“That’s fine,” exclaimed Watson, seizing the tool. “One man can cut a big hole in the ice with it in a few hours. Come on, let’s get to work.”
With the professor and Watson again in the lead, the visitors filed back over the ice-mountain stairway to their own camp. There they found the women and children huddling around the fire and looking despairingly unhappy.
“Cheer up,” urged Watson heartily. “We’ve brought good news. There’s a couple of Eskimos on the other side of the iceberg, and they’ve given us some hooks and lines to fish with and a tool to dig some caves in the ice. We’re going to be all right now until a rescue ship finds us.”
A full account was given to the women regarding the discovery on the other side of the iceberg, and they became more hopeful as they watched the energetic activities of some of the men. While several began an attack with the Eskimo tool and other improvised implements on a wall of ice, several others went down near the water’s edge and threw the baited hooks as far out into the water as the lines would reach. With bits of wood for floats, the hooks were kept ten feet or more from the wall of ice under the water.
Watson was proving that corpulence is not necessary for the greatest physical efficiency in a cold climate. With his tall, angular, “meatless” frame, he was perhaps the most vigorous in the entire party. He was ever ready with a word of cheer or advice in an emergency. Probably he saved one or more of the men from an uncomfortable ducking when he offered this suggestion before the lines were thrown into the water:
“Everybody dig a hole in the ice to brace his feet in. If we catch any fish here, they’re liable to be big ones, and they’ll pull us in if our feet slip.”
The fishermen followed this advice, using pocketknives to cut the ice and selecting rough, jagged places in which to sink their footholds. Then they angled for an hour without success, and some of the men began to show signs of impatience. But these discontented ones had taken no part in the activities of the morning, merely standing around and scowling when they were not forced to exercise in order to keep warm. One of them, Guy noticed, was Mr. Gunseyt, and three others were seamen. There were six, all told, who were conspicuously dissatisfied, and they were observed several times grouped together and conversing in a manner that indicated no working sympathy with the rest.
“I’m afraid we’re going to have trouble with those fellows,” Watson remarked to Guy as the two stood watching the anglers ready to lend a hand should a powerful fish swallow a hook.
“I’m surprised at Mr. Gunseyt,” said Guy slowly. “And yet, I’m not either. He’s the strangest contradiction I ever heard of. Have you noticed that funny change in his voice lately? He doesn’t talk very much now.”
“Yes, I noticed it.”