It was to combat that “if” that Renaud squatted beside the tangled mass of wires and jars and metal scraps which he prayed would act the part of a radio sender. Anyway, the thing sparked! There was some power to it!
All in a tremble he raised his finger to tap the first code click over radio adrift in the Arctic. Foyn, the name of their nearest land, that was the first word to send.
“F-O-Y-N on the air, F-O-Y-N—” and that was all Renaud’s radio clicked. For with a shout of anguish tearing up through his throat, he sprang to his feet, overturning the radio in a tangled mass of loosed wire and broken battery, and sped towards the ice edge.
Van Granger had been lying on a pallet of furs at the water’s edge where he could entertain himself with trying for fish with a piece of twisted aluminum for a hook. Being still weak and sick, he had fallen asleep. In a lane of sea water, not twenty feet from the sick man, Lee had glimpsed a dark form gliding under the surface. In the next instant, thirty feet of sea monster rolled to the surface, all hideous saw-toothed black snout, and leaped high out of the water towards the ice edge.
CHAPTER XXI
KILLERS OF THE ARCTIC
“Help! Scotty! Killer whales!” screamed Lee, plunging forward, striving to pull pallet, sick man and all back from the edge of the ice.
At Lee’s shout, the sea monster slid back into the depths. But not for long! There came a swish, a puff. Out of the water was thrust again the huge black snout, in which were set two wicked little eyes.
Other black snouts were thrust above water. Ten, maybe twenty killers rolled surfacewards and spouted.
Scotty was beside young Renaud now, helping him drag the sick man back and back from the water’s edge. Their hearts throbbed painfully. It had been a close call. Another instant and the sea killer would have snatched off the helpless victim and sunk to the chill, dark depths to gorge itself on a meal of human meat.
“Hi, ya! Sea wolves! Tigers of the sea!” Such were the epithets Scotty hurled forth as he shook his fist at the sinister black crew that kept rising at the ice edge, sinking, rising again to glare with ravenous, evil eyes at meat that had moved out of reach.