CHAPTER II.

THE STRUGGLE.

Ten days previous to the events related in the preceding chapter Bob and Jack Lakewood were preparing to return East for the fall term at College. They had spent the summer on the Lazy S ranch a few miles from the little town of Cold Springs in the State of Texas, except for a few weeks during which they had been in Mexico, hunting for a lost mine. It was late in October and ordinarily college would have opened several weeks before but, owing to a serious outbreak of influenza, the opening had been delayed, giving them several weeks more of vacation.

The day before they were to start a telegram had come from their father, bidding them to delay their departure until a letter, which he had already sent, should reach them.

"That's funny," Bob said as he handed the telegram to Jack.

"What do you suppose is up?" Jack asked as soon as he had read it.

"Curiosity killed a cat, you know."

The last remark came from a girl with bobbed hair and a slightly turned up nose, who had read the message over Jack's shoulder. Her name was Sue Stebbins and her father, Jeb Stebbins, was manager of the large ranch which was owned by a Mr. Leeds who lived in the East. Sue, who was something of a tomboy when it came to out-of-doors sports, ruled all hands, including her father, with, as the latter often declared, a rod of iron. But her rule was a generous one and she was a general favorite with all the hands from the manager down to the Chinese cook.

"If that was so you'd have been dead long ago," Jack retorted. "You've only got one life, you know, and a cat has nine."

"But I'm not curious," Sue pouted.

"Oh, no, not a bit," Jack jeered.

"Well, anyhow, it gives you a few days more before you have to go back to that horrid old college," she smiled.

"Who said it was horrid?" Jack demanded.

"I did. Anything that takes you two away from the ranch is horrid, so there."

"I reckon that settles it," Bob broke in laughingly. "But, honestly, Sue, we hate to go worse than you can possibly hate to have us."

"Well, we won't argue the point. Come on, there's just time for a gallop before supper."

It was three days before the letter came and Bob read it with Jack and Sue looking over his shoulder. It was as follows:

My dear boys:

My wire undoubtedly was a great surprise to you and, of course, you have been wondering what it was all about.

You will, no doubt, recall hearing me speak many times of my brother, Silas, who lives in the State of Washington. You have never seen him as he is a bit queer and has not been East for nearly thirty years, although he has always been a great rover. About six months ago he wrote me that he was going to take a trip to Alaska and try his hand at mining. Three months later I received a second letter from Nome stating that he was about to start for the upper waters of the Yukon with another man by the name of Long and that they would be gone a month. He promised that he would write as soon as they returned, but I have no word from him and, frankly, I am worried. He should have been back two months ago and I should have heard from him a few days later.

I have wired several times to Nome to find out if he had returned, but each time have received a reply stating nothing had been heard from them.

How would you like to take a trip up there and see if you can find out what has become of him? I know you ought to be in college, but you are well up in your studies and the trip will be a new one for you. I would go myself, but business will not let me get away just now. If your friend, Slats Magee, can go with you so much the better. I am so sure that you will want to go that I am inclosing check for expenses. Wire what you will do. Mother sends lots of love as do I.

Your loving father.

"Do we go?" Bob asked as he finished reading.

"Does a duck swim?" Jack laughed.

"But Slats is laid up with a broken leg," Bob said mournfully.

"And, of course, that's too bad, but I reckon it needn't stop us from going. Father didn't say for us not to go without him, you know."

"I know, but--"

"But nothing. Father wants us to go whether Slats can go or not and that settles it."

"How about taking me along to take care of you?" Sue asked.

"Huh," Jack snorted. "Anyone'd think we were a couple of babies."

"And I reckon we'd have to have a chaperon along if we took you," Bob laughed.

"Well, of course, I didn't mean it, but just the same, I wish I was a boy and then I could go," Sue pouted.

Mr. Stebbins, or Jeb as everyone called him, shook his head when they showed him the letter.

"Your father has a lot of confidence in you for a fact and I'm not saying that it's misplaced, but I can't help thinking that it's risky for you two boys to go away off up there. If Slats could go along I'd feel better about it but, of course, that's out of the question. Yes, I know your father wants you to go," he added as Bob was about to speak, "and of course, the thing for you to do is to go only--"

Within an hour a wire was on its way to Mr. Lakewood, saying that they were starting as soon as they could get ready. Then followed a busy time looking up routes and making reservations, to say nothing of outfitting themselves with clothing suitable for wear in the far North.

Slats Magee, just beginning to hobble around, on crutches, was loud in his bewailment of the fate which kept him at home.

"If it was only an arm, now," he groaned. "I'd put it in a sling an' go anyhow."

They found that they could get a boat from Seattle on a Monday and as that was only three days off, they were kept busy the most of the time. Finally the moment came to say good-bye and, as the train pulled out from Cold Springs, Sue waved her hand from the platform and shouted:

"Look out you don't fall in love with an Esquimo girl."

* * * * * * * * *

Hoping that the lifeboat might not have left the side of the ship the boys laid the form of the captain on the deck and rushed to the rail.

"Too late," Jack cried as he pointed to a spot of light dancing up and down some distance from the ship.

"Yes, they've gone all right," Bob agreed.

"What'll we do?"

"There must be another boat. Didn't one of the mates say there were others on the upper deck?"

"Yes, he said so, but do you suppose we can get it over in time?"

"We can try."

Rushing back to the head of the stairway they again picked the captain up and a moment later were on the upper deck. There they were encouraged to find three lifeboats hanging from their davits and, placing their burden gently down, they set about getting it ready to lower.

"Hurry," Jack gasped as the boat gave a sickening lurch. "She's going in a minute or two."

Jack had quickly succeeded in getting his rope clear, but Bob was not so fortunate. His had gotten caught and it took him some time to get it free.

"I'm doing the best I can," he panted pulling frantically at the stiff rope. "There, she's free. Now you hold them while I drag him over."

He handed his rope to Jack and rushed back a few feet for the captain. It was hard work getting him into the boat, but it was finally accomplished and, springing in after him, they quickly began to lower away. As the boat touched the water a heavy wave dashed it against the side of the ship and all but upset it, but Bob grabbed an oar and succeeded in fending it off before the next wave hit them and, a moment later, he was pulling on both oars with all his strength.

They were not twenty feet away from the ship when a loud explosion told them that the water had reached the boilers.

"Guess that'll finish her," Bob gasped.

Hardly had he spoken when the stern of the ship rose in the air and a moment later the ill-fated ship slid beneath the waves.

"Good-bye, Majestic," Jack groaned.

Now that the danger from the suction, caused by the big ship, was over, Bob rested on his oars and looked about him. The sea was rough and the lifeboat danced up and down, but he knew there was no danger unless the wind increased in strength. Far away he could see several points of light which he knew marked the location of the other lifeboats, but the boats themselves he could not see as heavy clouds had obscured the moon.

"Guess we'd better pull toward them," he said as he again bent to the oars.

"Let me take them," Jack suggested.

"You see if you can bring the captain around first. I'm not tired yet."

The form of the captain lay on the bottom of the boat at Jack's feet and the boy slid from his seat and took his head in his lap.

"He's still breathing," he announced.

"Good. Get some water on his head."

Under his ministrations the man soon sighed and, a moment later opened his eyes.

"Where am I?" he whispered.

"You're safe," Jack replied. "How do you feel?"

"I'll be all right in a minute. The ship? Did it--"

"Yes, she went down," Jack told him.

The captain closed his eyes and for a moment did not move. Then he again opened them and, in a much stronger voice, asked:

"How did I get in this boat?"

"Why, we put you in."

"But the others?"

"They're in another boat."

"They didn't wait?"

"No."

"Then how--"

"Better wait till you're a bit stronger, sir," Jack suggested as the captain hesitated.

"I'm all right now," he insisted as he raised his head from the boy's lap.

Seeing that he was determined to sit up Jack helped him to the seat on which he had been sitting.

"Now suppose you tell me about it," he said.

"Well, there isn't much to tell," Jack began. "When you didn't come back we went to find you and--and found you."

"But where were the two mates? Did they get back before you left?"

"Yes, sir."

"Well, why didn't they go?"

"I don't know, sir."

"Well, I guess I can see about the way it was and I guess I owe my life to you two boys. But, tell me, didn't they agree to wait till you came back?"

"Well, they said they'd wait five minutes, but I guess we were considerable longer than that," Jack told him.

"And they went off without you, eh?"

"I'm afraid they did, sir."

"I know it, but perhaps it's best not to judge them too harshly. I suppose a man has a right to save his own life."

"But what happened to you, sir?" Bob asked as he rested on his oars for a moment.

"I must have fainted," the captain told them. "You see I was subject to fainting spells some years ago and had to give up the sea for several years but, after I had gone five years without a single one, I thought I was over them and persuaded the owners to let me have a command again. This was my first voyage," he groaned. "But I suppose the excitement and severe strain was responsible for the relapse. I shall never try it again."

"Do we seem to be getting any nearer the other boats?" Bob asked a little later.

"It's hard to say," the captain replied. "But I don't think we're gaining much if any."

"Let me spell you now," Jack said as he rose from his seat.

While they had been talking the wind had been steadily rising and now it was blowing almost a gale making it difficult to keep the boat's head into the wind.

"Just a minute," Bob cried pulling strongly on his right oar. "It won't do to let her get broadside," he added as he moved over on his seat to give Jack room.

It was a fortunate thing that they were used to boats else it is doubtful if they would have been able to change places without allowing the craft to wallow in the trough, but they finally accomplished it and Bob was glad to rest his aching arms.

"Have you any idea how far we are from shore, sir?" he asked as soon as he had settled himself in the seat beside the captain.

"A matter of twenty-five or thirty miles. As you know we were about twelve hours out, but we've been running not far from land."

In spite of his warm clothing Bob's teeth soon began to chatter as the night was cold and he had been sweating from the violent exercise of rowing. Fortunately the captain had on his heavy coat and, although he acknowledged that he was none too warm, he was not shivering.

"What do you think of the weather, sir?" Bob asked a few minutes later.

"I don't like it. I'm afraid we'll have snow before morning."

As if to confirm his words Bob felt a snow flake strike his face.

"I'm afraid you're right, sir," he said.

The first flake was quickly followed by others and in less than ten minutes they were flying thick and fast driven by the strong wind, and so great was their velocity that they stung like needles as they struck the skin.

"Getting tired, Jack?" Bob shouted.

"No, not yet," Jack called stoutly back.

"Well, I'm coming anyhow so move over. There's no use in taking too long shifts and, besides, I want to get warmed up a bit," he added as he reached the seat by his brother's side. "We've simply got to take it as easy as we can for goodness knows how long we'll have to keep this up."

The lights from the other boats had disappeared soon after it had begun to snow and now there was nothing to be seen about them save the swirling snow and the white foam of the water as the wind blew off the tops of the waves.

"Wonder if there's anything to eat or drink in this boat," Jack said as soon as he had reached his former seat beside the captain.

"There should be both food and water," the latter replied. "All the lifeboats are kept stocked in case of an emergency such as this."

"Where would it be?"

"Right back of you in the locker."

Jack turned half around and, reaching beneath the seat in the stern lifted the cover of a small box fitted in the narrow space. But it was empty and, with a sinking heart, he turned back.

"Guess they forgot to stock this boat," he announced.

"You mean there's nothing there?"

"Not a thing."

"It's criminal negligence," the captain declared. "It's the purser's business to see that the lifeboats are kept stocked, but the fellow we have is always neglecting his work, but, as he's some relative of the owners it's been overlooked and now we've got to suffer for it."

The storm seemed to increase and Bob was having all he could do to keep the boat head on. He had lost all sense of direction and had no idea whether he was rowing toward the shore or out to sea. They were running with the wind and he judged that they must be making several miles an hour.

"It's my turn now," the captain shouted a few minutes after Jack had discovered the lack of food and water.

Both boys protested against the move, but the man declared that he was all right and well able to do his share of the work.

"Besides I need to get warmed up a bit," he added as he shifted his position to the rower's seat.

"Looks like we might not get out of this scrape," Jack said in a low tone as soon as Bob was seated beside him.

"Never say die," Bob replied hopefully. "I've seen sicker cats than this get well, and don't forget, Jack boy, that God can take care of us just as well out here as He can on the land."

"I know it and, believe me, I've been asking Him to do that very thing."

"So have I, and I believe He will."

The dismal night wore on. At times the snow slackened until it had almost ceased only to swirl down harder than ever a few minutes later. The wind kept about the same. Every half hour they changed shifts, as Jack called it, an arrangement which gave each an hour's rest after a half hour of strenuous labor. And each welcomed the chance to row in spite of the hard work as he suffered with the cold while resting.

"It'll be daylight in another hour," Bob announced as he moved to Jack's side to take his shift.

"But I don't believe we'll be able to see much better than we can now unless this snow lets up," Jack declared as he gave up the oars.

"Well, it can't keep on snowing forever," Bob added hopefully.

Just at that instant, as they were changing places, an extra strong gust struck the boat and Bob, feeling the bow swing off, put all his strength into his left oar in a desperate effort to straighten his course. Snap! The oar broke like a pipe stem and the boat was wallowing in the trough in an instant. Almost instantly a huge wave broke over it filling it half full of water and nearly throwing it over.

"She'll go over in a minute," Bob shouted.

An instant later and his words proved true for the very next wave caught the boat just right and over she went.