Archibald Hughson: An Arctic Story

  CHAPTER SIX.

  RESCUED!--ON BOARD THE "LAPLANDER" WHALER, WHICH IS NEARLY FULL, ANDEXPECTS SOON TO RETURN HOME.--MAX INKSTER TRIES TO UNDERMINE ARCHY'SGOOD RESOLUTIONS, BUT THE LATTER REMEMBERS THAT "A FRIEND IN NEED IS AFRIEND INDEED."--SAIL FOR HOME.--A TEMPTING CHANNEL APPEARING, IT ISENTERED, BUT THE SHIP IS NIPPED, AND THE "LAPLANDER" IS ABANDONED.--ESCAPE TO THE FLOE WITH ONLY A FEW CLOTHES AND PROVISIONS, WHEN A PLANIS FORMED FOR REACHING THE COAST OF GREENLAND.

  The boat had some distance to pull before a spot could be found whereshe could safely approach the ice on the lee side of the floe.

  Max and the two other men, regardless of their almost dead companions inthe hut, were hurrying down towards her, when Andrew called them back."Shame on you," he exclaimed. "Would you leave the poor fellows toperish for the sake of sooner putting food into your own mouths? Come,help them along, they want it more than we do."

  The men thus summoned, returned and assisted Andrew and Archy, who weredragging their nearly insensible shipmates over the ice. At length theyreached the edge, and were cordially welcomed by the crew of the boat,who made all speed to return to their ship the "Laplander." She wasalmost full, they said, and they hoped soon to return home.

  The rescued men, on being lifted on board, were at once put under thedoctor's care,--for even Andrew and Archy, who had hitherto held out sobravely, felt all their strength leave them directly they reached theboat. They, however, in a couple of days were sufficiently recovered togo on deck and mix with the crew.

  Archy found the "Laplander" a very different vessel to the "Kate." Thecaptain was a bold brave seaman, but he was nothing else. There were noSunday services, no prayer-meetings, no lending library of religiousbooks, but there was much swearing and ungodliness among the crew.

  Max, who quickly forgot the fearful danger in which he had been placed,and his providential preservation, did his utmost to laugh Archy out ofhis good resolutions.

  "I wonder a lad of spirit like you can listen to the long sermons of oldAndrew," he said to him one day while Andrew was out of hearing. "Inever could stand those preaching fellows."

  "But Andrew kept his courage up, and did his best to preserve my life,while you and the rest gave way to despair," answered Archy. "Youcannot say that he is not a brave man, though he does preach longsermons."

  "Yes, he is brave, I'll allow," said Max.

  "Then tell me, what do you think makes him brave?" asked Archy.

  "He is naturally brave, I suppose," replied Max.

  "Now, I think that it is because he trusts in God, and believes that Godwill take care of him," said Archy firmly. "And he knows that if heshould lose his life that he will go to heaven. That's my opinion ofthe matter."

  "Your opinion, indeed," exclaimed Max scornfully. "I should like toknow what business a fellow like you has to form an opinion," and Maxturned away, unable further to answer the boy, whom he had hitherto soeasily led. He took every opportunity after this of annoying Archy, andincited his godless companions to do the same.

  Archy often wished that he was on board the "Kate" again, and anxiouslylooked out in the hopes of falling in with her. The captain had beenmuch put out by the loss of the whale and two lines when they had beenrescued, and seemed to associate them in some way with the circumstance.A few days afterwards the watch below were aroused with the welcome cryof "a fall! a fall!" a whale was fast. The remaining boats pulled away,and in a few hours the captain's good humour was restored by having thewhale alongside. All hands were now in high spirits. "One fish more,and hurrah for old England," was the cry.

  Several days passed away without any further success. In vain Andrewand Archy looked out for the "Kate." The season was advancing, stillthe captain of the "Laplander," anxious to get a full ship, cruisedbackwards and forwards in the hopes of killing one fish more. At lengththat object was attained, but one of the boats was knocked to pieces,and two of her crew drowned. The huge monster was secured alongsidewith all haste, the blubber was got on board, and the instant thecarcase was cut adrift, the crew giving three shouts of joy at beingfull, sail was made, and the ship stood to the southward.

  The ice, as she proceeded, gathered thickly around her. Boldly,however, she pushed on through the passages which appeared between thefloes. Now she was threading a narrow lane of water, now sailing acrossan open lake, but still on every side appeared those threatening fieldsof ice, which might at any moment enclose her in their deadly embrace.The captain, or one of the mates, was constantly in the crow's-nest,looking out for the most open passages ahead, through which the shipmight be steered.

  They had sailed on for some distance, when the ice on either side wasseen to be moving. A tempting channel, however, appeared before them.The "Laplander" sailed into it. She had scarcely entered when theopposite floes began to approach each other. Still the breeze wasstrong and fair, and the captain hoped that he might be able to pushthrough into an open space beyond before they could close. Nearer andnearer they came to each other, till the broad passage assumed theappearance of a narrow canal. It was at length seen that escape wasimpossible. The sails were furled, the ship was secured to the floe onone side, and an attempt was made to cut a dock in which she mightremain while the inevitable concussion took place. Almost before theice-saws could be got out and set to work, a loud crashing roaring soundwas heard. The floes meeting with terrific force, vast masses rose upin the air, huge fragments being thrown upon each other, till in oneinstant a ridge, reaching almost to the height of the ship's tops, wasformed. The seamen, not waiting for the captain's orders, seized theirbags and bedding, and whatever they could lay hands on, and leaped outon the ice.

  "Follow me, Archy," cried Andrew, seizing a bag of biscuits, andthrowing a couple of blankets over his shoulder. "In another minute theship may be crushed to fragments."

  Archy lowered himself down with Andrew on to the ice, and with the restof the crew they hurried away from the ship. Scarcely had they left herwhen the floes closed in, and vast masses of ice were seen rising uparound her, the rending and crashing sound of her stout timbers tellingthem too plainly of her fate. Not till they had got some distance didthe fugitives venture to stop and watch what was going forward. Themasts were seen to totter, and large fragments of wreck were thrown oneither side over the surface. The captain, as he saw the destruction ofhis vessel, wrung his hands with despair, while dismay was depicted onthe countenances of his crew. So sudden had been the nip, that exceptthe clothes on their backs and the bedding they carried under theirarms, nothing had been saved. As yet too, the danger of approaching thewreck was too great to allow of the attempt being made, for the ice,pressing closer and closer, continued to throw up vast slabs, beneathwhich any one going near the spot might in an instant have been crushed.Suddenly the tall masts fell with a crash, and the whole upper part ofthe ship was cast in fragments on to the ice. For several minutes theseamen stood aghast, till the floes having accomplished their work,remained at rest. Andrew was the first to speak.

  "Lads," he said, "I have seen this sort of thing occur before, and I andall with me reached home in safety, so may we now if we exert ourselves;may be the boats have escaped, and the provisions and stores may havebeen thrown up on the ice. I for one am ready to go back to the wreckand see what has been saved."

  Several of the men agreed to accompany Andrew, and they made their wayamong the masses of ice which strewed the surface. Their search was inpart satisfactory. Two of the boats had escaped injury, while theirchests and a large portion of the provisions and stores which had beenon the upper deck, were found scattered about. The officers, arousingthemselves, now followed the example which Andrew had set. While oneparty were employed in collecting provisions, another cut the sails fromthe yards, which had been thrown on the ice, and erected tents in whichthey might shelter themselves from the piercing wind. Others chopped upwood, and fires were lighted. Some time was thus occupied, and atlength an encampment was formed, with all the st
ores and provisionswhich had been collected piled up around, and the weary seamen were ableto rest from their labours. A consultation was now held as to the meansto be taken for preserving their lives. The boats could only carry aportion of their number, even should the ice again open and allow themto escape. As far as could be seen, it had closed in on every side, andprobably they would have to drag them many long leagues before the openwater could be gained. The land, by the captain's calculation, wasupwards of fifty miles away, but the Danish settlements, where theycould obtain assistance, were much further off. At the same time, itwas possible that they might find another vessel fast in the ice nearerat hand, which might afford them shelter. One thing only was certain,that they must lose no time in making preparations for their journey.Unhappily, the captain, disheartened by the destruction of his ship, wasincapable of exerting himself. Although a good seaman, he was destituteof that higher courage which a confidence in God's superintending carecan alone give. He sat in his tent, with his head resting on his hands,for many hours, gazing toward the wreck, without issuing any orders.The officers differed from each other as to what was best to be done,while many of the crew exhibited a mutinous disposition, and assembledaltogether in a tent which they had erected for themselves. Collectinga quantity of the smaller fragments of the wreck, they made up a largefire within, around which they sat, cooking some of the provisions whichthey had appropriated from the common store.

  Archy, from the time of leaving the ship, had kept close to Andrew, andassisted him in whatever work he was engaged on. While, however, he wascollecting wood at a short distance from the camp, Max came up to him.

  "Well, Archy," he said, "I see old Andrew intends to make you work forhim; that's his reason for keeping you by his side. Now, boy, if I wereyou I would not be led by the nose. Come and join us. I'll own I had ahand in getting you into this scrape, and I wish to help you out of it.I and some of the other men have formed a plan to make our escape, andit's my opinion that those who remain here will lose their lives. Thatcan't be helped, you see, for it's impossible that all should be saved,and as I am your friend I don't wish to leave you behind. Come alongnow, we have got a roaring fire inside there, and the fellows will letyou join them if I ask them." Max pointed to the tent of the mutineers.

  "I promised to stay by Andrew," said Archy. "Unless he goes I can'tjoin you."

  "I'll see about asking him by-and-bye," said Max.

  "What do you propose doing, then?" asked Archy.

  "Making off with the boats," answered Max. "It's the only chance wehave of saving our lives, and we shall be sure to reach one of theDanish places on the coast."

  "What, you would not desert old Andrew?" exclaimed Archy.

  "Oh, of course not," answered Max, in a tone which made Archy suspecthim, especially when he added, "Mark me, my lad, if you let old Andrewor any of the rest know of what I have been saying to you, there aresome among us who would not scruple a moment to knock you on the head.Remember my words. I ask you again, will you come with us?"

  "No," answered Archy firmly. "I promised to stick by Andrew, and I amnot going to desert him."

  "Then take the consequences," exclaimed Max angrily, "and remember, holdyour tongue, or it will be the worse for you."

  Archy saw him return to the tent; but the men who crowded round the fireseemed very unwilling to allow him a place among them, and Archysuspected that had he listened to Max he should have had very littlechance of getting near it either.

  On rejoining Andrew, Archy refrained from mentioning what Max had said,as there were several other persons within hearing, and, indeed, nottill some time afterwards did he find his friend alone. Andrew, withsome of the better disposed men, and a few of the officers, had taken uptheir quarters in a tent, and were now collected round a fire in thecentre of it, though a much smaller one than that formed by the men.Andrew made room for Archy by his side. While they were discussingtheir supper, they agreed that they would form a number of sledges withrunners for the boats, and placing the provisions and tents, with gunsand ammunition on them, and such other stores as they might require, setoff without further delay for the land. No one seemed to suspect thetreachery meditated by Max and his party. The carpenter's chest hadfortunately been saved, and while one party assisted him in collectingwood and forming the sledges and runners, others were engaged in doingup the provisions and stores in packages of a size suitable for beingcarried on the sledges. The mutineers even assisted, and wereespecially busy in fitting runners to the boats.

  Some progress had been made in the work, when night coming on compelledthem to desist from their labours, and take shelter in their respectivetents. Archy, as he lay down to sleep, began to think that in spite ofthe threats of Max he ought to have told Andrew what he had said.

  "To-morrow morning will be time enough," he thought, and he was soonasleep.