“See here, Iversen, they can’t hurt you, and nobody else’ll get hurt either if you tell. I can manage it then. There are eight officers here; surely there are some of the crew will join us! I’ll get all the mutineers, if you’ll name them, out on the ice on some pretext. I don’t care if they do go armed. Then we’ll haul in the gangway and from behind the bulwarks we can hold the ship! A couple of nights freezing on that ice will bring them round, all right! They’ll come cringing back, hands in the air, begging to be taken aboard. Out with it now! Who’s the leader?”
Iversen, more nervous than ever, shuffled to the door, opened it a crack to assure himself no one was eavesdropping outside, then faced us, and tremblingly blurted out,
“Sharvell!”
An amazing change came over the captain. He dropped into a chair, roared with laughter.
“Sharvell? That’s rich! That lad? He’s not even a man yet! Nobody’d follow him in a mutiny any more than a child! Hah, hah!” But abruptly he stopped laughing, for Iversen was now weeping hysterically, tears running down his coal-stained cheeks. Soberly De Long looked at him, then took me by the sleeve, pulled me aside a little, and whispered,
“I guess the mutiny on the Jeannette’s over, chief. I thought there was somebody crazy in it, and now I know who. Send for the doctor, quick! I’ll stay here with Iversen.” He started to light his pipe again.
“I’ve already got the steward out looking for him, captain,” I replied. “Ambler ought to be here any minute. And I guess you’re dead right, brother! Poor Iversen!”
It was so. Immediately Surgeon Ambler came aboard, we turned the weeping coalheaver over to him. An hour later, when, after a careful examination, Iversen under Cole’s surveillance had been led forward, he confirmed our fears. Iversen, if not already insane, was trembling on the border of it. Only observation over several days could prove which. De Long, much relieved at first by freedom from dread of any mutiny, was nevertheless badly enough depressed by the doctor’s report.
“First a blinded officer,” he muttered, “now a crazy seaman! What’ll this ice do to us next?”