The Giant of the North: Pokings Round the Pole Part 22

Oolichuk, having just driven off a cow walrus, happened to observe the situation, and held on to Oblooria. The baby walrus was secured, and, almost as soon as the old bull was slain, had a line attached to it, and was made fast to the stern.

"Well done, little girl!" exclaimed Oolichuk in admiration, "you're almost as good as a man."

Among civilised people this might have been deemed a doubtful compliment, but it was not so in Eskimo-land. The little maid was evidently much pleased, and the t.i.tle of the Timid One, which Oolichuk was wont to give her when in a specially endearing frame of mind, was changed for the Brave One from that day. In a few more minutes the last charge of the enemy was repulsed, and those of them that remained alive dived back to that native home into which the slain had already sunk.

Thus ended that notable fight with walruses.

After consummating the victory with three cheers and congratulating each other, the conquerors proceeded to examine into the extent of damage received. It was found that, beyond a few scratches, the _Faith_ and the _Hope_ had escaped scathless, but the _Charity_ had suffered considerably. Besides a bad rip in the upper part of the gunwale, a small hole had been poked in her side below water, and her air-chamber was filling rapidly.

"Come here, quick, uncle," cried Alf, in consternation, when he discovered this.

To his surprise the Captain was not so much alarmed as he had expected.

"It won't sink you, Alf, so keep your mind easy," he said, while examining the injury. "You see I took care to have the boats made in compartments. It will only make you go lop-sided like a lame duck till I can repair the damage."

"Repair it, uncle! how can--"

"Never mind just now, hand out a blanket, quick; I'll explain after; we must undergird her and keep out as much water as we can."

This operation was soon accomplished. The blanket was pa.s.sed under the boat and made fast. By pressing against the injured part it checked the inflow of water. Then the cargo was shifted, and part of it was transferred to the other boats, and soon they were advancing as pleasantly, though not as quickly as before, while the Captain explained that he had brought a solution of gutta-percha for the express purpose of repairing damages to the boats, but that it was impossible to use it until they could disembark either on land or on an iceberg.

"We'll come to another berg ere long, no doubt, shan't we, Chingatok?"

he asked.

The Eskimo shook his head and said he thought not, but there was a small rocky islet not far from where they were, though it lay somewhat out of their course.

On hearing this the Captain changed his course immediately, and rowed in the direction pointed out.

"There's wind enough up there, Benjy," remarked his father, looking up to the sky, where the higher clouds were seen rapidly pa.s.sing the lower strata to the northward, "but how to get the kites set up in a dead calm is more than I can tell."

"There is a way out of the difficulty, father," said Benjy, pointing behind them.

He referred to a slight breeze which was ruffling the sea into what are called cat's paws far astern.

"Right boy, right. Prepare to hoist your tops'ls, lads," shouted the Captain.

In a few minutes the kites were expanded and the tow-lines attached.

When the light breeze came up they all soared, heavily, it is true, but majestically, into the sky. Soon reaching the upper regions, they caught the steady breeze there, and towed the boats along at the rate of eight or ten miles an hour.

In two hours they sighted the islet which Chingatok had mentioned, and, soon afterwards, had landed and taken possession of it, in the usual manner, under the name of Refuge Island.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN.

DISCOURSES OF DEEP THINGS.

The islet, or rock, for it was little more, which the explorers had reached, was low and extremely barren. Nevertheless it had on it a large colony of sea-fowl, which received the strangers with their wonted clamour of indignation--if not of welcome.

As it was near noon at the time, the Captain and Leo went with their s.e.xtants to the highest part of the island to ascertain its position; the Eskimos set about making an encampment, unloading the boats, etcetera, and Alf, with hammer and botanical box, set off on a short ramble along the coast, accompanied by Benjy and b.u.t.terface.

Sometimes these three kept together and chatted, at other times they separated a little, each attracted by some object of interest, or following the lead, it might have been, of wayward fancy. But they never lost sight of each other, and, after a couple of hours, converged, as if by tacit consent, until they met and sat down to rest on a ledge of rock.

"Well, I _do_ like this sort o' thing," remarked Benjy, as he wiped his heated brow. "There is something to me so pleasant and peaceful about a low rocky sh.o.r.e with the sun blazing overhead and the great sea stretching out flat and white in a dead calm with just ripple enough to let you know it is all alive and hearty--only resting, like a good-humoured and sleepy giant."

"Why, Ben, I declare you are becoming poetical," said Alf with a smile; "your conceptions correspond with those of Buzzby, who writes:--

"`Great Ocean, slumb'ring in majestic calm, Lies like a mighty--a mighty--'

"I--I fear I've forgotten. Let me see:--

"`Great Ocean, slumb'ring in majestic calm, Lies like a mighty--'"

"Giant in a dwalm," suggested Benjy.

"We'll change the subject," said Alf, opening his botanical box and taking out several specimens of plants and rocks. "See, here are some bits of rock of a kind that are quite new to me."

"What's de use ob dem?" inquired b.u.t.terface with a look of earnest simplicity.

"The use?" said Benjy, taking on himself to reply; "why, you flat-nosed grampus, don't you know that these bits of rock are made for the express purpose of being carried home, identified, cla.s.sified, labelled, stuck up in a museum, and stared at by wondering ignoramuses, who care nothing whatever about them, and know less. Geologists are constantly going about the world with their little hammers keeping up the supply."

"Yes, b.u.t.terface," said Alf, "Benjy is partly correct; such specimens will be treated as he describes, and be stared at in blank stupidity by hundreds of fellows like himself, but they will also be examined and understood by geologists, who from their profound knowledge of the plans which our Creator seems to have had in arranging the materials of the earth, are able to point out many interesting and useful facts which are not visible to the naked and unscientific eye, such, for instance, as the localities where coal and other precious things may be found."

"Kin dey tell whar' gold is to be found, ma.s.sa Alf?"

"O yes, they can tell that."

"Den it's dis yer chile as wishes," said b.u.t.terface with a sigh, "dat he was a jollygist."

"Oh! b.u.t.terface, you're a jolly goose at all events," said Benjy; "wouldn't it be fun to go and discover a gold mine, and dig up as much as would keep us in happy idleness all the rest of our lives? But I say, Alf, have you nothing better than geological specimens in your box--no grubological specimens, eh?"

Alf replied by producing from his box a paper parcel which contained some of the required specimens in the shape of biscuit and pemmican.

"Capital! Well, you are a good fellow, Alf. Let us make a table-cloth of the paper--now, you undisciplined black, don't glare so at the victuals, else you'll grow too hungry for a moderate supply."

When the trio were in the full swing of vigorous feeding, the negro paused, with his mouth full, to ask Alf what would be the use of the North Pole when it was discovered.

"Make matches or firewood of it," said Benjy just as he was about to stop up his impudent mouth with a lump of pemmican.

"Truly, of what use the Pole itself may be--supposing it to exist in the form of a thing," said Alf, "I cannot tell, but it has already been of great use in creating expeditions to the Polar regions. You know well enough, b.u.t.terface, for you've been round the Capes of Good Hope and Horn often enough, what a long long voyage it is to the eastern seas, on the other side of the world, and what a saving of time and expense it would be if we could find a shorter route to those regions, from which so many of our necessaries and luxuries come. Now, if we could only discover an open sea in the Arctic regions which would allow our ships to sail in a straight line from England across the North Pole to Behring's Straits, the voyage to the East would be reduced to only about 5000 miles, and we should be able to reach j.a.pan in three or four weeks.

Just think what an advantage that would be to commerce!"

"Tea at twopence a pound an' sugar to match--not to mention mola.s.ses and baccy, you ignorant n.i.g.g.e.r!" said Benjy;--"pa.s.s the biscuits."

"An' now, ma.s.sa Alf," said b.u.t.terface with an eager look, "we's diskivered dis open sea--eh!"

"Well, it seems as if we had."

"But what good will it do us," argued Benjy, becoming more earnest in the discussion, "if it's all surrounded by a ring of ice such as we have pa.s.sed over on sledges."