While we were loading, the schooner was brought round.
Wade must have got in a pretty heavy charge; for the report was a stunner.
"Load again," said Kit; "and put in a ball this time. Let's load the rifle too."
The captain turned and regarded us doubtfully, then looked off toward the ship. "The Curlew" was driving lazily forward, and, crossing the channel between the island under which we had been lying and the ice-field, passed slowly along the latter at a distance of a hundred and fifty or two hundred yards. We thus had the ice-island between us and the possibly hostile ship. With our glasses we now watched her movements attentively. A number of officers were on the quarter-deck.
"You don't call that a ship-of-war?" Wade said at length.
"Oh, no!" replied the captain; "though it is probably an armed ship. All the company's ships go armed, I've heard."
"There!" exclaimed Kit. "They're letting down a boat!"
"That's so!" cried Wade. "They're going to pay us a visit sure!"
"They probably don't want to trust their heavy-laden ship up here among the islands," said the captain.
"It's their long-boat, I think," said Kit. "One, two, three, four, five!—why, there are not less than fifteen or twenty men in it! And see there!—weapons!"