Part 4 (1/2)
It was dark before we reached the hut We talked and talked, but could arrive at no conclusion Andrew feared for the worst The boat had not arrived, indeed we scarcely expected to see her that day Next day passed by and she did not appear Two more days elapsed We were constantly on the look out for her I proposed going over to try to ascertain what had happened Thesoo out and take so with Mr Patterson, who spoke hopefully of getting away before the winter co--
”A sail, a sail! She's standing for the bay”
”Go and have a look at her,” said Mr Patterson; ”I was sure we should get off before long”
I rushed down to the beach, where I found the rest of the party collected, gazing at the approaching vessel
She was the _Hardy Norseman_, trim and taut There was no doubt about theover the now smooth ocean A shout of joy burst froht
She stood fearlessly on, evidently piloted by one who knew the harbour, and at length came to an anchor Her sails were furled iot nearerthat the boatsas steering His boat had then got off and fallen in with the shi+p Such, indeed, he told us, as he sprang on the beach, had been the case Had he not done so she would have passed on, supposing that we had all been lost; for, although short-handed, the captain had deter the fishery until the weather co the mate and Croil, who--as Andrew said--had turned the corner, ere soon on board, heartily welcomed by all hands Our hut and store of fuel were left for the benefit of any other unfortunate people who ht be cast on the island, but the meat and skins were, of course, carried with us
As the sea was now open to the northward, we sailed slowly on, the boats frequently being sent in to shoot walruses or seals, of which vast quantities were seen on the rocks and floating ice We were now off the coast of Spitzbergen Passing so so the rocks a nus The first mate and boatswain, ere in command of the boats, ordered us to land with the boat-stretchers in our hands, e rushed in aht and left While they lay stunned, ere directed to pull off the down from their breasts We were thus e which we collected an enors On returning on board, the skipper sent us back for a further supply As we obtained nearly four hundred pounds of down, and as each pound is worth a guinea in England, the skipper ell pleased with our day's work, more so than were the poor ducks, deprived of their aistcoats and eggs at the same time Happily the stern ice saves them from frequent visits of the saht of a walrus asleep on a rock
Without disturbing the animal, Sandy and two other ed into the side of the walrus, while the end of the line still rele co into the water with head erect and tusks upraised, caardless of the spears thrust at it, and had alh its head put an end to its existence The next day, having again landed, we killed a nu ourselves behind the rocks on the shore, while they lay enjoying the warm sun on the ice Andreen, and I were soht of a bear lying down under the shelter of a hu to stalk hi itself upon the ice, some distance off
The bear crept froan to roll about as if also to enjoy the sun The seal lifted up its head, when Bruin stopped, lying als in the air, and his eyes directed towards his expected prey The seal dropped its head, and the bear began once ain to stop and remain perfectly ain Bruin advanced, when the seal, which must have been somewhat suspicious of the hairy creature, looked about it For yet another time Bruin stopped, until, the seal's suspicions once h with one leap to bound upon his prey, when, before the seal was dead, he began tearing away at its flesh We determined to put a stop to his supper While he was thus employed and less on the watch than usual, we crept up to hi the water We thus got both bear and seal
I forgot tobears which had been carried on board, and had becoerie a couple of young walruses, which we caught after their htered One went by the name of dick, the other Harry They and the bears looked suspiciously at each other, but wisely kept apart The walruses were so of an independent character, they walloped about the deck, and at night roared far louder than did the bears, which, frightened at the loud noise, slunk into their kennels We fed the walruses on gruel, which see while Andrew and I were seated in the cabin, as Captain Hudson was on the point of going on deck, we heard a tree body had fallen down, followed by a cry and some pretty severe expressions fro out, we found hi on the floor with Master dick, who had co on the top of hi extricated the captain, as fortunately not much the worse for his tumble, we hauled the slippery little -place--a big tub in which it ought to have been confined
Though whales were somewhat scarce, we killed walruses and seals sufficient to satisfy the skipper, a goodnorth, keeping away fro almost entirely open, withabout Not a creature of any sort was seen on the ice, but little auks and sea parrots in vast nu sea
The wind having fallen we got out lines to fish for sharks, and soon caught one twelve feet in length It was hoisted on board by a block and tackle, when, its liver being cut out, Sandy, blowing through a tube, inflated the stomach of the creature, which was then thrown overboard The object of this was to prevent the body fro, when its brethren would have devoted their attention to its remains instead of to the blubber hich the hooks were baited
We caught several in the saht of a fine fish-oil, undistinguishable froh I do not know if it possesses the sa up, wethat a sail was in sighta soldier's ere approaching each other froer drew near atched her with much interest Captain Hudson and the first lasses
”If that's not the _Barentz_ it's her ghost!” exclaimed the captain
”It's a shi+p of her size, at all events,” observed thetime in the ice”
The ht that we should find our brother David on board, until I recollected the cairn and the docuot on board his shi+p, or could he hare been lost while she had escaped?
As the as very light a boat was lowered, and Andrew and I having juht as soon as possible learn what had happened We were soon claaunt and faed over their countenances we in vain sought that of our brother David
”What shi+p is this?” was the first question we put
”The _Barentz_,” answered her captain, stepping forward
”Is David Ogilvy on board?” inquired Andrew
”I regret to say that he is not,” answered the captain, at once quenching all our hopes ”He was on shore, ere driven off the land and afterwards carried northward, where ere beset in the ice from which we have only just escaped Had he been with us, the lives of some of our poor people would have been saved, and the health of all preserved”