Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1888-04-24
ICE BOUND.
BY W. CLARK RUSSELL
Author ef "1As wrsoh er sAs Crosvs~sns
jock, csSrtshfp,s : ;.aafv watsA n
(ooRrinunD.l
CHAPTER xxyIIf.

(oOnflrunD.l
CHAPTER XVIII.
STRIKE A sAnoAn WITH rHs YAxxxz.
The captain put his cup down; the bowl
was empty; I offered to brew another forum,
but he thanked me and said no, adding sig.
nihcantly that he would have no more hers-
By which be meant that be would brow for
himself In his own ship anon. The drink had
made him cheerful and good natured. He
recommended that we should 60 on deck and
set about trans-shipping while the weather
held, for he was an old hand In these ssas.
and never trusted the skies longer than .
quarter Of an hour -.
"This here list" says he, wants remedy
ing, and that'll follow our easin' Of ths hold. y
"Yes,n said /, sand should be mighty
thankful II some Of your men would - ali
clear aloft for me, that We might start with
running rigging thatn travel, capstans
thatu revolve, and sails that'u spread.n
.Oh, well manage that for you = said be.
TRULY she's been bad froze-very bad fross.
burned II ever sec q worse freeze.S
80 saying, he called to Bill, who seeu,ed
the principal man Of the boats crew, and
gave him some directions, and immediately
rowed away to the ship.
While they were absent carried the can
tain into the hold and left him to overhaul
II. told him that all the spirits, provision
and the like were in the hold and laxarette.
which was true enough-wanting to keep
him out OF the run-though, thanks to the
precaution I had taken, I was in no tear even
II he should penetrate 50 deep aft Before
he came out fve-and-twenty stout fellovp
arrived In four boats from the shin. and
when we went on deck we found them going
the rounds Of the vessel, scraping the guns to
get view Of them, peering down the com.
panion, overhauling the forecastle well. N I
call the hollow beyond tho forecastle. and
staring aioft with their faces full of grinninr
wonder. the captain sang out to them.
and they all mustered aft.
snow, lads" said he, "there 9 big lob be.
fore you-a big job for Cape Horn, I mean:
and you'll have to slip through Il a. II you
was grease. When done there'll be carousc.
and I'll warrant ye all such sup that tie
most romantic among yell never cast an
other pining thought in tho direction o. your
mothers milk"
Having delivered this preface. be divided
the men into two gangs-one, under tho
boatswain, to attend to the rigging, clear the
canvas Of the ice, get tho pumps and the cap
STAINS to work, and SEQ all ready for getting
sail on tho schooner; the other, under tho
second mate, to get tackles aloft and break
out tho cargo, taking care to trim ship while
80 doing.
They fell to their several Jobs with win.
IT'S the habit Of our countrymen to meer at
the Americans as sailors, affirming that II
ever they win battle at sea 1t is by the help
Of British renegades. But this I protest:
after witnessing the smartuess Of those
Yankee whalemep, would sooner charge
the English than the Americans with lubber.
illness, came the nautical merits Of the two
nations ever before mo to decide upon. They
had the matches open, tackles aloft and men
at work below while the mariners Of other
countries would have been standing looking
on and "jawing" upon the course to be
taken. Some overran the fabric aloft.
clearing, cutting away, pounding, making
the ice fly in storms; others sweated tho cap
STAINS till they clanked; others fell to the
pumps, working with hammers and kettles
Of boiling water. The wondrous old
schooner was never busier-no, not in the
hey day of her flag, when her guns were
blazing and her people yelling.
As half.past three in the afternoon the
breeze began to sit in dark curls upon the
water, and there was evidence enough in the
haziness in the west, and in tho loom Of tho
shoulders Of vapor in the dark blue obscure
there, to warrant sacldul for this capful
presently.
~ reckon says tho captain to me, after
looking into the west, ''that we'd best knock
of now. There's snow and wind yonder,
and we'd better see all snug while there's
time"
uo ,.,In1 - 49,. - A. A. Al
ond mate to come up from below and get tho
matches on, and bringing me to the rail he
pointed to boat, and asked IL that would
doi said yes, and thanked him heartily for
the gift, which was handsome, / must say
the boat being a very good one. though,
to be sure, he had got many times its value
out Of the schooner; and party Of men were
forthwith told of to get the boat hoisted and
slowed.
The captain then shook me by the hand,
and, calling farewell to Wilkinson and tho
negroes, scrambled into tho chains and
dropped into his boat, very highly satisfied, I
make no doubt, with the business he had done
that day.
A boats crew were left behind to help us
to make sail But the weather looking some
what wild In the west, with the red light Of
the sun among the clouds there, and the dark
hsave of the swell running into Q sickly
crimson under the sun, and then flowing out
dusky again, got them to treble reef the
mainsail and hoist 1t, and then thanking
them, advised them to be of. We gave them
a cheer when they started, which they re-
turned, and then, putting Cromwell to tho
tiller, went forward with the others and
set the topsail and forestaysail (the spritsail
lying furled), which would be show enough
Of canvas till I saw what the weather was
like kept the topsail aback, waiting for q
boat to arrive with my chart, and In q few
minutes the boat We had cheered returned
with what wanted
Meanwhile they werc shortening sail on
the whaler; and, though she was no beauty,
yet tell you ! found her as picturesque as
any ship had ever beheld as she lay with
her maintopgallantsail clewed up, her top
sail yards on the caps, and the heads Of men
knotting the reef points showing black over
the white cloths, her hull floating up out Of
the hollow and flingiDg wet orange gleam
to the west, tumble Of creamy foam about
her to her rolling-shadows like the passage
Of phantom hands hurryins over her sails to
the swaying of her masts, and the swelling
sea darliling from her into tho east.
/ followed my hands, and hailing the cap.
tain, who was on the quarter deck, asked
him for the time by his chronomster. He
flourished his arm and disappeared, and
presently returning shouted to know If was
ready. Iput the key in my watch and an
swered yes, and then he gave me tho time.
Ny watch, though antique, was noble
piece Of mechanism, and, have little doubt,
as trustworthy as his chronometer. But
was careful to let it lie snug in my hand. I
did not want the negro at the tiller nor the
others to see il. They would wonder that SO
fine jeweled piece as this should be in tho
possession of the second mate Of little brig,
and II was my business to manage that they