Black
took a long look behind him to his Arctic home. There before us was the
black, towering, indented coast of Greenland, the bluff headlands of
gneiss, the beacons of snow all crimson in the playing colours of the
mighty arc; and away beyond them, the vista of the eternal stillness,
and the plain of death. A long look it was that the man of iron cast
then upon his wild habitation; a look almost prophetic in its sadness,
as if he knew that he should look upon it no more. A great farewell of
an iron heart, and the breakers sang the "Vale!" as the ship sped
onward to her deadly work.

CHAPTER XXI.

TO THE LAND OF MAN.

We dined that night in the saloon upon the deck, a commodious place
lighted by electricity, and in every way luxuriously fitted. The walls
of it were panelled in white and gold, and were covered with curious
designs, old heroes fighting, old gods drawn by lions at their
chariots; Bacchantes revelling, Jason seeking the fleece in a golden
barque; Orestes fleeing the Furies. The long seats were covered in
leather of a deep crimson, and there was a small piano, with many other
appointments that were significant. The dinner itself was admirably
served, and was partaken of by the deaf-and-dumb engineer, by the
doctor, the Scotsman, and myself. We were waited on by a couple of
negroes; and when the meats were removed we went above to an
exquisitely-furnished little smoking-room, and there drank rich brown
coffee and enjoyed some very fine cigars. I was all ears then to learn,
if I could, what was the destination of the ship; and I found that
Black talked without reserve before me, knowing well that I could do
him no injury. He relied mostly on the doctor for advice, and discussed
everything with him in the best of tempers.

"My plan is this," he said: "we're short of oil, and Karl here is
beginning to get uneasy. I shall knock over a couple of whalers in
these seas, and fill the tanks. Then, as they're looking for us in
mid-Atlantic, we'll get south of Madeira, and run against two or three
of the big ones making for Rio or Buenos Ayres. We shall pick up a good
bit of money; and it'll be a month before they get on our course that
way, for I mean to let 'em down light when it's not a case of saving
our own skin."

The Scotsman gave a deep sigh at this, and said in a melancholy voice--

"Hoot, mon, the deid frichtened you."

"You're a liar," continued Black quite quietly, and then continued: "As