Steve, with a boy's interest in this fishing tackle on a large scale, eagerly watched the unlashing and laying out of the coils of new, soft, strong, tarred line, the walrus harpoons, lances with their long, thin, smooth, white pine poles, the white whale harpoon, and the harpoon gun. Every one of these implements was full of suggestive thoughts of exciting adventure; so, too, were the ice anchors and picks; and as all were carefully examined in turn the Norway men talked to each other, making plenty of comments as they ran the new line through their fingers and balanced the lances in their hands, till in imagination Steve saw the great ivory-tusked walrus rising out of the sea and the men in the boats ready to strike. He was not alone in his intense interest, for the shock-headed boy was staring hard too, with his mouth half open and his forehead wrinkled into furrows, till he saw Captain Marsham approach from the wheel, when he hurried forward to commence altering the coil of a rope which needed no touching and whose neatness he disturbed. "Well, my men," said the captain, "what do you say to the tackle?" "Very good, sir," said one, who seemed to be the eldest of the party. "Only wants using well." "Exactly. But you will manage that." "Yes, sir; we'll try," said the man, and the others nodded and smiled. "What about the wind dropping like this? Does it mean change?" "Yes," said another of the men, giving a sharp look round; "nor'-east before long, I should say." The man proved to be a true weather prophet, for in a couple of hours the wind had swung completely round to dead ahead, and after a little thought the vessel's course was altered and her head laid for the north-west. "But will not this take us quite out of our way?" said the doctor, as they sat that day at dinner, with a lively sea playfully patting the shining sides of the vessel as she glided rapidly onward. "Which is our way?" said the captain, smiling. "North, to find our friends." "Exactly; but it does not matter whether we approach the north by the north-east or north-west. It is all chance as to where they may have wintered; and, as the wind is fair for the way north-west, let's take it." "And if we keep on in this direction, where shall we make?" said the doctor. "Greenland!" cried Steve; and the captain nodded. "Right," he said; "and there is a possibility that they may have reached an island there, which I have often thought I should like to see." "Yes?" "Jan Mayen, a place seldom visited. If the wind holds fair we'll make for that, try to explore it as far as the ice will allow us, and then sail north along the edge of the floe for Spitzbergen, without you can suggest a better plan." "I? No!" said the doctor. "Can you, Lowe?" asked the captain of the mate, who had now joined them after a good morning's sleep.