There was little or no wind, or we should have weighed anchor and made off. After watching them a while longer, we went down to read.
But, about four, the captain called us. We went up.
"That was what they were waiting for," said he, pointing off the starboard quarter.
About a mile below the place where the Esquimaux were collected, a whole fleet of _kayaks_ were coming along the sh.o.r.e.
"Waiting for their boats," remarked the captain.
"They"re coming off to us!"
"Do you suppose they really have hostile intentions?" Raed asked.
"From their movements on sh.o.r.e, and their shouts and howls, I should say that it was not impossible. No knowing what notions they"ve got into their heads about the "black man.""
"Likely as not their priests, if they"ve got any, have told them they ought to attack us," said Wade.
"There are fifty-seven of those _kayaks_ and three _oomiaks_ coming along the sh.o.r.e!" said Kit, who had been watching them with a gla.s.s.
"Hark! The crowd on sh.o.r.e have caught sight of them! What a yelling!"
"I do really believe they mean to attack us," Raed observed. "This must be some nasty superst.i.tion on their part; some of their religious nonsense."
"Well, we shall have to defend ourselves," said Kit.
"Of course, we sha"n"t let them board us," replied Wade.
"Poor fools!" continued Raed. "It would be too bad if we have to kill any of them."
"Can"t we frighten them out of it in some way?" I inquired.
"Might fire on them with the howitzer," Kit suggested, "with nothing but powder."
"That would only make them bolder, when they saw that nothing came out of it," said Capt. Mazard.
"Put in a ball, then," said Kit.
"That would be as bad as shooting them here alongside."
"It might be fired so as not to be very likely to hit them," said Raed. "Couldn"t it, Wade?"
"Yes: might put in a small charge, and skip the ball, ricochet it along the water."
"Let"s try it," said Kit.
The howitzer was pushed across to the starboard side.
"Remember that there"s a pretty heavy charge in there now," said Wade.
"Better send that over their heads!"
The gun was accordingly elevated to near thirty degrees. Raed then touched it off. The Esquimaux, of course, heard the report; but I doubt if they saw or heard any thing of the ball. It doubtless went a thousand feet over their heads; and just then, too, the _kayaks_ and _oomiaks_ came up where they were standing, and a great hubbub was occasioned by their arrival.
"Try "em again!" exclaimed Donovan.
"Give them a skipping shot this time," said Wade.
A light charge of powder was then put in, with a ball, as before. The gun was not elevated this time; indeed, I believe Raed depressed it a few degrees. We watched with a great deal of curiosity, if nothing more, while Kit lighted a splint and touched the priming. A sharp, light report; and, a second later, the ball struck on the water off four or five hundred yards, and ricochetted,--skip--skip--skip--skip--_spat_ into the loose shingle on the beach, making the small stones and gravel fly in all directions. The Huskies jumped away lively. Very likely the pebbles flew with some considerable violence. But in a moment they were swarming about the _kayaks_ again, uttering loud cries. With the reenforcement they had just received, they numbered full a hundred or a hundred and fifty men. Should they make a determined effort to board us, we might have our hands full, or at least have to shoot a score or two of the poor ignorant wretches; which seemed a pitiable alternative.
"Load again!" cried Wade. "Let me try a shot!"
About the same quant.i.ty of powder was used as before. Wade did not depress the muzzle, if I recollect aright, at all. Consequently, on firing, the ball did not touch the water till near the sh.o.r.e, when it skipped once, and bounded to the beach, going among a whole pack of the howling dogs. A dreadful "_Ti-yi_" came wafted to our ears. One, at least, had been hit. With a gla.s.s we could see him writhing and jumping about. At this some of the crowd ran off up the ledges for several rods, and stood gazing anxiously off toward the schooner.
"Give "em another!" exclaimed the captain.
But, while we were loading, twenty or thirty got into their _kayaks_; and, one of the _oomiaks_ had eight or ten in it ere Wade was ready to give them a third shot. He depressed it three degrees this time. The ball hit the water about half way to the sh.o.r.e, and, skipping on, struck under the stem of a _kayak_, throwing it into the air, and, glancing against the side of the skin-clad _oomiak_, dashed it over and over. The crew were pitched headlong into the water. Pieces of the bone framework flew up. The skin itself seemed to have been turned wrong side out.
"Knocked it into a c.o.c.ked hat!" exclaimed Kit.
"I hope none of them were killed," said Raed.
"I can"t see that any of them were," remarked the captain. "They"ve all scrambled out, I believe. But it has scared them properly. Lord!
just see them _hake_ it, as Palmleaf says, up those rocks! Give "em another before they get over this scare. Knock their old _kayaks_ to pieces: that frightens them worst of any thing. Let me have a shot."
Reloading, the captain fired, smashing one end of another _oomiak_.
Men, women, and dogs had taken to their heels, and were scampering off among the hillocks. Kit then fired a ball at an elevation of twenty degrees, which went roaring over their heads: we saw them all looking up, then _haking_ it for dear life.
"Routed!" exclaimed Raed. "No blood shed either, except that dog"s."
"Poor puppy!" said Wade. "I can see him lying there. Wonder it hadn"t hit some of them."
"Well, it"s the best thing we could do," said Kit. "Even if some of them had been hit, it would be better than fighting them out here."
"Still, I am very glad not to have slaughtered any of the poor creatures," remarked Raed.
"Don"t say too much; they may come back," Capt. Mazard observed.
But, though there was not sufficient wind to enable us to get away till three o"clock the next day, we saw nothing more of them.
CHAPTER X.
The Dip of the Needle.--The North Magnetic Pole.--A _Kayak_ Bottom up, with its Owner Head down.--Ice-Patches.--Anchoring to an Ice-floe.--A Bear-hunt in the Fog.--Bruin charges his Enemies.--Soundings.--The Depth of the Straits.
Before we were up next morning "The Curlew" was on her way.
A great number of small islands, not even indicated on our chart, compelled us to veer to the southward during the forenoon.