Radio Boys in the Secret Service; Or, Cast Away on an Iceberg

by J. W. Duffield

In the course of the day the weather became somewhat warmer and there was even pleasantness in the sun’s rays when one stood still and received their full benefit. About noon the fire was put out in order to save fuel. This proved to be a happy move for another reason, as it was found that there were still enough raft boards to cover a considerable floor space in their new refuge, and they were used for this purpose. Several of the passengers of the rafts had brought mackintoshes and overcoats with them when they left the liner, vaguely hopeful of being able to use the garments later for their comfort. Guy, it will be remembered, was one of these, and when the question arose relative to the arrangement of sleeping quarters on the floor of the ice-cave, it was decided to use these articles of wearing apparel to supplement the board flooring. The Eskimos came over and offered suggestions and loaned them a bear-skin, which the Greenlanders found they could spare. Also they pointed out their “driftwood mine,” which, as a result of some more hard labor, yielded a considerable supply of fuel.

Meanwhile a constant lookout for vessels was maintained from the head of the stairway over the iceberg. Guy and Watson had the last hour’s watch before nightfall. But no “sail” was sighted, nor did a long black trail from a steamer’s funnel reward their vigilance.

That night was passed with fairly good comfort in the cave. The entrance was almost closed with blocks of ice, only a small hole being left for ventilation. These blocks were held in place by horizontal boards slipped into grooves that had been cut in the “jambs” of the doorway. There were three of these boards, or shelf-like supports, so that it was possible to remove one section individually and crawl or creep in or out without disturbing the others. Inside, a watch was kept constantly for the purpose of feeding the small fire on a “grate” of metal cylinders and to listen for a breaking of the iceberg and indications of a change of its equilibrium.

There was a good deal of restlessness on the part of the women and some of the men that night, but finally they fell asleep and all was quiet thereafter until morning. Guy and Carl awoke at daybreak and were the first to go out and look around. There was little change in the weather except that the air was rather colder and the sky more cloudy. However the sun shone through a break in the east.

Several of the men also soon emerged from the cave, bringing with them the fishing tackle, which they baited and cast into the water. In order that they might not have to stand long in one spot on the ice, the fishers moved large pieces of ice near the water’s edge, anchored them in rough places, and tied the lines around them. With the lines thus set they were able to exercise sufficiently to keep warm and at the same time watch for a “bite.” The lookout at the top of the stairway also was renewed, while all who had nothing in particular to do remained much of the time within the more comfortable confines of the cave.

Watson was still generally recognized as leader of the shipwrecked party, with Prof. Anderson a sort of lieutenant. Both were consulted a good deal, and the fact that they maintained a cheerful attitude aided much in buoying the spirits of the others.

“I think we’re safe for several days unless we’re blown through the Labrador Current into the Gulf Stream,” remarked Prof. Anderson on one occasion when he and Watson and Guy and Carl were alone together.

“I was thinking of that yesterday,” said Guy, who had read a good many sea tales and exploration accounts. “If we get in the Gulf Stream, the iceberg’ll begin to melt pretty fast, and before long it’ll crack and explode and that’ll be the end of us.”

“Yes,” agreed the professor; “but it’ll be an undermining process first. When we get in water that is warmer than the atmosphere, the submerged part of the iceberg will melt more rapidly than the part exposed to the air, and as by far the greater part of the iceberg, is under water, it needn’t take long to alter the center of gravity. When that happens, over we go.”

“When are we likely to hit the Gulf Stream?” asked Guy.