ne through, quite salutary. The change must have taken place
directly they had gone to rest, for the warm sunshine of the night had
thawed the icy rigging to a great extent, so that ropes and stays had
resumed their customary aspect, and the snow, which had penetrated the
furled sails, was coming away in drips.

It was a wonderful and cheery change, and Steve eagerly waited for the
captain's first proceedings in this unknown land--unknown as far as any
one there could say.

Watty Links was sunning himself as if in imitation of Skene, who was
comfortably basking at the galley door, his head resting upon his paws,
and his figure suggesting that he must be on very friendly terms with
the cook.

The dog seemed to be fast asleep, but one eye opened a little as Steve
approached, and his tail was raised to give three solemn raps on the
deck; then, at a word, Skene sprang up, yawned, stretched himself, and
followed his master.

Steve gave Watty a word, too; but that gentleman only grunted, and the
lad went on to where the men were busy finishing the brushing and
scrubbing of the deck.

Here he encountered Mr Lowe, the mate, who had been round the vessel in
the dinghy to examine the hull as regarded damages. But she had been
too well prepared for her journey into ice-land with a casing of tough
wood as a kind of partial outer skin, and this had only been rubbed and
channelled a little by the blocks which had tried to plough her sides,
so that he had nothing but good to report to the captain, who had been
about for an hour looking bright and eager for the long day's work.

Breaking away from them, Steve joined the Norwegians, who greeted him in
their frank, grave way.

"Well, Mr Steve," said Johannes, "I suppose we shall begin hunting
directly; there is plenty of game about. You and I must go and get some
eggs from the shelves."

"Eggs? there'll be no eggs," said Steve; "they would all be blown away
by the storm. Don't you know that these sea-birds lay their eggs on the
bare stones generally? Oh, but of course you knew that," he added
hurriedly, as it struck him that the Norseman must know ten times as
much as he.

"Yes," said Johannes quietly. "I know that, and I have also noticed how
wonderfully they stay on those shelves in spite of the great winds that
blow. No doubt many were blown off in the storm; but many would stay."

"Why, do the sea-birds stick them down tight?"

"No," said Johannes, smiling. "But