A Man to His Mate

ddenly obscured. He looked out and saw a turreted mass of ice not half a cable's length away from the schooner, water cascading all over its hills and valleys, that wer

ike a fire opal. Between it and the schooner the sea ran in a lasher of diminishing turmoil. Hansen had carelessly sailed too close. The momentum of the Karluk and its slight wave dis

doctor seemed to be in the same rare vein of humor as overnight. Lund stood at the rail with his beak of a nose wrinkled, snuffing

ney," called Carlsen. "

face as weary from sleeplessness and strain. Rainey left the spokes in charge of Hansen for a minute-Hansen stolid

he began, then g

eft his mouth open for a moment, his tongue showing between his white teeth, in a grin that was as moc

mask. This was the day of Carlsen's anticipated victory, the first of h

ng to bring him out of himself, as he now is. A little excite

icularly hungry, might look at a tethered lamb. His tongue just touched

e said, "and a nasty winner. He'd want to ru

peared, and a cold rage taken its place. He could cheerfully have attempted to throttle Carlsen without fear of his gun. For that matter, he had faced the pis

d have announced it. It was ice, pack-ice, or floes. He tried to recollect all that he had heard or read of Arctic voyages, and succeeded only in comprehending his own ignorance

ed and announ

er, Rainey?" asked Ca

nd the girl followed. As she pass

ather is worse, Mi

re filled with sadness, that seemed

e answered in a low voice. "T

framed in the shadow of the companion, his mouth open in the wolf grin, and the man's eye

e over t

as we sight land, which'll be Unalaska or thereabouts, he'll have the course changed. There's a considerable fleet of United States reven

flaming whiskers, and his whole magnificent body gave the impression of resolve and repressed action. Rainey fancied whimsically that he could hear a dynamo p

ess. Despite the unsightly black lenses, Lund appeared so absolutely prepared and, in a different way, fully as confident as Carl

n first," muttered L

kus

n hundred feet high.

scribed t

ice," said Lund

y below freezing," said

my life. It's the rainiest spot in the U. S. A. Rains two days out of three, reg'lar. This ice is c

fore-spreaders, and now he shouted, cupping his hands

nd-

?" called R

Dead ahead! Cloud

o the deck as Lund said: "That'll b

om their interrupted breakfast, all crowding forward to get a glimpse of the land. Rainey kept on the cours

over, Rainey,"

hooner and the scuffle of feet told of Lund's prophesied change

e west," he

fee, Tamada. Fill your belly, Rainey. G

ound him at the wheel instead of the seaman he

said. "We're going to have a conference in the cab

atives of the seamen. And Carlsen had been smart enough to forestall Lund's demand for Rainey by taking some of the wind out of the giant's sails and doi

onference?" Lund asked, when Carlsen notified

to suggest to you and the men. In fact I have his signature to a document that I hope you will

f the crew, just now. But the skipper's my partner in this deal, signed, sealed and recorded. Afo

ut, and Lund's question seemed a genera

y, "you could soon see that the skipper was in no

"Mr. Rainey here. Let him see the sk

tion? I'm asking a

Carlsen, what I want to say to my partner, by proxy or otherwise. Second thing, I'd like to be sure he's still alive. As for y

It was wasting looks to glare at a blind man. Equally to sneer. But the bout between the two was timed now, and bot

following, and relied upon Lund's indignant refusal of te