The Young Alaskans Part 27

Tossing up and down on the waves, half-way or more across, was a small, dark object!

The eyes of the old Aleut were first to discover this, and he began to shout and gesticulate as several pairs of gla.s.ses were turned upon it.

Old Captain Stephens broke out in a string of nautical e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.o.ns, which need not be printed in full. "Look at that!" he cried. "Talk about _sailors_! See 'em go! They wouldn't reef a point if they could--and I guess they can't, for they seem to have a board or something for a sail.

And they've got leeboards down. They've got two oars out for steering-gear. By the great horn spoon! c.u.mmings, crack on more steam or they'll beat us to New York! Why, dash my eyes, Hazlett, you old woman, didn't I _tell_ you you couldn't lose those boys?"

The gentleman whom he addressed smiled rather crookedly but could find no speech.

The whistle of the _Bennington_ roared out three times in salute. At once the distant dory came about and laid a long tack to intercept the course of the cutter. In a few minutes she was within hailing distance.

The crew of the _Bennington_ were along the rail, and without orders they greeted the young sailors with a cheer.

"By gad!" said Captain Stephens, turning away. "It's worth a couple of months of Uncle Sam's time to see a thing like that. There's where we get our _men_! Safe? Humph!"

Rob, John, and Jesse, all ragged and bare-headed, stood up in the pitching dory, calling out and waving their hands. First they pa.s.sed up their prisoner, and an instant later they were on board and in the middle of excited greetings. These over, they hurriedly explained the events covering the strange situations which have been recounted in our earlier pages. Meantime, Skookie was standing silently and stolidly at the side of his father, who made no such great excitement over him. The boys now introduced him, with the highest praise for his faithfulness and a plea that something be done for his reward.

"So far as that is concerned," said Mr. Hazlett, "every decent native concerned in this shall have more than justice done to him. I'll put the boy into the Mission School at Wood Island, if he likes, and he shall have all the clothes he needs, and something besides. It's lucky for this bunch of natives that we don't put them all in jail. How about this man they tell me you've been keeping prisoner?" continued Uncle d.i.c.k.

"Please, sir," said Rob, earnestly, "don't be hard with him. I'm not sure that we understand all about the way these natives think. He tried to get away from us, and we tied him up because we needed him as a pilot. We didn't know the way back to town, you see, because when we came down the coast it was all in a fog and we couldn't see anything."

"Rather risky pilot, from what I hear," commented Uncle d.i.c.k.

"I believe he was more scared than anything else," went on Rob. "He never really made us any trouble, and he did a lot of work for us for which we have promised him pay. We've got to keep our word to all these people, you know. But, if you please, we'd rather pay money to them than to give up our rifles; and we'd like Jesse's rifle back."

"That will be easy," said Uncle d.i.c.k. "All these people will count themselves fortunate. But what a lot of them we'll have to ship back down the coast to Old Harbor--I suppose we'll have to charter a schooner for that!"

"I say, Uncle d.i.c.k," broke in John, eagerly, "if you send a schooner down, _couldn't we boys go along with her_?"

Uncle d.i.c.k looked at him quizzically for a moment.

"You could not!" he answered, briefly.