The Thing Revisited
Davison voice carried down from above again with increased franticness, saying, "Hey guys, hurry, there is a dog out there!"
Shaffer shot Robinson a surprised look. A dog? How could a dog be surviving out here? Surely if there was a dog, the dog's master was somewhere close by. However, if the dog's master was injuredÂ…
Shaffer hurriedly mounted the stairs with Robinson close at his heels. Shielding their eyes with their hands raised over their brows to adjust to the morning light, the two men made their way to where Davison stood. Attracted by Davison's shouts, Walker joined the three men just moments longer, and asked, "Hey, what's all the excitement about?"
Wordlessly, Davison turned and pointed out and below toward the artic snow. Peering downward, Shaffer, Robinson and Walker all locked eyes on the Husky dog sitting patiently on the ice below the ship, a relatively safe 100 yards from where the Polar Star carved a passage out of the polar ice. Shaffer quickly scanned the area around and beyond the dog, as far as he could see. Shaffer could see no signs of the dog's master. To Shaffer's mind it seemed that at best, the dog was overlooked and left behind by another group's Polar expedition. At worst the body of the dog's master was probably lying frozen on the ice or had been swallowed up by the sea below.
Turning to Robinson, Shaffer said "Robinson, call the bridge and tell um' we need to come to full stop." To Walker, Shaffer said, "Let's get the arm ready to go."
The arm, a 3,000-pound mechanical marvel was used to lift heavy cargo and other goods aboard the ship while at dock. The arm in conjunction with ropes and pulleys also could be utilized to lift on-board equipment such as rafts, the survival boats and the dummy elevator off board.
Walker jumped into the control booth of the arm as Shaffer climbed into the dummy elevator. From inside the open-air dummy elevator, Shaffer could hear Robinson on the deck phone calling the bridge and saying, "Yeah, that's right, we need to come to a dead stop!" Shaffer gripped for any rough tugging that might occur, as that the arm would grip the heavy ropes attached to the elevator top.
"Hey, can't I join you on the ice?" Davison asked over the roar of the arms' machinery. Although rescuing the dog presented a few slight dangers, Shaffer couldn't think of any legitimate reasons why Davison couldn't climb in the elevator. 'Sides, he should give the kid the chance to play hero and rescue the dog that he had sighted first.
Shaffer looked to Robinson, who gave him a thumbs-up that the bridge had acknowledged the request and that the Polar Star would be coming to full stop. In turn giving thumbs up to Walker, Shaffer could see the arm begin reaching out with surprising mechanical speed to pick up the rope of the elevator. Within a couple of minutes of maneuvering, the arm began to lift the elevator containing Shaffer and Davison's up out over the edge of the deck.
Shaffer told Davison "Hold on, while we're pretty safe in this metal sandwich, if you fall out of this thing onto the ice below your bound to break more than your toe." Smiling thinly, Davison replied "Captain Shaffer, you're a poet and don't even know it!"
As the arm carrying the elevator descended down the outside of Polar Star's hull, the dog began running quickly over the ice toward them. By the time the elevator was a mere two feet from the surface of the ice, the dog had reached them and took a surprisingly nimbler leap into the elevator where the two men stood. Laughing and stroking the dog's head Davison said, "You're a smart one aren't ya! How did you manage to get along out here all by yourself boy!"
Despite having been rescued from probable death, the dog merely sat down on its haunches and looked quietly back and forth between the two men. No whines, no barks escaped from the dogs muzzle.
"Odd the dogs not making any noises" Shaffer said. In reply, Davison said "Maybe he is still to cold, lonely and unhappy to be yippy yet Captain."
Scanning the ice again out to the horizon, Shaffer said "I should take a look for the master before we get up top again."
Should:
Shaffer shot Robinson a surprised look. A dog? How could a dog be surviving out here? Surely if there was a dog, the dog's master was somewhere close by. However, if the dog's master was injuredÂ…
Shaffer hurriedly mounted the stairs with Robinson close at his heels. Shielding their eyes with their hands raised over their brows to adjust to the morning light, the two men made their way to where Davison stood. Attracted by Davison's shouts, Walker joined the three men just moments longer, and asked, "Hey, what's all the excitement about?"
Wordlessly, Davison turned and pointed out and below toward the artic snow. Peering downward, Shaffer, Robinson and Walker all locked eyes on the Husky dog sitting patiently on the ice below the ship, a relatively safe 100 yards from where the Polar Star carved a passage out of the polar ice. Shaffer quickly scanned the area around and beyond the dog, as far as he could see. Shaffer could see no signs of the dog's master. To Shaffer's mind it seemed that at best, the dog was overlooked and left behind by another group's Polar expedition. At worst the body of the dog's master was probably lying frozen on the ice or had been swallowed up by the sea below.
Turning to Robinson, Shaffer said "Robinson, call the bridge and tell um' we need to come to full stop." To Walker, Shaffer said, "Let's get the arm ready to go."
The arm, a 3,000-pound mechanical marvel was used to lift heavy cargo and other goods aboard the ship while at dock. The arm in conjunction with ropes and pulleys also could be utilized to lift on-board equipment such as rafts, the survival boats and the dummy elevator off board.
Walker jumped into the control booth of the arm as Shaffer climbed into the dummy elevator. From inside the open-air dummy elevator, Shaffer could hear Robinson on the deck phone calling the bridge and saying, "Yeah, that's right, we need to come to a dead stop!" Shaffer gripped for any rough tugging that might occur, as that the arm would grip the heavy ropes attached to the elevator top.
"Hey, can't I join you on the ice?" Davison asked over the roar of the arms' machinery. Although rescuing the dog presented a few slight dangers, Shaffer couldn't think of any legitimate reasons why Davison couldn't climb in the elevator. 'Sides, he should give the kid the chance to play hero and rescue the dog that he had sighted first.
Shaffer looked to Robinson, who gave him a thumbs-up that the bridge had acknowledged the request and that the Polar Star would be coming to full stop. In turn giving thumbs up to Walker, Shaffer could see the arm begin reaching out with surprising mechanical speed to pick up the rope of the elevator. Within a couple of minutes of maneuvering, the arm began to lift the elevator containing Shaffer and Davison's up out over the edge of the deck.
Shaffer told Davison "Hold on, while we're pretty safe in this metal sandwich, if you fall out of this thing onto the ice below your bound to break more than your toe." Smiling thinly, Davison replied "Captain Shaffer, you're a poet and don't even know it!"
As the arm carrying the elevator descended down the outside of Polar Star's hull, the dog began running quickly over the ice toward them. By the time the elevator was a mere two feet from the surface of the ice, the dog had reached them and took a surprisingly nimbler leap into the elevator where the two men stood. Laughing and stroking the dog's head Davison said, "You're a smart one aren't ya! How did you manage to get along out here all by yourself boy!"
Despite having been rescued from probable death, the dog merely sat down on its haunches and looked quietly back and forth between the two men. No whines, no barks escaped from the dogs muzzle.
"Odd the dogs not making any noises" Shaffer said. In reply, Davison said "Maybe he is still to cold, lonely and unhappy to be yippy yet Captain."
Scanning the ice again out to the horizon, Shaffer said "I should take a look for the master before we get up top again."
Should: