A SEA FIGHT
As soon as they had reached a distance of two or three hundred yards
from the shore Godfrey ceased paddling. "Now we can talk matters over,
Luka. There is no occasion for hurry now. If these fellows in the canoes
are disposed to fight we can't prevent them. They will certainly be out
of the river before we could get back there; and even if we did pass
first they could easily overtake us, for those light craft of theirs
would go two feet to our one unless we had wind for our sail. So we may
as well take things easy, and decidedly the first thing to do is to wash
and dress Jack's wound, and then to get some tea and something to eat.
We have had nothing since we were caught yesterday between twelve and
one o'clock.
"What a lucky thing it was we hid the canoe, Luka!" he went on, as the
Tartar pulled the boat up alongside the canoe and began to prepare to
light a fire. "The chances are we should not have been able to get her
off as well as the boat, and even if we had they would have taken out
all our stores. The meat we might replace, but the loss of the tea and
tobacco, and above all of the matches, would have been terrible;
besides, they would have got our spare hatchets and knives, the
fish-hooks and lines, and all our furs. We don't want the furs for
warmth now, but it would make a deal of difference to our comfort if we
had to sleep on hard boards. I do not know how to feel thankful enough
that we hid the canoe away."
"We could not have gone without our things," Luka said. "We would have
fought them all and killed them rather than lose our tea and tobacco."
Godfrey laughed at his companion's earnestness.
"I think that would have been paying too dearly for them, Luka. Still we
should have missed them badly."
Just as they had finished their meal they saw some black spots ahead of
them close inshore. "I should not be surprised if they have been picking
up those fellows who followed us, Luka. No doubt the man who ran back
would tell them they could do nothing against our arms. But I don't
think they will dare attack us in our boat even if they have got all
the men there. There were only twelve at first, not counting the old men
who were in their camp when we were brought there. You shot one of them,
so there are only eleven, even if they have got on board those who
followed us. I have always heard that they are plucky little fellows,
but I do not think they would be fools enough to attack us on the water.
I feel sure they can't have any intention of doing so. I expect their
original idea was to hover about us night and day, and then, when we
went ashore to get food, to steal the boat and hunt us down. Now they
find we have got a second boat they will see that it is a longer job
than they expected, for they will guess that our real valuables are on
board the boat we hid, and that we may have enough provisions here to
last for some time."
The canoes, as they approached them, sheered off to a distance of a
quarter of a mile, and then gathered together evidently in consultation.
Then they turned and paddled rapidly back again, soon leaving the canoe
and boat far behind.
"I wonder what they are up to now?" Godfrey said; "some mischief I have
no doubt."
"Perhaps more yourts on farther? They might send on a man with fast
reindeer a long way ahead, so that they might attack us with forty or
fifty canoes."
"So they might, Luka. That would be very awkward, and we should be
afraid of landing anywhere. They may pass the news on from camp to camp
for any number of miles. Yes, that is a very serious business. The only
thing I see for it is to make right out beyond sight of land, and then
push on as fast as we can. Fortunately they don't know anything about
our sail, and as they left us so fast just now they will reckon that we
cannot make much more than two miles an hour; while, when we get the
wind, we can go six if we help with the paddles. We may as well keep on
as we are at present, as if determined to keep near the land till, at
any rate, we are some distance past the mouth of the river. There is not
likely to be another of their camps for some distance along, for, of
course, they would always be near a river, as they must have water for
themselves and their reindeer."
Paddling quietly, they continued on their course until they had passed
the mouth of the river. When they had gone half a mile they saw nine
canoes, each containing one man, come out from the river and follow
them.
"They mean to stick to us," Godfrey said uneasily. "I'm afraid we are
going to have a lot of trouble with them, Luka."
After paddling for another two hours they turned their heads seaward.
The canoes did the same. In four hours more the land had almost
disappeared, but the clump of canoes still maintained their position
behind them.
"It is of no use going out any further, Luka. We are a long way out of
sight of any one on shore now. Now let us head west again." An hour
later one of the canoes left the group and paddled rapidly towards the
land.
"That is what their game is," Godfrey said. "They have sent off to tell
their friends ashore the course we are taking, and do what we will they
will keep them informed of it. We may have a fleet of canoes out at any
moment after us. Do you think we could leave them behind if we were to
cast off the boat?"
Luka shook his head decidedly. "No; their canoes are very small; paddle
quick, much quicker than we could."
"She is very fast, Luka."
"Yes; but too many things on board. If we threw over everything--food,
and kettles, and dog, and furs--we might go as fast as they could; but
even then I think they would beat us."
"Well, we won't try that anyhow, Luka; I would rather risk a fight than
that. I don't see anything to do but to wait for the wind. It is not
often calm like this long, and we have had it three or four days
already. If we do get a wind we can certainly beat them by cutting loose
the boat."
"Beat them anyhow," Luka said. "With wind and paddles they might keep up
with us rowing very hard for a bit; but men tire, wind never tires. We
sure to beat them at last. I think we shall have wind before very long."
"I hope so, Luka; and not too much of it. Well, as we can't get away
from them by paddling, Luka, we may as well lower our lines. We have
only got two or three days' provisions on board, and we may just as well
lay in a stock while we can."
The hooks were baited with pieces of meat and lowered, and the paddles
laid in. Scarcely were the lines out when Godfrey felt a fierce tug.
"Hulloa!" he exclaimed, "I have got something bigger than usual." He
hauled up, and gave a shout of satisfaction as he pulled a cod of fully
ten pounds weight from the water. Five minutes later Luka caught one of
equal size.
"That will do, Luka. I will throw mine into the boat, and we will keep
yours on board. Now we have got among cod there is no fear of our not
getting plenty of food. I know they catch enormous quantities off the
northern coast of Norway, and it is evident that they come as far as
these waters. It is some time since we tried this deep-sea fishing,
which accounts for our not having caught any before."
"Are they good fish?" Luka asked. "I have never seen any like them."
"First-rate, Luka, especially if we had some oyster sauce to eat with
them; as we haven't we must do without. They are capital, and they are
not full of bones like the herrings. Now we will paddle on again. You
leave that fish alone, Jack; you shall have some of it for supper."
"There is a dark line on the water over there," Luka said presently,
"wind coming."
"That is a comfort, Luka."
Half an hour later the breeze came up to them. "Shall I get up the sail,
Godfrey?"
Godfrey did not reply for a minute or two. "Yes, I think we may as well,
Luka. Whether we go fast or slow these fellows will be able to send word
on shore, and we may as well tire them a bit."
The sails were hoisted, Godfrey took the sheet and laid in his paddle.
"The wind may freshen," he said, "and it would not do to fasten the
sheet."
Luka, who seemed tireless, continued paddling, and the boats went
through the water at a considerably faster pace than before. The effect
on their pursuers was at once visible. Instead of paddling in a
leisurely manner in a close group, the paddles could be seen to flash
faster and faster.
"They have to row pretty hard to keep up with us now," Luka said,
looking over his shoulder at them. "Up to now they felt comfortable,
think everything right, and quite sure to catch us presently. Now they
begin to see it is not so easy after all." They maintained their
relative positions till the sun was near the horizon.
"It is ten o'clock, Luka, the sun will set in half an hour. You lay your
paddle in, and get us a cup of tea and a bit of that dry meat. You had
better boil the kettle over one of the candles. Then you lie down to
sleep for four hours, after that I will take a turn. We are a deal
better off than those fellows behind; they must keep on paddling all
night, and as they only have one man in each boat there is no relief for
them."
Luka did as he was ordered. After drinking his tea Godfrey lighted his
pipe, and Luka lay down. Godfrey did not feel very sleepy, although he
had not closed his eyes the night before; but they had had a long bout
of sleep when compelled to keep their tent by the fog, and the
excitement of the chase kept him up now. As it grew dusk he could see
that the canoes drew closer, but he had no hope, in any case, of giving
them the slip, for it was never perfectly dark. When, four hours later,
he woke Luka the sky was brightening again.
"More wind come presently," the Tartar said, looking at the sky.
"I won't lie down just yet, Luka. It will be quite light in half an
hour, and I want to have a good look towards the shore before I go to
sleep."
Luka at once took the paddle. The wind was perceptibly freshening and
the canoe was slipping fast through the water.
"Now, Luka," Godfrey said presently, "stand up and have a look round. Be
careful how you do it; it would not do to capsize her now."
Two minutes later Luka exclaimed, "I see them; a whole lot of canoes,
twenty or thirty, over there," and he pointed towards the shore but
somewhat ahead of them.
"Sit down, Luka, and I will stand up and have a look. Yes, it is as much
as they will do to cut us off. They did not calculate on our coming
along so fast. I will luff up a little more, and we shall pass ahead of
them however hard they paddle."
So saying he sat down, hauled in the sheet and headed nearer to the
wind. "The fellows behind won't see them for some time," he said. "The
canoes must be four miles away at least, and I don't suppose they could
see each other more than half that distance, being so low in the water.
If we had just a little more wind we should do it nicely."
Half an hour later the sheet was eased again, and the boat resumed her
former course, as Godfrey saw that he should pass well ahead of the
canoes coming out from the shore, and she moved faster with the wind
abeam than she did close-hauled. Even while sitting down the canoes
could be seen now. The natives were paddling their hardest, and the
light craft danced over the surface of the water, which was now
beginning to be ruffled by the breeze.
Half an hour later they joined the pursuers astern, and their yells
could be heard although they were half a mile away. Godfrey counted them
as he passed ahead of the fleet, and there were thirty-three canoes,
each with two paddlers.
"The yourts must be thick along the coasts here, Luka; they must have
gathered up all those canoes from at least half a dozen camps. Now I
will lend you a hand."
He eased the sheet still further, so that the boat should heel over
less, and fastened it in a loose knot, which could be slipped in an
instant. Then he betook himself to his paddle.
"Those fellows behind have had a long row out against the wind, and have
no doubt been working their hardest ever since they caught sight of our
sail. A stern-chase is a long chase. I fancy the wind has freshened a
little, but it is very little."
Occasionally he looked back over his shoulder.
"They are gaining slowly, Luka, but they are a good half mile behind us
still, and it will take them two or three hours to pick that up. I am
quite sure now that if we cut the boat adrift we can forge ahead, hand
over hand, but that must be a last resource; it is almost a matter of
life and death to be able to keep it with us. Still it is a satisfaction
to know that if the worse comes to the worst we can get away from
them."
Jack fully entered into the excitement of the chase, taking his seat on
the covering near the stern, and barking defiance at their pursuers.
Another hour's paddling and the space between the canoe and the natives
was lessened by half.
"Now, Luka, I will send them a couple of bullets as a reminder that we
have got weapons."
Laying in his paddle he took his gun, turned round and knelt looking
astern, and fired both barrels at the fleet of canoes. He had not taken
any particular aim, for the gun was of little use at a distance
exceeding a hundred yards, and the motion of the canoe would have
prevented anything like accuracy of shooting even with a rifle. He
intended to frighten rather than to hurt, and gave the gun a
considerable elevation. He saw, however, the men in one of the canoes
cease paddling and drop behind the rest, and could make out that one of
its occupants was doing something.
"I hit one of the canoes, Luka; I fancy they are trying to patch up the
hole." He loaded the gun again, this time with his largest-sized shot,
laid it down and resumed his paddle.
"I have put in buck-shot this time, Luka; I don't want to kill any of
the poor beggars, and the shot will spread. I have put in double charges
so as to give them a good dose as they come up. Small shot would be of
no use, it would not get through those thick leather coats of theirs.
Now, then, let us send her along."
The wind was certainly freshening, for it was not until another four or
five miles had been traversed that the canoes had crept up to within a
hundred yards' distance. At last Godfrey felt it was time to fire again,
and waiting till the canoes were within about seventy yards' distance he
fired both barrels, slightly shifting his aim between each shot. A
series of yells arose from the canoes, four or five of them at once
dropped behind.
"Paddle your hardest, Luka, while I load again, the beggars are coming
up fast now."
The natives with yells of fury were sending their canoes through the
foaming water, and were but fifty yards away when he again fired. This
time five or six of the natives dropped their paddles, and two of the
canoes were upset. A volley of arrows fell thickly round the boat, and
one or two spears skimmed along the water close to it. Godfrey seized
his paddle again.
"Head towards the shore, Luka," he said; and as the boat headed round he
slackened the sheet and so brought the wind nearly dead aft. The boat
was on an even keel now, and they could feel by the lessened strain on
the paddles that her speed was considerably increased. In two or three
minutes Godfrey looked round; the canoes were a hundred yards behind.
"We are gaining on them, Luka."
Another ten minutes and the interval was more than doubled.
"They are beginning to get tired," Godfrey said. "We are going a good
deal faster, of course, now we have got the wind astern, but I do not
think they are going as fast as they did, and I expect that last dose of
buck-shot took the heart out of them a good deal. They had reckoned that
we should be only able to fire once or twice before they came up, and
that I should use bullets; but that handful of buck-shot evidently
peppered a good many of them, and they know if they come up they will
have four more barrels at least among them. I think the fighting is all
over now."
Another hour and the canoes were a mile astern, and the land was now but
four or five miles away. Godfrey thought that he could safely resume his
course west, especially as the wind had distinctly freshened.
"I will lay in my paddle now, Luka. I must give all my attention to the
sail. I expect they will give it up. They will think when they see me
cease paddling that we know we can get away from them whenever we like."
Godfrey's surmise turned out correct; the natives did not attempt to
follow, but held on their course straight for the land, paddling slowly
now. They were in two divisions, five or six of the canoes being a good
deal astern of the others, those with single rowers that had followed
them so long having dropped behind to pick up the occupants of the
canoes that had capsized. In several of the canoes in this division
Godfrey could make out that only one man was paddling, and guessed that
the other was more or less disabled by the shot.
"I don't think we shall be troubled any more by them," he said; "they
will be a couple of hours before they reach land, by which time we shall
be out of sight, and even reindeer will hardly take the news along the
shore with all its deep indentations as quickly as we shall sail;
besides, I fancy, they will come to the conclusion that the game is not
worth the candle. Now lay in your paddle and let us have breakfast
comfortably. It is just twelve o'clock."
Day after day they coasted along, passed through Waigatz Straits,
between the island of that name and the mainland, then touched at four
islands lying across the mouth of a large and deep bay, and then held on
until they reached the mouth of the Petchora. The distance to this point
from the Kara River was, Godfrey calculated, about three hundred and
fifty miles. It took them fifteen days to cover that distance, as they
stopped and spent a day shooting several times, for they were not
fortunate along here in catching many fish as they went. On passing one
of the islands Godfrey shot a seal, the flesh of which they found was by
no means bad.
The weather continued very fine, but there was so little wind that
during the whole distance they did not once put up their sail, but
depended entirely upon their paddles. Upon one of their shooting
expeditions Godfrey had the good luck to shoot a very fine black fox.
They had had their meal and were stretched at full length by the fire.
Luka had gone off to sleep. Godfrey was almost dozing when he heard a
slight rustle in the grass, and opening his eyes saw a black fox
standing at a distance of ten paces. It had evidently been attracted by
the smell of some fish they had been frying, and stood with its nose in
the air sniffing. Godfrey's gun was lying beside him, the left-hand
barrel he always kept loaded with ball. His hands stole quietly to it,
and as he grasped it he sat up and fired a snap shot at the fox as it
turned and darted away. To his surprise as well as delight it rolled
over.
"There is a piece of luck, Luka," he said, as the latter sprang to his
feet bow in hand at the report. "That is a pure fluke, for I fired
without raising the gun or taking the least aim."
Luka examined the fox. "It is one of the largest I ever saw," he said,
"and the fur is in splendid condition."
"Its skin will come in handy, Luka. We must put in and replenish our
stores at Droinik, at the mouth of the Petchora. We are running very
short of tea and tobacco, we have been very extravagant lately, and we
have had no flour since those scamps robbed us. It is very lucky Jack
was so sound asleep. I often scold you, Jack, for being such a sleepy
little beggar, but for once it is lucky, for if you had heard the fox
coming he would have been off without my getting a shot at him."
Accordingly when they reached the mouth of the Petchora they landed
three miles from Droinik, and Luka, taking the fox-skin and those of
other smaller animals they had shot during their excursions, went into
the town, and returned with four pounds of tea, as much tobacco, forty
pounds of flour, two large tin kettles, each capable of holding a gallon
of water, to carry an extra supply, and sixty silver roubles.
"I am heartily glad you are back, Luka, for I have been nearly eaten
alive; the mosquitoes are awful--worse, I think, than at any place we
have landed."
They had indeed entirely given up sleeping ashore since their forced
stay on the Gulf of Obi, always pushing off two or three hundred yards
from the shore and anchoring, for the mosquitoes were terrible; and upon
their hunting expeditions they always smeared their faces, necks, and
hands thickly over with bears' fat, but even with this they suffered
severely. Nowhere, indeed, are mosquitoes so great a scourge as along
the shores of the Arctic Sea.
They had already determined that they would at any rate make for the
Kanin Peninsula, and would then be guided by the weather. If it still
remained calm and quiet, they would sail across the entrance to the
White Sea, and coast along until they reached the frontier of Norway,
which would be about four hundred miles from the point of the Kanin
Peninsula; if the weather showed signs of changing they would go up the
White Sea to Archangel, which would be about the same distance.
Two days' paddling took them to the western mouth of the bay, the course
from here lay due west to Kolgueff Island, nearly two hundred miles
away. Godfrey did not hesitate to strike for it, as it was seventy or
eighty miles saved, and there was no risk of missing it. Four long days'
paddling took them there, and an equal time brought them to the western
point of the Kanin Peninsula. The weather continued still and clear, the
sea was as smooth as glass, and there were no signs of change; but
September had begun, and every hour was of importance. They therefore
determined now to abandon the boat, which made a considerable difference
in their speed.
"Our candles will do for cooking. We have still forty pounds of dried
flesh, and twenty of flour, and we may expect to get a few fish anyhow.
Our three kettles will hold two gallons and a half of water, enough to
last us seven or eight days. In three days at most we ought to strike
the coast again, and we are sure to find some streams running down to
the sea in a very short time, so we will risk it. We know that the two
of us can send her along a good five miles an hour."
Accordingly the dried meat and flour were transferred to the canoe, the
kettles were filled up with fresh water, and, after taking a long drink
and letting Jack lap as much as he could take, they took their seats in
the canoe again, threw off the tow-rope and started due west.
Accustomed as they now were to the work, and their muscles hardened by
exercise, they sent the boat rapidly through the water.
"We mustn't exert ourselves too much, Luka," Godfrey said after the
first quarter of an hour. "A long slow stroke is the one to send her
along, and we can keep that up for any time. We must do our very best
till we sight the coast again. After the way she behaved in that storm I
am not afraid of wind, but I am horribly afraid of fog. If we had but a
compass it would not matter to us one way or other; but if a fog came
down when we are a good way off the land, there would be nothing to do
but to lay in our paddles and wait, even if it lasted for a fortnight.
Still, as long as there is no change of weather, there does not seem any
reason why a fog should set in; but I shall not feel happy till we have
got the land alongside of us."
For three days the paddles were kept going, each taking alternately six
hours' sleep, and working together for twelve. Jack having nothing to
do was the most uneasy of the party, sometimes lying down with his nose
between his paws, sometimes getting up and giving a series of short
impatient barks. Early on the second day they were fortunate in passing
through a large shoal of herrings. Godfrey laid in his paddles and
attended to the lines, and in half an hour had forty-five fish. After
that they paid no further attention to fishing, being now amply supplied
with food. The herrings, too, required less water than the dried meat.
They fried them over the candles, and whenever their mouths were parched
they chewed a piece of raw herring and found great relief from it. Jack
was allowed two raw herrings a day; with that and a very small allowance
of water he did very well. On the third day a light southerly wind
sprang up, and they at once hoisted their sail and found that it eased
their labour materially.
"I should think we ought to see the land to-night, Luka; three days at
eighty miles a day is two hundred and forty miles. If we don't see it by
evening, we must head a little more to the south. Of course we cannot
depend very accurately on our steering, and we may have been going a
trifle north of west all this time. But it is all right, for the coast
we are making for keeps on trending north, and we are certain to hit it
sooner or later."
At six o'clock they had a meal which Luka had been cooking, and then
Godfrey said, "Now I will have my six hours' sleep." He stood up to
change places and let Luka come astern to steer, when he exclaimed,
"Look, is that a cloud ahead of us, or is it land?"
"Land!" Luka said after gazing at it attentively. "It is high land."
All idea of sleep was given up. Godfrey seized his paddle again, and in
four hours they were within a mile of the land. It differed widely from
the low coast they had so long been passing. Steep hills rose from the
very edge of the shore, clad in many places with pine forests. They were
not long before they found a suitable place to land, and soon had the
canoe ashore and the tent erected, for the nights were already becoming
unpleasantly cold. Luka went into the woods, and soon returned with some
dried branches and a quantity of pine cones. Godfrey cut three sticks
and made a tripod, from which the small kettle was suspended, and fish
and meat were soon grilling over the fire. As soon as the kettle boiled
a handful of tea was dropped into it, and it was taken off the fire. The
three companions made an excellent meal, then Luka and Godfrey lighted
their pipes and sat smoking by the fire for half an hour, and then lay
down in the tent for a sound sleep.
When Godfrey woke he found that Luka was already up. He had stirred up
the embers, put on fresh wood, filled the kettle and hung it over the
fire, and had then evidently sauntered off into the wood. Godfrey, after
the luxury of a rapid bathe, began to prepare breakfast, and by the time
it was ready Luka came down with a dozen squirrels he had shot.
"Lots of them in the wood," he said; "if stop here three or four days,
get lots of skins."
"I don't think they would be much good to us, Luka, though those you
shot will be useful for food; but I have been obliged to stand with my
head over the smoke of the fire to keep off these rascally mosquitoes,
and my face was so swelled with their bites when I woke that I could
hardly see out of my eyes till I bathed my face with cold water. The
sooner we are off the better, if we don't want to be eaten alive."
Accordingly, as soon as the meal was finished they packed up and
continued their voyage. After eight hours' paddling they came upon the
mouth of a river.
"This must be the Seriberka," Godfrey said. "That is the only river
marked in the map anywhere about here. We will paddle a mile or two up
and fill our kettles. If it is that river, we shall come upon an island
a few miles off the coast, in another twenty or thirty miles. See, Luka,
how near we are getting to the end of the map. We are not very much more
than a hundred miles from this line; that is the division between Russia
and Norway. Once we land on the other side of that line we are free."
In seven or eight hours after leaving the river, Godfrey said, "There is
Kildina Island, Luka. We will land over there instead of upon this
shore. There may be some Laplanders about, and there is a Russian place
called Kola about twenty miles up a river a little way past the island,
and the natives might take us there if they came upon us, for they would
not understand either Ostjak or the Samoyede dialect, and I don't
suppose they would talk Russian. Anyhow, we may as well be on the safe
side. After coming seven or eight thousand miles we won't run any risk
of a failure in the last hundred. I don't much like the look of the sky
away to the north. I fancy we are going to have a storm. Thank God it
did not come two days earlier."
They landed on the island, hauled up the boat, then Godfrey took some
time in finding a hollow where they could light a fire without risk of
its being seen on the mainland, as, if there were Lapps there, they
might cross in their canoes to see who had made it. They had no trouble
in collecting plenty of drift-wood along the shore, and carefully
choosing the driest, so as to avoid making a great smoke, they lit a
fire and erected the tent to leeward of it, so that the smoke might blow
through it, and so keep out their enemies the mosquitoes. Godfrey's
prediction about the weather was speedily verified. The wind got up
very rapidly, and in two hours was blowing a gale from the north.
"No fear of canoes coming across," Luka said.
"No fear at all. I don't suppose there was any real risk of it in any
case, but I feel more nervous now than I have done all the time. At any
rate the storm has made it perfectly safe. There will soon be a sea on
that no canoe could face."
For three days the storm raged, and they were glad to resume their fur
jackets. Jack lay coiled up in the furs in the tent, and nothing could
persuade him to move except for breakfast and dinner. They waited twelve
hours after the gale ceased to allow the sea to go down and then started
again, hoisting their sail as there was enough wind to help them.