Read Online The Pole by Eric Walters - Free Book Online

following after the ship, barking out his own challenge. The dogs closest to that side of the ship leaned over the railing and barked back. I think a couple would have jumped overboard if they hadn’t been tied up.The racket went on for close to an hour before one of the crew got out a gun and took a shot at the seal. He didn’t hit it, but the seal got the message and swam off.
    I pushed a big shovelful of crap off the side of the boat and it disappeared into the foamy, greenish water.This was not the job I wanted to be doing. Up above, in the rigging, members of the crew were moving around like a bunch of spider monkeys, adjusting the sails to try to capture more of the wind. We needed the steam engines and the sails to give us enough power to break through the ice. Ever since first going up there to bring the Captain his supper that time, I’d gone up a dozen more times. I still couldn’t move with the skill or confidence of the rest of the crew, but I was getting more comfortable, and if I wanted to be a sailor then I had to learn.
    Off to my left, Ellesmere Island loomed large and ominous. It seemed to be nothing more than high cliffs and barren rock. I’m sure there was more, but from the ship I couldn’t see life—not plant or animal. We’d been paralleling the shore for the last three days. There was a small lead—in many places narrower than the ship—that seemed to be following the shore. Angus had explained that this was the spot where the meltwater from the island met the ice and formed a river through the freezing ocean. I didn’t know if that made sense, but I did know that it was the route we were travelling.
    I used my shovel as a shield and a prod, forcing some of the dogs to move out of my way as I continued to work. One of the dogs I liked—I called himBlackie—wagged his tail at me but didn’t move. I reached into my pocket and rummaged around for a treat. I found a little piece of biscuit.
    â€œSit!” I ordered.
    Blackie cocked his head to the side, looking at me like he was trying to figure out what I was asking for.
    â€œBetter speak to ’im in Eskimo talk if ya wants ’im ta listen ta ya,” Angus said.
    â€œMaybe that’s the next word I should learn.” “Maybe what we should do is stop feedin’ ’em. If they don’t eat, they can’t crap,” Angus suggested cheerfully.
    â€œI don’t think this little bit will matter,” I said. I tossed the biscuit into the air and Blackie jumped up and caught it, his jaws coming together with an ominous snap. Nice or not, I wasn’t putting my fingers too close.
    Bit by bit, together, Angus and I finished clearing off the deck. It was still slippery and smelly and disgusting, but certainly a lot better than it had been before we started.We secured the shovels to the back wall of the aft cabin. I wanted to go and rinse off my boots, and maybe have a hot chocolate in the galley to try to wash the taste out of my mouth.
    As I rounded the aft cabin I caught sight of Matt standing by the rail. I walked over to join him, wondering what he was watching. Without me asking, he pointed out to the ocean.
    â€œWhales,” he said.
    â€œWhere?”
    â€œWatch that open patch of water off to starboard.”
    I scanned the ice until I located the lead. It was a long gash of green water amongst the white ice, but I didn’t see anything—and then three fins broke the surface! I saw a little wisp of steam rise up as they all exhaled.
    â€œI see them!” I exclaimed.
    â€œKeep your voice down,” he warned me. “As long as nobody notices they’re out there, then nobody will try to kill them.”
    I understood what he meant. It seemed like every time we passed a seal or a flock of birds or anything one of the expedition members would take a shot at it.
    â€œPeople from the south see an animal and they think they should kill