National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1873-06-06

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struction, so that they were obliged to
confne themselves to small pans,
changing their positions from time TO
time as dangers necessitated. 1t was
impossible to launch the boat, no seals
could be taken, and actual starvation
was inevitable.
1t was at this crisis that, on the 2lst
of April, fortune sent the Polar bear,
which they happily obtained possession
of as above described. The boat was
afterwards got into the water, and they
worked their way west and southwest
every day in the hope OF reaching some
part of the Labrador coast. The only
then remaining shelter was q Cal W ,
tent, erected Gfter the annihilatiol Of
the winter camp. On the 22d Of April
the boat happened to become separated
from this tent some seven or eight feet.
The weather, which had been fine for
some days previously, with hardly any
wind, suddenly shifted, and terrific
storm, accompanied with sleet and snow,
sprang up. More suddenly still, and
without any warning sounds whatever,
the ice between the boat and tent burst
asunder, with loud and deafening ex-
plosion. A cry was at once raised to
" stand by the boat Fred Myer, in
the darkness (for it was night managed
to reach it, though, in attempting to do
so, he narrowly escaped being swept
into the chasm caused by the separation
of the ice foe, and in which the mad
dened sea was seething and the shat
tered and scattered fragments of the
ice were tossing wildly against each
other. Having reached the boat in
safety his first act was to look round for
his companions. None were to be seen
and nothing heard, save the roaring of
the tempest and the grinding and the
crunching of the clumpers as they were
driven with terrific violence by the sea.
To remain where he was would be, he
knew, to court immediate destruction
The pan upon which he tottered was
becoming smaller and smaller every
moment, and, great as was the hazard,
he determined, if possible, to launch
the boat again, and, though desperate
the attempt, to cross the chasm that di-
vided him from his companions. But |
this was no easy task. The sea was
breaking wildly over the pan. The boat
was heavily laden, and it seemed as if
his remaining strength, though doubled |
by that desperate situation, was un-
equal to the required task. Several |
times did he make the attempt, and
twice was he washed from the pan into
the sea by the violence of the waves
that dashed over and overwhelmed it.
The cold was intense, terribly augment
ed by the chilling and freezing water
with which he was covered and satur-
lted. In this awful situation but little
hope remained of his ever again behold
ing his comrades or even preserving his
own life.
In a moment, as if by magic, tho
storm lulled and the surge subsidized,
and, straining his eyes through the
olackness of that Plutonian night in the
direction in which he supposed the "Hst
If the party were, he discovered . lie
wo Esquimaux, Joe and Hans, each
standing on a small piece of ice and
towards him. These intrepid
md hardyson of the "regions of thick
ibbed ice were not deferred by dan
,ers which would have blanched the
heeks and made the hearts of men bold
nough to seek the bauble reputation
!
led with awe. But for them the ice
eemed to have no terrors as for common
nen. In a second the horrors of the {
moment ntwere forgotten. Hope
nee more bloomed in all its fullness, {
egardless of the innumerable perils t
eyond, and, strength thus revived with |
ager hope, the boat was launched and
hey ioyfully rejoined their companions. l
On the 29th of April two steamers
owe in sight of the storm tossed mari t
ers, which now renewed all their long I
herished and constantly blighted ex a
ectations of rescue. They made sig l
ais, but were probably not observed t
his fresh and heartrenling disappoint- |
lent was atoned for on the morrow, t
hen the sealing steamship Tigress, of t
t. Johns, Newfoundland, accidentally, L
, dense fog, steamed against the very @
oe of ice which was their habitation. v
hree cheers from the rescued company h
ent the air, and were as ehenently g
nd joyously sent back by the 130 men v
ho composed the Tigress' crew. {