Viking Boys Part 17

Yaspard was not so confident, nor yet was Fred, but they did not discuss the point further; only Fred remarked, "I'd carry you both straight away to Lunda, and get Dr. Holtum to take you home and smooth matters as _he_ only can; but ill news travels fast, and it is quite possible that the catastrophe has been reported at Moolapund; and reported with twenty exaggerations tacked on to it. In that case the sooner you are home the better;" and Signy added, "I'd like best to go _home_."

Home had seemed so dear and far away while she was alone, that now her whole heart was turning to it with a pa.s.sionate yearning; and her companions thoroughly understood the full meaning of her little sentence.

The events of the last twenty-four hours had completely driven all else from our Viking's mind, and he did not remember that he had trysted the lads of Lunda to meet him that night at (what they had named) Gloy's geo. But they, knowing nothing of what had taken place after they parted from the Osprey, were not likely to break bargain in such an affair--promising, as it did, some rare fun.

The boats which Fred had sent out to scour the seas had not approached the Ootskerries, knowing that the _Laulie_ was there, and that her crew were not likely to miss seeing the lost boat if it came that way.

Moreover, the fishermen calculated that the tide would carry her in a more southerly direction, altogether ignorant of the influence, at a precise and fortunate moment, of cross-currents. As we have seen, Fred Garson judged differently and with a better result.

But of all these things our lads were ignorant; therefore, shortly after Fred's boat entered Boden voe the _Laulie_ set out from the Ootskerries for her rendezvous; and what next happened to her crew you shall learn when we have safely housed the young Adiesens at Moolapund.

There was the complete and brooding silence of Nature at rest over land and sea when the boat sailed up the voe, and the three adventurers did not speak a word till Signy caught sight of a light.

"Oh," she cried, "look! uncle has not gone to bed; there is a lamp burning in the parlour still."

"That is very satisfactory," quoth Fred; "but they can't have heard any rumour about you, else there would be more folks awake than the scientist, and other lamps besides that of the study."

"Uncle Brus will be grubbing among his specimens," said Yaspard concisely.

When they reached land they heard Pirate begin to bark and whine, evidently aware of their vicinity, and eager to get out and give them welcome; and as they drew near the house the door opened and Mr.

Adiesen appeared, in a fantastic dressing-gown and Fair Isle cap, saying to the dog, "What's the matter, Pirate?"

The "matter" became plain to his vision next moment in the form of Signy, who flew into his arms crying, "Oh, uncle, dear, dear uncle! I am so thankful to be here again. I was lost, and nearly died; and poor Yaspard was left on Yelholme."

"Bless the child!" he gasped; "what on earth is she saying? Yaspard!

do you know it is midnight? What is-- Why, Mr. Garson! what--what!"

For once in his life Mr. Adiesen was thrown off his balance. Signy, springing up to bind her arms round his neck, caused him to stagger backwards into the hands of Fred and Yaspard, while their appearance and the girl's words upset his mind as much as his body. The joyful bounds and barks of Pirate added to the old gentleman's confusion, and when set on his feet again he could only turn and walk back to his parlour in blank amazement.

The others followed, of course, and stood waiting for him to speak, which he did shortly after resuming the arm-chair, which he had vacated at Pirate's request. "Explain yourself, sir!" he said severely, addressing Fred. So there was nothing for it but for Fred to begin and tell the story as best he might; but he had not proceeded far when Signy crept to her uncle's knee. _Then_ he noticed her face was white and drawn, and her eyes still full of a great fear.

"Stop a moment, sir," said Mr. Adiesen; "my child is ill. Signy, who has frightened you?"

"No one, uncle; only I was alone in the boat and on Havnholme, and I was so afraid," and then she began to cry bitterly. He drew her close and looked frowning at Yaspard; "You had charge of your sister!" he said very sternly.

"The lad is not to blame, Mr. Adiesen," Fred exclaimed. "He was doing a good action, and he has suffered much also. Don't be hard on Yaspard."

"Mr. Garson saved me, uncle dear," sobbed Signy. "He found me on Havnholme; he is so good."

"Havnholme!" the old man muttered, and something like an electric shock went through him at that word.

The change in his expression was not lost on Fred. In a very few words he explained all; and when the narrative was ended he added, "We know that G.o.d had the dear child in His keeping all the time; and I am fain to believe that He who holds the seas in the hollow of His hand guided the boat to Havnholme--_to Havnholme_--for some wise purpose, Mr.

Adiesen."

The old man's face dropped to the curly head lying on his breast, but he only said, "The child must get to rest, and Mam Kirsty. Ring that bell, Yaspard, and then go and tell your aunt. Sit down, Mr. Garson, sit down, till I've had time to think."

Fred did as he was bid, and so of course did Yaspard; and a pretty scene he created in Miss Osla's room when he burst in there and told her all!

The ringing of the bell had roused the maids and Mam Kirsty, who presented herself in the parlour with head discreetly and carefully covered in a huge cap and hap-shawl, but her feet and legs only protected by a short petticoat and pair of wooden clogs.

Her appearance and incoherent e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.o.ns were quite too much for the gentlemen, although their mood had been grave enough the moment before.

They both laughed; and even Signy's tears were checked as she cried out, "Oh, dear Mam Kirsty, you do look so awfully funny."

"Take the child to her aunt's room," said Mr. Adiesen, "and see that she sleeps there to-night. She must not be alone. And some of you girls there prepare a room for Mr. Garson, and bring in some supper.

Be sharp now."

He kissed Signy fondly, and had no objections to offer to Fred's doing likewise, but when she disappeared with her nurse he muttered, "I ought not to have trusted her out of this isle."

CHAPTER XX.

"FROM THE HANDS OF MY KINSFOLK."

"What on earth has become of that duffer?" said Tom Holtum, when the _Laulie_ arrived at the geo and no Yaspard appeared either on land or sea.

"We are a little before our time," Harry remarked; "but I don't see his boat anywhere along the voe--that is, as far as one can see in the Dim and along such a twisting twirligig of a voe as this."

"I vote we land and have a nap," said Bill; but no one seconded him, as they expected the Viking and his followers to appear at any moment.

These did not put in an appearance, however; and after waiting a long hour Tom said, "Look here, boys, something unforeseen has stopped him--and it's something serious too. I expect the old man has smelt a rat, or Yaspard has had qualms of conscience."

"He'd have come and told us if _that_ were it," said Harry promptly.

"Anyway," Tom replied, "he hasn't come; and it does not look as if he were coming, and we can't sit here all night doing nothing. So I vote we proceed without Sir Viking."

"He would not like it; and it is his quest, you know," Harry laughingly made answer.

"_His_ quest, but remember it is also _my_ what-you-call-am--little game. Mind you I discovered the seal for myself, and I meant the job of taking her to be our job. Father said it might have been better if Yaspard had less to do with it. On the whole, boys, I don't think we can do better than start and reconnoitre, and take whatever chance comes our way."

The others agreed, and, thinking it best not to venture up the voe, they decided to moor their boat at some safe place on the other side of Boden and nearer Trullyabister. "So said so done" was the way of those lads, and about the time when Yaspard and Fred were falling asleep, thoroughly tired out, the Mitch.e.l.ls, Tom, and Gloy were stealthily creeping up the hill to the old Ha'-hoose.

"We must be careful and spry," quoth Tom, "for the ogre 'walks' like a ghost o' nights, as I know to my cost." Yaspard had described the ruins to them, and they knew all about the pa.s.sage leading to the haunted room. _His_ plan for liberating the captives had been their plan, since no better could be; but they were not provided with the tools he meant to bring, and could not therefore carry out the programme as at first arranged.

But those boys were not often at their wits' end, and whatever subst.i.tutes for sacks, saws, and shovels suggested themselves as available were carried with them from the boat. These subst.i.tutes consisted of a piece of sail-cloth and some bits of hard wood, an owzkerry[1] and the boat-hook. They also brought away some stout rope, and a knife which had helped to end the career of many an aspiring fish. They were not without hope of finding a spade lying "handy"

somewhere in the vicinity of the house; so that, on the whole, the young marauders were not so badly off for the sinews of war.

They met with no adventure by the way, nor saw they the least sign to indicate that either of the night-roving inhabitants of Trullyabister were awake. Near the peat-stack they found a spade and a large stout keschie, which they appropriated, as Harry suggested it would make a handy cradle for the baby seal. They stole into the ruined and roofless apartment as Yaspard and the Harrisons had done, and listened for sounds from the prisoners; but all was quiet. There was plenty of daylight by that time, so that they did not have to grope their way about.

"Of course the first thing," whispered Harry, "is to make sure they are _there_, so I'll mount as the Viking did."

He clambered up to the window and took a good look in. It was a pity he did not take as good a look _out_, and then he might have noticed--at a window close by, the window of Mr. Neeven's study--the eyes of that ogre himself watching the boys with grave intentness. But Harry, all unaware of such espionage, came down from the window, and reported Mrs. Sealkie asleep beside her baby in a corner made comfortable with straw and bits of carpet. To work then went the lads, one with a spade, another with a knife; and when these two were tired, the others took their place, so that the job was rapidly accomplished.

Their plan was to remove the lowest board which blocked the way to the pa.s.sage, and to dig from under it a sufficient amount of earth to enable a boy to enter--or a seal to come out.

They meant, _after_ capturing the captive, to hack the board and sc.r.a.pe the earth, so that any one would suppose that the seal had gnawed and clawed her own way to freedom; and they thought it a very clever plan indeed, saying that Yaspard, with whom it originated, was the great inventor and general of the age.

The seal did not sleep while this was going on so near her; but she had partaken of a late and large supper, and did not "fash" beyond now and then whining in a melancholy voice, which stimulated the young heroes to further efforts, and helped to cover the noise they made.