cross-bars which they had placed that day when the crow's-nest was
built.

"Ahoy there, Johannes!" he cried.

The man gave a violent start, and turned to look over the edge of the
cask.

"Mr Young!" he cried, "you there?"

"Look's like it. I've come to see you. Got any room in your nest?"

The Norseman laughed.

"Well, I daresay you could creep in. But did the captain give you leave
to come aloft?"

"No; I only just made up my mind to come. Open the door; I'm coming."

"Take care, my lad!" cried the Norseman warningly. "There's no one to
catch you if you slip."

"I won't slip this time," said Steve merrily; and climbing from the
shrouds on to the wooden ladder, he went up from bar to bar till his
head and shoulders passed into the cask, and the next minute the hinged
bottom fell to again, and he had just room to stand in company with the
sailor.

"I say, rather a tight fit," said Steve, laughing. "Wouldn't do for two
people to quarrel packed together in a barrel like this."

"But why have you come up, sir? Did the mate send any message?"

"No, I tell you," cried Steve. "I only saw that you were up here, and
thought I should like to come up for a chat."

"Very good of you, sir," said the man quietly. "Got over the scare of
the fog?"

"Oh yes, now. It's of no use to worry about things when they're over.
It was dangerous, though, wasn't it?"

"Very, sir," said the Norseman gravely. "Three poor fellows from our
town rowed away from their ship with three Swedish men. They were after
walrus. One of those fogs came on, and they were never seen again."

"No? What became of them?"

Johannes shook his head.

"The great sea is wide, sir," he replied. "The fog confused them, and
they must have rowed in the wrong direction, been caught in one of the
strong currents, and then tried to reach home as they could not find
their ship. There are terrible losses out here in some summers."

"Was it near here that they were lost?" said Steve, after a few minutes'
silence, during which he pictured the sufferings of the despairing
boat's crew.

"No, sir, more to the east, by Novaya-Zemlya."

"How horrible!" said Steve with a shudder. "Tell me about something
else."

"Yes, sir; I don't want to what the English sailors call spin yarns;
that seemed to come naturally after our escape."

"Yes, of course; but tell me this, Johannes. Next time we go off after
one of those shoals of white whales--"

"