"Ahoy, there! Ahoy!" shouted the doctor again and again, startling the
great owl from its eagle-like eerie and making the rocks echo the cry.
But there was no response, and the party looked at each other for an
explanation of the position.
"He has not been here," said the captain, "and we must go back and
search. How tiresome, when we are so weary!"
"I wish you had not brought him," grumbled the doctor. "I say, isn't
anybody going to make a fire?"
"Look here, sir!" cried Jakobsen suddenly from where he stood by a big
mass of rock.
"Yes! what is it?" cried the captain; and he stepped toward the man,
followed by the others, to where Jakobsen pointed down to a ring of
stones, within which was a quantity of dry, heathery stuff with a number
of weather-worn lumps of coal.
"No mistake about his having been here," said the doctor, taking out a
box of matches, which, to his astonishment, was snatched from his
fingers by Watty, who dropped upon his knees, struck and shaded a match,
applied it to the light stuff, which blazed up at once, and then began
to fan it with his bonnet in one hand, as he kept on adding little bits
of coal with the other.
"She'll soon have a ferry pig fire," said Watty, "and she'd petter get
ta steaks retty to frizzle. She can cook peautifully the noo."
This was to Jakobsen, who nodded, drew his knife, and began to cut off a
haunch from one of the deer, for Johannes was looking about uneasily.
"See anything of him, my man?" said the captain.
"No, sir. He must be gathering coal together to help the fire; but I've
been down both these rifts, and he is not there."
"It's very strange," said the captain uneasily. "So unlike him to rush
off in that way."
"He was thinking of our comfort, sir," said Johannes gravely; "and how
good it would be for us to find a fire ready."
"He must be about here somewhere," said the captain. "Shout, will you?"
Johannes made the rocks echo again and again, but the only effect was
the starting of the owl into flight till the cries and their echoes
ceased, when it settled once more high up the mountain-side.
There were several narrow, gully-like places within reach, up either of
which the boy might have gone, and the question arose as to the reason
for his so doing.
"He would not have gone seeking for coal," said the doctor, "because
there is plenty here."
"I'm thinking, sir," said the Norseman, "that he had no matches, and has
gone to seek for a stone to use with his knife to strike a light. There
can be no other reason."
"Then he will be back directly," said the captain. "There, leave them
to cook; I am uneasy about him. Let's search those places a little
farther off. We'll take that one, Handscombe; you the other, Johannes."
They all then started off as the fire burned up, and spread quite a
cloud of black smoke overhead; and the Norseman had barely reached the
mouth of the ravine which he was to explore before he stopped and gave a
triumphant shout as he waved his hand. The others waved their hands in
answer, and turned to where he stood, with something in his grasp,
peering carefully around.
"His cap!" cried the captain. "What does that mean?"
The Norseman shook his head.
"The ground is hard as iron, sir," he said; "there is not an impression
anywhere. I've been looking for foot-marks."
"Surely he has not been attacked by wild beasts--bears!" cried Mr
Handscombe hoarsely.
"I thought of that, sir; but there is no sign."
They hailed again and again, but there was no reply save that given by
the echoes, and the captain grew more uneasy.
"Show me exactly where you found the cap," he said.
The Norseman trotted about fifty yards on beyond the entrance to the
ravine he had been set to search, and picked up a piece of slaty coal.
"Just here, sir," he said. "I put this where I found the cap."
"Then he must have gone on in that direction; he would not have come
back to go down there."
"No, sir."
"But why should he have dropped his cap?" said the doctor.
"He must have been running after something, sir."
"Or something must have been running after him," cried the doctor. "He
would not have gone any farther than this unless there was some reason."
"Of course not," said the captain testily; "but what reason could there
be?"
"Well, it seems to me that the best thing is to go back to the fire and
wait a few minutes," said the doctor, after standing thoughtful and
silent. "He is far more likely to come to us than we are to go to him.
It seems to be a mystery; but mysteries sometimes turn out very simple
things. What do you say?"
"I say that we'll have a good search down this gully, and see if by any
chance he has gone down here. You, Johannes, search along over our
morning's track straight away, and try and be back in half an hour at
the fire. We will meet you."
The Norseman went off without a word, and the captain and doctor, after
a glance in the direction of the fire to see that the others were
watching them, plunged into the gloomy, rugged gully, which looked as if
the mountain had been suddenly split apart, leaving at the bottom just
room for two men to pick their way along abreast, while the sides ran up
at once toward where the ice and snow never melted save on the surface,
to send a little water trickling down to form a tiny stream, which
wandered along among the stones beneath their feet. But though they
pressed on, seeking hard for some sign of the lad having passed there,
nothing was seen; so, when the half-hour was well up, they turned their
heads in the other direction, vainly trying to make out where he could
have gone, and still scanning every stone and rift overhead for signs.
"I hope Johannes has had better fortune," said the captain as they
neared the entrance.
"I hope so; he would be back at the fire long before now," replied the
doctor; but hardly had he spoken when a loud hail came echoing down the
gully. They sent an echoing reply, and hurried their paces.
"One hardly likes to shout here," said the doctor; "the echoes are so
weird and strange, they seem quite to answer you."
"Better if Steve would answer," said the captain drily. "You said a
time back you wished we had not brought him to-day. I honestly wish now
that I had not brought him at all. Well, Johannes?"
There was no need to speak. The heavy, solemn face of the Norseman told
that he had seen nothing, and they went back to the fire in silence.
There was a pleasant odour to a hungry man out in the open, that of
frizzling meat, as they approached the fire; but the strange
disappearance of their young companion took away all appetite, and
Watty, who was smiling with satisfaction at the success of the collops
he had been cooking upon skewers of wood, as _chef_ of the _al-fresco_
kitchen, saw with intense disappointment that the captain and those with
him contented themselves with taking a couple of ship's biscuits each,
and then turning away to confer as to what ought to be done.
"We cannot go back to the ship without him," said the captain.
"No," cried Johannes.
"Do you think he is playing us some trick?" said the doctor.
"Trick?"
"I mean hiding away, and will turn up directly."
"No, he would not be so wanting in common sense," said the captain
sternly. "What pleasure could he find in so inane a prank?"
"None. I ought not to have said such a thing. He would not, of
course."
"No," said Johannes decisively. "Is it possible, gentlemen, that he may
have gone on, after putting the fire ready, so as to reach the boat?"
"I can see no reason."
"You did not give him any order, sir--one that you have forgotten?"
"No, certainly not," said the captain; and Johannes was silent, waiting
for his superior to make some suggestion, the captain being very
thoughtful as he stood there with his brow knit. At last he spoke.
"I cannot leave this place with the knowledge that he may have gone away
for some reason that we cannot grasp and will perhaps return here
by-and-by. It would be horrible for him to come and find that we had
gone."
"I should stay," said Johannes shortly. "Thank you, my man," said the
captain warmly; "and we shall stay, too. Of course you would not go,
Handscombe?"
"Impossible!" said the doctor quickly. "One minute, though," he
continued, looking upward toward the rugged face of the mountain, and
higher still to the snow and ice. "Do you think he has climbed up
yonder to pass the time till we overtook him?"
"Oh no!" cried the captain; "the time was too short. There, my mind is
made up."
The others looked at him; but he said no more till he had turned back to
the fire.
"Look here, my lads," he said; "make a meal as quickly as you can, and
then hurry on to the place where we landed. Of course you will keep a
sharp look-out for Mr Steve as you go, in case he may be on the road.
If you do not pass him, question the boat-keepers; and if they have not
seen him, you, Jakobsen, will come back to us here." The Norseman
nodded.
"I shall depend upon your making all the haste you can back to us,"
continued the captain. "We may want you to help explore the place
around; but I am in hopes that you will find him waiting by the boat."
Ten minutes later the men sprang up, harnessed themselves to the sledge
and prepared to start, only waiting for the captain to give the word,
"Go!"
Just then Watty sidled up to where the captain was standing.
"She'll chust let her stay?" said the boy insinuatingly.
"Stay? You stay, my lad? What for?"
"She thenks she can help find him."
"Why, what makes you think that?"
"Aw dinna ken," said the lad, shaking his head. "She only thenks she
can find him. She can climb and rin. Ye'll chust let her stay?"
"But you don't want to find him," cried the doctor. "You two were the
worst of friends."
"Freends? She woodna be freend, only chust acquaint; but she'd like to
find him, all the same."
"Stay," said the captain laconically. "You may be of use; but I'm
afraid that we can do nothing but wait."
Watty Links stepped back, giving himself a punch in his side, which
seemed to indicate that he was intensely gratified.
Then the word was given, the men tightened their track ropes, and went
off with the sledge and its heavy load of fresh meat at a pretty good
rate, while Captain Marsham and his companions stood gazing round, and
considered what direction it would be best to take.
Then a thought struck the captain, and he turned to the boy.
"Look here, my lad," he said quickly, "if you stay here I shall want you
to stop by the fire while we go about searching."
"She'll want her to stop by the fire?" said Watty in dismay.
"Yes."
"What, all alane?"
"Yes, while we search, so that some one may be here if Mr Stephen comes
back while we are gone."
"But alane by her nainsel'?" faltered Watty.
"Of course. There, be off with you. Run after the men; you can easily
overtake them."
"She dinna want to go after the men," said Watty stoutly. "She wants to
find Meester Stevey, and ye said I micht stop."
"Then you must do what I want you to do, sir. Are you afraid?"
"Aye, she's a bit skeary aboot stopping here all alane."
"Off with you, then!"
"Nay, she said I micht stop."
"Then you will have to stay and keep watch by the fire."
"She wants to go and find Meester Stevey."
"I have no time to argue with you, sir. Go or stay," said the captain
angrily.
"She's chust going to stop," said Watty sullenly.
"The boy has stuff in him," said the captain to Mr Handscombe; "and he
has a kind of attachment to Steve after all their bickerings and
fighting. Now, then, we must have another search; which way do you
recommend, Johannes?"
"There is no choice, sir," said the Norseman gravely; "one place is as
likely to be right as another. There is a little valley yonder behind
the coal. Shall we try that?"
"Yes," was the laconic answer; and the captain stood thinking for a few
moments, and using the little glass he carried to sweep the
mountain-side, and then the slopes and plain opening behind them.
"She'll pe getting ferry hungry," said Watty, "and she'd petter eat some
of the tear."
The captain shook his head.
"Eat, Johannes," he said. "You, too, Handscombe."
The Norseman nodded.
"I cannot eat now, sir," he said; "but I'll take enough with us for all.
We shall be faint and want food by-and-by."
"Yes, take some," said the captain. "Now, my man, you will keep up the
fire and have some of the meat they have left ready to cook when we
bring back Mr Stephen?"
"Tat's what she was gaen to do," said the lad quickly.
"We shall not be away more than an hour, if he comes back first. There
is nothing to mind."
"Put if the beast come what'll she do?"
"Beasts? They are not likely to come here."
"Put if she shall come, what then?" queried Watty sharply.
"Then," said the captain, smiling--"why, then you must climb up the
cliff there, and wait till we come back."
"Yes," said Watty thoughtfully; "tat's the pest thing to do."
Five minutes later he was alone frizzling more of the reindeer haunch
freshly cut from the bone with his big sharp knife, for the others had
started off at once for the little valley Johannes had pointed out.
"She'll pe ferry lanely all alane," said Watty, after watching till the
doctor, who was last, had disappeared. "What'll she do till they come
pack?"
He stood watching the fire, and thinking. Then at last:
"There'll pe plenty left for Meester Stevey when she comes, and she
tidn't get enough pefore, so she'll pegin to eat over again."