Wild Adventures round the Pole
Page 18
however--at least not there. He had begged fora boat, and accompanied her on board the vessel in which she was tosail. Have they a secret, we wonder? Is it possible that our quietsurgeon has won the heart of this beautiful fair-haired Danish maiden?These are questions we must not seek answer to now, but time may tell.
Not until the pirate ship had left the bay, and the wounded were so farconvalescent as to be brought once more on board, did the old peace andquiet settle down upon the good ship _Arrandoon_. And now once more allwas bustle and stir; in a day or two they would start for the far north,and bid adieu to civilisation--a long but not, they hoped, a last adieu.
The very evening before they sailed, a farewell party was given on boardthe _Arrandoon_. The decks were tented over with canvas lined withflags, and the whole scene was gay and festive in the extreme. PoeticRory could not have believed that there was so much female youth andloveliness in this primitive little town of Reikjavik. No wonder thatday was dawning in the east ere the last boat of laughing and merryguests left for the shore.
Many and many a time afterwards, when surrounded by dangers innumerable,when beset in ice, when engulfed in darkness and storm, in themysterious regions of the Pole, did they look back with pleasure to thatlast happy night spent in the bay of Reikjavik.
But see, it is twelve o'clock by the sun. Flags are floating gaily onthe fort, on the little church tower, and on every eminence in or nearthe town, and the beach and snow-clad rocks are lined with an excitedcrowd. Hands and handkerchiefs are waved, and with the farewell cheersthe far-off hills resound. Then our brave fellows man the rigging andwaft them back cheer for cheer, as the noble vessel cleaves the watersof the bay, and stands away for the Northern Ocean.
CHAPTER ELEVEN.
THE VOYAGE RESUMED--A PLEASANT EVENING--"THOSE RUSHING WINDS"--THE"ARRANDOON" GROWS SAUCY--THE DOCTOR SPREAD-EAGLED--A SCHOOL OF WHALES.
Ere the day had worn to a close, before the sun went down in a goldenhaze, leaving one long line of crimson cloud, as earnest of a brightto-morrow, the _Arrandoon_, steaming twelve knots to the hour, was oncemore far away at sea, and the rugged mountains of Iceland could hardlybe descried. As night fell a breeze sprang up, and as there was littledoubt it would freshen ere long--for it blew from the east-south-east,and the glass had slightly gone down, with the mercury still concave attop--Captain McBain gave orders for the fires to be banked, and as muchcanvas spread as she could comfortably carry.
"Just make her snug, you know, Mr Stevenson," said McBain, "for thenight will be dark, and we may have more wind before the middle watch."
"And troth," said Rory to his companions, "if the ship is to be madesnug, I don't see why we shouldn't make ourselves snug for the nighttoo."
Ralph was gazing down through the skylight at the brilliantly-lightedsaloon, where Peter, with the aid of the assistant-steward and FreezingPowders, was busy laying the cloth for dinner.
"I've just come from forward," replied Ralph, in raptures, "where I'vebeen sniffing the roast beef and the boiled potatoes; and now just lookbelow, Rory,--look how Peter's face beams with intelligent delight; seehow radiant Freezing Powders is; behold how merrily the flames dance onthat fire of fires in the stove, and how the coloured crystal shimmers,and the bright silver shines on that cloth of spotless snow! Yes, Rory,you're right, boy--let us make ourselves snug for the night. So down wego, and dress our smartest--for, mind, boys, there is going to becompany to-night."
Yes, there was going to be company; five were all that as a rule satdown to table in the grand saloon, but to-night the covers were laid forfive more, namely Stevenson, Seth, old Magnus, and Ap, and last, thoughnot least, De Vere, the French aeronaut.
The cook of the _Arrandoon_ had been chosen specially by Ralph himself.Need I say, then, that he was an artist? and to-night he had done hisbest to outshine himself, and, I think, succeeded. I think, too, thatwhen Peter went forward, some time after the great joints had been puton the table, and told him that everything was going on "as merrily asmarriage bells," and that the gentlemen were loud in their praises ofRalph's cook, that that cook was about the happiest man in the ship.Peter had not exaggerated a bit either, for everything did go off wellat this little dinner-party. It would have done your heart good to haveseen the beaming countenances of little Ap, old man Magnus, and honesttrapper Seth; and to have noticed how often they passed their plates foranother help would have made you open your eyes with wonder--that is, ifyou never had been to Greenland; but had you made the voyage NorthPolewards even once, you would have known that of all countries in theworld that is just the place to give man or boy a healthy appetite.
When the cloth was removed and dessert placed upon the table they seemedhappier than ever, if that were possible, and smiles and jokes andjocund yarns ere the order of the evening. After every good story thecockatoo helped himself to an immense mouthful of hemp-seed, andcried,--
"Dea-ah me! Well, well, but go on, _go on_--next."
And as to Freezing Powders, he was so amazed at many things he heard,that more than a dozen times in one hour he had to refresh himself bystanding on his head in a corner of the saloon.
"Well, well, well!" said McBain, taking the advantage of a meremomentary lull in this feast of reason and flow of soul, "and what astrange mixture of nationalities we are, to be sure! Here is our bold,quiet Ralph, English to the spine--"
"And I," said Rory, "I'm Oirish to the chine."
"That you are," assented McBain; "and Allan and myself here are Scotch;and if you look farther along the table there is Wales represented inthe form of cool, calculating, mathematical Ap; Shetland in the shape ofour brave gunner Magnus; France in the form of friend De Vere; and themightiest republic in the world in Seth's six feet and odd inches; tosay nothing of Africa standing on its head beside Polly's cage.Freezing Powders, you young rascal, drop on to your other end; don't yousee you're making Polly believe the world is upside down? look at herhanging by the feet with her head down!"
"Dat cockatoo not a fool, sah," said Freezing Powders; "he know puttywell what he am about, sah!"
"D'ye know," said Ralph, looking smilingly towards Seth, "it is quitelike old times to see Seth once more in the midst of us?"
"And oh!" said Seth, rubbing his hands, while a modest smile stole overhis wiry face, "mebbe this old trapper ain't a bit pleased to meet yeall again. Gentlemen, Seth and civilisation hain't been 'cquaintancesvery long; skins seem to suit this child better'n the fine toggery ye'verigged him out in. But ye've made him feel a deal younger, and heguesses and calculates he may die 'pectable yet."
I fear it was pretty far into the middle watch ere our friends partedand betook themselves to their berths. Two bells had gone--"the weeshort hoor ayont the twal"--when McBain rose from the table, this beinga signal for general good-nights.
"I'm going part of the way home with you, old man," he said to Magnus,and with his arm placed kindly over his shoulder he left the saloon withthe brave wee Shetlander. "Two turns on the deck, Magnus," hecontinued, "and then you can turn in. And so, you say, in all yourexperience--and it has been very vast, hasn't it, my friend?"
"That it has, sir," replied Magnus. "I may say I was born in theseseas, for the first thing I remember--when our ship went down under usin the pack north of Jan Mayen--is my father, bless him! putting me in acarpetbag for safety, to carry me on to the ice with him. Yes, sir,yes."
"And in all your experience," McBain went on, "you don't remember aseason likely to have been more favourable for our expedition to theNorth Pole than the present?"
"I don't, sir--I don't," said little Magnus, "Look, see, sir, the frosthas been extreme all over the north. In the Arctic regions the ice hasbeen all of a heap like. It isn't yet loosened. We haven't met a bergyet. Funny, ain't it, sir?--queer, isn't it, cap'n?"
"It is strange," said McBain; "and from this what do you anticipate?"
"Anticipate isn't the word, cap'n," cried Magnus, fixing McBain by theright arm, stopping his way, and emph
asising his words with wildfireglints from his warlock eyes. "Anticipate?--bah! cap'n--bah! I'm oldenough to be your grandfather. Ask me rather what I _augur_? And Ianswer this, I augur a glorious summer. Ice loosened before May-Day.Fierce heat south of England, and consequently rarefaction of theatmosphere, and rushing winds from the far north to fill up the heatedvacuum--rushing winds to trundle the icebergs south before them--rushingwinds to split the packs, and rend the floes, and open up a passage forthis brave ship to the far-off Isle of Alba."
"Bless you, Magnus! Give us your hand, my old sea-dad.