The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1886-03-23
vincing as if they had made out his face.

II WAS just starting TO grow dark, the
sun having disappeared but a minute or
two in the southwestern horizon, and
the merest fading of day was showing
itself. Inside of an hour it would be
too dark to have any hope of again find
ing the man by the eye alone, while it
was simply impossible for the lost sailor
to gain the ship in even treble that
time across the tw3:vc or fifteen miles
of hummocky ICE that stretched itself
between the rG2cuefs, and the one to be
rescued. In fact, it was very doubtful
if he saw the ship, its huge black sides
being incascd in snow as q protection
from the winters cold, while the masts
alone would be left to indicate it's DO
~sition, which were probably invisible to
the naked eye at that long distance.
There was hustle and confusion in and
around the ship as the decision of the
maintop was shouted to the throng be-
low-an excitement and activity seldom
witnessed in those dreary chimes where
so little ever ONE to break an almost
ccasclcss winter monotony of never
varying ccnes The man must be res
cued in half an hour, or every minute
after that would decrease the chances
rapidly, while there could be but little
hopes indeed of standing another night.
There were plenty of dogs around, a
hundred Or more in the large village,
while almost as good for their object,
n of the EsquimauX hunters had
just completed icing the runners of
his stout slcdge preparatory to another
hunt for the missing man..
This putting Il coat Of ice on the run
ners of a slcdgc is more necessary to
these nomads of the North to get the
sledgc in the best condition for travel
ing than grcasing or oiling a wagon
wheel is with us, and as it generally re-
quircs q half hour for the operation, it
IS easy to see the advantage gained in
this case. In every direction were Il
score of EsquimauX men, women and
children scurrying around and catching
the dogs, Harvesting them, and bring
ing them to the sledgc to be hitchcd
thereto. The greatest number of dogs
that can be hitchcd to even the largest
slcdgcs with the longest traces they ever
give to the leading dog-about twenty
five feet-and have every dog do fair
pulling, is about twenty of these ami
mails, they making n solid mass in a fam
shaped way, spread out before the driver.
When a numbcr of sledges are out to-
gether, and n steep ascent is cncoun-
tered or n bad way, as the soft snow of
a narrow pass, two or even three teams
are fastened to one slcdge to pull it over
or through, by long connecting lines of
the strongest walrus hide, each team
being yet by itself. AS l have COM
pared IA single team to IN outsprcad fan,
so these two or three teams may be COM
pared to two or three fans in a row, the
handles being the strong traces, but
each one passing back t. the slcdge. 1t
was hastily decided mat this method
should be used in the present case, so
numerous were the good dogs, and so
urgent was the case, and three teams Of
fifteen dogs each were rapidly arranged
along the stout trace that ran to the
forward team. Even the dogs seemed
to partake of the excitement, and no
small fears were entertained that the
groups. with ears rigidly erect, and
noses in the air, trying to smell what
could be the cause of all this turbulent
hurry. might break forward before all
was ready, and it would then be like
trying to stop n hurricane in it's flight,
tor nothing is wilder han the mad rush
of an excited team of Esuuimaux dogs
dragging only q light sledgc.
Agreat crescenu-shaped crowd of per-
sons, Esquimaux and white men, formed
IN fronto of the leading team and down
the sides OF the Others, till all p. ira
lions were made, in order to avoid such
an unwishcd for contingency. Strong
sea! lines were woven up and down the
sledgc Stats to give the three persons
that were to go n rcndy hold in their
forthcoming ridc--a terrible ride fol
life or death, that seldom indeed fell tG
the lot of the whole life Of the most ad.
vcnturous EsquimauX to make. Two OF
the best dog drivers in the Iwillik ma.
ton jumped on the sled to guide it on
its trip, on each side to apply the long
whip should the dogs lag. a contingency
not liable to happen from the excited
way In which they acted to join in the
great race for which it might be: prob
ably a polar bear went through then
canine thoughts more than once. The
third person, a mere youth, but the
most active of his g in the whole vii
lage, took his position ut the front OF
the sledgc, a sharp snow knife in hand,
his mission being to cut the harness oil
any dog that SHOULD stumble md drag,
or catch his harness on any projecting
hummock of ice; for should any anima
be thrown or pulled down in such ,
wild flight, not even the agility of thu
Esquimaux slcdge dog would serve hin
to regain his feet, and he would bt
dragged to death unless the harness,
trace kindly parted in time to saw,
him, and the boys knife. was t.
assist this parting. "Quee-en-ah!'
tRcady! or All Fight y shouted the two
dog-drivers, with their arms in the air:
the long whip.lashcs trailing behind
them, and Immediately the crowd i,
front parted, and in a second the whip
lashes had snapped together among tn,
teams. If the whip-cords had been th'