Adrift in the Ice-Fields

by William Henry Giles Kingston

  CHAPTER XXI.

  NORTHWARD AGAIN.--THE STEAMER.--TAKING TO THE BOAT.

  "Yes, Regnar, we are now on the outer side of the pack, and the wind hasshifted to the southward again. Look to the eastward, Regnie. Has notthe pack broken up there?"

  "Yes, the tide sets to the eastward, and the wind blows the heavy icenorthward as soon as it clears the eastern shoals. See that berg goingto pieces on Doyle's Reef!"

  As he spoke, the berg, a small one, worn by sun and rain into amultitude of fantastic pinnacles, swung off from its easterly drift,and, wafted by the wind, rapidly floated towards the concealed reef,whose sharp and hidden rocks can only be suspected during the prevalenceof the heaviest storms. With a moderate rate of speed, not muchexceeding two knots an hour, the massive base of the ice-island suddenlyrose, as the shelving rocks received the irresistible impact. Then a fewglittering pieces dimpled the surface of the unruffled water. It wasthe signal of impending dissolution. Crash upon crash, like the roar ofartillery, echoed and re-echoed among the floes, and rent from base topinnacle, the majestic frost-castle fell into utter ruin, torturing thesea into foam, while the billows raised by the rocking of the hugefragments swept up the narrow walls, sweeping right across many of thelower floes, and even raising a slight ripple around the base of thegreat berg itself.

  "We must return, Regnie. The clouds are darkening fast, and fog or athick scud is sweeping up from the southward. Let us have one more lookfor the steamers, and then we must away to our friends."

  "There is a steamer on the outer edge of the pack, I think. You will seeher smoke in line with the East Point yonder."

  "Yes, Regnie, that is a steamer, sure enough, and she will make her wayto the centre of the pack. Let us hasten to the floe and take to theboats. We can perhaps reach her by rowing through the narrow leadsbefore the gale rises."

  Hastening down the side of the watercourse they descended the berg, andset off along its base, in the direction of the hut. As they passed theygave a last glance at the sealer's tomb. Down the path they hadascended, dashed an overflowing torrent, which disappeared with a whirland hollow gurgle into the yawning aperture, while the whole front ofthe wall which they had ascended, dripped with water and glittered withspray.

  "The keenest eye among the hunters of the Mistassini could not uncoverthat trail; and known to God and us alone is the bloody mystery of theDeadman's Berg."

  "Don't talk of that again, Regnie. Let the dead rest. Perhaps it may yettranspire that he was penitent at the last, and you may have good reasonto rejoice that you knelt beside his last bed, in a tomb so wondrouslybeautiful."

  "We must hasten faster, Charley, for the fog _is_ coming, and we mayfind the floes separated. Remember our friends know nothing of all wehave seen and heard, and to them I am still Regnar Orloff, halfeducated, and a simple pilot of the Labrador."

  With increased speed the pair pressed forward, crossing with difficultythe gulf, which had opened between the berg and the first heavy floe.Pole in hand, with one end of the rope attached to his belt, and his gunslung at his back, Orloff led the way, while La Salle followed at theother end, carrying an axe in his belt, and another in his hand. Luckilymany large fragments lay floating in the first lead, and prevented fromslipping by their sharp "crampets," they leaped from cake to cake, andsafely reached the second floe.

  The mist clung damp to their faces as they attained the end of thesecond floe, where a lead of water some twenty yards in width, andclear of ice, intervened between them and the next. The quick eye ofRegnar caught sight of a small ice-cake floating by the windward side oftheir floe, and leaping upon it, with pole and hands they shoved italong the steep walls of ice, and with their united force gave it afinal impetus in the desired direction. The fragment whirled and bentbeneath them, until the water stood above their ankles; but just as theybegan to fear a complete submersion, Orloff caught a projection of thefield with his boat-hook, and the two landed in safety.

  As they hurried across the last floe, the rain fell, and the wind blewheavily, dashing huge cakes against the windward side with a ceaselesscrashing of broken ice. Before they could reach the end of the field,they saw their own turn as if on a pivot, and grind slowly past theleeward point of the one across which they pressed at full speed. Theirefforts were in vain, for before they could reach the verge their refugewas twenty feet distant; but Regnar was equal to the emergency.

  "Cast loose your rope, Charley," said he; and in five seconds he hadcoiled and whirled it twenty feet across the intervening chasm, toPeter, who seized and retained it. "Now, La Salle, follow me," he cried;and springing upon a floating fragment, he balanced himself with hispole until he reached a more stable support farther from the berg.

  The impetus, however, carried him too far away, and La Salle had tochoose between committing himself to a fragment without rope or pole, tobe tossed about by the rising sea, or to wait until Regnar should reachthe floe, and return for him in the boat. He chose the latter, but soonhad the pleasure of seeing Regnar safely landed on the floe, fromwhence, in almost less time than it takes to tell it, the three launchedtheir boat and paddled up to the place where La Salle awaited theirarrival, intently watching the performance of their improvisedlife-boat.

  He noted with pleasure that she drew little water, and that the lightpaddles drove her through the short, toppling sea with considerablespeed, while her weather-boards prevented the shipping of any water.Leaping aboard, they soon crossed the narrow lead, and running under thelee of the ice-hills, drew their boat to the hut.

  "If you have anything you want to be sure to keep, stow it in the boat,"was La Salle's first order, as he saw the sea begin to dash across thewindward end of the floe, while, whining with fear, the young seals wereshoved and pushed, by the flippers of their dams, farther and farther upon the higher ice, until, tamed by fear, they surrounded the littlehollow containing the hut.

  Food, weapons, clothes, and ammunition were all deposited in the boat,as well as her mast, sail, and paddles, while her painter, attached toher sharp-pronged grapnel, lay coiled on her half-deck forward. Allthat afternoon the wind and sea arose, until, amid the drenching rain,they could hear around them the clamor of the terrified seals, thecontinual crash of breaking ice, and the sough of the heavy sea, whosespray drove over them in constantly increasing showers.

  At last an occasional wave came into the lower part of the littlehollow, and all thought that the end was near.

  "We must take to the boat," said Regnar.

  But La Salle pointed to the ghostly crests of the surrounding seas; andbowing his head upon his breast, Orloff signified to his friend that heacknowledged the hopelessness of that resource. Just then a darkerblackness seemed to gather to windward, as a shriller blast whistled bythem; and as all awaited the increased fury of the elements which wereto end the unequal struggle, the wind seemed to abate, and the wavessullenly retired from the surface of the floe. The rain still sweptfiercely upon the drenched wanderers, and on their lee they could stillnote the crash of ice-islands, amid the sweep of the angry waves.

  But above them, huge, unbending, and majestic, towered a lofty pile,shrouded in darkness, through which at times gleamed the weird whiteoutline of some snow-encrusted ledge.

  "Are we under the lee of Amherst Island?" asked Regnar, in a voice whichall could hear.

  La Salle's answer came below his breath, and only Regnar heard, or couldcomprehend its meaning:--

  "The dead are the defence of the living, and we are under the lee ofDeadman's Berg."

  Safe from the rage of the elements, but cold, wet, and hungry, theadventurers sought the shelter of their hut, which still stood unhurt;but the fir branches of the floor were soaked with water, for a wave ortwo had risen above the ledge of the door. After much difficulty, withthe aid of a candle, the Esquimaux lamp was lighted, and after muchsputtering, the six wicks diffused their cheering light and gratefulwarmth through the hut. Then Peter, with his axe, cut a gutter throughthe doorway, letting off the st
anding water, and in the course of anhour the boughs were comparatively dry.

  Taking from the boats the dry skins and coverlets, the party lay down torest, leaving Peter to keep watch lest they should again drift fromtheir haven, and be exposed to the pitiless seas. All took their spellof duty; but the cheerless night passed without further incident, andthe day found them still under the shadow of the great berg. As the dayadvanced, the storm swept the pack northward, and the party, ascendingthe berg, saw, one by one, the isolated crags of the island chain of theMagdalens loom at times through the driving scud, as they drovenorthward. Six or eight miles away they saw the masts of a vessel deepin the heart of the floe.

  "When the storm is over and the pack opens, we must take our boat andreach that sealer," said La Salle; and taking the range of her position,the four sought their hut, and building a huge fire of all theirremaining wood, prepared all the cooked meat which they could carry,filled the seal-membranes with oil, and awaited the lull of the stormand the opening of the pack.

  At sunset the storm had broken, the clouds began to disappear, andthrough their rifts the stars glimmered, and the new moon shone palelybeautiful.

  "We shall not pass the North Cape much before morning," said La Salle,"and until then the pack will not open. When it does we are ready; sosleep, and I will watch."

  His tired comrades flung themselves down, and were almost instantlyasleep. As the dawn approached the wind lessened, and as the day broke,he called Regnar, and again ascended the berg.

  On the right hand towered the rock-bound coast of the northern islandsand the isolated crags of Bryon. And as they looked northward they sawthe pack opening again: as it issued from under the lee, a black cloudof smoke rose from the sealer's funnel, but instead of steering east orwest, she was evidently heading for the great berg.

  "Shall we await them here, or take our boat and try to reach them,Regnar?" asked La Salle.

  "Wait a little longer, and then, when the ice opens, push a little moreto the eastward, and work down to meet the vessel," said the lad, whoproceeded to examine the dagger so strangely returned to his keeping.The blade unscrewed at the cross-piece of the hilt, which was hollow,and contained many papers closely compressed into a single roll. Regnarran his eye over the contents, and selecting one, returned the rest totheir odd receptacle. "This paper, Charley, contains an inventory of theproperty confided to Perry, to be equally divided between my half-sisterand myself." And he proceeded to translate the items of the inventory."It is hardly worth while to give this paper in full; suffice it to saythat besides various pictures, books, arrows, weapons, sets of plate,jewels, and other heirlooms, 'stored in care of Nicholas Orloff, mymother's brother,' there appeared a schedule of moneys and bondsamounting to nearly one hundred thousand dollars. 'These funds have beencommitted,' the paper went on to say, 'to my faithful friend AlbertPerry, whom I commend to your good offices and implicit trust.'"

  As he ceased reading, the boy's face was turned to the ice-cliff, wherethe plashing water flowed in a huge sheet, like a falling veil, over theface of the berg, shutting out from sight the twining pillars and narrowentrance of the sealer's tomb.

  "I have rendered him the last 'good office,'" said he. "It only remainsto seek yonder vessel, and find out who spoiled the spoiler, and, ifpossible, recover the valuables and papers taken from Perry's body."

  "There is the steamer heading this way," said La Salle, "and the leadsare fast opening. Let us descend to the floe, and by the time we havebreakfasted, we shall find ample room between the fields to let us passin safety."

  Descending, they found their comrades already at breakfast, and by thetime the meal was disposed of, their floe lay surrounded by one of theleads of open water, which showed scarce a vestige of the heavy seas ofthe late gale. For the last time they packed their few valuables intothe boat, and stowing Carlo away under deck, took their allotted places,dipped their paddles into the open water, and with rapid strokesthreaded the narrow channels, scaring the timid seals from their path,and noting on every hand scenes of life and beauty, for amid the openingpack the varied life of the Bird islands around them met their view.Screaming gannets wheeled in clouds over their heads, and portly murresstarted up heavily from the frequent pools, into which they broke withflashing paddles, and laughter, such as they had never before indulgedin since their first misadventure.

  "IN HIS HANDS LA SALLE WAVED THE BANNER."Page 297.]

  Guided by the pillar of black smoke, which, winding this way and that,ever drew nearer and nearer, they came at last to an open pool, nearlya quarter of a mile or more in length. On the opposite side, above asmall floe, they saw the prow of the advancing vessel. Evidently she hadmet with a check, for as they gazed they heard the tinkle of the enginebell, and saw her iron-sheathed bow recede behind the fantastic outlinesof the pinnacle.

  "Will she leave us?" asked Waring, with trembling lips.

  "They only back to run down that floe. See now."

  The next moment Regnar's prediction was verified. A blacker cloud ofsmoke, shot with sparks, poured from the funnel; the huge hull rapidlyadvanced, her raking prow, with its iron armor, piercing the waves likethe blade of the sword-fish. There was a crash, a momentary glimpse offalling ice and splitting walls, and the next moment the noble steamercame at half speed across the open water, just as the little boat shotout of the sheltering lead.

  In his hands La Salle waved the banner attached to the boat-hook, whichhad marked the deserted heaps of seal-skins. But it needed not: thepilot rang his bell, and the sealer became motionless in the centre ofthe pool. As they came alongside, a stout, full-bearded man, in aGuernsey frock, threw them a rope, and hailed the strange littlecraft:--

  "What, do'ee want, friends, and where do'ee hail from?"

  "We are sportsmen, carried off, by the ice, in the straits, eleven daysago. We want food, and a passage home, for which we will pay."

  "Well, if ivir I heerd of de like of dat! Come aboord, my men. Decaptain's sick, but dere's plinty to ate here, and ye won't mind closequarters, after your vige on de ice."

  "No, indeed, sir!" said La Salle. "Tumble up, my men. Take your guns andyour coats with you. Here, Nep; up that ladder, sir. That's right. Canyou take our boat aboard?"

  "Come right up, sur; dere's no fear of her. I'll have her aboord in tinminutes. Here comes de mate. What's your name, sur? La Salle? Yis, sur!Mister Blake, sur; Mister La Salle, sur."

  "Happy to see you, Mr. La Salle. I've learnt enough about you to knowthat you have been adrift nearly two weeks, and as dinner's ready wemust have you into the cabin. I am sorry that but one berth is vacant,and your friends will have to take their chance in the forecastle."

  "If you please, I had rather have you extend your courtesy to Mr. GeorgeWaring, a son of Mr. Albert Waring, of C., who does a large businesswith your St. John's fishing firms. He has been the only one of us whohas been sick, and--"

  "There, Mr. Blake," interposed Waring, "don't listen to him; take himwith you. Why, I am as strong as an ox now, and you'll find him farbetter company than I am."

  Passing aft through gangways crowded with brawny, hardy-looking sealers,La Salle followed his conductor to the cabin, where he found six oreight men gathered around a table plentifully supplied with the usualprovisions found on board ships in the merchant service. After beingintroduced to all present, who greeted him with a rude civility, Mr.Blake invited him to "fall to and help himself."

  It is needless to say that he required no pressing in this direction."Hard tack" and "salt horse," with potatoes, soft bread, and chicorycoffee sweetened with molasses, seemed food fit for the gods, after thegreasy meat-diet of the last eleven days; and his companionsconsiderately refrained from questioning him until his hunger wassatisfied. At last he drew back his chair, lit a cigar offered him byone of the officers, and turning to the mate said, laughingly,--

  "Fire away, gentlemen--I'm ready."

  After narrating the principal events of their voyage so far as he deemedprudent, he
concluded as follows:--

  "Two or three days ago we fell in with large sealing-floes, and amongthem one where a sealer had killed several hundred seals. A boat-hook,which you will find in our boat, bore this signal. Am I right insupposing that this is the name of your vessel?" and so saying he drewfrom his pocket the tiny pennon.

  "It is ours, and we have been trying for a week to recover our skins, aswell as the body of Captain Randall, whom we lost eight days ago."

  Not a muscle of La Salle's face betrayed any emotion save that ofinterest, as he asked,--

  "Lost your captain! And how, pray?"

  At that moment a noise was heard in the inner cabin, as if several menwere struggling; all at once the door flew open, and, with difficultyrestrained by the utmost efforts of two powerful men, a pale, unshornface, surmounting a wild and scantily-dressed figure, appeared to theparty, none of whom started save La Salle, who almost fancied that thedead man, sealed up in the caverns of the ice, had come back again tohis quarters on board the Mercedes. Crying out, "I couldn't save him! Icouldn't save him!" the intruder was dragged, struggling and raving,back to his berth.

  "Poor George! he takes the death of his brother sadly to heart. He wasmate, and the other day they left the floe together, to ascend a largeberg at some distance from our whaling-ground. We saw them on the top,after which they disappeared, going to the opposite side by which theyhad ascended. Shortly after we heard several rifle shots fired in quicksuccession, and then George came running towards us, shouting that hisbrother had fallen between the floes, and was drowning.

  "We ran to the spot, and found a place between two floes where the icewas much broken up, as if some one had tried to catch something with aboat-hook; and Randall told us that his brother had fallen through andbeen carried under the ice before he could get to him. We broke the iceall around, but to no purpose; and then our lookouts discovered that wewere in danger of getting nipped on the other side of the Magdalens. Sowe returned to the ship with George, sadly enough."

  "Why were the rifle-shots fired? to call for assistance?" asked LaSalle.

  "Yes. None of our men have the rifle, although many are supplied withthe old sealing-gun. We therefore agreed among the officers that threeshots, fired in rapid succession, should call assistance in case ofdanger, or trouble with the men. Our rifles are all breech-loadingcarbines, and we can fire with great rapidity."

  "Do you find them of service among the seals?"

  "Yes, especially with the 'old hoods;' and poor Captain Randall, whospent some years in Europe, had his ammunition fitted so that thebullets explode on striking a bone. They tear a terrible hole in a seal,I assure you."

  "Indeed! I never saw one of them, although it seems to me that I haveread of the invention. Have you any of the bullets here? for I supposethe rifle was lost at the same time."

  The sailing-master, or rather pilot, a short, thick-set Newfoundlander,took up the conversation.

  "Dere's de rifle now, hangin' over your head. De captain was ailin', an'his brother, who fancied de little piece, carried it. Dere's one of decartridges in it yet."

  So saying, he took down a short carbine of the Spencer pattern, andunlocking the slide, took out a cartridge and handed it to La Salle. Itdisplayed at the end of the ball the copper capsule of a rifle-shell.

  "Let us go on deck," said Blake, rising; but as they passed againthrough the narrow passage, they heard the struggles of the deliriouscaptain, and his oft-repeated cry, "I couldn't save him! I couldn't savehim!"