Part 20 (1/2)

”What, that silvery-looking cloud over the ice? Does that mean wind?”

”I wish it did, Steve, so as to save our coal No, boy; itone; but you have had a taste of what an arctic fog can be like We nal, Johannes The _Hvalross_ must come on and pick us up, or we shall have to cast off our fish”

The nextwas hoisted in the bows to the end of one of the lance-poles, with the result that there was soon after a cloud of black s out of the steamer's funnel and an increase in the white water at her stern; but the boat went no faster, for the white whale was heavy, although theco on in the other boat,” said the captain impatiently ”Of course if we are shut in we shall be able to reach the _Hvalross_ We could do that by listening for their signals, which they would be sure to make; but I hate unnecessary anxiety, Steve, and it is very aard to be caught by one of these dense , and sat watching the other boat , like theency, Johannes and his brother Norsemen seated themselves and put out spare oars to help on the speed But the whale they were towing seemed to anchor them in one place; and at last, just as the steae cahtly, but the other boat grew dinified and set in a bluish opal

There was the long range of ice cliff, but it was curiously blue and undefined

”I say,” cried Steve suddenly, ”what's the matter with the _Hvalross_?”

He started froer upon the blue water,--there was no blue water,--but apparently twenty feet up in the air, and gradually rising higher till it was double the height, while the funnel, masts, and hull looked soft and swollen out of all proportion

”An optical illusion, my boy,” said the captain quietly ”Sit down

You have heard of refraction It is a peculiar state of the air I daresay we look the same to them Pull, my lads I'm afraid the mist will be down upon us before we can reach the shi+p Look at that”

Steve was already looking at the peculiar way in which their coht, till it was perfectly invisible; and yet it was clear about where they were, only for a few auzy film close by, into which they rowed, and as they passed completely in, the _Hvalross_ was almost hidden; five minutes later it was not to be seen

Theeachchill ca his mind as well as his body, and he quite started as the deep voice of Johannes said, the words sounding muffled:

”Keep your helm fast, sir We mustn't ht Steve, with a strange sense of dread creeping over him now like another and darker mist ”If we did miss her, what then?”

CHAPTER TWELVE

A STRANGE PERIL

It seee taken place Only a fewwith the blue sky above and the air perfectly clear; now everything was shut out, even Johannes in the bows of the boat looking indistinct from where Steve and the captain were seated in the stern

Captain Marsha of the Norseid, and he did not stir from his position

Steve was no experienced sailor, but he had seen plenty of the last fog, and as he sat there growing anxious the following problem presented itself to him after the fashi+on of the mathematical studies at school, and based on the difficulty of h as little better than black darkness Let A, B, and C represent the points of a triangle If three parties start together from those points to reach a common centre, and travel at different rates of speed, ill they ht Steve ”Why, the _Hvalross_ is steaht on and leave us behind This fog, too, may last for days”

”Keep cool, my lad,” said the captain in a low voice; ”we shall soon be on board Listen, and try if you can hear the beat of the propeller”

Those words sent a hopeful thrill through the boy, just as his spirits were getting very low indeed, and he leaned over the boat's side listening, but the regular dip, dip of the oars was all he could distinguish He did not speak; there was no need

”Steady!” cried the captain suddenly, and his voice sounded as if it were shut in ”Lie on your oars for a few moments Listen for the beat of the steaan to realise for the first ti of the word ”lost”

But no sound came to their ears from out of the mist which now surrounded therey cell just big enough to hold the boat

”Had we better cast off the fish, sir,” said Johannes at last, ”and pull hard?”

”No,” said Captain Marsham; ”matters are not so desperate as that

Here, Steve boy, your voice is the youngest and ood ahoy”