eyes gleamed faintly in the light of the lanthorn, it all seemed to be
more than he could bear; and at last, when everything possible had been
done, he followed the doctor back to the cabin, where they sat down in
silence.

The doctor was the first to speak.

"It's hard work, Steve boy," he said; "but we've got to do it, and with
God's help we will. Poor fellows! they have the muscles, but they have
no energy; and I tell you frankly, I'm beginning to be afraid."

"Afraid? What of?" said Steve anxiously.

"That one of them will die; and if we come to that, the effect upon the
others will be terrible."

Steve shuddered.

"Can we do anything else?"

"No more than we are doing, lad," said the doctor wearily, "only wait."

CHAPTER FORTY ONE.

"NEVER SAY DIE."

Three days passed, during which Mr Handscombe and Steve worked hard
watching by turns over their sick; and in spite of the boy's desire to
evade the task, the doctor forced him to come out for a tramp in the
snow by the light of the moon. The Norsemen, who bore the winter better
than the rest, had begun to lose hope, and declined to leave the fire,
while the cook always pleaded for excuse--want of time.

It would have been very beautiful out there; but the state of the crew,
and his own want of energy, made the fiord look like a cold, dark,
cruel, icy prison, and Steve was always glad to get back into the
shelter of the ship.

Then came a morning when the doctor complained of being unwell, and
asked Steve to go alone to attend to the men.

With a feeling of horror that he could not conceal, the boy slowly left
the doctor's cabin.

"He'll lie now as the others are lying," said Steve to himself; and the
boy's first thought now was that he ought to go to his own cot and give
up, for there was nothing more to be done.

"Never say die," he muttered, though; "never say die;" and, setting his
teeth, he went on with the duty the doctor had inaugurated, and visited
man after man, praying, exhorting, and bullying them into partaking of
food instead of lying there, dying, as it were, by inches.

One by one the Norsemen gave up, till only Johannes made the least
effort, and that only when Steve stood by. Then came the day when he,
too, resigned himself to his fate; and on going, after leaving him lying
in the engine-room, to the galley, Steve found that the cook was seated
listless and weary, his chin upon his hands, his elbows on his knees,
gazing a