CHAPTER FOUR.
ARCHY WISHING TO BE PRESENT WHEN A WHALE IS STRUCK, AGAINST ORDERS GOESOFF IN ONE OF THE BOATS.--ATTACK A WHALE AND HER CALF, BUT LOSE BOTH,AND THE BOAT'S BOWS ARE STOVE AGAINST A FLOE.--THE CREW ESCAPE BYLANDING ON IT, AND DRAGGING THE BOAT AFTER THEM. PREPARATIONS MADE TOWAIT FOR THE ARRIVAL OF THE SHIP IN SEARCH OF THEM.
The ship had for some time been off the western shore of the bay, andseveral whales had been taken--every one was actively engaged, for whenthe operation of flensing was not going on, the boats were generallyaway in chase of their prey.
Archy had hitherto always remained on board. He had long wished,however, to be present at one of the exciting scenes he had onlywitnessed from a distance. How to manage it was the difficulty. Heknew that it would be of no use asking leave from the captain, or any ofthe boat-steerers, for idlers were not allowed in the boats. He hadthought that he should at once engage in all the adventures described byMax, and was one day expressing his disappointment in his presence.
"They will come time enough," observed Max. "But if you have a fancy tosee some sport, and may be to get tossed in the air, or drowned, or haveto spend a night on a floe, and be well nigh frozen, as I have more thanonce, I'll give you a chance. You know that I am your friend, or Iwould not do it. Now, the next time a fall is called, do you tumbleinto my boat; I'll rail away if old Andrew sees you, but pretend youhave hurt your leg and lie still, and depend upon it he will be in toogreat a hurry to shove off to put you on board again, and as the captaindid not punish you for hiding away, he will not say much to you on thataccount."
Archy knew very well that he ought to have suspected Max's advice, buthe was so eager to see a whale struck, that he forgot all otherconsiderations. Hoping therefore that he might soon have theopportunity he desired, he turned into his bunk with his clothes on,ready to slip into the boat at a moment's notice. The ship was standingsome distance off the land, and though the sea was generally open, hereand there masses of ice were to be seen floating about from enormousicebergs down to small pieces of a few feet in diameter. Archy hopedthat before long the boats would be lowered to go in chase of a whale.He tried to keep awake, but sleep soon overpowered him. He was arousedby hearing the sound of stamping overhead, and the looked for cry of "afall, a fall." He sprang on deck, and without waiting to see whether hewas observed, slipped into old Andrew's boat, in which Max pulled one ofthe oars, and throwing himself down in the bottom, remained perfectlystill. The rest of the crew followed. Old Andrew was the last, havingbeen detained longer than usual. The boat shoved off, and only then Maxpretended to have discovered him. Andrew, on seeing the lad, was aboutto put back, but at that moment the spout of another whale was observedat no great distance. The crew, bending to their oars, pulled towardsit; and Andrew, in the excitement of the moment, forgot all about Archy.The boat dashed on. A sucking whale was seen playing near the old one.
"We shall have her boys, we shall have her," shouted Andrew.
The whale discerned the approach of her foes, and diving down with hercalf, disappeared.
"Give way lads, give way," cried Andrew, "she will not desert the youngone."
He was right, though had the old whale been alone, she would soon havebeen miles away. The boat continued in the direction the whale had beenseen to take, and in a short time the small animal again came to thesurface to breathe. The boat was soon up to the animal, when itsfaithful mother rose also to afford it protection. The boat dashed upto it, and Andrew, going forward, plunged his unerring harpoon deep intoits side. No sooner did the monster feel the wound than away shedarted, towing the boat, the young whale keeping up with her. The crewpulled with might and main, hoping to get up alongside again in order tofix another harpoon, and to pierce her with their lances. They hadnearly succeeded, when up went her tail in the air, and down she divedinto the depths of ocean, her calf following her example. Immediatelythe whale line was allowed to run out; and, as the end was approached,another was fastened on. That too had nearly been drawn out, when thecrew, lifting up their oars, made a signal for assistance from theircompanions, but they were already too far off to be seen, indeed theother boats were engaged with the whale first attacked.
"Hold on," shouted Andrew. "Though she might not come up by herself,the young one will, and she will follow."
He was right; for at the moment that the bow of the boat seemed about tobe drawn under water, and the knife was lifted to cut the line, itslackened, and the young whale came to the surface some way ahead,followed immediately afterwards by its mother. Remaining stationary ashort time to breathe, during which a portion of the line was hauled in,the monster again began to make her way along the surface.
"Rare fun!" exclaimed Archy, who was sitting near Max. "I would nothave missed this on any account."
"We shall not be merry long if that bank of clouds to the north brings agale with it," growled out Max.
Archy looked around; the sea, hitherto calm, was already ruffled withwaves, and an icy breeze swept over the surface. Still no whaler, witha fish fast, would have thought of giving up the pursuit. Already themonster, wearied by its exertions, was slackening its speed; the crewbegan to haul in the line, the first was got in. They were already inthe hopes of again wounding the animal mortally before she could oncemore sound, when inspired with a mother's instinct to do her utmost forthe preservation of her young one, she again darted forward. A largefloe appeared ahead, out of which arose several hummocks. The whalemade rapid way towards it. The crew pulled with might and main, stillhoping to reach her before she could dive below the ice. In vain wereall their efforts. Still she went on. She reached the edge of thefloe. It was possible she might turn or make her way along it, ratherthan venture with her young one below its surface, where they might beunable to find an opening for breathing. Again she stopped; as Andrewhad expected. The crew continued to haul in the line, when once moreshe moved on, and it was necessary to secure it round the bollard.
"She is ours," cried Andrew; "she will not venture under the ice." Thecrew bent to their oars, hoping in another instant to be up with her,when, with a sudden start, she dashed forward. With great presence ofmind Andrew cut the line, just in time to prevent the boat from beingdragged under the floe, but not sufficiently soon to save her bows frombeing stove. The water came rushing in through the fearful rent thathad been made. The crew leaped out on the ice, old Andrew seizingArchy, who, bewildered at the occurrence, had sat still. Already theboat was half full of water, and not without great difficulty she washauled up on the ice, against which the sea was beating violently, andseveral articles were washed out of her. Archy had instinctivelyclutched a bucket by his side, to which he held when he was dragged out.It contained a tinder-box and powder flask.
There the whole party stood on the exposed floe by the side of theirshattered boat. They looked around. Neither the ship nor the boatswere to be seen, while the thick mist, which came driving over theocean, concealed even some of the nearest icebergs from view. Two orthree of the men loudly expressed their anxiety. Max's countenanceexhibited the alarm he felt. Old Andrew alone preserved his usualequanimity.
"My lads," he said, "I'll allow we are in bad case, but don't let usgive way to despair. We must do our best to repair the boat; and if theship does not come to look for us, we must set out to look for her."
The injuries, however, that the boat had received were very severe, andit was evident that no means they had at their disposal were sufficientto repair her. Even a piece of canvas would have been of value, butthey had no canvas and no nails. The sea, too, which had rapidly gotup, now dashed furiously against the sides of the floe, threatening tosweep over it, and break it to pieces beneath their feet. Andrew lookedaround, and observing a large hummock at some distance, urged hiscompanions to drag the boat towards it.
"Yonder ice hill will afford us some shelter," he said. "And if we makea signal from the top, it will be more readily seen than one down o
n thelevel."
The men exerting all their strength dragged the boat along, Archyhelping, till they reached the hummock, she was then turned bottomuppermost under its lee. An axe having been saved, one of the oars wascut into lengths, which served to prop her up and afford them someshelter from the freezing wind. Two oars were also lashed together toserve as a flagstaff, and all the handkerchiefs that could be musteredwere joined to form a flag. A hole, after much labour, was dug with theaxe in the top of the hummock, and the flagstaff was planted, but thefurious wind threatened every moment to blow it down again. The galewas increasing, and already they felt almost perished, but their greatwant was food. They had come away without breakfast, and no provisionshad been put in the boat. Even should they be able to resist the gale,and should the floe continue together, they ran a fearful risk ofperishing of hunger. The snow falling heavily formed a bank round theboat, and assisted to keep out the wind,--here they all collected,crouching down as close together as possible, for the sake of obtainingwarmth from each other.
"If we had but a fire we might do pretty well till the ship comes totake us off," observed Max. "We have got some wood, at all events, andwhen that's gone we must burn the boat and form a roof of snow over ourheads instead, after Esquimaux fashion."
No sooner was the proposal made than the remaining oars,boat-stretchers, and every piece of wood that could be found was cut up.Archy produced the tinder-box from the bucket, and in a short time afire was blazing up, which served to warm their chilled limbs, andslightly to raise their spirits. Few of them, however, were disposed totalk much.
Archibald Hughson: An Arctic Story Page 4