R. M. Ballantyne 
Rivers of Ice 

Mysterious seafarer Captain Wopper is in London trying to track down Willum Stout – a man he knew many years before when they worked together in the gold mines of California. When he learns of Willum’s untimely death from a wise old lady named Roby, Captain Wopper knows he must fulfil Willum’s last wishes, and track down the young son Willum left behind. An intriguing adventure story by the prolific author R.M. Ballantyne, full of twists and turns and fascinating characters.-