Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1858-02-13

| AFTER long taik ana nolerl0g ourselves
hoarse to try and make EN- hear aboard, we
determined'to wrap ourselves up in the bear
skin, and wait for daylight 1t was pretty
we'll big enough to hold oil three, aud the
doctor bad got blanket besides.
alt wasn't very jolly sort of thing as
you may guess; but, somehow, We could say
nothing to the doctor, he seemed so tremen-
dous down 10 the mouth at what he called his
cursed folly in coming at all. After we'd
| taken q suck or two at the bottle, we felt bet
ter, and then he told US what it was as made
the cracking and roaring in the ice, and how
We come to lose the boat. All very material
it seemed too, only I've forgot how it was"
"Go on with your story, Ben," said our doc
tor; OH tell how all that happened when
you have done"
"Well, sir" said Ben, after turning OFF an
other glass of rum rs if it had been water,
eve stopped without moving peg for NOR
tai long while, only giving boiler now and
then to the ship, just not to throw away
chance. should reckon it must have been
pretty far into Christmas day afore we turn
ed out Of the bears skin, for the sun was be-
ginning to get low, and so was our spirits, /
can tell you. There wasn't no signs of its
getting clearer. / found myself becoming
precious sleepy, and knowed that warn't
safe feel; so we turned out, oil three, to have
a walk, and try if we could hit on any way of
swarmng up to the top Of the iceberg
Luckily this wasn't to be done, nohow; it
was one wall of ice going straight up; and
aiore the fog come, you hsd to turn your head
back with your face quite fat, to see the top
oft, and it was as broad again as the Thames
at Grnnidge.
at struck me then as it was quite straight
somehow, and the sort of deck was on seemed
TO have got slant since we first came on it.
| | said as much to the doctor, aud off he star
ted like mad to the side where our fat bit
was joined on to the body like OF the ice. !
thought he was going to pitch himself in, for
he went down on bis knees, and was a.looking
iuto the water for ever so long. Presently
he came back, quite cool and determined
looking and then | saw as he was like COM
ing down hill towards US, instead Of coming
along fiat. Anything the matter p said l.
Well says be, taking a stiff pull at the grog
and waiting till we'd done the same too, well,
there is something the matter; we'd best
square ourselves as best we can, for sre're
turning ocer.'
"Sure enough it was time The ice being
topheavy from the melting Of it down under
the water was turning over-sideways like
that is, sideways as we was standing, With our
backs to the ice behind us, and looking out
to sea from the fat we was on. | went on
getting more up hill every minute, ill at last
we Was obliged to lie down right on the top
edge where it was rising further and fur
ther out OF the water, on the top Of the weed
lying in heap there. 1t was the awfulest
position as ever | was in | dream about it
sometimes now when I'm ashore, though it
was good many years ago. There was just
a little chopping sea all round, and the ice
rising out Of it underneath MS, us we looked
over the edge where we was lying on, was
as clear as glass The whole iceberg seemed
to be grouping with pain, there was such
splitting and crack, which seemed TO come
from its very middle. There was the doctor
/ on my left hand a holding on, and with his ri
ile right under him, and the bear skin cover
ing the pair OF MS. Bill had got the blanket
aud was on the far side Of the doctor; and,
be sure, we was precious quiet; it warn't no
/ time for talk. | heard the doctor saying
something to hisself, quite solemn and low,
and ii seemed to do me good somehow, lis
tening to him. Wei, we got very slowly
raised about a couple Of fathom above the
water, when all al once we began TO so up at
/ q tremendous rate; We was shot up another
couple of fathom in no time, and then came
the most fearsomest crash as ever heard
l clenched my teeth and held on, arms ard
legs, MS hard rs ] could. | couldn't have
looked up TO save my life; but heard
something like gun go off close TO me, and
a screech as would have frightened the dead,
aud noise, like as If all the sky had fallen
into the sea. l don't know aything as / can
think Of as it was more like Then there
came sort Of swtmminess in my head, as /
telt we was going down again fast, and eX-
/ pected to feel myself go right under water
All at once we stopped, and felt we was be-
ing driven on through the water at spank
ing pace, for the spray came right up over US.
1t freshened me a bit and just look out
aiore me, when, sure enough, we was driv-
ing on through the water as if tie ice had
gone mad. | couldn't bear to look round for
the Others as was lying 'atween me and where
the body Of the iceberg had been when | last
! looked. | was pretty near done, that's the
fact, and only saw Que thing clear, and that
was as | must hold on tight anyhow l best
could
at might have been matter Of FIVE min
ules afore the ice We was on stopped the un-
common rate it was going at {; aud it was full
another five minutes afore | could have the
pluck to look up. never saw so much in
one look in my life, and thought at first was
gone mad or was dreaming. We were right
on the top Of lump of ice, about as big as
this ship. There wasn't nothing TO be seen
OF the hummock Of ice as we'd been under
NHcu We WAS ShluutuR tue DtaF. kueN
how it was at once. ln turning over the fiat
of ice we was on had split off from the main
body, and had dropped aud Aoated with the
thickest end (which was luckily the one we
was on) uppermost. | s'pose the iceberg
turning over had driven the water afore it,
and sent US on at the rate w'd been going
| was a deal shorter time seeing all this than
it takes Ine TO tell it in, and when III seen so
much felt the swimming feel coming over
me again so as | couldn't see no more for a
bit, except that noticed the fog had cleared
away, aud il looked like evening coming
down.
Presently felt some one a nudging me
on the side, and looked up aud see the doe
tor looking me ia the face as ! turned my
head. L can see the look as was on his face
now His eyes were wide open and staring /;
the top Of his face for his cap had fell oti)
was all white excepting two blue spots on his
cheeks but his chin was as black as soot.-
He was trying to say something to me with
bis mouth open wide as if he was hollerpg.-
After bit heard sort Of whisper, which
made my blood run cold. Where's Bill p
was what be said. aud Where's the rife p 1t
flashed over me all at once, the sound I'd
heard andthe screech folerin it, and brought
on the swimminess again. felt him NOV
| ing uD. and caught hold of him lust as he WAS