The Adventures of Billy Topsail

by Norman Duncan

  CHAPTER XXXIII

  _The Ice Runs Red, and, in Storm and Dusk, Tim Tuttle Brews a Pot o' Trouble for Captain Hand, While Billy Topsail Observes the Operation_

  MEANTIME the ship drew near the ice. When Archie came again on deck,his nerves quite composed, she was being driven in and out throughthe fields to a point as near to the first seal pack as she could betaken--a mile distant, at the least. During this tedious search fora landing place, the crew's eager excitement passed the bounds ofdiscipline. The men could see the crew from Alexander Bryan & Company's_Lucky Star_ at work; and that excited them the more: they were mad toreach the ice before their rivals could molest the pack for which theywere bound.

  When, at last, the engines were stopped, a party of sixty was formedin a haphazard fashion; the boats were lowered in haste, and the menleaped and tumbled into them, crowding them down to the gunwales. Inone of the boats were Archie and Billy, the former in the care of Billo' Burnt Bay, to whom the "nursing" was not altogether agreeable,under the circumstances; the latter in charge of himself, a lenientguardian, but a wise one.

  "Don't get into trouble with the crew o' the _Lucky Star_," had beenthe captain's last command.

  The men landed, hurrahing, and at once organized into half a dozenseparate expeditions. The direction to be taken by each was determinedby the leaders, and they set off at a dog trot upon their divergingpaths over the ice to the widely distributed seal pack. Meantime, theboats were taken back to the ship and hoisted in; and the ship steamedoff to land another party on another field, thence to land the lastparty near a third pack.

  The boys trotted in Bill's wake. Two pennant bearers, carrying flagsto mark the heaps of "fat," as they should be formed, led the file.One of these men--it happened by chance, to all appearances--was thecaptain's enemy, Tim Tuttle. Their work was particularly important onthat day, with the crew of the _Lucky Star_ working so near at hand;for the flags were to mark the ownership of the mounds of "fat," andany tampering with these "brands" would be likely to precipitate aviolent encounter between the men of the rival ships.

  "I'm thinkin' 'twill snow afore night," Bill panted, as they ran along;and, indeed, it appeared that it would.

  The advance soon had to be made with caution. The hunters were so nearthe pack that the whines of the white coats could be heard. Archiecould make out not only the harps, but the blow-holes beside which theylay in family groups. At this point the men formed in twos and threes,and dispersed. In a few minutes more, they rushed upon the prey,striking right and left.

  The ice was soon strewn with dead seals. It was harvest time for theseimpoverished Newfoundlanders. Lives of seals for lives of men andwomen! Bill o' Burnt Bay had ten "kids" at home, and he was mercilessand mighty in destruction.

  Archie and Billy came upon a family of four, lying at some distancefrom their blow-hole--two grown harps, a "jar," which is a one yearold seal, and a ranger, which is three years old and spotted like aleopard. Billy attacked the ranger without hesitation. Archie raisedhis gaff above the fluffy little jar, which was fanning itself with itsflipper, and whining.

  "I can't do it!" he exclaimed, lowering his club, and turning away,faint at heart; then "Look, Billy!" he cried, in half amused wonderment.

  The old seals had wriggled off to the blow-hole, moving upon theirflippers, in short jumps, as fast as a man could walk. Apparently theyhad reached the hole at the same instant, which was not wide enough toadmit them both. Neither would give way to the other. They were stuckfast, their heads below, their fat bodies above.

  Their selfish haste was their undoing. Billy was not loath to takeadvantage of their predicament.

  Thus, everywhere, the men were at work. There was no friction with thecrew of the _Lucky Star_; the whole party worked amicably, and almostside by side. When they had dispersed the pack, the "sculping" kniveswere drawn, and the labour of skinning was vigorously prosecuted. Theskins, with the blubber adhering, were piled in heaps of six or more,according to the strength of the men who were to "tow" them to theedge of the field, where the ship was to return in the evening; andevery "tow" was marked with an Armstrong and Son flag.

  The _Lucky Star's_ recall gun surprised the men before the work wasfinished. They looked up to find that the dusk was upon them, and thatthe snow was falling--falling ever more thickly, and drifting with thewind. The men of the _Lucky Star_ stopped work, hurriedly saw to itthat their heaps of pelt were all marked, and started on a run for theship; for, on the ice fields, the command of the recall gun is neverdisregarded.

  "There goes the _Dictator's_ gun," shouted one of the men.

  A second boom added force to the warning. The captain was evidentlyanxious to have his men safe out of the storm; the "fat" could be takenaboard in the morning. So Bill o' Burnt Bay, who was in tacit commandof the party, called his men about him, and led the return. It wasa mile over the ice to the _Dictator_, which lay waiting, with thesecond and third parties aboard. He was in haste; moreover, he had SirArchibald Armstrong's son in his care: perhaps, that is why he did notstop to count the _Dictator's_ heaps of pelt before he started.

  "Come, now, Tuttle, don't lag!" he shouted, ambitious to have his partyreturn with no delay.

  But Tuttle still lagged--or, rather, ran from heap to heap of pelt, asthough to make sure that each was marked. He busied himself, indeed,until the party was well in advance--until, as he thought, there was noeye to see what he did under cover of the driving snow. Then he quicklysnatched _Lucky Star_ flags from half a dozen heaps of "fat," cast themaway, and planted _Dictator_ flags in their stead--a dishonourable dutywhich the house-flag of Armstrong & Son had never before been made todo.

  Quite sure, now, that he had shot an arrow that would sorely woundCaptain Hand and the firm of Armstrong & Son, Tuttle ran after hisparty. When he was yet some distance behind, he turned about, and sawa small figure following him. He stopped dead--and waited until thatsmall figure came up.

  "Topsail," he demanded, "what you been doin' back there?"

  Billy was very much frightened; but he was a truthful boy, and he nowtold the truth. "Been sculpin' an' pilin' me swiles, sir," he stammered.

  "Has you been touchin' them flags?"

  "N-n-no, sir. I didn't have no time. I was afeared I'd get lost in thesnow."

  Tuttle caught the boy by the shoulders, and stared fiercely into hiseyes. "Did you see what I done?" he demanded.

  Billy was strongly tempted to choose the easier way; but, as I havesaid, he was a truthful lad, and a brave lad, too. The temptationpassed in a moment, and he fearlessly returned Tuttle's stare.

  "Yes, sir," he said.

  "If you tells Cap'n Hand what you saw," said Tuttle, tightening hisgrip, and bringing his face close to the lad's, "I'll----"

  He did not complete the threat. Billy Topsail's imagination, as heknew, would conceive the most terrible revenge.

  "Yes, sir," Billy gasped, vacantly; for he was more frightened than hehad ever before been in his short life.

  That was all. They ran at full speed after their party, and soon joinedit. Tuttle kept at Billy's side while they were getting aboard theship, kept at his side while supper was served in the forecastle, keptat his side through the short evening; kept at his side all the time,in a haunting, threatening way that frightened Billy as nothing elsecould, until the lad, tired out and utterly discouraged as to thepurpose he had formed, turned in, no less to escape Tuttle, who had nowgrown hateful to him, than to rest.

  "Oh," he thought, "if Archie had on'y come t' the fo'c's'le this night,I might 'a' told him; but now--I thinks--I'll be afeared, in themornin'."