The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1888-07-06
CHAPTER XVII.

THE TREASURE.
When his pipe was out he rose and made
several strides about the cook room, then took
the lantern, and, entering the cabin, stood
awhile surveying the place.
$50 this would have been my coffin but
for you, Mr.. Rodneyl' said he. 81 was in
good company, though" pointing over his
shoulder at the crucifix with his thumb.
"Lord, how the rogues prayed and cursed
in this same cabinl In fine weather and
when all was well, the sharks in our wake
had more religion than they; but the instant
they were in danger, down they tumbled
upon their quivering knees; and if heaven
was twice as big as it is, it could not have
held saints enough for those varlets to petit
ton"
"You were nearly all SpaniardsF'
"Ay-the worst class of men a ship could
enter these seas with. But for our calling
they are the fittest of all the nations in the
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. despise their supersti-
ton, but they are the better pirates for il.
They carry it as a man might a featherbed;
1t enables them to fall soft. "D'ye take meP'
he gave one of his short, loud laughs, and
said, 81 hope this slope won't increase. The
angles stiff enough as it is. Twill be like
living on the roof of house have a mind
to see how she lies. What dye say, Mr..
Rodney Shall venture into the openP'
"Why notF' said l. "You can move
briskly. You have as much life as ever you
had"
"Let's go, thenI" he exclaimed, and climb
ing the ladder he pushed open the companion
door and stepped on to the deck. I 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, eddying dartings by the
rocks, made him bawl out with the sting of
it, and for some moments he could think Of
nothing but the cold, stamping the deck In
his boots and beating his hands.
"HaI" cried he, grinning to the smars Of
his cheeks, ''this is not the cook room, ehG
Great thunderI you will not have it that this
ice has been drifting north2 Why, man, It's
icier by 20 degs than when we were first
locked up"
81 hope not" said I, ''and 1 think not
Your blood doesn't course strong yet, and
you are fresh from the furnace. Besides it
is blowing bitter cold gale. Look at that
The connection was indeed terribly up
roarious. The rending noises Of the ice in all
directions were distinct and fearful. The
Frenchman looked about him with conster-
nation, and to my surprise crossed himself.
"May the blessed Virgin preserve usp' he
said. "Do you say we have drifted north9
II this is not the very heart of the South
Pole, you shall persuade me we are on the
equator"
SIT cannot storm too terribly for us, as
you Just now said," replied. 81 want this
island to go to pieces"
As said this a solid pillar of ice Just be-
yond the brow of the hill on the starboard
side was dislodged or blown down; it fell
with mighty crash, and filed the air with
crystal splinters Tassard started back with
q faint cry of "Bon Dieul"
"Judge for yourself how the ship lies"
said 1; "this is freezing work"
He went aft and looked over the stern,
then walked to the larboard rail and peered
over the side.
"Is there ice beyond that opening7" he
asked, pointing over the taffrail.
"No," 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," he mumbled, with his teeth chat
tering. "The change is marvellous. There
was ice for a quarter of a mile where that
slope ends IT'S too cold to converse here"
There are your companions" said I,
pointing to the two bodies lying a little dis
lance before the mainmast
He marched up to them and exclaimed,
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 / vast By heaven, for my
part can stand it no longerI" and with that
he ran briskly to the hatch.
I followed him to the cook room, and he
crept SO close to the furnace that I 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.
81 can converse now" said he. perhaps
after all the danger lies more in the imagina-
ton than in the fact. But it Is a 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 Il
frightfuR
"You tell me-" said I, ''that when you fell
asleep"-I would sometimes express his frozen
state thus-"there was a quarter Of 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 IL 1t had taken forty.
eight years of the wear and tear of storm and
surge to extinguish quarter of mile, how
long a time must elapse before this island
splits upi But then reflected that, during
the greater part 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 1t was come away
from the main and stealing north, 30 that
what might have taken thirty years to &C
complish in 20 degs. 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 pam
nikin In his hand, and his eyes shut as II to
get the picture Of the schooner's position fair
before mis- minds vision: ''There was a
quarter of a mile Of ice beyond the ship, I
have 1t very plain in my sight; 1t was great
muddle of hillocks, for the ice pressed thick
and hard, and raised us, and vomited up
peaks and rocks to the squeeze. Suppose
have been asleep weekr Here be opened
his eyes and gazed at me.
'sWellF' said /.
''I say" he continued, in the tone of one
easily excited into passion, ga week. Il
will not have been more, 1t Is impossible.
Never mind about your 1901, showing his
fangs In q sarcastic grin; "a week is long
enough, friend. Then this is what mean to
say: that the breaking away of quarter OF
O mile Of ice In week Is fine work, full of
grand promise; the next wrench-whinh
might come now as speak, or tomorrow,
or In week-the next wrench may brine