"OUR RUDDER'S GONE!" 101 



"but since you have opened the subject I may tell you 

 that Born has been found by the marshal to have traded 

 with the natives on three separate days, and some of it 

 since his warning. A fine is the penalty for the first two 

 offences; for a third breach, imprisonment for sixty days 

 to six months. The law states that trading on three 

 separate days constitutes three separate offences. I have 

 sent the marshal for Born, and expect him here now. 

 It will not hold your vessel or detain the rest of you if 

 Born is put in jail here." 



This was rather a facer for Kleinschmidt, who was 

 actually Born's partner in the deal; but he affected 

 ignorance that any trading had been done since the 

 warning. 



"I don't want to inconvenience these gentlemen," 

 said the Judge, indicating us, ''whom I have met and like, 

 and that is the only consideration that would deter me 

 from inflicting the full penalty for his defiance of the 

 authorities. It will not cause you any delay, gentle- 

 men," he added. 



"We are bound for the Arctic and it would deprive 

 us of our chief engineer," some one remarked, "just when 

 we are most in need of both of them to reheve each 

 other." 



The Judge considered this matter for a few moments. 

 "Well, then, I will let him off," he decided. It was a 

 very generous action on his part. Not only the law had 

 been broken, but his personal pride hiu-t and his business 

 robbed of trade which would normally have come to it. 

 "I wish to make it clear," he concluded, "that I will do 

 this solely out of consideration for these gentlemen." 



We thanked him heartily and word coming up at that 

 moment that Born was downstairs, the Judge left us. 



