The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-05-20
Ice Bound.
By w. CLARK RUSSELL.
.A1Eaor cf"The Wreck Of the Grosxn"r'
"Jdeks Courtship," MY Watch Be-
low," "TM LAZY Adud," Etc.
CHAPTER XVII.
TIE TREASURE.

several strides about the COOK Tooih, VIC" 'Vo'
the lantern, and, entering the cabin, STOOD
awhile surveying the place.
$50 this would have been my coffin bu
for YOU, Mr. Rodney said he. IL was IL
good company, though" pointing over hi
shoulder at the crucifix with his thumb
"I,ord, how the rogucs prayed AMI cursed
in this same cabin. In fine weather ant
when all was well, the sharks in our wake
had moro religion than they; but the instant
they were in danger, down they tumbled
upon their quivering knees; and if heaven
was twice as big az it is it could not have
held saints enough for those varlets TO petit
ton"
"You we're nearly all Spaniardsr
"Ay--the worst class OF men n ship could
enter these seas with. But for our calling
they are the fittest Of all the nations i'll tho
world; better even than the Portuguese, and
with truer trade instincts than the trained
mulatto-nimbler artists in roguery than
ever a one of them. dcspise their supersti-
ton, but they are the better pirates for it,.
They carry it as man might featherbed
il enables them to fall soft. "Dye take mcin
He gave one of his short, loud laughs, and
said, ~ hope this slope won't increase. Aho
angles stiff enough as il is Twill he like
living on the roof of a house. have mind
to see how she lies. What dye say, Mr.
Rodneys Shall venture into the openf'
"Why notr said l. "You can move
briskly. You have rs much life as ever you
had.n
Lets go, them he exclaimed, and climb
ing the ladder he pushed open the companion
door and stepped on to the deck | followed
with but little solicitude as you may sup
pose, as to what might attend his exposure
The blast Of the gale, though it was broken
into downward. eddvinS,.dcrtn@s by .ho
rocks, made him Dawl out with the sting Of
ii, and for some moments he could think Of
nothing but the cold, stamping the deck in
his boots and beating his hands.
"Ha!" cried he, grinning to the smart of
his cheeks, "this is not the cook room, Ell?
Great thunder, you will not have it that this
ice has been drifting northf Why, man, It's
icier by 20 dogs than when we were first
locked up>'
IL hope NOT said !, land | think not.
Your blood doesn't course strong yet. and
you are fresh from the furnace Besides it
is blowing a bitter cold gale. Look at that
sky, and listen to the thunder of the sea-"
The commotion was indeed terribly up
roariOus The rending noises of the ice III all
directions were distinct and fearful. The
Frencbman looked about him with conster-
nation, and TO my surprise crossed himself
MAY the blessed Virgin preserve us" he
said. "Do you say We have drifted north
If this is not the very heart of the South
Pole, you shall persuade me We are ON the
equator"
ut cannot storm too terribly for US, as
you just now said," / replied II want this
island to go to pieces"
As said this solid pillar Of ice Just be-
yond the brow Of the hill on the starbOard
ade was dislodged or blown down; it fell
with mighty crash, and filled the air with
crystal splinters- Tassard started back with
q faint cry Of bon Dieu!'
Judge for yourself how the ship lies"
said |; this is freezing work.
He went aft and looked over the stern,
then walked to the larboard rail and peered
over the side.
as there ice beyond that openingl' he
asked, pointing over the taffrail.
mo" answered; that goes TO the sea
There is low cliff beyond Mark that cloud
of white; it is the spray hurled athwart the
mouth of this hollow"
"Good,n he mumbled, with his teeth chat
tering. "The change is marvellous. There
was ice for quarter of "a mile where that
slope ends. IT'S too cold to converse here
"There are your companions" said |,
pointing to the two bodies lying little dis
lance before the mainmast
~
eyes, this is Trentanove and that is Barros.
Both were blind, but they are binder now.
Would they thank you to arouse them out
of their comfortable sleep, and force them to
feel as do-this cold, To which they are now
as insensible as ! was, BY heaven, for my
part can stand it no longern and with that
he ran briskly to the hatch.
followed him to the cook room, and he
crept so close TO the furnace that | thought
he had mind to roast himself
The heat comforted him presently, and he
put lump of wine into the oven to melt,
and this comforted him also.
II can converse now" said he. "Perhaps
after all the danger lies more in the imagina-
ton than in the fact. But it is hideous
naked scene, and needs no such coloring as the
roaring of wind, the rushing of seas, and the
crashing falls of masses Of ice to render it
frightful.'
"You tell me-" said |, that when you fell
asleep would sometimes express his frozen
state thus--'there was "A quarter Of Il mile Of
ice beyond the schooner'S stern"
AT least a quarter of a mile" he answered.
"Day after day it would be built up till il
came to face of that extent
thought to myself if it had taken forty.
eight years of the wear and tear OF storm and
surge to extinguish a quarter Of a mile, how
long time must elapse before this island
splits upl But then | reflected that, during
the greater past of these years, this seat of
ice had been stuck very low south, where
the cold was so extreme as TO make it defy
dissolution; that since then il was come away
from the main and stealing north, so that
what might have taken thirty years TO &c
complish in 70 dogs. of south latitude might
be performed in a day on the parallel OF 60
dogs. in the summer season in these seas
Tassard continued speaking with the PAN
nikin in his hand, and his eyes shut as if to
get the picture of the schooner's position fair
before mis- minds vision: There was a
ouarfor of a mile of leo toyouI fbo elt,, I