The World of Ice

by R. M. Ballantyne

  CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE.

  ESCAPE TO UPPERNAVIK--LETTER FROM HOME--MEETUCK'S GRANDMOTHER--DUMPS ANDPOKER AGAIN.

  For three long weeks the shipwrecked mariners were buffeted by winds andwaves in open boats, but at last they were guided in safety through alltheir dangers and vicissitudes to the colony of Uppernavik. Here theyfound several vessels on the point of setting out for Europe, one ofwhich was bound for England; and in this vessel the crew of the_Dolphin_ resolved to ship.

  Nothing of particular interest occurred at this solitary settlementexcept _one_ thing, but that one thing was a great event, and deservesvery special notice. It was nothing less than the receipt of a letterby Fred from his cousin Isobel! Fred and Isobel, having been brought upfor several years together, felt towards each other like brother andsister.

  Fred received the letter from the pastor of the settlement shortly afterlanding, while his father and the captain were on board the English brigmaking arrangements for their passage home. He could scarcely believehis eyes when he beheld the well-known hand, but, having at last come torealise the fact that he actually held a real letter in his hand, hedarted behind one of the curious, primitive cottages to read it. Herehe was met by a squad of inquisitive natives; so, with a gesture ofimpatience, he rushed to another spot; but he was observed and followedby half a dozen Esquimaux boys, and in despair he sought refuge in thesmall church near which he chanced to be. He had not been there asecond, however, when two old women came in, and, approaching him, beganto scan him with critical eyes. This was too much, so Fred thrust theletter into his bosom, darted out, and was instantly surrounded by aband of natives, who began to question him in an unknown tongue. Seeingthat there was no other resource, Fred turned him round and fled towardsthe mountains at a pace that defied pursuit, and, coming to a halt inthe midst of a rocky gorge that might have served as an illustration ofwhat chaos was, he sat him down behind a big rock to peruse Isobel'sletter.

  Having read it, he re-read it; having re-read it, he read it over again.Having read it over again, he meditated a little, exclaiming severaltimes emphatically: "My _darling_ Isobel," and then he read bits of ithere and there; having done which, he read the _other_ bits, and so gotthrough it again. As the letter was a pretty long one it took him aconsiderable time to do all this; then it suddenly occurred to him thathe had been thus selfishly keeping it all to himself instead of sharingit with his father, so he started up and hastened back to the village,where he found old Mr Ellice in earnest confabulation with the pastorof the place. Seizing his parent by the arm, Fred led him into a roomin the pastor's house, and, looking round to make sure that it wasempty, he sought to bolt the door, but the door was a primitive one andhad no bolt, so Fred placed a huge old-fashioned chair against it, and,sitting down therein, while his father took a seat opposite, he unfoldedthe letter, and, yet once again, read it through.

  The letter was about twelve months old, and ran thus:--

  "Grayton, 25th July.

  "My Darling Fred,

  "It is now two months since you left us, and it seems to me two years.Oh, how I _do_ wish that you were back! When I think of the terribledangers that you may be exposed to amongst the ice my heart sinks, and Isometimes fear that we shall never see you or your dear father again.But you are in the hands of our Father in heaven, dear Fred, and I nevercease to pray that you may be successful and return to us in safety.Dear, good old Mr Singleton told me yesterday that he had anopportunity of sending to the Danish settlements in Greenland, so Iresolved to write, though I very much doubt whether this will ever findyou in such a wild far-off land.

  "Oh, when I think of where you are, all the romantic stories I have everread of Polar regions spring up before me, and _you_ seem to be the heroof them all. But I must not waste my paper thus. I know you will beanxious for news. I have very little to give you, however. Good oldMr Singleton has been _very_ kind to us since you went away. He comesconstantly to see us, and comforts dear Mamma very much. Your friend,Dr Singleton, will be glad to hear that he is well and strong. Tell myfriend Buzzby that his wife sends her `compliments'. I laugh while Iwrite the word! Yes, she actually sends er `compliments' to herhusband. She is a very stern but a really excellent woman. Mamma and Ivisit her frequently when we chance to be in the village. Her two boysare the finest little fellows I ever saw. They are both so like eachother that we cannot tell which is which when they are apart, and bothare so like their father that we can almost fancy we see him, whenlooking at either of them.

  "The last day we were there, however, they were in disgrace, for Johnnyhad pushed Freddy into the washing-tub, and Freddy, in revenge, hadpoured a jug of treacle over Johnny's head! I am quite sure that MrsBuzzby is tired of being a widow--as she calls herself--and will be veryglad when her husband comes back. But I must reserve chit-chat to theend of my letter, and first give you a minute account of all yourfriends."

  Here followed six pages of closely-written quarto, which, howeverinteresting they might be to those concerned, cannot be expected toafford much entertainment to our readers, so we will cut Isobel's lettershort at this point.

  "Cap'n's ready to go aboord, sir," said O'Riley, touching his cap toCaptain Ellice while he was yet engaged in discussing the letter withhis son.

  "Very good."

  "An', plaaze sir, av ye'll take the throuble to look in at Mrs Meetuckin passin', it'll do yer heart good, it will."

  "Very well, we'll look in," replied the captain as he quitted the houseof the worthy pastor.

  The personage whom O'Riley chose to style Mrs Meetuck was Meetuck'sgrandmother. That old lady was an Esquimaux whose age might bealgebraically expressed as an _unknown quantity_. She lived in a boatturned upside down, with a small window in the bottom of it, and a holein the side for a door. When Captain Ellice and Fred looked in, the oldwoman, who was a mere mass of bones and wrinkles, was seated on a heapof moss beside a fire, the only chimney to which was a hole in thebottom of the boat. In front of her sat her grandson, Meetuck, and on acloth spread out at her feet were displayed all the presents with whichthat good hunter had been loaded by his comrades of the _Dolphin_.Meetuck's mother had died many years before, and all the affection inhis naturally warm heart was transferred to, and centred upon, his oldgrandmother. Meetuck's chief delight in the gifts he received was insharing them, as far as possible, with the old woman. We say _as far aspossible_, because some things could not be shared with her, such as asplendid new rifle, and a silver-mounted hunting-knife and powder-horn,all of which had been presented to him by Captain Guy over and above hiswages, as a reward for his valuable services. But the trinkets of everykind which had been given to him by the men were laid at the feet of theold woman, who looked at everything in blank amazement yet with a smileon her wrinkled visage that betokened much satisfaction. Meetuck's oilycountenance beamed with delight as he sat puffing his pipe in hisgrandmother's face. This little attention, we may remark, was paiddesignedly, for the old woman liked it, and the youth knew that.

  "They have enough to make them happy for the winter," said CaptainEllice, as he turned to leave the hut.

  "Faix, they have. There's only two things wantin' to make it complate."

  "What are they?" enquired Fred.

  "Murphies and a pig, sure. That's all they need."

  "Wots come o' Dumps and Poker?" enquired Buzzby, as they reached theboat.

  "Oh, I quite forgot them!" cried Fred; "stay a minute, I'll run up andfind them. They can't be far off."

  For some time Fred searched in vain. At last he bethought him ofMeetuck's hut, as being a likely spot, in which to find them. Onentering he found the couple as he had left them, the only differencebeing that the poor old woman seemed to be growing sleepy over her joys.

  "Have you seen Dumps or Poker anywhere?" enquired Fred.

  Meetuck nodded and pointed to a corner where, comfortably rolled up on amound of dry moss, lay Dumps; Poker, as usual, making use of him as apillow.
r />   "Thems is go bed," said Meetuck.

  "Thems must get up then and come aboard," cried Fred, whistling.

  At first the dogs, being sleepy, seemed indisposed to move, but at lastthey consented, and, following Fred to the beach, were soon conveyedaboard the ship.

  Next day Captain Guy and his men bade Meetuck and the kind, hospitablepeople of Uppernavik farewell, and, spreading their canvas to a fairbreeze, set sail for England.

  CHAPTER TWENTY SIX.

  THE RETURN--THE SURPRISE--BUZZBY'S SAYINGS AND DOINGS--THE NARRATIVE--FIGHTING BATTLES O'ER AGAIN--CONCLUSION.

  Once again we are on the end of the quay at Grayton. As Fred standsthere, all that has occurred during the past year seems to him but avivid dream.

  Captain Guy is there, and Captain Ellice, and Buzzby, and Mrs Buzzbytoo, and the two little Buzzbys also, and Mrs Bright, and Isobel, andTom Singleton, and old Mr Singleton, and the crew of the wrecked_Dolphin_, and, in short, the "whole world"--of that part of thecountry.

  It was a great day for Grayton, that. It was a wonderful day--quite anindescribable day; but there were also some things about it that madeCaptain Ellice feel somehow that it was a mysterious day, for, whilethere were hearty congratulations, and much sobbing for joy on the partof Mrs Bright, there were also whisperings which puzzled him a gooddeal.

  "Come with me, brother," said Mrs Bright at length, taking him by thearm, "I have to tell you something."

  Isobel, who was on the watch, joined them, and Fred also went with themtowards the cottage.

  "Dear brother," said Mrs Bright, "I--I--Oh, Isobel, tell him! _I_cannot."

  "What means all this mystery?" said the captain in an earnest tone, forhe felt that they had something serious to communicate.

  "Dear Uncle," said Isobel, "you remember the time when the piratesattacked--"

  She paused, for her uncle's look frightened her.

  "Go on, Isobel," he said quickly.

  "Your dear wife, Uncle, _was not lost at that time_--"

  Captain Ellice turned pale. "What mean you, girl? How came you to knowthis?" Then a thought flashed across him. Seizing Isobel by theshoulder he gasped, rather than said:

  "Speak quick--is--is she alive?"

  "Yes, dear Uncle, she--"

  The captain heard no more. He would have fallen to the ground had notFred, who was almost as much overpowered as his father, supported him.In a few minutes he recovered, and he was told that Alice was alive--inEngland--_in the cottage_. This was said as they approached the door.Alice was aware of her husband's arrival. In another moment husband,and wife, and son were reunited.

  Scenes of intense joy cannot be adequately described, and there aremeetings in this world which ought not to be too closely touched upon.Such was the present. We will therefore leave Captain Ellice and hiswife and son to pour out the deep feelings of their hearts to eachother, and follow the footsteps of honest John Buzzby, as he sailed downthe village with his wife and children, and a host of admiring friendsin tow.

  Buzzby's feelings had been rather powerfully stirred up by the joy ofall around, and a tear _would_ occasionally tumble over hisweather-beaten cheek, and hang at the point of his sunburnt, and oftfrost-bitten nose, despite his utmost efforts to subdue such outrageousdemonstrations.

  "Sit down, John, dear," said Mrs Buzzby in kind but commanding tones,when she got her husband fairly into his cottage, the little parlour ofwhich was instantly crowded to excess. "Sit down, John, dear, and tellus all about it."

  "Wot! begin to spin the whole yarn o' the voyage afore I've had time tosay `How d'ye do?'" exclaimed Buzzby, at the same time grasping his twouproarious sons, who had, the instant he sat down, rushed at his legslike two miniature midshipmen, climbed up them as if they had been twomasts, and settled on his knees as if they had been their own favouritecross-trees!

  "No, John, not the yarn of the voyage," replied his wife, while shespread the board before him with bread and cheese and beer, "but tell ushow you found old Captain Ellice, and where, and what's comed of thecrew."

  "Werry good, then here goes!"

  Buzzby was a man of action. He screwed up his weather-eye (the one nexthis wife, _of course_, that being the quarter from which squalls mightbe expected) and began a yarn which lasted the better part of two hours.

  It is not to be supposed that Buzzby spun it off without interruption.Besides the questions that broke in upon him from all quarters, the twoBuzzbys junior scrambled, as far as was possible, into his pockets,pulled his whiskers as if they had been hoisting a main-sail therewith,and, generally, behaved in such an obstreperous manner as to rendercoherent discourse all but impracticable. He got through with it,however, and then Mrs Buzzby intimated her wish, pretty strongly, thatthe neighbours should vacate the premises; which they did, laughingly,pronouncing Buzzby to be a "trump", and his better half a "true blue."

  "Good-day, old chap," said the last who made his exit; "tiller's fixedagin--nailed amidships? eh!"

  "Hard and fast," replied Buzzby with a broad grin, as he shut the doorand returned to the bosom of his family.

  Two days later a grand feast was given at Mrs Bright's cottage, towhich all the friends of the family were invited to meet with CaptainEllice and those who had returned from their long and perilous voyage.It was a joyful gathering, that, and glad and grateful hearts werethere.

  Two days later still, and another feast was given. On this occasionBuzzby was the host, and Buzzby's cottage was the scene. It was ajoyful meeting, too, and a jolly one to boot, for O'Riley was there, andPeter Grim, and Amos Parr, and David Mizzle, and Mivins--in short theentire crew of the lost _Dolphin_,--captain, mates, surgeon, and all.Fred and his father were also there, and old Mr Singleton, and a numberof other friends, so that all the rooms in the house had to be thrownopen, and even then Mrs Buzzby had barely room to move. It was on thisoccasion that Buzzby related to his shipmates how Mrs Ellice hadescaped from drowning on the night they were attacked by pirates onboard the Indiaman. He took occasion to relate the circumstances justbefore the "people from the house" arrived, and as the reader mayperhaps prefer Buzzby's account to ours, we give it as it was delivered.

  "You see, it happened this way," began Buzzby.

  "Hand us a coal, Buzzby, to light my pipe, before ye begin," said PeterGrim.

  "Ah, then, howld yer tongue, Blunderbore!" cried O'Riley, handing theglowing coal demanded, with as much nonchalance as if his fingers weremade of cast-iron.

  "Well, ye see," resumed Buzzby, "when poor Mrs Ellice wos pitchedoverboard, as I seed her with my own two eyes--"

  "Stop, Buzzby," said Mivins, "'ow was 'er 'ead at the time?"

  "Shut up!" cried several of the men; "go on, Buzzby."

  "Well, I think her _'ead_ was sou'-west, if it warn't nor'-east. Anyhowit was pintin' somewhere or other round the compass. But, as I wossayin', when Mrs Ellice struck the water (an' she told me all about itherself, ye must know) she sank, and then she comed up, and didn't knowhow it wos, but she caught hold of an oar that wos floatin' close besideher, and screamed for help, but no help came, for it was dark, and theship had disappeared, so she gave herself up for lost, but in a littlethe oar struck agin a big piece o' the wreck o' the pirate's boat, andshe managed to clamber upon it, and lay there, a'most dead with cold,till mornin'. The first thing she saw when day broke forth wos a bigship, bearin' right down on her, and she wos just about run down whenone o' the men observed her from the bow.

  "`Hard a-port!' roared the man.

  "`Port it is,' cried the man at the wheel, an' round went the ship likea duck, jist missin' the bit of wreck as she passed. A boat woslowered, and Mrs Ellice wos took aboard. Well, she found that the shipwos bound for the Sandwich Islands, and as they didn't mean to touch atany port in passin', Mrs Ellice had to go on with her. Misfortinsdon't come single, howsiver. The ship was wrecked on a coral reef, andthe crew had to take to their boats, w'ich they did, an' got safe toland, but the land they got to wos an out-o'-the-w
ay island among theFeejees, and a spot where ships never come, so they had to make up theirminds to stop there."

  "I thought," said Amos Parr, "that the Feejees were cannibals, and thatwhoever was wrecked or cast ashore on their coasts was killed androasted, and eat up at once."

  "So ye're right," rejoined Buzzby; "but Providence sent the crew to oneo' the islands that had bin visited by a native Christian missionaryfrom one o' the other islands, and the people had gin up some o' theirworst practices, and wos thinkin' o' turnin' over a new leaf altogether.So the crew wos spared, and took to livin' among the natives, quitecomfortable like. But they soon got tired and took to their boats agin,and left. Mrs Ellice, however, determined to remain and help thenative Christians, till a ship should pass that way. For three yearsnothin' but canoes hove in sight o' that lonesome island; then, at lasta brig came, and cast anchor offshore. It wos an Australian trader thathad been blown out o' her course on her way to England, so they tookpoor Mrs Ellice aboard, and brought her home--and that's how it wos."

  Buzzby's outline, although meagre, is so comprehensive that we do notthink it necessary to add a word. Soon after he had concluded, theguests of the evening came in, and the conversation became general.

  "Buzzby's jollification", as it was called in the village, was longremembered as one of the most interesting events that had occurred formany years. One of the chief amusements of the evening was the spinningof long yarns about the incidents of the late voyage, by men who couldspin them well.

  Their battles in the Polar Seas were all fought o'er again. Thewondering listeners were told how Esquimaux were chased and captured;how walrus were lanced and harpooned; how bears were speared and shot;how long and weary journeys were undertaken on foot over immeasurablefields of ice and snow; how icebergs had crashed around their ship, andchains had been snapped asunder, and tough anchors had been torn fromthe ground, or lost; how schools had been set agoing and a theatre gotup; and how, provisions having failed, rats were eaten--and eaten, too,with gusto. All this and a great deal more was told on that celebratednight--sometimes by one, sometimes by another, and sometimes, to theconfusion of the audience, by two or three at once, and, notunfrequently, to the still greater confusion of story-tellers andaudience alike, the whole proceedings were interrupted by the outrageousyells and turmoil of the two indomitable young Buzzbys, as they romped,in reckless joviality, with Dumps and Poker. But at length the morninglight broke up the party, and stories of the World of Ice came to anend.

  And now, reader, our tale is told. But we cannot close without aparting word, in regard to those, with whom we have held intercourse solong.

  It must not be supposed that from this date everything in the affairs ofour various friends flowed on in a tranquil, uninterrupted course. Thisworld is a battle-field, on which no warrior finds rest until he dies;and yet, to the Christian warrior on that field, the hour of death isthe hour of victory. "Change" is written in broad letters on everythingconnected with Time; and he who would do his duty well, and enjoy thegreatest possible amount of happiness here, must seek to prepare himselffor _every_ change. Men cannot escape the general law. The current oftheir particular stream may long run smooth, but, sooner or later, therugged channel and the precipice will come. Some streams run quietlyfor many a league, and only at the last are troubled. Others burst fromtheir very birth on rocks of difficulty, and rush throughout theircourse in tortuous, broken channels.

  So was it with the actors in our story. Our hero's course was smooth.Having fallen in love with his friend Tom Singleton's profession, hestudied medicine and surgery, became an M.D., and returned to practisein Grayton, which was a flourishing sea-port, and, during the course ofFred's career, extended considerably. Fred also fell in love with apretty young girl in a neighbouring town, and married her. TomSingleton also took up his abode in Grayton, there being, as he said,"room for two". Ever since Tom had seen Isobel on the end of the quay,on the day when the _Dolphin_ set sail for the Polar regions, his hearthad been taken prisoner. Isobel refused to give it back unless he, Tom,should return the heart which he had stolen from her. This he could notdo, so it was agreed that the two hearts should be tied together, andthey two should be constituted joint guardians of both. In short, theywere married, and took Mrs Bright to live with them, not far from theresidence of old Mr Singleton, who was the fattest and jolliest oldgentleman in the place, and the very idol of dogs and boys, who lovedhim to distraction.

  Captain Ellice, having had, as he said, "more than his share of thesea," resolved to live on shore, and, being possessed of a moderatelycomfortable income, he purchased Mrs Bright's cottage on the green hillthat overlooked the harbour and the sea. Here he became celebrated forhis benevolence, and for the energy with which he entered into all theschemes that were devised for the benefit of the town of Grayton. LikeTom Singleton and Fred, he became deeply interested in the condition ofthe poor, and had a special weakness for _poor old women_, which heexhibited by searching up, and doing good to, every poor old woman inthe parish. Captain Ellice was also celebrated for his garden, whichwas a remarkably fine one; for his flag-staff, which was a remarkablytall and magnificent one; and for his telescope, which constantlyprotruded from his drawing-room window, and pointed in the direction ofthe sea.

  As for the others--Captain Guy continued his career at sea, as commanderof an East Indiaman. He remained stout and true-hearted to the last,like one of the oak timbers of his own good ship.

  Bolton, Saunders, Mivins, Peter Grim, Amos Parr, and the rest of them,were scattered in a few years, as sailors usually are, to the fourquarters of the globe. O'Riley alone was heard of again. He wrote toBuzzby, "by manes of the ritin' he had larn'd aboord the _Dolfin_,"informing him that he had forsaken the "say" and become a small farmernear Cork. He had plenty of murphies and also a pig--the latter"bein'," he said, "so like the wan that belonged to his owld grandmotherthat he thought it must be the same wan comed alive agin, or itsdarter."

  And Buzzby--poor Buzzby--he, also, gave up the sea, much against hiswill, by command of his wife, and took to miscellaneous work, of whichthere was plenty for an active man in a seaport like Grayton. Hisrudder, poor man, was again (and this time permanently) lashedamidships, and whatever breeze Mrs Buzzby chanced to blow, his businesswas to sail _right before it_. The two little Buzzbys were the joy oftheir father's heart. They were genuine little true-blues, both ofthem, and went to sea the moment their legs were long enough, and camehome, voyage after voyage, with gifts of curiosities and gifts of moneyto their worthy parents.

  Dumps resided during the remainder of his days with Captain Ellice, andPoker dwelt with Buzzby. These truly remarkable dogs kept up theirattachment to each other to the end. Indeed, as time passed by, theydrew closer and closer together, for Poker became more sedate, and,consequently, a more suitable companion for his ancient friend. Thedogs formed a connecting-link between the Buzzby and Ellice families--constantly reminding each of the other's existence, by the dailyinterchange of visits.

  Fred and Tom soon came to be known as skilful doctors. Together theywent through life respected by all who knew them--each year as it passedcementing closer and closer that undying friendship which had firststarted into being in the gay season of boyhood, and had bloomed andripened amid the adventures, dangers, and vicissitudes of the World ofIce.