The Golden Harpoon — page 4: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

2 THE GOLDEN HARPOON, the first time that you have ventured in this quarter. I think you had better take his ad- vice.” “Fiddlestick!” exclaimed the captain; “what does a girl know about seafaring matters?” ‘Ay, ay, sir, she’s a girl, but she’s got an uncommon wise head for all that. Mark ye, Captain Howard,” he added, feeling so highly gratified by the favourable remark of the skip- per’s niece, that he was disposed to be com- plimentary—‘‘mark ye, I’ve seen women enough in my day, but I’ve never seen one as had a longer head than Miss Alice!” “You had better stick to currents and ice- bergs, Mr. Briggs, and leave the compliment- ing of girls to those who understand the art better than you do,” said the captain, a little resentfully. ‘‘ Young ladies, as a general rule, do not care to be told that they have long heads.!” “Indeed, uncle,” cried Alice, in a voice that faltered with the efforts she made to restrain her laughter—‘‘indeed, uncle, I feel much obliged to the mate for the compliment he has paid me.” “Oh, well,” said her uncle, drily, “ there is no accounting for tastes—especially for those of women. Jf Briggs’s remark pleased you, I have no more to say.” “That was a figurative expression on the part of Mr. Briggs.” ‘Ay, ay, that’s it,” broke forth the mate, “figgerin’ is the word. I’m poor at figgers myself, but my eyes do me instead, for they have good sight and are good at measuring. And that’s why I can calculate almost to the ninute when that ice-floe, which is now about u league from us, will be upon us, jamming our timbers.” “Jt will never reach us,” replied the cap- tain, in a decided voice; “youcan even per- ceive that it is moving north’ard now, and : He paused suddenly and turned his gaze towards the ice, upon which the eyes of the mate had suddenly seemed fixed with steady intensity. ‘Ay, there it is again!” shouted the first officer, as a column of vapour shot upwards from the centre of the Hoe. ‘ There blows !— there—there blows! ‘The ice is alive with whales, Captain Howard !” “Clean away the boats there!” shouted the latter, “and call all hands!” These words were addressed to the sailors lounging about the windlass, some of them smoking, and others engaged in patching threadbare coats and jackets. This command was promptly obeyed, and a dozen men who had been lying asleep upon chests in the forecastle came bounding through the open scuttle. By this time the decks of the “ Montpelier ” presented a scene of bustle and excitement, such as always takes place on board a vessel of her elass when whales have been sighted, and yreparations are being made to lower away. he men rushed to the falls; the harpooners sprang into their respective boats to prepare 4 . the line, tubs, and their craft; while the cap- tain and his officers hurried the movements of their crews with frantic gesticulations and ex- cited voices. In the midst of the uproar stood Alice Howard, watching with dilating eyes and blushing cheeks the movements of Harry Mar- line, who belonged to the mate’s boat, and who, more than once, while arranging his irons, contrived to direct a quick but smiling glance towards the spot where she stood. She had been so long an inmate of her uncle’s ves- sel that, but for the presence of her lover, the scene passing before her eyes would have ex- cited but little interest in her bosom. | At last, however, the necessary preparations were completed, and the captain then gave the order to lower away. As the four boats dropped simultaneously into the water, he ad- vanced to the side of his niece and grasped her hand. ‘Good-bye, Alice. When we return I hope we shall bring whales alongside. Take good care of yourself while I am absent. There are plenty of books in the cabin to amuse you, I trust.” - “Oh, yes, I shall get along very well. But do be careful, dear uncle, and don’t have any of your boats stove in, or any of your men hurt.” “Ay, ay; good-bye!” kiss the captain sprang into his boat an the command to “ give way !” The light vessels darted with arrowy swift- ness from the ship's side, and, a moment after- wards, the bow of each was heading for the floes. Alice then ran to the bulwarks, and stood watching the boats with a vague feeling of un- easiness that she had never before experienced. In the meantime the four boats continued to recede rapidly from the ship, and presently the young girl perceived that they were upon the outer edge of the ice-field. A few minutes and with a Sgt issued later their crews had worked them so far’ among the bergs that they were out of sight. Alice was then on the point of moving in the direction of the companion-way, when she felt a hand upon her arm. Turning, she beheld a face and figure, the singular appearance of which we shall at once describe. The face, which was that of a man about forty years of age, was very large and square, with enormous ears, round, twinkling blue eyes, & flat nose, and a pair of lips that kept moving from side to side, producing a ludicrous effect upon the whole countenance. An old- fashioned pigtail, carefully tied near its ex- tremity, and well greased with whale oil, hung from the back of the head, keeping time with the movements of the wearer, and giving to the huge glazed sou’-wester that crowned his skull the appearance of a very unnatural animal, with | a black shell and a long tail. His figure was not unlike that of a cask, while the arms were of enormous length. The legs, on the con- trary, were very short. The dress of this person, besides the sou’-wester alluded to, con- sisted of a guernsey—so profusely ornamented CORMICLOOKS. EO