The American sailors were among the Norwegians, and when they saw the stars and stripes fluttering from one of the Ranger’s masts, they set up a loud cheer.
Both captains then hailed Frank, asking what sort of craft the flying ice ship was, and he told them and asked:
“Has the Red Eric, of Boston, arrived here yet?”
“No, sir,” replied one of the captains; “but as we know she is coming here, we are on the lookout for her daily.”
“Is the captain a friend of yours?”
“Oh, no; nor any one else’s, for that matter,” replied the whaler. “He’s a very ugly man, who is not liked very much by any one.”
“I’m glad to hear that, for he certainly is a bad man, and I can prove it. He was paid to shanghai a boy whom he has got aboard his vessel, and we are going to help the lad to escape.”
“It’s just like him. But how did it come about?”
Frank detailed Walter Grey’s history.
At its conclusion, he added: