Polynesian. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu], Hawaii) 1844-1864, 1856-09-06
No. Is

jumping IN bags, and wreStlng-al hands present as
at sort Of ''lsthman games" ended with gale o.
cracking up Of ce,-and the Investigators thought
they were on their way home, and Kelett thought he
was to have month Of summer yet. But no,-'there
Is nothing certain in this navigation from one hour 10
the next" The '' Resolnte'' aud - Intrepid were
never really free OF ice all that autumn drove and drift
ed to aud fro in Barrows Straits till the 18th of Nc
yember, and then frVze up, without anchoring off Cape
Cockburn, perhaps hundred and forty miles from
their harbor Of the last winter The logboOk Of that
winter Is curious record the ingenuity of the officer
in charge was well tas8ei make one day lfer from
another Each day has the FIRST entry for ships posi-
tion,' thus In the Zoe of Cape Cockbur' and the
blank for the second entry, thus" in the posi-
ton Lectures, theatricas, schools, Sc. whiled
away the time, but there could be travelling
parties, and not much hope for discovery in the
mer.
Spring came. The captain went over ice in his
little dog sled to Beechy Island-and received his
directions to abandon his ships. 1t appears that he
would r'ther have sent of his men forward and
with small crew, brought the " Resoute'' homo.
that autumn or the next. But Sir Edward Belcher
considered his orders peremptory " that the safety
OF the crews must preclude any idea of extricating
the ships Both ships to be abandoned. Two
distant travelling parties away at the In
vestlgatoE one looking for traces Of ColliRson which
they found. Word left for them, at proper
point not 20 seek the ship again, but to to
Beechey Island. And at last having fitted the In
trepid's engines so that she could he under steam
III two hours-haying stored both ships with equal
| proportions of prOvisIons-and made both vessels
" ready for occupation, the captain eaulked down
the hatches-and with all the crew he had not sent
on before-ortytwo persons in all, left her Monday
the 10th Of May, 1854, and started with the sedges
| for Beechey Island.
Poor old "Resolutsi All this CAV cornpauy is gone
who have made her sides split with their laughter
Here IS Harequins dress lying in one of the ward
rooms, but there is nobody to dance Harlequin's
dances i" Here is a lovely clear day-surely to-day
they will come on deck and take meridian ~ No
ohcHx L. I,
but it is all One-nobody looks at the thermometer
land SO the poor ship left all alone" Such
/ gay times has she had with all these brave young
men on board. Such merry winters, such light
some summer So much fun-so much nonsense.
So much science and sdom, and now it all 30 still.
Is the poor /" Resolute'' conscious of the change:
Does she miss the races the ice--the scientific
lecture every Tuesday-the occasional racket and
hustle of the theatre and the worship of every Sun
day: Has not she shared the hope Of Captain kel-
lett Of Mcclure, and of the that she may Irg0k
out IceH! She sees the last sledge leave her. The
captain drives off his SIX dogs-vanshes over the
leo, and they are all gone. 'Wiu they not come
back again :" says the poor ship. And she looks
wisiuy the ice TO her little friend the steam
tender Intrepid and she sees there IS no one there
" Intrepid intrepid - have they really deserted
us: We have served them well, and have they
really left alone =: great many were travelling
last year, but they came home. VIII not any OF
these come home now: No, poor Resolute' Not
one Of them ever came back again :, Not one Of
them meant to- Summer came. august came. No
one tell how soon, but some day other this.
her icy prison, broke up-and The good ship found
herself Oh her own element again. Shoos her
self proudiy-we cannot doubt-nodded joyfuliy
to the . Intrepid" and was free. But alas!
there master TO take latitude and longitude,
no hemsman at the wheel, In clear letters cast in
brass over her helm there are these words
England expects each man to do his duty. But
here IS no man to heed the warning, and the rudder
flaps this way and that way no longer directing her
course-but stupidity swinging to and fro. And
she drifts here and there-drfts ont of sight OF her
little consOrt-strands bit of ice foe now-ard
then is swept off from it-and finds herself without
even the Intrepids' company, alone on these blue
seas with those white shores. But what utter lone
illness Poor ReSolute She lOngeu for freedom
but what IS freedom-where there is no law. What
Is freedom without helmsmanl And the ''ResOlute'
looks back sadly 20 the old days when she had
master. And the short bright summer passes And,
again she sees the sun set from her decks And
now even her to2-nasts see it set. And now
it does not rise to her deck. And the next
day it does not rise TO her mast winter and
night together! She h1s known them before! But
it Is winter and night and loneliness ell together
This horrid ice closes up round her ega,p. And
there Is one to bring her into harbor-she Is OUT
in the open Slund Ii the ice drifts west, She must
20 west. Ii it goes east, she must go east teS
seeming freedom is Overland for that long winter
she Is chained again But her heart is true TO old
England. And when she cnn go east, size Is 50
happy and when she must 90 west, she IS so sad!
Eastward she does 20. Southwark she does go
True to the instinct which sends us ali home, she
tracks uudGected and without a sail, the fifteen
hundred miles of that without beacon, which
separates her from her own. And 50 goes dismal
year = Perhaps another spring, they VIII come and
find me ont. and tx things below 1t Is getting
lreadfully damp down there and cannot keep the
runs bright and the h0oEs dry" No, good OLD
s,Rssolte Nav and June pass Of the next year, and
nobody coInesand here you are all alone ont IN the
Bay, drifting in this i>aa pack July and August
the days are growine shogter again. viii nobody
come and take care OF -.e and cut oil these horrld
blocks of ice and to these sides OF bacon in the
hold and all these mouldy sails, and this powder,
and the breld and the spirit that have kept Tor
them 50 well. It IS September, and the s'l- bs6ns
% SET again. And here Is another OF thosc SNlGs
gales. VIII it be my Sery lest: all alone h're--
who have done much-and II they would only
take cure OF me can do so much more NlA
nobody come: Nobody .. What is II Sc
b.ink-are nv poor Old look-nuts bllndf Is nc,
there the " Intrepid Dear = 4ntreP'd' WIZ never.
look down on YOU again, No ths-e = no zr1osc-.
stack it IS not the intrepid. BUTT IS somebody
Pray see me, good somebody. Are you AanGc9
whalcr 1 glad TO sec the Yankee WhaIsrs.
remember the Yankee whaleTs very pleasantly, We
had happy summer together once. II tyIif-
be dreadful il they do not me- But this ice, th1S
wretched ice They do see me- know the! sec
me- but they cannot get at me- 10 not - away
good Yankees; p-ay come and help me- NhoM
can get out ii YOU will help little. BNI now
- !, a whole week and they do not come Arc,
there any Yankees or am getting crazy; have
hearl them talk Of crazy old ships in my young
days No! am not crazy. Ihey are com
mo : thev are coming. Brave Yankees! ! over the
h.immoeis, down into the sludge. Do not givehuP
for thc cold There is coal below, and we viii have
fire in the Sylvester, and in the captains cabin
There Is a horrd lane OF water. They have
not got Hakett. On, if one OF these Noa-s % nlEe
yond only start for tnem instead OF lying stupIS
ON nv deck here! But the are not airsld ot
water! See them ferry over on that ice block