The Placer herald., 1857-03-14
An Arctic AdYenturer.

the ''Pinnacly y Berg in a single hours run.
But where 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 stra-
tus which betokens water. 1t ran through
our old battle-ground, the "Bergy Belt"-
the labrynth Of our 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 a couple of hours we emerged upon a
plain, unlimited to the eye, and smooth as a
billiard table. Feathers Of young frosting
gave plush-jke nap to its surface, and to-
ward 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 our
selves 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 over, but still safe for a
party like ours. On we went at brisk GAL
lop, maybe for another mile, when Hans
sang out at the top of his voice: "Pusey,
puseymut. SEAL sea..'' At the same instant
the dogs bounded forward, and as | looked
up, saw crowds of gray netsik, the rough
or hispet seal of the whalers, disportng 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 obviousIy unsafe. 70 the right
and left, and front, was one great expanse
of snow-hoating ice. The greatest solid foe
was a lump, which stood like an island in
the white level. To turn was impossibe
we had to keep up our gait. We urged on
the dogs with whip and voice, the ice rolled
like leather beneath the sledge runners; it
was more than d mile to the solid lump of
ice. Fear gave to the beasts their utmost
speed-and our voices were soon hushed to
silence.
The suspense, unreieved by action Or eff
fort, was intoerabIe. We knew there was
no remedy but to reach the foe, and tat
everything depended upon our dogs, and our
dogs alone. A moments check would plunge
the whole concern into the rapid tide-way
No presence Of mind or resource, bodily or
mental, could avail U.S. The seals-tor we
were now near enough to see their express
sive faces-were looking at us with that
strange curiosity which seems to be their
characteristic expression. We must have
passed some fifty of them, breast-high out Of
the water, mocking us by their selt-compla
cencv
This desperate race against fate could not
last. The rolling of the tough salt water ice
terrified our dogs, and when within fifty
PAGES from the foe they paused. The left
hand runner went through; our leader,
Toodlamick, followed; and in one second the
entire left Of the sedge was submerged. My
first throught WAS to liberate the dogs;
leaned forward to cut poor Tood's traces,
and the next moment was swimming in a
little circle of party ice and water along side
him. Hans, dear good fellow, drew near to
help me, utterng piteous expressions In bro
ken English; but | ordered him to throw
himself on his belly, with his hands and legs
extended, and to make for the island by cog
ging himself forward with his jackknife.
In the meantme-a mere second-I was
foundering about with the sedge-dogs and
lines in a confused puddle around me.
| succeeded in cutting poor foods line,
and letting him scramble to the ce-for the
poor fellow was drowning me with his piteous
caresses-and made my way for the sledge;
but found that it would not buoy me, and
that had no resource but to try and circum
ference the hole. Around this | padded
faithfully, the miserable ice always yielding
when my hopes of lodgment were greatest.
During this process | enlarged my circle Of
operations to very uncomfortable diameter,
and was beginning to feel weaker after every
effort Hans, meantime had reached the firm
ice, aud was on his knees, like good Nora
Wan, praying incoherently in English and
Esquimaux; at every fresh crushing in Of the
ice lie would calculate 'God!' and when | re-
commenced padding, he recommended his
prayers.
| was nearly gone. My knife had been
lost in cutting out the dogs, and spare one
which | carried in my trowsers pocket was
SO enveloped in the wet skins that | could
not reach it. | owed my extricaion at last
to a newly broken team dog who was still
fastened to the sledge, and in struggling
carried one of the runners chock against the
edge of the circle. All llmy previous attempts
to use the sledge as bridge had failed, for
it broke through to the much greater injury
of the ice. felt that it was the last chance.
threw myself on my back 50 as to lessen
as much as possible my weight, and placed
the nape of my neck against the rim ofthe ice,
and then, with caution, slowly bent my leg,
and, placing the ball of my mocasined foot
against the sledge, | pressed steadily against
the runner listening to the half yielding
crush of the ice beneath
Presently felt my head was pillowed by
the ice, and that my wet fur jumper was
sliding up the surface. Next came my shoul-
ders--they were fairly on. One more deci-
ded push and | was launched on the ice and
safe. | reached the ice foe, and was friction
ed by Hans with frightful zeal. We saved