gutenberg-tm collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may -contain "Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate -or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other -intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or -other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or -cannot be read by your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium -with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you -with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in -lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person -or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second -opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If -the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing -without further opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO -OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT -LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of -damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement -violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the -agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or -limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or -unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the -remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in -accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the -production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, -including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of -the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this -or any Project Gutenberg-tm work, (b) alteration, modification, or -additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any -Defect you cause. - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of -computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It -exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations -from people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future -generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see -Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at -www.gutenberg.org - - - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by -U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is in Fairbanks, Alaska, with the -mailing address: PO Box 750175, Fairbanks, AK 99775, but its -volunteers and employees are scattered throughout numerous -locations. Its business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, Salt -Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up to -date contact information can be found at the Foundation's web site and -official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -For additional contact information: - - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND -DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular -state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To -donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project -Gutenberg-tm concept of a library of electronic works that could be -freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and -distributed Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of -volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in -the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not -necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper -edition. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search -facility: www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. - diff --git a/old/60270-0.zip b/old/60270-0.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 822f148..0000000 --- a/old/60270-0.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/60270-h.zip b/old/60270-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 17e6b0b..0000000 --- a/old/60270-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/60270-h/60270-h.htm b/old/60270-h/60270-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index b823e84..0000000 --- a/old/60270-h/60270-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,8793 +0,0 @@ -<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" - "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> -<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> - <head> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=utf-8" /> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css" /> - <title> - The Project Gutenberg eBook of Deep Sea Hunters in the Frozen Seas, by A. Hyatt Verrill. - </title> - - <link rel="coverpage" href="images/cover.jpg" /> - -<style type="text/css"> - -a { - text-decoration: none; -} - -body { - margin-left: 10%; - margin-right: 10%; -} - -h1,h2 { - text-align: center; - clear: both; -} - -hr { - margin-top: 2em; - margin-bottom: 2em; - clear: both; - width: 65%; - margin-left: 17.5%; - margin-right: 17.5%; -} - -ul { - list-style-type: none; - text-align: center; - padding: 0; - margin-left: 0; -} - -li { - margin-top: .5em; -} - -p { - margin-top: 0.5em; - text-align: justify; - margin-bottom: 0.5em; - text-indent: 1em; -} - -table { - margin: 1em auto 1em auto; - max-width: 40em; - border-collapse: collapse; -} - -td { - padding-left: 2.25em; - padding-right: 0.25em; - vertical-align: top; - text-indent: -2em; -} - -.tdr { - text-align: right; -} - -.tdpg { - vertical-align: bottom; - text-align: right; -} - -.caption { - text-align: center; - margin-bottom: 1em; - font-size: 90%; - text-indent: 0em; -} - -.center { - text-align: center; - text-indent: 0em; -} - -.figcenter { - margin: auto; - text-align: center; -} - -.footnotes { - margin-top: 1em; - border: dashed 1px; -} - -.footnote { - margin-left: 10%; - margin-right: 10%; - font-size: 0.9em; -} - -.footnote .label { - position: absolute; - right: 84%; - text-align: right; -} - -.fnanchor { - vertical-align: super; - font-size: .8em; - text-decoration: none; -} - -.larger { - font-size: 150%; -} - -.noindent { - text-indent: 0em; -} - -.pagenum { - position: absolute; - right: 4%; - font-size: smaller; - text-align: right; - font-style: normal; -} - -.poetry-container { - text-align: center; - margin: 1em; -} - -.poetry { - display: inline-block; - text-align: left; -} - -.poetry .verse { - text-indent: -3em; - padding-left: 3em; -} - -.poetry .indent1 { - text-indent: -2em; -} - -.smaller { - font-size: 80%; -} - -.smcap { - font-variant: small-caps; - font-style: normal; -} - -.titlepage { - text-align: center; - margin-top: 3em; - text-indent: 0em; -} - -.u { - text-decoration: underline; -} - -@media handheld { - -img { - max-width: 100%; - width: auto; - height: auto; -} - -.poetry { - display: block; - margin-left: 1.5em; -} -} - </style> - </head> -<body> - - -<pre> - -Project Gutenberg's Deep Sea Hunters in the Frozen Seas, by A. Hyatt Verrill - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world 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 -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Deep Sea Hunters in the Frozen Seas - -Author: A. Hyatt Verrill - -Release Date: September 9, 2019 [EBook #60270] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DEEP SEA HUNTERS IN FROZEN SEAS *** - - - - -Produced by Tim Lindell 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.) - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<p class="center larger">DEEP SEA HUNTERS<br /> -IN THE FROZEN SEAS</p> - -<hr /> - -<p class="center larger u">By A. HYATT VERRILL</p> - -<ul> -<li>THE RADIO DETECTIVES</li> -<li>THE RADIO DETECTIVES UNDER THE SEA</li> -<li>THE RADIO DETECTIVES SOUTHWARD BOUND</li> -<li>THE RADIO DETECTIVES IN THE JUNGLE</li> -<li>THE DEEP SEA HUNTERS</li> -<li>THE DEEP SEA HUNTERS IN FROZEN SEAS</li> -<li>THE BOOK OF THE MOTOR BOAT</li> -<li>ISLES OF SPICE AND PALM</li> -<li>THE REAL STORY OF THE WHALER</li> -<li>THE REAL STORY OF THE PIRATE</li> -</ul> - -<hr /> - -<div class="figcenter titlepage" style="width: 500px;"> -<img src="images/frontispiece.jpg" width="500" height="700" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">“SEAL OVER TO WIND’ARD!” HE SHOUTED.</p> -</div> - -<hr /> - -<p class="titlepage larger">DEEP SEA HUNTERS<br /> -IN THE FROZEN SEAS</p> - -<p class="titlepage"><span class="smaller">BY</span><br /> -A. HYATT VERRILL</p> - -<p class="center smaller">AUTHOR OF “THE DEEP SEA HUNTERS,” “THE<br /> -RADIO DETECTIVES,” “THE BOOK OF<br /> -THE MOTOR BOAT,” ETC.</p> - -<div class="figcenter titlepage" style="width: 100px;"> -<img src="images/appleton.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="titlepage">D. APPLETON AND COMPANY<br /> -NEW YORK :: 1923 :: LONDON</p> - -<p class="titlepage smaller">COPYRIGHT, 1923, BY<br /> -D. APPLETON AND COMPANY</p> - -<p class="titlepage smaller">PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA</p> - -<hr /> - -<h2>CONTENTS</h2> - -<table summary="Contents"> - <tr> - <td class="tdr smaller">CHAPTER</td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdpg smaller">PAGE</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">I.</td> - <td><span class="smcap">The Narwhal</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_I">1</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">II.</td> - <td><span class="smcap">The Boys Spring a Surprise</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_II">12</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">III.</td> - <td><span class="smcap">On the Banks</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_III">27</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">IV.</td> - <td><span class="smcap">A Close Shave</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_IV">43</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">V.</td> - <td><span class="smcap">On the Iceberg</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_V">56</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">VI.</td> - <td><span class="smcap">The Battle</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_VI">70</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">VII.</td> - <td><span class="smcap">The Glacier</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_VII">82</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">VIII.</td> - <td><span class="smcap">Whales and Whales</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_VIII">103</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">IX.</td> - <td><span class="smcap">The Walrus Hunt</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_IX">120</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">X.</td> - <td><span class="smcap">Unavik Spins a Yarn</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_X">137</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">XI.</td> - <td><span class="smcap">The Boys Catch a Tartar</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_XI">155</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">XII.</td> - <td><span class="smcap">Frozen In</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_XII">171</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">XIII.</td> - <td><span class="smcap">Unavik to the Rescue</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIII">189</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">XIV.</td> - <td><span class="smcap">An Arctic Christmas</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIV">204</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">XV.</td> - <td><span class="smcap">Friends in Need</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_XV">222</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">XVI.</td> - <td><span class="smcap">Southward Ho!</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVI">249</a></td> - </tr> -</table> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1">[1]</a></span></p> - -<h1>DEEP SEA HUNTERS IN THE FROZEN SEAS</h1> - -<h2 id="CHAPTER_I">CHAPTER I<br /> -<span class="smaller">THE NARWHAL</span></h2> - -<p>Old Cap’n Pem was seated on the stringpiece -of the wharf, his short black pipe gripped -firmly in his mouth, and his wooden leg -stretched stiffly before him like the stubby bowsprit -of a coasting sloop. Beside him was his crony, Mike, -another wooden-legged old mariner, for since a cruise -the two had made to the Antarctic on the bark <i>Hector</i>, -they had become inseparable companions.<a name="FNanchor_1" id="FNanchor_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_1" class="fnanchor">[1]</a></p> - -<p>Although they were fast friends, they were ever -chaffing each other and made it a point never to agree -upon anything.</p> - -<p>As Mike said, “Phwhat’s the use av talkin’ if yez -don’t be afther arguin’? Shure an’ if yez agrees -there’s not a bit more to be said.”</p> - -<p>So, as usual, the two ancient mariners were in the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2" id="Page_2">[2]</a></span> -midst of a discussion regarding a weather-beaten, -disreputable, unkempt craft which was being towed -across New Bedford harbor by a fussy little tug.</p> - -<p>“Looks like they wuz a-comin’ to berth her here,” -remarked Old Pem. “Reckon Dixon mus’ calc’late -to fit the ol’ <i>Narwhal</i> out fer a cruise.”</p> - -<p>Mike snorted. “B’gorra thin ’twill be a cruise to -Davy Jones she’ll be afther takin’!” he exclaimed. -“Shure, ’tis l’ave o’ yer sinses ye’re takin’, ye ol’ walrus! -’Tis to junk the schooner they do be towin’ av -her here.”</p> - -<p>“Walrus yerself!” retorted Cap’n Pem. “Ye’re -a Irish lan’lubber if ye think the ol’ <i>Narwhal’s</i> only -fit for junk. That there ol’ hooker’s a-goin’ for to -fit out, I bet ye. An’, by heck! if she do, I’ll be -blowed if I don’t ask Dixon to ship me erlong.”</p> - -<p>Mike guffawed. “Glory be!” he cried. “An’ do -yez be afther thinkin’ as Dixon’ll be fittin’ out av a -floatin’ horspittle, ye ol’ cripple?”</p> - -<p>Pem bristled. “Dern yer hide!” he roared. “If -he was I’ll be sunk if he wouldn’t grab ye fust, ye -peg-legged Harp. I’d——”</p> - -<p>Cap’n Pem’s sentence was interrupted by a shout -and Jim Lathrop and Tom Chester, who had been -with the old whalemen on the <i>Hector</i> in the Antarctic, -came racing towards them.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[3]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Hurrah!” cried Tom. “That tug’s coming in -here with that old brig. Say, Cap’n Pem, what do -you suppose they’re going to do with her?”</p> - -<p>“Bless ye, that ain’t no brig,” responded the old -man. “That’s a torpsa’l schooner—the ol’ <i>Narwhal</i>. -Ain’t seed her afloat fer years. Reckon Dixon’s -goin’ fer to fit her out fer a cruise.”</p> - -<p>“Cruise!” cried Jim. “Gee, you don’t mean to -say any one would be crazy enough to go to sea on -her! Why, the old <i>Hector</i> was bad enough, but she -was new compared to that tub, and was big enough -to hoist this boat up to her davits.”</p> - -<p>Mike chuckled. “Glory be!” he exclaimed. -“Even the b’ys is afther knowin’ ’tis no cruise she’ll -be takin’. Shure, me laddies, Oi wuz just afther -tellin’ Pem ’twas a-junkin’ av her they’ll be. But -b’gorra, he’ll be havin’ av it his own way an’, phwat’s -more, the ol’ idjit’s a-sayin’ as he’ll be afther a-tryin’ -to ship along av her.”</p> - -<p>The boys laughed. “I thought you were never going -to sea again, Cap’n Pem,” cried Tom. “You said -you were going to settle down ashore and buy a farm -with your share of the <i>Hector’s</i> catch.”</p> - -<p>“And you said only an old fool like Mr. Nye would -ship a wooden-legged mate,” put in Jim. “Isn’t Mike -going too to keep you company?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[4]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Divvil a bit!” declared Mike positively. “’Tis -solid land Oi do be afther wantin’ to feel ben’ath me -two feet—an’ me havin’ but wan.”</p> - -<p>“Waall, I’ll bet ye she’s a-goin’ fer a cruise annyways,” -rumbled Cap’n Pem, “an’ we’ll soon fin’ out.”</p> - -<p>Rising, the old whaleman stumped across the dock -to where the ancient craft was being moored. At his -heels followed the two boys and Mike.</p> - -<p>“Hey there, Ben!” shouted the old sailor to the -captain of the tug. “What in tarnation ye bringin’ -the <i>Narwhal</i> over here fer?”</p> - -<p>The tug’s skipper stuck his head from the pilot -house, twirled the big wheel with one hand, and -jerked the bell pull with the other. “Goin’ for a -cruise,” he shouted back. “Heard Dixon’s aimin’ -to send her to the Arctic.”</p> - -<p>Cap’n Pem turned triumphantly to Mike. “There -ye be, ye ol’ derelic’,” he cried. “Didn’t I tell -ye?”</p> - -<p>“Faith an’ yez did thot,” admitted Mike good-naturedly. -“An’ by the same token, ’tis goin’ along av -her ye’ll be jus’ fer to be afther provin’ yez was right -altogether.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I’m ready to believe anything now,” declared -Tom. “You remember I thought you were -fooling about the <i>Hector</i> when you said she was fitting<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[5]</a></span> -out, and I never dreamed we’d go on her. And she -<em>was</em> a fine old ship! Gosh, do you remember the -way she went through that blow in the south Atlantic, -Jim?”</p> - -<p>“Do I!” replied Jim enthusiastically. “And say, -I shouldn’t wonder if this old <i>Narwhal’s</i> just as -staunch a ship too, after she’s fixed up.”</p> - -<p>“Bet ye she will be!” exclaimed Cap’n Pem. “I -tol’ ye whaleships wuz built to las’ forever, and this -here <i>Narwhal</i> ain’t so drefful ol’. Why, I can recollec’ -when she wuz new. Le’s see, reckon I must ha’ -been ’bout the size o’ ye, an’ she warn’t more’n twenty -year ol’ then. Yep, I’ll bet she ain’t much older’n I -be.”</p> - -<p>“B’gorra, an’ that’s a-plenty,” chuckled Mike. -“An’ faith, ’tis a foine pair yez do be afther makin’! -Shure yes, Pem, for the love o’ Hivvin be afther -shippin’ on her—’tis comp’ny yez’ll be for wan -another.”</p> - -<p>“And the captain of the tug said she was going to -the Arctic!” cried Jim, paying no heed to Mike’s interruption. -“Do you suppose they’re going after -whales, Cap’n Pem?”</p> - -<p>“Dunno,” replied the whaleman. “Reckon they’re -goin’ fer mos’ anythin’ what they gets. Seals, walrus, -furs, ile an’ bone.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[6]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Furs!” exclaimed Tom inquiringly. “What kind -of furs do you mean?”</p> - -<p>“Different kinds,” replied Pem. “White b’ar, fox, -musk ox, reindeer, anythin’ what the Eskimos bring -in or the hands on the schooner kin shoot.”</p> - -<p>“Gosh, wouldn’t it be fun to go!” shouted Jim. -“Say, Tom, I’m going to ask Dad if I can go. That -is, if Cap’n Pem goes. Now we’ve been on the <i>Hector</i> -and everything came out so well I’ll bet he’ll let -me.”</p> - -<p>“Me too!” declared Tom. “Say, that will be -bully!”</p> - -<p>“’Tis daffy yez all do be afther gettin’!” declared -Mike shaking his grizzled head sadly. “Furrst ’tis -ol’ timber-lig here an’ thin ’tis yez b’ys—goin’ to look -afther him Oi’m thinkin’, an’ ’tis meself’ll have to be -afther goin’ along to be lookin’ afther the three of -yez.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, you old fox!” cried Tom. “You know you’re -just as crazy to go on another trip as any of us. -You said yourself that voyage on the <i>Hector</i> made a -man of you. And you’d never be happy ashore without -Cap’n Pem.”</p> - -<p>“Shure, Oi dunno but phwat it’s the truth yez do be -afther sp’akin’, Master Tom,” agreed the Irishman -grinning. “But b’gorra ’tis wan thing to be talkin’ av -goin’ an’ another to be aboarrd. Shure ’tis no<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[7]</a></span> -knowin’ as Misther Dixon’ll be afther takin’ anny av -us, at all, at all.”</p> - -<p>“Well, we’re going to find out if we can go first—before -we ask him,” said Jim. “And if we can, I’ll -bet we can get Mr. Dixon to take you and Cap’n Pem. -Mr. Nye and Captain Edwards can put in a good word -for you, and besides, everybody in New Bedford -knows you’re the two best whalemen here, and real -whalemen are scarce nowadays.”</p> - -<p>“Well, ’tis havin’ av me doots Oi do be, as the -Scotchman sez,” declared Mike. “Cruisin’ to the -Ar’tic’s not a bit the same as cruisin’ south—phwat -wid the oice an’ all.”</p> - -<p>“Fiddlesticks!” snorted Cap’n Pem. “What do ye -know erbout it? Ye ain’t no whaleman. Bet ye he’ll -be right glad fer to git us. ’Tain’t so all-fired easy -to git navergators these times. An’ I’ve been in the -ice—why, durn it, wuzn’t I ice pilot fer the ol’ -<i>Petrel</i>?”</p> - -<p>“Well, I hope he will take you—both,” said Tom. -“Our folks will be more likely to let us go if you two -are along. When do you think the schooner’ll be -ready to sail? And say, I never saw a schooner like -her. She’s got yards on her foremast like a brigantine.”</p> - -<p>“Course she has,” replied Cap’n Pem. “Thet’s<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[8]</a></span> -what makes her a torps’l schooner. Didn’t ye never -seed one afore? But shucks, ’course ye didn’t. -Ain’t many on ’em knockin’ erbout nowadays. Time -wuz when they wuz thicker’n rats on a lime juicer. -Yessir, an’ mighty handy craf’ in the ice, I tell ye. -Thet’s why Dixon’s a-fittin’ o’ the <i>Narwhal</i> out I -’spect. Ye see a or’nary fore-an’-aft schooner’s all -right fer a-sailin’ on the wind, or when the win’s on -the quarter or abeam, but she ain’t no use dead afore -it, an’ ye can’t back her. An’ by glory! I’m a-tellin’ -ye that when ye’re a-handlin’ of a ship in the ice, -with bergs fore-an’-aft an’ to po’t an’ sta’board, an’ -jes leads in the floes, ye wants a ship what kin back -an’ fill an’ make steerageway st’arn fummust. Yessir, -an’ the torps’l schooner’s the hooker what fills the -bill. An’ as fer gettin’ ready, how can I tell? -Reckon if there ain’t too pesky much to be did, she’ll -be gettin’ away long ’bout the fust o’ June. Have ter -fetch Hudson Straits by fust o’ August to git -through safe an’ soun’.”</p> - -<p>“Hurrah! that makes it all the better,” cried Tom. -“School will be pretty near over and we could miss -a few days—at the last. There’s just a lot of graduation -exercises and such things. Come on, Jim, let’s -go and see what our folks say.”</p> - -<p>But the boys’ parents frowned upon the scheme at<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[9]</a></span> -once. “That cruise in the <i>Hector</i> should be enough -to last you boys for a lifetime,” declared Mr. Lathrop. -“And a cruise to the Arctic is a very different -matter. The <i>Narwhal’s</i> a very old and small ship, -and she’ll spend the winter there probably, freeze in -and take chances of being crushed. And you’d find -it far from a picnic. Why, just imagine being locked -hard and fast in the ice for six or eight months with -the temperature fifty or sixty below zero, and shut up -in the ship with a crowd of greasy whalers and Eskimos. -No, Jim, there’s far too much risk.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, hang it all!” cried Jim bitterly. “You said -there’d be danger on the <i>Hector</i> and everything was -all right, and I’d love to be in the ice all winter and -see Eskimos and hunt polar bears and walrus and -everything. Say, if Cap’n Pem and Mike go, can’t -I go too?”</p> - -<p>Mr. Lathrop shook his head decisively. “If the -entire crew of the <i>Hector</i> went along, I’d not consent,” -he declared. “But I’ll ask Tom’s father and see if -he agrees with me.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Chester, however, was as much against the idea -as Jim’s parent. “No, Tom,” he said, after Tom -had explained matters. “It would mean a year from -school at least, and while I realize the knowledge you -boys would obtain would be of real value, still it’s<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[10]</a></span> -too risky a trip. You’d be frozen in for six months -or more, the ship might be stove—in which case you -might be killed or might be marooned in the Arctic -for months or years—or she might strike a berg or a -floe and founder. Arctic whaling’s dangerous, and I -don’t feel sure the <i>Narwhal</i> is seaworthy. Besides, I -don’t know who Dixon is sending as ice pilot. It’s -been years since a New Bedford whaler went to the -Arctic and it takes men experienced in the ice to -bring the ships through safely.”</p> - -<p>“But Cap’n Pem was an ice pilot—on the <i>Petrel</i>,” -argued Tom. “And you have faith in him.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Chester laughed. “Yes, as far as looking -after you boys to the best of his ability and being a -good whaleman is concerned. But don’t for a moment -think that Dixon will ship him or Mike. In -the Arctic they need able-bodied young men—half -the work is done ashore and there are long tramps -over ice and snow. No, Tom, Cap’n Pem won’t go, -that’s certain.”</p> - -<p>“You said that about the <i>Hector</i>,” Tom reminded -him. “And yet he went. Oh, Dad, if Cap’n Pem -and Mike go, can’t I?”</p> - -<p>“I suppose you want me to make another bargain,” -chuckled his father, “and make a condition that seems -impossible but may be fulfilled. No, Tom, even if<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[11]</a></span> -Cap’n Pem went I would hesitate to consent. But -I’ll tell you what. If the owners of the <i>Narwhal</i> invite -you to go—remember you’re not to ask them—and -if they guarantee that they’ll be personally responsible -for your safety, then I’ll consent.”</p> - -<p>“Well that’s poor comfort!” exclaimed the disappointed -boy. “Just as if the owners are going to invite -us without even knowing we want to go, and as if -they’d be responsible for us! Gee, they’d have to -double their insurance, I guess.”</p> - -<p>“One’s as likely as the other, I admit,” laughed -Mr. Chester. “But don’t be so disappointed, Tom. -Maybe there’ll be a ship going to the West Indies or -the Atlantic this summer that you can go on—some -short cruise.”</p> - -<p>“Bother the West Indies!” cried Tom petulantly. -“I want to go to the Arctic, and maybe Mr. Dixon -may take Cap’n Edwards and maybe he or Cap’n Pem -or some one may tell him we can navigate, and if he -wants mates perhaps he will ask us.”</p> - -<p>“Well, if he does you can go—that is, of course, if -Jim goes too,” smiled Tom’s father. “But remember -you’re neither to ask, nor hint about it. And I -don’t think you’ll need to get out your winter things -this June.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[12]</a></span></p> - -<h2 id="CHAPTER_II">CHAPTER II<br /> -<span class="smaller">THE BOYS SPRING A SURPRISE</span></h2> - -<p>The following day the two boys wandered to -the wharf with disconsolate faces.</p> - -<p>“Reckon yer folks didn’t take to the idee, -hey?” ventured Cap’n Pem, as he turned from watching -a gang of men working on the old <i>Narwhal</i>.</p> - -<p>“No, they wouldn’t listen to us,” replied Tom. -“Not even if you and Mike went. Dad said if the -owners invited us—and we didn’t ask—and that if -you and Mike went too, he’d let us, but there’s a swell -chance of that.”</p> - -<p>“H-m-m!” muttered the old whaleman. “Waall, -I dunno as I’d be so everlastin’ly cut up about it. I -don’t reckon ye’d have went annyhow without me, an’ -there ain’t one chance in a million o’ that. Mike was -up to see Dixon and the ol’ grampus jes laffed at -him. Asked what he thought the <i>Narwhal</i> wuz—a -floatin’ old sailors’ home?”</p> - -<p>“The mean old thing!” cried Jim. “Say, I’ll bet<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[13]</a></span> -he won’t get a man that’s as good a sailor as you or -Mike.”</p> - -<p>“Is he the owner?” asked Tom.</p> - -<p>“Wall, not perzactly,” replied the old man. “He’s -the agent. The <i>Narwhal’s</i> owned by a comp’ny—an’ -I reckon they ain’t none too conf’dent o’ the cruise -a-bein’ so everlastin’ly profit’ble. Mike says he saw -Cap’n Edwards an’ ol’ Nye, a-tryin’ fer to get ’em to -put in a word fer us, an’ Nye says as how they’s a -lot o’ shares—or stock or whatever ye calls it—what -ain’t been took up yit. He’s thinkin’ o’ buyin’ on it -hisself if he kin git a good skipper like Edwards.”</p> - -<p>Tom let out a yell like an Indian, threw his hat in -the air and danced.</p> - -<p>“Hurrah!” he fairly screamed. “We <em>can</em> go! -I’ve a scheme! Oh, Jim! Oh, Cap’n Pem! It’s -bully! Oh gosh, we’ll put one over on Dad again!”</p> - -<p>“Whatever be ye talkin’ on?” demanded the -old whaleman. “’Pears like ye’ve gone plumb -crazy.”</p> - -<p>“Listen!” cried Tom, as he quieted down. And in -earnest tones he explained his scheme to old Pem -and to Jim.</p> - -<p>“Gee!” commented Jim, “that <em>will</em> work. Tom, -you’re a wonder.”</p> - -<p>“Derned if ’twont,” agreed the old whaleman.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[14]</a></span> -“I’ll be swabbed if I don’ reckon we’ll all be a-goin’ -erlong o’ the <i>Narwhal</i> arter all.”</p> - -<p>A few moments later the boys were speeding towards -New Bedford on a trolley car. Alighting -near the water front they hurried to Mr. Nye’s office.</p> - -<p>There was a long conference with the genial shipowner. -Then another visit, with Mr. Nye accompanying -them, to a broker’s and to a law office. Several -hours later two grinning, jubilant boys made -their way back to Fair Haven and entered Mr. Chester’s -home.</p> - -<p>“Well, Dad, they’ve invited us!” exclaimed Tom, -as his father turned at their entrance.</p> - -<p>“What?” cried Mr. Chester incredulously. “You -mean to say the <i>Narwhal’s</i> owners have asked you to -go on a cruise—without your mentioning it to them?”</p> - -<p>Tom grinned and Jim chuckled. “They sure -did,” declared Tom. “And they’re going to take -Cap’n Pem and Cap’n Edwards and Mike—and Ned -if they can find him—and all the others that were on -the <i>Hector</i> that can be hired.”</p> - -<p>“But how—how on earth did they know you wanted -to go?” demanded Tom’s father, “and why are they -going to take that crew of cripples? There’s a -mystery here, boys; what is it?”</p> - -<p>The two boys were thoroughly enjoying themselves.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[15]</a></span> -“And that’s not all, Dad,” went on Tom. “The -owners said that if Jim and I couldn’t go, the <i>Narwhal’s</i> -cruise would be given up—they wouldn’t even -fit her out.”</p> - -<p>“What <em>is</em> all this nonsense?” exclaimed Mr. Chester. -“The owners must be crazy—talking about giving -up a cruise if you two kids don’t go along! Who -<em>are</em> the owners of the old ship anyway?”</p> - -<p>“Well, you see it’s a company,” explained Tom, -scarcely able to control himself, “and the members -who own the most shares are managing owners and -have the say about everything.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, yes, I understand all that,” interrupted Mr. -Chester impatiently, “but who <em>are</em> the managing -owners?”</p> - -<p>Jim could contain himself no longer. “We are!” -he shouted. “Tom and I!”</p> - -<p>Mr. Chester was speechless. “What?” he gasped -presently. “You two boys are the ship’s owners?”</p> - -<p>“I’ll say we are!” cried Tom. “We took the -money we got for our lays of the ambergris and -bought up the controlling shares to-day. Mr. Nye -said it was a good investment. And so we invited -ourselves, and we won’t let the <i>Narwhal</i> sail unless -we go, and we’re going to hire all the old <i>Hector’s</i> -crew.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[16]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Well I’ll be——” began Mr. Chester, and then, -a smile broadening on his face, he turned to the telephone.</p> - -<p>“Hello!” he exclaimed presently. “That you, -Lathrop? Well, the boys have put one over on us -two old fogies again! Yes, owners invited them all -right. Say the ship won’t sail without them too. -Yes. Guess we’ll have to let them go. Oh, Edwards. -Yes, both Mike and Pem. Oh, yes, I forgot—Tom -and Jim bought up the controlling interest—managing -owners themselves. Ha, ha! Yes, they’ve -won out!”</p> - -<p>“Then we can go!” cried Tom, as his father hung -up the receiver.</p> - -<p>“I always stick to a bargain,” replied Mr. Chester, -“and Jim’s father says he does too. So you might as -well hire your crew and get the old <i>Narwhal</i> fitted -out.”</p> - -<p>Cap’n Pem and Mike were as tickled as two children -over the boys’ ruse and its success. Both the -old sailors having been engaged, they set to work, -Cap’n Pem looking after the details of reconditioning -the schooner, while Mike haunted New Bedford’s -water front and lodging houses, searching out the -former crew of the <i>Hector</i>.</p> - -<p>The next few weeks were very busy ones for the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[17]</a></span> -two boys, who had invested their little fortune in the -<i>Narwhal</i>, and now found themselves the principal -owners of a real whaling vessel. The details of the -business, as well as the financial arrangements, repairs, -and outfitting were turned over to Mr. Dixon -and to Mr. Nye, for the latter had bought considerable -stock in the <i>Narwhal</i> also. And work proceeded rapidly -aboard the ship.</p> - -<p>There seemed to be an endless number of things to -be done. The old ship’s timbers were in good shape -and little of her planking had to be replaced, but -she had to be caulked and pitched and painted and -ice sheathing was put on. Her spars were worthless -and her rigging had to be entirely stripped from -her, and new rigging rove. Much of her decks were -also badly rotted and, as Tom said, when on one occasion -he looked ruefully at the almost empty hulk, -minus masts and rigging, “By the time they get -through she’ll be a new ship.”</p> - -<p>But old Cap’n Pem did not agree with him. -“Hanged if she will!” he exclaimed, “why, Lor’ -love ye, ’tain’t a ship’s spars an’ riggin’ what makes -the ship. It’s the timbers an’ hull. Bless my soul! -If ev’ry time a ship got dismasted an’ had ter have -a new set o’ spars, it made a new ship of her, thar -wouldn’t be nary an ol’ ship lef’. Shucks! Ye<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[18]</a></span> -wouldn’t say yer Dad built a new house jes ’cause -he put a new chimbly or a new verandy on it, would -ye?”</p> - -<p>Tom laughed. “No,” he admitted, “but if -Dad took out all the inside of the house, and then took -off the boards and just left the old cellar, I’d call it -pretty near a new house, and that’s what we’re doing -with the <i>Narwhal</i>.”</p> - -<p>“Not by a long shot!” burst out the old whaleman, -to whom an old hull was almost sacred. “Ye’d find -a purty diff’runce in what ye’d have to pay if ye wuz -to build a new schooner ’stead o’ refittin’ this here -hooker.”</p> - -<p>Then, when at last the hull and decks were done -and it came to rigging, dissension arose as to how -the <i>Narwhal</i> should be rigged. Mr. Dixon, who was -of the new school, wanted a three-masted schooner -and some of the other owners, a two-master, while -one old fellow insisted a bark was the only rig. But -the boys stoutly insisted that their ship, as they called -her, must be rigged as she was originally and they -were sustained by Mr. Nye, while old Cap’n Pem -vowed he’d not take the place as ice pilot unless she -was a square topsail schooner.</p> - -<p>“If you take my advice,” said Mr. Chester, when -on one occasion he was discussing the matter with the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[19]</a></span> -boys and Mr. Nye, “you’ll put a motor in her. I -suppose it will be little less than heresy to suggest it -to the whalemen, but a motor will be a godsend in -the ice.”</p> - -<p>“You’re right,” assented Mr. Nye. “Whale-ships -have had auxiliary power before now and the <i>Narwhal</i> -can stand a motor. Yes, I think there’s no -question that a motor will prove a most valuable asset. -Why, even in towage it’ll save its own cost.”</p> - -<p>But when Cap’n Pem heard of this he almost exploded. -“Consarn sech rattletrap contraptions!” he -exclaimed. “Ain’t sails an’ the win’ God gave us -good enough fer to take this here ship where we aim -fer to go? Motor! By cricky! do ye want fer to -make a ottymobil out o’ the ol’ <i>Narwhal</i>.”</p> - -<p>“Shure thin’ an’ ’twill be a shofure yez’ll be afther -wantin’,” put in Mike. “An’ b’ the same token, ’tis -a foine motorneer Oi am meself. B’gorra ’tis a -shame to be a-turnin’ o’ the ould schooner into a -power boat, but handy ’twill be Oi do be thinkin’ -manny the toime.”</p> - -<p>But despite Pem’s protests and contempt and sarcastic -remarks, the motor was installed and Mike, -who really had had experience in handling motors in -the navy, was rated as engineer.</p> - -<p>In regard to the rigging, Cap’n Pem and the boys<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[20]</a></span> -had their way. Captain Edwards had agreed with -the old whaleman that a topsail schooner was the -handiest vessel to navigate in the ice; also he had -pointed out that, having been originally rigged as -such, it was cheaper and easier to re-rig the <i>Narwhal</i> -in the same way.</p> - -<p>So the tall and tapering spars were set up, the long -and beautifully proportioned cross yards for the foremast -were slung, the standing rigging was bowsed -taut, served, and tarred; the huge blocks and the maze -of halyards, lifts, braces, sheets, lines and ropes were -rigged, and, resplendent in a coat of new paint, the -rejuvenated <i>Narwhal’s</i> motor was started and she -chugged slowly across the harbor to the New Bedford -dock.</p> - -<p>“Now what do you think of her?” asked Tom of -old Mike as the staunch, trim schooner was warped -alongside the dock, and her lofty, golden-tinted spars -loomed high above the water-front buildings.</p> - -<p>“Waall, b’gorra, ’tis not the same ship at all, at -all,” declared the Irishman. “Shure ’tis loike the -sailor’s knoife she do be—the same ould knoife, -barrin’ new blades an’ a new handle.”</p> - -<p>“Gid out!” cried old Pem. “By heck, if ye got -a new timber leg I ’spec’ ye’d be a dod gasted new -man, eh?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[21]</a></span></p> - -<p>“No!” responded the Irishman. “But shure an’ if -Oi foun’ me a foine new hidpiece an’ a new body -an’ a new pair o’ han’s, the wooden lig o’ me remainin’ -would niver be afther makin’ ould Moike out o’ -the broth of a b’y Oi’d be.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I don’t care what you say, it’s the same old -<i>Narwhal</i>,” insisted Tom, “just as much as the <i>Hector</i> -was the same old <i>Hector</i>.”</p> - -<p>“Yis, yis, so she do be,” agreed Mike. “An’ -’tis a foine cruise we’ll be takin’ in her—an’ foine -luck we’ll be havin’ Oi’m thinkin’—phwat wid the -same ould crew o’ the <i>Hector</i>. An’ thanks be to -Hivvin there’ll be no bo’sun burrds for to be a-perchin’ -on the yarrds an’ a-scarin’ the loife out of us -all.”</p> - -<p>Even when the ship was reconditioned there was -much to be done. The boys had thought that the old -<i>Hector</i> had carried vast quantities of stores, but when -they saw the mountain of barrels, shooks, boxes, -cases and casks that were piled on the wharf, and -the steady stream of trucks and drays that kept adding -their loads to the accumulation, they declared that -the <i>Narwhal</i> would sink at the wharf if all the supplies -were stowed aboard her.</p> - -<p>“Don’t ye fergit we’re a-goin’ for a long v’yage,” -Cap’n Pem reminded them. “Lord knows when the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[22]</a></span> -ol’ <i>Narwhal</i>’ll be a-pokin’ of her jib boom pas’ New -Bedford light ag’in. An’ there ain’t no delic’tessen -’roun’ the corner in the Ar’tic, by gum!”</p> - -<p>“But what do they want all that salt for?” -asked Jim, who had been watching barrel after -barrel of coarse Turks’ Island salt being slung -aboard.</p> - -<p>“Curin’ skins,” replied the old whaleman. “’Spect -we’ll be a-gittin’ a purty good cargo o’ seals. Ain’t -been hunted much fer a spell an’ pelts is purty high. -Yessir, better’n ile now’days.”</p> - -<p>“And what do we need lumber for?” queried Tom. -“Any one would think we were going to build a house -up there.”</p> - -<p>“So we be,” declared Pem. “Come winter an’ -she freezes in, we’ll be a-makin’ on her shipshape an’ -comfy for six months o’ everlastin’ night. House the -ol’ hooker in—didn’t ’spec’ ye could spen’ the winter -in that there mite of a cabin an’ the fo’c’s’le, did -ye?”</p> - -<p>“Well, I see we’ve a lot to learn yet,” laughed -Tom. “What about guns and things for shooting the -seals and bears?”</p> - -<p>Cap’n Pem guffawed. “Lor’ love ye!” he exclaimed. -“They don’t scarcely never shoot seals—jes -knock ’em over the head same as we did them<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[23]</a></span> -there sea el’phunts. But they’ll be guns aboard fer -huntin’ musk ox an’ reindeer an’ b’ars, an’ a lot o’ -ol’ muskets fer to trade to the Eskimos.”</p> - -<p>“Well, we’re taking our own rifles,” said Jim, -“but I don’t see any heavy clothes or overcoats in -the stores.”</p> - -<p>“Ain’t none,” declared the old whaleman. “Plenty -o’ warm woolens an’ mitts an’ sea boots an’ sou’westers -though. Don’ never take no overcoats along. -Jes git fur clothes from the Eskimos. They’re a -heap sight warmer an’ cheaper.”</p> - -<p>So, with the boys constantly plying the old sailor -with questions, and daily learning more and more -about the outfitting and the coming cruise, the work -of loading and storing the pile of supplies went on, -until at last, to the boys’ amazement, the stevedores -and sailors managed to find a place for everything.</p> - -<p>Finally the final package was aboard. The <i>Narwhal’s</i> -deck was littered, the cabin was choked with -boxes, half the galley was filled with coal, and even -the spare boats were filled with stores. Still the -<i>Narwhal</i> showed plenty of freeboard and rode buoyantly -on the water.</p> - -<p>Then came trucks carrying huge rolls of new white -canvas, a crowd of men swarmed up the rigging and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[24]</a></span> -over the yards, the great sails were bent on and -stretched. The <i>Narwhal</i> was ready to start on her -long cruise to the frozen north.</p> - -<p>It only remained to get the crew together, and -when the two boys finally stepped on to the schooner’s -decks on the day of leaving, they felt as if they were -once more aboard the old <i>Hector</i>. There was Cap’n -Edwards, with his merry blue eyes, white hair and -leatherlike face. Cap’ Pem stumped back and forth -with a frown on his face and his old cap at a rakish -angle on his grizzled head. Mike was bawling orders -and punctuating quaint commands with his Irish -wit, and Mr. Kemp, longer and lankier than ever, -grinned at the boys with his mouth twisted by the -ghastly scar received when his ship was sunk by a -German U-boat. From the galley door, the ebony-faced -cook bobbed his woolly head in greeting, and, -with a mallet in one hand and wooden wedges in the -other, the dried-up, chin-whiskered Irish carpenter -was busy battening down hatches with the help of -big, raw-boned Ole Swanson, the cooper. Even one-eyed -Ned and deaf-and-dumb Pete were there, and -so the only faces the boys missed from the <i>Hector’s</i> -crew were those of the pop-eyed boy and the big -gorilla-like black sailor.</p> - -<p>“Why, you got all the old men back!” cried Tom<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[25]</a></span> -delightedly, as he recognized one after the other. -“Even Pete!”</p> - -<p>Cap’n Pem grinned. “Yep,” he replied, “that -there old fool Mike jes’ nat’rally did like ye told of -him. But, arter all, they ain’t sech an all-fired bad -lot o’ han’s, an’ they knows me and the skipper an’ -Mr. Kemp, an’ ol’ shipmates is ol’ shipmates—spite -o’ their bein’ mos’ly derelic’s. An’ I reckon Pete’ll -be a sort o’ mascot—Eskimos is so dumb they allers -thinks dummies is big med’cine an’ is supe’stitious -’bout ’em. ’Sides, we had sech everlastin’ luck las’ -v’yage, mebbe we’ll be lucky ’long o’ this, seein’s -we’ve got the hull crowd ag’in.”</p> - -<p>As Cap’n Pem was speaking, the hawsers had been -cast off, Mike had started the motor and the screw -churned the water. The crowd gathered on the dock, -shouted farewells and good lucks and the boys sprang -to the taffrail, and waved and yelled good-by to their -parents. The <i>Narwhal</i>, gay with bunting, her big -sails hanging loosely in the buntlines and brails, -slipped into the stream, swung slowly about, and -under her own power was headed towards the harbor -mouth.</p> - -<p>Once more to the boys’ ears came the rousing -chantey as the men piled aloft, scrambled out on -yards, and manned the halyards and hoists.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[26]</a></span></p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="verse">The ship she’s a-sailing out over the bar,</div> -<div class="verse indent1">Away Rio! Away Rio!</div> -<div class="verse">The ship she’s a-sailing out over the bar,</div> -<div class="verse indent1">We’re bound for the Rio Grande!</div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>Thus sang the men as the sails rose slowly, with -many a rattle and purl of blocks, and the <i>Narwhal’s</i> -white wings gleamed in the bright June sunshine. -The boys thrilled with pride and delight as they -glanced aloft at the tapering spars and taut rigging -and at the sheen of sails. As they felt the gentle -motion of the deck, Tom and Jim realized that they -were once more starting forth on adventures—and -this time in their own ship.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[27]</a></span></p> - -<h2 id="CHAPTER_III">CHAPTER III<br /> -<span class="smaller">ON THE BANKS</span></h2> - -<p>Once past the lighthouse, and with a fair -wind, the <i>Narwhal’s</i> motor was stopped, -sheets and braces were trimmed, and, heeling -gently to her immense square foretop and foretopgallant -sails and the vast expanse of her fore -and mainsails the schooner plunged eastward.</p> - -<p>“Golly, isn’t she a fine old ship!” cried Tom, as he -stepped to the lee rail and watched the hissing froth -speed past. “Why, she’s going like a yacht and -there’s not much wind either!”</p> - -<p>“Used to was the fastest hooker ’round the -Cape,” rumbled Cap’n Pem.</p> - -<p>“And spreads enough canvas to drive a clipper -ship,” added Captain Edwards, glancing at the straining -spars and rigging. “Pem, you’ll have to keep -a weather eye liftin’ an’ be ready to shorten sail at -the first sign of a blow.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir,” agreed the other, “that there’s the -wust o’ these here torpsa’l schooners—too derned<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[28]</a></span> -much canvas aloft. It’ll drive ’em like blazes in a -light win’, but keeps the crew everlastin’ly on the -jump a-reefin’ and short’nin’ sail. Reckon soon’s -ever we get no’thard o’ the Banks, we’d be a leedle -mite snugger if we housed that there to’gallant -sail.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, better do that,” agreed the skipper, “we -won’t need it in the ice.”</p> - -<p>Now that the boys had a chance to look about, -they noticed for the first time that there were no -swarthy-faced Portuguese among the crew.</p> - -<p>“Never take ’em to the Arctic,” Mr. Kemp told -them in reply to their question. “Ain’t no good there—just -shiver and freeze like a lot of frozen turnips.”</p> - -<p>“Is it really as cold as that?” asked Jim.</p> - -<p>“Cold!” exclaimed the lanky second officer. -“Cold! Well, let me tell you a fellow doesn’t know -what cold is ’til he’s spent a winter froze in up -’round the North Pole.”</p> - -<p>“Have you ever been there?” asked Tom.</p> - -<p>Mr. Kemp looked at Tom in surprise. “<em>Of</em> -course,” he declared. “Wish I had as many dollars -as I’ve put in days in the ice.”</p> - -<p>“And did you ever shoot white bears, and walrus, -and musk oxen, and see Eskimos?” cried Jim.</p> - -<p>“Did I?” grinned the officer. “Didn’t do much<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[29]</a></span> -else durin’ the winter ’cept have shenannigans with -the Eskimos aboard.”</p> - -<p>“Do they talk English?” asked Tom. “Or do you -have to know how to speak Eskimo?”</p> - -<p>“Well, some of ’em talk what they <em>call</em> English,” -said Mr. Kemp. “Those are the fellows that’s been -whalin’ long of Yankee and Scotch ships, but the -most of ’em just palaver in their own lingo—and I -can talk that. I was brung up with a Eskimo kid, -and learnt it from him.”</p> - -<p>“Why, how was that?” asked Jim, “I thought -you came from right here on Cape Cod.”</p> - -<p>“Nope, Noank, back in Connecticut,” said the -other. “And there was a Eskimo there—Eskimo Joe -they called him—what had a kid ’bout my age. -We went to school together and was reg’lar -chums.”</p> - -<p>“I didn’t know there were any Eskimos in Connecticut,” -exclaimed Tom. “I thought they always -died when they came down here.”</p> - -<p>“Joe didn’t,” the other assured him. “And say, -he could have told you a bully good yarn. I don’t -know as I can spin the whole of it for you, but he -an’ his squaw come down on a cake of ice. That -is, they come most o’ the way.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, tell us about it!” cried Tom. “How did<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[30]</a></span> -he happen to be on a cake of ice and how could he -come down on it?”</p> - -<p>“Well, there don’t seem to be much to do right -now, so I expect I <em>can</em> spare a couple o’ minutes to -tell you,” agreed Mr. Kemp. “Especially,” he -added with a grin, “as long as the owners is tellin’ -me to.”</p> - -<p>“You see,” he began, seating himself on a coil of -rope and lighting his pipe, “Eskimo Joe was one o’ -the hunters an’ pilots on the old <i>Polaris</i>—a ship what -was up huntin’ for the North Pole long afore my -time—back in 1871 ’twas. Well, the <i>Polaris</i> got -froze in hard an’ fast, and the crew, thinkin’ she -might get stove, put most of the stuff on the ice and -was gettin’ ready for a bust up. But it come afore -they expected of it. Ice broke up and left some of -the folks on the ice ’longside the ship and the rest -of ’em on a big piece of floe adrift in the water. -Eskimo Joe was with that crowd along with his squaw -and Captain Tyson of the <i>Polaris</i> and a bunch o’ -men—twenty there was all told—and nary a mite -of food.</p> - -<p>“Just as soon as the ice got adrift it commenced -to travel in a current, and there they was, driftin’ -about on an ice island that might go to bits or capsize -any minute. Times was when they pretty near<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[31]</a></span> -starved, but they caught gulls and murres and auks -and other birds, and Joe fixed up a fishin’ tackle -and got fish now and then. Sometimes, too, a seal -would come aboard the cake and Joe’d get him; -and once a white bear clumb on to the ice and Joe -nailed him, too. I don’t guess bear’s any too good -meat, but it sure was welcome to those folks. Well, -to make a long story short, they was driftin’ on that -ice cake for six months, yes, sir and the cake gettin’ -smaller all the time as it drifted along south. Then, -along in April ’72 a sealin’ ship—steamer, <i>Tigress</i>, -o’ St. John’s, Newfoundland ’twas—hove in sight -and picked ’em up, and every man jack o’ the twenty-one -safe and hearty.”</p> - -<p>“Why, I thought you said there were only twenty!” -exclaimed Tom.</p> - -<p>Mr. Kemp grinned. “So I did and so there was,” -he declared, “when they went adrift. But you see, -while they was navigatin’ ’round on their ice island, -Joe’s squaw had a baby an’ that was the kid I used -to be chums with.”</p> - -<p>“Gee, I hope we don’t get adrift like that!” exclaimed -Jim. “But it must have been some adventure!”</p> - -<p>“Well, you can’t never tell,” remarked Mr. Kemp -as he rose and hurried off. “But I guess after bein’<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[32]</a></span> -sunk by a sub, driftin’ on a ice floe wouldn’t be so -bad as it might be.”</p> - -<p>The Elizabeth Islands were now close ahead, and -the <i>Narwhal</i> was soon passing through the narrow -channel between Naushon and Woods Hole and, to -the south, Martha’s Vineyard was in plain sight. -With every stitch of canvas set, the schooner sped on -across Nantucket Sound towards distant Monomoy -Light.</p> - -<p>It was a perfect June day, warm and bright, and -with a steady northwest wind on the <i>Narwhal’s</i> quarter. -Captain Edwards declared that if the breeze -held throughout the day and night, they would pass -George’s Banks before noon the following day. Before -dark, long, low Monomoy Point was sighted and -with the last of the land astern, Cap’n Pem roared -out orders and the willing crew raced to sheets and -braces.</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="verse">Oh, whisky is the life of man,</div> -<div class="verse indent1">Whisky! Johnny!</div> -<div class="verse">It always was since time began,</div> -<div class="verse indent1">Oh, whisky for my Johnny!</div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>Lustily the men roared out the old chantey as -the fore and mainsail sheets were hauled in, and the -big foretopsail yard swung to the heave of the braces.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[33]</a></span> -Then, as the <i>Narwhal</i> turned towards the north and -the freshening wind abeam buried her lee rails under -the tumbling suds-like froth, the crew swarmed aloft. -Presently the foretopgallant sail was thrashing and -snapping like a battery of rapid-fire guns, as the -men furled the canvas to the rousing chantey:</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="verse">Around Cape Horn, where wild gales blow,</div> -<div class="verse indent1">To me way-hay, hay-yah!</div> -<div class="verse">Around Cape Horn through sleet and snow,</div> -<div class="verse indent1">A long time ago——!</div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>The schooner headed across the broad Atlantic, -and darkness fell upon the sea. Monomoy Light was -but a tiny twinkling star astern, and the boys felt -their cruise had really begun.</p> - -<p>The next morning was fair but almost calm. As -the boys came on deck, they were surprised to see a -score and more of trim schooners riding easily on -the long ocean swell under light canvas.</p> - -<p>“It must be a yacht club!” exclaimed Tom, “but -I didn’t know they came so far to sea.”</p> - -<p>“Fishing fleet from Gloucester,” said Captain Edwards, -who heard Tom’s remark. “We’re passing -George’s Banks. Don’t you see the dories yonder?”</p> - -<p>“Oh yes, I do now,” declared Tom. “But why do -they call it a Bank? I don’t see any land.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[34]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Waall, I swan!” cried Cap’n Pem. “To think o’ -ye young scallawags a-bein’ navigators an’ owners o’ -a torps’l schooner, and a-havin’ v’y’ged to the Sou’ -Shetland’s, an’ not a-knowin’ on a fishin’ smack when -ye sees ’em, nor a-knowin’ nothin’ ’bout the Banks. -Lor’ love ye, there beint no lan’ here ’bouts ’ceptin’ -straight down. Ye see the Banks is ’bout a hundred -fathom deep, an’ that’s plumb shaller fer mid-ocean, -so they calls on ’em Banks. Ain’t no ’cause to be -skeert o’ runnin’ the ol’ <i>Narwhal</i> agroun’!”</p> - -<p>“Well, I suppose we <em>are</em> awfully green,” laughed -Tom, “but they never told us that in school when -we learned about the ocean and the coast in physical -geography, and I thought fishing schooners were -dirty old boats.”</p> - -<p>“Finest little ships afloat,” declared the skipper. -“And just as fast as they can be built. Have to be -to get the catch to market—price depends on the -first to make port. Look there! There goes one of -’em now. She’s got a full catch an’s beatin’ it for -Boston.”</p> - -<p>As he spoke, he pointed to one of the schooners -that had run a flag to her maintopmast head. As -the boys looked, the schooner blossomed into a perfect -cloud of snowy canvas.</p> - -<p>“Gosh, look at her go!” cried Jim delightedly, as<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[35]</a></span> -the trim black schooner heeled towards them until -they could see the full sweep of her deck. With a -mountain of foam about her bows, she fairly raced -through the oily sea.</p> - -<p>“And hardly enough wind to fill our sails,” added -Tom. “Say, I wish the <i>Narwhal</i> could go like -that!”</p> - -<p>“And there goes another and another!” cried Jim. -“Golly, it’s like a race.”</p> - -<p>“So ’tis a race,” chuckled the captain. “With -thousands of dollars to the winner.”</p> - -<p>“Jiminy, I’d like to sail on those boats,” declared -Tom as the schooners swept by with a hiss and roar. -“It must be exciting.”</p> - -<p>“Pesky hard work if ye asks me,” declared Cap’n -Pem. “An’ no fun, come winter, I tell ye. By -gum, I’d ruther be froze up in the Ar’tic.”</p> - -<p>“And plenty of danger too,” added the skipper. -“Hardly a week passes that fishermen are not lost -on the Banks—though it’s on the Grand Banks more -than here.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t see what’s dangerous about it,” said Tom -as they turned to go to breakfast. “Just coming -out here in a fine schooner and fishing.”</p> - -<p>“There’s not—on a day like this,” agreed Captain -Edwards, “but in fog, the schooners or dories are<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[36]</a></span> -often run down by steamers; the dories get parted -from their ships and are lost, and in winter storms -they are often swamped or driven to sea by gales. -I tell you, boys, if you want to read exciting stories -of heroism and hardship, just get the Gloucester -papers and read ’em. Why, it’s worse than whalin’—almost.”</p> - -<p>By the time breakfast was over, the fishing fleet -was a mere group of flashing white specks astern, -and the boats which had raced to port were out of -sight.</p> - -<p>Presently Cap’n Pem called Mr. Kemp and suggested -that it was a good day to break in the green -hands. For several hours the boys were amused -by watching the frightened men, who had never before -been to sea, as they were compelled to go aloft. -It was a familiar sight to them for they had seen it -day after day on the <i>Hector</i> but they could not help -being sorry for the fellows, as the two whalemen -forced the men into the rigging.</p> - -<p>There was no actual brutality—although, judging -from the words and looks of Cap’n Pem and the -second mate, the men might well have thought they -were ready to do murder if they were not obeyed. -After a bit, the green hands were allowed to come -down, the big yards were swung, the schooner was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[37]</a></span> -hove to, and for several hours the “greenies” were -put through a grilling boat practice. This they thoroughly -enjoyed, and they chaffed and jollied one another -whenever they caught a crab with the huge -ash oars, or made some similar breaks that brought -down a fiery string of comments from the officers. -But there was not a great deal of this drilling and -breaking in, for the <i>Narwhal’s</i> crew was small and -only a very few of the men were raw hands, the -captain explaining that the bulk of the work on the -“grounds” would be done by the Eskimos who -could be taken aboard at Labrador or Greenland.</p> - -<p>“Gee, it sounds funny to be talking about going -to Greenland!” laughed Tom. “I can’t really believe -it yet. How long should it take us to get there, -Captain Edwards?”</p> - -<p>“Impossible to say,” replied the skipper. “Depends -on wind and fog and how much ice we find -when we get to the Straits.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, there—there she blows!” shouted Jim. “Off -the port bow!”</p> - -<p>Instantly all eyes were turned in the direction -Jim indicated, and Mr. Kemp raced up the rigging. -The next moment a dozen little fountains of spray -rose above the green surface of the sea, and a number<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[38]</a></span> -of the huge black bodies rolled sluggishly into -view.</p> - -<p>“Blackfish!” shouted Mr. Kemp.</p> - -<p>“So they be!” echoed Cap’n Pem. “Don’t ye -youngsters know whales yit?”</p> - -<p>“Aren’t they whales?” demanded Tom. “They -look like ’em to me.”</p> - -<p>“No, blackfish-grampus,” declared the skipper. -“But after all, they <em>are</em> a kind of whale.” Then, -after a moment, he exclaimed. “Pem, let’s lower -away and go after ’em. Good practice for the men, -an’ blackfish ile’s worth takin’. There ain’t no wind -an’ we won’t lose ’nough time to count.”</p> - -<p>“Stan’ by to lower away the sta’board boats,” -roared the old whaleman.</p> - -<p>Then, as the yards were swung and the schooner -came to a standstill, the boats were lowered, the men -tumbled in, and to the pull of the six long ash oars -in each, they went racing towards the school of blackfish.</p> - -<p>To the boys’ delight, they were allowed to go after -the grampus, for they had always longed to go in one -of the boats as it dashed across the waves after a -whale. To be sure “going on” the blackfish was not -the same as attacking a monster cetacean. But it -was the nearest thing to it, and both Tom and Jim<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[39]</a></span> -thrilled with excitement as the ash oars bent to the -brawny muscles of the men, and the keen-stemmed -boat fairly leaped through the water.</p> - -<p>Cap’n Pem was as excited as if he were after a -real whale. Standing at the huge steering oar, with -his hair flying, he shouted to the straining crew.</p> - -<p>“Lift her, lads!” he cried. “Get in on the pesky -critters! Don’t let that there swab o’ a secon’ mate -git fust! Git arter ’em, ye lubbers!”</p> - -<p>Forward the harpoonier or boat-steerer laid aside -his oar and unsheathed a keen-pointed harpoon or -“iron,” a lighter weapon than the one the boys had -seen used for sperm whales. Bracing his knee in -the clumsy cleat, he stood ready to strike the blackfish -that were now but a few hundred feet distant.</p> - -<p>Close behind came Mr. Kemp’s boat, his crew -striving their utmost to reach the grampus in time to -make a strike before the fish were frightened. Almost -side by side the two boats swept upon the unsuspecting -creatures.</p> - -<p>Nearer and nearer the boat crept. The boat -steerer raised his weapon, braced himself, every -muscle taut, and was on the point of heaving the -iron at a huge grampus a few yards ahead when -Tom let out a terrified yell.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[40]</a></span></p> - -<p>Within a few feet of the boat a huge, triangular -fin had cut through the water and the next instant -an immense body hurled itself into the air and, with -a sweep of its stupendous tail, struck the water with -a blow like a bursting shell, drenching the occupants -of the boat.</p> - -<p>“Thrasher!” shouted Cap’n Pem.</p> - -<p>The harpoonier picked himself up from where he -had stumbled, as the deluge of water almost drowned -him. He poised his iron and glanced about. Not -a grampus was in sight.</p> - -<p>“Dern his everlastin’ hide!” yelled Cap’n Pem. -“Look out! There, he’s a-comin’! Strike him, -Nat!”</p> - -<p>As the old whaleman spoke, the big fin again ripped -through the sea and with a grunt the boat-steerer -heaved his long weapon. The next second the water -was lashed into foam, the heavy manilla whale line -was rushing through the chocks like a streak of light, -and the heavy boat was tearing through the sea at -express-train speed.</p> - -<p>“Fast!” screamed Cap’n Pem, as he tugged and -strained at his big oar.</p> - -<p>Then, “Breachin’!” he cried, as once more the -immense creature flung itself clear of the water. -The boys, dazed, frightened, and gasping, saw that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[41]</a></span> -it was a gigantic shark with an enormously long tail.</p> - -<p>Hardly had the thrasher struck the water again -when the line ran out a few feet. Suddenly it grew -slack and the boat came to a standstill.</p> - -<p>“Drew!” exclaimed Cap’n Pem. “Consarn it, -reckon we might’s well go back. Nary mite o’ use -a-tryin’ fer them blackfish now.”</p> - -<p>Crestfallen, the men took to the oars and started -to pull back to the ship.</p> - -<p>“What <em>is</em> a thrasher?” asked Tom, now that the -excitement was over.</p> - -<p>“Kind o’ shark,” replied Cap’n Pem. “Biggest -nuisance ever was. Jes rush in an’ thresh about and -kill a lot o’ fish, and then gobbles of ’em up. That -there consarn rascal was after them blackfish, -though.”</p> - -<p>“Whew, do they kill—Oh, look, Mr. Kemp’s -boat’s fast!”</p> - -<p>Sure enough, the second mate’s boat was rushing -through the sea evidently towed by some creature, -and a few moments later the boys saw the officer -stand erect in the bow, poise his lance and lunge forward -with it.</p> - -<p>“Reckon we might jes as well pull over thataway -an’ mebbe get a chanct to strike,” remarked Cap’n -Pem, swinging the boat’s head as he spoke.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[42]</a></span></p> - -<p>In a few minutes they were within hailing distance -of the second mate’s boat.</p> - -<p>“Did you get one?” yelled Tom.</p> - -<p>“I’ll say so,” shouted back Mr. Kemp. “Come -over here and bear a hand to tow this critter to the -schooner.”</p> - -<p>“Waall I’ll be sunk!” cried Cap’n Pem. “What’s -the matter with thet there crew o’ yourn? Ain’t they -got beef ’nough for to tow in a consarned leedle blackfish?”</p> - -<p>The boats were now close together and the boys -saw a huge black body rolling in the swell beyond -the second mate’s boat.</p> - -<p>“Blackfish?” yelled Mr. Kemp. “You’re a fine -whaleman! What’s the matter with your eyes, Pem?”</p> - -<p>But the old whaleman had now caught sight of -the other boat’s kill and the expression that came -over his weather-beaten old face was so ludicrous -that the boys roared. His eyes seemed popping from -their sockets, his mouth gaped and he looked as if -he had seen a ghost.</p> - -<p>“By the great red herrin’!” he ejaculated at last. -“I’ll be everlastin’ly keelauled if ’tain’t a whale! -An’ sparm at thet!”</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[43]</a></span></p> - -<h2 id="CHAPTER_IV">CHAPTER IV<br /> -<span class="smaller">A CLOSE SHAVE</span></h2> - -<p>“I told you they were whales!” exclaimed Tom -triumphantly, as the two boats drew side by -side, and the men busied themselves getting -tow lines fast to the dead whale.</p> - -<p>“They wasn’t,” declared Cap’n Pem, “jes or’nary -blackfish.”</p> - -<p>“But this is a whale,” argued Tom.</p> - -<p>“Jes dumb luck o’ Mr. Kemp,” replied the old -whaleman. “Jes happened to be ’long o’ them there -grampuses. An’ ’tain’t much o’ a whale neither—jes -a baby.”</p> - -<p>“Well it’s just our luck to be in the boat that didn’t -get the whale,” lamented Jim. “Did you have much -of a tussle, Mr. Kemp?”</p> - -<p>“Nothin’ worth while,” responded the second officer. -“Towed us a bit and died with nary a flurry.”</p> - -<p>“I didn’t know they had sperm whales ’way up -here,” said Tom, as the crews bent to their oars with -the whale in tow.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[44]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Don’t, so everlastin’ly often,” Cap’n Pem told -him. “Come warm weather, they swims in by the -Banks now an’ ag’in—that is, sparm do—an’ times -gone there used to was a powerful lot o’ Biscay -whales ’roun’ about the New Englan’ coast. Yes, -sir, I recollec’ when a ship could v’yage out o’ New -Bedford or Nantucket an’ fill up with Biscay ile -an’ bone inside o’ six weeks.”</p> - -<p>The schooner had now caught a light wind and -was bearing down upon the boats. A few moments -later, the whale was alongside and the two boats -had been hoisted to the davits. Then followed the -dirty, busy work of cutting in and boiling, with all -of which the boys were familiar from their cruise in -the Antarctic. But the whale, as Cap’n Pem had -said, was scarcely more than a baby. The work was -all over before midnight, with twenty barrels of oil -stowed in the schooner’s hold.</p> - -<p>“Pretty good beginning—for three days out of -port,” chuckled Captain Edwards. “I reckon you -boys—ahem, owners—must be mascots. Just hope -the luck holds all through.”</p> - -<p>“Well, there won’t be any bo’sun birds to bring -bad luck, anyway,” laughed Jim. “Although I suppose -there must be some bad omen even up here or -sailors wouldn’t be satisfied.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[45]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Plenty on ’em,” declared Cap’n Pem. “But don’t -go to talkin’ an’ a-bringin’ o’ it on. Ain’t it bad -’nough to have that there black cat aboard—an’ nary -a dod-gasted soul a-knowin’ where she come from?”</p> - -<p>The boys roared. “I knew you’d find something,” -cried Tom. “Why, I thought the cat belonged to the -crew. Why don’t you kill her or something if she’s -such bad luck?”</p> - -<p>“Kill her!” exclaimed the old man. “By the eternal, -don’t ye know no more’n thet? Ye mought jes -as well kill a Mother Cary’s chicken or a bo’sun bird. -No sirree! Let good enough alone’s my motter.”</p> - -<p>“Well, you <em>are</em> the most superstitious old whaleman -I ever saw,” laughed Tom. “I’ll bet the cat’s -what brought the good luck.”</p> - -<p>Cap’n Pem snorted. “Ye mark my words,” he -muttered as he strode aft. “We’ll be gittin’ inter -some sort o’ mess long o’ that there cat yit.”</p> - -<p>But for the next three or four days none on the -<i>Narwhal</i> could have asked for better weather. The -breeze, though light, was fair and steady. The sea -ran in long, easy swells and the schooner, curtseying -gently and with every stitch of canvas set, pressed -steadily on her course.</p> - -<p>Then one night the boys were awakened by the -tolling of a bell and the ear-splitting screech of a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[46]</a></span> -horn. Hastily throwing on a few clothes, they hurried -on deck.</p> - -<p>At the first glance about they realized what the -trouble was. The man at the wheel was barely visible, -although less than a dozen feet distant. The -faint light of the binnacle was a mere glow and the -sails, spars, and forward part of the vessel melted -into nothingness. The <i>Narwhal</i> was enveloped in a -dense fog.</p> - -<p>From the unseen bows of the ship came the monotonous -tolling of the bell. At intervals the raucous -horn screeched from the blanket of gray mist. Borne -in strangely ghostly fashion from the blackness, came -the voices of men.</p> - -<p>Tom glanced at his watch and found that it was -nearly sunrise but nowhere was there a hint of light -or of dawn.</p> - -<p>“Gosh, but it’s thick!” exclaimed Tom. “I wonder -where we are.”</p> - -<p>“Where I wish we wasn’t,” replied a voice so -close to the boys that they jumped. “Right plumb -on the Grand Banks,” continued the invisible speaker, -whom the boys now recognized as Captain Edwards.</p> - -<p>“What’s wrong with the Banks?” asked Tom.</p> - -<p>“Nothing wrong with them,” replied the skipper -who now stepped from the curtain of fog and stood<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[47]</a></span> -near the boys. “But Lord alone knows when we may -be a-knockin’ into a fishin’ smack, or a-bearin’ down -on a dory, or gettin’ run down by a liner. I wish to -heaven this condemned fog would lift.”</p> - -<p>Hardly had he ceased speaking when there was a -hoarse shout from forward, a tearing, grating sound, -and a vast dark mass loomed alongside as the <i>Narwhal</i> -scraped past a fishing schooner, snapping off -the smack’s jib boom. A moment later the stranger -was lost in the fog and only faint, angry cries -told of her whereabouts.</p> - -<p>“Sarved the lubbers right!” exploded Cap’n Pem, -as he came hurrying aft to see if the <i>Narwhal</i> had -been injured. “Never a-blowin’ o’ nary a horn, nor -a-ringin’ o’ their bell!”</p> - -<p>“Did it hurt us any?” asked Tom excitedly.</p> - -<p>“Carried away a couple of backstays,” replied the -skipper. “Lucky we was both headed the same -way.”</p> - -<p>By now the fog was getting lighter with the rising -sun. The boys could see the lower portions of the -sails, the lower masts, the ship’s deck as far forward -as the forerigging, and the dull gray-green sea -for a few hundred feet about the schooner. Beyond -that, all was a solid wall of gray through which -the <i>Narwhal</i> forged slowly ahead, horn and bell constantly<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[48]</a></span> -sounding warnings, and with men aloft striving -to peer into the impenetrable murk.</p> - -<p>“I should think they’d stop and anchor, or heave to -until it lifts,” remarked Jim.</p> - -<p>“Better to keep movin’,” declared Mr. Kemp, who -was peering first to one side and then the other. -“Long as we’ve steerage way on, we’ve a chance to -dodge another ship—if we see ’em in time.”</p> - -<p>Presently, from the starboard, came the sound of a -bell. Then from ahead came the muffled roar of a -horn, and soon, from all directions, there were warnings -issuing from the fog.</p> - -<p>“Golly, there are boats all around us!” cried Tom. -“Look! See there, Jim.”</p> - -<p>Jim turned in time to see a ghostly phantomlike -shape appear as if by magic—a schooner with all -sails set, and seemingly within a dozen yards of the -<i>Narwhal</i>. But almost before he could grasp the -fact that it was a vessel, it had vanished as weirdly -as it had appeared.</p> - -<p>For an hour or more the schooner picked her way -through the fog, often swinging sharply to port or -starboard at the skipper’s hoarsely bellowed orders, -a dozen times avoiding collision with a smack by a -few feet and twice swerving just in time to avoid -running down the tiny bobbing dories.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[49]</a></span></p> - -<p>At last the bells and horns grew faint. The captain -breathed more freely and declared he must -have left the fleet astern. As the fog began to lift -and a wider expanse of sea and the upper sails became -visible, the boys decided all danger was over -and prepared to go to the cabin and dress properly.</p> - -<p>Then, from the lookout, a frightened yell rang -out. A shrieking bellow roared from the fog ahead. -With a bound Captain Edwards leaped to the wheel. -“Hard aport!” he screamed, as he grasped the spokes -and strained with the steersman at the helm. -Startled, realizing that imminent unknown peril -threatened, confused by the shouts, orders and rush -of men, the boys stood gazing helplessly about.</p> - -<p>Then once more that ear-splitting, terrific bellow -thundered from the fog. As the <i>Narwhal’s</i> head -swung slowly to starboard, a vast, towering, mountainous -shape came tearing, rushing, through the fog. -Dimly through the opaque gray mist, the terror-stricken -boys saw the tremendous fabric bearing down -upon them. Far above the schooner’s crosstrees -reared the lofty stem of a gigantic steamship. Within -a cable’s length of the <i>Narwhal</i>, the billowing mass -of foam about the keen steel stem roared with the -sound of surf. Each second the boys expected to -hear the crashing blow, to feel the splintering, terrific<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[50]</a></span> -impact that would spell their doom. Paralyzed with -fright, they stood motionless and speechless. Nothing, -they felt, could save them. The great, shearing -prow of the steamer seemed to overhang their heads. -Their staring eyes glimpsed dim, tiny figures leaning -over the rails far above, shouting, gesticulating, life -rings in hand.</p> - -<p>And then, with a hissing roar like a passing train, -the huge liner swept by. Endless rows of port holes -filled with white faces rushed past the terror-stricken -boys. The next second the <i>Narwhal</i> was bobbing -and jumping like a cork on the tumbling heaving -wake, with only the pall of smoke and the churning -foam to mark the liner’s passage.</p> - -<p>Leaping upon the schooner’s wildly tossing taffrail, -Captain Edwards shook his fist at the spot where -the liner had disappeared in the fog. Cap’n Pem, -unable to stand on the rail, seized a belaying pin, -hurled it after the liner and, throwing his cap on the -deck, fairly danced with rage.</p> - -<p>“Consarn their everlastin’ hides!” he screamed. -“A-tearin’ ’crost these here Banks like a house afire, -an’ fog thicker’n cheese. Blasted murderers! -A-riskin’ lives o’ honest sailor men jes fer to make -time an’ save a few dirty, blasted dollars! I’d like -to git at ’em!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[51]</a></span></p> - -<p>Despite the narrow escape, the seriousness of the -situation, and the old whaleman’s earnestness, the -boys could not suppress a grin at the old fellow’s -towering and thoroughly justified rage at the reckless -officers of the liner.</p> - -<p>Then, as if the steamship’s passage had been the -signal, the fog lifted rapidly. A fresh breeze came -up and presently the <i>Narwhal</i> was speeding over a -wide clear sea with only a few wisps of whitish vapor -to mark the fog which had so nearly brought an end -to the schooner and those upon her.</p> - -<p>“Didn’t I tell ye that there black cat would a be -bringin’ o’ bad luck!” cried Cap’n Pem, as his temper -cooled down and the fog disappeared.</p> - -<p>“Nonsense!” laughed Tom. “She brought good -luck three times now—first the whale, then escaping -from that schooner, and then being saved from the -steamer. And I shouldn’t wonder if she made the -fog lift, too.”</p> - -<p>“Humph!” snorted the old man. “’Course ye’ll -have it your way, but if she didn’t bring that there -fog an’ that consarned pesky liner, what did?”</p> - -<p>“And if she didn’t save us and make the fog clear, -what did?” responded Jim.</p> - -<p>Cap’n Pem pursed his mouth, jerked his cap -down over his eyes and stumped off. “No use<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[52]</a></span> -argufyin’,” he declared. “But ye’ll see! Mark my -words.”</p> - -<p>Three days after their narrow escape from the liner, -the boys saw Cape Breton light. Tacking in long -reaches, the <i>Narwhal</i> worked across the Gulf of St. -Lawrence, and with the thrill of seeing strange lands, -Tom and Jim stared through their glasses at the forbidding -shores of Newfoundland and at bleak Anticosti.</p> - -<p>It was slow, hard work beating against tides, currents -and head winds. Late in the season though it -was, masses of ice still lingered in the coves of the -shores. Once, as they watched the dirty white -masses of ice, Tom cried out in delight as he saw a -number of sleek brown creatures scramble into the -sea when the schooner approached.</p> - -<p>“Hurrah, those were seals!” he cried.</p> - -<p>“Yep, harbor seal,” said Captain Edwards. “Not -worth much. But you’ll see a-plenty of real seals -after a bit. Shouldn’t wonder if we’d get some hides -up round Belle Isle. Never did see so pesky much -ice in the Gulf this time o’ year.”</p> - -<p>At last the Straits of Belle Isle were reached, the -wind shifted and once more sailing free, the <i>Narwhal</i> -made good time through the narrow waterway between -Newfoundland and Labrador.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[53]</a></span></p> - -<p>As they passed the lonely, wave-washed Belle Isle, -men were sent aloft on the lookout for seals. Nothing -but a few herds of the little harbor seals were -seen, however, and these were so wary that Captain -Edwards vowed it would be a waste of time to attempt -to hunt them.</p> - -<p>Then, swinging past Cape St. Lewis, the schooner -was headed up the coast of Labrador for Hebron -where she was to put in for Eskimos.</p> - -<p>Two days after passing the Cape, the boys were -scanning the ugly green sea with their glasses when a -faint, shimmering, cloud-like shape rose upon the -horizon.</p> - -<p>“Oh, there’s a ship!” exclaimed Jim. “And a -big one.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Kemp looked up, shaded his eyes with his -hand and stared in the direction Jim indicated. -“Ship!” he exclaimed. “That’s a berg.”</p> - -<p>“A berg!” cried Tom. “You mean an iceberg?”</p> - -<p>“Sure,” replied the second mate. “Pretty sizeable -one too.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, let’s sail over and see it!” exclaimed -Jim.</p> - -<p>“Less we see of ’em the better it’ll suit me,” said -the skipper who had been studying the berg. “But -you’ll have a chance to see it all right. We’ll have<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[54]</a></span> -to go out of our course if we don’t want to bump -plumb into it.”</p> - -<p>Rapidly the berg rose before the schooner, a massive -mountain of ice, its summit carved and melted -into spires, pinnacles and huge, overhanging shelves, -steep precipitous sides rising from the wide hummocky -base just above the waves and gleaming and -shimmering with every color of the rainbow.</p> - -<p>“Gee, isn’t it pretty!” cried Jim. “I never knew -ice was so many colors. And look at those big -caves in the sides.”</p> - -<p>“And look—oh look, Jim!” exclaimed Tom. -“There’s some one on it! See, right in front of that -big green cave!”</p> - -<p>“What in tarnation ye talkin’ of?” demanded -Cap’n Pem. “Here, gimme them glasses.”</p> - -<p>Adjusting the glasses, the old whaleman stared -fixedly for a moment at the distant iceberg. “Some -one on it!” he exclaimed. “Waal, I’ll be blowed if -there beint—but ’tain’t no human critter. That -there’s a whoppin’ big b’ar!”</p> - -<p>“A bear?” cried Tom. “Hurrah! that’s all the -better. Oh say, Captain Edwards, can’t we go over -and shoot him?”</p> - -<p>“Hmm,” muttered the skipper, “I dunno, but I -reckon you can. Pem, soon’s ever we get ’bout half<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[55]</a></span> -a mile from the berg, have the yards swung an’ -lower the sta’board quarter boat. White bear skins -is worth takin’ and it’ll give the boys—I mean owners—a -chance to try their hands. Better let Mr. Kemp -go along with ’em.” Then, turning to the boys, he -continued. “Now mind you do just as Mr. Kemp -tells you. Bergs is mighty pesky things, an’ a gun -shot’s li’ble to start a break or a slide or topple the -dumb thing clean over. Better to lose the bear than -get kilt.”</p> - -<p>The boys scarcely heard what he said. Filled with -excitement at thoughts of visiting the berg and shooting -a polar bear, they dashed to their cabin, hastily -got out their rifles and, stuffing their pockets with cartridges, -rushed back on deck.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[56]</a></span></p> - -<h2 id="CHAPTER_V">CHAPTER V<br /> -<span class="smaller">ON THE ICEBERG</span></h2> - -<p>Within half a mile of the berg, the <i>Narwhal</i> -was hove to and lay resting motionless, -gently rising and falling to the -swell. Towering like a mountain peak, the mass of -ice shimmered and scintillated like a gigantic gem -against the sky.</p> - -<p>Rapidly the boat sped towards the ice; and the -boys shivered and buttoned their coats and turned up -their collars as they drew near the immense ice mountain -that chilled the air for a mile or more.</p> - -<p>The bear still squatted upon a hummock in front -of the deep green cavern in the side of the berg. -As they drew close and the men rowed more slowly, -the two boys crept to the bow of the boat and loaded -their rifles. Nearer and nearer they came. The -air was like the interior of a refrigerator. Still the -huge white bear sat motionless, as if awaiting the -boat, and wondering why he was to receive visitors -on his drifting ice home.</p> - -<p>Now a scant one hundred yards of open water lay<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[57]</a></span> -between the boat and the berg. In low tones, Mr. -Kemp ordered the men to cease rowing and as the -boat lost headway, he spoke to the excited boys. -“Aim for his breast and shoot,” he said. “He’s a -fair mark and you ought to get him first crack.”</p> - -<p>Kneeling in the bow of the boat, Tom and Jim -rested their rifles on the gunwale, took steady aim, -and pulled triggers. At the dual report a shower of -ice splinters flew up from beside the bear. The big -creature reared up on his hind legs, roared out a -growl that echoed from the cavern behind him, -pawed wildly at the air and toppled backwards out of -sight.</p> - -<p>“Got him,” shouted Mr. Kemp. “Give way, -lads!”</p> - -<p>“Hurrah!” yelled Jim. “Gee, won’t he make a -fine skin for a trophy. Say, I wonder which of us hit -him.”</p> - -<p>“We can tell when we get him,” replied Tom. -“One of us missed and hit the ice; but your rifle’s a -.30-.30 and mine’s a .45 so we can tell by the bullet -hole in him.”</p> - -<p>A moment later the boat grated on the shelving ice. -The boys leaped on to the berg, and Jim, being the -first to land, rushed up the rough hummocky ice towards -where the bear had fallen.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[58]</a></span></p> - -<p>As he reached the spot where the bear had stood, he -uttered a terrified yell, leaped back, slipped on the -ice and came rolling and tumbling down the slope towards -Tom. Rearing gigantic at the summit of the -ridge was the bear, his lips drawn back over his huge -white teeth, blood dribbling from his mouth, his long -neck stretched out, and his wicked-looking head swaying -from side to side.</p> - -<p>Instantly Tom threw his rifle to his shoulder and -took hasty aim at the bear’s breast.</p> - -<p>“Hey, look out!” yelled Mr. Kemp. “Don’t——”</p> - -<p>But his warning was too late. The roar of the -rifle cut his words short. There was a stunning, rending, -thunderous crash, the solid ice reeled and tossed -like the deck of a ship in a heavy sea, and the boys -and Mr. Kemp staggered drunkenly and fell sprawling.</p> - -<p>“Wha—what happened?” cried Jim picking himself -up with a dazed expression on his face.</p> - -<p>“Berg’s goin’ to pieces!” yelled the second officer. -“Come on back to the boat! That shot started the -darned ice to slippin’! It’s rotten as punk. Come -on, the whole blamed thing’s likely to go any minute!”</p> - -<p>“But, but, where’s the bear?” gasped Tom, still -unable to fully grasp what had occurred.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[59]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Blast the bear!” ejaculated the second mate. “Get -a move on!”</p> - -<p>Urging the boys forward, Mr. Kemp rushed down -the slope. As the boat drew in to the edge of the -ice, the three scrambled aboard.</p> - -<p>“Lift her, lads!” cried the excited officer as the -boat shoved off, and the men bent to the long ash oars -with a will. Hardly had they cleared the berg when -there was a terrific, ripping, splintering roar. The -overhanging summit of the berg moved bodily forward, -hesitated an instant and then, with the deafening -roar of thunder, came plunging, crashing down -upon the spot where the three had been but a few moments -before.</p> - -<p>“Gosh!” exclaimed Tom. “Gosh! I’m glad we -got away.”</p> - -<p>“Gee Whitaker! yes,” cried Jim. “That old bear -must be squashed flat as a pancake.”</p> - -<p>Everywhere about the berg, huge detached masses -of ice were floating, bobbing and turning and twisting -about. Constantly more and more of the ice -mountain was crashing down to the berg’s base, falling -with prodigious splashes into the sea. Once -started by the reverberations of Tom’s shot, the berg, -softened, full of holes, and rotten, was going to pieces -before the boys’ wondering eyes. It was a marvelous,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[60]</a></span> -fascinating, awe-inspiring sight to see the huge avalanches -of gleaming ice, the jewel-tinted spires, the -needlelike pinnacles, and the great overhanging precipices -rending and tumbling. And as each mass -dashed itself to pieces upon the base of the berg, or -plunged into the waves, sending great mountains of -spray into the air, the vibrations and shock of the -blow loosened other masses. Then, as those in -the boat gazed upon the dissolution of the mighty -berg, Tom uttered an excited cry.</p> - -<p>“Look!” he yelled. “The berg’s moving!”</p> - -<p>It was true. The towering summit of the iceberg -was swaying. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, it -swung to one side. More and more it leaned and -then, with a sudden rush, the mountain of ice toppled -over. Vast billows of green sea rose high and, with -the noise of a mighty cataract, the berg capsized. -Where the sharp, sky-piercing berg had loomed, only -a low hummocky stretch of ice tossed and heaved -upon the waves.</p> - -<p>The boys, overwhelmed with the wondrous spectacle, -clung to the boat’s gunwales as the tiny craft -bobbed and rocked on the great combers from the -berg’s final plunge.</p> - -<p>“Whew!” cried Jim when at last the seas subsided -and the men pulled towards the schooner. “Wasn’t<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[61]</a></span> -that a sight though? Say, that <em>was</em> worth seeing.”</p> - -<p>“You bet!” agreed Tom. “But just the same I’m -mighty sorry we lost that bear.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Kemp grinned. “You ought to be glad you -didn’t lose your own hides,” he declared. “I never -seen a berg so plumb rotten or go to pieces so blessed -fast.”</p> - -<p>“Jiminy, I’d hate to be drifting south on one the -way Eskimo Joe did,” said Tom, “if that’s the way -they act.”</p> - -<p>“’Twouldn’t be no picnic,” agreed Mr. Kemp, “but -even a berg’s a heap better’n nothin’.”</p> - -<p>“Thank Heaven you’re all safe!” cried Captain -Edwards as the boat reached the <i>Narwhal’s</i> side. -“When I saw that first slip, I thought ’twas all over -with you.”</p> - -<p>“Waall, I reckon a miss’s good as a mile,” commented -Cap’n Pem. “But I swan, if you two young -scallawags ain’t everlastin’ly gittin’ inter more close -shaves than ever I heerd of afore.”</p> - -<p>Tom winked at the skipper. “I suppose the black -cat started that!” he remarked.</p> - -<p>“Drat that there cat!” cried the old whaleman -petulantly. “Jes the same I wish t’ blazes she was -a-settin’ over to that there berg ’stead o’ on this here -ship.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[62]</a></span></p> - -<p>For several days after the boys’ adventure on the -iceberg the <i>Narwhal</i> bore steadily on. Several times -she passed tiny rocky islets over which were clouds -of screaming sea birds, and through their glasses the -boys could make out the thousands and thousands -of black and white birds that covered the rocks from -sea to summit. There were great white gannets, big -gray-and-white gulls, shining black cormorants, acres -of swallow-tailed terns, row after row of closely -packed auks, puffins, and guillemots. Even though -the schooner was a mile or more from the rookeries, -the harsh cries and screams of the countless birds -came to the boys’ ears in raucous chorus.</p> - -<p>“Say, I thought there were a lot of birds down at -Tristan da Cunha,” said Jim. “But they weren’t a -patch on these.”</p> - -<p>“Why, there must be millions of them!” agreed -Tom. “Wouldn’t it be fun to climb up there among -’em?”</p> - -<p>Constantly in the schooner’s wake also were flocks -of birds and many of these were strange to the boys. -Some—big gray fellows with pearly white breasts -and enormously long wings—Mr. Kemp told them -were shearwaters. Others, that seemed constantly attacking -the gulls and terns, and that looked like swift-winged -hawks with spiked tails, they learned were<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[63]</a></span> -jaegers and the captain told the boys these lived by -robbing the other birds, and a few snowy white creatures -that Tom thought were sheathbills were fulmar -petrels, he was told.</p> - -<p>By now the weather was cold, cheerless, and chilly -and the boys were glad to don their winter clothes. -Though the sun shone brightly, the wind was raw -and had winter’s bite and sting to it and the -spray felt like ice water as it dashed into the boys’ -faces.</p> - -<p>“Whew, but it’s cold!” cried Tom as he came on -deck one morning, and buttoned his reefer and oilskins -tighter. “Feels like midwinter. I wonder—oh, -say, Jim! Look here!”</p> - -<p>Fascinated, the two boys gazed about. On every -hand, some within a few hundred yards, others a mile -or two distant, still others mere ghostly forms upon -the horizon, were scores of gleaming, shimmering, -rainbow-tinted icebergs.</p> - -<p>“Reckon there’s enough bergs to suit you!” exclaimed -Captain Edwards. “I never seen so pesky -many of ’em so far south this time o’ year. Must -ha’ been a mighty cold winter up this way.”</p> - -<p>“Is that what makes it so cold?” asked Jim.</p> - -<p>“Yes,” replied the skipper, “a sailor can feel -ice long before he sees it, and there’s enough ’round<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[64]</a></span> -us to keep all the whales in the sea in cold storage for -a million years.”</p> - -<p>All through the day the <i>Narwhal</i> navigated slowly -through the berg-filled sea. Throughout the night -the boys were constantly aroused by shouts, the creaking -of tackle, and the rushing feet of the crew as the -schooner turned, and tacked, and picked her perilous -course among the mountains of ice. But the next -morning only a few distant bergs and scattered -masses of honeycombed floe ice were visible, and before -noon the gray shores of Labrador were sighted, -with the little port of Hebron straight ahead.</p> - -<p>To the boys it was a wonderfully novel experience -to gaze shoreward at this out-of-the-world village in -the Arctic. They cried out in delight when tiny, -sharp-ended kayaks came dancing towards the <i>Narwhal</i>, -with their Eskimo occupants paddling furiously. -But as the tiny, skin-covered craft drew -near, the boys were disappointed.</p> - -<p>“Oh pshaw!” cried Tom, “they don’t look like -Eskimos. They’re not dressed in furs, but are wearing -dirty overalls and caps. They look like Chinese -dressed up like whalemen.”</p> - -<p>“Shure ’tis that they do!” agreed Mike, who stood -near. “B’glory they do be wan an’ the same specie -with the haythen Chinee, I do be thinkin’.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[65]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Ye’ll be seein’ plenty on ’em in hides an’ furs -afore ye’re done,” declared Cap’n Pem. “These -here boys is whalin’ han’s, an’ is sort o’ civ’lized. -But ye don’t expect ’em to be a-wearin’ o’ a everlastin’ -lot o’ furs in this hot weather, do ye?”</p> - -<p>“Hot weather!” cried Jim. “<em>I</em> call it cold.”</p> - -<p>The old whaleman chuckled. “Waall, by cricky, -ye don’t know what’s a-comin’ to ye, then!” he declared. -“This here’s midsummer; but come ’long an’ -meet these Eskimo lads.”</p> - -<p>The kayaks were now alongside and the Eskimos -were clambering over the schooner’s rails. They -were a happy, good-natured-looking lot, with broad -yellow faces, flat noses, little slant, beady black eyes, -wide mouths, made still wider by a constant grin, -and lank, stiff black hair hanging to their shoulders. -All looked so much alike that the boys could not -understand how any one could tell one from -another, and all were identical in the matter of -dirtiness.</p> - -<p>“Whew, but they <em>are</em> dirty!” exclaimed Jim. “I’ll -bet they haven’t ever taken a bath!”</p> - -<p>“And aren’t they little!” added Tom. “Why, -they’re no bigger than boys.”</p> - -<p>But if the two boys were interested in the Eskimos, -the latter were simply fascinated with the boys, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[66]</a></span> -gathered about them talking and laughing and jabbering -in their own tongue.</p> - -<p>Mr. Kemp, Cap’n Pem and the skipper were also -busy conversing with two of the Eskimos who appeared -to be leaders or chiefs. When the second -officer addressed one of them in his own -dialect, the filthy little fellow fairly beamed with -pleasure.</p> - -<p>Presently one of the men approached Tom and -held out a greasy, soot-blackened paw. “H’lo!” he -exclaimed with a broad grin. “Me Unavik, plenty -good whaler feller, betcher life!”</p> - -<p>Tom laughed and shook hands gingerly. “Glad -to know you, Unavik. My name’s Tom. This is -Jim, my cousin. You going along with us?”</p> - -<p>Unavik shook hands very cordially with Jim—far -too cordially to suit him in fact—and rolled his -tiny eyes as he looked over the schooner. “Betcher -life!” he announced. “Gimme chew t’bac. How -much feller you want?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, Mr. Kemp, get us some tobacco,” cried Tom, -“this boy wants some.”</p> - -<p>“Boy!” exclaimed Mr. Kemp, as he tossed over -some plugs of tobacco. “He’s an old man—great-grandfather, -I expect.”</p> - -<p>Unavik bit off a huge chunk of the plug, passed it<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[67]</a></span> -to his companions, and nodded his big head. “You -betcher!” he mumbled. “Me ol’ feller. Got fif’y -year mebbe.”</p> - -<p>Then the other Eskimos began talking, telling their -names—which the boys could not remember or pronounce—jabbering -away with their quaint broken -English, and surrounding the boys, so that they were -thankful when Captain Skinner broke up the party -by inviting them to go ashore.</p> - -<p>Accompanied by the flotilla of kayaks, the boat -pulled to the beach. To the boys’ surprise they -found that there were a number of white people in -the settlement; which contained several good buildings, -a tiny church, a little mission school, a post -office, and a police station.</p> - -<p>There was also a low, rambling trading-post, presided -over by a red-faced, white-whiskered old -Scotchman and this proved the most interesting spot -to the boys.</p> - -<p>Here was exactly the sort of place they had read -about in stories—the low-ceiled, big room with -shelves piled with blankets, sacks of meal, axes and -knives, guns and ammunition, and great bales of furs. -Antlers and heads decorated the walls. There was -a huge open hearth, snowshoes and dog sledges were -stacked in corners, polar bear skins covered the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[68]</a></span> -floor and the stocky Eskimos, and even a few tall, -grave-faced Indians, were lounging about or dickering -over a trade with the clerk.</p> - -<p>Here Captain Edwards secured a number of fur -garments as well as other supplies. Then with the -boys he strolled about the village. The boys had -never stopped to realize that Eskimos did not dwell -in ice igloos all the time and they were greatly surprised -to find them occupying roughly built huts and -much-patched tents of old canvas and skin. They -saw drying racks covered with thousands of salmon -and other fish which the Eskimo women—even more -unkempt and dirty than the men—were cleaning and -splitting and suspending on the racks. They visited -the church and talked with the good-natured, rotund -priest. They looked at the school and watched the -bright-eyed, broad-faced Eskimo kiddies striving to -master the rudiments of English and arithmetic. -They even stopped for a chat with the straight, clean-featured, -bronzed-faced, military-looking representative -of the law.</p> - -<p>“Gosh, I never saw so many dogs!” exclaimed Tom -as they walked back toward the boat. “They simply -swarm here.”</p> - -<p>Captain Edwards laughed and the police officer, -who was with them, smiled.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[69]</a></span></p> - -<p>“And I’ll warrant you never saw such pure bred -mongrels!” he chuckled.</p> - -<p>“But they’re mighty useful to the natives—they -hunt with them, use them for teams and, if they’re -hard up, eat them.”</p> - -<p>“Well, they look as if there’d be mighty little to -eat on them,” declared Jim.</p> - -<p>Taken altogether, there was not much to be seen, -while the overpowering smell of fish which filled the -entire village almost nauseated the boys, and they -were mighty glad to be once more aboard the <i>Narwhal</i>.</p> - -<p>In the afternoon the boat again went ashore and -returned packed with Eskimo hands who had been -signed on. The bundles of garments and other things -were hoisted aboard, and with the Eskimos helping -the crew at the capstan, the <i>Narwhal’s</i> anchor was -hoisted, the sails were spread, and Hebron was left -astern.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[70]</a></span></p> - -<h2 id="CHAPTER_VI">CHAPTER VI<br /> -<span class="smaller">THE BATTLE</span></h2> - -<p>Steadily, day after day, the <i>Narwhal</i> continued -on her way northward. From morning -until night—throughout the short night as well—bergs -or floe ice were constantly in sight; but the -boys had become accustomed to such things and -scarcely gave the ice mountains a second glance. -They had spent hours searching each berg or ice cake -they passed, in the hopes of seeing another bear but, -aside from an occasional seal or flocks of birds, not -a living creature was seen.</p> - -<p>The Eskimos, much to the boys’ surprise, proved -splendid sailors. Always at the mastheads men were -on the lookout for whales. At times the schooner -wallowed slowly through the cold green seas, with -barely enough wind to enable the captain to steer -clear of jagged cakes or towering bergs. At other -times, she tore storming through the tremendous -waves under shortened sails, rushing between giant -bergs, crashing into masses of drift ice hidden in the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[71]</a></span> -foam of breaking waves. Again she would rest -motionless, becalmed, shrouded in dense fogs, while -resounding through the impenetrable mist came the -roar of surf on bergs, the crashing of falling ice -masses, and the shrill screams of sea birds. Then -every man was on the alert, peering with straining -eyes into the blanket of fog. A dozen times the boys’ -hearts seemed to skip a beat, as, close at hand, a vast -white phantom loomed suddenly from the fog, and -the <i>Narwhal</i> rocked and rolled to the backwash of -the giant seas breaking upon ice. Again and again, -too, the schooner drifted so dangerously close to a -berg that boats were lowered and, straining at the -oars, the men towed the heavy vessel clear.</p> - -<p>“Funny thing, that,” remarked Mr. Kemp, as the -<i>Narwhal</i> was thus being dragged from a towering -berg. “Put two ships, or a berg and a ship, in the -middle of the sea and the blamed things’ll drif’ together—jes -as if they loved comp’ny.”</p> - -<p>“That is funny, though I never thought of it before,” -said Tom. “Don’t you suppose it’s currents -or something?”</p> - -<p>“Nope,” declared the second officer, “just chuck -a couple of matches into a basin of water an’ leave -’em be, an’ you’ll see they’re boun’ to git side of each -other.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[72]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Say, I have noticed that!” exclaimed Jim. -“What’s the reason?”</p> - -<p>“Give her up,” replied Mr. Kemp. “Mystery to -me, but then there’s a heap of mysteries at sea.”</p> - -<p>The boys had been greatly surprised too to find -that they could see throughout the night, that there -was no darkness, and that the sun set like a dull -yellow ball, hung at the rim of the sea for a space, -and almost before it disappeared, popped up again.</p> - -<p>“Gosh, I never realized we were where the sun -never sets,” cried Tom the first time he noticed this. -“Somehow I can’t believe we’re way up here in the -Arctic.”</p> - -<p>The boys were vastly interested and fascinated in -the Northern Lights, although compared with the -midnight sun, they were faint and pale. Captain -Edwards told them they would see the sight of their -lives when winter came, and the Aurora blazed in all -its glory.</p> - -<p>But all these things grew tedious, and the boys -longed for a whale to be seen, or for some exciting -thing to happen. Then one day the shout so long -expected rang from the masthead, and at the cry, -“She blows!” all was excitement. Leaping into the -shrouds, the two boys ran up the rigging. As Captain -Edwards’ shout of, “Where away?” was answered<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[73]</a></span> -by, “Three points off the lee bow!” the boys -stared in that direction to see two little fountains of -spray rise above the waves, and two immense -rounded black objects break the water.</p> - -<p>“Hurrah! there’re two of them,” cried Tom. -“Oh, Captain Edwards, can’t we go after them?”</p> - -<p>“Not a bit of it!” snapped the skipper. “I ain’t -riskin’ your lives goin’ on whales!”</p> - -<p>“Well, suppose the owners order you to take us?” -demanded Jim.</p> - -<p>Captain Edwards scowled and tried to look savage. -“Have to ’bey orders, I guess.”</p> - -<p>“Well, then you’re ordered!” yelled the boys in -chorus, and without waiting to hear the skipper’s comment, -they raced toward Cap’n Pem’s boat and leaped -into it with the men.</p> - -<p>“Here, what the tarnation ye doin’ in here?” demanded -Cap’n Pem as he saw the two boys. “This -here boat ain’t no place fer youngsters.”</p> - -<p>“Owners’ orders,” grinned Tom, “come on, -Cap’n Pem, or Mr. Kemp’ll get those whales ahead -of you.”</p> - -<p>“Waall, I’ll be blowed!” exclaimed the old whaleman, -as he entered the boat. “Annyhow, mind ye -keep still an’ don’t go a-screechin’ or a-talkin’. Bowheads -has derned sharp ears.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[74]</a></span></p> - -<p>“All right, we’ll be as still as mice,” promised -Jim.</p> - -<p>To the boys’ surprise, the men did not take to -their oars, but set up the short mast and spritsail -in the boat. With Cap’n Pem at the rudder, -they went speeding before the wind toward the two -whales.</p> - -<p>Mr. Kemp’s boat was also sailing swiftly toward -the huge creatures and neck and neck the two little -craft danced over the long green seas. Then, shifting -the helm slightly, Cap’n Pem swung around and -held his course directly towards the heads of the -monsters.</p> - -<p>“Gee, that’s funny,” whispered Tom. “When they -rowed after those whales on the <i>Hector</i> they always -went at them towards the tail. They’ll see the boat -coming this way, sure.”</p> - -<p>A minute later Cap’n Pem raised his hand and the -men silently and quickly furled the sail and unshipped -the mast. Pulling noiselessly on the oars, -the crew drove the boat closer and closer to their -quarry. The two whales were swimming slowly -along, now and then sinking below the surface until -they were almost invisible, and then rising high and -blowing. The boys noticed that the little columns of -vapor rose from the middle of the creatures’ heads<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[75]</a></span> -instead of from the tip of the noses as was the case -with the sperm whales they had seen.</p> - -<p>Tom nudged Jim. “That’s one thing I’ve learned,” -he whispered. “You can tell a bowhead whale from -a sperm by the blow.”</p> - -<p>“Ssh!” muttered Jim. “Cap’n Pem’s scowling at -us.”</p> - -<p>The boat steerer had now unsheathed his harpoon -and was standing in the bow and the boys, glancing -towards the other boat, saw that Mr. Kemp’s boat -steerer had done the same. Evidently both men -would strike at almost the same moment and the boys -hardly knew whether to keep their eyes fixed on their -own harpoonier or the other. Nearer and nearer to -the great black creatures the boat crept. The boys -could see the huge curved upper jaws, the gray -fringed masses of whalebone in the animals’ mouths -and even the rough growth of great barnacles on the -whales’ noses. Then, when it seemed as though the -boat would bump into the nearest monster, the craft -was deftly swung to one side. It slipped past the -enormous head and, before the surprised whale could -dive or dodge, the harpoonier lurched forward with a -grunt, and the immense, heavy, barbed iron struck -the whale with a sickening thud. Instantly the men -backed water furiously and not a second too soon.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[76]</a></span> -With a crash that almost stunned the boys, the whale’s -stupendous flukes struck the water within a yard of -the frail boat, sending a deluge of water over the occupants, -and the next instant the boat was being -hurtled through the sea at a terrific pace as the -stricken whale strove to escape the stinging iron in -its side. White-faced, gripping the gunwale tightly, -the boys stole a hurried glance towards Mr. Kemp’s -boat and saw that he too was fast. But unlike their -own craft, which was being towed at express-train -speed, the second mate’s boat was being whirled in -circles as the whale milled.</p> - -<p>Hardly had the two boys noticed this, when their -craft tipped perilously. Green water poured over -the rail as the whale altered his course. There was -a warning shout from Cap’n Pem and the boys saw -that they were headed directly towards Mr. Kemp’s -boat.</p> - -<p>“Git ready to cut loose!” yelled Cap’n Pem. -“Dod gast the critter, we’ll foul Kemp!”</p> - -<p>At his cry, one of the men started forward to -seize the hatchet. But as he raised it, the whale -again turned, the boat almost capsized and the man, -in his frantic effort to prevent himself from being -thrown overboard, dropped the hatchet which flashed -into the sea.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[77]</a></span></p> - -<p>Before he could whip out his sheath knife, the -whale had dashed across the line fast to the second -mate’s boat. The two crafts careened, rocked, zigzagged -wildly and crashed together with a bump that -tumbled the occupants from their seats. Then, before -the dazed and struggling men could act, the two -boats were dashing through the sea with rails together -and with the two whales tearing at topmost -speed side by side as though having a race.</p> - -<p>“Let ’em go, dod gast ’em!” screamed Cap’n Pem. -“Never seed nothin’ like it afore. Stand ready to -cut loose ef they mill or soun’!”</p> - -<p>Onwards the two creatures sped. The schooner -was miles astern and then, so suddenly that the -skilled steersmen could not swerve their craft one -of the whales checked his onward rush and sounded. -The next instant he rose within a dozen rods of the -terrified boys, and, with thunderous, crashing, terrific -blows of his huge tail, strove to demolish the -boat and his enemies.</p> - -<p>Speechless with deadly fear, the boys cowered in -the boat, while seemingly over their heads the great -black mass of flukes waved and whipped, striking -down to right, to left, in front of the frail cockleshell -of a boat, half filling it with water churned up -by the fearful, irresistible blows. The men strained<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[78]</a></span> -and shouted and pulled frantically, grim-faced, wild-eyed -and with superhuman efforts dodging the lashing, -death-dealing flukes by a hair’s breadth.</p> - -<p>To the boys it seemed hours that they were within -that awful danger zone. Each second they expected -to be tossed high in air, bruised, battered, crushed -amid the shattered planks and timbers of the boat.</p> - -<p>Then there was a sickening crash as Mr. Kemp’s -boat banged into them. For a moment the two craft -were locked tight and then the second mate’s boat -leaped ahead, dragging Pem’s boat with it. Scarcely -had it moved a yard, when the great trip-hammer -tail struck a fearful blow where it had been an -instant before, and, as the boat sprang into the air -on the upflung wave, the second mate’s boat drew -free and flew off after the whale to which it was fast.</p> - -<p>“Go in!” yelled Cap’n Pem excitedly. “We’ll git -him!”</p> - -<p>At his words, he dropped the steering oar, scrambled -forward and, as the boat steerer reached the -stern and seized the big oar, the grizzled old whaleman -braced his wooden leg against the knee chock -and seized a bomb lance. Then he tossed the -weapon down, unsheathed the long, keen-bladed hand -lance, and poised it ready to strike. Bobbing on the -water, still being churned up by the furious creature’s<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[79]</a></span> -tail, the boat crept close. The boys’ hearts seemed -to cease beating as they saw the great mountain of -black skin almost within arm’s length. Now but a -few feet separated the boat from the maddened whale. -Cap’n Pem gathered himself for the death stroke; the -boat’s bows seemed almost to touch the whale’s side, -when, without warning, the great body sank beneath -the sea and, drawn by the swirling suction of the -whale submerging, the boat leaped forwards directly -over the creature’s back. But the gray-headed old -veteran of a hundred battles with giant whales was -not to be cheated of his prey. As the boat lurched -forward into the eddying froth above the whale, -Cap’n Pem leaned over the boat’s bow, and with a -shout drove the long lance straight down.</p> - -<p>The next instant the boat was flung high. It careened -dizzily, oars were wrenched from the men’s -hands and, as the mortally wounded whale flung himself -up, the craft slid like a toboggan from his back, -buried its bow beneath a wave, rose sluggishly, and -swung around broadside to the thrashing, rolling -mass of pain-crazed flesh and blood and bone.</p> - -<p>So close was the boat to the whale’s side that the -men struggled to fend it off by their oars. With -wild yells and shouts, Cap’n Pem warned them to -keep close; for all around them the awful tail was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[80]</a></span> -striking, crashing, whipping, as the dying whale -lashed the water into a maelstrom of foam and, only -by keeping the boat so close to the monster that his -tail could not reach them, could their lives be saved.</p> - -<p>That they could escape seemed impossible. They -were in the very center of a cyclone of mortal peril, -a circle of death, and even the tough, fearless, experienced -whalemen grew white-faced. Their jaws were -hard set and they knew that any second might spell -their doom.</p> - -<p>Then, with one stupendous effort, the whale reared -its head high. The flukes swept above the boat, a -crimson column spurted from the monster’s head -and, with a whistling sigh like escaping steam, the -whale rolled upon its side, dead.</p> - -<p>“Fin up!” screamed Cap’n Pem. “By Moses, that -there was the closest shave I ever seen. Jes dumb -luck, nothin’ more!”</p> - -<p>At this instant a strange sound issued from the -bottom of the whaleboat. Cap’n Pem’s jaw fell. -The men stared at one another wonderingly.</p> - -<p>“What’s thet?” gasped the old whaleman.</p> - -<p>Tom leaned forward, reached into a locker and -drew out—the black cat!</p> - -<p>Cap’n Pem’s eyes seemed about to burst from their -sockets. “Waall, I’ll be——” he began and then<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[81]</a></span> -stood staring absolutely bereft of speech as Tom -dragged out the canvas bucket and disclosed four -blinking-eyed kittens.</p> - -<p>“Now what about bad luck!” he cried triumphantly.</p> - -<p>Cap’n Pem scratched his head, frowned and spat -over the boat’s side. “I calc’late them kittens must -ha’ changed the luck,” he declared. “I don’t recollec’ -ever hearin’ o’ sech a thing afore. But jes -the same, I’ll bet ye if that there cat hadn’t been -’long of us, we’d never ha’ had all this here fracas. -Wussedest fight I ever seed.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[82]</a></span></p> - -<h2 id="CHAPTER_VII">CHAPTER VII<br /> -<span class="smaller">THE GLACIER</span></h2> - -<p>Now that the excitement was over and the -boys had a chance to look about, they -searched the sea for Mr. Kemp. But nowhere -was he to be seen. Then their glance turned -towards the schooner, and Tom uttered a frightened -cry.</p> - -<p>“The <i>Narwhal</i>’s gone!”</p> - -<p>Cap’n Pem turned from where he was directing -the men as they labored to get a fluke chain about the -dead whale’s tail, shaded his eyes and swept a swift -glance around the horizon. “Reckon she are,” he -remarked quite undisturbed. “Get a waif up, -Nate,” he continued, addressing the boat steerer. -“Swan if I know whar she be. An’ looks like -Kemp’s hull down, too.”</p> - -<p>“But what will we do?” cried Jim. “How can -we get to the <i>Narwhal</i>?”</p> - -<p>“Won’t,” replied the old whaleman, once more -bending to his work. “Let the schooner come to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[83]</a></span> -us. Reckon the skipper hain’t los’ track o’ us.”</p> - -<p>“Ye see,” explained the boat steerer as he fastened -a red flag to the mast and, with two of the men to -help him, stepped the spar, “folks ’board the -schooner can see us a heap farther than we kin see -them. They’ll be havin’ a lookout to the to’gallan’ -crosstrees an’ keep track o’ where we be.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I understand,” said Tom. “But say, Nate, -why did you go for the head of that whale? When -we were on the <i>Hector</i> they were always careful to -go on them from the tail end.”</p> - -<p>“Them was sparm whales,” replied the boat -steerer. “A sparm whale kin see for’rard but not -aft, an’ a right whale or bowhead kin see aft an’ not -for’rard. ’Sides, a sparm fights mos’ly with his jaw -an’ a right or a bowhead fights with his flukes. ‘Bewar’ -o’ a sparm’s jaws an’ a right whale’s flukes,’ is -a ol’ whalin’ motter.”</p> - -<p>“But what’s become of Mr. Kemp, do you suppose?” -queried Jim. “Do you think anything’s happened -to him?”</p> - -<p>“Naw, I guess he’s jus’ been towed out o’ sight,” -declared Nate. “Anyhow it’s every man for hisself -a-goin’ arter whales. Reckon the Old Man kin see -him.”</p> - -<p>The fluke chain was now fast about the whale’s<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[84]</a></span> -“small,” as the portion of the creature’s body near -the tail is called, and the boat, fastened to it by the -stout hemp line, rode as steadily and as easily as -though moored to an island. The immense carcass -formed a lee, and the oil oozing from his wounds, -smoothed the water, making a broad “slick.”</p> - -<p>“Purty good-sized critter,” commented Cap’n -Pem, as he seated himself and lit his pipe. “Bet -ye he’ll turn a hundred bar’ls, an’ nigh half a ton -o’ bone. Put up a right smart fight though—blowed -if he didn’t. Waall, boys, how did ye like the fun?”</p> - -<p>“Fine, now it’s over,” laughed Jim. “But I admit -I wished I was on the <i>Narwhal</i> a good many times -while that old whale was thrashing around with his -flukes.”</p> - -<p>“Gosh, but he did come near smashing us!” cried -Tom. “Just the same, I’m glad we were here, and -that the first time we went in on a whale he was a -fighter. Say, won’t the boys back home open their -eyes when we tell them about this?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, there’s the <i>Narwhal</i>!” exclaimed Jim, who -had stood up and was gazing about. “And not a bit -where I expected her to be.”</p> - -<p>“Waall, if ye could ha’ kep’ track o’ which way -was which, ye’d ’a been a heap sight better’n I be at -keepin’ my bearin’s,” chuckled Cap’n Pem. “By<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[85]</a></span> -heck, fer a spell I actooaly did think that there ol’ -whale was a-goin’ fer to git the best on us.”</p> - -<p>“Would have if ye hadn’t a-fetched him as we run -over his back,” declared one of the men. “By glory, -Cap’n, that was some stunt ye pulled off. But say, -it mos’ made me split, a-seein’ of ye a-diggin’ that -lance into the water like as if ye was a-spearin’ -eels.”</p> - -<p>“Shucks, that weren’t nothin’,” declared Cap’n -Pem. “I don’ calc’late to miss a chanct even if the -dumb critter do sound jes when I’m a-gettin’ ready -fer to lance him.”</p> - -<p>“But he almost wrecked us!” exclaimed Tom. “If -he’d come up a second sooner, he would have capsized -the boat and we’d all have been drowned or -smashed by his flukes.”</p> - -<p>The old whaleman chuckled. “Waall, I reckon -we mought ha’ been,” he admitted. “But we wasn’t. -’Sides, no whaleman never thinks o’ sech things. -We wuz out fer to git this here whale, and it’s git -him or git stove.”</p> - -<p>“But why didn’t you use the bomb lance?” asked -Jim. “You had a good chance.”</p> - -<p>“Look here, son,” said the old man petulantly. -“I was brung up along with a reg’lar iron an’ a reg’lar -lance. These here new-fangled contraptions<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[86]</a></span> -may be all right fer them as likes ’em, but give me -the old fashion’ weepons every time. By gum, I -want ter see whar I’m a-drivin’ o’ the lance at. -’Sides, any dumb-foozled lan’lubber could git whales -by a settin’ off an’ a-shootin’ of ’em. They ain’t no -sport in it.”</p> - -<p>By now the <i>Narwhal</i> was within a quarter of a mile -of the boat. As her yards were swung and she was -hove to, the men picked up their oars and headed for -the schooner. As they drew alongside, Cap’n Pem -shouted up to Captain Edwards and asked if they -had seen the second officer’s boat.</p> - -<p>“No, he was towed hull down,” replied the skipper. -“But we can fetch him all right. Just stick a waif -in that whale, get your boat aboard and we’ll run -down to him.”</p> - -<p>One of the men scrambled on to the whale’s body, -and drove a sharp pointed iron bar bearing a flag at -the end into the carcass. Then, casting loose the line -to the fluke chain, the crew clambered on to the -schooner and hoisted the boat to its davits.</p> - -<p>“Well, boys, how did you like it?” asked Captain -Edwards as Tom and Jim reached the deck. -“Had a right pretty tussle—I was watchin’ you from -aloft.”</p> - -<p>“Fine!” declared Tom. “But we <em>were</em> scared<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[87]</a></span> -some of the time, and oh, we had a great joke -on Cap’n Pem! The cat was in the boat and -she had four kittens.”</p> - -<p>The skipper roared. “Well, that must have -broken the spell!” he exclaimed. “What did Pem -say?”</p> - -<p>“Same thing,” replied Jim, “but he added that -if it hadn’t been for the cat we wouldn’t have had -so much trouble.”</p> - -<p>“Waall, I bet ye that’s so!” burst out the old -whaleman. “An’ there’ll be other bad luck a-comin’ -from the dumb critter.”</p> - -<p>“B’ the powers!” exclaimed Mike who stood near. -“’Tis a ol’ fool yez be. Shure, didn’t yez know -a cat bein’ afther havin’ kits aboorrd a ship do be -the foinest luck in the world? B’gorra ’tis four -av thim yez is afther sayin’? Thin ’tis four whales -yez should be afther gettin’.”</p> - -<p>Instantly, as usual, the two one-legged old sailors -began to argue, and the boys and the captain turned -away to let them have it out. Presently, from the -masthead, came a shout that the missing boat was -sighted. Soon it was visible from the deck. But -the boys, even with their glasses, could not distinguish -a whale fast to Mr. Kemp’s boat.</p> - -<p>“I wonder if they lost it,” said Jim. “Say,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[88]</a></span> -if they did, Cap’n Pem will swear it was the cat.”</p> - -<p>But a moment later, Tom’s sharp eyes spied a -tiny rag fluttering above the waves some distance -from the second mate’s boat. “There’s the whale!” -he shouted. “See, it’s got a waif on it.”</p> - -<p>“You’re right,” agreed Jim. And then a moment -later, “Gosh, Tom, is that another waif—over there -to the west of the boat?”</p> - -<p>Tom looked steadily for a moment. “Golly, it -is!” he cried. “Oh, Captain Edwards, they’ve got -two whales!”</p> - -<p>“What?” cried the skipper hurrying to the boys -and taking Tom’s glasses. “By the great red herring, -you’re right!”</p> - -<p>“Why in tarnation ain’t he fas’ to ’em?” cried -Captain Pem, who had stopped his discussion with -Mike at the boys’ announcement.</p> - -<p>“Expect he was pullin’ for the ship and couldn’t -tow ’em,” said the skipper.</p> - -<p>A few minutes later they were within hailing distance. -Then the schooner was hove to, and the boat -drew alongside.</p> - -<p>“See you had good luck, Mr. Kemp!” cried the -Captain heartily. “Pem got a big bull too—put up -purtiest tussle I ever seen—and that’s three bowheads -in a afternoon! Guess Mike’s right about<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[89]</a></span> -those kittens, boys! Only need one more whale to -make the four!”</p> - -<p>Mr. Kemp grinned. “If you’ll jus’ run down to -the east’ard a couple o’ miles, you’ll find t’other one,” -he announced.</p> - -<p>“What in thunder ye talkin’ ’bout?” cried Cap’n -Pem, staring at the second mate as though he thought -he had gone mad. “Ye don’t mean to stan’ there -an’ say—oh, ’tain’t nat’ral!”</p> - -<p>“True jus’ the same,” grinned Mr. Kemp. “I -beat ye by two bowheads, Pem.”</p> - -<p>“Shure, Oi knowed it,” commented Mike. “B’gorra, -’tis hopin’ the blessed cat’ll be afther havin’ -o’ kittens iviry day, b’jabbers.”</p> - -<p>Every one aboard the schooner was in high spirits -over the phenomenal luck of getting four whales in -one day, and as one after the other of the big carcasses -were picked up and made fast by stout hemp -lines, the men sang and laughed. Nate, the harpoonier, -roared out the quaint song:</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="verse">My father’s a hedger and ditcher,</div> -<div class="verse">My mother does nothing but spin,</div> -<div class="verse">While I hunt whales for my living,</div> -<div class="verse">Good Lord, how the money comes in!</div> -</div> -</div> - -<p class="noindent">And lustily all joined in the chorus, for thousands<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[90]</a></span> -of dollars had been won in the past few hours, and -every member of the <i>Narwhal’s</i> crew would share in -the prize. Even old Captain Pem grudgingly agreed -that he could find no fault with the ship’s luck, and admitted -the black cat’s spell must have been broken. -“But don’t fergit weather’s allers ca’mest jes afore -a squall,” he said as a parting shot.</p> - -<p>Mr. Kemp’s three bowheads were soon alongside, -but that taken by Cap’n Pem’s boat was several miles -distant, and the schooner could make no progress -with the light wind with the three huge carcasses in -tow.</p> - -<p>“Now aren’t you glad we had that motor put in?” -asked Tom of Cap’n Pem, as Mike started the motor -and, with the staccato reports of the exhaust echoing -over the Arctic sea, the <i>Narwhal</i> slowly pushed -through the long swells, with the dead whales like -a string of deeply laden barges trailing astern.</p> - -<p>“Waall, I reckon I got ter admit ’tis a bit handy,” -replied the old whaleman. “An’ I ain’t so all-fired -ol’ fashioned I can’t admit it, neither. An’ time we -gits inter the ice pack, I reckon it’ll come in mighty -useful, too. But jes the same I ain’t got no use -fer bumb lances nor dartin’ guns, nor such new-fangled -contraptions. No, siree, my father and -my granther used good, hand-wrought irons, an’<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[91]</a></span> -what was good ernough fer them’s good ernough for -me, by cricky.”</p> - -<p>With the four whales alongside, cutting in and -boiling began in earnest, and so anxious was the -crew to get the oil and bone stowed and start after -more whales, that they worked almost without cessation, -cutting their periods or watches of rest to half -the usual time.</p> - -<p>“Mighty glad we took them Eskimos aboard over -to Hebron,” remarked Mr. Kemp, as he paused a moment -from his labors and watched the busy brown -men, who had stripped to the waist and were scrambling -about, jabbering incessantly, reminding the boys -of a group of big monkeys. “And that ‘boy’ as you -called him, Unavik, is a corker. Guess we’ll make -him boss of the Eskimo bunch.”</p> - -<p>A little later Unavik approached the two boys, -grinning from ear to ear, covered with grease and -soot, and gnawing at a strip of raw blubber. “H’lo!” -he exclaimed. “Plenty work me tell. Suppose you -no got chew t’bac?”</p> - -<p>“No, but I’ll get you some,” said Tom, and hurrying -to the cabin he returned with a plug.</p> - -<p>The Eskimo bit a huge piece from the tobacco, -tore off a mouthful of the blubber and industriously -chewing both together smacked his lips.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[92]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Gosh, but that must be <em>some</em> combination!” exclaimed -Jim.</p> - -<p>“I suppose it’s a regular treat to him,” said Tom. -“But it makes me sick just to think of eating that -oily blubber, not to mention the tobacco.”</p> - -<p>“All right, me go work, you betcher!” ejaculated -Unavik as soon as he could talk. “You good frien’. -Bimeby me go ’long hunt bear ’side you feller.” -Stuffing the tobacco in his grease-soaked trousers, -the Eskimo hurried back to the cutting stage.</p> - -<p>All through the night, with the Aurora flickering -above the northern horizon, and with the dull orange -sun just visible upon the southern rim of the sea, -the men toiled on. All through the following day -the dripping strips of blubber were hauled on deck, -the mincing knives thudded through the greasy mass -upon the horse, the try works belched thick columns -of black smoke, the cooper’s hatchet rang incessantly -as casks were headed up, the tackles groaned -and whined as the filled barrels were lowered into -the hold, great masses of the whalebone were piled -on deck and carcass after carcass, having been -stripped of its precious covering of blubber, was -cut loose and drifted slowly away from the ship.</p> - -<p>Screaming, screeching, and squawking, a vast flock -of sea birds had gathered about, swooping fearlessly<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[93]</a></span> -among the men to tear bits of flesh and blubber from -the whales. The birds rested by hundreds upon the -grease-slicked water, sweeping back and forth above -the decks, and hovering in clouds above the discarded, -floating bodies. Never had the boys seen -so many birds. They spent hours watching them as -they sailed and wheeled and fought over the scraps -and offal. Then at last the fourth carcass was cast -adrift, the final pieces of blubber were boiled, the -smoke from the try works dwindled and died out, -the casks were stowed, and with over three hundred -barrels of oil and more than two tons of choice bone -in her hold, the schooner’s sails were hoisted. The -men cleaned and swabbed the decks, and onward -into the north and east the <i>Narwhal</i> held her course.</p> - -<p>For two days the schooner sailed steadily on, but -no whale, no tiny puff of spray, broke the even surface -of the sea. On the third morning, the boys -glanced ahead to see soft gray mountains looming -against the sky.</p> - -<p>“Greenland!” announced Mr. Kemp who was on -watch.</p> - -<p>“Gosh, it doesn’t seem possible,” exclaimed Tom, -gazing fixedly at the distant land. “Now we really -<em>are</em> in the Arctic. Will we have a chance to go -ashore, Mr. Kemp?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[94]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Guess you will,” replied the second officer. “The -skipper’s goin’ to get some more Eskimos yonder—puttin’ -into Disko Bay. Shouldn’t wonder if he did -some sealin’ or walrus huntin’ too.”</p> - -<p>“Hurrah! won’t it be great to say we’ve really been -in Greenland?” cried Jim. “Golly, I never realized -there were mountains there though.”</p> - -<p>Rapidly the land grew more distinct. The boys -could see deep bays—which Captain Edwards told -them were fiords—great clefts cut far into the cliffs -and marvelously colored with soft purples, mauves -and blue. Here and there a valley between the hills -gleamed green as an emerald, while vast, glistening, -white masses of ice and snow zigzagged through -narrow defiles. Stretching seaward from the shores -was a broad white plain that rose and fell and moved -like a restless white sea.</p> - -<p>“What <em>is</em> that white?” asked Tom who could not -make it out.</p> - -<p>“Shore ice, pan ice,” replied the captain. “Tide -and wind sets it inshore, but it’s all pretty mushy -now. Look, there’s a bit of it ahead.”</p> - -<p>Bobbing up and down upon the waves, gleaming -like silver in the sunshine, the boys saw several acres -of drifting ice. As the schooner slipped by it, they -exclaimed in delight at the wonderful beauty of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[95]</a></span> -vivid green and blue of the submerged parts of the -ice.</p> - -<p>“Why, the water’s as clear as in the West Indies!” -exclaimed Jim. “And almost as blue. Say, I always -thought this place was dull and gray and covered -with ice and snow, and it’s as fresh and lovely as -anything. Now I know why it’s called Greenland.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, what’s that big white wall there?” cried Tom.</p> - -<p>“It looks like a great white cliff.”</p> - -<p>The skipper glanced shoreward. “That’s a glacier,” -he replied. “River of ice, like. They’re -what make icebergs.”</p> - -<p>“How on earth can they make icebergs?” asked -Jim, studying the precipitous face of the glacier.</p> - -<p>“Water cuts under ’em and they break off, and -the pieces are the bergs,” explained the captain. -“That’s what we call calving.”</p> - -<p>“Well, it’s the prettiest colored thing I’ve ever -seen,” declared Jim. “It’s for all the world like a -giant opal and constantly changing. Gosh, it doesn’t -look like any ice I ever saw.”</p> - -<p>The <i>Narwhal</i> was now sailing close to the outer -edge of the pack ice and a sharp lookout was kept -for seals or whales. Then, rounding a jutting cape, -the boys saw a deep blue fiord with a stupendous -glacier leading down a great valley to the rocky<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[96]</a></span> -beach. The mouth of the fiord was clear of ice, and -so the <i>Narwhal’s</i> course was shifted, and she slipped -into the dark shadows of the towering cliffs. The -water, calm as a millpond, was deepest indigo, and -upon it the rocky heights and the great glacier were -reflected as in a burnished mirror. Fascinated, the -boys were gazing at the beautiful picture when the -lookout’s hail reached the deck. “<em>Pod</em> o’ seal over -to wind’ard,” he shouted. “Close in shore!”</p> - -<p>Captain Edwards sprang into the rigging, gazed in -the direction indicated and leaped back to the deck. -“Harps!” he announced. “We’ll have a try for ’em. -Stand by to lower away the port boat. Mr. Kemp, -you take charge, you’ve had more experience with -them critters than any one else.”</p> - -<p>“Can we go?” asked Tom.</p> - -<p>“Guess you can,” responded the captain, “no -danger sealin’.”</p> - -<p>In a few moments the boat was in the water, the -sealing clubs, with guns and rifles, were placed in -readiness, and with a will the crew pulled toward -the dark specks that marked the dozing, unsuspecting -seals.</p> - -<p>As they drew near shore, the mountains seemed to -overhang the boat, and the face of the glacier loomed -enormous against the background of the hills. Here<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[97]</a></span> -and there, grounded on bars or shoals, were small -bergs and one enormous one, with lofty pinnacles like -the many spires of a great cathedral, was floating -majestically near the head of the fiord. From the -cliffs, where they stood in endless rows, the auks, -guillemots, puffins, and cormorants gazed down and -protested in raucous cries. Presently the boys could -distinguish the seals—great brownish yellow creatures -with dark harp-shaped markings on their backs—a -hundred or more, drawn far up on the shore -among the rotting cakes of ice and sleeping soundly -in the warm summer sunshine.</p> - -<p>Silently the boat crept nearer. Without a sound, -it grated against the shore. Armed with their clubs -and one or two firearms, the men leaped towards the -herd. Instantly the seals were awake, their heads -were thrown up, their big lustrous eyes turned wonderingly. -Then in terror at the onrushing horde of -men, with short sharp barks and yelps of fear, they -commenced scrambling towards the sea and safety. -But the men, led by the Eskimos, had spread in a -half circle. They were between the seals and the -water. As the first panic-stricken creatures reached -the shouting, yelling crew, the heavy clubs rose and -fell with dull, sickening thuds. The seals dropped -dying in their tracks and the others, turning,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[98]</a></span> -strove blindly to get away from these new enemies.</p> - -<p>“Gosh, it makes me sick!” exclaimed Tom as he -saw the slaughter of the poor helpless creatures. -“It’s worse than killing sea elephants. No more -sealing for me!”</p> - -<p>“Nor me either,” declared Jim, “it’s just murder. -And aren’t they pretty things!”</p> - -<p>In a few moments it was all over. The beach and -ice were strewn with the dead seals—not a single -one had escaped—and the men, flushed and perspiring -with exertion, and shouting triumphantly, tossed -aside their bludgeons and commenced stripping the -hides from the dead seals.</p> - -<p>The two boys shouldered their rifles and started -along the beach towards the glacier, now and then -stopping to pick up some odd shell or bright-colored -pebble. Once they came to a tiny brook -brawling over the stones and followed it into a little -valley, rich green with grass and brilliant with scarlet -poppies and bright golden yellow flowers. From almost -under Tom’s feet, a ptarmigan whirred up and -stopping, the boys discovered the nest filled to overflowing -with the heavily spotted brown eggs. A moment -later Jim had his turn as he flushed a black and -white snow bunting and found its cleverly hidden nest -and spotted green eggs in their bed of fur and down.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[99]</a></span> -All about, from waving weeds stalks and jutting -bowlders, buntings and longspurs, gray sparrows and -dainty horned larks twittered and sang. From far -up in the blue sky came a sweet rollicking song as -a lark soared and bubbled over with joy. The boys, -seating themselves on a ledge of rock, looked -silently about, enjoying the peaceful scene and unable -to believe that this warm sun, these bright -flowers, these trilling birds were in far-off Greenland, -a land they had always pictured as barren, desolate, -and cold. Then, as they retraced their steps towards -the beach, Jim jumped as a big Arctic hare leaped -from its resting place and went bounding off among -the rocks.</p> - -<p>“Whew, he <em>was</em> a whopper!” cried Tom. “Why -didn’t you shoot him, Jim? He’d have tasted fine -for a change from canned meat.”</p> - -<p>Jim laughed. “I was so startled I forgot I had -a gun,” he admitted, “and say, I’m rather glad I -did. Somehow I’d hate to shoot anything here, it’s -so pretty and happy.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I guess we can struggle along without -stewed rabbit for a while yet,” said Tom. “It -does seem kind of a shame to kill anything -here.”</p> - -<p>“The men aren’t half through yet,” announced<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[100]</a></span> -Jim as the two boys reached the beach once more. -“Say, Tom, let’s walk over to the glacier.”</p> - -<p>“All right,” agreed Tom readily, “it isn’t far -and it will be fine to see it close to. Say, doesn’t -the <i>Narwhal</i> look like a speck off there—with all -these big hills round!”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” assented Jim, “and just think of how she -looked when we first saw her being towed into Fair -Haven. Say, Tom, it’s almost weird, looking at her -off there and with us here and thinking she’s that -same old tub we saw, and that we came clear up -here on her.”</p> - -<p>“Yep, and that we’re her principal owners,” -chuckled Tom.</p> - -<p>So, talking and chatting, the two drew closer -and closer to the towering face of the great glacier. -Presently they stopped to admire the play of colors -in the mighty mass of ice and, to get a clearer view, -they clambered up the steep slope of the rocky hillside. -They were standing there, gazing at the gigantic -face of the glacier, when there was a splintering, -awful roar, the whole end of the glacier plunged -forward like a falling mountain and, as the crash of -its fall echoed and reverberated from the hills, a -mighty, foaming, surging wave came hissing and -roaring up the beach. Never had the boys seen such<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[101]</a></span> -a huge comber. Green and irresistible, it raced -straight towards them, the mighty swell raised by the -plunge of the stupendous mass of ice. The boys, -already startled and frightened half out of their wits -by the deafening crash of the falling ice, stood -breathless and wide-eyed, watching the oncoming -wave that threatened to engulf them.</p> - -<p>But they were just beyond its reach. With the -upflung spray drenching them to the skin, the wave -dashed itself against the rocks at their feet and then, -with a sullen growl, drew back. Again and again -the big waves came tearing in, but each was smaller -than the preceding, and soon the beach stretched -smooth and clear to the gently lapping ripples.</p> - -<p>“Whew! it was lucky we climbed up here!” exclaimed -Jim. “Say, it wouldn’t have been any fun -to have been down on the beach.”</p> - -<p>“Or alongside that glacier,” added Tom. “Jiminy, -look at that berg! We <em>are</em> lucky! We’ve seen -a glacier calving!”</p> - -<p>“And it’s <em>some</em> calf!” cried Jim, as he gazed at the -enormous berg which but a few moments before had -been a portion of the glacier.</p> - -<p>“And look at the <i>Narwhal</i>!” exclaimed Tom.</p> - -<p>The schooner was tossing and bobbing as if beset -by a tempest, the masts cutting great arcs against the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[102]</a></span> -sky, the bow shipping green water, white froth pouring -from the scuppers.</p> - -<p>“Golly, that berg <em>did</em> set a sea going!” ejaculated -Jim. “I’ll bet Cap’n Pem’ll swear it was all due to -the cat.”</p> - -<p>“Well, it’s no bad luck anyhow, unless—Say! -Jim, how about the men? Gosh! perhaps they were -drowned or smashed by the waves. Come on, let’s -beat it!”</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[103]</a></span></p> - -<h2 id="CHAPTER_VIII">CHAPTER VIII<br /> -<span class="smaller">WHALES AND WHALES</span></h2> - -<p>Shouts assured the boys that the men were still -there long before they rounded a point and -came in sight of the scene of the killing. They -had not escaped unscathed. The rending crash of -the falling ice had warned them and, knowing what -would follow, they had raced up the beach beyond -reach of the waves. But the boat, lifted on the tremendous -sea, had been left high and dry, wedged -among the rocks and ice, hopelessly shattered. The -bodies of the seals had been scattered far and wide. -Some were floating far from shore, others had been -cast high on the beach. The skins which had already -been stripped from the creatures were rolled and -tossed among the rocks for a hundred yards up and -down the shore. The men searched out the pelts and -proceeded to skin the remaining seals. A waif had -been raised on the boat’s mast to attract attention of -those on the schooner, and as the boys arrived at the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[104]</a></span> -spot another boat was speeding across the bay towards -them.</p> - -<p>“Hello!” cried Mr. Kemp as he caught sight of -the boys. “I was just about settin’ off to look for -you. Feared you might ha’ been catched in that -wave or somethin’. Where was you?”</p> - -<p>“We were on the way to the glacier,” said Tom, -“and got up on a rock to see it better when it calved.”</p> - -<p>“Darned lucky you wasn’t ’longside of it,” declared -the second officer. “Don’t never go foolin’ ’round a -glacier this time of year. Never can tell when they’re -goin’ to bust loose. Stove our boat too, darn it.”</p> - -<p>By the time the second boat arrived, the last of the -seals was skinned. Piling the hides and the contents -of the stove boat into the other craft, and dragging -the shattered boat to the water, the party set out for -the <i>Narwhal</i>, towing the injured craft.</p> - -<p>“By gum, didn’t I tell ye thet cat was a-goin’ fer to -bring bad luck?” exclaimed old Pem as the boys and -Mr. Kemp climbed over the rail, and the old whaleman -saw the boat with its shattered planking.</p> - -<p>“Oh, dry up!” burst out the second officer. “Don’t -care if you are mate, you’re an old croaker. Ain’t -nothin’ to do with the puss. You know’s well as any -one glaciers is always calving in summer.”</p> - -<p>Cap’n Pem’s eyes opened in wonder and he stared<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[105]</a></span> -speechless at Mr. Kemp. Twice he opened his -mouth as if about to speak, but both times he failed. -At last, shaking his grizzled head dolefully, he turned -and walked away.</p> - -<p>Soon the schooner was again under way, chugging -out of the fiord under her own power. Once more -in the open sea, she heeled to the wind and bore northward -for Disko Bay. As she came in sight of Disko -Island, passing close to the many islets at the bay’s -mouth, the boys were enthusiastic over the beauty of -the scene. Presently they caught sight of a little -cluster of huts and tents before which a row of kayaks -were drawn upon the beach.</p> - -<p>Before the <i>Narwhal’s</i> anchor plunged overboard -the schooner was surrounded by the little bobbing -skin canoes. To the boys’ joy they saw that these -Eskimos were clad in skins and were exactly like the -pictures they had always seen of these people. The -Eskimo hands on the schooner greeted them with yells -and chattered rapidly with them. Presently the newcomers -were scrambling on to the <i>Narwhal’s</i> deck. -But at close quarters these Greenland Eskimos proved -as greasy and filthy as those the boys had seen at Hebron.</p> - -<p>“I never saw such dirty people!” exclaimed Tom -as he edged away from the ill-smelling crowd.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[106]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Don’t be expectin’ of ’em to be nothin’ else, do -ye?” said Cap’n Pem. “How the Sam Hill they goin’ -fer to keep clean? Reckon ye’d be a mite dirty if all -the fresh water ye had fer to bathe in wuz melted -snow.”</p> - -<p>“But I should think they’d all be sick and die,” -said Jim. “Why, they must live exactly like -pigs.”</p> - -<p>“Shure thin’, ain’t pigs the hilthiest av’ cr’atures!” -exclaimed Mike.</p> - -<p>But later, when, the boys went ashore, they found -much of interest, despite the odors and the dirty inhabitants. -They saw fat-faced Eskimo women, their -hair done up in big greasy topknots, industriously -chewing skins to cure them. They saw others carrying -their bright-eyed little kiddies in the pouchlike -hoods on their backs. They peered into the smoky -reindeer skin tents and saw the soapstone lamps with -their wicks of moss floating in oil. They saw the -men carving walrus tusks into weapons and utensils, -and they watched a couple of boys as they broke -a dog team to harness. The Eskimos seemed very -friendly and good-natured, and when Tom uttered an -exclamation of surprise as a boy lashed out with -his rawhide whip and deftly flipped the ear of a -surly dog a dozen feet distant, the young Eskimo<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[107]</a></span> -grinned broadly and said something in his own -tongue.</p> - -<p>“Says if you’ll give him a coin he’ll show you -something,” interpreted Mr. Kemp who stood near.</p> - -<p>Tom tossed the boy a quarter which the youngster -examined critically, and bit with his firm white teeth. -Apparently satisfied, he walked a short distance away -and placed the coin upon the top of a little bowlder. -Retracing his steps until fully twenty feet from the -coin, he swung his whip about his head, suddenly -lurched forward and with a crack like a pistol the -snakelike lash struck the coin and sent it spinning -high in the air. Dashing forward the boy caught it -dexterously as it fell.</p> - -<p>“Gosh, that <em>was</em> fine!” cried Tom. “Whew! he -<em>can</em> handle a whip!”</p> - -<p>Instantly the two boys were surrounded by the -Eskimo lads, all clamoring for a chance to exhibit -their skill and for some time the two boys were busy -handing out their loose change and watching the Eskimos -flip them from resting places with whips or hit -them with their arrows as the coins were tossed into -the air.</p> - -<p>Not until the boys’ money was exhausted did they -stop. Then, followed by the troop of young Eskimos, -Tom and Jim continued on their round of the village.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[108]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I never knew Eskimos lived in tents,” said Jim as -Mr. Kemp stopped to bargain with a wrinkled old -man for some carved ivory curios. “I thought they -lived in igloos.”</p> - -<p>The second mate laughed. “Funny, most all folks -get that idea,” he replied. “Wonder how they think -these lads is goin’ to build snow houses in summer.”</p> - -<p>“Well you see we never realized it was summer—that -is, warm—up here,” said Tom. “Somehow we -always thought of the Arctic as cold and covered with -ice all the year round.”</p> - -<p>“Won’t we have a lot to tell the fellows at home?” -said Jim. “How these women chew the skins to tan -them, and how they live in wigwams just like Indians -and say—what’s that man doing? Look, he’s -splitting up a match.”</p> - -<p>Sure enough, the Eskimo they were watching was -very carefully splitting a sulphur match into tiny -shavings with his knife while holding it over a bit of -dry moss.</p> - -<p>“He’s getting a light for his pipe or a lamp,” replied -Mr. Kemp. “Matches are scarce and the Eskimos -ain’t folks to waste nothing. When they want -to use a match, they split it same’s he’s doin’, and -bimeby one of the pieces’ll light and he’ll have his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[109]</a></span> -fire, and ’stead of havin’ a match less he’ll have a -dozen more. Look, there she goes!”</p> - -<p>“Well that <em>is</em> funny!” cried Tom. “But those tiny -slivers can’t be used. They’d break just as soon as -he tried to scratch them.”</p> - -<p>“Trust the Eskimos to look after that,” chuckled -the second mate. “When he wants to use one of them -slivers, he’ll tie it on to a bit of bone afore he -scratches it.”</p> - -<p>“Gee, but they <em>are</em> clever!” declared Jim. “Talk -about thrift!”</p> - -<p>“I’ll tell you another thing,” went on Mr. Kemp. -“Tobaccer’s scarce too, so, after they’ve smoked a -pipe for a spell, they cut up the wooden stem and -smoke that along with the tobaccer. Jus’ as good -flavor, I reckon, and goes a blamed long ways towards -savin’. Yes, sir, they’re a thrifty bunch. -Even a Scotchman’d have blamed hard work to teach -’em much. And say, don’t throw away them brass -shells from your rifles. Over to Hudson Bay you -can trade ’em for good pelts. Yes, sir, get good fox -skins for a shell each.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, you’re kidding us!” cried Tom. “They can’t -be such fools as all that.”</p> - -<p>“Honest Injun, I ain’t,” protested the mate. “And -they ain’t fools to do it. What a thing’s worth<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[110]</a></span> -depends on how much you want it. And them -Eskimos want brass shells a heap more’n they want -fox skins. They can go out and get foxes most -any old time, but they can’t dig up brass or shoot -it.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, I suppose that’s so,” said Jim thoughtfully. -“Sorry we threw away those shells we fired at the -bear, but I guess we’ll have plenty more before we’re -through.”</p> - -<p>Although the boys were anxious to get some of the -beautiful skins they saw, Mr. Kemp advised them to -wait, assuring them that they’d be able to get all they -wanted from the Eskimos about Hudson Bay, where -the <i>Narwhal</i> would winter, even if they did not succeed -in killing the creatures themselves. But they -could not resist the temptation to buy a complete fur -suit each. Tom chose a costume of white baby bear -trimmed with blue fox, while Jim secured a suit of -sheeny, silvery seal elaborately ornamented with intricate -designs worked in strips of reindeer skin and -with a fringe of white fox fur about the hood and -collar.</p> - -<p>Both boys roared with laughter as they tried on -the suits while the Eskimos gathered about and joined -in the merriment.</p> - -<p>“Gosh, if you wear that and any one sees you,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[111]</a></span> -they’ll take you for a bear and shoot you,” declared -Jim.</p> - -<p>“And if they see you they’ll think you’re a new -kind of walrus,” retorted Tom.</p> - -<p>“Hello, been getting outfits, eh?” exclaimed Captain -Edwards who now appeared. “But come along, -we’re getting off within the hour.”</p> - -<p>A dozen Eskimos had been obtained at the village, -and in addition, the skipper had secured several bales -of valuable furs, nearly two hundred pounds of -walrus ivory, and a quantity of whalebone.</p> - -<p>“Guess you’ll have a chance to hunt walrus, boys,” -remarked Captain Edwards as the boat pulled towards -the <i>Narwhal</i>. “We’ll run across to Baffin -Island. These Eskimos tell me there’s a herd of -walrus over about Cape Hewitt. Then we’re off for -Hudson Bay, after dropping these chaps here again.”</p> - -<p>“Well, if hunting walrus isn’t any more sport than -sealing, I’ll not care for it,” announced Tom.</p> - -<p>“You’ll find it very different,” the skipper assured -him. “No knocking walrus over the head. -Not a bit of it—they’re tough propositions and show -fight. You’ll have all the excitement you’re looking -for.”</p> - -<p>A number of the Eskimos had come off to the -schooner in their kayaks, some of which were large<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[112]</a></span> -boats with double apertures in their skin-covered -decks to accommodate two men. These were all -hoisted on to the <i>Narwhal’s</i> deck, Mr. Kemp explaining -to the boys that much of the walrus hunting was -done by the Eskimos in their frail boats.</p> - -<p>Once more under way, the <i>Narwhal</i> headed westward -across Baffin Bay. As usual the lookouts -were constantly searching the sea for whales. Tom -and Jim, anxious to test their skill and having nothing -else to amuse them, also went aloft and relieved the -men, for Captain Edwards had already had a demonstration -of the boys’ keen vision when on the <i>Hector</i> -in the Antarctic. For a long time the two boys swept -the broad expanse of sparkling water in vain. Here -and there floating ice broke the blue-green surface, -rafts of big eider ducks floated lightly on the waves, -cormorants, gulls, and other birds sailed and wheeled -about and occasionally a round black head, which the -boys recognized as a seal, would break through the -surface, stare curiously at the schooner and with a -splash and a flirt of the back flippers, disappear in the -depths. But no great, shiny, black expanse of glistening -skin, no tiny fountain of spray, rose above the -rippling water and the boys drowsed at their posts.</p> - -<p>Then, Jim’s sleepy eyes noted a curious looking -object upon the sea half a mile or so to the north.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[113]</a></span> -At first he took it for a soggy cake of ice, but it -seemed to be moving as though carried in a swift -current. Then he decided it was a water-logged spar, -and yet it did not look just right for that either. Puzzled, -he stared and then gave a shout. Clearly from -the grayish white object a little puff of steamlike -vapor had risen.</p> - -<p>“Blows!” he yelled almost unconsciously, and then, -half ashamed of his involuntary cry and realizing it -was no whale he saw, he cried out, “Come up and take -a look, Mr. Kemp.”</p> - -<p>The second mate ran nimbly up the rigging, glanced -about, gazed fixedly in the direction Jim indicated, -and cupping his hands yelled down, “Beluga! ’Bout -four p’ints off the starboard bow—school of ’em.”</p> - -<p>“Beluga?” exclaimed Jim as the officer started -down the shrouds. “What’s that?”</p> - -<p>“White whale!” replied Mr. Kemp, as he rapidly -descended to the deck.</p> - -<p>“Well, that’s a new one on me,” declared Jim, -yelling across to Tom. “I thought all whales were -black. Oh look, Tom! There <em>is</em> a school of the -things and—Gosh! I thought they were ice!”</p> - -<p>Already the boats were being swung, and by the -time the boys reached the deck, two craft were being -lowered over the side and the men and Eskimos were<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[114]</a></span> -tumbling into them. Without waiting to ask permission, -the boys leaped into one of the boats and a moment -later were speeding towards the odd whitish -creatures swimming slowly along and all unconscious -of danger.</p> - -<p>As the boats drew near the whales, they spread out, -the harpooniers laid aside their oars and stood in -the bows with irons in hand, and in a moment more -were within striking distance of the creatures. Almost -at the same instant the various harpoons darted -forward, and as the keen points of the irons buried -themselves in the animals’ sides, the belugas leaped -half from the water, looking to the boys’ wondering -eyes far more like gigantic white seals than whales. -Then, with a rush, the creatures started off, towing -the boats at a terrific rate through the water, turning -and twisting, sounding and milling, sometimes leaping -high in air, at other times rolling over and over, -and striving by a hundred unexpected moves to rid -themselves of the stinging weapons in their sides. -As Tom said afterwards, it was like playing enormous -trout, for the men alternately hauled in or let out the -line; they laughed and shouted and yelled as if -thoroughly enjoying the sport and there was none of -the tense strained attitude that the boys had seen when -attacking the bowheads.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[115]</a></span></p> - -<p>But the fight did not last long. Within fifteen minutes -from being struck the white whale was tired out. -He rested almost motionless, blowing frequently; and, -hauling in the line hand over hand, as the crew urged -the boat forward, the men drew the craft close to the -big, dirty-white creature. An instant later the long, -keen-bladed lance flashed, the stricken whale threw -its head high in air, thrashed madly with its tail, -and rolled slowly over on its side in the reddening -water.</p> - -<p>“That wasn’t much of a fight!” exclaimed Tom as -the boat was run alongside the dead beluga and the -fluke chain was made fast.</p> - -<p>“Never do give much of a tussle,” said Mr. Kemp, -“they ain’t much more’n second-rate whales anyhow. -No bigger’n blackfish.”</p> - -<p>Towing the dead whale, the boat pulled toward the -schooner and a few minutes later the other three boats -came in, each with his white, twenty-foot carcass bobbing -along behind it. Then for the first time, the -boys saw that the Eskimos were also out in their -big kayaks and were paddling furiously over the -waves in pursuit of the remaining belugas. Running -into the rigging the boys watched the Eskimos through -their glasses. They saw the foremost paddler in the -nearest kayak urge his skin craft among the speeding<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[116]</a></span> -whales; the man in the forward seat raised his -arm, there was a flash as a harpoon sped through -the air, and the next moment a huge, dark-colored, -balloon-shaped object was bobbing up and down, -dashing this way and that where the beluga had -been, while the kayak paddled off in another direction.</p> - -<p>“Gee, he missed him!” cried Tom. “And say, -what on earth is that thing on the water?”</p> - -<p>“Search me!” replied Jim. “Golly, there’s three -more of ’em. And not a single kayak is fast to a -whale. Let’s ask about it.”</p> - -<p>Hurrying to the deck the boys approached Captain -Edwards. “Oh, Captain,” cried Tom, “what are -those big round things out there by the Eskimos’ -kayaks? And how is it not a single kayak is fast to -a whale? Those fellows must be dubs not to get -fast when they’re right among the whales.”</p> - -<p>The skipper roared with laughter. “Dubs!” he -exclaimed. “Why, my boys, I’ll warrant not a Eskimo -missed gettin’ fast. But of course you don’t -understand. Them things you see a-bobbin’ about -yonder are floats—skin bladders, and fast to the Eskimos’ -irons in the whales. They don’t risk their -kayaks a-gettin’ fas’, but jus’ let the whales tire ’emselves -out a-towin’ the buoys ’round and meantime<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[117]</a></span> -go after other critters. They’ll bring ’em all in, -don’t you worry.”</p> - -<p>“Well, we <em>have</em> got a lot to learn,” remarked Jim -turning away. “Look, Tom, there comes a kayak -now, and—yes, they’re towing two whales.”</p> - -<p>Interestedly the two boys watched the approaching -Eskimos, and one after another, the kayaks came paddling -alongside, each towing one or more belugas. -By the time all were alongside the schooner, twelve -white whales were floating under the vessel’s lee and -the crew were working like beavers cutting in the dull -white creatures. The work was easy and rapid compared -with cutting in the bowheads or a sperm whale, -for the belugas were tiny creatures compared with -the other monsters the boys had seen.</p> - -<p>Within twenty-four hours after first sighting the -school, the last of the catch had been cast adrift, and -the <i>Narwhal</i> was again sailing westward toward Baffin -Island and the walrus grounds.</p> - -<p>Elated at their success in sighting the white whales, -the two boys ran up the rigging to their places on the -crosstrees. Scarcely had Tom glanced about when -his shout of, “She blows!” rang out. Barely a mile -ahead a sparkling jet of vapor had risen above the -sea, and an instant later a stupendous body had -broken the surface, gleaming like polished metal in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[118]</a></span> -the sun. Cataracts of water poured from it. Tom -fairly gasped at the size of the creature, and his voice -was shaking with excitement as he yelled back, “a -point off the port bow, about a mile away,” in response -to the Captain’s call of, “Where away?”</p> - -<p>“It’s the biggest whale ever!” he cried excitedly -to the officers as he reached the deck. “Say, we <em>will</em> -have a fight with him!”</p> - -<p>Captain Edwards chuckled. “I’ll bet we would—if -we gave him a chance,” he replied. “But we -ain’t a-goin’ to meddle with that critter.”</p> - -<p>“You mean you’re not going after him?” cried -Tom in wondering tones. “Why, why, he’d give -over a hundred barrels!”</p> - -<p>“Don’t doubt it,” smiled the skipper, “but he can -keep it under his blamed old hide for all of us.”</p> - -<p>“Do you mean you’re afraid to tackle him?” demanded -the puzzled boy.</p> - -<p>Mr. Kemp and Cap’n Pem burst into a roar of -laughter. “Yes and no,” declared the second officer, -“that’s a finback.”</p> - -<p>“Finback!” exclaimed Jim. “What’s that?”</p> - -<p>“Consarndest critters there be,” declared Cap’n -Pem. “Ef ye wanter git stove or kilt or towed ter -kingdom come, jes go in on a finback. ’Course I -ain’t skeered o’ doin’ of it—never seed a whale yit<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[119]</a></span> -thet skeered me, but shucks, what’s the use? Derned -critters’ll tow ye nigh fifty mile ’fore ye kin lance ’em -an’ fight like Sam Hill. An’ arter ye’ve druv home -the lance, ef yer boat ain’t smashed ter kindlin’ wood, -an’ ye ain’t kilt, the consarned critter’s jes mean an -onderhanded enough fer to sink.”</p> - -<p>“Then you don’t touch them!” exclaimed Tom. -“Gosh, it seems a shame to let such big fellows go. -Aren’t they ever killed?”</p> - -<p>“Steam whalers—Scotch and Skowhegians take -’em,” replied Mr. Kemp. “But you got to have -harpoon guns and bomb lances and three inch cables -and steam winches to get ’em.”</p> - -<p>By now the whale which had been the subject of -the conversation was within plain view from the deck, -and the boys fairly gasped as they noted its enormous -size. An instant later it had caught sight of the -schooner and in a swirl of foam sounded and disappeared.</p> - -<p>“Well, we’re still learning,” laughed Tom. “I -always thought whales were whales, but I know now -that there are whales <em>and</em> whales.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[120]</a></span></p> - -<h2 id="CHAPTER_IX">CHAPTER IX<br /> -<span class="smaller">THE WALRUS HUNT</span></h2> - -<p>Hour after hour the <i>Narwhal</i> sailed steadily -on, and ever as she proceeded, the floating -ice and lofty drifting bergs grew larger -and more numerous. When the shores of Baffin Island -at last rose above the sea, the water was only -visible as narrow lanes of green amid the wide -stretch of rough ice. How the schooner could ever -get through the vast field with its bobbing close-packed -cakes and its towering bergs, was a mystery -to the boys. They watched intently as old Cap’n -Pem, now in charge as ice pilot, bawled out quick, -sharp orders, and at his commands, the helm was -shifted, yards were swung and sails trimmed instantly -as the <i>Narwhal</i> tacked and turned and twisted and -threaded her devious way through the narrow leads. -Often after the schooner’s passage, the ice, disturbed -by her wake, would drift across the channels, and soon -the boys, looking astern, could see nothing but the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[121]</a></span> -vast field of ice showing no sign of the open water by -which they had entered.</p> - -<p>Here, too, the boys saw why the topsail schooner -was such a favorite with Arctic whalemen. To be -sure, Cap’n Pem had already explained it to them -when they had first discussed the <i>Narwhal’s</i> rig, but -until they actually saw it demonstrated they did not -fully realize how handy the rig was amid the ice. -Often, as the vessel plunged forward along a narrow -lead, the passage would end in an impenetrable barrier, -and the boys held their breaths as the schooner -seemed about to dash into the mass of ice. But each -time the old whaleman’s voice would roar out an -order. The men, ready at sheets and braces, would -bend to the ropes and, as the huge topsail yard swung -about, the <i>Narwhal</i> would slow down, hesitate, and at -the very instant the boys expected to hear the splintering -of ice and the crashing of shivered planking, the -schooner would begin to move backward. But at last -the leads became so narrow, so tortuous and so -choked with ice that Cap’n Pem declared they could -go no farther.</p> - -<p>“Reckon we’d better be gettin’ out ice anchors, an’ -lyin’ here till she opens up,” he declared, addressing -Captain Edwards. “Soon’s wind or tide changes, -the derned ice’ll begin ter move.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[122]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Humph, and take us with it, like as not,” responded -the skipper. “Never did see such a lot of -ice ’long here this time o’ year. And time’s flyin’. -If she don’t open up mighty quick, we’ll have to put -about and make for the Straits or we won’t be a-gettin’ -into the Bay this season.”</p> - -<p>“Can’t you run in with the motor?” asked Tom. -“Seems to me that’s easier to handle than sails.”</p> - -<p>“By glory! I must be gettin’ old,” cried the -captain. “Say, Pem, what sort of a’ ice pilot are you -that you didn’t think of that?”</p> - -<p>“How in tarnation’d I think o’ thet there contraption?” -demanded the old whaleman. “Fust time I -ever wuz shipmates long o’ one.”</p> - -<p>In a few minutes the motor’s exhaust was ringing -loudly across the ice pack, and under half speed, -the schooner was cautiously feeling her way through -the zigzagging, winding lanes of water; bumping into -floating cakes, grating against the solid masses on -either side, but each moment getting farther and -farther into the vast field and nearer to the gray -rocky coast. Presently, from the lookout came the -shout of “Open water ahead!” An hour later the -<i>Narwhal</i> was resting at anchor in a broad expanse of -open sea with only isolated grounded bergs and -drifting floes upon the surface. Seaward, the white<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[123]</a></span> -barrier through which she had passed stretched to the -horizon to north and south.</p> - -<p>Hardly had the schooner come to rest before the -Eskimos were launching their kayaks, and in a few -minutes were darting away in various directions.</p> - -<p>“Where are they going?” asked Tom as he and -Jim watched the skin boats leave the vessel’s side.</p> - -<p>“Lookin’ for walrus,” replied the captain. “When -they sight a herd they’ll come back and report and -like as not get a few to bring along as samples.”</p> - -<p>“I’d love to be with them,” declared Jim. “I’m -going to ask Unavik to take us in a kayak some day.”</p> - -<p>“Better start with a real boat,” advised the captain. -“If you see a big bull walrus rearin’ up his head -and glarin’ at you with them red eyes of his, and -roarin’ and bellowin’ and heavin’ his tusks up and -down, and rushin’ at you like he’s gone crazy, you’ll -be mighty glad you’re in a whaleboat ’stead of a skin -kayak.”</p> - -<p>“Whew, are they like that?” cried Tom. “They -look so big and clumsy in the pictures and when -they’re stuffed, that I didn’t suppose they could really -do much harm.”</p> - -<p>“Wussedest critters I know,” declared Cap’n Pem, -“and ye wouldn’t git me fer to hunt ’em in them there -cockleshells o’ kayaks, not fer nothin’. With a good<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[124]</a></span> -musket an’ a whaleboat ’tain’t so bad, but a bull -walrus ain’t to be sneezed at, lemme tell ye!”</p> - -<p>“All the more excitement,” laughed Tom. “I’m -just crazy to go after them!”</p> - -<p>“Guess ye mus’ be crazy to wanter,” muttered old -Pem. “But long’s ye’re out fer to git adventure an’ -own the consarned ol’ ship, there ain’t a mite o’ use -my tellin’ ye not to.”</p> - -<p>Jim laughed. “You know perfectly well you -wouldn’t let us go and neither would Captain Edwards, -if there was any real danger,” he said.</p> - -<p>“There’s always danger on a whaler in the Arctic,” -said the skipper, “but you two boys know how to -shoot and ain’t reckless, and Kemp’s an old hand, -and there ain’t any likelihood of your gettin’ hurt, in -a good boat.”</p> - -<p>“But there’s that there cat——” began Pem.</p> - -<p>“Oh nonsense!” interrupted Tom. “If we go, -we’re going to take that cat with us as a mascot.”</p> - -<p>“Waall, fools <em>will</em> rush in, ye knows,” muttered -the old whaleman as he stumped aft.</p> - -<p>While waiting for the Eskimos to return with word -as to the whereabouts of the walrus herd, the boats -were lowered, the masts stepped, guns and other appliances -and weapons stowed, and all prepared in -readiness for the hunt. At last, after several hours<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[125]</a></span> -wait, the boys spied the kayaks returning. As they -drew near, Tom and Jim saw that the two leading -craft were towing some huge object. Grasping the -glasses, Tom ran up the rigging. “They’ve found -them!” he cried out an instant later. “They’re bringing -in the ‘sample’ just as the captain said.”</p> - -<p>“How they can get a walrus and tow him in with -those kyaks gets me,” declared Jim.</p> - -<p>“Trust those boys to do it though,” said Mr. Kemp. -“Why, they even get big bowheads in kayaks. They -can handle them canoes to beat all. I’ve seen -’em flop clean over and come up a smilin’ t’other -side.”</p> - -<p>Tom laughed. “You must think we’re greener -than we are, to swallow that,” he declared.</p> - -<p>The second officer grinned. “All right, I’ll prove -it,” he announced, and calling to a young Eskimo who -stood near, he said something to him in the fellow’s -own language.</p> - -<p>With a broad grin the Eskimo slipped over the -schooner’s rail, settled himself in the tiny craft, -pulled the string of the lacing to the circular opening -about his body, and with a few strokes of his -paddle drew away from the <i>Narwhal</i>.</p> - -<p>“Now watch him!” exclaimed Mr. Kemp.</p> - -<p>Glancing up at the watching boys, the Eskimo<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[126]</a></span> -waved his hand, gave a sudden lurch to one side, and -to the boys’ utter amazement, the kayak capsized. The -next instant they could see only the smooth rounded -bottom of the canoe.</p> - -<p>“Oh, he’ll be drowned!” cried Tom. “He’s laced -in and can’t——”</p> - -<p>Before he could finish the sentence, the kayak had -rotated, and scarcely believing their eyes, the boys -saw the craft bob right side up with its swarthy occupant -still grinning.</p> - -<p>“Well, that <em>is</em> a stunt!” cried Jim.</p> - -<p>“Yes, I take it all back,” said Tom. “I’ll believe -any yarn you tell us after that.”</p> - -<p>Over and over again the Eskimo performed the -feat for the boys’ benefit, and then, the walrus hunters -approaching, he darted off and joined them.</p> - -<p>As the kayaks came alongside, the boys looked with -wonder at the enormous creature they had in tow—a -huge bull walrus, partly supported by air-filled skin -floats, and with gleaming white tusks nearly two feet -in length.</p> - -<p>Swarming on to the schooner, the Eskimos all began -chattering at once in a mixture of broken English, -Danish, and their own tongue, until Captain Edwards -threw up his hands in despair. “Here, Mr. Kemp,” -he called, “come and get this. I can savvy a bit o’<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[127]</a></span> -the lingo, but this is too much for me. They’re worse -nor a flock o’ poll-parrots!”</p> - -<p>The second officer pushed his way through the -group, uttered a few sharp words in the Eskimos’ -dialect, and instantly all ceased talking. Then, turning -to a man who appeared to be a leader, he asked -him a question. Rapidly and with sparkling eyes the -fellow replied, and Mr. Kemp turned to the skipper. -“Says there’s a whoppin’ big herd of walrus over to -Lewis’ Inlet,” he announced. “’Cordin’ to him, -must be pretty nigh two hundred of the critters. -Leastwise, he says ‘twenty pair of hands of ’em’ and -that’s all the same as two hundred. Says they’re -well up on land and easy to cut off from water. -They picked the bull up outside on a cake of -ice.”</p> - -<p>“All right,” replied the captain. “Man the boats -and get started. Guess you’ll need pretty near all -hands. Swanson’s been after walrus afore, he tells -me, and I guess Pem and Mike and two or three of the -men can take care of the ship. I’ll go along in one -boat, you take another, Swanson can take the third -and—hmm, Mr. Chester, you’re to take the fourth -boat!”</p> - -<p>For a moment Tom did not realize that the captain -was addressing him, and then, as it dawned upon him,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[128]</a></span> -“Wha—what’s that?” he stammered. “You don’t -mean——”</p> - -<p>“That you’re in charge of the port after-boat,” interrupted -the skipper with a twinkle in his eye. “You -can take Mr. Lathrop as mate if you wish. Might as -well learn how to handle a boat now as ever.”</p> - -<p>“Gee Whitaker!” exclaimed the dazed boy as he -and Jim dashed to their cabin for their rifles. “I’m -as nervous as a cat! Of course I can steer the boat—with -the rudder and under sail; but I don’t know what -to do when we get to the walrus.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, just do like the others do,” advised Jim. -“Gosh, I’d like to have your chance! Say, you’ll be -a regular boat steerer next! Besides, Captain Edwards -will probably tell you what to do when we get -near.”</p> - -<p>But despite Jim’s encouraging words, Tom’s knees -were shaky as he took his place in the boat assigned -him, slipped the rudder in place, and sat waiting the -captain’s order to cast off.</p> - -<p>“When you get near the herd, spread out,” directed -Captain Edwards, “and go in as near the same -time as you can. Pick the biggest bulls and aim -for the ear or neck close to the head. Take them -that’s near the water first, and if one of ’em comes -for you, keep off and shoot him. Don’t take no<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[129]</a></span> -chances—a bull walrus can stave a boat’s easy as a -egg shell.”</p> - -<p>A moment later the boats were cast off, sails were -trimmed, and the little fleet went dancing across the -calm sea, each boat towing several kayaks with their -Eskimo occupants behind it.</p> - -<p>Nearer and nearer they approached the shore. The -schooner was a mere speck in the distance, and the -captain’s boat, guided by a wrinkled old Eskimo, -swung more towards the south. Presently they -passed a jutting, rocky cape, about whose shores the -drift ice was piled high, and entered a tiny bottle-shaped -bay. And at the sight which greeted them, -the boys exclaimed in wonder.</p> - -<p>Everywhere upon the shingle and the grounded -cakes of ice were the bulky, dull-brown, clumsy-looking -walrus. There were scores—hundreds of the -creatures. Giant bulls with enormous, wrinkled, -warty-skinned necks and gleaming ivory tusks; -smaller, light-colored cows, and little seal-like pups. -The pups and cows were some distance from the -water’s edge, the younger bulls were scattered in -groups near by and along the shore. Resting on -rocks or ice cakes with their tiny heads raised high, -were the old veterans of a thousand fights, the giant, -scarred, elephantine bulls.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[130]</a></span></p> - -<p>Instantly, as with one accord, sails were lowered, -the kayaks were cast off and, under oars and paddles, -the fleet of boats and canoes swept upon the herd. -For a moment the bulls stared wonderingly at the -unexpected visitors. Then a low, growling, barking -roar echoed across the bay. The great creatures -wheeled about to face the intruders and, shaking their -tusked heads threateningly, prepared to defend the -cows and their young.</p> - -<p>The next instant, rifles and muskets roared. The -boys glimpsed several big bulls as they swayed and -sank lifeless. They heard the shouts of the excited -men, the shriller cries of the Eskimos, and then forgot -all else as their boat approached a gigantic bull -walrus who had dragged himself to the very verge of -an ice cake, and was on the point of diving into the -sea. Taking careful aim, Jim fired; but at the very -instant he pulled the trigger, the boat lurched, his -rifle wavered, and the bull with a roar plunged with -a tremendous splash into the water.</p> - -<p>“Gosh, I missed!” cried Jim.</p> - -<p>“There’s another!” screamed Tom. “Get him!”</p> - -<p>Once more Jim’s rifle crashed out and a smaller -bull sagged like an empty sack upon the shingle.</p> - -<p>“Hurrah!” cried Tom, and then his glad shout -died on his lips and he screamed a warning filled with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[131]</a></span> -terror. Within two feet of the boat—so close he -could have touched it with his outstretched hand—a -great, ferocious-looking head had burst from the -water, the tiny, wicked eyes gleaming like those of an -enraged elephant, the stiff, horny whiskers bristling, -the two-foot yellow tusks dripping blood from a deep -gash across the forehead where Jim’s bullet had cut -its way.</p> - -<p>Wounded, mad with fury, the walrus reared its -massive neck above the water and hurled itself at -the boat. Frantically Tom yelled. The men seized -the oars and struggled desperately to swing the boat. -Jim hastily reloaded and strove to shoot. But the -boat was swaying and tipping to the men’s efforts and -Jim could not aim. Almost before they realized -their peril, the boys saw the maddened creature’s head -raised above the edge of the boat. With a tremendous -blow, the long tusks came crashing down, splintering -the thwart, breaking the stout oak rail and bearing -the boat down to the water’s edge.</p> - -<p>Instantly the men threw themselves to the opposite -side of the craft. With oars, clubs and whatever -they could grasp they rained a shower of blows upon -the animal’s head, but they might as well have struck -at a helmet of steel. With blood pouring from the -wounds, but not affected by them in the least, the bull<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[132]</a></span> -walrus lashed the water into a maelstrom of froth, -wrenched his head back and forth, bellowed with -rage, and swung the heavy thirty-foot boat from side -to side and up and down as though it were a thing of -paper. Excited, rattled, terror-stricken, Tom was -paralyzed with fear, and neither he nor any of his -men realized that their antagonist was striving with -might and main to tear free his tusks wedged in -the splintered wood; that, with his head thus held as -in a trap, he could not lift himself high enough to -withdraw his tusks, and that he was in reality almost -as terrorized as the occupants of the boat. Owing -to some mistake, none of the old hands were in Tom’s -boat. Not a member of his crew had ever before -seen a live walrus, much less an infuriated wounded -one. They were so thoroughly frightened by the -creature’s sudden and savage onslaught, that they -completely lost their heads.</p> - -<p>Then, suddenly and with a wild shout, one-eyed -Ned leaped forward, seized a boat spade and, yelling -like a fiend and holding the weapon as though it -were a bayonet, he plunged the keen-edged spade -time after time into the thick, wrinkled neck of -the walrus. The sea turned crimson, the walrus -lashed the water into scarlet foam. Gradually -his struggles ceased, his eyes closed, and he lay<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[133]</a></span> -dead, with his tusks still locked over the boat’s rail.</p> - -<p>But the danger was not over. The inert, heavy -body tipped the craft until every wave lapped over -the side, and while several men struggled and heaved -and tugged to lift the creature’s head free, the others -bailed for their lives, but seemingly to no purpose. -Not only was the buoyancy of the boat pressing upwards -against the weight of the walrus, but the tusks -were driven so firmly through the thwart that they -were locked as though in a vise. Each second it -seemed as if the boat would fill and all would be -struggling in the icy water.</p> - -<p>Their shouts and cries had attracted the attention -of the other boats and Swanson, who was nearest, -had come racing to Tom’s aid. Before his boat was -alongside, the battle was over, however, and seeing the -trouble, the cooper and several of his men leaped into -Tom’s boat and with their weight on the upper side, -the water ceased to come in. Then Tom, suddenly -remembering his responsibility, recovered his scattered -wits. “Here!” he shouted. “Get the handle -of an oar under his head and pry him loose!” But -even with the stout handle of the heavy ash oar as a -lever, the walrus’ head could not be budged.</p> - -<p>“Get the hatchet and cut away the thwart!” ordered -Tom. As the keen-edged little ax cut through the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[134]</a></span> -splintered wood, the men heaved up on the oar, and -with a splash the animal’s head slipped over the rail -into the sea.</p> - -<p>Swanson stood up, pulled at his huge mustache, -drew his pipe from his pocket and commenced to fill -it with a blunt, blackened forefinger. “Ay tank you -bane have close shave,” he remarked, as he glanced -about. “By yiminy, you bane pretty near cut das -fellow head off.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll say we had a close shave!” exclaimed Tom. -“And if it hadn’t been for Ned we’d all have been -drowned or killed. Gee, I’d have hated to be overboard -with that beast. Ned was the only one who -kept his head.”</p> - -<p>The big Swede nodded approvingly, squinted his -pale blue eyes and turned his gaze curiously on the -ex-soldier.</p> - -<p>“Ay tank mebbe das glass eye he got more better -as two some fellers got. He bane gude fellow, Ned,” -he declared gravely.</p> - -<p>“Aw, forget it!” exclaimed the one-eyed veteran -flushing. “I didn’t do nothin’. The bloomin’ beast’s -face was so darned like that of a Hun what stuck his -ugly mug into my dugout over there, that I plumb -forgot myself an’ went at him with a bay’net same’s -if he was a Heinie.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[135]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Well, if that was a sample of the way you went -after the Germans, I’m sorry for them!” laughed Tom.</p> - -<p>“Vell, Ay tank Ay bane goin’ back,” remarked -Swanson as he scrambled into his own boat. “Yumpin -yiminy! Das bane vun big bull you get!”</p> - -<p>Now that the excitement was over, the boys glanced -about. No more walruses were to be seen ashore. -The rocks and ice were deserted save for a half dozen -dead bulls and a couple of badly wounded ones. A -few cows could be seen swimming some distance -away. The other boats’ crews were busy working at -the kill. The Eskimos, however, were paddling furiously -about and the interested boys saw the forward -man in the nearest kayak lunge forward with his harpoon -as a bull walrus broke water.</p> - -<p>“Golly, if that fellow goes for ’em they’ll be sunk!” -exclaimed Jim.</p> - -<p>But the Eskimos gave the stricken and angry creature -no chance. As with a snort of rage he broke -the surface and charged the kayak, the tiny craft -whirled as on a pivot, dodged the oncoming creature -and, as it passed by him, the Eskimo in the bow -leaned over and drove a long lance into the -animal’s neck. Over and over again the maneuver -was repeated. Fascinated the boys and men watched -this battle between the wounded, infuriated bull walrus<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[136]</a></span> -and the frail craft of skin, with its Eskimo occupants -armed with their primitive weapons. But, as -always, brains and intelligence triumphed, and presently -the grinning natives were paddling toward -shore, towing the carcass of their victim behind them.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[137]</a></span></p> - -<h2 id="CHAPTER_X">CHAPTER X<br /> -<span class="smaller">UNAVIK SPINS A YARN</span></h2> - -<p>Many days had passed since the boys’ first -walrus hunt. They had learned much by -experience and had killed many of the -enormous ugly creatures without mishap. They had -retained the skull of that first huge bull as a trophy, -and no walrus taken since had approached it in the -length and beauty of the perfectly matched and -pointed tusks. Tom, to his unspeakable delight, had -been made boat steerer and had been assigned to the -same craft in which they had battled with the walrus -and Jim, not to be outdone, had bent every energy to -acquiring skill in using the harpoon and lance.</p> - -<p>In this Cap’n Pem had played an important part, -and finding the regular irons far too heavy for the -boy, he had had the blacksmith fashion some special -lighter weapons for Jim’s private use. Jim was as -proud as a peacock of these and kept them, sharpened -to a razor edge and carefully sheathed and greased, in -the bow of the boat. And when, one day, two white<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[138]</a></span> -whales were sighted and Tom’s boat drew into one of -the creatures, and Jim had his first chance to test his -skill, he was trembling with excitement.</p> - -<p>Standing in the bow, bracing himself in the knee -cleat, the boy raised his iron, and as the huge beluga -broke water close by, he heaved the iron with all -his strength. A roar of approval came booming -across the waves from Cap’n Pem as the weapon -struck fair and buried itself in the white whale’s back. -All by themselves the boys and their crew played the -stricken creature and by Tom’s orders the men -worked as the line was hauled or slackened. When -at last the white whale lay tired upon the sea, the boat -drew close, and Jim killed the beluga with a single -stroke of his lance. Then indeed, the two boys felt -that they were full-fledged whalemen and they longed -for the time when they could go on a real whale, a -bowhead, and fight the thrilling, exciting, dangerous -battle with a monster of the deep and bring him “fin -up” unaided.</p> - -<p>But no bowheads were seen, and the boys were -forced to content themselves with lesser game. They -had learned to handle the kayaks, and under Unavik’s -tutelage they had become quite expert with the ticklish -skin-covered craft. Often they had paddled -ashore and, armed with rifle and shotgun, had gone<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[139]</a></span> -hunting in the rocky hills or over the tundra, but they -had seen neither bear, musk ox, reindeer, or other -large game. But they invariably returned with full -bags, for ducks, plover, geese and swan, as well as -the big Arctic hares, were everywhere, and those on -the <i>Narwhal</i> never suffered for lack of fresh meat. -Once too, Jim had spied a grayish shape skulking -along a hollow several hundred yards away and taking -careful aim had brought it down at his first -shot.</p> - -<p>“Gee, I guess it’s some Eskimo’s dog!” he exclaimed -when the two boys reached the creature and -saw a gaunt, pale, grayish yellow, doglike animal -lying among the rocks and sparse grass.</p> - -<p>“Well it’s got a good hide anyway,” said Tom. -“We’ll skin it and take it along. It’ll make a nice -rug when we get home.”</p> - -<p>But when, on reaching the schooner, they exhibited -the skin, and Mr. Kemp told them they had killed -a huge wolf, the boys fairly gasped with astonishment -and then danced and yelled with delight.</p> - -<p>Another time, Tom had killed a beautiful blue fox -as the creature raced away from a half-devoured -young Canada goose, and in a pen on the forward -deck, they had a miniature menagerie of young ducks, -geese, swans, gulls, and other birds.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[140]</a></span></p> - -<p>It was now late summer and the young birds of the -year were able to take care of themselves, but when -the boys had first gone ashore on their hunts, ducks, -geese, and other wild fowl were nesting by thousands -in every hollow and swale.</p> - -<p>It was on their first trip that Jim had an amusing -experience, and for months afterwards Tom and the -ship’s officers never ceased teasing him about it. The -two boys were strolling across a little vale, a spot -carpeted with deep reindeer moss and stunted bushes, -when, from almost under Jim’s feet, a duck fluttered -away apparently unable to take wing. Leaping forward -to grasp it Jim’s foot tripped and he plunged -headlong into the bushes. There was a crunching -crash beneath him and, as he regained his feet, Tom -fairly doubled up with uncontrollable laughter. -From chest to waist Jim was drenched with a sticky -yellow mass dotted with broken and crushed bluish -egg shells. He had fallen squarely upon the duck’s -nest!</p> - -<p>“Oh you <em>are</em> a sight!” choked Tom. “Gosh, you -certainly did find that nest, Jim!”</p> - -<p>Jim looked ruefully at the dripping mess and without -a smile exclaimed: “Gee, I like eggs, but I -don’t like ’em scrambled that way!”</p> - -<p>The story was too good to keep, and whenever eggs<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[141]</a></span> -were served thereafter some one would invariably ask -Jim if he’d have his scrambled.</p> - -<p>At last the signs of approaching autumn warned -Captain Edwards that they must leave the shores of -Baffin Island and speed southward to Hudson Straits -and winter quarters in Hudson Bay. Long strings of -swans and great V-shaped flocks of geese passed daily -across the sky, headed south. The vast rafts of ducks -became uneasy. The Old Squaws whistled querulously, -the eiders swam restlessly about, buffle heads -and teal winged swiftly back and forth, and the blackheads -darkened the sky with their veering, ever-turning -flocks. The plover lost their black waistcoats -and took on silvery white ones; the snow bunting became -gray and white; the ptarmigan were dotted with -white feathers among their soft brown plumage and -the Arctic hares grew paler and paler as they gradually -assumed their winter coats to match the spotless -snow. The days grew shorter, the sun disappeared -below the horizon, and the Aurora glowed and -flashed and scintillated in tongues and bands of -lambent hues across the zenith. The wind was chill -with the feel of frost and ice as it swept across the -land which now showed hardly a tint of green or a -speck of the scarlet, blue and yellow that had formerly -decked the hillsides.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[142]</a></span></p> - -<p>So, with many casks of oils, great piles of walrus -hides, bundles of sealskins, sacks stuffed full of eider -feathers, and many hundred pounds of walrus ivory -in her hold, the <i>Narwhal</i> picked and felt her way out -through the leads among the ice pack and into the -broad waters of Baffin Bay. To the strong and biting -wind her sails were spread, and across the short -sharp waves with their spiteful hissing caps of foam, -the schooner plunged towards Disko Bay. Here the -Eskimos were landed laden with axes, powder and -lead, cloth, brass, and gee-gaws as their wages. Then -with yards braced sharp up and sheets close hauled, -the <i>Narwhal</i> buried her blunt nose deep in the tumbling -foam, and with lee rail awash sped southward -for the entrance to Hudson Straits.</p> - -<p>Twice bowheads were sighted and boats lowered; -but to the boys’ chagrin and disappointment, Captain -Edwards absolutely refused to let them go in on the -giant creatures without an experienced man in charge, -for the weather was squally, swirling flakes of snow -fell now and then, the sea was rough and time was -precious.</p> - -<p>At last, the entrance to the Straits was reached. -Passing Resolution Island close to windward and with -a fair wind, the <i>Narwhal</i> sped through. Slipping -swiftly past Coats Island and through the narrow<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[143]</a></span> -Fisher Strait with big Southampton Island on the -north, she headed for Rowe’s Welcome, where Captain -Edwards planned to pass the long and dreary -Arctic winter.</p> - -<p>“Gosh!” exclaimed Tom as the boys gazed across -the vast expanse of the bay. “This is like the ocean. -I thought Hudson Bay was just like a big lake.”</p> - -<p>Captain Edwards chuckled. “Mighty big lake!” -he laughed. “About six hundred miles wide and a -thousand miles long—big enough to drop all New -England into it and just make a little island about the -size of Southampton yonder. And did you know -we could go on sailing and come out over north’ard of -Alaska—that is, if the ice’d let us?”</p> - -<p>“No, I never did,” admitted Tom. “I wish geographies -taught us all these things. We learn that -Lake Superior is awfully big but they never say much -about these out-of-the-way places.”</p> - -<p>“Well, Superior’s a pretty sizable pond,” declared -the skipper. “But it’s just a puddle ’longside -this bay. Why, from James Bay to the north’ard -point of Melville Peninsula’s as far as acrost the -Atlantic at the mouth of the St. Lawrence; and from -Nottingham Island at the end of the Straits to the -Seal River, t’other side of the bay, it’s as far as from -New York to Chicago.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[144]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Whew, I guess I’ll have to remember that and tell -the boys at home,” said Jim. “Are there whales in -here?”</p> - -<p>“Whales!” exclaimed the skipper. “One of the -best grounds I know. If this weather holds out we’ll -get a heap of ile afore ice begins to make.”</p> - -<p>Cap’n Pem who stood near shook his head dolefully. -“Too consarned good fer to las’,” he declared. -“Li’ble to come down a rip-snortin’ mos’ anny minnet. -Storm breeder’s what I calls it. Yes, sir. Feels -like summer now, but I’ll bet ye we ketch it afore we -git to the Welcome.”</p> - -<p>It was, as the old whaleman said, “too good to last”—a -soft, warm day with a blue sky, a calm sea barely -ruffled by the light southerly wind, and altogether -like an Indian Summer day in New England. But to -the experienced eye of the old whaleman there were -many signs that the weather would not last and that -something was wrong. The ducks, that had been -winging southward, huddled together, raised their -heads uneasily and gabbled ceaselessly. The V-shaped -flocks of geese were mere specks in the sky, -and their hoarse honks came faintly through the air. -The gulls uttered raucous cries and wheeled and -screamed. Little knots of auks and guillemots kept -rising from the waves, heading on rapidly moving<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[145]</a></span> -wings for the craggy shores. The sun had a pale, -hazy appearance while about it was a huge ring of -light, like the ghost of a rainbow.</p> - -<p>Lighter and lighter became the wind. It fell to -a flat calm, the water was smooth as oil and the <i>Narwhal</i> -drifted idly. Then the boys noticed that the -vast bulk of Southampton Island seemed to be fading -away, the farther shores of the bay were becoming -faint and blue. Almost before they realized what -it meant, the air grew suddenly chill, a cold wind -whipped against their faces and, like a gray blanket, -the fog descended swiftly, unheralded, and wrapped -schooner and bay in its dense gray folds.</p> - -<p>“Knowed sutthin’ wuz a-comin’ out o’ this,” declared -Cap’n Pem. “Bust it all, why couldn’t she -’a’ held off ’til we got inter the Welcome?”</p> - -<p>“What on earth <em>is</em> this ‘Welcome’ you’re always -speaking of?” asked Tom.</p> - -<p>“Shucks, ’course ye don’t know,” replied the old -whaleman. “Why, a Welcome’s a sort o’ harbor-bay -like, where a ship kin put in an’ be snug an’ safe from -ice jams an’ win’s.”</p> - -<p>“Well, it’s a good name for such places,” laughed -Tom. “I suppose the first people who found them -called them that because they were so welcome.”</p> - -<p>“Yep, I reckon so,” assented Pem. “But this here<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[146]</a></span> -blasted fog ain’t welcome, an’ like as not it’ll come -on cold and blow harder’n blazes fer a week arter -it lifts. I knowed that there cat’d play the everlastin’ -fumdiddles with us.”</p> - -<p>The fog was now so dense that only a few feet of -the deck and bulwarks were visible about the spot -where one stood. The water although so near was -completely hidden and looking down into the greenish -gray vapor, the ship seemed floating in air. From -every side came the whimpering cries of gulls, the -querulous chatter of ducks, the honk of geese, and -the shrill notes of other birds. Presently Unavik -loomed silently close to the boys and leaning upon -the rail peered into the fog.</p> - -<p>“H’lo!” he greeted the two. “Plenty fog, me say. -Me t’ink Ukla bus’ dis day.”</p> - -<p>“What <em>are</em> you talking about?” queried Jim. -“What’s ‘Ukla,’ and what do you mean by its busting?’”</p> - -<p>The Eskimo grinned. “Gimme t’bac, me say -you,” he replied.</p> - -<p>So accustomed had the boys become to Unavik’s -inevitable requests for tobacco, that they always carried -a plug or two in their pockets, and so, at the -Eskimo’s request, Jim handed him the coveted weed.</p> - -<p>“Reckon he’s goin’ to spin a Eskimo yarn,” remarked<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[147]</a></span> -Mr. Kemp, who stepped like a phantom from -the surrounding mist. “These boys is full of stories—have -one to account for blamed near everything. -Some of ’em mighty good, too.”</p> - -<p>Unavik grinned, tore a huge mouthful of tobacco -from the plug with his strong white teeth and, having -masticated it for a moment, began to speak. It was -not difficult for the boys to understand him, for they -had become familiar with his bizarre English. They -listened intently to his tale which, without Unavik’s -dialect, was as follows:</p> - -<p>“Many, many winters ago,” commenced the Eskimo, -“there was one great white bear named Ukla. -He and his wife lived many days’ travel towards the -west in a great skin house on a rocky plain, and all -about the house were the skulls of men and women, -for Ukla and his wife ate people’s flesh, and every -night he traveled across the land to the Eskimo villages. -Then he would kill any one he found outside -the huts, and if he could not do this, he would steal -the bodies of the dead and fastening a thong about -their feet, would drag them to his home.</p> - -<p>“Sometimes he was seen by the Eskimos, but oftener -the people saw only his giant footmarks in the -snow, or found the graves opened and the dead gone. -For many years old Ukla did this, and although the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[148]</a></span> -Eskimos held medicine feasts and asked the Great -Spirit to help them, no help came.</p> - -<p>“Many times also the people lay in wait and tried -to kill Ukla, the giant bear, with their spears and -arrows, but Ukla was a great <i>anticoot</i> (magician) and -the weapons fell from his shaggy skin bent or broken. -Then one day a stranger came to the Eskimos—a -tall fair man, and said:</p> - -<p>“‘Take heart, for I will destroy Ukla.’</p> - -<p>“Then the Eskimos danced and beat their drums -and were happy, and the stranger said to them: ‘To-morrow -I will pretend to be dead, and you must wrap -me in skins and bury me among the stones; and when -Ukla comes let him take me away in peace.’</p> - -<p>“Then the people were sad, but the stranger said: -‘Weep not, for I will return and never again will -Ukla rob the graves or kill the people.’</p> - -<p>“So the Eskimos did as the stranger told them, and -wrapping him in skins placed him among the stones -and went to their homes, crying loudly as if he had -died. In the night came the great bear who had -heard the Eskimos’ wails across the hills, and seeing -the body of the stranger, he fastened a thong about -the man’s ankles and started for his home. But the -man spread out his arms and grasped at stones and -bushes, and although Ukla pulled and tugged he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[149]</a></span> -could not travel fast, and every few miles he had to -stop and rest. Then as he looked at the man’s body -lying quiet on the ground he would shake his head in -wonder.</p> - -<p>“‘Ah,’ he would mutter to himself, ‘who would -think such a small man would weigh so much; but -he must be very fat and fine indeed! What a fine -supper he will make!’ Then, thinking of the fine -feast he would have, Ukla would start on again. At -last, very tired, he reached his hut, and dragging the -man inside, the bear pushed him into a corner, and -too tired to eat he crawled into his sleeping bag, telling -his wife they would feast in the morning.</p> - -<p>“After a time the stranger opened his eyes to look -about, but Ukla’s wife, who was trimming the lamp, -saw him and cried out to her husband: ‘This man -is not dead—he is looking about!’</p> - -<p>“But Ukla was very weary and said sleepily: ‘Oh, -man dead, man frozen stiff.’</p> - -<p>“Then the man kept very still, and when the bear’s -wife turned away, he seized Ukla’s knife, and leaping -up, killed her. As she fell dead Ukla awoke, but -the man, throwing down the knife, dashed out of the -door and across the plain with the big bear at his -heels, panting and growling and snapping his teeth.</p> - -<p>“At last, no matter how fast he ran, the man found<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[150]</a></span> -Ukla was getting nearer and nearer and would soon -overtake him. But the man was a great <i>anticoot</i>, and -as he ran he made a great hill rise between himself -and Ukla. So as the bear climbed slowly up one -side, the man raced swiftly down the other. But -when Ukla reached the top he curled up in a ball -and rolled so quickly down the hill that he almost -caught the man.</p> - -<p>“Then the stranger made a big river flow between -himself and the bear, and weary with running he -seated himself on a stone to rest. When Ukla came -to the river he roared and growled in anger and in a -great voice called out: ‘How, O man did <em>you</em> cross -the river?’</p> - -<p>“And the man laughed and answered, ‘I drank my -way across.’</p> - -<p>“When Ukla heard this, he plunged into the water -and drank and drank until at last he made a dry path -across the river, and crawled slowly up the other -bank towards the man. But his long hair was wet -and heavy and his body was swollen with the water -he had drunk, so that the man had no fear of him -and taunted him. Then Ukla grew very angry and -with growls like icebergs clashing in a storm he -roared: ‘Ugh! even though I cannot overtake you, -yet you shall not escape me!’ and giving himself a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[151]</a></span> -mighty shake he burst, and the water which he had -swallowed flew in all directions and made a thick fog -over the land.</p> - -<p>“Now the man was greatly troubled, for the hills -and plains could not be seen and he was lost. But -he skinned Ukla, and taking the shaggy hide in his -hands, he waved it many times about his head. This -made a great wind which drove away the fog and the -man walked safely to the Eskimo village. Then -there was great rejoicing and the men did not work -or hunt for three days, and the women did not comb -their hair for three days and three nights, but all -danced and beat drums and feasted.</p> - -<p>“For many years the stranger dwelt among the people -and taught them many things, and so that the -people would always remember him, he told them -that Ukla’s spirit would roam the plains, and would -burst from time to time, and that then, as the fog -came, they must give offerings and hold medicine -dances, and that then he would know they had not -forgotten and would wave Ukla’s skin and drive away -the fog.”</p> - -<p>“That is a good yarn!” cried Tom as Unavik ended. -“And say, hurrah, the fog’s lifting!”</p> - -<p>Unavik grinned. “Man, he hear plenty drum. -You no hear? Me say he please an’ wave um skin.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[152]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Gee, I do hear drums!” declared Tom. “From -over to the west.”</p> - -<p>“Sure Mike!” exclaimed Unavik. “Me say all -same. Fog go.”</p> - -<p>Tom laughed. “Do you believe that yarn, Unavik?” -he asked.</p> - -<p>The Eskimo stared at Tom with a puzzled expression. -“Sure,” he declared, “me see hill, me see -river, me see fog. All time fog come Eskimo make-um -plenty dance, plenty drum, fog go, all same now.”</p> - -<p>As if further argument was useless in the face of -such evidence, Unavik waddled off towards the bows.</p> - -<p>Presently the water was rippling against the vessel’s -sides. The fog had thinned until the entire -schooner was visible from where the boys stood. In -wisps and shreds the vapor was scudding by, while -out of the west came a strong, cold wind.</p> - -<p>As the last of the fog swept by, there was a hoarse -frightened bellow from forward. Quick sharp orders -were roared out and the boys, racing to the lee side -of the schooner, fairly gasped. Almost under the -bows was a jagged reef of sharp black rocks! For -a brief instant the boys stood petrified. The schooner -seemed doomed. Before her sails could be trimmed, -before she would have steerageway upon her she -would be on the rocks. Each second she was drifting,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[153]</a></span> -slipping nearer to the reef. The boys listened -with bated breath, expecting to hear the rending -crash, the awful jar that would mean the <i>Narwhal’s</i> -end.</p> - -<p>All about orders were flying thick and fast. Cap’n -Pem was roaring from the break of the poop. Captain -Edwards had leaped to the wheel and was shouting -commands. Mr. Kemp in the main shrouds was -cursing the men for their slowness. Back and forth -to braces, sheets and halyards the men were rushing -and hauling in a vain effort to save the ship. Then, -from under the boys’ feet came rapid pistol-like -reports; above the cries of the men, drowning -the creak and squeal of block and sheave, barked the -exhaust of the motor; the <i>Narwhal</i> forged ahead, she -swung slowly to her rudder and, with not five feet to -spare, slid by the threatening reefs to safety.</p> - -<p>With blank faces boys and men gazed at one another. -Who had saved the ship? It was not Mike, -he was stumping hurriedly aft as puzzled as any one.</p> - -<p>“B’ Saint Pathrick!” he cried. “’Tis a sphirit -Oi’m thinkin’!”</p> - -<p>With the boys by his side he hurried through the -cabin towards the tiny engine room where the motor -was still throbbing steadily.</p> - -<p>“Glory be!” he exclaimed, as he caught sight of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[154]</a></span> -the figure bending over the motor. “Glory be, ’tis -thot dummy av a blacksmith!”</p> - -<p>“Gosh, it is!” cried Tom. “The deaf-and-dumb -man!”</p> - -<p>“B’jabbers thin ’tis no dummy in his brains he -do be, at thot!” roared Mike. “B’ the powers, ’tis -lucky we do be, thot Oi tould him to be afther doin’ -a bit o’ worruk on the injine.”</p> - -<p>The deaf mute straightened up and stared blankly -at the three. Then, moving his fingers in an attempt -to explain matters, he shut off the motor, picked up -his kit of tools and walked forward.</p> - -<p>“Gee, I’d like to know how it happened,” declared -Tom. “He couldn’t have heard the orders or excitement. -I’m going to ask Swanson.”</p> - -<p>A broad grin overspread the big Swede’s features -as, in response to Tom’s questions, he interrogated -the deaf mute and watched the fellow’s fingers communicating -his reply.</p> - -<p>“He say he bane fix das machine an’ he bane want -to try him out. Ay tank, by yiminy, it bane lucky -he try him yust den.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[155]</a></span></p> - -<h2 id="CHAPTER_XI">CHAPTER XI<br /> -<span class="smaller">THE BOYS CATCH A TARTAR</span></h2> - -<p>It was indeed a lucky thing for the <i>Narwhal</i> and -all upon her that the deaf-mute had been tinkering -with the motor and had started the machine -at exactly the right instant. Scarcely had the schooner -cleared the reef when, to the north, the bay was -blotted from sight by a white wall, a roar like a cataract -came booming across the water and sea birds -flew screaming past with wings aslant.</p> - -<p>One glance Cap’n Pem gave and then, at the top -of his leathern lungs, he bellowed orders fast and -furiously. The men, yet at their posts, leaped to -his bidding. Captain Edwards who was still at the -wheel tugged desperately at the spokes. Mr. Kemp -himself led the willing crew aloft and, working like -demons, the men stripped the vessel of her lighter -sails. And not an instant too soon. Before the -first reef cringle was knotted in the foresail, the squall -was upon them. With a maniacal shriek the gale -tore through the rigging, the water dashed in bucketfuls<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[156]</a></span> -of icy spray across the decks, and at the sudden -irresistible pressure the <i>Narwhal</i> heeled until half -her decks were awash, and a raging blizzard blotted -out sea and land.</p> - -<p>Farther and farther the staunch old schooner -heeled to the wind. Clinging to shrouds, backstays, -and rigging, the men and boys waited, expecting -each second that the schooner would actually capsize. -The sleet beat upon them, stinging like needles, -and the blinding snow swirled and eddied and piled -in drifts upon the deck.</p> - -<p>Cap’n Pem’s mouth opened and shut. Mr. Kemp -cupped his hands to his lips, but not a word could -be heard above the terrific din of the howling wind, -the rattle of hail, the roaring of the gale in the sails, -the whipping of loose rigging, the creak and groans -of straining spars and the lashing thunder of the -rapidly rising seas. Then slowly, inch by inch, the -<i>Narwhal</i> swung around. Gradually she righted, -the water poured in cataracts from her scuppers and, -shaking herself like an impatient horse, she leaped -forward and tore madly through the foaming water -towards the south.</p> - -<p>Onward she sped through the blizzard, before the -howling gale. With jaws hard set and eyes straining, -the three men at the wheel panted and strained<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[157]</a></span> -and threw their weight upon the spokes in a mighty -effort to hold her to her course. Forward, Mr. Kemp -and two men huddled in the lee of the winch and -peered ahead, striving to pierce the eddying, whirling -wall of white. The two boys, awed, frightened, -and shivering, crouched beside the deck house, too -fascinated, too thrilled to go below for warmer garments. -Twice great dim shapes loomed ahead. -Each time the frenzied shout of the lookout came -in time and the <i>Narwhal</i> sped past the bergs in safety. -Again and again a thundering crash shook the -schooner from stem to stern as her plunging bow -sheared through floating cakes of ice. Once a dark -mass of rocks loomed for an instant within a hundred -yards and the next second was gone, swallowed -up in the all-enveloping white.</p> - -<p>But luck was with those on the <i>Narwhal</i>. By a -miracle she escaped the bergs; no large pan ice lay -in her course; jagged reefs and rock-bound islets -were safely passed, and an hour after she had first -started on her mad rush before the gale, the squall -ceased as suddenly as it had commenced. The wind -dropped to a steady blow, the snow ceased to fall, -blue sky showed overhead, and, ten minutes later, -the decks were streaming with water and there was a -steady downpour from aloft as the sun melted the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[158]</a></span> -tons of ice and snow that had accumulated during the -brief but terrific blizzard.</p> - -<p>“Didn’t I tell ye it’d blow a rip-snorter?” exclaimed -Cap’n Pem triumphantly, as, with sails once more -spread, the <i>Narwhal</i> turned back on her course. -“I knowed it,” he continued, “drat that there -cat!”</p> - -<p>“B’gorra thin we’ll be afther havin’ foine luck fer -the rist av the cruise,” declared Mike. “Shure, the -poor puss is gone entoirely. Didn’t Oi see her with -me own eyes—washed clane overboarrd whin the old -schooner wuz afther thyrin’ for to do the lay-me-down-to-slape -stunt back there.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, that’s too bad!” cried Tom. “Couldn’t you -save her?”</p> - -<p>“Save her, is it!” exclaimed Mike. “Shure yez -wuz there and ’tis well yez arre afther knowin’ ’twas -a-savin’ av our own souls we wuz thinkin’ av—and -divvil a bit av the cat’s.”</p> - -<p>“Derned ef I ain’t glad,” declared Pem. “Mebbe -we’ll be gittin’ on a mite better now.”</p> - -<p>Mike grinned, winked an eye at the boys and, as -he turned away, remarked, “Shure, ye ould croaker, -Oi’d not be afther countin’ av me chickens afore -they do be hatched, thin. ’Tis noine loives a cat -does be afther havin’ and b’gorra by the same token<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[159]</a></span> -she’ll be a-comin’ back and be a-drowndin’ eight -toimes yit, loike as not.”</p> - -<p>“Shet up, ye dumb fool!” shouted the old whaleman. -“We’re consarned well rid o’ her.”</p> - -<p>“Well, we’ve still four cats aboard,” Jim reminded -him teasingly. “And two of them are -black.”</p> - -<p>Cap’n Pem glared at the boy and stumped off -without another word.</p> - -<p>Slowly the <i>Narwhal</i> beat back to the northward. -Two days later she entered Rowe’s Welcome and -came to anchor in the sheltered bay within a short -distance of the shore. Close to the spot, near the -mouth of a river, were a score or more of Eskimo -skin tents, and upon the shingle at the river’s mouth -were drawn dozens of kayaks. Before the <i>Narwhal’s</i> -chains roaring from the hawse holes had roused the -echoes of the hills, the Eskimos were paddling towards -the schooner. At their first glance the boys -saw that here at last were the Eskimos they had -always pictured. Clad in garments of skin and fur -they came scrambling over the <i>Narwhal’s</i> rail, laughing -and grinning, copper-faced and slant-eyed, but -far cleaner than those at Hebron or Disko, and with -something about them which at once marked them -as true primitive people untouched by civilization.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[160]</a></span> -Their spears, harpoons, and arrows were tipped with -ivory or bone, their faces were tattooed and their -garments were highly decorated with beads and skin -embroidery.</p> - -<p>Presently, from the waist of the ship, came roars -of laughter and good-natured shouts. The boys, -glancing up, saw a number of the crew leaning over -the bulwarks while others were hurrying to join the -group.</p> - -<p>“What’n tarnation’s up now?” exclaimed Cap’n -Pem as with the boys by his side he hurried forward.</p> - -<p>As they reached the crowd of men, Swanson -straightened up from the rail over which he was -leaning, took his pipe from his mouth and grinned -under his big yellow mustache. With a humorous -twinkle in his deep-set blue eyes he remarked, “Ay -tank das cat bane come back.”</p> - -<p>As the old whaleman peered over the ship’s side, -his eyes seemed about to pop from his head, his jaw -dropped and he stared down at the kayaks below as -if he had seen a ghost. Perched on the rounded -skin deck of one of the canoes was the black cat!</p> - -<p>“Well, I’ll be everlastin’ly keelhauled!” ejaculated -the old man and, as a roar of laughter rose from -the men’s throats, he jammed his cap over his eyes -and stumped aft.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[161]</a></span></p> - -<p>But even the superstitious old whaleman could find -nothing in the way of ill luck with which to blame -the cat during the next few days. The Eskimos had -quantities of walrus ivory, many fine skins and pelts -and a goodly amount of whalebone on hand, and -this was soon in the <i>Narwhal’s</i> hold while the natives -were richer in calico, knives, iron, beads and matches -than they had ever dreamed of being.</p> - -<p>Old Pem fairly beamed, and he rubbed his calloused -hands gleefully as he saw the bales, packages, -and bundles being stowed. “Purty nice little nest -egg,” he chuckled. “Nigh two thousand dollars wuth -o’ stuff I reckon. Swan, if this keeps on if we don’t -go sailin’ inter New Bedford full up.”</p> - -<p>The boys were far more interested in the Eskimos -and their village than in the skins and bone. They -spent most of their time ashore, and with Mr. Kemp or -Unavik as interpreters they learned much of the Eskimos’ -life and ways. They watched them fish in the -river, made friends with the Eskimo boys, played with -the roly-poly children, and spent hours in the tents -watching the women as they chewed the hides to cure -them and deftly fashioned the skins and furs into -garments.</p> - -<p>“Gee, they use bone needles!” exclaimed Jim the -first time he saw one of the women sewing a pair<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[162]</a></span> -of moccasins, “and thimbles made of raw hide and -threads of sinew. Say, I wonder how they’d like -real needles and thread.”</p> - -<p>The next time they went ashore they carried a supply -of needles, thread, thimbles and other sewing material -and presented them to the women. Instantly the -crude bone and rawhide utensils were cast aside and -with beaming faces and ejaculations of delight, the -women chattered and laughed as they experimented -with the bright steel needles and shiny thimbles. As -Tom said, they were like children with new toys and -when in return—for even the least gift calls for a -return present with the Eskimos—the women loaded -the boys down with exquisitely worked moccasins, -shirts of eider skins, blouse-like coats of fox and seal -and robes of wolf and musk ox skins, the two lads -were as pleased and excited as the women had been.</p> - -<p>“Say, we’ve got to learn to talk Eskimo,” declared -Tom. “It’ll be lots more fun if we can talk to -these people.”</p> - -<p>So, with Mr. Kemp’s help, the two boys set diligently -to work to learn the Eskimos’ language and -progressed rapidly. At first they found it a most difficult -task to pronounce the odd, clucking gutturals, -but once they mastered the rudiments they got on -famously. Within a short time they were able to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[163]</a></span> -ask questions and understand the replies, and they -had acquired quite a vocabulary of names and -words.</p> - -<p>In the meantime, the crew of the ship had not been -idle. The schooner had been stripped of sails, topmasts -and yards were sent down, and preparations -made for the coming winter. Daily the whale boats -had been manned, and under their spritsails had gone -dancing off across the bay in search of whales. -Sometimes they were gone for several days and returned -empty handed, but often they would come -sailing back in a long line and towing the carcasses -of one or two huge bowheads. Then every one -worked like beavers, cutting in and boiling until -the oil and bone were safely under hatches.</p> - -<p>At first the boys were crazy to go out on these -hunts, but after one or two experiences, they decided -there was far more of interest about the village and -the shores, and devoted their time to hunting and -paddling about the Welcome in a kayak which they -had secured for themselves.</p> - -<p>Near the village there was little game, for the Eskimos’ -dogs roamed about, picking up every stray -hare, ptarmigan, or other live thing, and so the boys -went farther and farther afield on their excursions. -The weather still held warm and pleasant, although<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[164]</a></span> -the nights were cold and the little ponds and lakes -between the hills were coated with ice. A few miles -from the village the boys found game in abundance. -One spot in particular was a favorite hunting ground—a -little island in the broad estuary of the Welcome -where the Wager River emptied into the bay. -Here there were always ducks in the coves, hares -nibbled the stunted shrubs among the rocks, ptarmigan -gathered in flocks on the southern sides of the -hills, and twice the boys had secured seals which -they had surprised basking on the shore. One of -these was a magnificent silver seal; the other a half-grown -hooded seal. The two handsome hides had -been cured and made into garments by the boys’ -Eskimo women friends.</p> - -<p>One day as the two boys were paddling their kayak -around the island keeping a sharp lookout for game, -Jim muttered a low exclamation and pointed towards -the open water of the estuary. Tom peered intently -as he ceased paddling, but for a moment could see -nothing. Then, a few hundred yards away, something -broke the surface of the water and a tiny -column of spray rose in the air.</p> - -<p>“Golly, it’s a whale!” cried Tom in subdued tones. -“Say, let’s go for him!”</p> - -<p>“All right,” assented Jim, “it’s a little fellow—a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[165]</a></span> -white whale, I guess. Say, won’t it be fine if -we can get him all by ourselves?”</p> - -<p>Swinging the kayak, Tom drove his paddle into -the water while Jim, laying aside his rifle, got out -the harpoon and placed the lance ready for use.</p> - -<p>Apparently totally unaware that enemies were -near, the creature remained almost stationary, now -and then rolling lazily at the surface, sometimes -raising its tail and bringing it down with a resounding -splash as if in play, and constantly blowing. -Rapidly the kayak approached. Jim grasped the harpoon -firmly, saw that the line was clear and, shaking -with excitement, he prepared to strike. Then, -as the frail craft slipped within a dozen feet of the -cetacean and Jim raised his arm, he realized that -it was no white whale, but a strange, dull-colored, -bluish creature with the skin covered with irregular -blackish spots. But, whatever it was, the animal was -within striking range and, summoning all his -strength, Jim hurled the iron into the spotted animal’s -back just as it rose above the surface to blow.</p> - -<p>The next instant a volcano seemed to have burst -into eruption beneath the waves. The water boiled -and frothed; a broad tail flashed and struck and -swung to right and left, the kayak danced and careened -and bobbed upon the heaving surface. Then<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[166]</a></span> -as Jim, frightened half out of his wits by the actions -of the strange beast, was about to cut the line, the -creature hurled itself forward and raced off like a -cyclone. With a terrific jerk the kayak swung about, -tipped until it almost capsized, and went tearing after -the stricken animal. This was something the boys -had not counted on. They had watched the Eskimos -when they struck white whales and had intended to -follow the native method of throwing overboard the -float of skin. They had no intention of being towed -in a cranky kayak by a maddened whale. But the -line had kinked and had fouled. Jim, despite his -frantic efforts, could not free it while it was under -the terrific strain, and so it was a case of either being -towed and trusting to luck to escape being capsized -and drowned, or cutting the line.</p> - -<p>“Don’t cut it!” screamed Tom as he saw Jim raise -his heavy hunting knife. “Wait till we see we’re -in danger!”</p> - -<p>Breathing hard, thrilled with the excitement and -yet filled with terror, Jim waited, knife in hand, while -the whale sped this way and that, sounded and -milled; but to the boys’ surprise, never breached. -But as the bouyant kayak continued right side up and -nothing happened, the boys gained confidence and -each time the creature slackened its pace Jim hauled<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[167]</a></span> -in line until the kayak was almost within striking distance -of the whale. Then, so suddenly that Tom -could not check the kayak’s motion, the creature halted -in its rush and the next instant dashed straight towards -the canoe.</p> - -<p>Jim gave a terrified scream of warning. Tom dug -his paddle into the water and as the kayak responded -to the effort and swung slightly, the spotted creature -dashed by within a foot of the craft.</p> - -<p>Jim, who had been expecting to kill the animal -an instant before, still held the lance in his hand. -As the cetacean rushed past him, he lunged forward -and scarcely knowing what he did, plunged the -weapon into the creature’s side. At the blow, the -animal threw itself from the water, the lance was -wrenched from Jim’s grip and the boys’ eyes grew -wide in wonder. In the brief instant that the whale -was out of water they had seen that a long, gleaming -shaft projected from its head!</p> - -<p>But before they could utter a cry, before they realized -what had happened, the big spotted body crashed -back into the water, bloody froth spouted from its -blow hole and with a convulsive flip of its tail -it rolled over on its side against the kayak, stone -dead.</p> - -<p>“Whew!” cried Jim, as he wiped the perspiration<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[168]</a></span> -from his face and blinked his eyes. “We did catch -a tartar that time!”</p> - -<p>“You bet we did!” agreed Tom heartily. “But -we got him just the same. Gosh, but that <em>was</em> a -dandy stroke of yours—getting him on the wing that -way. And did you see his head—he’s been struck -before and the lance or iron’s sticking in his nose. -I wonder what the dickens he is anyway.”</p> - -<p>“Gee Christopher!” cried Jim who had been examining -their catch. “That’s not a lance in his nose—it -belongs there—it’s a sort of horn. Look, it’s -like ivory and twisted.”</p> - -<p>“Hurrah!” shouted Tom. “I know what ’tis—we’ve -killed the schooner’s namesake. It’s a -narwhal!”</p> - -<p>“Golly, you’re right!” cried Jim. “Won’t Cap’n -Pem and the others be surprised! But say—I’d -never have dared touch him if I’d known. Remember -how Mr. Kemp told us about these fellows -driving their tusks right through a whaleboat and -sinking it?”</p> - -<p>“I’ll say I do,” replied Tom. “I know what -they’ll say—‘fools rush in,’ you know.”</p> - -<p>“Well, fools or not, we won,” declared Jim, -“and this old fellow’s horn’ll make <em>some</em> trophy up -in our room.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[169]</a></span></p> - -<p>Elated at their unexpected capture, the boys forgot -all about their hunt and, fastening a line about the -narwhal’s tail, they started to tow him to the schooner. -It was slow, backbreaking work, but when at last -they reached their vessel and showed their catch to -those on board, they felt amply rewarded for their -labors.</p> - -<p>“By the love av hivvin!” cried Mike, who was the -first to see the dead creature. “Shure and ’tis a -unicorn yez do be afther killin’!”</p> - -<p>“I’ll be swizzled!” exclaimed Cap’n Pem. “Ye -everlastin’ young scallawags, what ye mean by a-goin’ -in on one o’ them critters? Ye’re lucky he didn’t -sink ye. Jes like ye though—fools allers——”</p> - -<p>“I know it!” laughed Tom. “I told Jimmy you’d -say that. But we got him and didn’t get hurt, even -if the cat did come back!”</p> - -<p>“Jes dumb luck,” declared the old whaleman. -Then, as Captain Edwards appeared, he shouted, -“Look a-here, didn’t I tell ye these here boys wuz -born to be whalers? Jes take a squint ’longside -an’ see what the young scallawags been a-doin’.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll be——” ejaculated the skipper. “Reckon -you’re proud of yourselves. Whoppin’ big fellow, -too. Give you a tussle, didn’t he?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, not so much,” replied Tom nonchalantly.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[170]</a></span> -“But he had us scared. The line fouled and he -towed us every which way and then went for us. -And say, you ought to have seen Jim get him! -Lanced him as he went scooting by the kayak full -speed.”</p> - -<p>“Darned lucky he did!” declared Mr. Kemp who -had joined the group. “If he hadn’t the blamed -critter’d have turned and drove his horn through -that kayak and through you too, like as not.”</p> - -<p>“Well, we didn’t know,” laughed Jim, “or we -wouldn’t have tackled him. But I’m not sorry now. -Just the same, we’ll know better next time. I’m -not a bit anxious to catch another narwhal.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know as we really did, this time,” said -Tom. “Seems to me the narwhal caught us and we -didn’t have much to say about it.”</p> - -<p>“H’lo!” exclaimed Unavik strolling up. “Ugh! -me say bimeby you feller be big hunter. Gimme -t’bac!”</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[171]</a></span></p> - -<h2 id="CHAPTER_XII">CHAPTER XII<br /> -<span class="smaller">FROZEN IN</span></h2> - -<p>On the morning after their capture of the narwhal, -the boys came on deck to find -the weather completely changed. Above -stretched a dull gray sky, great flakes of snow were -drifting down, the land was already hidden under a -thin coat of white and, at the first touch of the biting -wind, the two dodged back to their cabin to reappear -clad from head to foot in their Eskimo garments.</p> - -<p>Mr. Kemp laughed heartily as he saw them. “All -ready for the winter, eh?” he cried. “What you -goin’ to wear when it’s really cold?”</p> - -<p>“You can’t say anything,” retorted Tom, “you’ve -got on a sweater and a reefer and oilskins yourself.”</p> - -<p>“’Tis a bit sharp, I’ll admit,” replied the second -officer. “Looks like summer’s about over. Them -Eskimos know it. If this keeps up, they’ll be a-setting -up their igloos to-morrow.”</p> - -<p>“Why, the water’s freezing!” exclaimed Jim who<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[172]</a></span> -had peered over the schooner’s side. “Hurrah, -we’ll be able to walk ashore now!”</p> - -<p>“Walk ashore!” exclaimed Mr. Kemp. “Why, -bless you, if the weather keeps on as it oughta, you -could run a train acrost the bay inside a week.”</p> - -<p>Already thin ice had formed on the surface of -the water and, although each swell coming into the -Welcome broke the newly formed ice with a curious -crackling sound, fresh ice formed almost as -rapidly as it was destroyed, and the upended little -cakes were congealing in a jagged, hummocky surface -that bade fair to imprison the waves very soon -and lock them fast for many months.</p> - -<p>The rigging was white with snow and a couple of -inches of the soft feathery blanket lay on the decks. -The crew, clad in oilskins and sweaters, with -caps pulled over ears and mittens on hands, were -busy hammering and pounding as they put the finishing -touches to the long, shedlike structure that they -had erected extending from the poop to the foremast. -Ashore, the Eskimos were dragging their kayaks far -from the water’s edge and were placing them upside -down on racks of whale’s ribs. The women were -piling stones upon the edges of their skin dwellings -and the boys were yelling shrilly and cracking their -long whips as they gathered the dogs together.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[173]</a></span></p> - -<p>Hourly the cold increased. The snowflakes became -finer and fell faster and faster; the wind came -in fitful gusts and whirled the snow into drifts. -When the pale light faded soon after noon and the -boys knew that the sun had set, land, sea, and ship -were covered deep with snow.</p> - -<p>Day after day the storm continued. The Eskimos’ -tents were buried halfway to their peaked tops -in the drifts; the rough plank house upon the schooner -was like a huge snowbank, and even the tough and -hardened old whalemen had donned suits of skins and -furs. Then one day came a muffled hail through -the blinding snow, and looking over the <i>Narwhal’s</i> -side, the surprised boys saw two of the Eskimos -standing upon the snow-covered ice beneath them.</p> - -<p>“Hurrah, they can walk on it!” cried Tom and, -followed by Jim, he clambered over the schooner’s -rails and leaped on to the ice.</p> - -<p>“Gee, we’re frozen in!” yelled Jim. “It’s really -winter. Come on, let’s go and see what the Eskimos -are doing.”</p> - -<p>“Look out, ye young scallawags,” roared Cap’n -Pem. “Ye’ll git lost.”</p> - -<p>“No danger,” called back Tom. “We’ll get one -of the Eskimos to go with us.”</p> - -<p>Turning, he spoke to the fur-clad men in their<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[174]</a></span> -own tongue and accompanied by one of them, the -two boys pushed their way through the snow towards -shore.</p> - -<p>“Oh, they’re building igloos!” exclaimed Jim as -they came in sight of the Eskimos. “And on the ice -too.”</p> - -<p>Interestedly the two boys watched the natives as -they labored at their winter homes. With long-bladed -snow knives carved from walrus tusks the -men cut the blocks of frozen snow and piled them -in a circle, tier on tier, each a little smaller than the -one preceding. Rapidly the low-domed huts grew -and took on form and soon the first one was completed. -With yells of delight Tom and Jim crawled -into the tunnel-like entrance and found themselves -within the igloo.</p> - -<p>“Say, isn’t this jolly!” cried Tom. “Come on, -Jim, let’s make one for ourselves. It’ll be great -sport having an igloo with the Eskimos.”</p> - -<p>Enthusiastically the two set to work, borrowing -snow knives from their Eskimo friends, but they -soon found that building an igloo was an art and -they joined heartily in the Eskimos’ merriment when -the wall tumbled in and all their work came to -nothing. They were not discouraged, and presently -one of the Eskimo boys came to their aid. With his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[175]</a></span> -help the boys soon got the knack of the work and -before it was time to return to the schooner for -dinner their igloo was completed.</p> - -<p>The night was almost as bright as day with the -Northern Lights reflected from the vast stretch of spotless -white. By midnight the storm was over; stars -twinkled brilliantly in the deep purple sky, the little -group of igloos rose above the flat, white plain of ice-like, -snow-covered bee hives. The wind was so bitingly, -intensely cold that the boys were glad indeed to -seek shelter in the deck house with its cheery red-hot -stove.</p> - -<p>Then followed days filled with constant novelty, -interest, and delight for the two boys. They went -with the Eskimos on hunts for seal, and learned to -find the blow holes in the ice through which the creatures -came up to breathe. With their snow knives -they cut great rectangular slabs of frozen snow and -placed them upright near the holes as windbreaks, -and with rifles grasped in their fur-gloved hands, and -warm as toast in their eider skin undergarments and -sealskin costumes, they lay upon the surface of the -frozen bay and watched the holes while the wind -swept downward from the North Pole, and the thermometer -dropped to many degrees below zero. Often -their vigil would gain them nothing. But many times<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[176]</a></span> -a big hooded seal, a sheeny silversides, or a magnificent -harp seal would fall a victim to their rifles. -Much of their time too they spent in their igloo which -they had fitted up exactly like those of their Eskimo -neighbors, with skins and furs covering the bench -of ice around the sides, a soapstone lamp filled with -whale oil, with a moss wick to give light and heat, -and with their weapons and trophies scattered about. -From one of the natives they had purchased a team -of dogs. Unavik had made them a sledge, and after -many trials, unending merriment, countless upsets, -and getting hopelessly tangled, the two boys had -learned to drive their huskies fairly well. There was -nothing they loved better than to go sledding over the -frozen snow, yelling at their dogs, cracking their -long whips, and now and then leaping on to the vehicle -and traveling like the wind through the frosty stinging -air lit by the pale winter sun or the gorgeous -Aurora.</p> - -<p>Much time also they spent in the Eskimos’ igloos -and, their first squeamishness at the dirt and filth of -the people being overcome, they found them very -pleasant and good company. Sometimes, as a blizzard -howled outside, and the dogs cowered whimpering -at the mouth of the entrance tunnel, the Eskimos -would while away the hours telling stories. Some of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[177]</a></span> -these were very quaint, others were humorous and -still others were almost poems with their vivid descriptive -phrases and beautiful sentiments.</p> - -<p>But the boys’ favorites were the folklore tales -about the birds and animals they knew so well. -Usually some chance remark or question of the boys -would start the story and all would listen attentively -while the gray-haired, wrinkled, old <i>ananating</i> -(grandmother) would tell in story form why certain -things were so. Once, for example, Jim was examining -a reindeer skin and called Tom’s attention to -the white rump and the stubby little tail. Amaluk, -who was making a snow knife, glanced up. “Perhaps,” -he said in the dialect the boys now understood -perfectly, “Nepaluka will tell you how the reindeer -lost their tails.”</p> - -<p>“Do,” begged Tom, “tell us the story, <i>Ananating</i>.”</p> - -<p>The old woman was busily mending a skin shirt, -her near-sighted eyes close to her work, her clawlike -fingers moving deftly as she plied the bone needle—for -she alone of all the women still preferred the -Eskimo needles to those of the white men.</p> - -<p>“Ai ai!” she exclaimed. “The clothes are mended -and my eyes are weary and perchance it may be well -to tell of Amook and the reindeer.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[178]</a></span></p> - -<p>Laying aside the carefully mended shirt she leaned -back among the thick bearskins and began.</p> - -<p>“Many ages ago,” she said in her droning voice, -“before the Eskimos first came to the land, all the -reindeer were brown from head to foot and all wore -bushy tails like the foxes. In those times lived a -great <i>anticoot</i> (magician) named Amook and to him -belonged all the animals and birds. And all the -creatures roamed at will except the reindeer, for these -Amook kept hidden in a great hole in the earth.</p> - -<p>“Every day Amook would come from the hole and, -after pulling a big stone over the entrance to his -home, he would travel far and wide caring for his -creatures. In those days the birds and animals were -all one color, and when winter came and snow fell -upon the land their brown bodies were plain to be -seen and the creatures saw one another afar, so it -was easy indeed for the owls and hawks to see the -ptarmigan and kill them, and for the foxes and -wolves to see the hares and devour them. At last so -many were killed that Amook grew afraid that his live -things would all be destroyed, and he would be left -without food to eat or furs to make his clothes. So, -being a magician, he made many spells, until at last, -by touching the fur of an animal or the feathers of a -bird, he could change the brown to white. Then,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[179]</a></span> -when the winter came, Amook would go forth and -call the birds and the beasts together, and as they came -at his call, he would stroke them with his hands, and -they would go forth white and spotless. But soon -Amook was again troubled, for when spring came -and the snow melted and the rocks and moss were -bare, the white creatures were like spots of snow upon -the brown land and fell easy prey to their enemies. -Then from far and near the birds and beasts flocked -to their master and begged him to make them brown -once more. So Amook made another spell in his -hole under the earth, and when he came forth and -touched the birds and the beasts, behold! they were -changed from white to brown as before.</p> - -<p>“So, as each winter came, Amook would change the -brown creatures to white and when the winter had -passed and the geese came to the northland, he would -again change the white to brown.</p> - -<p>“But some of the creatures were wary and would -not come to their master’s bidding and Amook had -hard work to capture them. It was thus with the -great bear for he loved his white coat that helped him -to hide on the bergs and floes, and try as Amook -might, he never caught him to change his coat to -brown, and so the bear to this day is always white -and changes not to brown in the spring. So too, the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[180]</a></span> -white owl in his white coat could perch motionless on -a rock and all creatures would take him for a harmless -bit of ice and would approach so near that he -could pounce upon them easily. Time and again -Amook crept close to catch the owl, but never did he -grasp him, although the tips of his fingers touched -the owl’s feathers as he flew off and to this day you -may see the round brown finger marks left by Amook -on the feathers of the owl. The weasel too, timid -and suspicious, but too cowardly to disobey his -master, crept sneaking from the rocks and crouched -snarling to the earth as Amook passed his hand over -his back, and the tip of his tail, which was hidden in -the rocks, is always black and his belly that was -pressed upon the earth remains ever white. Many -other things—the geese and ducks, the snipes and -hawks—flew southward before Amook came forth to -change their colors and so, throughout the year, their -coats remain the same. But the hare and the fox<a name="FNanchor_2" id="FNanchor_2"></a><a href="#Footnote_2" class="fnanchor">[2]</a> -and the ptarmigan came always at Amook’s call and -grew cunning and hid safely from their enemies.</p> - -<p>“Through all this time the reindeer, deep in their -hole, remained brown, for under the earth there was -neither winter nor summer. One day as Amook came -back to his hole the raven, flying by, saw him step out<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[181]</a></span> -of sight. Always curious, the raven wondered what -Amook had hidden in the earth and pondering on the -matter he flew to his friend the fox. ‘Ai, ai!’ he exclaimed. -‘Tell me, O brother, what your master -keeps in his home beneath the earth. You whom -he fondles and strokes to white or brown must -know.’</p> - -<p>“But the fox knew not and said so to the raven. -This made the black bird more curious yet and he -asked, ‘Why have you never found out? Have you -never wondered, O brother, where this Amook gets his -power to turn brown to white and white to brown? -Think you how fine it would be to know the secret of -his power. With it in thy paws thou couldst change -color at will and like the owl pose as a bit of ice in -summer or like a bare rock in winter. Truly, O little -friend, you would find hunting easy.’</p> - -<p>“Now the fox was a born thief and most cunning, -and the words of the raven set him thinking. At last -he spoke. ‘With thy help, black brother, I may find -out. We will hide close to the hole of Amook and -when he comes forth thou wilt fly high in the air and -croak loudly, and when Amook looks up I will place -a bit of rock beneath the cover of the hole so it will -not close tightly. Then, when Amook has passed, -we will enter his dwelling and steal the charm.’</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">[182]</a></span></p> - -<p>“So it came about that when Amook again went -forth, the cunning fox lurked near, and, in the air -above, the raven croaked hoarsely. Just as the two -had planned, Amook looked up at the sound and the -fox slyly slipped a bit of stone under the edge of the -door to Amook’s house, and when he shoved the door -in place a small opening was left which he did not -see.</p> - -<p>“Then, when Amook had gone, the raven flew -down, and with his friend the fox entered Amook’s -home. After a long time they came to a great valley -and there, feeding on rich green moss, was a great -herd of reindeer all brown and with bushy tails. -The fox and the raven were filled with wonder at -this sight of the strange creatures with the branching -horns, and the deer, who had never seen another living -thing save Amook, were also filled with wonder, -and with fear as well, at sight of the fox and his -friend.</p> - -<p>“But the raven with his flattery and the fox with his -cunning soon overcame the reindeer’s fears and talked -with them. The deer knew nothing of Amook’s spell, -for they had never been changed to white; and the -fox and raven, finding the deer dull and stupid, began -to tell them of the wonders of the outside world. At -last the simple deer were interested, and longed to go<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[183]</a></span> -forth and gladly followed the raven and the fox to the -opening in the rocks.</p> - -<p>“One after the other they squeezed through and -just as the last one had come forth Amook came home. -When he saw that the deer had escaped, he rushed -forward and with outstretched hands tried to push -the deer back into the hole. But the deer, pleased -at the outside world, struck at him with their feet -and where Amook’s hands had touched their foreheads -broad white marks appeared, for Amook had -been forth to turn all creatures white for the coming -winter and the charm was still upon his hands.</p> - -<p>“Then Amook, running about, seized the deer by -their tails and strove to pull them into the hole. -The deer struggled and tugged and all at once their -tails broke off in Amook’s hands and the magician, -tumbling head over heels, rolled into the opening -beneath the stone.</p> - -<p>“Then the deer pushed the bit of rock from beneath -the stone door which fell into place and shut Amook -up forever. But as the deer’s leader closed the -rock door, one of the prongs of his antlers was caught -between the stones and in drawing it free it was bent -and twisted in front of the deer’s face.</p> - -<p>“And so, to this day, every reindeer has a twisted -part to his horns before his face and a stubby tail,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[184]</a></span> -and where Amook grasped their tails and touched -their rumps and pushed on their foreheads, the white -patches still remain.”</p> - -<p>“Bully!” cried Tom, quite forgetting the old woman -did not understand English, and then thanking her in -her own tongue and telling her what a fine story it -was, the boys started to leave.</p> - -<p>At that instant a tousled black head appeared in -the entrance tunnel, a broad face grinned up, and -Unavik crawled into the igloo.</p> - -<p>“H’lo!” he exclaimed in his invariable greeting. -“Me feller see plenty reindeer. Sure Mike, much -plenty! Mebbe you like for shootum?”</p> - -<p>“Would we!” yelled the two boys in unison. -“Come on, Unavik. You bet we’d like to shootum.”</p> - -<p>Outside the igloo, Unavik’s sledge stood waiting. -Stopping only to get their guns the two boys piled on -to the sledge, Unavik cracked his whip, shouted to the -shaggy dogs and they were off. Over the snow-clad -land, through the still, intensely cold air they -sped, swinging along frozen water courses, toiling -up steep hills, dashing with dizzying speed down the -slopes for mile after mile. Then, with a low command, -Unavik halted his team, and signaling to the -boys for caution, he unhitched his dogs and led the -way up a low knoll. Crouching on the snow beside<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">[185]</a></span> -the Eskimo, Tom and Jim peered over the ridge. -Below was a small swale or valley and there, quietly -feeding on the gray moss scraped free from snow -with their broad hoofs, was a herd of fully fifty big -reindeer.</p> - -<p>But they were far out of range; there was no -cover by which the boys could stalk them, and it -seemed as if their trip would be fruitless. As the -boys, disappointed, drew back, Unavik was rapidly -freeing his dogs from their rawhide harness, and -with a low word of command he led them to the hill -top and turned them loose.</p> - -<p>With low growls the animals leaped forward and -tore down the slope towards the deer, yelping and -barking, teeth bared and hair bristling. Instantly, -at sight of the dogs, the reindeer gathered together -in a close packed bunch, tails in center and threatening -antlers in a defensive ring. For a moment the -dogs hesitated, and circled about, uttering short savage -snarls, but knowing well the deadly peril that -lurked in those sharp, lowered prongs and knife-edged -hoofs. Then one big husky, more courageous -than his fellows, sprang forward with a yelp, and the -next second was tossed howling and bleeding for a -dozen feet in the air.</p> - -<p>Unavik touched the boys’ arms and beckoned for<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">[186]</a></span> -them to follow. Down the hill he led them, across -the end of the little valley and up a frozen mound of -drifted snow. Intent on the dogs, the deer gave no -heed to the fur clad figures sneaking across the snow, -if indeed they saw them, and in a few moments the -three were within a few hundred feet of the herd. -Taking careful aim at the two largest deer, the boys -fired. As the reports rang out across the frozen -land, the reindeer threw up their heads and, forgetting -the dogs in their new terror, raced down the -valley leaving two of their number dead upon the -trampled snow. Now was the dogs’ chance, and -yelping, snapping, barking, they raced after the deer, -nipping at their heels, biting savagely at their flanks -like the half-wolves they were. Now and then a -deer would turn and strike viciously with his big -hoofs at his tormentors and presently the herd again -formed in a circle with lowered heads and menacing -hoofs. Already they had forgotten the gun shots in -the face of this greater peril of the wolfish dogs, and -the boys once more raised their rifles to shoot.</p> - -<p>“We don’t need more than one more,” whispered -Jim. “You kill him, Tom. Your gun’s better at -that range.”</p> - -<p>Once more, as the report roared out, a deer fell and -the herd, now thoroughly terrified, fled at top speed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">[187]</a></span> -towards the east with the savage dogs at their heels. -The dogs followed only a short distance. There in -the valley were the fallen deer and the scent of blood -and, snarling and baying, they came tearing back -and dashed ravenously upon the body of the last deer -killed. Before they could tear the skin or bury their -sharp white teeth in the carcass, Unavik was among -them, lashing out with his cruel whip, shouting shrill -orders and striking cutting blows right and left. -Growling sullenly, the dogs drew back, crouching, -whimpering, cringing with tails between legs and ears -laid back. Paying no heed to the threatening bared -teeth and updrawn lips, the Eskimo stepped among -them, rapidly secured the thongs about their necks -together and then, with a word to the boys, drove -his huskies over the knoll before him.</p> - -<p>In a few moments he was back with the sledge, and -with the boys’ help the deer’s body was lifted upon -it and lashed securely in place. But one deer was -all the sled could carry, and Unavik told the boys -they would have to carry the first deer to the village -and return with the sledge and more dogs for the -others.</p> - -<p>“But won’t something eat them while we’re gone?” -asked Tom.</p> - -<p>“Sure Mike, mebbe,” replied the Eskimo who,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">[188]</a></span> -proud of his fragmentary English, never spoke to -the boys in his own tongue if he could avoid it. “Me -say plenty wolf, plenty bear, mebbe eatum.”</p> - -<p>“Hurrah!” cried Jim as a sudden idea came to -him. “Say, Tom, we’ll stay here and watch while -Unavik goes to the village. Then if wolves or bears -come we can shoot them.”</p> - -<p>“That’s a bully scheme,” agreed Tom. “Go ahead, -Unavik, we’ll wait here.”</p> - -<p>For a moment the Eskimo hesitated. He knew the -boys had no idea as to where they were and he was responsible -for their safety. But the sky was clear, -there was no danger of a blizzard and as long as they -remained within sight of the dead deer there seemed -no danger.</p> - -<p>“A’right,” he agreed presently. “No try walk. -You feller make get los’ die plenty quick, me say; -sure Mike!”</p> - -<p>“We’ll stay right here,” declared Tom. “No fear -of our wandering off.”</p> - -<p>Satisfied that the boys were all right, Unavik -shouted to his dogs, cracked his whip, shoved on the -handles of his sled to start it, and the next minute was -speeding away towards the village.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">[189]</a></span></p> - -<h2 id="CHAPTER_XIII">CHAPTER XIII<br /> -<span class="smaller">UNAVIK TO THE RESCUE</span></h2> - -<p>Returning to the spot from which they had -first shot the deer, the two boys hollowed -a little cavity in the frozen snow within -easy range of the dead reindeer and cuddled down -cozily to await Unavik’s return or the appearance of -any wild beast that might be attracted by the scent -of blood. At first the land, stretching in undulating -white hills to the horizon, seemed deserted, absolutely -devoid of life, a desolate, barren waste. But presently -the boys discovered that all about were living creatures.</p> - -<p>A subdued twitter drew their attention to a sheltered -spot under a projecting ledge. Peering intently -at it, the boys saw a little flock of snow buntings and -longspurs hopping about. On a low snow ridge a few -rods away, a bit of the white surface moved, and a -big Arctic hare rose from its hiding place and looked -suspiciously about before leaping off.</p> - -<p>Suddenly there was a frightened cry from behind<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">[190]</a></span> -them. As the boys wheeled, a great broad-winged -white gyrfalcon swooped like a meteor, struck deep -into the snow and, with a cloud of dazzling, glistening -crystals like diamond dust swirling from his powerful -wings, rose slowly with a ptarmigan grasped in -his talons.</p> - -<p>Presently from far up in the blue sky came a -hoarse raucous croak. Glancing up the boys saw two -tiny black specks that rapidly increased in size as two -great ravens came flapping downwards. Perching -upon the antlers of the dead deer they eyed the carcass -suspiciously and, cocking their heads on one -side, they peered in the boys’ direction as though -they knew human beings were there—as no doubt -they did.</p> - -<p>“Say, if those birds start in they’ll ruin the deer,” -whispered Tom.</p> - -<p>“No, they won’t,” replied Jim. “The bodies must -be frozen stiff by now. Don’t you remember Unavik -told us ravens wait for some animal to tear the hide -and meat and scatter bits of it about before they can -eat?”</p> - -<p>“That’s so,” agreed Tom. “Hello, look there!”</p> - -<p>Close to the deer a shadow seemed to slip across -the snow. The boys glanced up, expecting to see -some big hawk or a snowy owl sailing above the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">[191]</a></span> -valley. But the sky was unbroken by any bird. -Curiously Tom and Jim stared through the narrow -slits of their snow spectacles at the slowly moving, -indistinct shadow. Closer and closer the thing drew -to the dead deer. It seemed to have no definite outline, -to be merely a faint, bluish, shapeless haze -against the snow—a ghostlike thing so unreal that -the boys began to think the dazzling snow had affected -their eyes. Then, with a sudden motion, the shadow -sprang across the snow and a little ball of white appeared -upon the dark surface of the deer’s body as if -by magic.</p> - -<p>“It’s a fox!” whispered Jim. “A white fox. I’m -going to shoot him.”</p> - -<p>“Aim for his head,” cautioned Tom in a whisper, -“or you’ll spoil the skin.”</p> - -<p>Resting his rifle on the frozen ridge before him, -Jim glanced through the sights. But the fox’s head -was turned and he hesitated, waiting until he had a -fair shot, for he knew that his soft-nosed bullet, -striking the beautiful snowy body, would tear it to -bits and ruin the pelt. Second after second passed -and still the fox kept his head turned away from the -boys as he gnawed ravenously at the edges of the -bullet wound in the deer’s side, while the two ravens -croaked at him in protest and cautiously hopped<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">[192]</a></span> -nearer and nearer, in the hopes of stealing a stray -morsel from under the fluffy white creature’s nose.</p> - -<p>Tom chuckled softly. “There’s the raven asking -brother fox where Amook keeps his magic,” he whispered. -“I can almost imagine I can understand the -black rascal’s words.”</p> - -<p>But Jim did not reply. The fox had suddenly -stiffened. His head was raised. His ears were -pricked forward as if listening. The ravens flapped -back to their perch on the antlers. Jim’s finger -pressed against the trigger. If the fox raised his -head an inch higher, he would send the bullet true -between the ears. And then, just as the sights were -lined fair upon the round white head, the fox leaped -away. There was a sound of crunching snow from -the hillside and Jim, glancing around, uttered a -suppressed, startled exclamation. Within fifty feet -of where the boys crouched, a huge white bear was -moving towards the dead deer!</p> - -<p>“Gosh!” whispered Tom. “What luck!”</p> - -<p>“Let’s both shoot together,” whispered Jim, his -voice trembling with excitement. “We can’t miss. -Aim back of the fore shoulder and when I count -three, fire.”</p> - -<p>Instantly both rifles were swung towards the big, -yellowish white creature, and as for a moment he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">[193]</a></span> -halted and his long neck moved back and forth, and -his black nose sniffed the air, Jim counted; “One, -two, three!” and the two guns roared out as one.</p> - -<p>With startled hoarse croaks the raven took wing. -The huge shaggy bear reared on its hind legs, pawed -frantically at the air, growled, snapped his long white -teeth savagely, and then lurched forward and slid -a dozen feet down the hillside.</p> - -<p>“Hurrah! we got him!” yelled Jim and leaping -up the boys raced towards the fallen bear without -stopping to reload their rifles.</p> - -<p>Like a miniature mountain of shaggy white fur he -lay there, a broad red splotch upon his side. The -two elated boys, whooping and yelling, hurried forward. -They were within a dozen feet of the enormous -creature when to their horror and amazement -the bear scrambled to his feet and with open jaws -and savage growls sprang at them.</p> - -<p>Uttering one wild yell of terror, the boys turned -and fled up the hill for their lives. Behind them they -could hear the low, menacing, awful growls and the -sound of crunching snow. As they gained the summit -of the ridge they turned, threw up their rifles, -took quick aim and pulled the triggers.</p> - -<p>But the hammers clicked harmlessly upon the empty -shells. There was no time even to throw fresh cartridges<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">[194]</a></span> -into the chambers of their rifles. Less than -twenty feet separated them from the infuriated, -wounded monster. Again, yelling, they took to their -heels. Then, to Tom’s brain, came a sudden remembrance, -the story of Ukla and the fog which Unavik -had told them, and in panting, gasping words he -shouted to Jim:</p> - -<p>“Don’t run down hill! Run along the side and -then up again!”</p> - -<p>Scarcely knowing why he did so, Jim obeyed, and -winded, almost ready to drop, the boys again gained -the summit of the ridge. Once more they glanced -back. Tom’s ruse had worked. The bear, heavy and -cumbersome, had been unable to check his own momentum -as he topped the ridge and had half slid, -half rolled for fifty yards down the slippery slope. -But he had now turned and was once more lumbering -towards them. With shaking, trembling hands they -reloaded their rifles, took aim at the bear’s breast -and fired.</p> - -<p>Their shots went wild. Bits of fur flew from the -bear’s back. He jerked his head to one side as a -bullet nicked his cheek and then, with redoubled roars -of rage and increased speed, he fairly hurled his -great body up the slope.</p> - -<p>“Gee, I wish we were magicians!” gasped Tom.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">[195]</a></span> -“Come on—run down the hill a way and then up -again. It’s our only chance!”</p> - -<p>Once more the two exhausted boys raced down the -hillside and then, quickly turning, ran to the top. -But this time the bear did not follow. He was no -fool and had learned a lesson. Galloping along the -ridge top he was almost upon the boys before they -knew it. As they glanced back and saw his drooling -red mouth and great yellow fangs within arm’s reach -they screamed in terror, dropped their rifles, and -thinking only of escape, tore straight down the -hill.</p> - -<p>A roar behind them caused them to look back. -The bear was standing upon the hill, reared upon his -haunches and striking terrific sweeping blows at -the rifles. Maddened with pain, all his savagery -aroused, the creature was venting his anger on the -guns and the boys, almost exhausted, drenched with -perspiration, encumbered by their heavy fur garments, -won a breathing space by the reckless abandonment -of their weapons.</p> - -<p>“We mus—must hu—hurry!” panted Jim. “May—maybe -if we—if we can keep up a wh—while -longer he’ll get ex—exhausted from loss of blood. -C—come on, Tom. Gosh, I w—wish Unavik would -come!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">[196]</a></span></p> - -<p>Before them rose the steeper hill bordering the -valley to the west and up this the boys hurried as fast -as their wearied limbs would permit.</p> - -<p>“Golly, wh—why isn’t there a ri—river he can -drink up?” panted Tom whose sense of humor could -not be downed even in the face of such danger. “Say, -wouldn’t <em>he</em> ma—make a fog if he burst!”</p> - -<p>Barely had they gained the hill top when the -bear, his fury spent upon the rifles, was once more -sliding and slipping down the opposite hill and the -boys knew that it was only a question of minutes -before he would be upon them. Near by, a ledge -of rock jutted above the snow with its steep sides -sheathed in ice. The boys, too utterly exhausted to -run, saw in this their only hope.</p> - -<p>“If we can get up there, perhaps he can’t reach -us,” suggested Tom. “Come on, Jim. It’s our -last chance.”</p> - -<p>“But we can’t get up,” objected Jim.</p> - -<p>“Yes, we can,” declared Tom as they hurried -towards the rock. “I can climb up on your shoulders -and then reach down and pull you up.”</p> - -<p>With their last strength, the boys gained the rock. -Tom clambered on Jim’s shoulders, drew himself on to -the flat summit and with a desperate effort reached -down and drew his companion up beside him.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">[197]</a></span></p> - -<p>And not an instant too soon. Before Jim’s feet -were over the edge the bear had gained the base of -the rock. He reared up, made a terrific swipe with -his fore paws at Jim’s dangling feet, and the boy -escaped death by an inch. Even as it was, one of the -beast’s swordlike claws ripped through Jim’s moccasin -and he howled with terror.</p> - -<p>They were not yet safe. The bear, standing on -his hind legs, could actually reach the edge of the -rock’s summit and again and again he strove to -draw himself up; growling horribly, cutting great -grooves in the ice on the sides of the rock as he dug -his hind claws into it. The boys huddled close and -yelled each time one of the great, shaggy feet, with -its three-inch claws, appeared over the edge of their -refuge. Presently something of courage and confidence -returned to them. Unless the bear found a -grip, a crevice or a roughness on the rock for his -hind feet, he could not reach them. Wounded as he -was, his strength was unequal to the task of lifting -his enormous weight by his front feet alone. Still, -those fearful claws brought mortal terror to the boys -each time they appeared. Then an idea came to -Jim. Whipping out his heavy knife, he reached forward -and each time a paw appeared he rapped it -and slashed at it with the heavy steel blade.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">[198]</a></span></p> - -<p>Roaring until the air trembled, the bear drew back -his feet and hurled himself bodily at the rock. At -his second onslaught the boys’ faces grew white, their -hearts seemed to stop beating. The rock moved! -There was not a question of it. Instead of a solid, -upjutting ledge as they had thought, it was merely a -big upstanding bowlder, a loose stone frozen to the -hilltop. At any moment it might crash over and -throw them, injured and helpless, into the grip of the -bear!</p> - -<p>Sick with deadly fear, speechless, scarcely breathing, -the boys cowered on their narrow refuge, while -with each blow of the bear, the stone swayed and -rocked. Each time the boys expected to feel it toppling -to crash down into the snow.</p> - -<p>Never in all their lives had such utter terror filled -their hearts. They were absolutely at the bear’s -mercy. The hope that his wounds might tell and that -his strength would give out were groundless. He -seemed as fresh, as strong and more maddened than -ever. The boys felt that only their mangled bleeding -bodies would remain to tell of their fate when Unavik -arrived. It was awful to be killed this way—ripped -and slashed and torn by the infuriated bear. Bitterly -the boys regretted having remained behind to -guard the bodies of the slain deer.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">[199]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I—I guess it’s all up with us,” stammered Tom, -trying to choke back the lump in his throat.</p> - -<p>“Yes, I—I only hope we—we get stunned when we -fall,” replied Jim, his voice breaking. “The—then -we won’t suffer so much.”</p> - -<p>Scarcely had he spoken when the bear again threw -himself at the rock. With a crackling of ice the -bowlder gave and swayed perilously. The boys -clutched wildly at the ice-filled crevices. They knew -that one more such effort on the part of the bear -would send the rock crashing over.</p> - -<p>And then a new light came into their eyes, their -hearts beat faster. From beyond the next ridge had -come the sound of yelping dogs, the shrill shout of an -Eskimo.</p> - -<p>The bear, despite his rage, had heard it too. With -lowered head and swaying neck he stood listening. -The next instant the galloping dogs swung over the -ridge. Behind them came the sledge with a fur-clad -figure shouting and brandishing the long whip. At -the top of their lungs the boys screamed, shouted and -yelled. Forgetting their precarious position, they -leaped to their feet and waved their arms. Unavik’s -sharp eyes had taken in the situation at a glance. -Midway in its mad career, he overturned the sledge -and swung it sidewise. The dogs, suddenly arrested<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">[200]</a></span> -in their race, tumbled head over heels, and the next -second, Unavik was among them, slashing through the -thongs and traces and shouting commands.</p> - -<p>Already the scent of the bear had reached the dogs’ -nostrils. With stiff hairs bristling on their shoulders -they hurled themselves forward. Like a pack -of great, tawny wolves they came plunging towards -the bear. At their heels came Unavik, his old musket -in his hands. As the bear turned to face the snapping, -snarling, savage ring of big dogs, the Eskimo -approached within a dozen feet, raised his heavy 50-caliber -Remington and fired at the bear’s broad chest.</p> - -<p>With a gurgling roar the great beast lurched forward, -struck wildly with his paws at the dogs and -sank lifeless on the snow.</p> - -<p>“Gee Christopher!” cried Tom, as the two boys -scrambled from their perch. “It was lucky you came, -Unavik. Another minute and we’d have been killed.”</p> - -<p>The Eskimo grinned. “Sure Mike!” he replied. -“How you feller likeum hunt bear?”</p> - -<p>“We didn’t,” declared Jim. “He hunted us. My, -but isn’t he a whopper!”</p> - -<p>“Mos’ big all same Ukla, me say,” agreed Unavik. -“Why you no killum?”</p> - -<p>“That’s what gets me,” said Tom. “We hit him all -right. Look, there back of the shoulder.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">[201]</a></span></p> - -<p>But when the boys stooped and examined the wound -they knew instantly why the bear had not died from -their shots and why he had not become exhausted -from the wounds. Their bullets had struck the edge -of the massive shoulder blade and had glanced, tearing -a great strip of hide and flesh away, splintering -the edge of the bone, but inflicting no mortal injury, -and not even disabling the leg. No wonder the bear -had been able to chase the boys, although the shock -of the bullets had temporarily knocked him out.</p> - -<p>Hardly had the boys satisfied themselves of this -when the second sledge arrived. The Eskimos gathered -about, chattering and exclaiming. All agreed -that it was the biggest bear they had ever seen. To -carry the huge carcass to the village was impossible -and so, as one of the men went with the boys to the -dead reindeer, Unavik and the other Eskimo set to -work to skin the bear. After having cut a haunch -from the beast, and with its skin and the deer loaded -on the sledge, the party started on their return to the -village.</p> - -<p>Now that it was all over and their excitement had -subsided, the two boys felt weak and shaky and found -it impossible to trudge through the snow. For a while -they gamely stuck it out, but at last they were obliged -to give in. Throwing themselves upon the sleds they<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">[202]</a></span> -lay almost as helpless and motionless as the dead -animals beside them.</p> - -<p>Great was the rejoicing in the village that night, -for the death of a bear is always celebrated. The -rest of the beast’s carcass had been brought in and the -Eskimos gorged themselves on the meat. Throughout -the night the drums throbbed, the Eskimos’ voices -rose and fell in discordant chants and, grotesque in -their fur garments, they danced and pranced while -the dogs howled in unison.</p> - -<p>“I’ll bet this is when the men don’t work or the -women comb their hair for three days,” laughed Tom -as, fully recovered from their exciting afternoon, -they watched the merrymaking.</p> - -<p>But there was a fly in the boys’ ointment, so to -speak. When they had told their story to the captain -he had grown serious and had told the boys that -hereafter they were not to go any distance from the -village alone under any circumstances.</p> - -<p>“I’d feel nice going home and telling your folks a -bear or a wolf had eaten you up, wouldn’t I?” said -the skipper. “You may be owners, but I’m responsible -for you, and hereafter you take one of the -Eskimos and a pack of dogs with you if you stir from -the village. I know you came through safely this -time, but you might not be so lucky next time. And<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">[203]</a></span> -don’t you dare stay alone out there. If your Eskimo -goes anywhere, you go too. Now, that’s final.”</p> - -<p>“All right,” agreed the boys, “we’ll be careful.”</p> - -<p>While they knew the captain was looking after their -safety, it galled the two boys to think that their sled -trips must be chaperoned by a native and that they -were being treated like “tenderfeet,” as Tom put it. -But as they looked at the enormous shaggy skin—twelve -feet from nose to tail—and thought how it -would look upon the polished floor of the house in -Fair Haven, all else was forgotten in their pride at -having secured such a trophy, and their hearts beat -more quickly as vivid memories of their narrow -escape from such a terrible death came to them.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">[204]</a></span></p> - -<h2 id="CHAPTER_XIV">CHAPTER XIV<br /> -<span class="smaller">AN ARCTIC CHRISTMAS</span></h2> - -<p>Although the boys’ fathers had painted a -picture of long and dreary months in the -Arctic with the ship frozen in, and only the -whalemen and Eskimos for company, the boys found -it far from dull.</p> - -<p>To be sure there were many days when snowstorms -raged and the wind howled, and no one stirred from -the long house on the deck. But even then there were -things to amuse and interest the boys. A number of -the native Eskimos were usually there, as well as -those from Hebron, and the two lots of tribesmen -were never tired of holding competitions of skill or -strength. Gathered in a circle about the contestants, -the whalemen and the boys would clap and applaud, -shout encouragement and roar with laughter as the -stocky natives struggled and strained in friendly, -good-natured contests. Often a prize of tobacco, -knives, clothes, or hatchets would be offered to the -winner.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">[205]</a></span></p> - -<p>Many of the contests were wonderfully novel and -amusing and sometimes the two boys would try their -hands at them, much to the merriment of the assembled -men.</p> - -<p>One game which was a favorite with the Eskimos -was a sort of tug of war. Kneeling on the deck with -heads close together, the competitors would have their -friends tie their necks together by a rope or thong, -and then, at a signal, would strain and tug and heave, -each trying his utmost to drag the other over a chalk -line on the deck. Evidently there was a knack in it, -aside from strength of neck muscles; for very often -the smaller and weaker man would win. The boys -after one or two trials decided this was too strenuous -a contest.</p> - -<p>Another game consisted of two Eskimos locking -arms and legs together while perched on a third man’s -back, and then trying to see who could dismount the -other. Hard bumps and thumps always resulted, -but the men’s heads were well padded with their mops -of coarse black hair, and they always rose grinning -and as good-natured as ever.</p> - -<p>The greatest sport was to see the Eskimos attempt -to box. The whalemen were always boxing, and -after watching the white men for some time, the Eskimos -wanted to try their skill. At their antics as they<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">[206]</a></span> -struck blindly at each other, dodged blows, ki-yied -and shouted, twisted and turned, and often fell sprawling, -the boys and the assembled whalemen roared -until they almost choked.</p> - -<p>But the Eskimos were apt imitators, they had unlimited -perseverance, and gradually several of them -began to develop skill in the use of the gloves and before -long there were acknowledged champions among -them. The sport-loving whalemen matched them up -as lightweights, welterweights, and featherweights; -for not a native could be found who, by any stretch -of imagination, could be classed as a heavyweight. -So interested did the crew become that several of the -whalemen took to training their favorites; arguments -over their respective merits grew heated, and the men -bet recklessly on the results of the bouts. They even -nicknamed the Eskimos, and Tom and Jim roared until -their sides ached as Cap’n Pem would get excited -and leaping up would pound his wooden leg on the -deck and shout, “Wallop him, Dempsey! That’s a -good one!” while Mike, whose favorite was a bull-necked, -fat-faced, bow-legged man from Hebron whom -he called Sullivan, would shout derogatory remarks -about “Dempsey” and would dance wildly about the -improvised ring, urging his man to the utmost.</p> - -<p>While such things served to pass the time in bad<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">[207]</a></span> -weather and at night, the boys found far more pleasure -with their dogs and their Eskimo friends ashore. -Day after day they went hunting, always accompanied -by Unavik or some other Eskimo. They were -woefully disappointed in not finding musk oxen or -another bear, but they often secured reindeer; and the -pile of fox, wolf and seal skins which they reserved -for themselves increased rapidly. The crew, too, -went hunting, each man accompanied by an Eskimo, -and each week the <i>Narwhal’s</i> cargo increased in value -by many hundreds of dollars. Very often also the -men had better luck than the boys, and several fine -bearskins were brought in which spurred the boys -to still greater efforts and longer trips. At last they -were rewarded. They had traveled much farther -than they had ever been before, following the valley -of the river, and had reached a district of low, sharp -hills, narrow ravines and small, rock-strewn valleys. -Suddenly Unavik, who was with them, halted his -dogs, peered intently at the snow, and pointed to -a trampled trail leading across the valley.</p> - -<p>“Musk ox!” he exclaimed. “Me say him feller -near. Mebbe shootum.”</p> - -<p>“Gosh, do you think we can?” cried Tom.</p> - -<p>“Sure, Mike, mebbe,” replied the Eskimo as he -unharnessed his dogs.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">[208]</a></span></p> - -<p>Cautioning the boys to be silent, Unavik crept to -the top of the nearest ridge and peered about. No -living thing was in sight. Then, with eyes on the -tracks of the animals, he descended the ridge while -the dogs, sniffing and whimpering, strained at their -thongs, and the boys, thrilled with excitement, followed -at the Eskimo’s heels. Along the little defile -the trail led, over another ridge, through another -valley, and up a third hill. “Him feller near,” -declared Unavik, pointing to bare patches of rock -and moss where the animals had scraped away the -snow.</p> - -<p>Very cautiously the three crawled among the ice-covered -bowlders up the hill. The boys could -scarcely restrain a cry of delight as they peered between -the rocks and saw a dozen big, shaggy beasts -pawing in the snow and nuzzling in the moss beneath.</p> - -<p>Jim was about to raise his rifle, for the musk -oxen were within easy range, when Unavik stopped -him with a gesture and rapidly slipped the thongs -that bound the dogs together. The next instant the -huskies were bounding towards the surprised musk -oxen who threw up their heads, armed with huge -broad horns, snorted, and with one accord tore off -up the valley.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">[209]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Gee, now we’ve lost them!” exclaimed Tom in -disgust. “Why didn’t you let us shoot, Unavik?”</p> - -<p>The Eskimo grinned but said nothing. Beckoning -to the boys he turned and ran rapidly along the -ridge in the direction the animals had gone. Presently, -to the boys’ ears, came the barks, yelps, and -growls of the dogs. Rounding a rocky hillock they -came in sight of the pack, nipping and snapping at -the musk oxen who had formed in a close ring with -lowered threatening horns towards their enemies.</p> - -<p>With their long, shaggy, black hair, their wild, -reddened eyes and great recurved needle-pointed -horns, the creatures looked very savage indeed and -the dogs knew full well that death lurked in that ring -of broad heads and sharp horns. These were no -timid reindeer and, though the wolflike huskies now -and then took chances and dashed at the snorting, -stamping creatures before them, none dared approach -too closely.</p> - -<p>Suddenly one of the oxen uttered a low bellow, -plunged forward and, before the dogs could retreat, -the wicked horns swung to right and left, and a -howling husky was tossed high in air to fall dead -and bleeding on the snow.</p> - -<p>“Golly, they’re <em>some</em> fighters!” exclaimed Jim in -a low voice. “Come on, Tom, let’s shoot!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">[210]</a></span></p> - -<p>But before the boys could fire, the musk oxen had -scented them. Forgetting the dogs in their greater -fear of human beings, they dashed off in a close-packed -bunch with the huskies at their heels. Once -more Unavik and the boys raced after them, and -once more the dogs brought the animals to bay. -This time Unavik led the way behind bowlders and -snowdrifts down the wind. All unsuspected by the -wild cattle, the three approached within easy range -and picking out two of the biggest bulls, the boys -fired.</p> - -<p>At the double report the musk oxen again dashed -off and, confused by the dogs, they came galloping, -plunging, directly towards the three hunters. Before -the astonished boys realized what had occurred, the -great shaggy beasts were upon them. There was no -time to reload and fire, no time to rise and run. -Like an avalanche the stampeded creatures bore -down upon the frightened boys. With lowered -heads, rolling eyes, steaming nostrils and swinging -horns they came. With terrified yells the boys threw -themselves to one side, rolled among the rocks, and -buried their heads, faces down, in the snow. All -about them pounded the galloping hoofs. Tom -screamed as he was struck a terrific blow and hurled -aside. Over them they heard the panting breaths,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">[211]</a></span> -the loud snorts and the low bellows of the creatures. -Each second they expected to feel the sharp hooked -horns ripping through their garments and their -flesh.</p> - -<p>But in an instant it was over. The musk oxen -had passed; the boys were unhurt, and slowly, and -with wondering expressions, they cautiously raised -themselves as the pack of dogs raced by.</p> - -<p>“Jiminy crickets!” exclaimed Jim, “I thought we -<em>were</em> goners that time.”</p> - -<p>“Gosh, yes!” assented Tom. “One of ’em stepped -on me, but I guess these furs saved me. Say, -what’s the matter with us? We didn’t kill a single -one.”</p> - -<p>“Search me,” replied Jim, “I don’t see how we -missed.”</p> - -<p>“Me say hitum, sure Mike!” cried Unavik who -was searching the trampled snow where the beasts -had passed.</p> - -<p>The boys hurried to his side and glancing down, -saw big splashes of crimson on the snow. Evidently -they had not missed. Racing after the Eskimo they -hurried as fast as they could travel towards the distant -barking of the dogs. As they leaped the crest -of a hummock, Unavik uttered a sharp cry, and the -boys shouted with delight as they saw a big black<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">[212]</a></span> -bull lying half buried in a snow drift where he had -fallen.</p> - -<p>“We got one anyway!” cried Tom as they hurried -on. “Say, we <em>are</em> in luck!”</p> - -<p>Once again they found the oxen at bay and, this -time when they fired, two of the creatures were left -behind when the herd galloped off.</p> - -<p>“Gee, that’s enough!” declared Jim, as panting -and utterly exhausted the boys seated themselves on -one of the dead oxen. “I’m all in. These clothes -were never made for sprinting.”</p> - -<p>“Get the dogs, Unavik,” said Tom. “No use in -killing more. We can’t even get these three in to the -village. We’ll wait here for you.”</p> - -<p>The Eskimo started off, but there was no need -for him to recall his pack. The musk oxen were -thoroughly frightened and demoralized and had fled -over hill and dale into the vast white waste, and -the dogs, realizing that the creatures could not be -brought to bay again with the scent of blood -behind them, came trotting back towards the dead -oxen.</p> - -<p>It was, as Tom said, impossible to carry the three -creatures to the village and so, having regained their -breaths, the two boys and Unavik set to work skinning -the two oxen. It was a hard slow job, but at<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213">[213]</a></span> -last it was done and the boys straightened their aching -backs and eased their cramped muscles.</p> - -<p>“Well, that’s over!” exclaimed Jim. “But how on -earth can we carry those skins and heads back? -They weigh pretty near a ton, I’ll bet.”</p> - -<p>Unavik grinned. “Me say plenty easy,” he remarked -and rolling the skins in a bundle with the -hair inside he lashed them firmly with the tough -sinews from the creatures’ legs, attached his dogs -to the whole and with a sharp command sent the -huskies galloping over the snow with the bundle of -skins sliding like a sled behind them.</p> - -<p>“Golly, that’s easy!” cried Tom. “But I’d never -have thought of it.”</p> - -<p>With the musk ox trail to guide them, the three -had no difficulty in locating the sledge and having -harnessed the dogs they drove the team back to the -first ox they had killed. This Unavik dressed and, -after a deal of hard work, the body was loaded on -the sled and the triumphant and elated boys turned -towards the distant village. It was a long, hard -tramp, the boys were tired, and except when traveling -down a steep slope, they could not rest by leaping on -to the sledge, for the dogs had all they could do to -haul the vehicle with its load. But the boys did not -complain. With three musk oxen to their credit<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">[214]</a></span> -they could well afford to undergo some hardship; -but over and over again they were forced to halt -and rest. As a result, it was nearly midnight when -they at last saw the rounded igloos and the ghostly -outline of the schooner in the flickering light of the -aurora, and with heartfelt thanks, they reached the -end of their journey.</p> - -<p>“Where’n tarnation ye been?” demanded Cap’n -Pem, who was the first to see them. “I swan, ye’ll -have us all plumb crazy worryin’ over ye.”</p> - -<p>“You needn’t have worried,” declared Tom, “Unavik -was with us.”</p> - -<p>“Shucks, he’s jes’ as bad as ye be,” declared -the old whaleman. “H’ain’t got no sense ’tall. -What——”</p> - -<p>“Hello!” cried Captain Edwards, interrupting the -old whaleman. “You boys are late. Just beginning -to think we’d have t’ start out to search for you. -Have any luck?”</p> - -<p>“Three musk oxen,” replied Jim. “We’re pretty -near starved.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll bet ye be,” cried Cap’n Pem. “Blow me if -ye ain’t reg’lar hunters. Fetched in three o’ the -critters, eh? Waall, I’ll be sunk!”</p> - -<p>As the half-famished boys ate ravenously, they -told their story of the hunt to the men and officers<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">[215]</a></span> -and then, having been unanimously acclaimed the -champion hunters of the ship, they crawled into their -bunks, snuggled among their furs, and were instantly -sound asleep.</p> - -<p>So rapidly had the time passed that the boys -could scarcely believe that half the winter was over. -As Tom, on the morning after their musk ox hunt, -started to write down the events of the preceding day -in his diary, he uttered a surprised ejaculation.</p> - -<p>“Gosh, Jim, it’s only two weeks till Christmas!”</p> - -<p>“No!” exclaimed Jim. “Gee, I didn’t realize it. -We’ll have to have a celebration. I wonder what -they do up here.”</p> - -<p>“Of course we celebrate,” the captain assured -them when they spoke to him about the holidays. -“Reckon we’d better be gettin’ ready pretty quick.”</p> - -<p>So for the next ten days every one aboard the -<i>Narwhal</i> was busy. There was the same delightful -mystery in the air as at home; preparations for the -Christmas festivities proceeded rapidly; and the boys -were amazed to discover what resources the men -and the schooner possessed. Mike and the carpenter -worked early and late at building a miniature whaling -ship to serve in place of a Christmas tree. The -grinning black cook labored from morning until -night—or rather from breakfast until bedtime—baking<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">[216]</a></span> -cakes and pies, making mysterious dishes, -and boiling great kettles of molasses for candy, and -from dinner until nearly midnight, the boys and men -had glorious fun pulling the molasses candy, roasting -quarts and pecks of peanuts, and popping hundreds -of ears of corn. Half shyly the rough whalemen -brought out clumsily wrapped packages and placed -them on the pile of gifts on the chart table. Even -the Eskimos seemed to catch the spirit of Christmas, -and grinned and clucked and chuckled as they saw -the preparations going on, for they had seen Christmas -celebrations before and knew what a fine time -was in store.</p> - -<p>Two days before the great day, the completed -model of the ship was set up in the deck house, and -all hands busied themselves stringing the pop corn -in its rigging, hanging the presents to the yards and -masts, piling candy wrapped in bright-colored paper -on the decks, and attaching colored candles along -the bulwarks, up the shrouds, and along the yards.</p> - -<p>“Say,” cried Jim, as the boys surveyed the completed -substitute for a tree with approval. “Every -one’ll have to hang up his stocking. Look at that -heap of presents!”</p> - -<p>At first the men demurred, trying to laugh off -their embarrassment, but the boys insisted, the captain<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">[217]</a></span> -seconded them, Mr. Kemp added his pleas, and -old Pem chuckled.</p> - -<p>“’Spec’ I’m a ol’ fool!” he exclaimed. “But I -rec’on we kin all ’ford to be kids, come Christmas. -I’m a-goin’ fer to hang my stockin’!”</p> - -<p>Stumping to his cabin, the old whaleman returned -carrying a huge rabbit skin under-boot. “On’y -stockin’ I got,” he declared as all burst out laughing.</p> - -<p>“Well, b’gorra, ’tis lucky for ould Santa that yez -have but wan lig thin!” cried Mike. “Faith an’ wid -two av thim there’d not be a prisint for the rist av -us.”</p> - -<p>Now that Cap’n Pem had started the fun, the men -quickly caught the spirit. Shouts of merriment, -roars of laughter and good-natured chaffing floated -over the frozen wastes from the schooner as the whalemen -brought out socks, fur boots and heavy woolen -stockings, and hung them in a long row along one -side of the deck house, while the captain and the boys -hurried back and forth filling them with bundles and -packages.</p> - -<p>Christmas day dawned clear and cold. Not a -breath of wind stirred the frost filled air. The thermometer -registered 45° below zero and the boys -noted that the sun rose above the frozen plain of the -bay at 9.30. Jumping from their bunk, the two boys<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218">[218]</a></span> -ran hither and thither, wishing a “Merry Christmas” -to every one. Presently the men came trooping in -and seated themselves at the long table loaded with -the Christmas breakfast.</p> - -<p>The meal over, the Eskimos began to arrive, for -all had been invited to spend the day aboard the -schooner. Soon the deck house was packed with the -grinning men and laughing girls and women all -decked out in their richest furs and most elaborate -costumes, every one carrying some bundle of fur or -skin.</p> - -<p>Then peanuts and pop corn were passed around, -which the Eskimos munched and enjoyed hugely. -Presently the captain jumped upon a chair and announced -that there would be a dance. Swanson appeared -with a much battered concertina, the carpenter -brought out a wheezy fiddle, the ebony-skinned -cook arrived with a banjo, and, to complete the -orchestra, Nate produced a mouth organ.</p> - -<p>Whatever the tune was—if tune it could be called—the -boys never knew, but the men cared not a jot -and seemed perfectly satisfied. Presently the deck -was covered with couples, each dancing a different -step, all laughing and all as happy as a crowd of -youngsters. Tom and Jim roared with merriment -as old Cap’n Pem seized a stout Eskimo woman and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_219" id="Page_219">[219]</a></span> -started to waltz with her. Mike took the center of -the deck and executed a weird hornpipe which -brought down thunderous applause, and Mr. Kemp, -with blackened face and with a strip of gaudy calico -wrapped about his long legs and a gay bandanna on -his head, pranced up and down in a cakewalk.</p> - -<p>Then the Eskimos had their turn. The skin drums -throbbed and boomed, a man with a curious tambourinelike -instrument, like a thin drum filled with -pebbles, added to the din, and the natives pranced -around and around, chanting a weird song, stepping -high, twisting and turning and moving in intricate -figures.</p> - -<p>Then came games, followed by boxing matches, -and the fun waxed fast and furious. Finally there -was a tug of war, Eskimos against whalemen, and -when, with wild shouts and yells, the Eskimos had -pulled their rivals an inch over the chalk line and -were declared the victors, Captain Edwards announced -that the presents would be given out.</p> - -<p>As he ceased speaking, there was a shout from the -companionway and every one turned and gaped in -astonishment, for there, pushing his way through the -narrow entrance was Santa Claus! Even the boys -were surprised, for Santa had been kept a profound -secret. Clad in a suit of brown wolfskin with ermine<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_220" id="Page_220">[220]</a></span> -trimming, and with big sealskin boots on his feet, -the fat little fellow beamed upon all through his -voluminous white whiskers of bearskin, and entering -the deck house, tossed down his heavily loaded pack -and brushed the snow from his sleeves and shoulders.</p> - -<p>At first no one recognized him, but at his first -words a roar of merriment burst from every one’s -lips. “Had a everlastin’ tough time a-gettin’ to ye, -clean up here!” he cried, striving ludicrously to -disguise his voice. “But I reckon I brung presents -fer all.”</p> - -<p>“B’ the saints, ’tis the fursst toime Oi iver see a -wan-ligged Santa!” chuckled Mike. “But sure ’tis -a foine wan he do be afther makin’ at that.”</p> - -<p>Rapidly the presents were distributed. There -were comfort bags for each member of the crew, -every bag containing buttons, thread, wax, combs -salve, thimbles, pins and a small mirror. Every -Eskimo woman received a bundle of bright-colored -cloth and a little package of beads. The girls were -given bead necklaces and gold plated rings. Each -native boy got a shiny new jackknife, and every Eskimo -man received a file and a plug of tobacco. -Then the presents piled around the ship were distributed, -and finally the men, sheepishly and flushing -like children, received their well filled stockings<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_221" id="Page_221">[221]</a></span> -and giggled and snickered like schoolgirls as they -unwrapped the packages.</p> - -<p>The Eskimos had done their part also. The men -and boys were fairly loaded down with moccasins, -fur boots, carved ivory curios, selected skins and -similar things, while the natives were mad with delight -over the powder and lead, the matches, the -hatchets and knives, and the brass and iron they received.</p> - -<p>Then came dinner, and such a dinner! There -was a roast haunch of reindeer, bear chops, musk ox -steaks, roast ptarmigan and potted hare. Even the -cranberry sauce was there, with mince and pumpkin -pies, and to cap the climax, a great steaming plum -pudding which the grinning cook brought triumphantly -in with its brandy sauce ablaze.</p> - -<p>And the Eskimos at their table also had a feast. -The dainties so appreciated by the white men held -no attractions for the natives, and so their feast consisted -of canned fruits, thick tinned milk, and, to -their minds best of all, vast quantities of lard and -oleomargarine. Not until midnight did the celebration -end. When the last Eskimo had departed and -eight bells pealed through the night, all vowed that -this Christmas in the Arctic was the jolliest one they -had ever known.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_222" id="Page_222">[222]</a></span></p> - -<h2 id="CHAPTER_XV">CHAPTER XV<br /> -<span class="smaller">FRIENDS IN NEED</span></h2> - -<p>One morning Tom came on deck, glanced -ashore and rubbed his eyes. He could -hardly believe what he saw. Beyond the -igloos, several of the Eskimos were busily putting -up a skin tent on the shore.</p> - -<p>“Golly, Jim!” he cried to his cousin. “Look, -there—they must know that spring’s coming. -They’re putting up their skin tents.”</p> - -<p>“Cricky, so they are!” exclaimed Jim. “Say, I -didn’t know spring came so early.”</p> - -<p>“Won’t be here for some spell yet,” laughed Mr. -Kemp who had overheard the boys. “You’re rushing -the season. Getting tired of winter?”</p> - -<p>“Not a bit of it,” declared Tom. “We’re having -a bully time and I wouldn’t mind being frozen in -here for six months more. But if spring’s not near, -why are they moving ashore and putting up the skin -tents?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_223" id="Page_223">[223]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Going to mend some clothes,” replied the second -officer.</p> - -<p>“Oh, say, you must think we’re easy,” laughed -Jim. “They could mend clothes in the igloos, -couldn’t they? What’s the joke?”</p> - -<p>“No joke,” Mr. Kemp assured him. “And of -course they <em>could</em> mend clothes in the igloos—only -they don’t think so. That is, some kinds. You see, -these Eskimos believe there’s a water god and a land -god—sorta spirit I reckon—and each one’s boss of -the critters where he reigns. So they think if they -mend clothes made of sea critters’ skins on shore, -the water spirit’ll be peeved, and if they mend things -made of land animals’ hides on the ice, t’other god’ll -be vexed. I’ll bet, if you was over to that tent, -you’d find the old lady sewin’ at a shirt or somethin’ -made of bear or reindeer or fox, or some other -land thing’s hide.”</p> - -<p>“Well, that is the funniest thing yet,” declared -Tom. “Come on, Jim, let’s go and see.”</p> - -<p>They found that it was exactly as Mr. Kemp had -said. Inside the tent, two of the Eskimo women were -busily mending some garments which the boys at -once saw were made of wolf and deer skins. This -discovery aroused their interest and all of their spare -time was spent questioning the Eskimos about beliefs<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_224" id="Page_224">[224]</a></span> -and habits. The two boys learned a great -number of most interesting things. All of these they -recorded in their notebooks, and once, as Tom was -busily writing down a folklore story, Newilic, who -had been watching him, asked what he was doing. -Tom explained as best he could and the Eskimo -grinned. Then, asking Tom to let him take the -book, the Iwilic<a name="FNanchor_3" id="FNanchor_3"></a><a href="#Footnote_3" class="fnanchor">[3]</a> grasped the pencil in his fist, -screwed up his mouth, bent his eyes close to the -paper, and commenced to draw several pictures. -Presently he handed the book back to Tom and as the -boys saw what the Eskimo had drawn they roared -with laughter. There, unmistakable and indescribably -quaint and funny, were the birds and animals -of the story with a stiff-jointed, woodeny Eskimo -among them.</p> - -<p>From that time on the boys had Newilic illustrate -all the stories they recorded, and the result was a -collection of the most fascinating pictures they had -ever seen. Both boys declared they would have them -bound and the stories printed with them as soon as -they reached home.</p> - -<p>Of course the two boys never lost their interest in -hunting and one day, when out for meat for the -schooner’s table, Jim killed an Arctic hare, and picking<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_225" id="Page_225">[225]</a></span> -him up, was amazed to see that he was speckled -with brown.</p> - -<p>“Hurrah!” he shouted to Tom. “Now I know -spring’s coming. The hares are getting brown.”</p> - -<p>“Perhaps Amook forgot to rub his hands all over -him,” laughed Tom. “You know one swallow doesn’t -make a summer, and I don’t believe one hare with -brown spots makes a spring. Let’s get another one -and see if he’s the same way.”</p> - -<p>But oddly enough, now that the boys wanted a hare, -there were none to be found. Finally, tiring of -searching for them, the two turned back. As they -crossed a little swale, a pair of ptarmigan fluttered -up and Tom bagged them.</p> - -<p>“Gosh, I guess you’re right,” he cried as he picked -up the birds. “These fellows have got brown feathers -on them.”</p> - -<p>“Yep, ain’t no doubt of it,” declared Cap’n Pem -when the boys returned to the schooner and showed -the brown feathers and hairs to the old whaleman. -“Can’t fool these here critters, by gum! I’ll bet ye, -ye’ll see the geese a-honkin’ back afore long.”</p> - -<p>Despite the fact that the hare and the ptarmigan, -as well as many other creatures the boys brought -in, were all assuming their summer coats of gray and -brown, there was no let up in the biting wind. Snow<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_226" id="Page_226">[226]</a></span> -storms came and piled the drifts higher, and the -thermometer hovered around the thirty or forty mark -below zero.</p> - -<p>Then one day the boys came on deck to find a soft -wind blowing from the south, water was dripping -from the icicles on the <i>Narwhal’s</i> rigging, the sky -was clear and blue, and there was an unmistakable -feel of spring in the air. Day after day the south -wind blew, and the sky was cloudless and though -the nights were cold, the ice and snow thawed rapidly -during the short days. One morning a faint, faraway -sound caused the boys to look up, and they -saw a little V-shaped string of black specks winging -swiftly across the sky.</p> - -<p>“There are the geese!” cried Tom. “I guess -spring really is here.”</p> - -<p>Evidently the Eskimos were of the same mind, -for they were all busy, erecting skin tents and moving -their household belongings from the igloos to -their new homes. Before long the low, rounded -houses of ice were deserted.</p> - -<p>“Looks like the ice might break up pretty soon,” -remarked Captain Edwards. “That is, if this -weather holds. What do you think, Pem?”</p> - -<p>The old whaleman squinted at the sky, sniffed the -wind and scratched his head. “I reckon ’twill,” he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_227" id="Page_227">[227]</a></span> -replied at last. “But I’ll be sunk if I hanker arter -a early thaw. Mos’ gin’rally there’s a’ all-fired, -dod-gasted freeze arterwards an’ the ice buckles an’ -raises Sam Hill. I’ve seen many a good ship stove -an’ sent to Davy Jones by a freeze arter the ice breaks. -No, sir, gimme a late spring an’ no danger of it -a-freezin’ solid arterwards.”</p> - -<p>“Hmm,” muttered the skipper. “Yep, I know -that, Pem, but if the ice breaks we’ll clear it away -about the schooner and then she’d ought to stand it. -Clear water’ll freeze smooth black ice and won’t do -any harm.”</p> - -<p>“Mebbe ye will, an’ mebbe ye won’t,” grumbled -the old man. “Course I ain’t a-lookin’ fer trouble -but I’ll bet ye we git it.”</p> - -<p>A few days after this conversation the boys were -wakened by a report like a cannon and started up. -“What’s that?” cried Tom.</p> - -<p>“Ice breakin’ up,” called back Mr. Kemp from the -next berth. “Reckon she’ll be a-goin’ good by to-morrow.”</p> - -<p>Throughout the rest of the night the crackling reports, -dull crashes and sharp detonations woke the -boys a score of times, and when they reached the deck -the next morning, they gazed with amazement at the -vast plain of white that marked the bay. Where<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_228" id="Page_228">[228]</a></span> -yesterday it had been solid ice—rough, hummocky -and rugged—it was now broken, and cracked in every -direction. Narrow strips of dark water could be -seen here and there, and the mass rose and fell in -undulations like the swell of the ocean.</p> - -<p>“Hurrah! it’s broken!” cried Tom. “Now we’ll -soon be getting away.”</p> - -<p>It did indeed look as though the bay would soon -be cleared of ice, for the tide or current and the wind -were slowly but surely moving the ice away from the -land. Already a stretch of fifty feet of water separated -the igloos from the shore, and along the beach -tiny waves were lapping at the shingle. For the first -time in many months, the boys felt the schooner -gently rising and falling beneath their feet. But Tom -and Jim did not know the treacherous Arctic weather. -Two nights later they were aroused by shouts and -cries, the sound of hurrying feet, and crashing shivering -blows that shook the schooner from stem to -stern. At first they thought the <i>Narwhal</i> had gone -adrift and was on the rocks. Hurrying into their garments -they rushed on deck to gaze upon a terrific, -wild and magnificent sight. The wind had shifted -and was blowing half a gale from the east and the -broken ice, that had been drifting out of the bay for -the past three days, was now being driven back.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_229" id="Page_229">[229]</a></span></p> - -<p>Tossing on the waves, the great masses of gleaming -ice came in, grinding together, crashing like thunder -as one collided with another, bumping and roaring -as they lifted and fell upon the seas. In a vast solid -rampart, the upended jagged cakes were approaching -the <i>Narwhal</i>, and already she was surrounded by -scores of the cakes—huge, sharp-edged bits of floe -twenty feet or more in thickness, and hurled like battering -rams by wind and waves.</p> - -<p>Instantly, the boys realized the peril the schooner -was in. Each time a great cake was flung against -the stout ice sheathing of her hull, the <i>Narwhal</i> -shivered and trembled. It seemed impossible -that any vessel could withstand the steady buffeting, -the constant impacts, of the tossing cakes.</p> - -<p>Shouting, and yelling, the men and the Eskimos -labored, striving to ward off the ice with poles, by -lowering great rope fenders over the sides, and by -paying out cable, but their puny efforts made no impression -on the irresistible oncoming ice. Presently, -however, the boys noticed that there were fewer -shocks, that the blows seemed less severe and then -they saw the reason. The first cakes of ice had -reached the shore, others had piled upon them, -back of these the oncoming ice was checked and, unable -to move farther, the countless thousands of heaving,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_230" id="Page_230">[230]</a></span> -crashing, grinding cakes were jammed together -and the schooner was locked fast in their embrace.</p> - -<p>“Gosh! that <em>was</em> a narrow escape!” cried Jim. “But -I guess we’re all right now.”</p> - -<p>“All right!” burst out Mr. Kemp. “Here’s where -we’re a-goin’ to get it good an’ plenty. If the <i>Narwhal</i> -ain’t stove it’ll be nothin’ short of a miracle.”</p> - -<p>For a moment the boys could not see where the -danger lurked and every one was too busy to answer -the questions they longed to ask. But presently they -understood. The gale, the heavy seas outside the -bay and the tide were all pushing with terrific force -against that vast mass of millions of tons of ice, and -the schooner was gripped within it as in the jaws of a -titanic vise. Only her hull of oak and pine, a mere -egg shell in that stupendous field of ice, lay between -the cakes, and no fabric built by human hands -could withstand that awful pressure.</p> - -<p>With sickening creaks the timbers and planks began -to give. With horrified eyes the boys saw the -stout sides and bulwarks bending and buckling inwards. -The heavy oak rail parted, splintered and -ripped like a match stick. With a report like a gunshot -the decks sprang into the air and rose in a steep -hill-like ridge above the shattered bulwarks.</p> - -<p>“Gosh, Jim, it’s all over with the old <i>Narwhal</i>!”<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_231" id="Page_231">[231]</a></span> -cried Tom, scarcely able to realize that the stout old -schooner had met her fate at last. “Now what <em>will</em> -we do?”</p> - -<p>Even as he spoke the boys were thrown headlong -on to the ripped deck and with a terrific lurch the -schooner’s stern reared high in air. She careened -terribly, and a moment later was lying almost on her -beam ends on the top of the floe which had forced -its way beneath her keel. Captain Edwards, old -Pem and Mr. Kemp were shouting and yelling orders -while the Eskimos who had seen their plight from the -shore came hurrying over the ice to help. Soon -every one was laboring like mad, unloading the cargo, -getting out stores and supplies and preparing to -desert the schooner, for all knew, that should the -wind shift and the ice go out, the <i>Narwhal</i> would -plunge to the bottom like a lump of lead.</p> - -<p>Rapidly the casks of oil, the bales of whalebone, -the bundles of skins, and the sacks of walrus ivory -were lowered over the schooner’s sides. In a constant -stream the Eskimos’ sledges went back and -forth between the stove schooner and the shore, carrying -the salvaged goods which were piled in a great -mound well back from the beach.</p> - -<p>At last everything movable had been saved. The -spars and sails, the chains and cables, the blocks and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_232" id="Page_232">[232]</a></span> -tackle and the running rigging were stripped from -the <i>Narwhal</i> and with lumber hastily torn from the -long deck house a shed was built over the pile of -valuables and supplies.</p> - -<p>“Gee, we’re marooned here now,” cried Jim when -the last sledge had come from the schooner and her -sorrowing crew had tramped over the hummocky -ice and stood gazing at the pitiful-looking ship which -had served them so well.</p> - -<p>“Reckon we won’t have to stay here long,” said -Captain Edwards. “The <i>Ruby</i>’s up to Nepic Inlet -and, if we can make her, we’ll be all right.”</p> - -<p>“The <i>Ruby</i>?” queried Tom. “What’s she?”</p> - -<p>“Little brigantine out o’ Nova Scotia,” replied -the skipper. “Bluenose sealer. Guess her skipper’ll -be willin’ to come in here an’ pick up this stuff -of ourn an’ give us a lift to port.”</p> - -<p>“But how can we get to her?” asked Jim.</p> - -<p>“Sleds,” replied the captain. “’Tain’t over a hundred -miles by land to the inlet an’ we can make it -all right. Snow’s still good enough for sleddin’.”</p> - -<p>Since another warm spell and a thaw might arrive -at any moment, and make it impossible to travel -over the slushy snow, no time was to be lost. Within -two hours from the time the crew had come ashore,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_233" id="Page_233">[233]</a></span> -all were on their way across the snow-covered land -toward Nepic Inlet and the <i>Ruby</i>.</p> - -<p>Leading the party was Amaluk, with his sledge -laden with necessities, the men’s personal belongings, -food, and supplies. Behind him came team after -team and the schooner’s men and officers. In the -rear were the two boys with their own dog team, -their sledge laden with their trophies, and with -Unavik a few paces ahead of them.</p> - -<p>Although the snow had been softened by the warm -spell, the change in wind and temperature had frozen -a hard crust upon it, and sledding was easy and rapid. -But the heavily loaded sledges broke through here and -there and the boys, bringing up the rear, found that -they could travel far easier by swinging to one -side on to the unbroken crust. Often, for several -miles, they were out of sight of the others, for they -made detours around hills and deep drifts and once -or twice stopped to shoot game. They had no fear of -going astray for the shrill shouts of the Eskimos, the -cracking of whips, and the yelps of the dogs were -borne plainly to them on the strong easterly -wind.</p> - -<p>They had traveled in this way for several hours -when Tom, who was running ahead, halted and signaled -the dogs to stop. “Look here, Jim,” he cried,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_234" id="Page_234">[234]</a></span> -“there are reindeer near. See, here’s where they’ve -been scraping away the snow and feeding.”</p> - -<p>“Golly, that’s so,” assented Jim as he saw the bits -of moss on the white surface and the bare spots where -the animals had pawed away the snow from a deep -bed of moss.</p> - -<p>“Let’s go after them!” suggested Tom. “They -may be near, and Captain Edwards said to get meat -if we could, to help out the provisions.”</p> - -<p>“Better not,” cautioned Jim. “You know he told -us not to go off alone.”</p> - -<p>“But that was different,” argued Tom. “He meant -not to go off on long trips. There’s no danger in -this. We can’t get lost. It’ll be dead easy to find -the others’ trail, or follow our own back. See, it’s -plain as can be.”</p> - -<p>“No, I guess there’s no danger of that,” admitted -Jim. “All right, come on, but if we don’t find the -deer soon, we’ll have to come back.”</p> - -<p>Urging their dogs forward, the boys followed the -deer’s trail and presently, by the dogs’ yelps and -growls and the way they strained at their traces, the -boys knew they were on a fresh scent, and that the -deer could not be far away. The trail led up a narrow -circuitous valley, and as the marks of the reindeer’s -hoofs became more and more distinct, and the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_235" id="Page_235">[235]</a></span> -bits of moss where the animals had stopped to feed -were fresher, the boys knew they were nearing the -herd, and halted their dogs.</p> - -<p>“Let’s look over that ridge before we go farther,” -suggested Tom. “They may be in the next hollow.”</p> - -<p>Crawling up the low ridge, the boys peered over -and to their joy saw a dozen reindeer lying down and -resting. Hurrying to the dogs, the boys unharnessed -them, looped the neck thongs together and led the -pack to near the summit of the hill. Then, unleashing -them, they let them go. With loud barks -and growls the dogs rushed down at the surprised -deer.</p> - -<p>Leaping to their feet the reindeer, as always, -formed a defensive ring, and while they were busy -keeping off the snapping dogs, the boys slipped -around the hill to get within easy range. So intent -were the deer upon their four-footed enemies that the -boys crept within fifty yards and brought down two -of the creatures. It was almost as simple and as -little sport as killing domestic cattle but the boys were -out after meat and not for sport and, having all they -needed, they ran towards the herd, yelling and shouting.</p> - -<p>Instantly the survivors turned and fled, and the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_236" id="Page_236">[236]</a></span> -dogs, after chasing them a short distance, came loping -back to the dead deer.</p> - -<p>“We can’t carry both these, as they are,” said -Tom. “And we can’t afford to waste them. Let’s -dress them and leave the heads and horns. We have -better ones than these and the meat’s what we want -most.”</p> - -<p>“Guess we’ll have to,” agreed Jim, and at once the -two set to work.</p> - -<p>Although the boys had assisted Unavik and the -other Eskimos in dressing deer and musk oxen, they -had never before tried it alone and they soon found -that it was a hard and difficult undertaking. The -deer were heavy, the boys were no expert butchers -and the time passed more rapidly than they imagined.</p> - -<p>As they finished the first deer and with grunts of -satisfaction stood up and looked about, they noticed -for the first time that the sky was overcast, that heavy -dun-gray clouds were scudding low overhead, and -that the wind had increased.</p> - -<p>“Gee, I guess it’s going to storm!” exclaimed Jim. -“Don’t you think we’d better leave the other deer?”</p> - -<p>“Why?” asked Tom. “If it does storm, it won’t -make any difference. We’re not two miles from the -trail, and we can make it in a few minutes. Come -on, let’s get busy on this other fellow. If it storms<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_237" id="Page_237">[237]</a></span> -it will be all the easier to catch up with the other -sledges. They’re slower than we are and may have -to stop.”</p> - -<p>Once more the boys bent over the deer, cutting and -dressing the big carcass, and they had almost finished -when a few big snowflakes dropped upon the animal’s -hide.</p> - -<p>“Golly, it’s snowing!” exclaimed Jim. “Say, we’ve -got to hurry!”</p> - -<p>The snow was falling thick and fast by the time the -deer was dressed. Bending to the force of the wind, -the boys called to their dogs and started for the -sledge.</p> - -<p>And then they realized that they had made a fatal -blunder. All intent upon dressing the deer they had -forgotten to knot the dogs’ thongs together, the -animals had been eating their fill of the offal from -the deer, and instinctively knowing a storm was approaching, -they were running nervously about, sniffing -the air and whining.</p> - -<p>At Tom’s call, two of the dogs, old huskies who had -been long trained to obedience, came trotting to him, -but the others kept their distance.</p> - -<p>“Come on, we’ll have to get them,” cried Jim, as -the boys knotted the thongs of the two together. -“Gosh, we <em>were</em> boobs not to have fastened them!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_238" id="Page_238">[238]</a></span></p> - -<p>But as soon as the boys started towards the dogs, -the animals turned, dashed away with tails between -their legs and growled savagely.</p> - -<p>“Confound them!” cried Tom, and yelling a command -in Eskimo he made a rush at the nearest dog.</p> - -<p>With a sharp bark, and baring his teeth, the creature -leaped away and then, lifting his head in air, -he uttered a long wolflike howl and galloped off -over the hill with the pack at his heels.</p> - -<p>The boys looked at each other with real fear upon -their features.</p> - -<p>“They’ve gone!” exclaimed Tom. “Now we <em>are</em> -in a fix.”</p> - -<p>“We’ll have to leave the deer and the sledge and -hike it,” declared Jim. “Maybe these two dogs can -lead us to the trail.”</p> - -<p>It was their one chance and urging the dogs on, -the boys started back over the trail of their sledge. -But presently they were again at a loss. The rapidly -falling snow had now covered the runner marks, the -dogs seemed confused and ranged back and forth, -and the boys grew more and more frightened. Then -one of the dogs gave a glad yelp and with noses to -the snow they strained at the leading thongs.</p> - -<p>“It’s all right!” shouted Tom. “The dogs have -picked up the trail!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_239" id="Page_239">[239]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Well, they’re going in exactly the opposite direction -I think they should have gone,” declared Jim. -“But I suppose they know.”</p> - -<p>Over low hills and through valleys the dogs led the -boys while the blizzard raged. To the frightened -and nervous lads it seemed as if they had covered -twice the distance they had come when the dogs -barked loudly, sniffed the air and tugged harder than -ever at the leash.</p> - -<p>“Guess the others are near now!” panted Tom, -striving to keep pace with the dogs. “They smell -something.”</p> - -<p>The next instant the dogs cringed back, the hair -rose upon their necks and with tails drawn in they -whimpered as if in fear.</p> - -<p>“Gosh, I wonder what’s up now!” exclaimed Tom.</p> - -<p>“Maybe a bear or wolf ahead,” suggested Jim, -cocking his rifle.</p> - -<p>Anxiously the boys peered into the misty white -ahead and saw a low, irregular mound of snow with a -dark object projecting from it.</p> - -<p>“Say, what’s that ahead?” queried Jim in low -tones.</p> - -<p>“Looks like a sled covered with snow,” replied -Tom. “We’ll soon see.”</p> - -<p>Approaching cautiously, while the dogs struggled<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_240" id="Page_240">[240]</a></span> -to keep back, the boys neared the little white mound, -and the next instant Jim uttered a piercing, frightened -cry and leaped back. Sticking stiffly up from -the snow was a human arm!</p> - -<p>“Gee, it’s a man!” exclaimed Tom. “What are -you afraid of? Maybe he’s got lost or injured and -is not dead yet. Come on, let’s see.”</p> - -<p>With fast beating hearts the boys, overcoming their -fears and nervousness, stepped close to the ominous -pile of snow. Tom grasped the outstretched fur-clad -arm.</p> - -<p>But the next instant he let go, yelled, and jumped -away with a white face. The arm was frozen stiff. -It was the arm of a corpse!</p> - -<p>“He—he’s dead!” stammered Tom.</p> - -<p>Jim had now recovered himself. “Well, he won’t -hurt us if he is,” he reminded Tom. “It’s awful I -know, but we must find out who he is. It may be one -of our men.”</p> - -<p>“Ugh, I hate to go near it!” declared Tom.</p> - -<p>“So do I, but we’ve got to,” said Jim. “Come on, -Tom, we’re no babies or silly nervous girls. Brace -up.”</p> - -<p>Striving to control their nervous fears, the boys -grasped the furs encasing that gruesome stiff arm and -tugged. Presently, with a horrible, terrifying motion,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_241" id="Page_241">[241]</a></span> -the arm moved, the snow broke loose and the -boys involuntarily screamed and jumped away as the -body rolled over free from snow.</p> - -<p>With wide eyes the two gazed upon the corpse -and backed still farther off. The body, clad in furs, -was that of a short, heavily built man, but the face, -swarthy, black-bearded and black-browed, was frightful -with the expression of fear and awful agony -stamped upon it. At the first glance the boys -saw with inexpressible horror that the whole side -of the skull was crushed in and the scalp ripped -off.</p> - -<p>“Wha—wha—what killed him, I wo—wonder!” -stammered Tom, his teeth chattering.</p> - -<p>Jim, summoning all his courage, took a step nearer. -“A bear!” he exclaimed, as he caught sight of a row -of great gashes in the man’s neck and the ripped and -torn back of the fur coat.</p> - -<p>“Well, le—let’s get away from here,” stuttered -Tom. “We ca—can’t do anything.”</p> - -<p>Without replying Jim turned and with boyish terror -of death gripping their hearts, and all their courage -flown, the two raced away from the body.</p> - -<p>Not until they had topped the next rise did they -stop. Then, as they halted to regain their breaths, -they noticed that the snow had almost ceased, the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_242" id="Page_242">[242]</a></span> -wind had gone down and they could see for a long -distance across the white landscape.</p> - -<p>A moment later Tom gave a glad cry. “Look Jim! -Look!” he yelled. “We’re all right! see, over on -that second hill! There’s some of the men!”</p> - -<p>“Hurrah! you’re right!” yelled Tom as he too -caught sight of two sledges just topping a distant -ridge. “Come on!”</p> - -<p>Yelling and shouting, the boys raced forward as -fast as the newly fallen snow would permit. As they -gained the summit of the second hill, they waved -their arms wildly. But they were already seen. -The dogs wheeled, the sleds swung around, and with -the two drivers riding the runners, they came racing -towards the boys.</p> - -<p>As they came near Tom and Jim looked at each -other in surprise. The dogs, they knew, were not -the Eskimos’. One team was made up of huge black -and white Newfoundlands, the other of shaggy-haired, -magnificent, cream-colored huskies. At the boys’ -first glance they were sure the men were utter strangers.</p> - -<p>“Hello!” cried the foremost man as his sledge, -drawn by the Newfoundlands, came to a halt close to -the boys. “What you kids doing out here?”</p> - -<p>“We got separated from our party and lost,” explained<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_243" id="Page_243">[243]</a></span> -Tom. “Our dogs broke away and cleared -out. You’re from the <i>Ruby</i> aren’t you?”</p> - -<p>That any other white men should be here had never -occurred to the boys, and yet the men did not look -like whalemen or sailors. One was clad in a gay -Mackinaw, the other in furs; both were large, powerfully -built fellows and both had an alert, erect, peculiar -bearing that was very different from any whalemen -the boys had even seen. The man in the -Mackinaw was lean-jawed, with keen gray eyes and -wore a close-cropped mustache, while the other was -smooth-faced. Although both were as red as Indians -from wind and weather and had a week’s stubble -of beard upon their faces, they wore an indefinable -stamp of authority about them.</p> - -<p>The boys remembered that Captain Edwards had -said the <i>Ruby</i> was a Nova Scotia ship, and as they -had never seen Nova Scotia seamen, they thought the -men before them might be the officers of the brigantine.</p> - -<p>But at Tom’s words the man with the mustache -laughed pleasantly.</p> - -<p>“Well, hardly!” he replied. “I’ve been taken for -most everything, but never for a sealer before. No, -we’re just ordinary Northwest Police. I’m Sergeant -Manley and this chap”—jerking his head towards his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_244" id="Page_244">[244]</a></span> -comrade—“is Private Campbell. We’re from Fort -Churchill. Been mushing it for two weeks. Looking -for the darkest-dyed rascal that ever disgraced -the Dominion. Fellow named Pierre Jacquet—Chippewa -half-breed. Wanted for murder and with -a thousand dollars reward for him, dead or alive. -Haven’t seen anything of him, have you?”</p> - -<p>Tom shook his head. “No,” he replied. “But -say, Sergeant, we found a dead man back there. He’d -been killed by a bear or something. He was awful! -His head smashed in and torn to pieces! Gee, it -makes me feel sick to think of him.”</p> - -<p>“Dead man!” snapped the Sergeant. “What did -he look like?”</p> - -<p>“He was short and stout with a black beard and -bushy, black eyebrows,” replied Tom, “and had on a -suit of harp seal trimmed with blue fox.”</p> - -<p>The Sergeant whistled. “Boys,” he cried, slapping -Tom on the back. “You’re lucky kids! Not -many can get lost and make a thousand dollars by -doing it!”</p> - -<p>“Why, what do you mean?” asked Tom puzzled.</p> - -<p>“Mean!” cried Sergeant Manley. “Why, that -dead man’s Jacquet. You’ve won a thousand dollars -by finding him. Come on, lead us to him.”</p> - -<p>Now that the snow had ceased to fall it was easy<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_245" id="Page_245">[245]</a></span> -to retrace their footsteps, and in a few minutes the -party was once more approaching the dead man.</p> - -<p>“It’s Pierre all right!” declared the Sergeant, as -he glanced at the dead man.</p> - -<p>“Aye, there’s nae doot o’ it,” agreed Campbell. -“Mon, but ’tis a fit endin’ he met.”</p> - -<p>“Can’t take him back to the Fort,” commented the -Sergeant, half to himself. “Can’t bury him. Guess -we’ll have to leave him. Campbell, search his clothes -for anything that will identify him.”</p> - -<p>Rapidly the private went through the pockets of -the dead outlaw, turning the body over as nonchalantly -as though it were a log, and presently he -straightened up.</p> - -<p>“Aye, here’s his dirk an’ a wee bit o’ siller,” he -announced as he handed the Sergeant a long-bladed -hunting knife reddened with blood and a buckskin -bag of money.</p> - -<p>“Must have shot at the bear and wounded him, and -had a hand-to-hand fight,” remarked Manley. “Used -his knife evidently, but the bear got in the finishing -blow. Hmm, there must be papers or jewelry or a -watch or something on him.”</p> - -<p>Stooping, the Sergeant again examined the body, -stripping aside the furs, and presently rose with a -satisfied grunt. “Guess this is all we need,” he said<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_246" id="Page_246">[246]</a></span> -as he showed a heavy, old-fashioned silver watch, a -bundle of letters and small book. “Nothing more to -do here,” he continued. “We’ll see you to the <i>Ruby</i> -now.”</p> - -<p>“But we can’t leave our sledge,” objected Tom. -“It’s got all our things on it.”</p> - -<p>Sergeant Manley stroked his mustache and bit his -lip as he hesitated. “All right,” he assented at last. -“Guess we can find it. You saved us a lot of hard -work by finding Jacquet, so we can afford to do our -bit.”</p> - -<p>With keen, trained eyes the officers followed the -boys’ trail, half hidden though it was, and long before -Tom and Jim realized that they were near it, -private Campbell sighted the abandoned sled covered -deep with snow.</p> - -<p>“Might as well take your meat, too,” said the Sergeant. -“These Newfoundlands can manage one deer -and we can load the other on your sled and hitch -your two huskies on with Campbell’s dogs to haul -it.”</p> - -<p>In a few minutes the deer were lashed to the -sledges, the boys’ dogs had been harnessed to Campbell’s -team, and with the boys riding, the dogs raced -forwards over the soft fresh snow.</p> - -<p>“Have to give us your address so that reward can<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_247" id="Page_247">[247]</a></span> -be sent you,” said the Sergeant as they dashed down a -long slope.</p> - -<p>“I don’t want it,” declared Tom. “It belongs to -you and private Campbell, doesn’t it, Jim?”</p> - -<p>“Of course,” agreed Jim. “I wouldn’t think of -taking it. Why, we just stumbled on the body by -chance and you’d have found it if we hadn’t.”</p> - -<p>“That’s being too generous,” declared the Sergeant. -“It belongs to you. We might have passed by and -never found the body.”</p> - -<p>“Well, we want you to have it—even if you call -it a present—or to show our gratitude for finding -you and getting saved,” insisted Tom.</p> - -<p>“I can’t thank you—only to say thanks awfully,” -declared Manley, “and I’ll tell the wife what a couple -of fine kids you are when I get back to the Fort.”</p> - -<p>“Aye!” shouted the private. “Yon bit o’ siller’ll -come muckle handy i’ celebratin’ o’ a weddin’ wi’ a -bonny lass awaitin’ me i’ yon Fort.”</p> - -<p>Then as the boys sped on, they talked with the -two stalwart guardians of His Majesty’s law in the -frozen wastes, and told them all about their trip, -their hunts, and the staving of the <i>Narwhal</i>, and even -of their former cruise in the <i>Hector</i>, to the Antarctic.</p> - -<p>To all of this Campbell and his Sergeant listened -attentively, laughing gaily over Cap’n Pem and Mike,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_248" id="Page_248">[248]</a></span> -now and then asking a question, uttering surprised -ejaculations as the boys told of their adventures, and -now and again glancing at each other and raising their -eyebrows as Tom and Jim told of the rich catch of -furs, hides, and ivory the <i>Narwhal</i> had made. Rapidly -the time passed. Untiringly the powerful dogs -raced on, until at last, Sergeant Manley raised his -fur-mittened hand and pointed ahead.</p> - -<p>“Tinavik Cape,” he said. “See that conical hill? -Guess you’ll see your people when you get to the -ridge there.”</p> - -<p>Down into a deep, wide valley the sledges sped; -across a broad frozen river, and up the farther slope, -and gaining the top of the sharp, high ridge the dogs -came to a standstill, panting and winded.</p> - -<p>“Hurrah! We’re there!” shouted Tom as the -boys looked down from the hilltop. “There’s the -brigantine!”</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_249" id="Page_249">[249]</a></span></p> - -<h2 id="CHAPTER_XVI">CHAPTER XVI<br /> -<span class="smaller">SOUTHWARD HO!</span></h2> - -<p>For a moment the little group paused on -the summit of the ridge, and gazed down -at the inlet with the brig floating amid the -great cakes of ice.</p> - -<p>“Gosh, we weren’t far off after all!” exclaimed -Jim.</p> - -<p>Sergeant Manley smiled. “You don’t have to be -far off to get lost up here,” he said, “and I’m blessin’ -the day we met you. Best of luck all around. -Saved you boys, saved us the Lord alone knows how -many weeks of mushing it, and ended the hunt for -Jacquet.”</p> - -<p>“Aye, an’ nae forgettin’ the tidy bit o’ siller -comin’ to our pockets,” put in the practical Campbell.</p> - -<p>“Say, what <em>are</em> they doing on the shore?” cried -Tom who had been studying the scene intently. -“Look, they’ve got tents and I can see a lot of the -men there. Why aren’t they on the brig?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_250" id="Page_250">[250]</a></span></p> - -<p>Sergeant Manley whipped out his glasses and focused -them on the shore of the inlet.</p> - -<p>“Something queer!” he exclaimed. “Wonder if -the <i>Ruby’s</i> stove too. Let’s go.”</p> - -<p>The next moment the powerful Newfoundlands -were tearing down the slope with the lighter, cream-colored -Eskimo dogs in the rear, and with the two -stalwart policemen riding the runners and “yip-yiing” -at the teams. Like the wind the sleds raced -down the steep hillside, and the two boys bent their -heads as the cold wind whistled across their faces.</p> - -<p>Out on to the flat they dashed, and leaping off, -the two officers brought their teams to a sudden halt -within a dozen yards of the first tent.</p> - -<p>“Wall, I’ll be squeegeed!” cried Cap’n Pem as he -turned at the sound of the party’s arrival. -“Where’n——” Then, catching sight of the boys’ -companions he leaped forward with a hop and a skip.</p> - -<p>“By the etarnal, I’m glad to see ye!” he cried. -“Nor’west perlice, ain’t ye? Where’n Sam Hill’d -these youngsters pick ye up?”</p> - -<p>“Any trouble?” demanded Sergeant Manley without -stopping to reply to the old whaleman’s queries.</p> - -<p>“Trouble!” exploded old Pem. “Mut’ny! Them -there critters has seized the <i>Ruby</i> an’ won’t let nary -a man aboard, dod gast their hides!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_251" id="Page_251">[251]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Where’s the captain?” snapped out the sergeant -as he slipped his carbine from its sheath and Campbell -did the same.</p> - -<p>“Here he comes,” said Tom. “What started the -mutiny, Cap’n Pem?”</p> - -<p>“Them there gutter snipes!” replied the old whaleman. -“Said this here was a salvage job an’ -wouldn’t stir hand nor foot lessen we give ’em half -the valer o’ the <i>Narwhal’s</i> cargo. I swan, I never -heered o’ sech a thing. Never knowed a whaleman -t’ talk o’ salvage. That’s what comes o’ these here -unions an’ new-fangled idees.”</p> - -<p>“Hello!” cried Captain Edwards, who now joined -the group with Mike and the other members of the -<i>Narwhal’s</i> company behind him. “See you’ve -brought reënforcements, boys. Glad you’re here, officers.”</p> - -<p>“Understand you’ve a mutiny aboard,” said the -Sergeant.</p> - -<p>“Not my ship,” replied the captain, “that’s the -trouble. We could rush ’em but they’ve got their -skipper an’ mates there and she’s a British ship and -I don’t know how far we Yankees could go.”</p> - -<p>“Got any guns?” snapped out Manley.</p> - -<p>“’Bout a dozen,” Captain Edwards assured him.</p> - -<p>“Plenty!” declared the Sergeant. “Get your best<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_252" id="Page_252">[252]</a></span> -men together, give them the guns, and I’ll take charge. -Campbell, get the kayaks ready.”</p> - -<p>Throwing off his mackinaw, Sergeant Manley -strode forward, uttered sharp, crisp orders and with -twelve of the <i>Narwhal’s</i> crew, including Nate, one-eyed -Ned, Swanson, and Mr. Kemp, he marched to -the waiting kayaks, ordering the men to shoot and -shoot to kill if he gave the word. With ready carbine -he stepped into a canoe. Behind him came the -little flotilla. Instantly all was excitement on the -decks of the brigantine. Men ran here and there. -One or two leaped into the rigging, and the watching -boys saw the flash of steel, and the glint of gun -barrels.</p> - -<p>“Golly, they’re going to fight!” exclaimed Jim.</p> - -<p>“B’jabbers thin ’twill be a sorry day for thim!” -declared Mike. “’Tis the King’s constabulary they -do be afther resistin’, bad cess to thim.”</p> - -<p>But the battle the boys expected never took place. -No sooner did the mutineers recognize the police -officers than all ideas of resistance were cast aside. -Clambering on to the rail a man waved a white -rag frantically in token of surrender. An instant -later the kayaks were alongside, and Sergeant Manley -and Campbell leaped over the bulwarks.</p> - -<p>Cowed, with all the braggadocio gone from them,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_253" id="Page_253">[253]</a></span> -the <i>Ruby’s</i> crew backed away and stood muttering together -near the foremast.</p> - -<p>“Where’s the captain and mate?” snapped out -the Sergeant, keeping the men covered with his -weapon.</p> - -<p>“Aft, in the cabin,” replied one of the men.</p> - -<p>“Search that crowd, Campbell!” ordered the Sergeant, -“and hold ’em.”</p> - -<p>A minute later he reappeared accompanied by the -skipper and his chief officer.</p> - -<p>“Those are the ringleaders,” declared the captain, -pointing to a big, bull-necked, low-browed fellow and -a weasel-faced, shifty-eyed creature. “They started -the trouble. Jones there’s the one killed the -bo’sun.”</p> - -<p>“That’s a lie!” roared the heavy man. “S’help -me——”</p> - -<p>“Silence!” roared Sergeant Manley. “Here, -Campbell——”</p> - -<p>With a quick motion, the bull-necked fellow -whipped out a revolver. There was a sharp report -and the mutineer plunged forward upon the deck -and his gun clattered upon the planking. Campbell -nonchalantly threw out the empty shell and snapped -another into his carbine.</p> - -<p>Terrified at the death of their leader, the mutineers,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_254" id="Page_254">[254]</a></span> -already frightened at the realization of their -position, drew back with blanched faces while the -rat-faced ringleader fell on his knees and pleaded -for mercy.</p> - -<p>“Get up!” ordered the Sergeant, and as the fellow -rose a pair of handcuffs snapped upon his wrists.</p> - -<p>“We’ll take him along with us,” announced Sergeant -Manley. “Any others you want to lose, Captain?”</p> - -<p>“I’d jolly well like to lose the whole bally lot,” -replied the skipper earnestly, “but I can’t. Got -to handle the ship you know.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t think they’ll give you further trouble,” declared -the Sergeant. “Have ’em searched. Keep -’em workin’ an’ carry a gun—each of you. Don’t -forget you’re on a British ship and labor unions -don’t go under that flag. You’re boss and let ’em -know it. Expect those Yankees’ll be glad to lend -you a hand with this crowd.”</p> - -<p>Presently Captain Edwards and old Pem, with the -remaining members of the <i>Narwhal’s</i> crew, came -aboard; the few belongings of the shipwrecked whalemen -were stowed and preparations were made for -departure.</p> - -<p>“Think I’ll go along with you to Rowe’s Welcome,” -said Sergeant Manley as the whale boats were lowered<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_255" id="Page_255">[255]</a></span> -and the repentant crew prepared to tow the <i>Ruby</i> -out of the worst of the ice. “Have to report the -loss of the <i>Narwhal</i>, and I’d like to see you safe on -your way. Campbell, take the dogs and go overland.”</p> - -<p>Then, as the brigantine moved slowly from the inlet, -bumping her blunt bows into the floating ice and -grinding between the cakes which went bobbing -astern, the boys had their first chance to tell the -story of their adventures.</p> - -<p>“Thank heaven, this cruise is over—or near it!” -cried Captain Edwards. “I’d be a nervous wreck if -I had you boys to look after much longer, even if -you do always come out smilin’ as a clam.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll be b’iled if ye can’t git into more consarned -scrapes’n a passel o’ monkeys!” declared Cap’n Pem. -“Fast as ye’re outen one ye’re into a wusser.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Kemp spat reflectively into the sea. “Some -kids,” he remarked tersely.</p> - -<p>At last the brigantine was clear of the shore ice, -ahead stretched patches and lanes of open water, -and under a light wind the <i>Ruby</i> went bumping and -crashing on her way towards Rowe’s Welcome and -the stove <i>Narwhal</i>.</p> - -<p>“I suppose you men have a heap of queer adventures,” -remarked Mr. Kemp as Sergeant Manley<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_256" id="Page_256">[256]</a></span> -stopped for a chat. “I was mate with a chap what -was in the force once, when I was on the destroyer.”</p> - -<p>The Sergeant smiled. “Yes, we get our share,” -he replied, “but most of ’em pretty much alike—runnin’ -down renegades and outlaws. If any one -wants plenty of exercise and out-doors air, I’ll recommend -the force. To-day’s job’s the queerest I -ever had yet, though. A Northwest policeman’s -supposed to do most anything that turns up, but -I’d never have dreamed of bein’ called on to board a -ship and put down a mutiny.”</p> - -<p>The next day the <i>Ruby</i> worked her way past Southampton -Island into the Welcome. Eagerly the boys -peered ahead for the first glimpse of the <i>Narwhal</i> -and the village of their Eskimo friends.</p> - -<p>“It’s been a fine cruise,” declared Jim, “but it -makes me feel almost sick to think of leaving the -old <i>Narwhal</i> here.”</p> - -<p>“Humph!” snorted Cap’n Pem. “Ships has got -ter go sometimes—same’s folks. Reckon the Welcome’s -as good a place’s any ter let her ol’ bones rest. -’Sides, ye won’t lose nothin’, Dixon had her insured -ter the limit.”</p> - -<p>“That’s not it,” said Tom. “It’s like losing an -old friend. Why, you know how we’d feel if we -left you or any of the others up here, Cap’n Pem.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_257" id="Page_257">[257]</a></span></p> - -<p>The old whaleman turned his head, blew his nose -loudly on his red cotton handkerchief and cleared -his throat. “Derned if I don’t know jes how ye -feel,” he replied. “Hate fer to see a ol’ ship go -myself. Wall, there ain’t no help fer it. Everlastin’ -lucky we salvaged all the cargo.”</p> - -<p>“And luckier yet the <i>Ruby</i> was up here,” added -Captain Edwards.</p> - -<p>“Seems to me the whole trip’s been lucky—no -matter what happened,” said Tom.</p> - -<p>“Even with the cat,” laughed Jim.</p> - -<p>“Gosh, where is she?” cried Tom. “I’d forgotten -all about her and her kittens.”</p> - -<p>“Lef’ her an’ t’others behin’,” said Cap’n Pem. -“Ye didn’t think we could be a-totin’ a passel o’ -cats ’long o’ us on that there sledge trip, did ye? -Jes the same, I reckon I got ter take back what I -said erbout her. Mebbe times has changed an’ cats -is lucky now’days, what with injines an’ bumb lances -an’ perlice a-puttin’ down mut’nies an’ all sech new-fangled -contraptions.”</p> - -<p>“Hurrah, you do admit it!” cried Jim. “If we -keep on we’ll knock all your superstitions to pieces.”</p> - -<p>But Cap’n Pem had not waited to hear.</p> - -<p>A few minutes later, the <i>Ruby</i> rounded a jutting -cape and there, before them, was the well-known<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_258" id="Page_258">[258]</a></span> -cove with the <i>Narwhal</i>, forsaken and deserted, looming -above the cakes of ice.</p> - -<p>“Why, why—Gosh! She’s afloat!” cried Tom, -hardly able to believe his eyes.</p> - -<p>“Holy mackerel, she is!” agreed Mr. Kemp.</p> - -<p>“I’ll be blowed!” exclaimed Captain Edwards. -“By glory, we may go home in her yet!”</p> - -<p>With wondering eyes the crew of the <i>Narwhal</i> -gazed upon their schooner, for the ship they had left -with her deck bulging above the bulwarks from the -terrific pressure of the ice; the vessel whose stern had -been raised high in air and that they were positive -would sink to the bottom of the bay when the ice broke -up, was now floating on an even keel, low in the -water to be sure, but apparently sound and unhurt.</p> - -<p>Scarcely had the <i>Ruby’s</i> anchor dropped over before -Captain Edwards, Pem, Mr. Kemp, and the boys -tumbled into a boat and were pulled rapidly to the -<i>Narwhal</i>. Grasping the main chains, Tom leaped -on to the deck and as he did so a ball of black fur -sprang from a coil of rope and with a friendly -“meow” the ship’s cat rubbed herself against the -boy’s legs.</p> - -<p>“Hurrah!” he shouted as the others jumped on to -the deck. “It’s all right, here’s the cat!”</p> - -<p>“Waall, I’ll be everlastin’ly swizzled!” cried Cap’n<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_259" id="Page_259">[259]</a></span> -Pem as he looked about. “The ol’ deck’s dropped -inter place. I’ll be b’iled if I think there’s a mite -the matter with her!”</p> - -<p>“Five feet of water in the hold,” announced Mr. -Kemp who had been sounding the well.</p> - -<p>“Course there is,” replied the captain. “May -have sprung a leak, but if she did, it’s stopped now. -If it hadn’t she’d have sunk. Reckon she dove off -the ice too an’ shipped some down the for’ard hatch. -Men, what do you say? Shall we take the chance -and sail in the old <i>Narwhal</i>?”</p> - -<p>“Aye! aye!” responded the men in chorus. “No -lime juicers for us, long’s the schooner’s a-floatin’.”</p> - -<p>“But how—how could she be squeezed all together -as she was and be all right now?” asked Tom. -“Why, her deck was like a hill and her bulwarks -were bent in.”</p> - -<p>Cap’n Pem chuckled and rubbed his hands together -in glee. “Didn’t I tell ye whaleships was -built to las’ forever?” he cried. “Bless yer souls! -what’s a mite o’ squeezin’ to a ol’ hooker like the -<i>Narwhal</i>. I bet ye she’s a-sailin’ an’ a-crusin’ an’ -a-gettin’ jammed in the ice arter you an’ me and the -rest ’re dead an’ gone. Yes, sir, nothin’ like a -Yankee whaleship!”</p> - -<p>All having agreed that they would sail home in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_260" id="Page_260">[260]</a></span> -the <i>Narwhal</i>, the crew were transferred from the -<i>Ruby</i>. Then Sergeant Manley bade them all good -luck and a quick voyage, and joining Campbell, who -had arrived the day previously, he sped swiftly into -the southwest towards distant Fort Churchill with -his rat-faced mutineer prisoner.</p> - -<p>With doleful shakes of his head the skipper of -the <i>Ruby</i> said farewell, muttering something about -“Yankees taking chances where no sane man would,” -and hoisting sail, he headed his tubby old craft for -the open sea.</p> - -<p>Working steadily, toiling for hour after hour, the -men pumped the water from the <i>Narwhal</i>. They -labored with light hearts, for steadily they gained and -when at last the pumps sucked, and the following -day the sounding rod showed less than a foot of -water, all knew that the schooner was tight and safe. -Rapidly the long deck house was dismantled, the big -foretopmast yard was sent up to the words of a -rousing chantey, sails were bent on and running rigging -rove. Then, like beavers, the men and the Eskimos -toiled, bringing the casks of oils, the bales of -whalebone, the great bundles of skins and hides, the -sacks of ivory, and the countless other valuables, as -well as stores and supplies, from the shore.</p> - -<p>At last all was done. The last of the cargo was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_261" id="Page_261">[261]</a></span> -stowed. The standing rigging was taut and well -tarred. The carpenter had patched the cracked -rails and bulwarks, and had relaid some -of the deck planks. The motor had been overhauled -and tested. The sails hung loosely in their brails -and the boats were at their davits. All this had taken -much time to accomplish, and the Arctic spring had -come swiftly to the land. The hills and valleys -showed gray and bare. The black rocks loomed -above the patches of sodden snow. The ice, rotten -and spongy, had almost disappeared from the bay. -The Eskimos’ igloos had long since gone, and the -natives were living in their skin tents once more. -Far overhead in the blue sky, the long files of geese -and swans winged northward; great flocks of eiders -gathered on the bay; curlew and snipe filled the night -air with their plaintive whistling, and the snowbirds -twittered from rocks and last year’s weeds.</p> - -<p>For the last time the boys paddled ashore in their -kayak and bade farewell to Nepaluka, to Newilic, -to Kemiplu, the wrinkled old story teller, and to all -their Eskimo friends whom they had grown to love -and respect.</p> - -<p>Then the clank of the windlass and the rousing -chantey of the men warned them it was time to leave, -and swiftly they paddled to the schooner, gave a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_262" id="Page_262">[262]</a></span> -farewell wave of their hands to the crowd of Eskimos -ashore, and saw their little kayak hoisted to the deck.</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="verse">Oh first came the herring, the king o’ the sea,</div> -<div class="verse indent1">Windy weather! Stormy weather!</div> -<div class="verse">He jumped on the poop. “I’ll be capt’n,” says he!</div> -<div class="verse indent1">Blow ye winds westerly, gentle sou’westerly</div> -<div class="verse">Blow ye winds westerly—steady she goes!</div> -</div> -</div> - -<p class="noindent">Loudly the chantey rang over the bay. Loudly the -Eskimos shouted and yelled as the dripping chain -came in link by link, and the great anchor rose -from the mud that had held it fast for half a year. -Up the rigging the men sped. Quickly the huge -sails were spread and sheeted home. Braces were -manned, and the <i>Narwhal</i> slowly gathered way and -the short seas splashed in spray from her forefoot. -Out towards the vast reaches of the bay she sailed. -Behind her, the land grew dim and faint. To a -fair, stiff breeze she heeled, with every sail drawing, -headed southward.</p> - -<p>Battered by countless storms, scarred by ice, the -veteran of a thousand battles with hurricanes and -tempest, with crushing floes and grinding bergs, still -staunch and sound, the gallant old schooner lifted -her bow and plunged through the hissing green seas.</p> - -<p>Safe within her old hold were the hard won treasures<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_263" id="Page_263">[263]</a></span> -of the Arctic; yard long icicles and masses of -frozen spray draped her bobstays, her rails, and -her chains. But shaking the icy brine from her -decks as she reared on the crests of the waves, sliding -into the great hollows, crushing ice cakes with -her shearing bows, she tore onward, while at braces -and halyards and sheets the men roared out that most -welcome and glorious of whaleman’s songs:</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="verse">Did you ever join in with those heart-ringing cheers,</div> -<div class="verse indent1">With your face turned to Heaven’s blue dome,</div> -<div class="verse">As laden with riches you purchased so dear</div> -<div class="verse indent1">You hoisted your topsails—bound home?</div> -</div> -</div> - -<p class="titlepage">THE END</p> - -<hr /> - -<div class="footnotes"> - -<h2>FOOTNOTES</h2> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_1" id="Footnote_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_1"><span class="label">[1]</span></a> See <i>The Deep Sea Hunters</i>.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_2" id="Footnote_2"></a><a href="#FNanchor_2"><span class="label">[2]</span></a> The Arctic Fox is the one referred to in this story.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_3" id="Footnote_3"></a><a href="#FNanchor_3"><span class="label">[3]</span></a> The tribe of Eskimos inhabiting the vicinity of Rowe’s Welcome.</p> - -</div> - -</div> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Deep Sea Hunters in the Frozen Seas, by -A. Hyatt Verrill - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DEEP SEA HUNTERS IN FROZEN SEAS *** - -***** This file should be named 60270-h.htm or 60270-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/0/2/7/60270/ - -Produced by Tim Lindell 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.) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law 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. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, -and may not be used if you charge for the eBooks, unless you receive -specific permission. If you do not charge anything for copies of this -eBook, complying with the rules is very easy. You may use this eBook -for nearly any purpose such as creation of derivative works, reports, -performances and research. They may be modified and printed and given -away--you may do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks -not protected by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the -trademark license, especially commercial redistribution. - -START: FULL LICENSE - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full -Project Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at -www.gutenberg.org/license. - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or -destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your -possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a -Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound -by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the -person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph -1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this -agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the -Foundation" or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection -of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual -works in the collection are in the public domain in the United -States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the -United States and you are located in the United States, we do not -claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, -displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as -all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope -that you will support the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting -free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm -works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the -Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with the work. You can easily -comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the -same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg-tm License when -you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are -in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, -check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this -agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, -distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any -other Project Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no -representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any -country outside the United States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other -immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear -prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work -on which the phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, -performed, viewed, copied or distributed: - - This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and - most other parts of the world 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 www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the - United States, you'll have to check the laws of the country where you - are located before using this ebook. - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is -derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not -contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the -copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in -the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are -redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply -either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or -obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any -additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms -will be linked to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works -posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the -beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including -any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access -to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format -other than "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official -version posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site -(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense -to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means -of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original "Plain -Vanilla ASCII" or other form. Any alternate format must include the -full Project Gutenberg-tm License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -provided that - -* You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed - to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he has - agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid - within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are - legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty - payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in - Section 4, "Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg - Literary Archive Foundation." - -* You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all - copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue - all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg-tm - works. - -* You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of - any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of - receipt of the work. - -* You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work or group of works on different terms than -are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing -from both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and The -Project Gutenberg Trademark LLC, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark. Contact the Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project -Gutenberg-tm collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may -contain "Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate -or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other -intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or -other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or -cannot be read by your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium -with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you -with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in -lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person -or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second -opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If -the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing -without further opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO -OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT -LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of -damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement -violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the -agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or -limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or -unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the -remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in -accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the -production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, -including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of -the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this -or any Project Gutenberg-tm work, (b) alteration, modification, or -additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any -Defect you cause. - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of -computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It -exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations -from people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future -generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see -Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at -www.gutenberg.org - - - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by -U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is in Fairbanks, Alaska, with the -mailing address: PO Box 750175, Fairbanks, AK 99775, but its -volunteers and employees are scattered throughout numerous -locations. Its business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, Salt -Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up to -date contact information can be found at the Foundation's web site and -official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -For additional contact information: - - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND -DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular -state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To -donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project -Gutenberg-tm concept of a library of electronic works that could be -freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and -distributed Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of -volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in -the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not -necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper -edition. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search -facility: www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. - - - -</pre> - -</body> -</html> diff --git a/old/60270-h/images/appleton.jpg b/old/60270-h/images/appleton.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 1ff0cba..0000000 --- a/old/60270-h/images/appleton.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/60270-h/images/cover.jpg b/old/60270-h/images/cover.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index c4bbe8c..0000000 --- a/old/60270-h/images/cover.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/60270-h/images/frontispiece.jpg b/old/60270-h/images/frontispiece.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 7971beb..0000000 --- a/old/60270-h/images/frontispiece.jpg +++ /dev/null |
