Part 36 (1/2)
”She never meant me to come oop here in the cauld to be starved to death”
”What?” cried the cook ”Eh? Oh, it's you, Mr Steve How are you, sir? Managed to get you a good breakfast this rand What's the matter with Watty Links?”
”Why, sir, he had a lot of biscuits and fried bacon an hour ago, and a quart of hot coffee to wash it all down, and now he says that his 'mither' never meant him to corily ”I never said a word aboot eatin' and drinkin' I said 'starved wi' the cauld'”
”Hey, but you're a poor, weak, sappy kind of a fellow,” cried the cook
”There's precious little solid , Mr Steve, sir?”
”Yes, I ht, sir Roast venison for dinner to-day The deerahen his eyes encountered those of the boy, who had evidently forgotten all about his ” at hile to tighten up into a fist and teach the lad a lesson But he went out and shut the door, before going forward to where the four Norwegians were fending off the ice
”Morning,” he cried; and the great, sturdy fellows greeted hirave faces
”Glad to see you out and well, Mr Steve,” said Johannes; and the others uttered so which was evidently
”Oh, I'ht,” said Steve, ”only a bit cold; but I say, have all you chaps had plenty of breakfast?”
”Plenty, sir, plenty!” they cried, as they levelled their poles toon to theered them a little, but the mass of ice was turned aside, and they had a few minutes' respite
”What an awful storm!” said Steve
”Yes, sir, it was The worst ere ever in,” replied Johannes; ”but it's brought us close up to a grand land for hunting”
”What, that land over yonder?” cried Steve, pointing
”Yes, sir It's many years since any one reached that land, if it ever was reached, and we're thinking all of us that the walrus will be there in herds”
”But did Mr Lowe tell you that was land yonder?”
”No, sir;hilass, and Jakobsen there has wondrous eyes; he could see the tops of theout of evil, sir; and you'll see we shall load up with oil e get there”
”But do you really think we shall find the sea-horses there I want to see a walrus”
”We feel sure of it, sir, because they have been hunted and driven back farther and farther every year of late; and we all felt that they reat stroke of good fortune the ice has opened enough for us to get there”
”Then the storm was all for the best, Johannes?”
”Yes, sir, I hope so,” said the reat block as he spoke
”But I say,” said Steve anxiously, ”suppose we get frozen up there, and can't get back”
”We don't talk like that, sir, at the beginning of summer out here,”
said the Norseot nearly threeup”