Read Ebook: Deep Sea Hunters in the Frozen Seas by Verrill A Hyatt Alpheus Hyatt

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Ebook has 991 lines and 56743 words, and 20 pages

But old Cap'n Pem did not agree with him. "Hanged if she will!" he exclaimed, "why, Lor' love ye, 'tain't a ship's spars an' riggin' what makes the ship. It's the timbers an' hull. Bless my soul! If ev'ry time a ship got dismasted an' had ter have a new set o' spars, it made a new ship of her, thar wouldn't be nary an ol' ship lef'. Shucks! Ye wouldn't say yer Dad built a new house jes 'cause he put a new chimbly or a new verandy on it, would ye?"

"Not by a long shot!" burst out the old whaleman, to whom an old hull was almost sacred. "Ye'd find a purty diff'runce in what ye'd have to pay if ye wuz to build a new schooner 'stead o' refittin' this here hooker."

"If you take my advice," said Mr. Chester, when on one occasion he was discussing the matter with the boys and Mr. Nye, "you'll put a motor in her. I suppose it will be little less than heresy to suggest it to the whalemen, but a motor will be a godsend in the ice."

"Shure thin' an' 'twill be a shofure yez'll be afther wantin'," put in Mike. "An' b' the same token, 'tis a foine motorneer Oi am meself. B'gorra 'tis a shame to be a-turnin' o' the ould schooner into a power boat, but handy 'twill be Oi do be thinkin' manny the toime."

But despite Pem's protests and contempt and sarcastic remarks, the motor was installed and Mike, who really had had experience in handling motors in the navy, was rated as engineer.

"Now what do you think of her?" asked Tom of old Mike as the staunch, trim schooner was warped alongside the dock, and her lofty, golden-tinted spars loomed high above the water-front buildings.

"Waall, b'gorra, 'tis not the same ship at all, at all," declared the Irishman. "Shure 'tis loike the sailor's knoife she do be--the same ould knoife, barrin' new blades an' a new handle."

"No!" responded the Irishman. "But shure an' if Oi foun' me a foine new hidpiece an' a new body an' a new pair o' han's, the wooden lig o' me remainin' would niver be afther makin' ould Moike out o' the broth of a b'y Oi'd be."

"But what do they want all that salt for?" asked Jim, who had been watching barrel after barrel of coarse Turks' Island salt being slung aboard.

"Curin' skins," replied the old whaleman. "'Spect we'll be a-gittin' a purty good cargo o' seals. Ain't been hunted much fer a spell an' pelts is purty high. Yessir, better'n ile now'days."

"And what do we need lumber for?" queried Tom. "Any one would think we were going to build a house up there."

"So we be," declared Pem. "Come winter an' she freezes in, we'll be a-makin' on her shipshape an' comfy for six months o' everlastin' night. House the ol' hooker in--didn't 'spec' ye could spen' the winter in that there mite of a cabin an' the fo'c's'le, did ye?"

"Well, I see we've a lot to learn yet," laughed Tom. "What about guns and things for shooting the seals and bears?"

Cap'n Pem guffawed. "Lor' love ye!" he exclaimed. "They don't scarcely never shoot seals--jes knock 'em over the head same as we did them there sea el'phunts. But they'll be guns aboard fer huntin' musk ox an' reindeer an' b'ars, an' a lot o' ol' muskets fer to trade to the Eskimos."

"Well, we're taking our own rifles," said Jim, "but I don't see any heavy clothes or overcoats in the stores."

"Ain't none," declared the old whaleman. "Plenty o' warm woolens an' mitts an' sea boots an' sou'westers though. Don' never take no overcoats along. Jes git fur clothes from the Eskimos. They're a heap sight warmer an' cheaper."

So, with the boys constantly plying the old sailor with questions, and daily learning more and more about the outfitting and the coming cruise, the work of loading and storing the pile of supplies went on, until at last, to the boys' amazement, the stevedores and sailors managed to find a place for everything.

"Why, you got all the old men back!" cried Tom delightedly, as he recognized one after the other. "Even Pete!"

Cap'n Pem grinned. "Yep," he replied, "that there old fool Mike jes' nat'rally did like ye told of him. But, arter all, they ain't sech an all-fired bad lot o' han's, an' they knows me and the skipper an' Mr. Kemp, an' ol' shipmates is ol' shipmates--spite o' their bein' mos'ly derelic's. An' I reckon Pete'll be a sort o' mascot--Eskimos is so dumb they allers thinks dummies is big med'cine an' is supe'stitious 'bout 'em. 'Sides, we had sech everlastin' luck las' v'yage, mebbe we'll be lucky 'long o' this, seein's we've got the hull crowd ag'in."

Once more to the boys' ears came the rousing chantey as the men piled aloft, scrambled out on yards, and manned the halyards and hoists.

The ship she's a-sailing out over the bar, Away Rio! Away Rio! The ship she's a-sailing out over the bar, We're bound for the Rio Grande!

ON THE BANKS

"Golly, isn't she a fine old ship!" cried Tom, as he stepped to the lee rail and watched the hissing froth speed past. "Why, she's going like a yacht and there's not much wind either!"

"Used to was the fastest hooker 'round the Cape," rumbled Cap'n Pem.

"And spreads enough canvas to drive a clipper ship," added Captain Edwards, glancing at the straining spars and rigging. "Pem, you'll have to keep a weather eye liftin' an' be ready to shorten sail at the first sign of a blow."

"Yes, sir," agreed the other, "that there's the wust o' these here torpsa'l schooners--too derned much canvas aloft. It'll drive 'em like blazes in a light win', but keeps the crew everlastin'ly on the jump a-reefin' and short'nin' sail. Reckon soon's ever we get no'thard o' the Banks, we'd be a leedle mite snugger if we housed that there to'gallant sail."

"Yes, better do that," agreed the skipper, "we won't need it in the ice."

Now that the boys had a chance to look about, they noticed for the first time that there were no swarthy-faced Portuguese among the crew.

"Never take 'em to the Arctic," Mr. Kemp told them in reply to their question. "Ain't no good there--just shiver and freeze like a lot of frozen turnips."

"Is it really as cold as that?" asked Jim.

"Cold!" exclaimed the lanky second officer. "Cold! Well, let me tell you a fellow doesn't know what cold is 'til he's spent a winter froze in up 'round the North Pole."

"Have you ever been there?" asked Tom.

"And did you ever shoot white bears, and walrus, and musk oxen, and see Eskimos?" cried Jim.

"Did I?" grinned the officer. "Didn't do much else durin' the winter 'cept have shenannigans with the Eskimos aboard."

"Do they talk English?" asked Tom. "Or do you have to know how to speak Eskimo?"

"Why, how was that?" asked Jim, "I thought you came from right here on Cape Cod."

"Nope, Noank, back in Connecticut," said the other. "And there was a Eskimo there--Eskimo Joe they called him--what had a kid 'bout my age. We went to school together and was reg'lar chums."

"I didn't know there were any Eskimos in Connecticut," exclaimed Tom. "I thought they always died when they came down here."

"Joe didn't," the other assured him. "And say, he could have told you a bully good yarn. I don't know as I can spin the whole of it for you, but he an' his squaw come down on a cake of ice. That is, they come most o' the way."

"Oh, tell us about it!" cried Tom. "How did he happen to be on a cake of ice and how could he come down on it?"

"Why, I thought you said there were only twenty!" exclaimed Tom.

Mr. Kemp grinned. "So I did and so there was," he declared, "when they went adrift. But you see, while they was navigatin' 'round on their ice island, Joe's squaw had a baby an' that was the kid I used to be chums with."

"Gee, I hope we don't get adrift like that!" exclaimed Jim. "But it must have been some adventure!"

"Well, you can't never tell," remarked Mr. Kemp as he rose and hurried off. "But I guess after bein' sunk by a sub, driftin' on a ice floe wouldn't be so bad as it might be."

Oh, whisky is the life of man, Whisky! Johnny! It always was since time began, Oh, whisky for my Johnny!

The schooner headed across the broad Atlantic, and darkness fell upon the sea. Monomoy Light was but a tiny twinkling star astern, and the boys felt their cruise had really begun.

The next morning was fair but almost calm. As the boys came on deck, they were surprised to see a score and more of trim schooners riding easily on the long ocean swell under light canvas.

"It must be a yacht club!" exclaimed Tom, "but I didn't know they came so far to sea."

"Fishing fleet from Gloucester," said Captain Edwards, who heard Tom's remark. "We're passing George's Banks. Don't you see the dories yonder?"

"Oh yes, I do now," declared Tom. "But why do they call it a Bank? I don't see any land."

"Finest little ships afloat," declared the skipper. "And just as fast as they can be built. Have to be to get the catch to market--price depends on the first to make port. Look there! There goes one of 'em now. She's got a full catch an's beatin' it for Boston."

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