CHAPTER FIVE.
ANDREW SCOLLAY, A RELIGIOUS OLD MAN, ENCOURAGES HIS SHIPMATES IN THEIRFEARFUL POSITION, WITHOUT FOOD, FIRE, OR SHELTER.--ARCHY DISTINGUISHESBETWEEN HIS FALSE AND REAL FRIEND.--HE TAKES A RUN OVER THE ICE WITHANDREW, WHEN A SAIL IS SEEN, AND AT LAST A BOAT APPROACHES.
Hour after hour passed by, and still there was no abatement of thestorm. Loud noises meantime were heard around, denoting the breaking upof the floe on which they floated, and they could not tell how soon theportion on which they had taken refuge might be rent from the main bodyand floated away. Often did Archy wish that he had remained on board,and not exposed himself to the fearful danger in which he was placed.At length old Andrew spoke to him.
"Are you happy, boy?" he asked. "But you need not tell me--I know youare not. I am sorry to find you placed in this fearful position, but itwas through your own fault--you chose to come against orders. It is badfor us, but then we came because it was our duty."
"I am sure I am very sorry I did come," answered Archy. "But I didn'tthink this would happen."
"People never know what will happen when they do what is wrong," saidAndrew. "Satan tempts them to sin, and then leaves them to take theconsequences. Lads, I speak to you all as I speak to this boy. Are youprepared to meet your God?"
"Why do you say that?" said Max, in a husky voice.
"Because I think, before many hours are over our heads, the summons willcome," said Andrew, solemnly. "Any moment the ice may break up, and thesea may wash over us, or we may sit here till we die of cold andhunger."
"You are croaking," said Max. "Our captain is not the man to desertus."
"I am speaking the solemn truth," said Andrew. "The captain will do hisbest to search for us, but the gale will have driven the ship miles awayby this time, and before she can get up to us we may be dead. I don'tspeak thus to frighten you, lads, but because I wish to see your soulssaved. You may say that you are such sinners that there is no hope ofthat. I wish you did know that you are sinners. You heard the captainread to you the other day the account of the thief on the cross. Heknew that he was a sinner, but he found the Saviour even at the lastmoment of his life. He trusted to Jesus, who saved him; and he had theassurance from the lips of that loving One, that he was saved. Jesuswill say to you what He said to the thief on the cross, if you will evennow turn to Him: `Now is the day of grace, now is the day of salvation.'Oh, lads, I pray you to throw yourselves on His mercy, to trust to Him.His blood cleanseth from all sin."
The seamen listened attentively to what Andrew said: they had oftenheard similar words from the lips of the captain, but they were insafety then on board their stout ship, and they had allowed them to passaway unheeded. Now, although they still hoped to escape, they could nothelp acknowledging that they were in a fearfully perilous position.Still no one replied. What was passing in their minds Andrew could nottell. He continued, addressing them in the same strain for some time.Again and again he told them of the Saviour's love, and how earnestly Hedesired them to come to Him and be saved.
Archy, however, had drunk in every word Andrew had said.
"But would Jesus pardon me, who has so grievously offended Him?" heasked at last--"me, who have so often been told of His loving kindnessand mercy?"
"Yes, lad, that He will," said Andrew, taking Archy's hand, "He haspromised it, and His word is sure. He has sent us this blessedmessage:--`The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin.' He doesnot say from some sins, or from only slight sins, but from all sins."
"Oh, then, I'll try and give Him my heart," exclaimed Archy. "I'lltrust to Him."
"Yes, do that, Archy; but give him your heart now--trust to Him now,"said Andrew, earnestly. "We will pray, lad, that the Holy Spirit willhelp you, for He alone can carry out the work in your heart;" and thepious old man, kneeling down on the ice, lifted up his voice in prayer;and surely that prayer was not uttered in vain. Still, although therest of the party made no response to his exhortations, he persevered;and from the loud crashing roar of the ice, as the broken fragments weredashed together, it seemed too likely that the day of grace for allwould ere long be past. Hour after hour went by, and yet the portion ofthe floe on which they had taken refuge kept together. The stormcontinued to rage, and the snow still fell heavily. Piece after pieceof the boat had been cut away its place being supplied with a wall androof of snow, which the seamen gradually built up. They were beginningto feel the pangs of hunger, and they could scarcely get sufficientwarmth from the small fire they were able to maintain to keep themselvesfrom being frozen. It was near mid-summer. Had it been the winter theycould not thus have existed many hours. Every now and then one of theparty ran to the summit of the hillock in the hopes of seeing the ship.Still the falling snow shut out all but the nearest objects from view,and here and there alone a tall iceberg could be seen rising dimly amidthe foaming seas. "No hope, no hope," was the mournful cry of one afterthe other, as they returned to the hut.
"Don't say there's no hope," observed old Andrew. "God can send ushelp, though we can't help ourselves. Oh, lads, I again say, and it maybe for the last time, put your trust in Him. I don't tell you that Hewill send us relief. It may be His will that our bodies should perishon the spot where we are sitting; but I do tell you, that He offers torescue your souls, and will certainly, if you put your trust in Him, notallow them to perish."
Archy sat close to old Andrew, listening attentively to what he said, hehad now learned to distinguish between his real and false friend. Howearnestly he wished that he had not been led astray by the evil counselof the latter. The rest of the party sat silent, their countenancesexhibiting the despair which had taken possession of their hearts.Their fuel was well nigh exhausted, and suffering from hunger they knewthat they could not hold out long against the cold. Andrew proposedthat they should let the fire out for a time, and warm themselves byexercise.
"We will then light it again, and it will enable us to lie down and restwithout fear of being frozen," he observed.
To this wise advice the men would not agree.
"If die we must, we will keep warm while we can," growled out Max.
"Then, Archy, you and I will try and keep our blood flowing by using ourlimbs," said Andrew. "See, the snow has ceased falling, and there'sless wind than there was."
This was said after they had spent many hours on the ice. How many theycould scarcely tell, for no sun appeared to mark the progress of theday.
Andrew, taking his young companion's hand, rose, and together they wentto the top of the hummock, and gazed around for a minute, though theycould now see much further than before. No sail appeared to cheer theirsight. They quickly descended, and Andrew, with the activity of a youngman, ran backwards and forwards under the lee of the hummock. Archyfelt the benefit of the exercise; but though his hunger had increased,his blood circulating freely, made him feel better able to endure thecold than before.
When at length they returned to the hut, they found the remaining piecesof wood burning, and that in a short time they would be left without anyfire.
"If you had followed my advice it would have been better for us all,"observed Andrew.
The men made no reply; they all appeared to have fallen into a state ofstupor, and to have become indifferent to their fate. Andrew and Archysat down to rest, and to enjoy the warmth of the fire, anxiouslywatching the last few pieces of wood as they were gradually consumed.The embers which they scraped together afforded them heat for some timelonger--then, by degrees, those died out.
"It is our duty to hold out while we can, boy," said Andrew, when thelast spark of the fire was extinguished. "Come and take another run."
Archy felt very weak and faint from want of food, still he endeavouredto exert himself. Again they visited the top of the hummock, but stillno sail was to be seen. The sea tumbled and foamed, and the surroundingmasses of ice ground and crashed against each other, and the floe onwhich they were appeared to have decreased in size, wh
ile huge blocks,thrown up by the waves, rested on its weather side. Even Andrew wasunable to run backwards and forwards as fast as before, and again theysought shelter within the hut. No questions were asked them; indeedmost of their companions appeared to be asleep. Andrew in vain tried toarouse them. Archy felt that he, too, should like to lie down and go tosleep; but from doing this Andrew used every effort to prevent him, andin a short time proposed that they should take another ran to the top ofthe hummock. With difficulty Archy followed him.
For some time the old man stood looking round in every direction, thenhis eyes rested on a particular spot to the northward, and Archy saw himraise his hands as if in prayer.
"Lad," he said suddenly, "look between those two icebergs. What do yousee?"
Archy gazed with beating heart. "A sail! a sail!" he exclaimed.
"Yes--of that there's no doubt," said Andrew, calmly, "and may Goddirect her course towards us. She is at present standing this way; butshould a whale be seen, she may steer in a different direction." Theyanxiously watched the approaching ship for some minutes.
"We will tell our companions," said Andrew--"the news will rouse them ifthey are not too far gone."
Archy forgetting his hunger, and no longer feeling his weakness, rushedback to the hut, shouting, "a sail! a sail!" Max, and two of the othermen, started as the sound reached their ears, but before they had gainedtheir feet they again sank down on the ice. After making severalefforts, they were at length able to walk, having in the meantimearoused their companions, who, sitting up, looked around with bewilderedglances, as if not comprehending the news they heard. Archy again ranback, Max and the rest, with tottering steps, trying to follow him.They succeeded at length, and as they saw the ship, almost frantic withjoy, they shook each other's hands, and shouted and danced like madpeople, their sufferings, their fears of death, were in a momentforgotten, and so probably also were any good resolutions they mighthave formed. How different was their behaviour to that of Andrew.Archy remarked it.
The ship came on with a strong breeze, threading her way amid the massesof ice in her course. She had got within a couple of miles. Still,unless the eyes of those on board were directed in their direction, theflag flying from the hummock might not be seen. She came nearer andnearer.
"She will not pass us now," cried Max.
"We will pray to God that she may not," said Andrew; but at that momentthe vessel was seen to haul her wind, and to stand to the westward. Aloud groan of bitter disappointment was uttered by Max and the othermen.
"God's will be done," said Andrew. "See, mates, she has hove-to, she islowering her boat. They are after a fish."
With what eagerness did the eyes of the starving seamen watch the ship.It was impossible to say in what direction she might next steer. Theyno longer felt cold or hunger.
"See, see, what is that?" cried one of the men, as a dark object wasdiscovered darting out from behind the nearest iceberg.
Directly afterwards a boat was seen fast to a whale, and following inits wake. The whale approached the floe, but while still at somedistance its flukes were seen to rise in the air, and down it shot intothe ocean. Although those on the ice knew that they were too far off tobe heard, they shouted again and again, their voices sounding strangelyhollow in each other's ears. The first line had apparently been run outfrom the boat; a second had been bent on; that, too, came to an end.They could see the four oars lifted up as a signal for assistance fromthe ship. Once more the boat approached them at a rapid rate, draggedon by the whale. It was evident she was in great distress, and that hercrew dreaded the fate they themselves had suffered. Suddenly shestopped--the line had been cut. Would they turn away? No, the crewbend to their oars--the boat-steerer stands up and waves. They areseen--help will come to them. Again the cheer.
"Let us thank God, for He has sent yonder boat to our assistance," saidAndrew.
Archibald Hughson: An Arctic Story Page 5