CHAPTER XX

“Jump as Far as You Can!”

“You’re a pretty smart boy,” said Watson appreciatively. “But I’m not half so much interested in how and where you got your information as I am in the question as to what bearing it has on conditions here.”

“That’s easily explained,” replied Burton. “You’re the leader here. Nearly everybody looks to you for advice. At first I thought you were a bad actor; then I changed my opinion, but still you puzzled me. You’re such an important person here, I wanted every doubt removed.”

“Who told you I was a detective?”

“I don’t know. Glennon and I overheard a conversation between two men on the steamer. They didn’t know anybody was near, and we couldn’t see them.”

“One of these men was Gunseyt, wasn’t he?” inquired the operative.

“How do you know?”

“I don’t know; I’m asking you. And I might ask you the same question that you asked me: How do you know?”

“I could tell his voice, or I’ve identified it since.”

“I thought so. Now, I’m not going to tell you how I know it, but the other fellow was either Everleigh or Little.”

“I shouldn’t be surprised if he was,” said Guy. “But I never would have guessed it.”

“It isn’t entirely a guess on my part,” assured Watson. “I have some knowledge on the subject.”

“Who is this fellow Gunseyt?”

“I could tell you some interesting things about him, but not at present. Just to ease your mind a bit, however, I’ll inform you that I took passage on the steamer to watch him in particular and certain others incidentally. If we ever get off this iceberg, I’m going to land him in jail. That’s all I can say about him at present. Regarding myself, I might tell you my true name, but I prefer to be known as Watson for the time being and avoid complications.”

Guy was well pleased with the interview. He felt on easier terms with the operative now. The latter’s frankness, coupled with an unmistakable professional shrewdness, inspired confidence and respect.

The two paced around most of the time to keep their feet warm. Meanwhile they suffered much from hunger, realizing that a lack of sufficient food was rapidly telling on their ability to stand the exposure. This inspired Guy with a suggestion that they utilize their time to double advantage by fishing.

“You’ve often heard that fish bite better at night than in the daytime,” he said. “Let’s set the lines and see if we can’t surprise the others with a big catch in the morning.”

“That’s a good idea,” agreed the other sentinel. “Do you know, I believe that very suggestion is going to prove our salvation.”

Watson “made a dive” for the niche in which the fishing tackle had been pocketed, and soon returned with the four lines and a small piece of dog meat. In a few minutes they had baited the hooks and sunk them into the water, fastening the other ends of the lines to large “boulders” or projections of ice.

Scarcely were all the lines set, it seemed, when a fierce tugging was observed at one of them; then, a moment later, at another. Eagerly they tried the first one and had all they could do to pull in a magnificent herring. The other held a smaller fellow of the same kind.

But this was not all. The second fish was hardly dragged back on the ice when a violent jerking was observed on another line, and then on the fourth. Their luck continued thus for an hour or more until they found themselves almost exhausted with hard work in a weakened physical condition. Then Guy counted their catch, and found they had twenty-six magnificent fellows, principally cod. At first it seemed that there was a school of king herring near the iceberg, but after half an hour’s fishing, only cod took the hooks.

Two happier persons than these ocean anglers could hardly have been found anywhere. They forgot the other dangers that threatened them, for the immediate problem of life on the iceberg had been solved.

They continued to sink their baited lines with gratifying success until after midnight. Then their bait gave out, and they cut a small herring into bits and used these on the hooks. It is proverbial that codfish will swallow almost anything, even rivaling in this respect the goat of tin-can fame; and they surely lived up to their reputation so far as the herring bait was concerned.

As an experiment, Guy put a piece of serrated backbone on one of the hooks and a “great-big” cod promptly swallowed it.

They were undisturbed in their occupation. The would-be invaders of the Eskimo camp did not reappear. Apparently they had decided that another attempt would prove as futile as the first and gave it up as a bad job. In the early hours of the morning the fish did not bite so eagerly, but Guy and Watson angled until daybreak, resolving not to be satisfied with any degree of success as long as there was hope for more.

After daybreak, when most of the ice cave lodgers had appeared, another count was made, and it was found that they had sixty-nine as fine fish as any sportsman could wish to catch. The delight of the hungry castaways would be hard to describe. They almost went wild over the display of finny food. They overwhelmed the two fishers with congratulations and could hardly wait for the cooking of their breakfast.

That was a joyful repast. It put new life into everyone. Those who had shown signs of serious illness seemed to revive, and the general air of cheerfulness was remarkable. Even Gunseyt and his “pals” took a more “possible” and optimistic view of things.

After breakfast, Watson, Prof. Anderson, Burton and Glennon went over to the Eskimo camp to announce their success and to offer them a share of the catch. But the Greenlanders had not been asleep to the opportunity. They also had discovered the school and had caught a supply greater than their needs for as long a time as the iceberg could remain habitable.

The fish continued to bite fairly well during the day and by nightfall the number “in cold storage” was seventy-five, after everybody had had as much as he could eat. Early in the day the professor declared that if the temperature would only remain below freezing and the iceberg did not drift into warm water, there was little reason why they could not live on their floating island for several days yet. This must mean that they surely would be rescued.

But these apprehended possibilities were just what happened. On the afternoon following the big catch they did drift into warmer water and the temperature did rise. Tiny streams were soon running down the sides of the mountain of ice. Everybody was alive to the peril and the lookout for vessels was maintained more keenly and nervously. Three ships were sighted, and frantic efforts were made to attract attention, but without happy result. Only one vessel approached within five miles of the iceberg, and that was a liner, which plowed past as grandly as if it disdained even to take notice of so insignificant a thing as a mass of ice half a mile long and several hundred feet high in places.

“They’d never see us unless someone aboard happened to be looking this way with glasses,” observed Glennon. “I’m afraid our chances are pretty slim.”

And to make matters worse, on the next day the temperature rose still higher and the water became still warmer. Watson and Guy slept a few hours that day and on the succeeding night they took up their watch with set lines again. They caught thirty fish; but the atmosphere became scarcely any cooler before sunrise, a fact that made it seem foolish to angle for more than were needed for a very few meals.

“This means we’ve got to attract somebody’s attention mighty quick,” Watson declared as day was breaking. “No doubt the water has already undermined this berg to a dangerous extent and a little more will finish the business.”

The operative was not given to making forecasts of trouble unless there was imminent danger ahead. But Guy resolved as on several other occasions not to become panic stricken. They still possessed their life jackets, and in a mild atmosphere and temperate sea, they could hope still to live some hours.

Although it did not become as warm that day as had been anticipated, they all put on their life jackets and continued to wear them. The women who had been ill showed signs of physical improvement, and the men by virtue of plenty to eat, retained most of their normal strength. This was a fortunate condition of affairs, as it was hardly to be expected that so many persons could withstand such exposure so successfully.

On the next night a watch was kept for a different reason from that which inspired the first. The fear that Gunseyt would attempt another invasion of the Eskimo quarters had vanished. No one any longer had appetite for dog steak inasmuch as plenty of fish was on hand. But there was imminent danger of the iceberg’s breaking in numerous places, and it was deemed wise to be constantly on the alert lest the occupants of the cave be drowned there like rats in a trap.

All day a strong north wind had blown, driving the mass of ice as well as many others in the neighborhood, rapidly southward. In the night the wind grew stronger and the waves higher. Every now and then could be heard the splash of tons of ice breaking off and plunging into the sea. But the equilibrium of the berg was not disturbed, and morning dawned, with the inhabitants of the ice-island still safe.

As the day advanced the temperature continued to rise, the ice melted more and more, and greater pieces fell and more thunderous splashes were heard. However, the stairway in the ice was not seriously impaired, so that they were able to maintain their lofty lookout without interruption or inconvenience.

Three or four miles off to the northwest they saw and heard the breaking up of an iceberg half the size of the one on which they had taken refuge. It seemed to split in two right in the middle, while the reports of its explosion sounded like a naval battle. Occasional inspection was made of the faring of the Eskimos, but they proved as fortunate as the larger party in escaping injury from the falling ice. Meanwhile the fishing continued with fairly good success, so that the food question gave them only secondary concern.

About noon of their fourth day on the iceberg it was decided that the cave must be abandoned, and those who were inside were called out and warned against returning. The discussion convinced them also that they must leave the “shore” area and climb to a loftier position, as the falling ice rendered the “beach” a place of much danger. Several huge pieces had struck so near to some of the men that they narrowly escaped serious injury or death.

Accordingly the entire party sought greater safety on the upper landing of the big stairway. Their fish, of which they had nearly a hundred, were removed to this spot, also such fuel as they had been able to conserve from all sources.

The camp of the Eskimos seemed to be fairly safe, for there were no great overhanging projections threatening to fall and crush them. Over the entrance of the other “grotto,” however, there was a huge bluff, or “forehead,” that frowned threateningly, and it was principally to escape this, when it should fall, that the migration aloft was made.

An hour after they moved upward, the “forehead” fell with a ponderous crash. Hundreds of tons of ice were let loose, and so great was the mass and the gap left in its place, that Guy expected the berg to shift its center of gravity and roll over at once. He braced himself for the expected, but the expected did not come. The area and the front of the cave itself were demolished.

The women did not scream. Their recent experience had almost deprived them of acute sensibility. No one suffered from cold now; but 50 degrees below zero could hardly have made them more numb than did the seeming certainty of their fate.

The question of the advisability of their taking to the water at once, with their life jackets around them, was discussed, but nobody argued strongly in favor of the proposition. Such a move, all were agreed, must be a last resort for the preservation of their lives. In the water the chance of their being spied and picked up by a passing vessel must be very small. From a high point on the iceberg they could keep a much better lookout and also fly a flag of distress. This they decided was their best hope, although now desperately slim.

Of course they realized that there was grave danger of their being dragged under the iceberg when it rolled over, or of meeting even a more terrible fate if caught in the violence of an explosion of the ice. However, they decided that they could guard against such danger only with the most cautious watchfulness. Fortunately, on either side of the elevation on which they stood was a rough irregular ridge of ice, which would afford an excellent foothold by means of which they could keep from slipping off until the iceberg had tipped to an angle of 45 degrees or more from the perpendicular.

For an hour after moving to the head of the stairway, they stood and watched and listened to the exploding and crashing of the ice. Meanwhile the Eskimos, realizing the impending danger, joined them. Finally Watson observed a slight northward listing of the mass. “It’s coming,” he said to himself. Others observed the ominous change, and only the appearance of an unexpected hope averted a panic.

This hope consisted of a tiny speck on the surface of the ocean several miles to the northeast. One of the women was first to see it, and with an hysterical cry she pointed toward the object.

“It’s a boat,” said one of the seamen after gazing eagerly for a minute or two. “But what’s she doing way out here. She can’t be more’n sixty or seventy feet long.”

Nevertheless, even so small a vessel was a Godsend to the hope-forsaken castaways. Oh, if they could only attract her attention!

They shouted, they screamed, they pulled off their coats and waved them frantically. Two of the men started a fire with some driftwood, raft decking and fish bones that had been preserved for just such purpose as this. For twenty minutes or more they were held in an agony of uncertainty, while the iceberg tipped almost to an unsafe angle. Then the thrill of hope grew stronger and stronger as they saw and realized that the boat was headed directly toward them. Nearer and nearer it came. Now it was so near that the forms of persons on board could be distinguished. A little nearer, and yes, they had seen the castaways and were signaling to them.

The upper landing of the icy stairway was now a scene of the wildest joy. Men hugged each other and wept. Indeed, the women were not more hysterical than their male companions. But while the boat was about half a mile distant and the castaways were almost reaching out to be received in the arms of friends, the long expected climax came.

The breaking of the ice had continued with frequent splittings and splashes, but these noises were almost unnoticed after the purpose of the rescuers had been determined. Guy was one of the few quieter ones. But there was a singular reason for his silence. He was gazing intently at the little vessel, wondering, doubting his sense of vision—yes, no, yes—could it be possible?

Just as he was about to give vent to a new shout of joy, a cry of another kind from one of the women checked its utterance. The cause needed no explaining. It was immediately evident. At last the floating island was slowly rolling over.

“Everybody jump out as far as possible before we slip off,” shouted Watson.

Guy saw the operative instructing one of the women how to leap. The professor instructed another. Everybody tried to keep his balance as long as possible. It was a mighty turning of a mighty mass and took some little time. Now it seemed impossible longer to keep from slipping.

“Keep your heads and jump far out,” shouted Watson. “Now, jump.”

How many made the leap successfully, Guy could not see. The next moment he was in the water, while a terrific Niagara of noise filled his ears.