The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1888-05-11
MANKATo FREE PRESS,
FRIDAY. MAY IL 1888
ICE BOU N D.
By w. CLARK RUSSELL.
Author of "The Wrect Of the GrosUcnor,' u
"Jdcks Courtship," my Watch Be-
tot0. ""1he Lady Maud Etc.
FRIDAY. MAY IL 1888
BY w. CLARK RUSSELL.
CHAPTER VIII.
THE FROZEN SCHOONER.


found myself on the summit of a kind Of
table land; vast bodies of ice, every block
hundreds and perhaps thousands
of tons, lay scattered over it, yet for tho
space of n mile or so tho character was that of
Southwark the range went upward
TO a coastal front of some hundred feet, with
n huddle of peaks and strange coniigurations
behind soaring to an elevation from the sea
line of two or three hundred feet. North
ward the range sloped gradually, with such n
shelving of its hinder part that | could catch
q glimpse of little space of the 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 a wedge, so that its extreme breadth
where it projected its cape or extremity
would not exceed a muskct shot.
Being on the top of the range now, could
plainly hear the noises of the splitting and
internal commissions of this vast formation.
The sounds are not describable. Ii was inn
possible to fix the direction of these sounds
the island was full of them, and always sui
lenly booming upon the breeze was the voice
of the ocean swell bursting in foam against
tho ice coast that confronted it.
You may talk of the solitude of Selkirk
but surely the spirit of loneliness in him
could not rival the unuttcrable emotion of
solitariness that filled my mind as sent my
gaze over those miles of frozen, stirleSs white
ness. He had the sight of fair pastures, of
trees making a twinkling twilight on the
sward, of grassy savannas and pleasant
slopes of hills; the air was illuminated b.
the glorious plumage of flying birds; the
bleat of goats broke the stiffness in the val
leys; there was n golden regale for his eye.
and his other senses were Gratified with the
perfumes of rich flowers and engaging con-
certs among the trembling leaves Above
all, there was the soothing warmth of a de-
licious climate. But out upon those heaped
and spreading plains of snow nothing stirred,
if it were not once that was startled by a
loud report, and spied rock about half a
mile away slide down the edge of the flat
cliff and tumble into the sea.
turned my eyes seaward.
There were a few heavy clouds in the
northeast, so steamlike that methought they
their complexion from the snow on
the islands cape there. | was pretty sure,
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 could not imagine.
I cannot express to You how the very soul
within me shrank from putting to sea in the
little boat Yet / could not but consider
that it would he equally shocking to me to be
locked up in this slowly crumbling body of
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 navigation in my tiny ark
This reflection comfOrted me somewhat,
and while thus unused / remained standing
with my eyes upon the little group of faHci-
full fanes and spires of ice on the edge of the
abrupt hollow.
While looking at this my eye traced, &
little distance beyond, the form of Il ships;
spars and rigging. Through the labyrinth of
the ice outlines Iclearly made out two masts,
with two square yards on the foremost, the
rigging perfect SO far as it went; for the
fguration showed no more than half the
height of the masts, the lower parts being
apparently hidden behind the edge of the
hollow.
The fabric appeared as if formed of frosted
glass. The maSts had n good rake, and with
q seaman's eye took notice of the furni-
ture, observing the shrouds, stays, backstays
and braces to be perfect. Nay, rs though the
spirit artist of this fragile, glittering pageant
had resolved to omit no detail to complete
the illusion, there stood a vane at the mast
head, shining like a tongue of ice against the
soft blue of the sky. Come, thought l, re-
covering from my wonder, there is more in
this than it is possible for me to guess by
staring from a distance; so, striking my pole
into the snow, 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,
beheld a schooner rugged vessel lying in a
sort Of cradle of ice, stern on to the sea. A
man bulked out with frozen snow, so as to
make his shape as great as a bear, leaned upon
the rail with 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 I'M
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
shine striking down made a beautiful pris-
matte picture of the silent ship.
She was a 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 top
of the stem, forming a kind of well there,
the after part of which was framed by the
forecastle bulkhead, after the fashion Of
ship building in vogue in the reign of Anne
and the first two Georges. Her topmasts
were standing, but her jibboom was rugged
in. ! could find no other evidence of her
people having snugged her for these winter
quarters, in which she had been manifestly
lying for years and years
It was very evident that the schooner had
in years gone by got embayed in this ice
when it was far to the southwark, and had
In course of time been built up in it by float
ing masses. For how old the ice about the
poles may be, who can tell! In those sunless
worlds the frozen continents may well pos
sess the antiquity of the land. And who
shall name the monarch who filed the throne
of Britain when this vast field broke away
from the main and started on its stealthy
navigation sunward.
.