Part 27 (2/2)
He began to descend at once, and Steve folloondering at hissad now; for he concluded that, froe of such en too late to save their friends alive
As soon as the deck was reached orders were given to increase the speed a little, Johannes joining the captain on the bridge to keep a careful look-out for danger where there was none, for the water was perfectly clear of rocks and deep right up to the cliffs; so that a quarter of an hour later they were abreast of the cross, a boat was lowered, and Captain Marsham was rowed ashore
Steve was the first to leap upon the rocks, and then the little party made their way up a slope to the level patch on which stood the rough sign, and, in addition, two more, which had not been perceived till they were close up; while of greater interest still, close under the perpendicular black cliff, soh, was a low, square, wooden hut, built up of old shi+p's tiularly shaped wooden crosses; and onceof awe crept over Steve, and he whispered to the captain asking hiht it was their friends
”Oh no,” was the quick reply ”Didn't you understand? The remains of some Russian party The crosses told that”
Steve felt relieved, and curiosity had begun to take the place of the shrinking sensation he had felt on seeing that the as grey and h door had fallen away fro which it had been used to close The timbers had been caulked with ainst the cold, while the nearly flat roof was covered with stones
All this was seen allance as they paused by the door, and then the captain stooped his head and entered the low, cabin-like place, followed by the doctor and Steve
The place was fairly extensive inside, and fitted up with a long, low, stone bench, upon which lay quantities of dry sea-weed, the whole having evidently been used for the occupants' bed In the hly contrived flue, which had for, and in it still lay a quantity of ashes and soments of oak that must have been bits of shi+ps' timber
That was all visible at first; but in the darkest part of the hut, farthest from the door, the low, bench-like erection was piled with sea-weed apparently, till they drew closer and found that there were several mouldy bear-skins, fro at one of the skins, and, throwing the pieces down, he was about to drag another one right off, when the captain checked hiravely; and Steve started back as he realised the fact that he was disturbing the resting-place of the dead
He looked at the captain in horror as if to question him with his eyes, and the answer came
”Yes, some unfortunate Russian party, evidently left to winter here, and they died off one by one Let us go and look at the crosses”
It ith a sensation of relief that they all stood out once ht sunshi+ne, and breathed the clear, cold air, which came fresh from the ice-fields; and soon after they stopped before the crosses, beneath which were the resting-places of five unfortunate h,” said Captain Marsha to himself ”These were the party of six left here to collect skins during the winter, to be fetched away the next season One man died, and his kindly-hearted co a few inches into this icy rock for its reception They covered it with these stones to guard it from wild beasts, and put up this elaborate timber with its three cross-pieces, cut in Russian characters as we see Then another died, and his four companions treated him nearly the same as the first; there was as rand as the first The third rave is her, and there is only one cross-piece Then we have here the fourth ht post, with his initials, two letters roughly scored by a feeble hand, by one of the two survivors Then look at this”
He took a few steps to where Steve shrinkingly saw a hollohich, barely covered by small pieces of rock and ice, lay the remains of a man, from which all turned without a word For it wanted no words to tell how he had pined and died, and been dragged to his last resting-place by his feeble companion, the last of the party, so helpless now that he could not chip out a grave, but was fain to lay his dead companion in a natural rift, and slowly pile over him little pieces of the stone and ice around; then crawl back into the hut to lie there, covered by the skins, waiting for the dawn to co with it the hopes of rescue which caraves with his cap in his hands went softly away on tip-toe to the boat, and the captain said sadly: ”There is sorand up here in these solitudes
Poor fellows! What a history they have left behind! Steve, lad, it is a painful sight for you”
”Yes,” said the boy huskily, and his voice shook as he looked up apologetically at the speaker ”I can't help it--makes me feel quite ill and weak; for when I think of it all, and of those whothey would return like some one we know, I feel as if I could sit down and cry”
”Hah!” ejaculated the doctor; and as the others looked at him he sharply turned away his face
”Yes, it is very sad,” said the captain briskly; ”but ill not take that view of the case,in your ideas Our friends would be better provided than these poor felloere, and I have always a strong feeling that we shall find theht up, pretty close to the barrier of ice which stopped further progress to the north; and as there was a pleasant breeze from the north-east, sail was set, the fires damped, and away they went southward toward the fiord where the deer had been shot in the valley
This was reached late the next evening, and they landed to try for more deer, an adventure attended with so an to sail southward, they had twelve fine, fat deer lying in the hold in ice, and another in the hands of the cook for present use
”Seems rather wholesale, doesn't it?” said Steve to the doctor
”Yes, my boy; but meat will keep for years in this clih, ”you must make your hay when the sun shi+nes”
”And freeze it afterwards,” said Steve, s
CHAPTER SIXTEEN