The Adventures of Billy Topsail

by Norman Duncan

  CHAPTER XXX

  _In Which Archie Armstrong and Billy Topsail Have an Exciting Encounter with a Big Dog Hood, and, at the Sound of Alarm, Leave the Issue in Doubt, While the Ice Goes Abroad and the Enemy Goes Swimming_

  HAIR seals, which come out of the north with the ice in the earlyspring, and drift in great herds past the rugged Newfoundland coast,returning in April, have no close, soft fur next the skin, such as theSouth Sea and Alaskan seals have. Hence, they are valued only for theirblubber, which is ground and steamed into oil, and for their skin,which is turned into leather. They are of two kinds, the harp which isdoubtless indigenous to the great inland sea and the waters above, andthe hood, which inhabits the harsher regions of the farther north andeast. The harp is timid, gentle, gregarious, and takes in packs to theflat, newly frozen, landward pans; the hood is fierce, quarrelsome andsolitary, grimly riding the rough glacier ice at the edge of the opensea.

  Thus the _Dictator_ lay through the night with hood ice all about thesheltering berg.

  "Hi, b'y! Get yarry (wide awake)!" cried the captain, in the morning.

  Archie Armstrong was "yarry" on the instant, and he rolled out of hisberth in hot haste, not at all sure that it was not time to leave asinking ship in the boats. The hairy face of the old sealer, a broad,kindly grin upon it, peered at him from the door.

  "Morning, skipper!"

  "Mornin' t' you, sir. An' a fine mornin' 'tis," said the captain. "Surea finer I never saw."

  "What's become of the gale?"

  "The gale's miles t' the sou'east--an' out o' sight o' these latitudes.We're packed in the lee o' the berg, an' fast till the wind changes.There's a family o' hoods, quarter mile t' starboard. Up, now, b'y! an'you'll go after them with a crew after breakfast."

  When Archie reached the deck, the air was limpid, frosty and still.There was a blue sky overhead, stretching from horizon to horizon. Awaste of ice lay all about--rough, close-packed, glistening in thesun. With the falling away of the wind the floe had lost its headway,and had crept softly in upon the open water. The ship was held in thegrip of the pack, and must perforce remain for a time in the shadow ofthe berg, where shelter from the gale of the night had been sought.Save for the watch of that hour, the men were below, at breakfast. The"great white silence" possessed the sea. For the boy, this silence,vast and heavy, and the immeasurable area of broken ice, with itspent-up, treacherous might, was as awe-impelling as the gale and thenight.

  "What d'ye think, Mr. Ackell?" said the captain to the mate, when thetwo came up.

  Ackell looked to the northeast. "We'll have wind by noon," he replied.

  "'Tis what I think," the captain agreed. "Archie, b'y, you'll have acouple of hours, afore the ice goes abroad. Bowsprit 'll take the crew,an' you'll do what he tells you."

  Ebenezer Bowsprit, with half a dozen cronies of his own choosing, ledthe way over the side, in high good humour. In the group on the deckstood Billy Topsail. He eyed Archie with frank envy as the lad preparedto descend to the ice; for to participate in the first hunt, generallyregarded as pure sport, was a thing greatly to be desired. He wasperceived by Archie, who was at once taken with a wish for company ofhis own age.

  "Captain," the boy whispered, "let the other kid come along, won't you?"

  "Topsail," the captain ordered, "get a gaff, an' cut along with therest."

  In five minutes, the boys had broken the ice of diffidence, and werechatting like sociable magpies, as they crawled, jumped, climbed, overthe uneven pack. They were Newfoundlanders both: the same in strength,feeling, spirit, and, indeed, experience. The one was of the remoteoutports, where children are reared to toil and peril, which, withhunger, is their heritage, and must ever be; the other was of the city,son of the well-to-do, who, following sport for sport's sake, had madethe same ventures and become used to the same toil and peril.

  "'Tis barb'rous hard walkin'," said Billy.

  "Sure," replied the other. "And they're getting away ahead of us."

  Ebenezer Bowsprit and his fellows, with the lust of the chase strongupon them, were making great strides towards three black objects somehundred yards away. It was a race; for it is a tradition that hewho strikes the first blow of the voyage will have "luck" the seasonthrough. The boys were hopelessly behind, and they stopped to lookabout them. It was then that Billy Topsail spied a patch of open water,to the left, half hidden by the surrounding ice. It was a triangularhole in the floe, formed by three heavy blocks, which had withstood thepressure of the pack.

  "Look!" he cried.

  A head, small and alert, raised upon a thick, supple neck, appeared. Amoment later, a second head popped out of the water. They were hoods.The young one, the pup, must lie near. The boys stood stock still untilthe seals had clambered to the pack. Then they advanced swiftly. BillyTopsail was armed with a gaff, which is a pole shod with iron at oneend and having a hook at the other; and Archie was provided with asealing club. They came upon the dog hood before he could escape to thewater. Perceiving this, and only on this account, he turned, snarling,to give fight.

  "I'll take him!" cried Billy.

  The hood was as big as an ox--a massive, flabby, vicious beast. Hewas furiously aroused, and he would now fight to the death, with nothought of retreat. He raised himself on his flippers and reared hishead to the length of his long neck, as the boy, stepping cautiously,gaff poised, drew near.

  THEN HE ADVANCED UPON THE BOY.]

  "Get behind him," Billy shouted to Archie.

  Billy advanced fearlessly, steadily, never for a moment taking his eyesfrom the hood's head. Upon that head, from the nose to the back of theneck, the tough, bladder-like "hood" was now inflated. It was a perfectprotection; the boy might strike blow after blow without effect. Thestroke must be thrust at the throat; and it must be a stroke swiftly,cunningly, strongly delivered. A furious hood, excited past fear, is amatch for three men. The odds were against the lad. He had been carriedaway by his own daring.

  But Billy made the thrust, and the seal received the point of the gaffon his hood, as upon a shield: then advanced on his flippers, by jerkyjumps, snapping viciously. Archie cried out. But Billy had skippedout of harm's way, and had faced about, laughing. He returned to theattack, undismayed, though the seal reared to meet him, with baredteeth.

  "Strike!" screamed Archie.

  Teeth and flippers were to be feared, and Billy had drawn nearly withinreach of both. He paused, waiting his opportunity. Archie could notcontain his excitement.

  "Strike!" he cried again.

  Billy struck; but the blow had no force, for he slipped, overreached,lost his footing, and fell sprawling, almost within reach of hisadversary's teeth. The seal snarled and drew back, startled. Then headvanced upon the boy, who had had no time to recover, much less toscramble out of his desperate situation.

  It was for Archie to act. He leaped forward from his position behindthe seal, struck the animal with full force upon the tail, and dartedout of reach. The hood snorted, and turned in a rage to face his newassailant. Billy leaped to his feet, gaff in hand, and faced about,panting, but ready. He was preparing to attack again, when--

  "What's that?" Archie cried in alarm.

  It was the boom of the ship's gun, followed by an ominous, hollowcrackling, which ran into the distance like a long peal of thunder. Thefloe seemed to be turning.

  "'Tis goin' abroad!" Billy shouted. "Quick, b'y! T' the ship!"

  The boys had been out of sight of the ship, hidden by a shoulder ofthe berg. They had not seen the flag of recall, which had been flyingfor ten minutes. Again they heard the report of the gun; and they sawEbenezer Bowsprit and his men making shipwards with all speed. Billywas fully aware of the danger. With another warning cry to Archie, hestarted off on a run, turning from time to time to make sure that hiscompanion was following.

  The ice was nauseatingly unstable, grinding and shifting; but no openwater had as yet appeared, though, at any moment, a lane might open upand cut off the retreat. The floe
was feeling the force of a wind inthe north, and was stirring itself from edge to edge. It would soon beshaken into its separate parts. But with Billy Topsail leading, theboys ran steadily over the heaving foothold, and in good time came tothe ship, which the rest of the hunting party had already boarded.

  Billy Topsail was laughing.

  "I don't feel that way," said Archie, "we were in a good deal ofdanger."

  Billy laughed louder.

  "Well, we _were_, weren't we?" Archie demanded.

  "Maybe," said Billy; "but you'll get used t' _that_!"

  They were not a moment too soon, however; for the pack very quicklyfell apart--thus opening a way for the escape of the _Dictator_. Andmeantime, the gallant old dog hood had followed the retreating figureswith his eyes: after which, well satisfied with himself, he slippedinto the water and went fishing.