Steve Young Part 2

PREPARATIONS.

"I say," said Steve some hours later, "isn't it getting late?"

"Yes, very," said the captain; "go and turn in."

"But it's so light, sir! It was light enough coming up here, but--what time is it?"

"Eleven--past."

"What! Why, I thought it could only be about eight."

"I suppose so, boy," said the captain, who was looking ahead for the opening through which the _Hvalross_ was to thread her way out from the fiord into the ocean; "but where is your geography?"

"At home."

"Yes, yes; but I don't mean your book, my lad. I mean the geography and knowledge in your head. Don't you remember that the farther we go north at this time of year the lighter it becomes, till, not many miles farther, it will be all daylight?"

"Yes, I remember now," cried Steve; "but it's rather puzzling, all that about the midnight sun. Doesn't the sun really set at all?"

"No," said Captain Marsham, smiling at the lad's puzzled expression.

"Then what does it do?" said the lad, gazing hard in the direction of the north-west, where there was still a warm glow.

"Keeps up above the horizon."

"But that's what puzzles me," said Steve.

"Well, I hardly know how to explain it to you, my boy, unless you can grasp it if I ask you to suppose you are standing on the North Pole."

"Yes, I understand that. Wouldn't the sun set there?"

"No; but at midsummer day it would be at a certain height above the horizon."

"Yes; but how would it be at midsummer night?"

"Just at the same height in the sky, going apparently round the heavens."

"And would it keep on like that, always at the same height night and day?"

"Yes, for one day only. The next day it would be nearly the same height, then a little lower; and so it would go on becoming a little and a little lower, and, as it were, s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g slowly down till it was close to the horizon; then would come the days when it was only half seen, then not seen at all."

"And after that?"

"Darkness and winter, Steve, till it had gone as far south as it could go and begun to return. Do you understand now?"

"I think so," said Steve, but rather dubiously. "It's much too big to get hold of all at once. But just tell me this, and then I'll go to bed, sir. As we shan't be right at the North Pole, how long will it be before we see the sun in the middle of the night?"

"That depends, my lad. If this breeze keeps up, we shall hoist sail, save our coal, and pa.s.s round the North Cape at midnight, and then we shall have a good three months' suns.h.i.+ne in which to load our tanks with oil, have plenty of sport, and I hope--best of all--find our friends alive and little the worse for pa.s.sing through an arctic winter in the snow. Now that's quite enough for you to think of for one night. Down below."

Stephen Young left the deck after giving a longing look round at the lovely sky, and feeling as if he had more to think of than he could well manage. Ten minutes later he was lying in his comfortable berth, listening to the gliding motion of the water as it lapped against the vessel's side. Then he began to wonder why the constant suns.h.i.+ne did not melt all the ice and snow in the arctic circle; and lastly he did not wonder at all, for he was fast asleep, just as the vessel pa.s.sed through the piled-up ma.s.ses of rock which guarded the northern entrance to the fiord, and acted as breakwaters to keep the inner straits so lake-like and still. For directly the _Hvalross_ had pa.s.sed the last rocks there was a disagreeable heaving, and soon after the vessel had little waves splas.h.i.+ng against her bows, and within an hour she was careening over to the full breeze, and making her way north at a rate which promised well for Stephen seeing the midnight sun twelve hours sooner than he had been told.

The swilling and scrubbing of the planks roused Steve the next morning, and, hurriedly dressing, he went on deck to find the sun s.h.i.+ning brightly, the blue sea sparkling, and a dim line that might have been cloud away to the right. The breeze was just such a one as a sailor would like to continue, and the _Hvalross_, though not fast, being built for strength and resistance to the ice, was making good progress, thanks to the height of her spars and the grand spread of canvas she could bear. The new men were all very busy with bucket and swab, just as if they had been on board a month; and the last traces of the coal dust, which had worried Captain Marsham in his desire for perfect cleanliness, had been sent down the scuppers.

"Morning," said the first of the new men Steve encountered, giving him a friendly nod. "Nice breeze."

Steve stared, for he did not expect to find the new men able to converse in English; but in five minutes he found that they were well acquainted with his tongue, and also that they had visited Aberdeen and Hull several times in whalers.

About that time the captain came on deck, had a short conversation with Mr Lowe, the mate, who then went below to rest, just as Steve was noticing the smoke which rose from the galley fire and thinking about breakfast. That came in due time, and when they went on deck again the wind had died out and the vessel hardly had steering way.

There being no immediate need of progress recourse was not had to steam, and a question asked by one of the Nordoe men resulted in Captain Marsham giving orders for the tackle to be brought on deck and overhauled before being re-stowed for immediate use when wanted.

Steve, with a boy's interest in this fis.h.i.+ng tackle on a large scale, eagerly watched the unlas.h.i.+ng and laying out of the coils of new, soft, strong, tarred line, the walrus harpoons, lances with their long, thin, smooth, white pine poles, the white whale harpoon, and the harpoon gun.

Every one of these implements was full of suggestive thoughts of exciting adventure; so, too, were the ice anchors and picks; and as all were carefully examined in turn the Norway men talked to each other, making plenty of comments as they ran the new line through their fingers and balanced the lances in their hands, till in imagination Steve saw the great ivory-tusked walrus rising out of the sea and the men in the boats ready to strike.

He was not alone in his intense interest, for the shock-headed boy was staring hard too, with his mouth half open and his forehead wrinkled into furrows, till he saw Captain Marsham approach from the wheel, when he hurried forward to commence altering the coil of a rope which needed no touching and whose neatness he disturbed.

"Well, my men," said the captain, "what do you say to the tackle?"

"Very good, sir," said one, who seemed to be the eldest of the party.

"Only wants using well."

"Exactly. But you will manage that."

"Yes, sir; we'll try," said the man, and the others nodded and smiled.

"What about the wind dropping like this? Does it mean change?"

"Yes," said another of the men, giving a sharp look round; "nor'-east before long, I should say."

The man proved to be a true weather prophet, for in a couple of hours the wind had swung completely round to dead ahead, and after a little thought the vessel's course was altered and her head laid for the north-west.

"But will not this take us quite out of our way?" said the doctor, as they sat that day at dinner, with a lively sea playfully patting the s.h.i.+ning sides of the vessel as she glided rapidly onward.

"Which is our way?" said the captain, smiling.

"North, to find our friends."

"Exactly; but it does not matter whether we approach the north by the north-east or north-west. It is all chance as to where they may have wintered; and, as the wind is fair for the way north-west, let's take it."

"And if we keep on in this direction, where shall we make?" said the doctor.

"Greenland!" cried Steve; and the captain nodded. "Right," he said; "and there is a possibility that they may have reached an island there, which I have often thought I should like to see."

"Yes?"

"Jan Mayen, a place seldom visited. If the wind holds fair we'll make for that, try to explore it as far as the ice will allow us, and then sail north along the edge of the floe for Spitzbergen, without you can suggest a better plan."

"I? No!" said the doctor.