Courage, True Hearts: Sailing in Search of Fortune
CHAPTER XIII.--A CHAOS OF ROLLING AND DASHING ICE.
Being myself, reader, an "ice man" of some considerable experience, themanner in which the officers and crew of the beleaguered craft _FloraM'Vayne_ whiled away the time during their long winter imprisonment maybe said to be painted from the life.
At first it was supposed that the want of light would be a drawback toenjoyment, but the steward was one of those men who can turn their handsto anything, and he proposed making purser's dips from the spare fat.
He had to manufacture the wicks from cotton refuse, but, thisaccomplished, the rest was simple enough.
Petroleum was burned only in the saloon, and it was stored in a holdright beneath this for greater safety.
They had to be saving in the use thereof, however, and as they couldtalk as well, if not better, by the flickering light of the fire, thelamp was always turned out when no one cared to read. But around thegalley fire those purser's dips were a great comfort to the men when notyarning. For then one man was told off to read while the others sataround to smoke and listen.
And thus passed many a quiet and peaceful evening away.
The men, I am happy to say, did not seem to hanker after grog, and itwas finally agreed by all hands that it would be better to keep it forwhat they were pleased to call the spring fishery, or as a stand-by incase of illness.
They had plenty of tea and coffee, however, and a daily allowance oflime-juice.
Then Saturday nights were kept up in quite the old-fashioned andpleasant way, and the main-brace was invariably spliced.
Song succeeded song on these happy occasions, and many a toast was drunkto the health of the dear ones far away on Britain's shore.
Nor was dancing neglected, the consequence being that fiddle, guitar,and clarionet were in great request. As usual, little Johnnie Shinglesand that droll penguin, dressed as a merry old lady, or sometimes as amodest wee maiden of sweet sixteen, convulsed the onlookers with theirdroll antics as they sailed around in the mazy dance.
But the monkey one evening did not see why he should not also have awaltz with Madam Pen.
"Yah--yah--yah!" he cried, as he approached her most coaxingly.
This was much as to say: "It is our dance, I believe, miss."
He attempted to take hold of Pen's flippers in the meanwhile, and wasrewarded with a dig between the eyes that sent him reeling back, and soJim made no more offers to trip it on the light fantastic toe with MadamPen, on this evening or any other. In fact, he used to content himselfwith lying in front of the fire with one of Vike's huge paws round hisneck.
When Pen pecked the monkey he made an ugly scar, but poor kind-heartedVike licked it every day several times with his soft warm tongue, and soit soon healed up.
----
Frank was by no means a very ambitious boy; he had not very much of theScottish dash and go about him, and would at any time have preferred notdoing to-day what could be just as easily done to-morrow, but he wasclever for all that.
He it was who first attempted fishing in the ice-hole. But the ship hadbeen imprisoned for well-nigh six weeks before he thought of it. Thefact is, that by this time many of the men began to ail, and a peculiarkind of lassitude, dulness, and lowness of spirits were the firstsymptoms they complained of. Spots then appeared on the skin, everymuscle ached when they moved. They suffered greatly from cold, and eventheir countenances grew worn and dusky.
The awful truth soon flashed upon Talbot's mind: these men were attackedby scurvy.
No less than three grew rapidly worse, and died one after the other--inspite of all that could be done for them. It was sad to listen to theirlast ravings and hear them speaking as if to friends at home; to a wife,a sister, or mayhap a sweetheart. Ah! but this was only when they werevery near to the end.
A hammock had soon to be requisitioned after this, and the poor fellowswere laid to rest many yards distant from the ship in a cold, icy grave.
Prayers were said over each, and there they will sleep probably for everand for aye. For those buried thus never know decay till the ice aroundthem may melt millions of years hence.
No medicine on board had any effect, and five in all were buried beforethe plague was stayed. It had been brought on, without doubt, from thewant of fresh provisions, so Frank's idea of fishing adown the ice-holewas really a happy thought. For a whole day, however, like the apostleof old, he fished, but caught nothing. But on the day after he hooked aray, and then a bonito.
From that very time fishing became a sport in which all the boys tookpart--and the plague soon left the ship.
Sorrowful indeed was Talbot at the loss of his men, still, grief is buttransient on board ship. In a case like the present it would not do forit to be otherwise, for nothing is more depressing.
Moreover, the captain came now to the conclusion that the men had notenough exercise, so he proceeded at once to put into execution a planthat would meet the requirements of the case.
He instituted games on the ice.
Games in the dark! Is that your remark, reader?
But it was very far indeed from being dark. There was at the presenttime a moon, though it was at no great height above the horizon. Well,moonlight does not last long anyhow, but the bright beams from thestar-studded heavens were far better than the moon at its best, andalmost dimmed its splendour.
The sky was wondrously clear, and the stars seemed very large. So closeaboard, too, did they appear to be that you might have thought itpossible to touch them with a fishing-rod.
There are probably no games so invigorating as those called Scottish, ormore properly Highland. They tend to the expansion of the chest and tothe bracing and strengthening of every muscle in the body.
So hammer-throwing, weight-putting, leaping, and tossing the caber soonbecame the rule every forenoon. Then in the afternoon, and before tea,Highland dancing was the rage.
This is dancing in every sense of the word. Quadrilles are only fit forold folks, and waltzing--well, it is nice enough in a brilliantly-lithall, with soft dreamy music and a brilliant partner, but, after all, itis only just wiping your feet and whirling round.
A broad sheet of wood was spread on the ice near the ship for Highlanddancing, quite a large platform in fact.
And Duncan, like Auld Nick in Burns's masterpiece, _Tam o' Shanter_,
"Screwed his pipes and gart them skirl Till roof and rafters a' did dirl." * * * * * Nae cotillion brent new frae France, But hornpipes, jigs, strathspeys, and reels, Put life and mettle in their heels."
But these were not the only amusements the crew went in for, on thesnow-clad ice, for while Conal and Frank were one day visiting thosegreat bergs, the inventive genius of the latter was once more shown.
They found that a great portion of one side of the biggest berg wasquite on the slope, and covered with frozen snow.
"Hurrah!" cried Frank, "I've got another."
"Another what?"
"Why, another idea. This iceberg is just suited for tobogganing."
"Now," he added, "we sha'n't say a word to anybody till we try itourselves first."
They, however, took the carpenter into their confidence, and he madethem tiny sledges to sit upon. The slide was on a pretty gradual slopeand altogether was about a hundred yards long from the top. Steps werecut at one side to make the getting up easy, and Frank himself was thefirst to make the descent.
"It is simply glorious!" This was his report.
"Flying," he added, "isn't in it."
And Conal himself confirmed this statement as soon as he himself hadgone rushing down.
After this the great toboggan slide was in daily request, and the soundthat came from the big berg was like the roaring of stones on a Scottishcurling pond.
But high above the rushing noise, came the shouting and laughter of themerry-makers.
Poor Viking could not understand it, and I suppose he came to theconclusion tha
t his human friends had all lost hold of the tiny supplyof common-sense, which human beings can boast of.
But what with these games and dances, and then fun on board, the healthof the crew continued excellent, though ever around the galley-fire atnight (I mean before bed-time or at the tea hour) the men talked ofhome.
I myself, like most seafarers,--well, call us sailors if that soundsbetter,--dearly love
"A life on the ocean wave And a home on the rolling deep, Where the scattered waters rave And the winds their revels keep".
Yet wherever in this world I have been there always seemed to be amagnetic needle in my heart, and it always pointed to Home.
"Where'er we roam, whatever lands we see Our hearts untramelled fondly turn to thee * * * * * Such is the patriot's boast; where'er we roam, Our first, best country, ever is at home."
On the whole, during their long imprisonment, the officers and crew ofthe good barque _Flora M'Vayne_ kept up their hearts.
At long last the sun came nearer and nearer the northern horizon. Fordays before he rose there was a twilight of about two hours. Then agalaxy of the loveliest clouds were lit up, but still no sun.
Before noon on the day after, however, Frank and Conal, who seemed nowto be inseparable, climbed to the top of the tobogganing berg, and soonafter caught a glimpse of the glorious sun.
Neither could speak for a time, and indeed tears were trickling downFrank's face, which he took no trouble to hide. For, as we have seenbefore, he was a very impressionable lad.
"Oh, the sun! the sun!" That was all he said, but next minute both werewaving their hats to those on board and shouting:
"The sun! the sun!"
And such a cheer uprose from that long-imprisoned ship, as never beforeprobably was heard in these southern regions of perpetual snow and ice.
High above all, the boys could hear the barking of noble Vike.
Yes, but a moment after, and high above even that, across theintervening ice came the wild skirl of Duncan's Highland bagpipe.
Duncan was playing the March of the Cameron Men as he walked boldly upand down in the waist of the ship, while Frank and Conal on theice-block could not help chiming in with just one verse of that braveold song, which has thrilled so many a heart on bank or brae orbattlefield:
"Ah! proudly they march, though each Cameron knows He may tread on the heather no more, Yet boldly he follows his chief to the field Where his laurels were gathered before".
"Yes, Frank, but we shall tread the heather again, sha'n't we, friend?"
"I hope so, and I mean to have a good try anyhow," was Frank's heartyreply.
----
Their dangers, however, were not all over yet. Not by a deal. In astill ice-pack like that in which they had lain so long, there is notvery much to be feared except the danger of a nip or jam. But when theice begins to open and the wind begins to blow, ah! then toil andtrouble commence in earnest.
From observations, Captain Talbot now discovered that the immense fieldof ice on which they had been lying, had been gradually forcing its wayon the current almost directly north, and that even Mount Sabine and theAdmiralty Mountains were now a long way astern to the west.
And soon now the wind began to blow and howl; almost half a gale fromthe south-east by east. The noise, as it roared through the rigging andbare poles, was almost deafening, but this did not prevent these bravemariners from hearing every now and then the loud explosions on theice-pack that heralded the breaking up of the whole, and that had beenbut a day or two ago a vast plain strong enough to have reviewed all theartillery in the world upon, would soon be but a chaos of rolling,dashing ice. The storm continued for more than a week, and all thattime--every hour, in fact--the _Flora M'Vayne_ had been in peril anddanger.
Gallant ship! How well she stood the squeezing, the cannonading, thebattering! A vessel less strong in every timber, or one built of teakinstead of Scottish oak would have collapsed and gone down in a fewminutes, carrying the crew with her, or leaving them almost naked,hungry, and helpless on the pack, to die a death ten times more cruelthan drowning.
She got perilously near to the shore at last, however. It must have beensomewhere close to Yule or Robertson Bay, for Cape Adare had been left along way astern.
They were close enough to see that certain destruction awaited them ifunable to change their position. The pancake and bay ice was piled alongthe rugged shore, hills high, one piece above another, by the terribleforce of wind and current.
When soundings were taken, and it was found that there was but littledepth of water to spare, and that even this was gradually lessening,then both Morgan and the skipper became alarmed.
"We must set sail," said the latter, "and try to bring her up a fewpoints, or, depend upon it, our risky voyage will come to a sudden end."
All hands were called.