Looking Seaward Again | Page 3

position, and inevitably
have broken her back. As it was, the propeller was cleared in about a
couple of hours. The captain of the Aureola was not well acquainted
with the locality, and arranged that he should follow the other steamer
to----. Suitable plans and signals were settled, and both vessels weighed
anchor and proceeded as fast through the ice as was compatible with
safety. Once out of the narrows and clear of the obstruction, the engines
were put at full speed and kept going until they were forced to slow
down on account of the snow squalls, which obscured everything. The
sea had become rough, and the utmost resources of the commanders
were taxed in their efforts to navigate the coast and yet keep together.
They groped their way until ---- town lights were visible. It was then
seen that the gunboat anchored at the south end of the mine-field was
signalling to them to stop; but still they went slowly on, feeling their
way by the lead, while those aboard the gunboat began to fire rockets
with exciting rapidity. Regardless of the warning, the two steamers kept
on their way until they got to the anchorage, when the warship was
hidden from view.

It was past midnight; and although the crews of both vessels had gone
through a severe ordeal of physical endurance, they were each anxious
to hear what the other had to say about the events of the last forty-eight
hours, which were beset with peril, and had culminated by boldly
running into the anchorage over the mines in defiance of the
regulations--to say nothing of the danger of being blown up, or the
mysterious prospect of Siberia! The captain of the Aureola was greatly
perturbed, and he promptly ordered his gig to be manned to take him to
the Claverhouse. On getting aboard, he reproached his friend for
leading him into what might prove a serious scrape. The two men
talked long of the exciting doings of the day and the policy that should
be adopted on the morrow, when they would be confronted with
officials that were not over well-disposed to British subjects. They fully
realized that the case would have to be managed with great astuteness,
so they bethought themselves of one of the cleverest and most popular
men in----, and sent a message to him asking his help. His name need
not be mentioned; he is long since dead, and it is sufficient to say that
he was an educated Maltese, and held a kind of magnetic influence over
the harbour authorities. The Admiral was an amiable man in an
ordinary way, and susceptible to the temptations that beset officials in
these places; but the _Claverhouse's_ offence was no common one, nor
could it be approached in an ordinary way of speech.
On going ashore, the captains were ushered into the presence of the
infuriated official who was to decide their destiny. He fumed and
foamed savagely, and whenever an attempt was made to speak his
paroxysms became inhuman. Their Maltese friend had come to their aid,
and was waiting patiently for the storm to subside, so that he could
explain how it happened that the regulations came to be broken. Things
looked black until Mr. C---- began to speak in Russian. It took him
some time to get the great man pacified, and as soon as that was
accomplished he said to the master of the _Claverhouse_--"You know
that you could be sent to Siberia or less. How am I to explain it? Why
did you not keep at sea all night? There is only one thing that will save
you."
"Well, then," responded the captain of the _Claverhouse_, "let that one
thing be arranged; but let me also state the cause of our breaking the
law. We could have kept the sea quite well had we known exactly

where we were, but we could see nothing, and had to navigate by
taking soundings, and as soon as we got into seven fathoms the water
became smooth, and, fearing we might run aground, the anchor was let
go. As for the rockets that were fired by the gunboat, we had passed the
line of torpedoes before our attention was attracted by the firing. The
Admiral himself could not have avoided it. Surely he cannot think we
deliberately ran into the anchorage?"
"That is just what he does think," said Mr. C----. "What am I to do?"
"Settle on the best terms," said the captain.
At this point two officers took the captains to another room, and they
were locked in. An hour afterwards Mr. C---- came to them and said--
"I have managed to get him quietened down. You have had a narrow
squeak. It took me a long time to get him