rd had gone
out that Professor Peterkin, the great Swedish traveller, was off to find
the North Pole!

And all believed that he would find it. Some of the sailors even went so
far as to say that he would bring it back with him rigged up as a mast of
his ship!

But by the time eight bells had rung out all was quiet. The hands had
turned in, and only Tom and two men were left on watch.

"Go forward," said Tom, "and have a cup of coffee and a smoke, and I'll
see to the safety of the ship here at the gangway."

The men took the young officer at his word, and it was not very long ere
their smoke was finished, and they, too, were fast asleep. Had any other
eyes than Tom's been watching the shore, about half an hour afterwards,
they must have noticed that something very strange was taking place.

Dark figures could be seen drawing near with stealthy footsteps to the
farther end of the gangway. Then they stopped as if in fear and dread.
But Tom whistled a long, low whistle, and three figures, muffled in
oil-skins, stole along the gangway and stepped silently on deck.

Then Tom sprang a small bull's-eye lantern, and let its light shine right
in front of him, so that no one meeting him could have told who or what
was stealing up behind. In the same quiet way he led the little party
down a ladder to the deck below, and then beneath hammocks filled with
sleeping sailors, and along a passage, until he came to a door, which he
carefully unlocked, and soon afterwards locked again.

[Illustration]

* * * * *

By midnight next night the _Valhalla_ was far out at sea, bearing to the
north, for Captain Staysail did not mean to touch at any of the English
or Scotch ports on this voyage.

The weather at first was very beautiful, and so it remained, with a calm
sea and hardly a breath of wind, until nearly sunset of the second day.
Then clouds began to bank up, dark and threatening, and the glass--so
Webb, the first mate, reported to the captain--was going tumbling down.

"We are going to have a blow, sir," he said, "and it's coming up sharp
behind us. I reckon, sir, we'll have a ten-knotter afore the middle watch
is called!"

"Well, then, have the fires banked, Mr. Webb, as soon as the wind is
strong enough to get way on her. I wouldn't set too much sail, and if it
does come a gale, I'd ease her right away. You know what she can do,
Mate."

"Ay, ay, sir!"

"Well, I think that's all."

But t