Archibald Hughson: An Arctic Story Read online

  CHAPTER TWO.

  APPEARING ON DECK, ARCHY IS SEVERELY REPRIMANDED BY THE CAPTAIN, ASTRICT, YET A KIND AND RELIGIOUS MAN--HIS FIRST SUNDAY AT SEA--AMONG THEICEBERGS AND ICE--CAPTURE OF A WHALE.

  Archy Hughson felt very weak and very wretched. The ship had for somehours been tumbling fearfully about, so it seemed to him, now pitchinginto the seas, which struck her stout bows with heavy blows, now rollingfrom side to side. He knew that a strong gale was blowing, and he couldnot help dreading that the casks might break loose, and come down uponhim. He longed to escape from his prison, and began to think that Maxmust have forgotten him altogether. At length he again fell asleep. Hewas awakened by three heavy knocks above his head, Max's promisedsignal. He waited the time agreed on, and then began to crawl out, andgrope his way upwards. At last he saw daylight above him, andscrambling along, he reached the foot of a ladder. Climbing up withuncomfortable feelings at his heart as to the reception he might meetwith, he gained the upper deck.

  The first person he encountered was an old man with weather-beatenfeatures, but a kind expression of countenance, Andrew Scollay by name,a boat-steerer, who was at that moment about to descend.

  "Why, lad, where do you come from?" asked old Andrew, putting his handon the boy's shoulder.

  "I wanted to come to sea; so I hid myself away," answered Archy. "Ihope I have not done wrong."

  "You have not done right, boy, or you would not have needed to hideyourself away," said Andrew, scanning his features. "I think I haveseen you before. What is your name?"

  Archy told him.

  "What, widow Hughson's son? Oh, boy, boy, you have acted a cruel parttowards your poor mother. Anyhow, I would we had found you out two daysago. However, come along with me to the captain--you'll hear what hehas to say."

  Andrew led Archy aft, where Captain Irvine was standing, and explainedin a few words what he knew of him. Captain Irvine, looking sternly athim, inquired how he had managed to conceal himself so long on board?On that point Archy gave a truthful reply.

  "How did you know you could find a place where you could hide yourself?"asked the captain.

  "I have often before been on board whalers, and knew how the casks werestowed," answered Archy, hoping that he should avoid further questionswhich might implicate Max Inkster.

  "You are deserving of severe punishment for coming on board without myleave," said the captain. "I must consider how I shall treat you. Ifwe fall in with a homeward-bound ship, I shall put you on board. Ifnot, see how you behave yourself. Had your mother asked me to take youI would have done so, and you would have come in for a share of profits;but you have done more wrong to her than you have to me; and though Imight flog you, as you deserve, I shall let your own conscience punishyou. I hope you have got one, which will make you mourn for your fault.Now go for'ard. You must not eat the bread of idleness, and MrScollay will put you to some work or other. I must speak to you againabout this, and let me see, as you have chosen to come on board, thatyou do your best to learn your duty."

  Archy's conscience was not aroused. He went forward, well pleased athaving, as he thought, got off so cheaply; yet he did not feel at hisease. He looked, indeed, very pale and sick, and miserable. OldAndrew's kind heart was touched, as he remarked his woe-begoneappearance. He took him below, and got the steward to give him somefood. He then sent him to wash himself.

  "I must see about rigging you out," he said. "The clothes you have onare not fit for the work you will have to do."

  Archy felt grateful to old Andrew, and thanked him warmly.

  "Don't speak about that, boy," remarked Andrew. "It's not that youdeserve what I may do for you; but you are poor, and helpless, andwretched, and that's just the state man was in when Christ came downfrom heaven to help him; and so I have a notion that it becomes Hisdisciples, who desire to be like Him, to assist the helpless andmiserable."

  The crew generally did not treat Archy as kindly as old Andrew had done.They attacked him, as soon as he got among them, with all sorts ofquestions, laughing and jeering at his folly. No one laughed at himmore than Max Inkster. Archy felt inclined to retort, but he rememberedhis promise to Max, and gave him no sign of recognition, he was treatedas one of the ship's boys, and was put to do all sorts of drudgery anddirty work. Often and often he wished that he had remained at home, tolook after his mother's farm, and help Maggie in attending to her.

  Several days passed by--Archy was beginning to find himself at homeamong the crew--Max at length spoke to him as if to a stranger.

  "We must make a sailor of you, boy, as you have chosen to come to sea,"he said, when the order had just been given to reef topsails. "Lay outon the yard with me, and I'll show you what to do."

  Archy had several times been aloft, but had never assisted in reefing.He now followed Max up the rigging. There was a heavy sea running, andthe ship was pitching violently.

  "Now, don't be afraid--come out on the yard," said Max. "There--leanover, and catch hold of those reef points. Cling tight though, withyour knees and elbows, or you will pitch down on deck, and have yourbrains dashed out."

  Archy did as he was bid. He felt very nervous, though, and was thankfulwhen he was safe off the yard. It was coming on to blow harder andharder, and the canvas was still further reduced. Max did not againinvite him to go aloft--none but practised seamen could have ventured onthe yards. At length, all the canvas was taken off the ship, except aclose-reefed main-topsail, when the helm was put down, and she washove-to. The wind whistled shrilly through the bare poles and rigging.It was blowing a perfect hurricane. All around appeared mountains ofheaving water, each succeeding sea threatening to swallow up thelabouring ship. Archy was surprised at the calmness of the officers andcrew, when he expected every moment that one of those tremendous seaswould come on board, and send the ship to the bottom. He wished that hecould pray, as his mother had taught him to do, but he dared not; yet hetrembled at the thought of what would happen.

  Night came on--the gale seemed to increase. He, with all except thewatch on deck, had gone below.

  "What, lad, art afraid?" asked Max, who observed his pale countenance."You thought a life at sea was all sunshine and calm."

  "I have found out what it is, and I wish that I had not been fool enoughto come," answered Archy, with some bitterness.

  Max laughed. "Many a lad thinks like you," he said. "They getaccustomed to it, and so must you, though the training is not pleasant,I'll allow."

  While Max was speaking, a tremendous blow was felt, as if the ship hadstruck a rock, and then came a sound of rending and crashing timbers,while the water rushed down the hatchway.

  "The ship's on her beam ends," cried several voices, and all handssprang on deck. Archy followed. A scene of wreck and destruction methis sight. The sea had swept over the ship, carrying away thestaunchions, bulwarks, and rails, the binnacle, and the chief portion ofthe wheel. A fearful shriek reached his ears, and he caught sight foran instant of a man clinging to the binnacle. No help could be affordedhim--the poor fellow knew that too well; still he clung to life; but ina few seconds a sea washed over him and he disappeared.

  The captain was on deck, calmly issuing his orders,--the crew flew toobey them, while Archy clung to the main-mast, expecting every moment tobe his last. Things were at length put to rights; spare spars werelashed to the remaining staunchions--life lines were stretched along thedeck, fore and aft. The names of the crew were then called over--twodid not answer, another, it was found, had unseen been carried to hisdread account.

  The next day was the Sabbath. The gale had moderated, and the ship wasagain put on her course. On that day the captain invariably invited allnot on duty to assemble for service in his cabin; Max and a few othersgenerally made excuses for not attending. The captain took thisoccasion to speak of the uncertainty of human life.

  "The fate of our shipmates may be that of any one of us, my lads," heobserved. "I do not ask how they were prepared to me
et their God, buthow are you prepared? Even if you are living pure and blameless lives,have you made peace with Tim according to the only way He has offered toreconcile you to Himself? Have you a living faith in the atoning bloodof Jesus shed for you? He wishes you to be reconciled to Him, and Hehas offered to you the easiest and simplest way, the only way by whichyou can be so. Remember, `now is the accepted time,' `now is the day ofsalvation.' It is God tells you this. If you put off that day it maybe too late--for He says nothing about to-morrow. Some of you may saythat you lead hard lives, have little enjoyment, and much suffering, andthat that must satisfy God and give you a right to heaven. God does nottell you that; but He says, `Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thoushalt be saved. He that believeth not is condemned.' Oh lads, if youknew of the love of Jesus for you, and how He longs for you all to besaved, you could not stand aloof from Him as you do, and try to keep Himout of your thoughts, and do nothing to please or serve Him. I speak toyoung and old, for He loves the youngest boy on board here as well asthe oldest, and His blood, which cleanseth from all sin, will wash awaythe sins of the greatest criminal as completely as it will cleanse themost harmless youngster, though he, too, needs to be washed as much asthe other." Such was the substance of Captain Irvine's discourse on theSunday after the storm. Archy had attended, and the words werecontinually haunting him. Max, as usual, had kept away.

  "I wonder you can stand that sort of thing," he said to Archy, when henext met him. "I have no fancy for those discourses of the skipper; butif you want to curry favour with him, by all means go, just as oldAndrew and Dr Sinclair, and some others do. They have prayers with himevery morning in his cabin. You will not turn psalm-singer, I hope,lad."

  "I don't suppose I shall," answered Archy. "But still I should not liketo be washed overboard, as Bill and Ned were the other night."

  "As to that, you must run your chance as others do," answered Max. "Idon't let such things trouble me."

  Archy could not help letting them trouble him, though.

  The next day the whole crew were busily employed in getting the whaleboats ready and the gear fitted. There were seven boats in all--threeslung to the davits on each side, and one over the stern, with aharpooner to each. The whale lines were spliced and coiled away in thestern of the boats; the harpoons were spanned, that is, fastened to theends of the lines, and various articles were stowed away in the boats,so that they were all ready to be lowered, and to shove off at amoment's notice, should a whale appear. The crow's-nest was also got upto the main topgallant mast-head. It is like a tall cask with a seat init, where the officer can take his station and look out far and wideover the ocean to watch for the spouting of the monsters of the deep.

  Next morning, when Archy went on deck, he saw at no great distance fromthe ship a vast white towering mass, glittering like alabaster in therays of the sun. At the lower part were projecting points and curiousarches, and a deep cavern, with numberless columns and long icicleshanging from the roof, while the summit was crowned with pinnacles andtowers of every possible shape. From the higher points, as the icemelted under the rays of the hot sun, came down two or three tinycascades of bright water, leaping from ledge to ledge till they fellwith a splash into the calm ocean.

  Archy had often heard of icebergs, but he had formed little conceptionof what they really were. He stood gazing at it for some minutes, lostin wonder.

  "Well, boy, what do you think of it?" asked Andrew Scollay, who waspassing at the time.

  "It's very wonderful," said Archy.

  "All God's works are wonderful," observed old Andrew. "You will seethousands of such bergs as this where we are going, all formed by God'swill, just as He forms everything else in the world; and yet if all thekings of the earth and their people were to try and build up one likethem, they could not succeed. Now, Archy, I put it to you, whether itis not wise to try and be friends with such a God--to know that you areunder His care and protection, instead of disobeying Him and daring Hispower? The time may come before long when you will feel how helplessyou are to take care of yourself, boy. I have seen stout ships crushedin a moment between masses of ice, as if they had been made of paper,and once I saw one of those large bergs come down and overwhelm apassing ship, not a soul on board escaping. Ay, and I have knownnumbers of poor fellows, when their ships have gone done, wandering overthe ice till they have been frozen or starved to death. I don't tellyou these things to frighten you, but that you may learn to put yourtrust in God. The person who truly trusts Him is never frightened. Itis a blessed thing to know that He cares for us."

  Archy was unable to make any reply; but the old man's words were notforgotten.

  The next day many more icebergs were seen, and as the ship passed nearsome of them, Archy could not help dreading that they might topple overand carry her and all on board to the bottom.

  In a short time the ship made the ice. As far as the eye could reach,the whole ocean was covered with broken sheets of ice,--some severalmiles in extent, others of smaller size, which the seamen calledfloes,--huge icebergs towering up among them. The ship sailed along theedge of a large floe for some distance, till an opening appearing, herhead was pointed towards it. She entered and sailed onwards for aconsiderable distance, the water being as smooth as in the mostsheltered harbour. The captain, or an officer, was continuallystationed in the crow's-nest to look out for the widest openings. Intothese she forced her way, now and then being impeded by pieces of ice,against which her bow was driven to turn them aside. At length, afterrunning through a narrow passage, her further progress was stopped by asheet of ice through which she could not force her way, while beyond thewater appeared perfectly open. The sails were furled; the ice-saws gotout, and the crew commenced sawing out large blocks, so as to form apassage towards the open water. The work was very laborious; for, inaddition to the operation of sawing, each block had to be towed out intothe wider channel. At length a canal was formed, and the ship glidedthrough it. Once more the sails were set and she steered to thenorthward. Again, however, she had to encounter similar obstructions.Still the captain pushed on, eager to get to a part of the bay wherewhales were plentiful. Generally there was a breeze, and she made goodprogress through the open water, but sometimes she lay becalmed, withher sails hanging against the masts. All the time a sharp look out waskept for whales, but hitherto, although a few had been seen, the warymonsters had escaped the harpoons of their pursuers.

  At that season, in those northern regions, when the sun but just sinksbelow the horizon ere it rises again, night and day are much alike.

  Archy, with the watch below, had turned in. He was awakened by a loudstamping on the deck, and the cry of "a fall, a fall." The men rushedup on deck, carrying their clothes with them, and dressing as they went.Instantly running to the boats, they began to lower them. In thedistance was a boat with a flag flying, a signal that a whale had beenstruck, and was fast. The boats shoved off, and away they went at arapid rate to the assistance of their friends. The monster soonappeared on the surface. The boats pulled towards it, and numberlesslances were darted at its body. Again it sounded, to reappear shortlystill closer to the ship. Once more the boats dashed on--the wateraround the animal was dyed red with blood, mixed with oil, which issuedfrom its wounds and blow-holes. The boats again drew near, and morelances were hurled at it. Suddenly the creature reared its tail high inthe air, whirling it round with a loud noise, which reached the ship.At the same moment the nearest boat was thrown upwards several feet,while the crew were sent flying on every side into the water, the boatitself being reduced to a mass of wreck. Their companions went forwardto rescue the drowning men, who were seen to be hauled into the boats;but whether any had perished could not be discovered by those who, withArchy, were eagerly watching what was taking place, from the deck of theship. Directly afterwards the whale rolled over on its side, andremained perfectly quiet. The flag was lowered, and the men, standingup in the boats, gave three loud huzz
as, which were echoed by those onboard. Two holes being made in the tail of the whale, ropes were passedthrough them, which being made fast to the boats, they towed their prizein triumph to the ship. The animal now being secured alongside, theprocess of flensing or cutting off the blubber commenced. Tackles wererigged with hooks, which were fixed in the blubber. This was cut bymeans of spades, and the tackle being worked by a windlass, as theblubber was cut off in long strips, it was hoisted on board. Here itwas cut into pieces, and stowed in casks in the hold. Thus, as thewhale was turned round and round, the blubber was stripped off, till thewhole coat was removed. The whalebone, of which the gills are formed,being then extracted, the carcase was cast adrift, when it was seen tobe surrounded by vast numbers of fish and wild sea-birds, coming fromall directions to banquet on the remaining flesh. The operation, whichlasted five hours, being concluded, the crew were piped to supper.

  "There, Archy, you have seen our first whale killed," observed Max. "Ihope we shall have many more before long, and soon be back home again;and if you are tired of the life, you can go on shore and look afteryour mother's farm."