ew moments, holding on by the
ropes.

"Hadn't I better kick some of these icicles and this snow down, sir?" he
cried.

"Yes; all you can, my lad," replied the captain.

"Stand from below!" Steve shouted. And then there was the rattle and
crackling of the pieces of ice he broke away, till he had made some
clearance; and he was then about to start upward, when he became aware
of the fact that Johannes was three parts of the way up to the top where
he stood.

"Hullo!" he cried, "what do you want?" and as he spoke he saw that the
man had a little coil of line over one arm.

"Only coming to keep you company, Mr Steve," he said, drawing himself
up the last few feet and reaching the boy's side.

"Oh, but it's too bad!" cried Steve hotly. "It's treating me as if I
were a child. You've brought this line up to tie me on."

"I've brought the line up because it may be useful, sir," said Johannes
gravely; "and I've come up because the captain thought the way aloft was
very dangerous."

"And so did you, and asked him to let you come?"

Johannes was silent.

"I knew it!" cried Steve. "I do wish you people wouldn't treat me as if
I were a baby."

"Yes, I did ask him to let me come, sir," said the Norseman; "for it's
more dangerous than even he thinks. I saw you make that slip when you
started, though he did not; and I felt that if you made a slip higher up
I might be handy to help you."

"Yes, but--" began Steve.

"And he gave me leave to come up."

"Then you'd better go and make the observations, and I'll go down," said
Steve sulkily.

Johannes looked pained.

"You shall not do that," he said gravely.

"Why not?"

"Because it would not be like what I, a Norseman, would expect to see in
an English gentleman's son."

"Oh, I say," cried Steve, "that's hitting foul. But it's too bad,
Johannes, and I hate it. I might just as well be pulled up by the
halyards."

"When you have been as long at sea as I have," said Johannes, with a
calm, grave smile lighting up his fine, manly face, "you will not think
it a hardship in a dangerous task to have a man at your side whom you
can trust, and whom you can feel is ready to help you as long as he has
a bit of strength."

"Come along," said Steve quickly; "the captain will be wondering why I
don't go up, and thinking I am afraid."

"Oh no," said the Norseman, smiling, "he will not think that of you,
sir. There, I'm glad to be with you, Mr Steve; for it is bad cl