Beadle's Boy's Library of Sport, Story, and Adventure, No. 37 — page 6: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

enw nee “Button my tarry Cupids!” exclaimed Knuuckle, winking, ‘‘if there ain’t a clean, ship- shape case of love at first sight, then you can squeeze me into a hot bottle, and pickle me for Davy Jones!” “Nonsense, Knuckle.” “ Ay, lad, but I am right, though love, unless there’s a sartinty of gittin’ spliced, is nonsense. P’raps it’s always nonsense, for that matter,” added Knuckle, philosophically. Just then loud cries were heard outside of the cavern, The two boys and Knuckle, hurrying out to ascertain the cause of the tumult, were overjoyed to perceive that the lost baby was found. The mother was holding her child in her arms. The sailors subsequently learned that it had been found in a sheltered crevice among some rocks, where the sea-lion, probably gallied (alarmed) by the report of Knuckle’s pistol on the night before, had evidently dropped the little one, who, having crawled still further down, into a hole among the rugged masses, had thus, for so long a time, escaped discovery. CHAPTER V. IN TROUBLE. KNUCKLE and his two young shipmates now resolved to return to their quarters. ‘*Madam,” said the old tar, bowing to the Esquimaux mother, and forgetting that the woman could not understand English, ‘‘ allow me, madam, to express my extremest pleasure at this happy tarmination of what sart’inly premised to be a most onfortunit. sarcum- stance.” ‘*Okollookee - pookee tamaya capotaki in- gooduk, ingooduk,” said the woman, opening her eyes very wide. At this Knuckle took a bite of pigtail and looked very wise. ** Lads,” he said, turning to his two young companions, “I forgot when I made my bow, and came the perlite with this ere lady, that I might as well have chucked p’arls into a whale’s mouth, for, d’ye see, she can’t understand good English. Now, you'll obsarve that she says ‘ Ingooduk,’ and, having a nat’ral appetite for Varnin’ languages, Pll inform you that it means in plain English ‘ good duck! good duck!’ which, I take it, is a compliment to me, and sart’inly a desarvin’ one, as the fair sect always do pay me some. such little expressage of their good-will, although J don’t mean to pete of that same, and so we'll jist belay there, and I'll go to work and skin my seals, and may I be blasted if I dou’t think Captain Stone will be glad enough to git that fur!” om So saying, Knuckles, whipping out his knife, at once went to work skinning the seals. task he performed with the usual skill of one long trained to the business. Turning each of the animals belly up, he ran his knife up the belly to the chin, then around the right flipper, and next around the flukes, after which he ripped off the skin with the same ease as one would peel an orange. Carrying these skins over their shoulders, he and the boys now returned toward their dwell- ing. Arrived there, Knuckle fastened a rope to the skins and allowed them to hang in the wa- ter, one end of the rope being secured to a rock. ‘‘How long are you going to leave them there?” inquired Nye. “A few days,” answered Knuckle, ‘ arter which [ll take’em out and salt ’em down all ready for Captain Stone to put in his hold.” _ They entered their dwelling, and to Yonkitt related their morning’s adventures. ‘Dinner was soon ready, and the four did full justice to the meal. As soon as Knuckle had finished smoking his Pipe, he said to the Esquimaux: ‘Now, Yonkitt, we will go to the settlement and find out what we can about our stolen pro- visions.” Leaving Nye this time to watch the house, Knuckle, Hasler, and Yonkitt repaired to the village of the Esquimaux. This village consisted of about twenty huts made of the ribs of the whale and the walrus, and covered with the skins of the seal and the bear. Most of them were shaped like an inverted bowl, and were large enough to contain six or seven persons. As soon as the visitors entered this little set- tlement, they were surrounded by men, women -and children. One of the former invited them to his dwelling. They entered it to behold a short, fat youth squatted on the ground, par- taking of a chunk of raw blubber, which he | Old Tar Knuckle and ff ee eee CS would now and then dip, by way of seasoning it, in a bone cup containing oil. ‘* By the etarnal butterfish!” cried Knuckle, “that chap must have an oily tongue, to say nothing of t/other parts of him. wish him all manner of happiness, and don’t begrudge him his allowance.’ ‘he Esquimaux proprietor invited the old tar and his two companions to take a seat—that is to say, sit on the ground. They did so, when, going to a corner, their host dipped some- thing from an earthen jar with a large, iron spoon, and presented it to Knuckle, The old fourth mate scratched bis head as he peered at the contenis of the spoon. ‘* With all due respect to your hospertality, Skeemo, I’d like first to make a legal inquest as to what that ‘ere spoon contains, for, may I be keelhauled if I can make it out.” ‘*Stewed seal,” said Yonkitt. ‘‘ Not much fat—think you like—stewed with lichen.” ‘* Well, now, I’m blarsted if you git any sich lubberly mixture down my gullet!” roared Knuckle. ‘*I’d as soon eat onions b’iled with beans, which is my particalar avarsion.” ‘*Good eat,” said Yonkitt, “better take some, Esquimaux feel burt if refuse.” “ Hurt?’ cried Knuckle. ‘‘I think I’m the one that would be hurt if I put sich stuff in my digestives. You can thank him for me all the same though, Yonkitt, for nat’ral perliteness requires that, and tell him not to offer me any more of his infarnal stews, or, dash me, if I’ll ever visit bis blasted wigwam again.” Yonkitt therefore declined the stew for his companion, at which the Esquimaux host seemed much surprised. The interpreter, however, accepted it himself, greatly to the disgust of Knuckle, who shrugged his shoulders and roared out an invol- untary ‘* Ugh!” with such vehemence that the host and his son started as if they had been shot. ‘Now, then, heave ahead, Yonkitt!” contin- ued Knuckle. ‘“ You’d better open about them stolen previsions without further prevarication, and, hark ve, Yonkitt, jist put it down in legal form, do you see, commencin’ in this wise: “ Whereas, sart’in things having been stolen from our premises, we, the undertaXer's, of the good ship Beacon, Captain Stone, square-rigged craft, carryin’ r’yals and stu’nsails, which can beat any craft out, on a wind, think you stole ’em, and you don’t give ’em up to ws, before eatin’ ’em up yourselves, may we be flabbergasted if we don’t burn every blasted one of your ily huts about your ‘ily ears, seal-stews and all!” Yonkitt, however, chose to modify this de- claration a little in translating it to his country- man. The latter seemed astonished. He looked at Knuckle, shaking his head rapidly and speaking very fast, then he gave a loud grunt and ran out of the hut. “Button my eyeballs!” cried Knuckle, ‘if there ain’t proof positive, as they put it in legal tarms, seeing as the victim has run away !” ‘* Him gone for more Esquimaux,” said Yon- kitt.. ‘‘ Better go outside.” ‘Ay, ay, Yonkitt; outside we go, for, blow me, if I’m not detarmined to sift this matter to the bottom.” They had not been outside of the hut five minutes, when along came their host, with a dozen of his people following at his back. Confronting the old sailor,they all commenced talking vehemently at once. ‘“« Dey say not teal,” cried Yonkitt, translat- ing; ‘‘dem say if teal, you look and see if find *tolen tings.” At this, Knuckle leaned far back, his mouth widening tremendously with a sort of derisive smile; in fact, his lips and mouth opened so wide that the Esquimaux leaned forward, peer- ing at him, as if they expected to see the two arts of his head drop asunder. “Of all the argyments advanced,” cried Xnuckle, as soon as he could find breath, ‘ the one which the victim now puts forth must, to ase a legal p’int of law, fall to the ground and be swallowed up afterward, seeing as the stolen goods may be what’s tarmed in law a habeus sae or, in t’other words, eaten up.” gain Yonkitt translated, The Esquimaux looked surprised and indig- nant. They uttered shouts, drew their knives and flourished them menacingly, while they gradually drew nearer to the sailors. Yonkitt endeavored to appease them, but his efforts seemed useless. The sailors being now surrounded by a circle of knives, their situation was becoming critical. Many more of the Es- quimaux hurried toward the scene, the buzzing of their angry voices rising ominously, while they kept closing upon their visitors, who were is Boy Chums. | | soon hemmed in by the swarthy Northmen, who now formed a compact mass, which pre- cluded all possibility of the whites escaping. Among them was a person named Ayatak, [‘sart’inly | who was the chief or magic-man of the tribe, and who, now flourishing his arms, made him- self heard above the loud murmurs of the rest. As he ceased speaking, his people brandished their knives and seemed actually about to at- tack the three sailors, when the woman who had lost her baby appeared, and, rushing among the angry crowd, held up her child in front of them, while she addressed them in a loud, gut- tural voice. ‘*She say not attack us,” said Yonkitt to Kouckle; “dat we good people; dat you give molass to baby, and give her nice ball.of wax to eat, and dat Nye save her daughter Ingluk’s life.” ‘* The less said about the waz, the better,” re- plied Knuckle. “The stolen provisions is the main p’int of the case.” As the woman continued to speak, one of the Esquimaux, whose name was afterward ascer- tained to be @kotook, and who was her husband, seized her by the shoulders and pulled her away from the throng. The threatening aspect and movements of the latter, showing that they had not been ap- peased, and the old fourth mate now drew his loaded revolver, while Hasler firmly grasped a harpoon with which he was provided. But at that critical moment, Ingluk, the Esquimaux girl, came bounding along, and, forcing her way into the eenter of the circle, she rapidly and vehemently addressed her people. Her words appeared to have the intended ef- fect, for the Esquimaux returned their knives to their belts. ‘‘ Esquimaux want to be friends,” said Yon- kitt to his two shipmates. ‘Ingluk tell them you only make mistake. That Indian is de teef who "teal tings from our house!” ** Indians?” ** Yes, tribe of Dog-rib!” ‘“Ay, ay, now,” said Knuckle, “the name sartinly has a thieving sound, but did she see them steal the things?’ ‘**No, she only Vink so. Dog-ribs have camp afew mile from dis place. Come bere only four days ago. Been chase, Ingluk t’ink, by Chippeway, and have to run away, so come to dis part of country. Esquimaux and Dog-rib berry bad friends.” ‘‘ Perfectly nat’ral,” said the old fourth mate, scratching his bullet head, “‘that folks with sich names should have enemies. To use a lega} pint of law, a bad name is sarcumstantial evi- dence, and I sartinly feel convinced, now that them Dog-ribs is the victims, arter all. {’m de- tarmined, from this time, to have a lookout sted, and I hope yet to get to wind’ard of the “Ribs” and give ’’em a piece of my mind. I may give ’ema dose of powder and b’iled lead, for that matter,” added Knuckle, thoughtfully, as a and his two shipmates quitted the settle- ment, ‘ CHAPTER VI. THE NIGHT VISIT. THE old sailor kept his word about the look- out, but night after night passed, and the house was not disturbed. A week after the visit to the settlement, Nye had the first watch. Pro- vided with Knuckle’s revolver, he seated him- self behind a pile of lumber in the room with the broken window. Hasler and the fourth mate had each a bed on the floor in the adjoin- ing apartment, The watcher could hear their heavy breathing, indicating that they were fast asleep. Scarcely believing the statement about the Dog-ribs, and feeling quite convinced that no thieves would attempt to visit the house while it was occupied, Charley was not as vigilant as he might have been. Worn out with his recent exertions, he sat for awhile, listening to the howling of the blast about the building, and then dropped off into a light slumber. He st'ddenly awoke to heara slightly rust- ling noi 2inthenextroom.. ‘“Knt :kle, is that you?” he inquired, in a low voice, There wasnoreply. __ The youth repeated his question, but still there was no answer. Rising, he lighted the lantern, which he bad placed near him. He then noticed that two of the planks which had been nailed over the win- dow were removed! ‘“That looks suspicious,” he thought; ‘‘ the wind could not have blown the boards in.” He looked at them closely, to perceive that / GComichboo (E ‘Ss Go’