Upon the principle of making hay while the sun shone, the little
imprisoned party worked hard amongst the walrus, and with so much
success, that there seemed to be no doubt about the cargo defraying the
expenses of the expedition, and, if it should prove necessary, paying
for a second voyage the next year.
"If we can get out," said Steve one day, when the subject was being
discussed in the cabin.
"We must take that for granted, my lad," said the captain. "There are
many reasons why it is possible for the mass of ice at the bottom of the
fiord to give way. The outside must always be weakening, and the
pressure on the inner increasing by the constant flow of water into the
fiord, which is rising day by day. That passage does not take off half
as much as appears to come in somewhere from the rocks, and sooner or
later this must break through the ice. If it comes to the worst, we
must turn engineers and block the passage by blasting down stones in
that narrowest part till we have dammed the way out. We should then
turn this fiord into a lake, which would, sooner or later, burst down
its southern bank."
There was a little talk that evening, too, about the sun, whose career
above the horizon was coming to an end, the height at noon being far
less, and at midnight so close down to the horizon that it ceased to
shine down into the glen, the rays being hid by the glacier. This fact
brought forth serious thoughts, for it suggested the time when the brief
summer would be drawing to a close, and the approach of that long period
during which the arc described by the sun grew lower and lower until it
ceased to appear at all, and then came the worst of the wintry time--
that when, saving the rays of the moon, stars, and aurora, there was no
light.
"I don't want to suggest difficulties," said the doctor suddenly; "but
suppose, when the time for fine weather to be at an end comes, there is
no chance of our escape--always supposing that we have seen nothing of
the _Ice Blink_ people--what then?"
"In plain English," said the captain, "we must make up our minds to pass
the winter here."
"The winter?" cried Steve.
"Yes, my lad. Why not? We have snug, warm quarters, which we can make
warmer, for I saw traces of coal up yonder in the valley close to the
glacier. Food is plentiful, and what men have done before men can do
again."
"If there is no help for it, we must submit," said the doctor.
"Better submit than venture to sea in these two boats," said the
captain; "and in case of the first emergency, I propose that we begin
exploring the land now. We have thoroughly examined all the coast that
we could reach north and south."
"And hunt as we go?" said the doctor.
"And hunt as we go, so as to lay in a good store of fresh meat. This
will freeze and keep any length of time. I don't think our prospects
are so bad--that is, for seamen."
"I thought we should have found some trace of our friends," said the
doctor; but the captain shook his head.
"It is all the merest chance," he said; "we have nothing to guide us.
They might have been at Jan Mayen, or up on the north coast of Greenland
or the coast of Spitzbergen, or they might be here in the next valley,
or north or south where we could not penetrate. On the other hand, they
may be in Novaya-Zemlya, or in some region of the far north never yet
penetrated by others. Feeling all this has made me think that it will
be by accident we shall meet our friends more than by searching; but we
shall go on searching all the same."
"Then you will make a start to-morrow?"
"Yes, as soon as the carpenter has knocked together a few bars, to make
a contrivance that I mean to be a hand-barrow for four or eight men when
the ground is rough, and a sledge when it is smooth enough for them to
pull it, or on snow."
"Which way shall you go?" said Steve. "Couldn't we try the valley up by
the glacier?"
"That is where I mean to go first," said the captain, "so as to examine
more fully those traces of coal; so let's go to rest in good time and
start early."
Steve went on deck to see to his dumb companions before retiring for the
night, and found Skene and the young walrus comfortably asleep together
forward; for four weeks of imprisonment had sufficed to make the new
acquisition so tame and friendly with the dog that Skene quite
appreciated his new companion, treating it as a kind of huge
india-rubber cushion, over and about which he had a right to stretch
himself wherever and whenever he pleased.
But a word roused up the dog, who leaped off the walrus, waking it in
the act; and seeing its master it, too, advanced, not like the dog in
capers and bounds accompanied by barking, but in a curious shuffling
fashion, with plenty of whines and whimpers suggestive of its
satisfaction and demand for caresses.
"Good old Skeny!" cried Steve. "Long walk to-morrow, old man, hunting
and bear and all sorts."
The dog uttered a cheery bark at every announcement as if he understood
every word, and leaped up at his master, certainly comprehending that
there was something on the way.
"Hullo, Blub!" cried Steve, stooping to give the walrus some sounding
slaps, which were evidently appreciated. "Rum old chap, ar'n't you?
Why, you always feel as if one ought to sit on you, or roll over you,
don't you?"
For answer the curious-looking object made a barking kind of grunt, and
thrust its curious, neckless head over the lad's shoe, peering up to
him, and evidently enjoying the company of one who talked to and
favoured it with plenty of slaps and pats, all of which appeared to be
thoroughly appreciated, and missed as soon as the lad moved away, the
animal shuffling after him in the most absurd way, and to the great
delight of the crew, which joined in petting the uncouth beast in the
intervals of being free from some busy task.
All this while the stock of oil had rapidly augmented, and one portion
of the hold had been set apart for the reception of the great solid
tusks, which were carefully extracted from the walrus skulls by
Johannes, who never seemed happier than when engaged in some task
relating to the capture or storing of the produce of one or other of the
arctic animals.
The next morning the party bound for the search and hunt for fresh food
started quite early, the boat landing them very near to the side of the
great glacier, with its wonderful bluish tints in the chasms and hollows
about its feet. At Steve's request Watty was one of the party, for
several times lately he had noticed the longing eyes the lad had
directed at them when they were bound on an expedition; and now at last,
when he was to have a run on shore and see the shooting of the reindeer,
his excitement seemed to bubble over, and he could hardly contain
himself as he tramped on by the side of Andrew McByle.
A brief glance was given to the grand glacier, and then the party bore
off to the right along the valley, finding, to Steve's great delight, as
they reached the warmer and more sheltered position, where the ground
was protected from the sea breeze and from the icy currents which blew
from the north, quite an abundance of flowers, though there was a
perfect absence of trees. They were dwarfed and ordinary-looking
plants, saxifrages and other alpine growths, and so insignificant, that
in another part of the world they would have been looked upon as paltry
weeds, but here they were rushed after by both the lads, Watty being
down on his knees directly to pick a handful.
"Leuk at her," said Andrew contemptuously. "She always thocht the
callant had a bee in her bonnet. She's gane daft aboot the bit weeds."
But Steve was quite as "daft"; and in the course of their searching for
fresh blossoms they came in contact over a tuft which each had espied
from a distance, and paused a yard apart, with eyes glistening from
eagerness and hand outstretched, the other holding a spare rifle over
the left shoulder. Neither spoke for a moment or two, and then Watty
broke the silence and looked quite friendly at his young superior; while
Steve waited, expecting to hear some unpleasant remark, or to see some
annoying gesture, on the lad's part.
"I dinna want them," said Watty at last. "She'll find plenty mair.
Hey! but it does the hairt good to see the bonnie bit floores ance mair.
Peck them and come alang, Meester Stevey, and we'll be finding
bilberries oot yonder on ta brae."
"There's plenty for both, Watty," said Steve; and, in the most friendly
way brought together by the tiny blossoms, the lads gathered each a
handful, Steve sticking his in his breast, and Watty taking off his
flat, Celtic, worsted bonnet, laying the flowers carefully therein, and
then replacing it upon his bear's-greasy, shock head.
"She'll pit them in watter when she gets back," he said. "Hey! but it
does her hairt good to rin amang the floores again."
Their party was well on ahead, and they trudged after them together
along the valley, with the mountains running steeply up on either side,
in places up and away to where the dull green moss and tufty growths
gave way to bare patches of stones, and still up and up to where the
loose stones were succeeded by rock sheathed and netted with snow. Just
above this was the eternal, glittering ice, dazzling in the soft glow of
the sun, whose light looked cold and calm, and gave the wondrous
landscape a saddened aspect; for, in spite of its beauty and the variety
of tint of the mountain-side, Steve felt that there was a something
mournful about the valley, though why he could not explain.
It was singular, but every step impressed his more thoughtful companions
on ahead that this was no haunt for human beings; and as they tramped
on, following the windings of the valley, the impression grew stronger
and stronger that theirs were the first, possibly might prove to be the
last, human feet that had ever traversed this stony desert.
"She dinna see nae heather," said Watty suddenly, "an' she dinna see nae
bluebell; but it's verra bonnie oot here, Meester Steve. Will ta
captain be gaen far awa?"
"Oh yes, a long way yet, Watty. We've got to shoot some deer to take
back."
"Eh? Shoot the deer an' tak' back! But she'll be hungry sune, and when
she's shot a teer she'll mak' a fire and roast her. For she's a fine,
gude cook now, and wad like to stay ashore now and build a hoose and
shoot and hunt. Wait a wee, and she'll mak' a bonnie fire."
"What of?" said Steve, laughing. "We haven't shot our deer yet; and if
we had, there's no wood here."
"Thenk o' tat," said Watty, cocking his bonnet on one side to give his
head a scratch. "Nae wud! She's nane sae fine a countrie as bonnie
Scotland, then. Nae wud!" he continued, looking round. "But she'll
find a forest over yonder?"
"No, there are no trees here."
"Then she'll mak' a fire o' peat. She'll find plenty o' turves doon
alangside o' ta bilberries."
"Yes, you may find turf, and perhaps coal; but we shall see."
They had to hurry a little to overtake the party, and this was soon made
easier from their halting about a mile farther inland, where the captain
was gazing up the stony slope of the mountain to their left.
Steve looked up, expecting to see some particular plant or perhaps bird;
but he was soon undeceived by the doctor handing his rifle to Andrew and
climbing up a little way to kick off some masses of something and throw
them down.
"What has he found, Captain Marsham?" said Steve; "gold?"
"What is far more valuable to us, my lad--coal. Yes," he added, as he
examined the specimen which he had picked up, "and good, soft,
bituminous coal, too. Why, Steve, this is going to be a land of plenty
for us. A coal vein cropping out of the cliff-side, ready for us to
come with picks, sacks, and sledges to carry off as much as we like."
"She's pit petter coal than tat into the galley fire," said Watty, who
had followed the example of the others and picked up a piece to examine.
"Leuks brown, Meester Stevey. Does she thenk it wud burn?"
"We'll try as soon as we get a deer to roast, Watty."
"Hey, leuk at tat!" cried the lad, as a shadow was cast upon the rock
wall, and a huge owl floated by on its soft pinions, staring hard at the
human visitors to its solitude with its large round eyes, and then
proceeded to perch upon a ledge high above their heads, and strip and
devour a speckled bird which it had in its claws.
"Hey, look at tat!" cried Watty, whose excitement bubbled over at every
fresh thing he saw. "She got ta white speckled grouse fra off the
mountain-side. She's seen ta grouse like tat on Ben Cruachan."
"Ptarmigan, Handscombe," said the captain, as the white and browny-grey
plumage of the unfortunate bird came floating down from where the
eagle-owl was preparing its meal.
"Yes, ptarmigan, sure enough," said the doctor. "Come along; we must
knock over a few of these if we don't find any deer. Shall I shoot the
owl?"
"No, let it rest; we can't eat it, and we are too busy to care for
preserving specimens. Make a note, though, of our having seen these two
birds to-day. I want to make out how wide the coal seam is, and whether
it would be easy to work. Here, my lad, give some one else that gun,
and climb up and tell me how wide that coal is. You can get up there."
"She got oop and teukit an eagle's nest ance by Ballachulish," replied
the boy; and readily enough he climbed from stone to stone, with the
huge owl ceasing its preparation of its dinner and glaring down at him.
"Their tameness is shocking to me," quoted the doctor, as he saw Watty
climb and the owl watch him come nearer and nearer, till all at once the
great white-and-grey-plumed bird dropped the ptarmigan, made a rapid
silent stoop unseen by the lad, struck at his head with claws and wings,
and sailed away again silently, leaving the bonnet with its flowers
falling more quickly than Watty, who lost his hold, and came rolling,
scrambling, and tumbling down, till, scratched, bruised, and breathless,
he fell quite at his companions' feet.
"Wha' did tat?" he shouted furiously, as he sprang up with his eyes
flashing; and he gazed from Steve to the doctor and back, as their
anxious look changed now to one of mirth on finding that the boy was not
much hurt.
"Did what?" cried Steve in suffocated tones.
"Threw a big lump of turf and knockit off her bonnet."
"Haud your whisht, laddie," growled Andrew. "Naebody threw a turf, for
there isna turf to throw."
"But ta turf hit her an ta lug, and knockit off her bonnet."
"Haud your whisht, laddie; naebody threw a turf. It was the great grey
geuse bird teuk her for a lamb. Hey! here she comes back."
In effect the great owl came sailing up, stooped and picked up the
ptarmigan it had dropped, and went off to a ledge of the mountain higher
up.
"She's spoiled a' the bonnie floores," muttered Watty, picking up his
bonnet, and climbing up again to report that the coal seam was "sae
wide," this measure being indicated by touching the face of the rock in
two places about a foot apart; and he was about to descend when he
caught sight of something away over a ridge, and pointed.
"She can see the ret-teer," he whispered. "Whisht!" Watty crept down
cautiously, his actions showing that before now he must have been out in
the deer forests at home; for as soon as he reached the bottom of the
cliff he ran to Skene, who had been watching the owl and its prey with a
curiously puzzled look as if he did not know it as a bird at home, and,
dropping on one knee, he threw his left arm over the dog's neck and held
his muzzle so that he should not bark.