Steve Young Part 53

"He would not have gone seeking for coal," said the doctor, "because there is plenty here."

"I'm thinking, sir," said the Norseman, "that he had no matches, and has gone to seek for a stone to use with his knife to strike a light. There can be no other reason."

"Then he will be back directly," said the captain. "There, leave them to cook; I am uneasy about him. Let's search those places a little farther off. We'll take that one, Hands...o...b..; you the other, Johannes."

They all then started off as the fire burned up, and spread quite a cloud of black smoke overhead; and the Norseman had barely reached the mouth of the ravine which he was to explore before he stopped and gave a triumphant shout as he waved his hand. The others waved their hands in answer, and turned to where he stood, with something in his grasp, peering carefully around.

"His cap!" cried the captain. "What does that mean?"

The Norseman shook his head.

"The ground is hard as iron, sir," he said; "there is not an impression anywhere. I've been looking for foot-marks."

"Surely he has not been attacked by wild beasts--bears!" cried Mr Hands...o...b.. hoa.r.s.ely.

"I thought of that, sir; but there is no sign."

They hailed again and again, but there was no reply save that given by the echoes, and the captain grew more uneasy.

"Show me exactly where you found the cap," he said.

The Norseman trotted about fifty yards on beyond the entrance to the ravine he had been set to search, and picked up a piece of slaty coal.

"Just here, sir," he said. "I put this where I found the cap."

"Then he must have gone on in that direction; he would not have come back to go down there."

"No, sir."

"But why should he have dropped his cap?" said the doctor.

"He must have been running after something, sir."

"Or something must have been running after him," cried the doctor. "He would not have gone any farther than this unless there was some reason."

"Of course not," said the captain testily; "but what reason could there be?"

"Well, it seems to me that the best thing is to go back to the fire and wait a few minutes," said the doctor, after standing thoughtful and silent. "He is far more likely to come to us than we are to go to him.

It seems to be a mystery; but mysteries sometimes turn out very simple things. What do you say?"

"I say that we'll have a good search down this gully, and see if by any chance he has gone down here. You, Johannes, search along over our morning's track straight away, and try and be back in half an hour at the fire. We will meet you."

The Norseman went off without a word, and the captain and doctor, after a glance in the direction of the fire to see that the others were watching them, plunged into the gloomy, rugged gully, which looked as if the mountain had been suddenly split apart, leaving at the bottom just room for two men to pick their way along abreast, while the sides ran up at once toward where the ice and snow never melted save on the surface, to send a little water trickling down to form a tiny stream, which wandered along among the stones beneath their feet. But though they pressed on, seeking hard for some sign of the lad having pa.s.sed there, nothing was seen; so, when the half-hour was well up, they turned their heads in the other direction, vainly trying to make out where he could have gone, and still scanning every stone and rift overhead for signs.

"I hope Johannes has had better fortune," said the captain as they neared the entrance.

"I hope so; he would be back at the fire long before now," replied the doctor; but hardly had he spoken when a loud hail came echoing down the gully. They sent an echoing reply, and hurried their paces.

"One hardly likes to shout here," said the doctor; "the echoes are so weird and strange, they seem quite to answer you."

"Better if Steve would answer," said the captain drily. "You said a time back you wished we had not brought him to-day. I honestly wish now that I had not brought him at all. Well, Johannes?"

There was no need to speak. The heavy, solemn face of the Norseman told that he had seen nothing, and they went back to the fire in silence.

There was a pleasant odour to a hungry man out in the open, that of frizzling meat, as they approached the fire; but the strange disappearance of their young companion took away all appet.i.te, and Watty, who was smiling with satisfaction at the success of the collops he had been cooking upon skewers of wood, as _chef_ of the _al-fresco_ kitchen, saw with intense disappointment that the captain and those with him contented themselves with taking a couple of ship's biscuits each, and then turning away to confer as to what ought to be done.

"We cannot go back to the ship without him," said the captain.

"No," cried Johannes.

"Do you think he is playing us some trick?" said the doctor.

"Trick?"

"I mean hiding away, and will turn up directly."

"No, he would not be so wanting in common sense," said the captain sternly. "What pleasure could he find in so inane a prank?"

"None. I ought not to have said such a thing. He would not, of course."

"No," said Johannes decisively. "Is it possible, gentlemen, that he may have gone on, after putting the fire ready, so as to reach the boat?"

"I can see no reason."

"You did not give him any order, sir--one that you have forgotten?"

"No, certainly not," said the captain; and Johannes was silent, waiting for his superior to make some suggestion, the captain being very thoughtful as he stood there with his brow knit. At last he spoke.

"I cannot leave this place with the knowledge that he may have gone away for some reason that we cannot grasp and will perhaps return here by-and-by. It would be horrible for him to come and find that we had gone."

"I should stay," said Johannes shortly. "Thank you, my man," said the captain warmly; "and we shall stay, too. Of course you would not go, Hands...o...b..?"

"Impossible!" said the doctor quickly. "One minute, though," he continued, looking upward toward the rugged face of the mountain, and higher still to the snow and ice. "Do you think he has climbed up yonder to pa.s.s the time till we overtook him?"

"Oh no!" cried the captain; "the time was too short. There, my mind is made up."

The others looked at him; but he said no more till he had turned back to the fire.

"Look here, my lads," he said; "make a meal as quickly as you can, and then hurry on to the place where we landed. Of course you will keep a sharp look-out for Mr Steve as you go, in case he may be on the road.

If you do not pa.s.s him, question the boat-keepers; and if they have not seen him, you, Jakobsen, will come back to us here." The Norseman nodded.

"I shall depend upon your making all the haste you can back to us,"

continued the captain. "We may want you to help explore the place around; but I am in hopes that you will find him waiting by the boat."

Ten minutes later the men sprang up, harnessed themselves to the sledge and prepared to start, only waiting for the captain to give the word, "Go!"

Just then Watty sidled up to where the captain was standing.