Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1888-03-27

(COnTfR RUED.l
CHAPTER VIII.
TIE FROZEN SCHOONER.

CHAPTER VIII.
TIE FROZEN SCHOONER.
found myself on the summit Of kind Of
table land; vast bodies Of ice, every block
weighing hundreds and perhaps thousands
of tons, lay scattered over 1t, yet for tho
space Of mile or so the character was that Of
flatness. Southwark the range went upward
to a coastal front of some hundred feet, with
a huddle of peaks and strange confgurations
behind soaring to an elevation from the sea
line of two or three hundred feet. North
ward the range slopcd gradually, with sucha
shelving of its hinder part that could catch
a glimpse of little space of tho blue sea that
way. From this perceived that whatever
thickness and surface of ice lay southwark,
in the north it was attenuated to the shape
Of wedge, so that its extreme breadth
where it projected its cape or extremity
would not exceed a musket shot.
Being on the top of the range now, I could
plainly hear tho noises Of the splitting and
internal convulsions of this vast formation.
The sounds are not describable II was i'm
possible to fix the direction Of these sounds
the island was full of them, and always sui
lenly booming upon tho breeze was the voice
of the ocean swell bursting in foam against
the ice coast that confronted it.
You may talk of tho solitude Of Selkirk;
but surely the spirit Of loneliness in him
could not rival the unutterable emotion of
solitariness that filled my mind as sent my
gaze over those miles of frozen, stirless white
ness. Hc had the sight of fair pastures, Of
trees making twinkling twilight on tho
sward, of grassy savannas and pleasant
slopes Of hills; the air was illuminated by
the glorious plumage of flying BIRDS the
bleat of goats broke the stiffness in tho val
1. l.
and his other senses were gratified with the
perfumes of rich flowers and engaging con-
certs among tho trembling leaves Above
all, there was tho soothing warmth of a de-
lcous climate. But out upon those heaped
and spreading plains Of snow nothing stirred,
if it were not onco that was startled by q
loud report, and spied rock about half a
mile away slide down tho edge of tine flat
cliff and tumble into the sea.
turned my eyes -seaward.
There were few heavy clouds in the
northeast, so steamlike that methought they
borrowed their complexion from the snow on
the islands cape there. was pretty sure,
however, that there was wind behind them,
for If the roll of the ocean did not signify
heavy weather near to, then what else it be-
tokened l could not imagine.
/ cannot express to you how the very soul
within me shrank from putting to sea in the
little boat. Yet l could not but consider
that it would be equally shocking to me to be
locked up in this slowly crumbling body of
icc-nay, tenfold more shocking-and that,
If had to choose between the boat and this
hideous solitude and sure starvation, would
cheerfully accept fifty times over again the
perils of q navigation in my tiny ark.
This reflection comforted mo somewhat
and while / thus mused remained standing
with my eyes upon the little group of fanci-
full fanes and spires of ice on the edge of tho
abrupt hollow.
While looking at this my eye traced, a
little distance beyond, the form of q ships
spars and rigging. Through the labyrinth Of
the ice outlines l clearly made out two masts,
with two square yards on tho foremast, tho
rigging perfect SO far as it went; for. tho
Gguration showed no more than half tho
height Of tho masts, the lower parts being
apparently hidden behind the edge Of tho
hollow.
The fabric appeared as if formed of frosted
glass. The masts had good rake, and with
seaman's eye took notice of tho furni-
turc, observing the shrouds, stays, backstays
and braces TO be perfect. Nay, us though the
spirit artist of this fragile, glittering pageant
had resolved to omit no detail to complete
the illusion, there stood vane at the mast
head, shining like tongue of ice against tho
soft blue of the sky. Come thought /, re.
covering from my wonder, there is moro in
this than it is possible for me to guess by
staring from q distance; so, striking my pole
into the snow, l made carefully toward the
edge of the hollow.
The gradual unfolding of the picture pre-
pared my mind for what could not see till
the brink was reached; then, looking down,
l beheld schooner rugged vessel lying in n
sort of cradle of ice, stern on to the sea. y
man bulked out with frozen snow, SO as to
make his shape as great as a bear, leaned upon
the rail with a slight upward inclination of
his head, as though he were in the act OF look.
ing fully up to hail me. His posture was
even more life like than that of the man un-
der the rock; but his garment of snow robbed
him OF that reality of vitality which had
startled me in the other, and the instant ! saw
him | knew him to be dead. He was the only
figure visible, The whole body of the vessel
was frosted by the snow into the CLASSY as
pect of the spars and rigging, and the sun
chine striking down made a beautiful pris
matic picture of the silent ship.
She was q very old craft. The snow had
nodded itself upon her, and enlarged with
out spelling her form. l found her age In
the structure of her bows, the head boards
of which curved very low round to the tor
of the stem, forming a kind of well there
the after part of which was framed by the
forecastie bulkhead, after the fashion OF
ship building in vogue in the reign OF Anne
and the first two Georges. Her topmast'
were standing, but her jibboom was riggeC
in. could find no other evidence of hel
people having snugged her for these winte,
quarters, in which she had been manifestly
lying for years and years.
II was very evident that the schooner haC
In years gone by got embayed in this ic
when it was far to the southwark and haC
in course Of time been built up in it by float
ing masses. For how old the ice about tn
poles may be, who can telli In those sunles
worlds the frozen continents may well pos
sess the antiquity of the land. And VIII
shall name the monarch who filled the thron
of Britain when this vast field broke ava
from the main and started on its stealth