The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1856-09-17
Gales an0 gketebes
THE MAN ON AN ICEBERG.

: hard aud fast to the side Of the iceber.
ne Keep her away - cried the skipp
- & So-o-o. Steady T. and by thus
teriug our course We brought the ic
berg right ahead. The iceberg had be
in sight since the weather cleared
midnight, when it looked ke some rocI
). head, aud, except that by watching II
bright stars behind it, we could see i
gigantic outlines swaying solemDly AL
1najestically up and down There wa
II something sublimely grand in the slow
sta toly movement ofsuch a mass Ther
it foated, large enough, bad it bee
land, to have been the dwelling place @
hundreds of human beings. The lowe
part was of so deep a purple as to lool
almost black; but higher up il shaded
; off to bright azure, then light pale
green, while on its lofty summit were
long slender spires of fantastic forms,
and either of crystal whiteness or
tinted with beautiful pale pink. There
were bays and Promuntories, caves aud
grottos, hills aud dells, with every vari-
ETY. of light and shade. The island was
almost equally divided BY great valley
rnuning through its centre. This was
half filed with snow, which, thawing
| slowly in the sun, formed the source Of
Il waterfall, at hight so great that it
WAS blown and scattered into fine rain
before it reached the sea. Around its
base-on which the sea was breaking
with noise less booming and more mu-
steal than when it dashes on the solid
shore-was broad band of frozen spray,
which, 81 ttering in the sunshine, looked
like the silver setting of an enormous
sapphire.
Not far from the top, and on the side
nearest to us. was vast, smooth, CLASSY
plane, iuclining steeply towards the sea,
and terminating abruptly in trcmen-
dous overhanging precipice. In the
very centre ofthis plane, .lsa-eE EEsFvrg us
who had good eyes could see small
black spot. It was at this the captain
had been peering through his glass, when
be said, g 1t is a man +"
Every glass in the ship was in requi-
.ition, and every eye strained towards
one point. The excitement became al
most frantic when one of the watchers
exclaimed that he saw the man
Eove his hand.
We approach, 80 near at last, that
he plateau above. and it's dread object
vas at last hidden from view by the
brink of the preoipice itself, which seer:- ,
ID as if about to roll over aud crush US
We sailed along its side, frequently ly- ,
ng to, to explore each nook aud corner ,
Is we passed The farther end of the ,
sIaDd, when we rounded it, presented =
Iuite new feature; the bdso was sap
,ed away aud undermined for about half =,
mile by succession OF low cavernous &
follows, extending inwards farther than $
re could see, while the sea rushing in {
nd out tumultuousiy, made the pent-up
ir within howl and whistle like hur- &
icane. Altering her course again We II
teered aImost-due west under the south
rn side, where its vast shadows spread le
ut far aud wide over the ocean. 1t now +,
'oked even grander, darker, more fear
lspiring than before, with the sup beam Ii
lg over its rugged crest or shining Il
trough the thinner parts aud showing 4,
Il the prismatic colors Of the rain bow. "
he form of the ice island was that Of an n,
regular triangle, aud in about five a
ours ~e had sailed completely round if
But there WAS no single point h:
, which any beat ever built could IL
ave landed, even had it been dead W
lin, and the sea as still as ll-poud
uch less in such heavy surf as was til
en- foaming aud creaming all round it &c
o sign of boat or living thing was seen ca
.cept one great sleepy seal, that had
ept into hole just above water mark,
ID lay there as if he was in comfortable
No sign of boat, or epar, or re
reck. 1t was picture of utter DESC an
tion. ca
We hove to again, at the nearest point tn
I'm which the man upon the iceberg tn
uld be seen. He lay on his back with q.
e arm folded in an unusual manner va
der his head, the whole attitude be- ap
one of easy repose; indeed, had it go
t been for the marbly look of his face est
i hands, we could have fancied that sa,
was sleeping soundly. He was clothed er,
one of the better class of seamep, in by
Ugh blue pilot cloth, with large horn sit
ttons; he had no hat and by his side de.
: a small boat hook, to which was tied ing
"trip of red woolen stuff, apparently a the
zee of the same which he wore round slo
neck. This, no doubt, the poor fell rol
had intended planting on the heights ha,
signal In nspch thin, clear atmus- de-
ere, with the aid of powerful tele- Ion
'pe, even his features might be plain ma
traced, and his iron gray hair was fro
N moving in the wind. WI
The second mate stoutly declare d hs tn,