Up The Baltic Part 15

"Here's a Runic stone," said Dr. Winstock, as the captain and several of the officers followed him into the burying-ground connected with the ancient church.

"What is a Runic stone?" asked Lincoln, the third lieutenant.

"A stone with Runic characters upon it."

"I haven't the least idea what the word means, though Poe sings, in the 'Bells,'----

'Keeping time, time, time, In a sort of Runic rhyme!'

Runic is derived from a word which means secret; and a Runic stone is any memorial, table, or column, on which Runic characters are inscribed, as a tombstone, a boundary mark. There are sixteen of these characters, forming an alphabet, which were used by the ancient Scandinavians, and were thought by them to possess magical properties, and willow wands inscribed with them were used by the pagans of the north in their magic rites. Sticks were used as almanacs, to keep the account of the days and months, and also const.i.tuted the day-books and ledgers of the ancients. In Germany, in modern times, the baker, for example, and the purchaser of bread, each had a stick, and the number of loaves delivered was notched upon both. Scarcely less primitive was the custom of some of our American farmers, who kept their accounts on the barn door; and I have heard a story of one who, when required to produce his books in court at a lawsuit, carried in the barn door, and held it up before the judge and jury. In Denmark and Sweden you will see more Runic writings, especially in the museum at Copenhagen."

"They seem to bury people here, in about the same manner as with us,"

said Captain c.u.mberland.

"There is not half so much difference between things here and those at home as I expected to find," added Judson.

"The houses are almost the same, and so are the people," continued Norwood.

"People coming to Europe are often disappointed because they find almost everything so near like what they have been accustomed to,"

replied the doctor. "You will find Norway and Sweden more like New England than any other countries on the continent. But I think you will find differences enough to excite your interest and attention before you return."

The students walked back to Christiansand, and having exhausted the town, went on board the vessels of the squadron, ready and even anxious to continue the voyage. The pilots were on deck, Paul Kendall and lady had returned to the Grace, and the princ.i.p.al only waited the arrival of the steamer Moss, from Frederiksvaern, to give the order to get under way. The boats were all hoisted up except the first cutter, which was to bring off the unfortunate crew of the professor's barge, as soon as they arrived.

At eight o'clock the steamer came in, and the first cutter, with the princ.i.p.al on board, hastened to her landing-place, to meet Sanford and his companions. To his great astonishment and regret, they were not on board of the Moss. The captain, who spoke English very well, knew nothing about the absentees, and was quite confident they were not on board of the Foldin, the boat which had picked them up. Captain Hoell had said nothing to him about the accident, but then the Foldin had arrived only that morning, instead of the night before, when she was due, and their interview had been very hurried. "Did any person in the Moss know anything about the unfortunates?" the captain was kind enough to inquire; and a pa.s.senger was found who heard some one say that a party of young men had been landed by the Foldin at Lillesand.

But the Moss had left Lillesand at six o'clock, and her captain had not seen or heard of the persons described. Mr. Lowington was very anxious about the fate of the second cutter's crew, and feared that some of them had been injured by the collision, so that they were unable to take the steamer back to Christiansand. He returned to the cutter and pulled off to the Tritonia, and directed Mr. Tompion, the second vice-princ.i.p.al, in charge of her, to run into Lillesand, and ascertain what had become of the absentees. Without waiting for the signal, the Tritonia got under way, and under full sail, with a fresh breeze, stood out of the harbor. The other vessels followed her soon after, the princ.i.p.al intending to lay off and on till the Tritonia reported.

The ship had been searched from keel to truck for Ole Amundsen on the day before. Of course he was not found, and the conclusion was that he had dropped into the water and swam ash.o.r.e, though it was difficult to understand how he had accomplished the feat without detection.

Inquiries in regard to him were made on sh.o.r.e, but if any one knew him, application was not made to the right persons.

Mr. Clyde Blacklock had not yet jumped overboard, and during the busy scene of getting under way, he stood with his mouth agape, watching the proceedings with wondering interest. He was not quite sure, after his anger had subsided, that he had made a bad bargain. There was something rather pleasant in the motion of the ship, and the zeal and precision with which the students worked, showed that they enjoyed their occupation. No one noticed Clyde, or even seemed to be aware of his presence. Before, when he behaved in an extravagant and unreasonable manner, the boys only laughed at him. They did not beg him to be pacified, as his mother and James always did; on the contrary they seemed to enjoy his chagrin.

As soon as the ship was under way, the new student was informed that he belonged to the port watch, second part, and the silver star, which designated his watch, was affixed to his left arm. He was told that he would be called with the others to take his turn on deck during the night.

"What am I to do?" he asked, rather blankly.

"Just the same as the others do?" replied De Forrest, the fourth lieutenant, who had the deck with the second part of the port watch.

"I have your station bill."

"What's that?"

"It is a card on which all your duties are explained. Here it is,"

added De Forrest, producing the station bill. "You are No. 71; all the even numbers belong to the starboard watch, and all the odd numbers to the port."

These cards were all printed; for among the various amus.e.m.e.nts provided for the students, a couple of octavo Novelty presses, with a sufficient supply of type and other printing material had been furnished. All the blanks for use in the ship were printed on board, and the Oceanic Enterprise, a weekly Journal, had been regularly issued during the voyage across the Atlantic, though a gale of wind, which disturbed the equilibrium of the press and the printers, had delayed its publication a couple of days on one occasion.

Clyde read the station bill which was handed to him by the officer, but it would have been just as intelligible to him if it had been in Runic character.

"'Reefing, main-topsail, and main-topsail halyards,'" said Clyde, reading from the card. "What does all that mean?"

"You mind only what you have to do yourself, and not trouble your head about orders that have nothing to do with your work; for the orders come as thick as snow flakes at Christmas. When all hands are called to reef topsails, you are one of them, of course. When any thing is said about topsails, or topsail-halyards, you are the man."

"Good; I understand that, and I shall make a sailor, I know," added Clyde.

"I hope you will. The order will come to 'settle away the topsail halyards.' Be ready to help then."

"But I don't know the topsail halyards from a pint of soup."

"Here they are," added the lieutenant, conducting his pupil to the rail, and pointing out the main-topsail halyards. "Then, when the officer says, 'Aloft, top-men,' you will run up the main rigging here, and the midshipman in the top will tell you what to do. At the word, you will lay out on the yard, and do as the others do. At the words, 'Lay down from aloft,' you will come on deck, and hoist up the main-topsail. Nearly all your duty is connected with the main-topsail.

In tacking, you will go to the clew-garnets."

"What are they?"

"These ropes, by which the corners of the mainsail are hauled up,"

answered De Forrest, pointing out the clew-garnets. "You will also let go the main tack. In getting under way, you will help loose the main-topsail. In anchoring, you are at the main clew-lines, and the main brace. Here they are. In loosing and furling you are on the main-topsail. In boat service, you are attached to the third cutter.

You sleep in berth No. 71, your ship's number, and eat with mess No.

6."

De Forrest, as instructed by the princ.i.p.al, carefully explained the duties of the new comer, indicating every rope as he mentioned it, and describing its use. He was prudent in his manner, and tried to give the proud youth no offence by making him feel the superiority of an officer. The lieutenant then conducted him to his mess room, and pointed out his berth.

The wind was still from the southward, and quite fresh; and though the squadron went under short sail, it was off Lillesand in a couple of hours. The Tritonia, which was a fast vessel, did not detain her consorts more than a couple of hours. Mr. Tompion boarded the ship, and reported that the crew of the second cutter had landed at Lillesand, and fearing that they should miss the ship if they returned to Christiansand, had taken carioles, and left early in the morning for Christiania. There were ten of the party, and one of them was a Norwegian, though he was dressed like the others. Mr. Lowington could not imagine who the Norwegian was that wore the Academy's uniform, for it did not occur to him that Ole could have joined them. He was glad to hear that all of them were well, and able to travel; and had no doubt they would arrive in safety at Christiania. He was aware that the crew of the second cutter were rather wild boys; but as there were no large towns in the interior, he had no fear that they would be led astray among the simple Norwegians.

The fleet filled away again, and at eight bells the following morning was off Frederiksvaern.

CHAPTER VII.

UP THE CHRISTIANIA FJORD.

"I should like to know where this place is," said Ryder, the second master, as he appeared upon the quarter-deck of the ship, with one of the forty bound volumes of Harper's Magazine, which were contained in the library.

"What place?" asked Lincoln, the third lieutenant, as he glanced at the volume.

"That's more than I know; but here is a picture of a steamer between two high bluffs of rock, and under it, she is said to be entering the fjord."

"We are just at the mouth of the fjord now, and if there are any such rocks as those here, I should like to see them. Why, you see they rise above the steamer's main-topmast."

Lincoln took the book, and read the description; but he was none the wiser for his labor, for the narrow strait through which the steamer in the picture was pa.s.sing was not particularly described. The book was shown to the pilot, who did not know just where the place was; but after he had been told that the steamer came from Gottenburg, and was on her way to Christiania, he thought that the bold rocks must be in the vicinity of Frederiksvaern. He offered to take the ship through the pa.s.s, as the wind was fair, and Mr. Lowington consented that he should do so, for in order to enable the students to see the fine scenery on the fjord, the studies were to be laid aside for the day.

"I don't see where there can be anything like this," said Ryder, as he surveyed the sh.o.r.es.

"There are plenty of islands here, but certainly none of them rise to any such heights as those in the picture," replied Lincoln. "They are bare rocks out at sea, but some of them are a little green farther in.

It don't begin to be so wild as I supposed it was in these parts. Why, I have read and heard so much about the Christiania Fjord, that I supposed it was the grandest scenery in the world."

"It don't look much like the picture--does it?" laughed Ryder.