Mountain Democrat., 1857-05-23
An Arctic Adventure.

anu jill T.nlulhauA nullIcT LakeS Trip
after seals
started with Hans and five dogs, all
We could muster from our disabled pack,
and reached the pinnacle Berg in a
single hours travel. But where was the
watcry where were the seals ?? The fucS
had closed, and the crushed ice was all
that told Of our intended hunting ground.
Ascending Il berg, however, we could
see to the north and west the dark cloud
StrataS which betOkcn water. 1t ran
through our old hattle-ground-.thc 'Bcrgy
lielt--thc labyrinth of our wandclings az
ter the frozen party oflaSt Winter. | had
not been over it since, and tho feeling it
gave me was any thing but joyous.
Ina couple of hears we emerged upon
4 p!"in, unlimited to the eye, and smooth
aS II billiard table Feathers of young
troStng gave plu;h-Iikc nap to its sur
face, and towards the horizon dark col
ANN, Of frost smoke pointed clearly to
the open water. The lee was firm enough;
our experience satisfied Us it was not
very recent freezing. We pushed on
without hesitation cheering ourselves
with the expectation ofcoming every min
ate to the seals. We passed second
growth it was not 50 strong MS the one
we had just come over, but still safe
enough for n paitt-hkc ours. On we
went at y hriSkcr gnllor, may be for all
other milo, when Hans sung out, ut the
top of his voice, 'Pusey. puscymut, seal,
seal y At the same instant the dogs
bounded forward, and aS looked up,
saw crowds Of gray net-Silks, the rough
or the hispcd seal Of the whalcr, disport-
ing i'll an open sea Of water.
had hardly welcomed the spectacle,
when saw We had passed upon belt OF
icc that was obviously unsafe. 10 the
right, and left, and front, was one great
cNpansc of snow-howered ice. The near
est solid iloe was mere lump, which
stood like an island in the white level.
10 turn was impossible; we had to keep
OH our gait. We urged on the dogs with
whip and voice; the ice rolled like lcath-
or beneath the slcdge runners; it was
more than Il mile to the lump of solid ice.
Fear gave to the poor beasts their utmost
speed, and our voice was hushcd to ST.
| lcncc.
The suspense, unrclicvcd bv action or
effort, was intolcrablc. We knew there
Was no remedy but to reach the foe, and
that everything depended upon our dogs,
and our dogs alone. a moments check
would plunge the whole concern into the
rapid tideway. No presence of mind or
resource, bodily or mental, could avail US.
The senlS-for we were now near enough
to see their expressive faccs-wcre look
ing at us with that strange curiosity
which seems to be their characteristic ex-
preston. We must have passed some
fifty Of them, brcast-high out of water,
mocking US by their scli-complacency.
This desperate race against fate could
not last. The rolling of the tough salt
water ice terrified our dogs, and when
within fifty PAGES Of the floc, they paused.
The left runner went through; our leader,
Toodlmick, followed; and in one second.
the entire left of the slcdgc was submcrg-
cd. My first thought was to libcrate the
dogs. leaned forward to cut poor foods
traces, and the next moment was swim.
ming i'll little circle Of pastry ice and
water alongside him. Hans, dear, good
fellow, drew near to help me, uttering pit
c0uS expressions in broken English; but
| ordered him to throw himsef on his bel
ly, with his hands and legs extended, and
to make for the island bv cogeing himself
forward with his jark-knife. In the mean
timc--a mere Instant was houndering
about with Slcdgc and lines, in confused
| puddle aruuNd me.
succeeded in cutting poor foods lines
and letting linn scramble to the icc--fDr
the poor fellow was drowning me with
his carrSScS-and made my way for the
sled dgc; but found it would not buoy
me, and that had no source but to try
| the circumference of the hole. Around
this padded faithfully, the miserable ice
always yielding when my hopes for
lodgment were the greatest. During this
process enlarged the circle Of operations
to a very uncomfortable diameter, and be-
ginning to feel weaker after every effort.
Hans meanwhile, had reached the firm
ice, and was ON his knees, like good
Mpravian, praying incohcrcntly in Eng
liSh and ESIuimauX; at every fresh
crushing Of the ice, he would calculate,
God" and when | commenced to paddle.
he recommended his prayer.
was nearly gone. My knife had been
lost in cutting out the dogs, and a spare
one which carried in my trowcrs pocket
was so Cnvelopcd in the wet skins that |
conld not reach it. | owed my extrica-
ton at last to ncwly-broken team dog,
who was still fast to the slcdge, and in
struggling carried one of the runners
chock against the edge of the circle. All
my previous attempts to use the sledgc as
bridge had failed, for it broke through
to the much greater injury of the ice.
felt that it was my last chance. / threw
myself on my back, so as to lessen as
much as possible my weight, and placed
the nap ot'his neck against the edge of
the ice, and then, with caution, slowly
bent my leg, and placing my moccasined
foot against the sledgc, pressed steadily
against the runner, listening to the half
yielding crunch of the ice beneath.
Presently I felt my head was pillowcd
by the ice, and that my wet fur Jumper
was sliding up the surface. Next came
my shouldcrs-thcy were fairly on. One
more decided push, and l was launched
up on the ice, and safe. l reached the
ice tloe, and vas frictioncd by Hans with
trighttul zeal. We saved ali the dogs,
but the slcdge, kayack, tent, guns, snow
shoes, and everything besides, was left
behind. The thermometer at eight de-
grecs will keep them frozen fast to the
sledgc, till VIC como and cut them out.
Two Irishmcn were one day cunning,
whom n largo Hock of niOo0nS cnuoo Av;HS.