e passed the
crew on his way to the cabin; "but we must hope for better luck next
time."

"Well, well," said one of the men, wringing the water out of his wet
clothes as he walked forward, "we got a good laugh at Peter Grim, if we
got nothin' else by our trip."

"How was that, Jack?"

"Why, ye see, jist before the whale gave in, it sent up a spout o' blood
and oil as thick as the main-mast, and, as luck would have it, down it
came slap on the head of Grim, drenchin' him from head to foot, and
makin' him as red as a lobster."

"'Ow did you lose the fish, sir?" enquired Mivins, as our hero sprang up
the side, followed by Singleton.

"Lost him as men lose money in railway speculations nowadays. We _sank_
him, and that was the last of it. After he had towed us I don't know
how far-out of sight of the ship at any rate,--he suddenly stopped, and
we pulled up and gave him some tremendous digs with the lances, until he
spouted jets of blood, and we made sure of him, when, all at once, down
he went head foremost like a cannon-ball, and took all the line out of
both boats, so we had to cut, and he never came up again. At least, if
he did, it became so dark that we never saw him. Then we pulled to
where we thought the ship was, and, after rowing nearly all night,
caught sight of your lights; and here we are, dead-tired, wet to the
skin, and minus about two miles of whale-line and three harpoons."

CHAPTER FIVE.

MISCELLANEOUS REFLECTIONS--THE COAST OF GREENLAND--UPPERNAVIK--NEWS OF
THE POLE STAR--MIDNIGHT DAY--SCIENTIFIC FACTS AND FAIRY-LIKE SCENES--TOM
SINGLETON'S OPINION OF POOR OLD WOMEN--IN DANGER OF A SQUEEZE--ESCAPE.

In pursuance of his original intention, Captain Guy now proceeded
through Davis' Straits into Baffin's Bay, at the head of which he
intended to search for the vessel of his friend Captain Ellice, and
afterwards prosecute the whale-fishery. Off the coast of Greenland,
many whalers were seen, actively engaged in warfare with the giants of
the Polar Seas, and to several of these Captain Guy spoke, in the faint
hope of gleaning some information as to the fate or the _Pole Star_, but
without success. It was now apparent to the crew of the _Dolphin_ that
they were engaged as much on a searching, as a whaling expedition; and
the fact that the commander of the lost vessel was the father of "young
Mr Fred", as they styled our hero, induced them to take a deep interest
in the success of their undertak