Steve Young Part 12

"What are you going to do, sir--land?" cried Steve eagerly.

"Yes, when we can find a landing-place. No boat could get ash.o.r.e here.

We'll go gently along to the north, and keep a good look-out both for them and a sheltered cove."

And, giving the necessary orders, the _Hvalross_ began to glide slowly in toward the wreck, with a man in the chains heaving the lead, and always finding deep water till they were quite close in to where the surf beat heavily with its deafening roar upon the rocks.

A boat was in readiness for landing an exploring party, with guns and spears in case of game being met with, or, as the doctor pleasantly put it, a polar bear should come down prepared to make game of them.

Even when close in there was nothing visible about the wreck which indicated its name or the port to which it belonged, and, the course being altered, they steamed along at a safe distance from the rocks, carefully scanning the sh.o.r.e and the cliffs right up to where the ice and snow lay thickly. But there was no sign of human habitation, no signal, no living creature but the sea-birds, which flew about the face of the cliffs in flocks, looking in places as thick as the flakes in a snow-squall, shrieking, whistling, and circling round to gaze down at the strange visitors to their solitude.

Seen from the vessel, a more lovely spot could not be imagined; its beauty was dazzling; and Steve's spirits rose as he felt that if the captain and crew of the _Ice Blink_ had escaped safely from the wreck, they had found a glorious island in which to make their sojourn.

He said something of the kind to Captain Marsham, but there was a saddened look and a shake of the head.

"Heavenly-looking, Steve, my boy," he said, "with the blue sea and sky, the silvered rocks, and the lovely greys, reds, and browns of the cliffs; but don't you see why it is so beautiful? Once this glorious sunshine is blotted out by a cloud, and you have before you a terrible spot--desolate, sterile, storm-swept. Fancy what it must be when the arctic night, with its months of darkness, sets in!"

Steve was silent, and his heart sank for the time, as he saw the truth of the captain's words; but there was hope still waiting to a.s.sert itself: he had his gla.s.s in his hand, with which he swept the sh.o.r.e as they steamed on mile after mile, till all at once he uttered a shout.

"What is it?" said the captain, for the boy was pointing to where there was a perfect wilderness of rocks stretching down from the cliffs to the sea.

"Some one! Look! There he goes! He is trying to get down to the sea to hail us."

Steve had seen the moving figure with the naked eye, and his hands trembled so with excitement that he could not adjust his gla.s.s.

"A bear--a monster," said the captain, who was gazing through his.

"A bear in an island?" said the doctor in a tone of doubt; and Steve, whose hopes had been cast down by this announcement, felt his spirits rise again.

"An island? Yes," said the captain; "but an island hemmed in on two or three sides by the ice. Look, we are close to the pack which touches it on the north. We can get no farther this way, and I daresay that the channel between the island and Greenland is one solid floe. Yes, that's a fine bear; and look, there is its mate."

Steve shaded his eyes and gazed sh.o.r.eward, to see the second bear slowly rise up on its hind legs, looking in the distance wonderfully like some human being, watching the vessel gliding slowly along over the clear water.

"You will land and have a try for the bears?" said the doctor; and at another time Steve would have felt all eagerness to be of the party; but he was disappointed, and his eyes were wandering over the sh.o.r.e, which suddenly ended and gave place to ice.

"Where shall we land?" said the captain quietly. "No boat can get ash.o.r.e amongst these breakers, and we can go no farther north. It will be deep water right up to the floe, so we will go close to it in case there is a pa.s.sage between it and the land. But I doubt it; and our friends yonder will save their skins unless we can land south and come up to them along the sh.o.r.e."

"Then you think they have come over the ice?"

"Of course; just as reindeer do from other regions hundreds of miles away."

They steamed on, pa.s.sing the bears, which, after watching them for a time as if feeling their security, went on searching among the rock pools and crevices for food. A quarter of an hour later the engine was slowed; five minutes later it was stopped, and the _Hvalross_ lay in the crystal water at the foot of a perpendicular ice cliff ten or fifteen feet high, wonderfully regular at the top, and extending straight to the land on one side, where it met the high rocky cliffs. On their right it stretched away, as far as the telescopes could help them to see, an impa.s.sable icy barrier, shutting off all ships from further progress to the north.

"You see," said the captain, "we cannot land here, and we can go no farther till the ice breaks up or opens out in channels."

"Don't you think a boat could land just there, sir, where the sea is calmer?" said Steve, who felt a strange attraction to the sh.o.r.e.

Captain Marsham did not answer, but stood looking in the direction pointed out by Steve, where for a few moments the sh.o.r.e did look quiet; the next minute a heavy swell glided slowly in, rose, curled over, and deluged the sh.o.r.e with white water.

"Do you want me to answer your question, Steve?" he said at last. "That breaker was at least ten feet high. Do you think a boat could live there?"

"No," said Steve sorrowfully. "But you will try to the south, sir?"

"Of course, my lad," was the reply; and the engine was reversed, the _Hvalross_ backing away from the glittering ice cliff, in which the waves were working gigantic honeycombs of the most delicate sapphire blue, in and out of which the waters raced and made strange sucking and splashing sounds, peculiarly suggestive of savage sea monsters gliding in and out and playing amidst the icy caverns. Then, with her head to the south, she glided swiftly back, retracing the ground already pa.s.sed over, leaving the bears still busy amongst the rocks, too much engrossed to give them even a pa.s.sing look; and soon after they were once more abreast of the wreck, and gliding south, but with the engine slowed once more and the man in the chains busy with the lead.

CHAPTER EIGHT.

DISAPPOINTMENT.

There was no fear of being overtaken by the darkness of night, for the sun shone brilliantly, as if to make up for the long dreary time that it was hidden from the face of the earth; and its genial warmth had so great an effect upon the spirits of the men that they were all alert and eager for action, watching the sh.o.r.e intently for traces of the crew of the wrecked vessel, and for a break in the tremendous waves where a boat could get to sh.o.r.e in safety. Even the dog partook of the general feeling of exhilaration, rushing frantically about the deck, charging at the sailors open-mouthed, with his frill set up round his neck, and when apparently about to seize them thrusting his muzzle down close to the deck and rolling over and over.

They glided on as near to the line of breakers as it was safe, the steam giving Captain Marsham such complete control over the movements of the vessel that Steve pointed out the fact triumphantly to Andrew McByle.

"Ay," he said, "she's ferry goot in her way, the hot watter, but gie me sails. Where wad she pe if ta fire went oot?"

"And where wad she pe if ta wind went doon?" cried Steve, out of patience with the man's obstinacy.

"Tat's ferry pad language, Meester Steve Young, sir. Ton't you try to imitate ta gran' Gaelic tongue, pecause she can never to it. She'd have to pe p.o.r.n north o' Glasgie to speak ta gran' Gaelic tongue proper."

"Then you shouldn't be so obstinate," said Steve, somewhat abashed.

"Call that dog down, my lad," cried the captain, "or he'll be overboard!"

For Skene had leaped up on the bowsprit, made his way from there on to the bulwarks, and was running along the top wherever it was clear of rope or shroud, barking with all his might at the astonished birds which came wheeling round the ship, swooping so low at times that they nearly brushed the dog with their long grey wings, making him snap at them vainly.

But the intense excitement produced by the change to warmth and sunshine seemed to border on a kind of rollicking madness; and bubbling over with fun Skene turned quite mutinous, barking as if derisively in response to every call, and evading Steve as he chased him, the boy running along the deck and making dashes at the dog, who avoided him by his superior activity, till, getting at last quite close, Steve made a s.n.a.t.c.h at his quarry's hind leg and grasped it firmly. Almost at the same instant Skene made a bound, dragged his leg away, and came down in a double astride upon the top of the bulwark, tried to recover himself, got upon his legs, again slipped, nearly went overboard, but saved himself by another leap, and came down upon the deck flop. Before he could get up Steve was upon him, holding by the long hair of the animal's neck. Then there was a sharp struggle, in which the boy won, and Skene turned his head round, looked up in his master's face, and uttered a pitiful howl, the cry and the way in which it was uttered seeming so wonderfully human and so thoroughly to express the dog's ideas, "Oh, what a shame, when I was enjoying myself so!" that Steve burst into a fit of laughing.

"C'ssss! Bite him then," came from the door of the galley, and Steve looked sharply round to see Watty's head just outside the door, and the movement made him slacken his hold of the dog.

_Wuph_!

One deep utterance, half growl, half bark. Skene was free, and Steve on his side, while the dog charged right at Watty, striking the door heavily with his fore paws, as the cook's new a.s.sistant s.n.a.t.c.hed his head inside and pulled the door to.

"Serve you right!" muttered Steve, gaining his feet. "Quiet, Skeny!

Down!"

For the dog was gazing up at the spot where Watty's head had disappeared, and growling fiercely.

The next moment Watty appeared at the window.

"I'll tell the skipper ye sat the tyke at me!" cried the boy.

"If you don't behave yourself I will!" retorted Steve; and then patting Skene's head he walked away, the dog, quite sobered now, following him, muttering in growls, and looking back now and then at the galley, whose door was softly opened, and a hand protruded holding a piece of cold salt meat.

Skene saw it, and hesitated. Then he stopped short, and Watty whistled and wriggled the piece of meat about. That was too much for any animal.

Meat is meat after all, and to keep him healthy Skene had been dieted a good deal upon biscuit. He was only a dog, and rushing back, he s.n.a.t.c.hed the piece in his trap-like jaws.