In that minute Bobby did some rapid thinking. What if this man were leading him into some sort of a trap? Nothing, however, could be much worse than the present state of affairs. And it was barely possible that the man was friendly—that he would tell him something to his advantage—perhaps help him to escape.
He nodded and, turning, followed the man down the steep steps of the companionway.
To his surprise, he was not led aft to the quarters of the men, but forward in the general direction of the captain’s quarters.
Was it a trap, after all, then? He still had time to turn, to get out of it. But where could he go on this ship, he thought, where the captain could not find him and do what he would with him?
All this time they had been making their way swiftly forward, the Eskimo moving with surprising swiftness, considering his girth.
Once they heard steps coming toward them, and with a guttural exclamation the Eskimo motioned Bobby into the shadow of a doorway. There they both waited till the man went by.
The latter was tall and grizzled and there was a scowl on his face as though he were engrossed in none-too-pleasant thought. He passed so near that Bobby, by reaching out his hand, might have touched him. With an audible intake of breath, Bobby recognized the captain.
So his errand was not with the captain, after all.
More puzzled than ever and beginning to feel a tremendous excitement, he left his hiding place and once more followed the Eskimo.
They came to a door which the Eskimo opened without knocking, and the latter motioned Bobby into the room. It was a cabin, and rather a spacious one at that, possessed of all the necessary furnishings.