Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1856-12-12

husking party.
A word more about Dolly, She is not
so blooming as she was when / talked
love to her on a pumpkin. / mentioned
the circumstance to her the other day
flush, tush, man. said She, g twas
nothing but pumpkin sitting on Il
pumpkin" 1t was sarcastic rejoindcr,
but | was mum. Idislike family broils,
and thought it best to cringe little,
rather than provoke a second reply.
AN ARCTIC ADVENTURE.
Kane's Arctic Expedition abounds in
adventures like the following, which
makes one SILVER to read. DR.. Kane
and an Esd,iina,ix hunter take trip
after seals:
~ started with Hans and five dogs,
all we could muster from our disabled
pack, and reached the 'Pinnacly Berg
in a single hours run, But whore was
the water? Where were the seal? The
foes had closed, and the crushed ice was
all that told Of our intended hunting
ground.
Ascending berg, however, we
could see to the north and west the dark
cloud stratus which betokens water. 1t
ran through our old battle ground, the
"Bergy Belt'-the labyrinth of onr
wandering after the frozen party of last
winter. had not been over it since,
and the feeling it gave me was anything
but joyous.
"In couple of hours we emerged
upon a. plain, unlimited to the eye, and
smooth as billiard table. Feathers of
young frosting gave a push-like nap to
its surface, and toward the horizon dark
columns of frost-smoke pointed clearly
to the open water. This ice was firm
enough our experience satisfied us that
it was not very recent freezing. We
pushed on without hesitation; cheering
ourselves with the expectation of coming
every minute to the seals. We passed a
second ice growth; it was not so strong
as the one we had just come oyer, but
still safe for n party like ours. On we
went at a brisker eallop, maybe for an
other mile, when Hans sang out, at the
top of his voice, Pussy puseymut
seal, seal ? At the same instant the
dogs bounded forward, and, as looked
up, saw crowds Of gray notsik, tac
rough or hispid seal of the whalers, dis
porting in an open sea Of water.
~ had hardly welcomed The spectacle,
when ] saw that we had passed upon a
new belt Of ice that was obviously un-
safe. TO the right aud left, and front.
was one great expausc Of snow-Acatiug
ice. The nearest solid foe was a mere
lump, which stood like an island in the
white level TO turn was impossible
we had to keep up our gait. We urged
on the dogs with whip and voice, the ice
rolling like heather beneath the sledge
runners; it was more than a mile to the
lump of solid ice. Fear gave to the
poor beasts their utmost speed--and our
voices were soon hushed to silence.
" The suspense, unrelieved by action
or effort, was iutolerable. We knew that
there was no remedy but TO reach The
foe, aud that everything depended upon
our dogs, and our dogs alone A mo-
ment's check would plunge the whole
concern into the rapid tide-way. No
presence Of mind, or re,ource, bodily or
mental, could avail us. The seals for
we were now near. enough to &C theie
expressive faces.-were looking ut US with
that strange curiosity which seems to be
their characteristic expression. We must
have passed some fifty of them, breast
high out Of water, hooking Us by their
sclf.complacency.
This desperate race against fate
could not last. The rolling Of the tough
salt water ice terrified our dogs, aud
when within fifty PAGES from the foe
they paused. The lefthand runner went
through; our leader, Toodlamick, fol-
lowed and in one second the entire left
Of the sledgc was submerged. Ny first
thought was to i5erate the dogs; | lean
ed forward TO cut poor foods traces, and
the next moment was swimming in n
little circle Of pasty lee and water along
side him. Hans, dear, good fellow,
drew near TO help me, uttcring piteous
expressions in broken English; but |
ordered him to throw himself on his
belly, with his hands and legs extended,
and to make for the island by coggine
himself forward with his iack-knife. In
the meantime--a mere instant-I was
noundering about with the sledge-dogs
and lines, in confused puddle around
me.
81 succeeded in cutting poor foods
lines, and letting him scramble TO the
icc--for the poor fellow was drowning
me with higpitcous carcsses-and made
my way for Che sledgc but | found that
It would not buoy NE, and that had nd
resource but 10 try the circumference Of
the hole. Around this ! padded fifth
fully, the miserable ice always yielding
when wy hopes of lodgmcnt were
greatest. During this process ! enlarged
my circle Of operations TO very uncom-
Portable diameter. and was beginning to
feel weaker after every effort Hans,
meanwhile, had reached the firm ice. and
was on his knees, like good Moravian.
praying incohcrcntly in English aud Iss-
quimaux at every fresh crushing IN Of
the ice he would calculate, God ? aud
whom ] recommended my padding, he
recommended his prayers. vi
II was nearly gone. Ny knife bad
been lost in cuttipg ont tho dogs. and
spare one which ] carried 10 my trowsers
pocket was so enyclopcd ia The wet skins
that / could not reach IT, | owed my
extrication nj last 10 a newly broken