And all the while the men were busy below, hurrying on the furnaces and adding to the darkness astern by making the low, wide funnel send out a great black cloud of smoke, which, instead of trailing astern like a plume, gathered together and followed the vessel, shutting off the view northward, save when one of the chilling blasts dispersed it, driving it onward and leaving all clear.
“Getting snug by degrees,” said the captain, joining the two idlers for a few moments before hurrying off in a fresh direction. “If it will hold up another quarter of an hour, I think we shall be ready to say to it, ‘Do your worst.’”
“Oh, it will last that time.”
The captain did not answer, but went to where the men were furling a sail, and he had hardly reached them when a puff of wind seemed to dash down and seize the portion of the great fore-and-aft canvas unsecured, fill it out balloon-fashion, and swing round the heavy yard, which was about to be laid along the top, level with the boom below.
Two men went backwards on the deck.
“Two more hands here!” roared the captain. “Lay on to it, my lads;” and as two of the Norwegians sprang to help, and the two men who had been sent sprawling on the deck regained their feet, Steve shouted, “Come on, Mr Handscombe!” and ran and climbed on to the swinging yard to help bear it down.
Five minutes’ hard fight, and the sail was bound down with its yard firmly on to the great boom which lay horizontally level with the bulwarks, and a stout rope was passed round and round and made fast before the next puff came. For these began to succeed each other more rapidly now, following the advance-guard of the boreal enemy like a band of skirmishers trying to make an easy way for the main army close upon their track.
The sail reduced, all but that which was absolutely necessary, and which, small as was its surface, was sufficient to make the Hvalross race along during the time the blasts endured, the captain directed his attention to the hatches’ battening down, spreading tarpaulins, and having them nailed over, till at last he turned to where the doctor and Steve stood gazing astern at the grim, black wall, which appeared to be following about a mile away.
“There,” he said, “I think we are ready for the fight now. A pretty good lesson this in having everything shipshape, so as to be prepared for emergencies.”
“I think it has been wonderful,” said the doctor. “How well the men seconded you!”