Part 32 (1/2)
”Matters look too serious now for petty troubles, eh?”
”It did not seem to be a petty trouble to me, sir,” replied Steve quietly
”No, no, of course not; but that's all over now I' to have a bad storm”
”Think so, sir?”
”Look at the captain He does; or he would not be taking all these precautions I suppose we can do nothing?”
”Only get out of the way,” replied Steve ”Every one looks as if he wishes ould go below”
”Then every one will be disappointed,” said the doctor shortly ”If I' to be battened down under hatches, nor you neither, eh?”
”No, I shall stop on deck,” said Steve stoutly ”How dark it's getting!”
”Yes, ht sunshi+ne, with the ice and snow glittering; but Nature certainly seems to have drawn her line up here in the north, to show us that this part of the world was never meant for ordinary human habitation If ever the North Pole is reached it will only be a scientific feat, and no valuable result can follow for enterprising man Whew!” he added with a shi+ver; ”did you feel that?”
For an icy puff of wind struck the the air as cal
”No one could help feeling it,” said Steve, buttoning his uard of the stor to have it soon Let's see, you thought one day that it was horribly hot down below, didn't you?”
Steve nodded
”I'ine-roo stokers”
Another icy blast put an end to the doctor's re the shi+p heel over and then race onward, the captain gave sharp orders for reducing the s one of his fellow-Norsemen a satisfied nod of the head, which Steve read to ht; he knows his business”
And all the while theto the darkness astern by reat black cloud of sathered together and followed the vessel, shutting off the view northward, save when one of the chilling blasts dispersed it, driving it onward and leaving all clear
”Getting snug by degrees,” said the captain, joining the two idlers for a fewoff in a fresh direction ”If it will hold up another quarter of an hour, I think we shall be ready to say to it, 'Do your worst'”
”Oh, it will last that time”
The captain did not answer, but went to where thea sail, and he had hardly reached them when a puff of wind seereat fore-and-aft canvas unsecured, fill it out balloon-fashi+on, and swing round the heavy yard, which was about to be laid along the top, level with the boom below
Two men went backwards on the deck
”Two more hands here!” roared the captain ”Lay on to it,to help, and the two ained their feet, Steve shouted, ”Come on, Mr Handsob!” and ran and cli yard to help bear it down
Five ht, and the sail was bound doith its yard firreat boom which lay horizontally level with the bulwarks, and a stout rope was passed round and round and an to succeed each other uard of the boreal ene to make an easy way for the main army close upon their track
The sail reduced, all but that which was absolutely necessary, and which, small as was its surface, was sufficient tothe time the blasts endured, the captain directed his attention to the hatches' battening down, spreading tarpaulins, and having them nailed over, till at last he turned to where the doctor and Steve stood gazing astern at the gri about a mile away
”There,” he said, ”I think we are ready for the fight now A pretty good lesson this in having everything shi+pshape, so as to be prepared for eencies”
”I think it has been wonderful,” said the doctor ”Hoell thethe doctor and Steve That was very brave of you, my lad A sailor of twenty years' experience could not have done better”