“Why, that an English gentleman, with youth on his side, ought to be able to go anywhere and do anything.”
“Bravely spoken,” cried Allan.
“Bravely indeed,” said Ralph; “but father added that in this great cruise of ours we must not be rash.”
“We will look upon that wish of your father’s,” said Allan, “as a sacred command, never to be broken.”
“That will we,” said Rory, enthusiastically.
“And he advised us, when thoroughly fitted and ready for sea, not to go right up icewards all at once, but to take Shetland on our way.”
“That would indeed be nice,” said Rory. “I’ll warrant we’ll find many things well worth seeing in both places.”
“Yes,” said Ralph, “and he says we should then bear up for Baffin’s Bay, and not attempt the far northern ice till we have done some exploring there, and got acclimatised, and well versed in the knowledge and nature of the ice. ‘Working a ship,’ he says, ‘among ice is very different from ordinary seamanship.’ But look, there is father down in the courtyard, playing with the dogs. Let us all go down and join him.”