A SECOND CAPTIVE
“Keep ’em up.”
Roberta’s heart hammered, but she misunderstood the last part of the
order, and faced about quickly.
“Say, what are you doing; I told you not to turn around!”
“I’m not,” Roberta retorted.
“You’re--say, you’re a girl!” A decidedly unkempt looking young man,
with nothing more deadly in his hands than a knotted stick, came toward
her quickly. “You look like Langwell, the Lurtiss kid pilot.”
“I am Roberta Langwell and I’m not a kid,” she replied indignantly as
she dropped her hands.
“Sure, I saw you when you were touring with the Wallaces. What the--
that is, I mean, what are you doing up here?” His hand went to his
collar as if to adjust his tie, but there was none there, and a look of
dismay spread over his bewhiskered features. “My name’s Arnold, but I’m
no relation to the guy who tried to betray his country.”
“I am a prisoner, Mr. Arnold,” she told him.
“You look it. Tell me another,” he answered.
“Just the same, that’s the truth,” she replied, and then, as there was
a stump handy, she sat down. “Please don’t let me keep you standing.
Are we in the Bering Sea?” Arnold sat down with a chuckle.
“The island is,” he told her.
“What islands are they, I mean, what are their names?”
“Don’t believe these have any because they are not very large, but they
belong to the Pribilof group. I believe this is the farthest north and
it’s a bit over three hundred miles to Alaska.”
“Thanks,” she said with a sigh. “It’s mighty nice to know where one
is at. I was piloting for a woman called Pollzoff; and she fed me some
kind of dope that knocked me out, then tied me up like a chicken ready
to roast, and brought me to an island below here.”
“Pollzoff?”
“Yes.”
“Go on and tell me the rest.” There was no doubt in his tone or manner
now.
“Guess I’m what is called kidnaped,” Roberta began, then told him
quickly all that had happened to her right up to that moment.
“You certainly have been having a terrible time,” he remarked soberly.
“What was that spring thing in your plane?”
“It’s an invention of Mr. Wallace’s and I really cannot tell much
about it except that it’s tuned with the radio stations’ broadcasting
band and when it is open, if the signal is investigated, Nike can be
located.”
“That’s rich! And Pollzoff went off in your plane; flying right
into the arms of the police looking for you. Wish I could see the
performance.”
“I don’t believe she will do anything so stupid as fly into anyone’s
arms, but just the same, they can find out where Nike goes, that is, if
the thing works. Now, tell me, what are you doing here?”
“Sort of a prisoner myself,” he answered.
“Oh, did somebody catch you?”
“In a way, yes. I was one of the war air-kids, and after that didn’t
want to do anything but fly, but the woods were full of fellows trying
to do the same thing and the jobs were almost as few and far apart
as hen’s teeth. Well, I grubbed around like a ground-hog at a desk I
finally landed until I saved enough money to buy a plane.”
“Yes,” Roberta was intensely interested.
“That was before Col. Lindbergh made the air a place for Americans to
fly in and while I hopped about, here, there and several other places
I wasn’t exactly a bright and shining success. Then one day I answered
an advertisement I read in a middle west paper and took off on a job
that seemed too good to be true. As they told me I would be working for
a chain of business firms, I swallowed it hook, line and sinker, with
the pole and reel thrown in, and didn’t think anything of it when I
carried males and females all over the map. I figured they were members
of boards, big business stuff with headquarters scattered.” He paused
again and frowned.
“I see,” the girl encouraged.
“I’d been with them a year, and had a real roll in the bank before I
made my first trip to Alaska with any of them. It was six months after
that before I went over to the Pribilof Islands--”
“Is that where we are?”
“Yes, but not the main ones. They are a bit further south, but these
little fellows I guess are all on the same range, like an underseas
chain of mountains,” he answered, then went on. “I carried mail,
supplies and stuff back and forth between them and the mainland,
sometimes down to the Aleutian Islands. The Indian woman you call Nomie
is an Aleut.”
“I wondered.”
“That’s what she is. Her husband was a seal fisher and got killed when
the kid was little. They had the dugout and lived where you’re being
held so she stayed and worked for the gang, she nurses them when they
get sick, and all that sort of thing.”
“She’s been mighty nice to me,” Roberta said quickly.
“She’s a darned good Indian and she had to make her living somehow,
same as a lot of the rest of us.”
“Of course,” Roberta agreed.
“At first I hopped on Nomie’s island and hopped off again within an
hour. Sometimes I took a bale of furs that I thought the other Indians
had left there to be sold in the States or Canada. Gee--this story is
stretching out and we gotta remember that tide.”
“It was going down,” Roberta told him.
“Yes, I know it. Well then I began to make longer stops and carry
bigger loads, and after a while I happened to pick up a magazine with
an article and pictures of the Pribilofs. It told about the seal
fishing, how there used to be thousands of the beasts killed every year
even at mating time. The United States bought the islands from Russia
along with Alaska in 1867 and made laws to prevent the seals being
exterminated. Before the war, 1911 I think it was, the United States,
Japan, Great Britain and Russia made a treaty agreeing that the white
men were not to do any more seal slaughtering. The Indians, because
they don’t do it in such wholesale lots and because it means the only
means of living to a great many of them, are the only people who can
kill the migrating seals. They have to do it in canoes with spears or
harpoons, can’t use guns or motor boats. It was a mighty interesting
article, told how the seals start up in pairs from all over the country
to raise their young ones.”
“Why sure, there’s a wonderful story Rudyard Kipling wrote called The
White Seal. My mother read it to me when I was a kid, and I always
loved it. The White Seal went to an Island called St. Paul’s.”
“That’s it. I liked that story too. Well, I knew radio as well as
flying, so by and by I had to relieve the regular chap at that.”
“I’ve wondered if they have a radio.”
“They have, but it isn’t much of one. It’s just used for signals.
While I was doing that I discovered that when the seals came up in
April and all through the summer, a bunch of them were run through a
sort of pen and killed. There aren’t as many of them coming up now
as there used to be but the gang goes after them any old way and
slaughters two hundred times more than the Indians bring in every
season. It was while I was there that Wat was put in charge. I figured
he was in the same boat with me; that he had been working for them for
a long time before they let him get hep to what was going on, then
they’d sunk him so deep he couldn’t do anything but hang on; besides
he’s got a kid sister in Saranac trying to get a permanent T. B. cure
and that costs a lot of money. I know because he asked me to drop down
there one time and pay the bill--it was some bill, and I saw the kid,
she’s only about thirteen years old.”
“That’s too bad,” Roberta said.
“Sure. Well, I’m free, white, and twenty-one, and when I figured I
was signed up with a bunch of crooks I made up my mind to quit. I
got a full-sized fondness for my Uncle Sam, been batting about other
countries a lot, so while I don’t think the United States hasn’t room
for improvement, it suits me right down to the ground, and I haven’t
any hankering to end my brilliant career in a Federal prison while the
guy I work for stays hidden and lets me hold the bag. First I thought
Pollzoff was the head of the thing, then I heard Wat tell her where to
get off at a couple of times for not obeying orders, but she’s got some
money invested in the business so does somewhat as she pleases.”
“I wish she hadn’t picked on me,” Roberta said ruefully.
“She got everlastingly sore when she could not get a license, and I
figure, from what you say, that while she was flying around with you,
she got jealous because you landed what she couldn’t. When a woman
of her type gets jealous, she’s deadlier than a whole herd of males.
Probably they planned to get you to work for them as a sort of blind,
but she couldn’t wait, and shoved the works hard. Anyway, when I made
up my mind to quit, I knew I had to do it mighty carefully. I wasn’t
leaving Nomie’s very often then and it wasn’t easy, but finally one day
I started off in the plane, that was about six weeks ago, but they must
have been wise. Wat wasn’t there that day and the fellow in charge had
the machine gun turned on me before I could get very high. The shot
ripped off my tail but I gave the bus the gas and went on just the
same. Couldn’t do a very good job of steering, and it was foggy, so
this is as far as I got. Now, you know all about me.” He stared ahead
with a scowl.
“My goodness, how have you managed to live? Were you hurt when you came
down?”
“Hurt some, sure, but not bad. Got a crack on my head that seems to
have affected my eyes. Then I discovered a vessel wrecked off the other
side and managed to salvage her stores. Hunted for some of the crew but
none of them got as far as the island, I guess. Been trying to fix up
the bird again, but it’s been slow work and I’ve been wondering if I
can fly her when she is finally fixed.”
“Well, if you can’t,” Roberta said eagerly, “I can.”
“By Jove, that’s so. Tell you what, you go back with Nomie and come
here again. Know how to paddle a canoe?”
“A little, but I could never manage one of the native boats.”
“Get Natell to teach you. Take advantage of everything you can while
you’re stranded. The whole country will be looking for you by this
time, and they won’t stop. Nobody knows I disappeared, but maybe when
they get you out, someone will help me.”
“Of course they will. Do you think I’ll go off without you?” Roberta
demanded indignantly. Wasn’t he a fellow pilot in distress? “And, when
we get to the United States you can have your eyes attended to and
they’ll be all right again.”
“Say, funny thing. I’ve heard about you in a lot of different places
and from different people, and the same phrase popped into my head that
I’ve heard about you. They all say, you’re a great kid, but,” he added
hastily, “They don’t mean that you’re a baby, or anything like that;
and I don’t either, you know what I mean.”
“Sure,” she agreed heartily.
“Now, while we’ve been talking, I’ve got a sort of plan.”
“What is it?”
“You go back with Nomie. Don’t say a word about seeing me, and come
with her again as often as she’ll fetch you. Perhaps they’ll let you
have a little boat. I can’t put up any kind of signal for I don’t want
them to spot me before I’m ready to take off. You don’t do any more
snooping around because I know the whole works and you might get into
further difficulties. Just keep your eyes open ordinarily and wait.
I’ll look around for you every day and see you when you are coming
this way, then if you have any news you can tell me, and if I think of
anything more, I can tell you. I’ll go on, finishing the plane, and if
we don’t get away before that’s ready, we can make a plan to give them
the slip. There was a small boat on that vessel and I’ve got it hauled
up under some weeds; haven’t thought of using it, but we may be glad to
have it,” he proposed eagerly and Roberta was intensely interested.
“That’s a corking plan.”
“I don’t suppose you have any of your instruments.”
“They are all in Nike.”
“I have a pocket compass off the ship, a real good one. You take it
back with you and keep it out of sight. If you should come alone, it
will help you.” He gave her the highly sensitive instrument and after
examining it carefully, she dropped it into the pocket of her blouse.
“May I see the plane?”
“Sure.” He swept an armful of boughs and sand off the machine showing
that he had not only been working on the plane, but had cleared a
take-off space which he covered again. “Nomie and Natell come up around
the other end of these twin islands for fish and wood a couple of times
a week, but neither have been over here yet. You’re my first caller and
I guess I didn’t give you a very polite reception.” He noticed that the
girl, although she made a hasty examination of the plane, seemed to see
every detail.
“Your reception was all right and the bus looks great. It’s a wonder to
me that you didn’t have more of a crack-up than you did when you came
down.”
“I tried my darndest to save the pieces,” he grinned.
“And you’ve got these parts fixed evenly. Why you’re doing a bang-up
job. Did you find tools on the vessel?”
“Sure, a whole load of them in the carpenter’s outfit. Don’t know where
the tub came from, her name was scraped off, but I surely thanked
Providence for depositing the boat right here. There is still some of
her left. Perhaps, next time you come you can go around and see what’s
left of her if the sea doesn’t bang her up.”
“I should like to very much,” Roberta answered, then went on a bit
anxiously. “Guess I’d better not linger too long now or Nomie might
take it into her head to come looking for me. Now that we’ve talked
over the plan I won’t try to do any investigating. I suppose that crack
I saw and the noise I heard is the place where the seals are driven and
killed.”
“That’s right, it is, although the seals do not come up in any great
numbers any more. Be mighty careful to let them all think over there
that you haven’t any interest in what they are doing. Wat’s pretty
decent, as decent as he can be, but he’s only one. He and Slim are in
a bad crowd of rough-necks. You had a sample of that last night, so be
careful,” he urged.
“I will,” she promised. “It’s much easier now that I know where I am
located and something about the place. Wonder who the big Boss of the
whole thing is?”
“So do I, but the information we have may help in catching the Chief
Mogul himself.”
“We’ll hope so.”
“You know, that stranded vessel sounds mighty mysterious to me.”
“She is mysterious, but I’ve been so busy with my own troubles I
haven’t given her very much thought. I’ll see what I can learn from
what is left of her. Perhaps we can solve that mystery too, since we’ve
gone into the business,” he laughed.
“I’ll trot along. If Nomie brings me this way again, or I can come
alone, how will I find you, by coming around here?” she asked.
“If I see that you are alone I’ll come down to the beach or one of the
coves and meet you,” he replied. “I’ll come with you now to the ledge
and see that you get over all right. You don’t want to slide off into
the Bering. It’s cold and wet all the way to the bottom, and that’s a
good mile.”
Presently the two had reached the ledge, found the water a foot lower
than when she crossed earlier, so she hurried forward while he watched
closely, ready to spring at the first sign of danger, but she reached
the other side safely.
“I hear Natell,” she called back to him. “So long!”
“S’long, Sky-Pilot,” he answered.
Roberta ran as fast as she could to the nearest point and saw the canoe
moving swiftly toward the end of the island, but when the Indians
sighted her, they paddled more slowly. The white girl, in her trim
aviation suit stood an instant outlined against the blue sky as she
paused to glance back toward the wooded island where she saw Arnold
outlined dimly against the dark green of the forest behind him, then
she hurried toward the bit of beach where Nomie and Natell waited.
Riding back from the twin-islands to Nomie’s in the bottom of the
native canoe, Roberta’s heart beat confidently and she felt that her
guardian angel had certainly been more than careful of her welfare,
but it was mighty difficult to hold her face straight, her lips from
smiling complacently or joyously. She managed to control herself, to
keep her mouth from betraying her, and it was not difficult to either
drop her lids or gaze out over the dancing waters of Bering Sea. It
was great to know where she was and she resolved to follow Arnold’s
instructions to the letter and make no move which would arouse the
suspicions of the men on the island. She would avoid being more than
ordinarily interested in her surroundings, and at least appear not to
be too observant of what went on around her.
The white girl sighed with relief when she saw the desolate island loom
up suddenly, looking for all the world as if not a living soul ever
went within miles of it.
Presently the canoe shot into a cove and Nomie nodded for her to land,
so, while they steadied the boat, she stepped ashore. Immediately
the women bent to the oars again and in a few minutes disappeared
from sight around a long point of land. Roberta sat down, making the
best picture of disconsolation that she could, but with her face
hidden between her knees, she could indulge herself in a first class
relaxation of her features, and she smiled broadly. Why shouldn’t
she! Arnold would get the plane ready in record time, she would go
over to twin-islands another day, and they would fly away. It was
merely a matter of a short wait and in the meantime she would have a
rather jolly experience living with the Indian woman and her daughter;
furthermore, the seals promised no end of entertainment.
“I am going to have a real good time,” she told herself. “This isn’t
a half bad place, and I wager I am the first white girl to visit it,
which will be something to tell the newspaper reporters when I get
home.” Just then Natell appeared and beckoned with her finger and
Roberta followed to see what was wanted.
Natell lead the way around the opposite end of the island to a huge
flat section. Here she paused and motioned Roberta to remain perfectly
still. For about two minutes she did, then, a little way out, she saw
a pair of dark eyes staring at her, and a moment later, a young seal
hauled himself to the land and started in her direction. He came quite
close, within four feet, then stopped again, but just then some one of
his family called him, and he returned to the water. When he was gone,
Natell crept cautiously forward among the rocks, then, with a movement
like lightning, she reached down and came up again with a tiny seal in
her arms. He whined pitifully, but his curiosity was greater than his
fear, so he gave her a sniff.
“Oh, the cunning little fellow,” Roberta exclaimed. She petted the
baby, but about ten minutes later there was another bark from the water
and the young seal flapped comically in front of her. He was so funny
that she threw back her head and laughed heartily, she couldn’t help
it, but it scared the little fellow and he scrambled away. “Next time I
must be more polite when I have company,” she told herself.
THE END
The story of Roberta’s adventures on Seal Island, is told in The
Mystery Ship, the fourth and last book of The Girl Sky-Pilot Series.
Transcriber’s Note
Spelling and variations in hyphenation have been retained as they appear
in the original publication. Punctuation has been standardised. Changes
have been made as follows:
Page 35
evening when Mrs. Langwell reached _changed to_
evening when Mr. Langwell reached
Page 87
Roberta asked mischieviously _changed to_
Roberta asked mischievously
Page 90
I am going to re-resign _changed to_
I am going to resign
Page 163
Walkink slowly toward the edge _changed to_
Walking slowly toward the edge
Page 167
Perhaps it’s still here _changed to_
perhaps it’s still here
Page 180
location and apparent barenness _changed to_
location and apparent barrenness
Page 195
is a very limted one _changed to_
is a very limited one
Page 213
I though Pollzoff was the head _changed to_
I thought Pollzoff was the head
End of Project Gutenberg's The Mystery of Seal Islands, by Harrison Bardwell