deeply before it was
snatched out, and the next minute the whale was a dozen yards astern
lashing the water with its tail.

An order or two rapidly executed, and the boat was pulled to within safe
distance; Johannes made two tremendous lunges with his lance, and the
whale turned slowly over and lay quivering for a few minutes; then it
was still, and the men gave a cheer.

"Poor whale," thought Steve, who was far from being hardened over such
matters; but he tried to think that this capture meant so many gallons
of beautifully clear oil, and money for defraying the expenses of their
search, and he now stood up to have a good long look at their prize,
which was fully fifteen feet long and proportionately heavy.

And now, the excitement of the chase being over, the question arose
where was the _Hvalross_, and where was the other boat? These questions
were answered by the two vessels, which formed with them a triangle,
whose sides were about a mile in length; while, to add to the
satisfaction of the adventure, the other boat was showing a signal, and
they could see that it was towing something astern.

Meanwhile Johannes and his fellow-harpooners were busily securing a rope
to their prize and drawing in and laying up their line. Next the
harpoon was carefully cut out from where it was deeply imbedded in the
animal's back; and then the boat's head was turned for the ship, which
was steaming slowly towards them as they rowed on towing their carefully
secured prize astern.

"I'm glad they've had good luck, too," said Steve; "but, I say, what has
become of the shoal?"

"Gone right away, sir," replied Johannes. "We startled them, and they
smelt danger. We may catch up to them by-and-by."

"Not to-day," said Captain Marsham quietly. "Pull, my lads;" and he
steered so that they might get nearer to their companions' boat and the
_Hvalross_ be reached by them both at once.

"You are right, sir," said Johannes in his quiet, independent, but
respectful manner; "we shall not see the whales again to-day, and we
must make haste if we are to reach the ship before it comes."

"Before what comes?" said Steve, wondering at the man's manner.

"Look," he said, pointing to the north-west.

"What at?" replied Steve; "the long line of ice?"

"No," said Captain Marsham. "Look right beyond the ire. Another of
those pests--troubles of arctic voyaging, my boy," he continued,
correcting himself.

"What, that silvery-looking clou