“Certainly, but be careful. If you aren’t used to climbing aloft, you might get a nasty fall. Take these glasses, but be careful of them.”
Henry slipped the binoculars into the pocket of his coat, buttoned that garment tight, and started up the forward mast. He soon found that the quartermaster had told the truth. The rolling of the ship had seemed bad enough on the deck, but up the mast it seemed a hundred times worse, and the higher Henry went, the more violently the ship seemed to roll.
In a sense Henry was right. His position was now like that of an inverted pendulum. When the ship rolled to one side, he was carried far out by the mast, until at times his body hung over the open sea, beyond the side of the ship. Then as the ship righted and rolled in the opposite direction, Henry’s body shot through a wide arc and out over the other side of the vessel, for the ship was rolling at times at an angle of more than twenty degrees. At the first big roll Henry was almost frightened. He felt himself going, going, going, and he was sure the mast was going to give way and go on over with him, pitching him into the briny deep. But just when he was sure the Iroquois must be turning over, she righted herself with a snap like the lash of a whip. Henry’s grasp was almost broken. He could hardly keep his feet on the ladder-rungs, either. Tightening his grip, he mounted upward as fast as he could, and presently found himself safe in the crow’s-nest. He sighed with relief. As long as the mast stood, he knew he was safe here.
Intently now he swept the northern horizon with his glasses. Soon he noticed a ship, but a moment’s study showed him it was heading out to sea. Astern of her he soon saw another vessel. That one, too, was outward bound. But when he brought his glasses farther around toward land, he espied a steamer heading inward. He studied her intently. He thought she was sailing in a long diagonal, as though to cross the course of the Iroquois. For fifteen minutes he watched her. By this time both ships had traveled some miles, and the strange ship was much nearer. Her great bow wave showed she was being driven hard. There could be no doubt as to her course being diagonal with their own. The men on the bridge could now see her, too, so Henry pocketed his glasses and carefully climbed down again.
“I guess that’s the Viking,” said the quartermaster. Henry was surprised to find how little could yet be seen of the ship from the bridge.
“Couldn’t we find out by wireless?” asked Henry.
“Sure. We can ask Sparks to give ’em a call.”
“I’ll do it,” said Henry, and he skipped down to the wireless shack. He never overlooked any opportunity to see the wireless man work his key.
At Henry’s request, the wireless man gladly agreed to call the Viking. He threw over his switch and pressed the key, and Henry sat fascinated as he saw the bright flashes leap and crackle with the pressure of the key.
“WXY—WXY—WXY—de—NTE,” called the operator.