Under the Great Bear

by Kirk Munroe

  CHAPTER XXI.

  A WELCOME MISSIONARY.

  Although the outer garments of wolf fur belonging to the mysteriousstranger were also missing, our lads were not at first at all uneasyconcerning his absence, but imagined that their guest had merely gonefor a breath of fresh air or to examine the situation of the schoonerby daylight. So they mended the fire and got breakfast ready,expecting with each moment that he would return. As he did not, Cabotfinally went on deck to look for him.

  The morning was bitterly cold, and the harbour was covered with icesufficiently strong to bear a man.

  "The old 'Bee's' found her winter berth at last," reflected Cabot, ashe glanced about him, shivering in the keen air.

  To his disappointment he could discover no trace of the man upon whomthey were depending to aid their escape from this icy prison. Caboteven dropped to the beach and made his way to the crest of the inlandbluffs, but could see no living thing on all the vast expanse of snowoutspread before him.

  "I guess he has gone, all right," muttered the lad, "and we are againleft to our own resources, only a little worse off than we were before.Why he came and helped us out at all, though, is a mystery to me."

  With this he retraced his steps and conveyed the unwelcome news toWhite.

  "It is evident then," said the latter, "that we must stay here, aliveor dead, all winter. And I expect we'll be a great deal more dead thanalive long before it is over."

  "Oh, I don't know," replied Cabot. "This doesn't seem to be such avery uninhabited place, after all. I'm sure we've had a regular joblot of visitors during the past week, and a good many of them, too. SoI don't see why we shouldn't have other callers before the winter isover. When the next one comes, though, we'll take care and not let himout of our sight. Why didn't you tie a string to one of those Indians,as I advised?"

  "Because they tied me first," answered White, laughing in spite of hisanxiety. "Why didn't you do it yourself?"

  "Because all the tying apparatus was aboard the schooner, and I hadn'tso much as a shoe-string about me. I wish I could have tied thatscoundrel Arsenic, though. If ever I meet him again I'll try to teachhim a lesson in gratitude. But what do you propose to do to-day,skipper?"

  "I suppose we might as well unbend and stow our canvas, since the 'Bee''ll not want to use sails again for a while. We might also send downtopmasts, stow away what we can of the running rigging, get thoseprovisions on the beach aboard again, and----"

  "Hold on!" cried Cabot, "you've already laid out all the work I care totackle in one day, and if you want any more done you'll have to ship anew crew."

  It was well that the lads had ample occupation for that day, otherwisethey would have been very unhappy. Even Cabot, for all his assumedcheerfulness, realised the many dangers with which they were beset. Hebelieved that their unknown friend had deserted them, and that theIndians might return at any moment in over-powering numbers. He knewthat without outside assistance and guidance it would be impossible totraverse the vast frozen wilderness lying between them andcivilisation. He knew also that if he and White remained where theywere they must surely perish before the winter was over. So theprospect was far from cheerful, and that evening the "Sea Bee's" crew,wearied with their hard day's work, ate their supper in thoughtfulsilence.

  While they were thus engaged both suddenly sprang to their feet withstartled faces. A gun had been fired from close at hand, and with itsreport came a confusion of shouts. Evidently more visitors hadarrived; but were they friends or foes?

  White thought the latter, and snatched up a loaded revolver, declaringthat the Indians should not again get possession of his schoonerwithout fighting for it; but Cabot believed the new-comers to befriends.

  "If they were enemies," he argued, "they would have got aboard andtaken us by surprise before making a sound." So saying he hurried upthe companionway, with White close at his heels.

  "Hello!" shouted Cabot. "Who are you?"

  "We are friends," answered a voice from the beach in English, but witha strong German accent. "Can you show us a light?"

  "Of course we can, and will in a moment," replied Cabot joyously."White, get a----"

  But White had already darted back into the cabin for a lantern, withwhich he speedily emerged, and led the way to the beach. Here our ladsfound a dog sledge with its team, and an Eskimo driver, who was alreadycollecting wood for a fire, together with a white man, tall, straight,middle-aged, and wearing a long beard streaked with grey.

  "God be with you and keep you," he said, as he shook hands with Cabotand White. "Where is the captain of this schooner?"

  Cabot pointed to his companion.

  "Where then is the crew?"

  At this both lads laughed, and Cabot replied:

  "I am the crew."

  "You don't mean to tell me that you two boys navigated that vessel tothis place unaided."

  "We certainly did, sir, though we have not done much navigating formore than a month now. But will you please tell us who you are, whereyou came from, and how you happened to discover us? Though we are notsurprised at being discovered, for we seem to be located on a highwayof travel and have visitors nearly every day."

  "Indeed," replied the stranger; "and yet you are stranded in one of theleast known and most inaccessible bays of the coast. It is rarelyvisited even by natives, and I doubt if any white man was ever herebefore your arrival."

  "Then how did you happen to come?" asked Cabot.

  "I came by special request to find you and offer whatever assistance Imay render. I am the Rev. Ostrander Mellins, Director of a MoravianMission Station located on the coast some twenty-five miles from thispoint."

  "But how did you know of us?" cried Cabot, in amazement. "We haven'tsent any telegrams nor even written any letters since coming here."

  "Did not you send a messenger yesterday?"

  "No, sir. Most of yesterday we were prisoners in the hands of somerascally Indians."

  "I perceive," said the missionary, "that I have much to hear as well asto tell, and, being both tired and cold, would suggest that we seek amore sheltered spot than this, where we may converse while my manprepares supper."

  At these words both our lads were covered with confusion, and, withprofuse apologies for their lack of hospitality, besought themissionary to accompany them into the schooner's cabin.

  "We should have asked you long ago," declared White, "only we were soovercome with joy at meeting a white man who could talk to us that wereally didn't know what we were about."

  "Won't your man and dogs also come aboard?" asked Cabot, anxious toshow how hospitable they really were.

  "No, thank you," laughed the missionary. "They will do very well wherethey are."

  In the cabin, which had never seemed more cheerful and comfortable, thelads helped the new-comer remove his fur garments, plied him with hottea, together with everything they could think of in the way ofeatables, and at the same time told him their story as they had told itto their other guest of the night before.

  "And you did not send me any message?" he asked, with a quizzical smile.

  "I know!" cried Cabot. "It was the man-wolf. But where did you meethim, and why didn't he come back with you? How did he manage toexplain the situation? We thought he couldn't talk."

  "I don't know that he can," replied the missionary, "for I have neverheard him speak, nor do I know any one who has. Neither did I meethim. In fact I have never seen him, but I think your messenger must beone and the same with your man-wolf, since he signed his note'Homolupus.'"

  "His note," repeated Cabot curiously. "Did he send you a note?"

  "Not exactly; but he left one for me at a place near the station, wherehe has often left furs to be exchanged for goods, and called myattention to it by a signal of rifle shots. When I reached the place Iwas not surprised to find him gone, for he always disappears when it iscertain that his signal has been understood. I was, however, greatlysurprised to find, instead of the usu
al bundle of furs, only a slip ofpaper supported by a cleft stick. On it was written:

  "'Schooner laden with provisions stranded in pocket next South ofNukavik Arm. Crew in distress. Need immediate assistance.Homolupus.'"

  "With such a message to urge me, I made instant preparation, and camehere with all speed."

  "It was awfully good of you," said White.

  "Perhaps not quite so good as you may think, since our annual supplyship having thus far failed to make her appearance, the mission is veryshort of provisions, and the intimation that there was an abundancewithin reach relieved me of a load of anxiety. So if you are disposedto sell----"

  "Excuse me for interrupting," broke in Cabot, "but, before you get totalking business, please tell us something more about the man who sentyou to our relief. Who is he? Where does he live? What does he looklike? Why does he disappear when you go in answer to his signals? Whydo you call him a wolf-man? What----"

  "Seems to me that is about as many questions as I can remember at onetime," said the missionary, smiling at Cabot's eagerness, "and I amsorry that, with my slight knowledge of the subject, I cannot answerthem satisfactorily. The man-wolf was well known to this countrybefore I came to it, which was three years ago, and dwells somewhere tothe southward of this place, though no one, to my knowledge, has everseen his habitation. Some of the Eskimo can point out its location,but they are in such terror of him that they give it a wide berthwhenever travelling in that direction. As I said, I have never seenhim, nor have I ever known of his holding communication other than bywriting with any human being. The natives describe him as a man ofgreat size with the head of a wolf."

  "There! I was sure it wasn't imagination," interrupted Cabotexcitedly. "When I first saw him his head and face were those of awolf, but the next time they were those of a man, and so I thought Imust have dreamed the wolf part. I wonder how he manages it, and Iwish I knew how he produces those lightning flashes. If this were amore civilised part of the world I should say that they resulted fromelectricity--but of course that couldn't be away off here in thewilderness. I asked him about them but got no answer."

  "Have you, then, seen and spoken with him?" asked the missionary.

  "Of course we have seen him, for he spent last night in this verycabin, and we have spoken to him, though not with him, for he is dumb."

  "I envy you the privilege of having met him, and am greatly relieved tolearn that he is so wholly human; for the natives regard him as eithera god or a devil, I can't tell which, and ascribe to him superhumanpowers. He has righted many a wrong, punished many an evil-doer, savedmany a poor soul from starvation, and performed innumerable deeds ofkindness. He dares everything and seems able to do anything. He is atonce the guardian angel and the terror of this region, and, on thewhole, I doubt if there is in all the world to-day a more remarkablebeing than the man-wolf of Labrador."