CHAPTER XVI
LAND HO!
The boys could hardly credit their senses. Just as they had settledthemselves to spend another long, dismal night on the iceberg, thesound of a paddle broke upon their ears, followed, the next moment, bya hail in unmistakable English.
"It's Captain McAlpine or one of the men!" exclaimed Rob, breakinginto such a headlong rush down the incline that it threatened toprecipitate him into the sea before he could check himself.
Fred was at his heels, and Jack tumbled against him. He knew that thatvoice was no Caucasian's. Despite the English word, he recognized itas belonging to a native Esquimau.
"We're coming!" called back Jack, in turn; "just hold on a few minutesand we'll be there--by the great horned spoon!"
He bumped flat on his back, and shot down the incline so fast that heknocked the heels from under Fred, and the two, impinging against Rob,prostrated him also, the three shooting forward like so many sleighsgoing down a toboggan slide.
"Never mind, lads; we'll stop when we strike water," called thesailor, so pleased that he recked little of the consequences. All thesame, however, each exerted himself desperately to stop, and, barelysucceeded in doing so, on the very edge of the incline.
Then they perceived one of the long, narrow native boats, known as akayak, drawn up alongside the wharf, as it may be called, with theEsquimau in the act of stepping out.
He contemplated the sight in silent wonderment, for, it is safe tosay, he had never been approached in that fashion before.
Jack was the first to recover the perpendicular, and he impulsivelyreached out his mittened hand to the native, who was clad in furs,with a short jacket and a hood, which covered all his head, exceptingthe front of his face.
"How do you do, my hearty? I never was so glad to see any one in mylife as I am to see you."
"Glad to meet you," replied the Esquimau, somewhat abashed by theeffusive greeting; "where you come from?"
"From the iceberg," and then reflecting that this good friend wasentitled to a full explanation, the sailor added:
"We visited this berg, yesterday, from the ship "Nautilus;" our boatwas carried away before we knew it, and the gale drove the ship so farout of her course that we haven't seen a thing of her since. How cameyou to know we were here?"
"Heard gun go off--didn't know where it be--hear it again--then knowit here--then come to you."
"Were you ashore?"
"Started out to fish--you go ashore with me?"
"You can just bet we will; your kayak is strong enough to take us all,isn't it?"
"If sit still--make no jump," was the reply of the native, who wasplainly pleased at the part of the good Samaritan he was playing.
"These are my friends, Rob Carrol and Fred Warburton," said Jack,introducing the lads, each of whom shook the hand of the native, whomthey felt like embracing in a transport of pleasure.
Since the native had come out for the purpose of taking them off,there was no delay in embarking. The long boat, which the Esquimauhandled with such skill, was taxed to carry the unusual load, and Jacksuggested that he should wait till the boys were taken ashore, whenthe native could return for him, but their friend said that wasunnecessary, and, inasmuch as the land was fully three miles distant,the task would have been a severe one. The sea was not ugly, and theEsquimau assured them there would be no trouble in landing themsafely, if they "dressed" carefully and guarded against any suddenshifting of position.
All understood the situation too well to make any mistake in thisrespect, and, in a few minutes, everything was in readiness. Thenative sat in the middle of the boat and swayed his long paddle with adexterity that aroused the admiration of his passengers. It was notthe kind of paddling to which Jack Cosgrove was accustomed, though hecould have picked it up with readiness, and he was just the one toappreciate work of that kind.
Rob was nearest the prow, and, as the craft whirled about and headedtoward land, he caught a shower of spray which was dashed over hisclothing and in his face. That, however, meant nothing, and he gave noheed to it. Immediately the craft was skimming over the waves at aspeed of fully five knots.
The occasion was hardly one for conversation, and Rob cautiously movedsideways and turned his head, so as to watch the advance. The weather,as will be remembered, was perfectly clear; the stars were shining andhe could see for a considerable way over the water.
It was trying to the nerves of so brave a lad as he to observe a hugewave rushing like a courser straight toward them and looking as ifnothing could save the boat from swamping; but, under the consummatehandling of its owner, it arose to meet the wall of water and rode iteasily. Then, as it plunged into the trough on the other side, itseemed as if about to dive into the depths of the sea, but immediatelyarose again with inimitable grace and readiness.
Then, perhaps, would follow a short distance of comparatively smoothwater, quickly succeeded by the plunging and rising as before.
All at once the surface became smooth. Before Rob could guess itsmeaning something grated against the front of the kayak and slid alongthe side, followed by another and another. The native slowed hispaddling and pushed on with extreme care.
He had entered a field of floating ice, through which it was necessaryto force his way with all caution. This was proven by the many turnshe made, and it was then that his skill showed in a more strikinglight than before.
He sat facing the prow and was obliged to look over the head of Roband along each side of him. His quick eye took in the size and contourof the drift ice, and, hardly checking his own progress, he shot tothe right, then to the left, turning so quickly that the bodies of hispassengers swayed under the sudden impulse, but all the time hecontinued his advance, apparently with undiminished speed.
Meanwhile Jack Cosgrove, from his seat at the rear, was looking stillfarther ahead in the effort to gain sight of the welcome land, whichnever was so dear to him as when on the iceberg. Once he fancied hecaught the twinkle of a light so low down that it was on shore, but itvanished quickly and he believed he was mistaken.
It was not long, however, before his penetrating vision discoveredthat for which he was yearning. The unmistakable outline of the coastarose to view, rising gradually from the edge of the water until lostin the gloom beyond. It was white with snow, as a matter of course,the depth probably being several feet. The sight of any considerableportion of Greenland free of its snowy mantle would be a sight,indeed.
The floating ice continued all the way to land, and the closer thelatter was approached the more difficult became the progress. But thenative was equal to the task. He had been through it too often tohesitate more than a few seconds when some larger obstacle than usualinterposed across his path. It was very near land that the greatestperil of all was encountered. The kayak glided over a cake of ice, theEsquimau believing it would pass readily underneath the craft and outbeyond the stern, but its buoyancy was greater than he supposed, andit swayed the boat with such force that it came within a hair ofcapsizing.
"All right!" he called, cheerily, righting the craft with severalquick, powerful strokes of his paddle. Then he shot between two otherenormous cakes, wedged his way through a narrow passage, and the prowcrunched into the snow that came down to the water's edge.
"Here we are, and thank the Lord!" called out Rob, leaping with asingle bound upon the solid earth; "I feel like giving three cheers,for if ever Providence favored a lot of scamps, we are the ones."
Fred followed as the kayak turned sideways, so as to permit all tostep out, but Jack paused, opposite the native, and peered into hisface. Something in the Esquimau's voice struck him as familiar.
"What's your name?" he asked, still scrutinizing him as closely as hecould in the gloom.
"Docak," was the reply.
Among the Esquimaux; or, Adventures under the Arctic Circle Page 17