Part 28 (2/2)
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE.
THE COMING FROST--SILAS WARNS THE ”ARRANDOON” OF DANGER--FORGING THROUGH THE ICE--BESET--A STRANGE AND ALARMING ACCIDENT.
So willingly and merrily worked all hands on the ice, that in less than three days the _Canny Scotia_ was almost a full, though by no means a b.u.mper s.h.i.+p, and poor Silas began to see visions of future happiness in his mind's eye, when he should return to his native land and complete the joy of his family. Unfortunately, however, his good fortune did not last for the present. How seldom, indeed, good luck does last in this world of ours! One day, towards midnight, the sky apparently a.s.sumed a brighter blue. This seemed to concern Silas considerably. The good man was walking the deck at the time with his inseparable companion the first mate, neither of whom ever appeared now to court sleep or rest.
”Matie,” said Silas, pointing skywards, ”do you see any difference in the colour yonder?”
”That do I!” replied the mate.
”And hasn't it got much colder?”
”Well, both of us have been walking,” the chief officer returned, ”at the rate of several knots, just to keep the dear life in us, and I never saw you, sir, with your hands so deep in your pockets before.”
Down rushed the captain to consult his gla.s.s; he was speedily up again, however. ”It is just as I thought,” he said. ”Now come up into the nest with me; there's room for both of us. Look!” he added, as soon as they had reached their barrel of observation, ”the rascals know what is coming. They are taking the water, and before ten minutes there won't be a seal with his nose on that bit of pack. Heigho, matie! heigho!
that is just like my luck. If I'd been born a tailor, every man would have been born a Highlander, and made his own kilts. But hi! up, matie, Silas doesn't mean to let his heart down yet for a bit. A black frost is on the wing. There is no help for that, but the _Arrandoon's_ people don't seem to know it. I must off over and tell them;” and even as he spoke Silas began descending the Jacob's ladder. ”Call all hands!” he cried, as he disappeared over the side; ”we must work her round as long as the pieces are anything loose-like.”
It was not a long journey to the big sister s.h.i.+p, and the st.u.r.dy legs of this ancient mariner would soon get him there. But he would not wait till alongside; he needs must hail her while still many yards from her dark and stately sides.
”What ho, there!” he bawled. ”_Arrandoon_ ahoy!”
That voice of his was a wonderful one. It might have awakened the dead; it was like a ten-horse power speaking-trumpet lined with the roughest emery-paper. Seals heard it far down beneath the ice, and came to the surface to listen and to marvel. A great bear was sitting not twenty yards from Silas. He thought he should like to eat Silas, but he could not swallow that voice, so he went across the ice instead. Then the voice rolled in over the vessel's bulwarks, startled the officer on duty, and went ringing down below through the state-rooms, causing our sleeping heroes to tumble out of their bunks with double-quick speed, even the usually late and lazy Ralph evincing more celerity than ever he had done in his life before.
They met, rubbing their eyes and looking cold and foolish, all in a knot in the saloon. Cold and foolish, and a little bit frightened as well, for the words of Silas sounded terribly like ”the _Arrandoon_ on fire!”
Not a bit of it, for there came the hail again, and distinct enough this time.
”_Arrandoon_ ahoy! Is everybody dead on board?”
”What _is_ the matter?” cried McBain, as soon as he got on deck, dressed as he was in the garments of night.
”Black frost, Captain McBain,” answered Silas, springing up the side, ”and you'll soon find that matter enough, or my name ain't Grig, nor my luck like a bad wind, always veering in the wrong direction. The seals are gone, sir--every mother's son o' them! My advice is--but, dear me, gentlemen! go below and rig out. Why, here's four more of you! That ain't the raiment for a black frost! You look like five candidates for a choking good influenza!” This first bit of advice being taken in good part, ”Now,” continued Silas, ”your next best holt, Captain McBain, will be to get up steam, and get her head pointed away for the blue water, else there is no saying we may not leave our bones here.”
”Ah!” exclaimed McBain, ”we've no wish to do that. And here comes our worthy engineer. The old question, chief--How soon can you get us under way?”
”With the American hams, sir,” was the quiet reply, ”in about twenty minutes; with a morsel of nice blubber that I laid in especially for the purpose of emergencies, in far less time than that.”
”Thanks!” said McBain, smiling; ”use anything, but don't lose time.”
The s.h.i.+ps lay far from the open sea. They had been ”rove” a long way in through the pack, to get close to the seals, but, independently of that, floating streams of ice, one after another, had joined the outer edge of this immense field of bergs, placing them at a greater distance from the welcome water.
Steam was speedily roaring, and ready for its work. Then, not without considerable difficulty, the vessel was put about, and the voyage seaward was commenced. Slow and tedious this voyage was bound to be, for there was so little wind it was useless to shake the sails loose, so the duty of towing her consorts devolved upon the _Arrandoon_. Instead of remaining on his own s.h.i.+p, Silas Grig came on board the steamer, where his services as iceman were fully appreciated.
As yet the frost had made no appreciable difference to the solidity of the pack; a very gentle swell was moving the pieces--a swell that rolled in from seaward, causing the whole scene around to look like a tract of snow-clad land, acted on by the giant force of an earthquake. Forging ahead through such ice, even by the aid of steam, is hard, slow work; and, a.s.sisted as the _Arrandoon_ was by men walking in front of her and pus.h.i.+ng on the bergs with long poles, hardly could she make a headway of half a mile an hour, and there were twenty good miles to traverse! It was a weary task, but the men bent their backs cheerfully to it, as British sailors ever do to a duty that has to be performed.
[Light lie the earth on the breast of the gallant Captain Brownrigg, R.N., and green be the gra.s.s on his grave. My young readers know the story; it is such stories as his they ought to read; such men as he ought to be enshrined in their memory. Betrayed by treacherous Arabs, with a mere handful of men he fought their powerful dhow and guns; and even when hope itself had fled he made no attempt to escape, but fought on and fought on, till he fell pierced with twenty wounds. He was a heroic sailor, and _he was doing his duty_!]
Even had it been possible to keep up the men's strength, forty hours must have elapsed ere the _Arrandoon_ would be rising and falling on blue water. But many hours had not gone by ere the men got a rest they little cared for--for down went the swell, the motion among the bergs was stilled, and frost began its work of welding them together.
”Just like my luck, now, isn't it?” said Silas, when he found the s.h.i.+p could not be budged another inch, and was quite surrounded by heavy ice.
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