"Good-morning, sah!" said Jake Brown, who, strange as it may seem, was a tall and important-looking black man, with hair as white as snow.
"Have you seen Master Tom? He hasn"t been here all night. I slept too sound to take much notice."
"Sakes alive, no!" cried burly Jake. "I run and search de ship plenty quick." And away he went.
Webb was dressed and leaving his cabin when Jake returned. But neither high nor low, fore nor aft, could Tom be found, nor had he been seen since the main-topsail had carried away just before midnight.
The captain was now roused and the terrible news reported.
"Poor Tom! poor Tom! Washed overboard without a doubt!" he said.
Tom had been a great favourite on board, and the news caused a general gloom all over the ship.
But Broomberg and his mates received the news in another way.
"It is von unlucky ship," cried the former, "and did not those below hear the shrieking of the ghosts when the waves and wind were highest? Come we to the captain at once, men. I will not sail in a haunted ship. No, no."
Some minutes before eight bells rang out in the morning air, the captain on the quarter-deck, with Mr. Webb and the professor, were engaged in angry talk with Broomberg and his fellows.
"Return to your duty, men," the captain said. "I will make enquiries into the matter. As for you, Broomberg, hand over that knife you are fingering, and consider yourself under arrest."
"I will not," shouted the fellow. "See!"
He made a wild rush aft, holding the glittering blade high in air, and seized the professor by the neck.
But help from an unexpected quarter was at hand, and next moment Broomberg was sprawling on his back with Briton"s great paws on his chest.
Mutiny and ghosts and storm were at once forgotten. The men cheered wildly, Broomberg"s knife was s.n.a.t.c.hed from his hand, and he himself bound hand and foot, while everybody crowded round to shake hands with the little professor, or to pat the n.o.ble dog who had saved his life.
But suddenly joy was changed to terror, for shriek after shriek could be heard forward, and in a few seconds" time the cook rushed helter-skelter up on deck, almost pale with fright, followed by the men of the watch below.
"The ghosts!" somebody shouted.
The captain stood as if stupefied, the little professor"s eyes were as big as watch-gla.s.ses, and the mate had to catch hold of a back-stay to prevent himself from falling.
The whole crew now took to the rigging, and the only marvel is that some of them did not slip overboard and make food for the sharks.
"Look, look!--oh, look, sir!" shouted the mate with a cry like one in a nightmare; and the next moment he fainted and fell on the top of Broomberg the mutineer.
CHAPTER III
Two little girls, one little boy, and one little dog, all as black as chimney-sweeps, the girls with their arms in the air, now came wildly racing aft.
Tom himself, come back to life, was standing on the capstan waving his cap in the air, and cheering and laughing like a mad thing.
Aralia and Pansy reached the quarter-deck before anyone could say "knife", and, black as they were, sprang right into Captain Staysail"s arms, hugging him and kissing him.
"What!--what!--what!--" He tried to get out a sentence, but failed.
"Oh, I was so frightened, Unky dear, but I is so happy now!" cried Pansy.
"Bless my soul and body," cried Staysail at last, "how did all this happen?"
[Ill.u.s.tration]
Then he went forward a few paces, the little ones clinging to him all the time, and Veevee racing round the deck like a live m.u.f.f.
"Tom, you young rascal, jump down here at once. This is all your work.
Now, give a full account of it, sir."
"Oh, I do hope, Uncle, you"ll forgive me, but Frank and little Pansy and Aralia did want to come with us so much, that--that--!"
"That you took them as stowaways, eh?"
"I"m afraid that"s it, sir."
The captain pretended to be awfully angry, and said he would put about and land the lot at Aberdeen.
"In the meantime, go below, children, and get yourselves washed; the steward will see to you. Steward!"
"Ay, ay, sir, I"se heah, sah."
"Let Miss Aralia and Pansy have that spare cabin near mine. I"ll talk to you afterwards, Tom."
Tom hung his head in sorrow--so it seemed,--but it really was to hide a smile.
He got near enough to his sisters to say: "Keep up your p.e.c.k.e.r, Pansy, for there won"t be any Aberdeen about it."
In the spare cabin stood a big box that n.o.body had noticed before. Tom had smuggled it on board, and it contained his sisters" best things, and a full rig-out for them for the Arctic regions.
Sly old Tom!
He now stole into their cabin and gave them their clothes, and when Staysail came down to dinner at twelve, with his spy-gla.s.s under his arm, no wonder he cried: "Hillo! Hillo!"
For here were the three children, all mirth and smiles, seated beside Pete, and Tom, with head bowed down, waiting to take his seat.
"Hillo! Hillo! But what will your father and mother think, my dears?"
"Oh," cried Tom, "we made that all right! Father gave his consent, and he"ll easily manage Mother."
"Steward!" shouted the captain, and Jake came running. "Put the other half-leaf in the table to-night, and lay covers for three more, for these young ragam.u.f.fins must mess with us in future."
There was no more word about ghosts now, and the kind professor forgave the Finlander. He was set free and sent to duty, and now for weeks and weeks there wasn"t a much happier vessel afloat than the brave ship _Valhalla_ bound for the Frozen North.