Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1856-08-09
mi stelloneous.
Prom Dickens Household Words.
TIE MAN ON TIE ICEBERG.

berg"
keep her away p cried tho skipper. as,
-. Steady p aud by thus altering our COURSE
we brought the iceberg right ahead.
The iceberg had been in sight since the woathc
cleared at midnight, when it looked like some higl
rocky h%eadland, except that, 10y Watching tn,
bright stars behind it, we could see its giganti,
outline swoying solonnly and maicsticnlly up an,
down. There was something grand in the SLOW
stately movement of such n mass. There it loatcd
large enough, had it been land, to have been tn,
dwelling place of hundreds of human beings
The lower part was Cf SO dark a purple as to loOl
almost black but, higher mp, it shaded oil to
bright azure, then to II light pale green, while Of
ITS lofty sumit were long slender spires and pin
1nacles, aud pieces of ilin transparent ice, WORKED
into adj manner OF fantastic forms, and either Of
crystal whitcncss, or tinted with II beautiful ralc
pink. There were bays and promontorics, cave,
and grottos, hills and dells, with every variety OF
light and shade. The island was almost equal,
divided by a goat valley running through its
centre. This was half filed with snow which,
thawing slowly in the sun, formed tho source of a
waterfall, at a height so great that it was blown
aud scattered into fine rain before it reached the
sea. Around its basc-on which tho sea was
breaking with Il noise less booming and moro
musical than when it dases on the solid shore
was a broad band of frozen spray, which, glitter
ing in the sunshine, looked like the setting Of an
enormous sapphire.
Not FAR from the top, and on the side nearest TO
as, was a vast, smooth, CLASSY plane, inciining
ssteouly towards tho sea, and terminating abruptly
in n tremendous ovorhanging r%recipice. In the
very centre of this plane, those among us who had
good ewes could see a small black spot. 1t was
at this, the captain had been peering through his
glass, when he said 1T is II man"
Every glass in the ship was in requisition, and
every eye strained towards one point. The excite
mont secame almost frantic when one Of the watch
ers suddenly exclaimed that he saw the man move
his hand.
We approached so near at last, that the plateau
above, and its dread object, were at last hidden
from view by the brink of the p%recipice itself,
which seemed as if about TO roll over and crush as,
We sailed along its side, frequently lying-to, to ex-
ploro each nook and corner as we passed. The
fal ther end of tire island, when We rounded il, pre-
scented quito u new feature the base was Slapped
away and undermined for about half q mile by a
succession of low cavernous hollows, extending in
wards farther than VIC could see, while the sea
rushing in aud out unanimously, made the pent-
up air within howl and whistle like a hurricane.
Altering our course again, VIC stcered almost due
west under the southern side, where its vast shad-
ow spread out far and wide over the ocean. 1t
row looked oven grander, darker, more fear-inspir-
ing, than before, with the sun beaming over its rug
ged crest, cr shining through the thinner parts and
showing all the p%rismatic colors of the rainbow.
The form Of the ice,island was that of an irregular
triangle, and in about five hours we had sailed
completely round it. But there was no single
point at which any boat ever built could have land
cd, even had it been u dead calm, and the sea as
still as a mill-pond much less in such a heavy
surf rs was then foaming and Dreaming all around
Il. No sign of n living thing was seen, excepting
one great sleepy seal, that had crept into q hole
Just above water-mark, and lay there rs II he were
il comfortable quarters. No sign of boat or spar,
o. wreck. 1t was u picture of utter dessolation.
We hove to again, at the nearest point from
which the man upon the iceberg could be seen.
lie lay upon his back with one arm folded IN an
unusual manner under his head the whole attitude
being Que of easy repose indeed, had it not bceI
for the marbly look Of his face and hands, We
could have fancied that he was sleeping souudly
He was clothed as enc Of the better class of sea
laen, in rough blue pllot-cloth with large horn but
IONS had no hat, and by his side lay u small boat
'iook, to which was tied a strip Of red WOODEN stuff
apparently q piece of the same which he wor
round his neck. This, no doubt, the poor fciloy
had intended planting on the heights as a signal
In such a thin, clear atmosphere, with the aid o
- powerful telescope, even his features might b
plainly traced, and his iron gray hair seen noviDj
In the wind.
Tho second mate stoutly declared that he recog
Missed the man-he was quito sure of tan oil
ehum and shipmate of his with whom he ha
sailed many n long voyage, and some part of who's
wild, varied history he told us the next evening
WHAT socmed to convince him more than a%nything
was the peculiar way in which the dead mans arm
was slowed away under his head-his old ship
mate always slept so, oven III his nlnllnOck.
Numerous and strange were tho coujcctures an
remarks made by the officers and men. Who, an
what was he? How long had he been there HOY
did he get there? The general conclusion was
that he was one of the crew Of some vessel wreck
cd upon the iceberg itself, of which no yestige re
manned.
"Gcs, like enough, said one of the sailors; ssh,
run into the ice in the dark, and went down like
stone same as we may have done any time this las
six weeks"
Perhaps he was aloft when she struck, and go
fitchcS +p whore he is now"
<As like to be pitched into the moon," r~ejOinoC
another, contemptuously. "Why, that there prec
ipioe is three times as high as the tautest mas
ever rugged"
T'ferhaps. now" suggested s. third, ats som
awful cruel skipper, WHO'S been a ha2ing and i'll
using of his crew tll they couldn't bear WITH it n
longer, and was drove TO mutiny, and pct hin
ashore there, AL alone, to die by himself, SO a
they should rot have bis blood upon their hands
or maybe he was a murderer er u Yankee slave
Keeper"
"Ah, Bill" growled out n previous speaker
you've always got a good werd to say fer ever.
orc, Yea have"
IL was a very cid man who spoke next; on,
who was looked upto as q great authority OF
all such matters, altfcu gh hc " as usually remark
ably taciturn, and woald never cutter into an argu
meht. lie quietly deposited his qaid in his hat
and, rs this was always done preparatory to hit
making n speech, has shipmates waited IN slleRc.
for him to begin.
THAT there nee island" he said at last, "wasn'
launched yesterday, nor yet last year, nor tn
year before, perhaps; ana, by the looks Of him
hes been tori pretty eng cceise ia WAITE Haiti
tades-last summer, nnayOe-an9 ttea eOae bacl
house for the winter. If you iOok away yonder-
there-jast this side Of thathigh pOiat like a ehurcl
stsepie, only lower down, there's place look
darker than the rest Now, It's Just there | expec
that a great piece has broken of and dritted away
end I calculate 'twasiewer and more shelving Off
not so sseop and rccy-iiSe 80 it is now. Twas
there ssst poor chap was cast ashore from ship oil
heat lie ~as trying 10 make his way uP to thC
heigSts - taSe = hook T0and. and hoist a signal
when he lay dsSn and Kent asleep, aud never
woke again; only, where be is bow, you zee, nias
have Ssea co7tre& With snex thsn, or he c0alan'
have kept las foStins-"
nasing szld tAns nsei. he replaced the Guild ir
ms asash sSa spoSs 40 mere-
There xas no earthly asa in waiting longer, and
Yet tie eay1ais sseESed ieth 10 give the order to 81