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White Czar: A Story of a Polar Bear

<h2>CHAPTER XI THE WRECK</h2> The day following the capture of the White Czar the Eskimos arrived at their summer quarters and again set up their cloth tents. Eiseeyou at once went ashore to see that all was well with his little family. That afternoon when he returned to the ship, Mr. Adams, the head of the expedition surprised Eiseeyou very much by telling him that they were to start on the return trip on the morrow, and that if he wished, Eiseeyou and little Oumauk might go with them as far as Quebec. This would save them passage money and also save time. Eiseeyou was overjoyed at this news. He thanked the white man in his broken English and then hastened away to tell his kooner and to get Oumauk. [Pg 149] When he undertook to explain to Oumauk the nature of their trip, the boy was much surprised. He could not understand that his eyes were sick, and that was what made the long night. He had thought all the time that the light in the stone lamp and the light in the sun and moon had gone out, while he was all right. This had been his first fancy, and Eiseeyou had let him keep it, thinking it would be easier to bear in that way. When he was told that the great doctor at Quebec might again make his eyes see, he became happy for the first time in many months. When in addition to that he was told that he was to go on a great ship far away over the ocean, he was much excited. "I wish I knew one thing before I go," he said when they were helping him dress for the journey. "I had a bad dream last night. I dreamed that Whitie was in trouble. I saw him in my dream just as I used to. He was on an island eating a seal pup. Then a man came upon the island and scared him away. Then Whitie started to swim but some bad men chased him in a boat that didn't have any sail and they did not paddle it, but it just went and went by itself. Poor Whitie swam and swam just as fast as he could, but they caught up to him and threw a rope and caught him by the neck. Then Whitie fighted and fighted, but they pulled on the rope and choked him. They choked and choked until Whitie was almost dead. Then they pulled him up into another ship as large as a mountain and put him in a great box and he laid down and cried and cried and cried. Then I woke up and I was crying too." [Pg 150] "Have you seen Whitie?" asked the Eskimo boy with tears in his eyes, pulling at Eiseeyou's sleeve. The Eskimo was dumfounded at this account of Oumauk's dream, for it corresponded almost perfectly to what had happened the day before. Like all Eskimos he was very superstitious, and this had a sort of supernatural appearance to him. So he crossed himself before replying. Then he answered warily. "Yes, I saw Whitie. He was eating a seal pup. He was all right." "Is he all right now?" insisted Oumauk, his voice trembling with excitement. [Pg 151] "Yes," replied poor Eiseeyou, "Whitie is all right." Oumauk sighed contentedly. "O I am so glad. Now we will go to the city and see the great doctor and he will make my eyes well, and the light will come back to the sun." He laughed gleefully, something that he had not done for a long time, and Eiseeyou was much relieved. Toward night Oumauk and Eiseeyou said goodbye to the rest of the family, and two other Eskimo men rowed them out to the ship in one of the Eskimo boats. As Eiseeyou climbed up the steps with little Oumauk in his arms and finally set his foot upon the firm deck, the boy cried out excitedly, and what he said made Eiseeyou go pale beneath his swarthy skin. "Oh, oh," cried Oumauk, sniffing the air again and again, "I smell Whitie. I smell Whitie. Has he been on this ship?" Eiseeyou knew that his race have a very keen sense of smell almost akin to that possessed by many Indians, but that Oumauk would have noted the musty smell of the great bear so soon amazed him. [Pg 152] "Whitie was on the island eating a seal pup, when I saw him," he said. "You must not get so excited about him. Just think about the doctor and your eyes being made well." Eiseeyou hastened with Oumauk to the cabin where he put him in his bunk and told him that night was coming on and he must rest. After the Eskimo boy had eaten a supper of the white man's food, he asked his father to take him out upon the deck; but Eiseeyou refused, fearing that he would hear the great bear who was still moaning and sighing in his cage at one end of the ship. The following morning Mr. Adams informed Eiseeyou that the White Czar refused all food, and that he was afraid he would die. "In that case," continued Mr. Adams, "we will not get the large sum of money that we had expected for him alive, so we could not pay you so much." [Pg 153] At these words Eiseeyou's heart sank. Perhaps there would not be money enough for them to see the doctor after all. Maybe their trip would be for nothing. He could not take the little Oumauk back unless he had brought the joy of living again to his face. He must see the doctor. The White Czar must live. "You say your son can do anything with him," continued Mr. Adams. "Perhaps he could coax him to eat. I would try it if I were you. We must keep him alive for both our sakes." So Eiseeyou set himself the hard task of telling Oumauk. He had never lied to his son before, and he did not know how to account for his untruth. But love makes us all strong, so Eiseeyou went bravely through it. He explained to Oumauk at length how necessary it was for them to see the doctor, and how much money it took. He told him that Mr. Adams had offered a large sum of money if he would help him catch the bear, and that all their happiness depended on it. Oumauk listened stoically as is the way with his people, then asked simply: "Must Whitie be shut up all his life so that I can see the sun again?" [Pg 154] "Yes, I'm afraid so," returned Eiseeyou. "Is Whitie happy? Does he like to be shut up?" "No," said Eiseeyou truthfully. "He is very unhappy and he does not like to be shut up. He is so unhappy that he will not eat." "Then I will let him out. I do not want to see if Whitie is to be sorry all the time." Eiseeyou then explained very patiently that this was impossible, as he had told the white man he would help him. He also said that many white children would love Whitie once he arrived at Quebec, and that he would be happy when he got used to the white men's ways. But he must eat now. Do you want to feed him a fish? Oumauk's mind was diverted by this thought so they at once proceeded to the cage where the great white bear still lay with his head between his paws groaning and sighing. "Oh, Whitie, Whitie, Oumauk is here. He has come," cried the child. At the sound of the childish voice the White Czar raised his mighty head and looked at the boy. [Pg 155] "Oumauk is here. He will give you a fine fish," repeated the boy. To the amazement and horror of Mr. Adams, who stood by watching the proceedings curiously, the boy thrust his small hand through the planks towards the mighty jaw of the bear. "Stop, stop," cried the white man. "For God's sake, don't let him put his hands in there. That brute will bite them off." "O no," said Eiseeyou. "I am not afraid. They are old friends." To the astonishment of every one, the mighty bear arose and stood on all fours; then, reaching out his head, he licked the hands of Oumauk with his long, supple red tongue. Then Oumauk passed his hands over the bear's face and he seemed as delighted as a dog. When Oumauk had petted and talked to Whitie for a while, a fish was brought and to the surprise of every one but Eiseeyou, the bear took the fish and ate it greedily. [Pg 156] After this Oumauk spent most of his time by the side of the White Czar's cage, petting him and talking to him. All went well with the little expedition for about a week, and then the unexpected happened. The course they were pursuing was entirely out of any steamship lane. Only sealing and whaling vessels and an occasional revenue cutter ever traversed this dangerous portion of the Seven Seas. Their course lay in almost the same direction as that of the icebergs that had been breaking away from the northern icefloe for several weeks and drifting away southward to mingle and melt in the great Atlantic. The floe of the bergs had nearly ceased, but hardly a day passed but that they saw many small cakes of ice. So for the past week they had kept a sharp lookout for these hidden dangers to unsuspecting ships. It was about twelve o'clock on the eighth day from Eskimo Village and The Spray was off the Newfoundland banks. [Pg 157] It was a rather dark night, and the lookout at his post could see little, but he kept up an intense listening. Icebergs are often detected by sound, and also by a chilliness in the air. But no such sign was observed. Suddenly, without the slightest warning, the ship experienced a shock that shook her from stem to stern. She quivered and shuddered, and then there was a grinding, grating sound along her side. Then she seemed to sheer off from the berg and continue on her way. She had been going at half speed, and the engineer immediately stopped his engine in order to take an inventory of damages. But old Neptune almost immediately informed them, as the water began flowing freely into the small engine room. Every one in the cabin reached for as many clothes as he could get in both hands, without taking too much time, and started for the deck. Eiseeyou caught little Oumauk in his arms and hurried with him after the white men. [Pg 158] On deck all was excitement. The crew were already preparing to lower the motor boat. Luckily it was a large one and could easily accommodate the dozen men of the crew. The ship had already listed badly, and in twenty minutes she had begun to sink rapidly. There seemed nothing to do but to trust to the motor boat. The sea was not very rough, but no one could tell what it would be like in a few hours. There was one thing however on which the captain pinned much hope. His boat "The Spray" was rigged with wireless and they at once sent out their S.O.S. cry for help, giving the latitude and longitude of the stricken ship as well as they could. Little Oumauk was rather sleepy and did not at first appreciate what had happened. But when Eiseeyou went down the ladder to the motor boat with him, his suspicions were aroused. "Where are we going?" he asked. "Are we leaving the ship? "Yes," replied Eiseeyou. "The ship is leaking. We are going to travel in the small boat for a while." "Are we going to take Whitie with us?" asked Oumauk excitedly. Eiseeyou had foreseen the question and had his answer ready. [Pg 159] "O no, we can't," he returned. "Our boat is too small. If the ship sinks, Whitie will float away in his cage all right. By and by he will reach the shore, and then he will strike off one of the planks and get out. Perhaps he will get back to Eskimo Land before we do." "Do you think Whitie wants to go back to Eskimo Land?" asked Oumauk, diverted by this idea. "Yes, I guess he does. He is all right, so don't bother." Secretly, however, Eiseeyou felt certain that the white czar would sleep at the bottom of the ocean. If it had been day and Oumauk had been fully awake, he would probably have asked many more perplexing questions and might have gotten at the truth. But he was very tired and sleepy, and soon his head lay back against Eiseeyou's shoulder and he slept. But Eiseeyou himself was far from sleepy. In his own mind he was much troubled. Like all the rest of his race he was very superstitious. Ever since the capture of the great bear he had brooded over the event. Secretly he felt certain that this wreck had been caused by his treachery to The White Czar. [Pg 160] Perhaps even the bear himself had brought it about, but more probably the god that controlled the wild creatures had brought it upon them. So marked is the Eskimo's superstition that when he kills the first narwal of the season, he makes an offering to the god of hunting and especially that of the narwal, in order that he may have good luck for the rest of the season. The motor boat had barely gotten out of sight when the ship listed sharply on the port side and to the front. This caused the White Czar's cage, which had been propped up on some timbers, to start sliding down the deck. Just as the ship ended up and the bow started to sink, the cage struck the rail and, due partly to the frantic effort of the bear turned a complete somersault and landed right side up on the water. Then a great wave swept it fifty feet away from the ship. This was very fortunate for the Czar, for otherwise the cage might have been drawn down by the suction of the sinking ship. But another wave caught the cage before the ship finally floundered and carried it still further away. Then the ship sank and the only object of the entire expedition that was left in sight was the great bear, floating knee deep in the cold water in his wooden cage. [Pg 161] When the Czar first felt the icy water on his shaggy legs he was glad. A sense of life and freedom thrilled him. This freezing water was his native element. True he was still surrounded by this hateful cage, which narrowed his world down to twelve feet in one direction and eight in the other, but he felt certain that it would float away. The waters which had always befriended him would help him. Then he remembered with a shudder his last experience in the water—the men and the motor boat and the rope that had nearly strangled him, and the courage in his great stout heart wavered. Perhaps he was not going to escape after all. [Pg 162] The bottom of his cage had been made perfectly tight, so that it now acted as a raft. The water was two feet deep in the cage due to the weight of the bear and the top of the cage, but that was no hardship to him. But the clumsy cage did not keep facing the seas as did the motor boat a mile away, so when it came into the trough, the water was four feet deep instead of two. Even so it would have gone rolling over and over but that the great shaggy beast inside trimmed it and steadied it just as cleverly as a man would have a fractious canoe. The art of balancing he was master of. He had learned it by sailing for miles upon rocking cakes of ice. What brute cunning could do to keep the cage right side up and from swamping, he could be trusted to do. But gradually it water soaked and came up from the wettings in the trough of the sea less and less buoyantly. Finally the water in the cruel cage was up to the bear's sides. Truly his plight was getting desperate. At last when the water came up to his shoulders and he even had to swim a few strokes occasionally in the cruel cage, Eiseeyou's prophecy seemed about to be fulfilled. It certainly looked as though he would sleep in the Atlantic. Meanwhile the motor boat was having her troubles. The man at the wheel did not try to make any particular direction, but simply kept her headed towards the regularly rolling waves. He knew if she once got in the trough she might be capsized. So all the power was used to keep her facing the sea. Every time she rose on the top of a high wave, the propeller would be out of water and would spin like a top. [Pg 163] Then she would come down into the water again and the engine would resume its labored panting. The men talked but little. No one knew what the outcome of this disaster might be. Eiseeyou sat in the stern of the boat with Oumauk in his arms, listening for the regular resounding slap of each succeeding wave on the bows of the little craft. As the hours wore wearily on, he noted that the swells were getting higher and higher and the sound when they struck the boat louder. Their plight was certainly desperate. It was just a gamble whether they would be picked up before the seas engulfed them. [Pg 164] Finally a grey streak appeared in the east and they hailed it with joy. Eagerly the eyes of the little party watched the grey streak widen and take on color, until finally the golden rim of the sun came up out of the sea and it was daylight. Then to their great joy they discovered a three masted gasoline-driven fishing vessel coming towards them. She had evidently not seen them, so they at once set their signal of distress. Soon she answered and in twenty minutes was alongside. "Ship Ahoy!" called a nasal voice from the fishing vessel, as soon as they came in hailing distance of the motor boat. "What shall I do for you? Haul you aboard?" "Ay, ay, that's just what we are looking for. But perhaps you had better take some of our passengers off first. We are pretty heavily loaded and have shipped a lot of water." So The Three Bells, from Marble Head, owned and handled by Silas Perkins, Esq., manœuvered until she was in position and then threw the motor boat a line. Finally she was made fast to the schooner and her passengers successfully transferred to the fishing boat, which reeked with the smell of salt fish. [Pg 165] "Well, well," cried Captain Silas Perkins, as he viewed the sorry-looking men, "you are a rather watersoaked-looking lot. But I guess some hot coffee will make a difference." "But say captain," he asked, grinning broadly, "you hain't lost a bear, have you? A gol-durned big one." "A bear!" cried Mr. Adams in astonishment, "I, I,——" "Oh, oh," cried little Oumauk, who had been listening intently, "where is Whitie? I know Whitie is lost." "Why, yes, I am reminded," replied Mr. Adams. "I had entirely forgotten our prize passenger. Yes, Mr. Captain, perhaps we have lost a bear. What's your item?" "Fust," said Captain Perkins, "let me ax you a question or two. Did your ship strike another ship, or a berg, or something, and flounder in latitude fifty degrees, eighteen minutes and forty seconds, and longitude fifty degrees and ten minutes or thereabouts?" [Pg 166] "That was just about where we were when we struck," said the captain of the unfortunate Spray, "I believe that was the S.O.S. I sent out." "Good!" cried Captain Perkins. "For once my Eben's plaything has done some one some good. "You see my boy Eben is a dabster at wireless an' when we came off on this here voyage, he said as how he wanted to rig up a wireless. So I said, 'Go ahead. I guess it won't do any harm.' Well, last night he said as how the stuff was aflyin' around pretty thick an' as how he wanted to set up for a spell an' see what he could hear. So he happened to be a listinin' in, as he calls it, when you hollered for help. An' by jimmerny crickets! he managed to get your position just right. We was only a few miles to the south, so we headed straight for your call. When we got there, as near as we could calculate, we didn't see a durn thing, but just a great sort of pig pen cage floating about with a gol-darned great polar bear aswimmin' about inside it. It had only sunk about two feet in the water, and he was standin' inside the cage as prompt as you please, headed directly for the United States." [Pg 167] "O, O," cried Oumauk. "Whitie is drowned. I know he is; Whitie is drowned." "Ef Whitie is what you call that great brute, he ain't drowned by a jugful. But he did get a good wetting. You see, men, it came about this way." "My mate, Hank Jones, is allus a-dasting me to do suthing out of the ordinary. He is allus makin' fun of my mechanics. You see, I am a mechanical genius. So when Hank saw this bear, he dasted me to rig a pulley and pull him on board, cage and all. An' I tuck Hank's dast and had him aboard in about fifteen minutes. He is as high and dry as a salt codfish this very minute, there in the stern of the Three Bells." "Oh, oh," cried Oumauk. "I am so glad Whitie is not drowned, and we can all go to Quebec just as we planned." <hr class="chap" /> [Pg 168] <div style="break-after:column;"></div>

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