Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1888-06-28

moose around tho neck, waiting for the cart
to move off. Ny own suspense became
torture; but l commanded my face. The
Frenchman, on the other hand, could not
control the torments of his expectation and
fear.
Holy virginl1 he would cry, suppose we
are blown up tool suppose we are ingulfed
in the ice! suppose it should be vomited up
in vast blocks, which in falling upon us must
crush us to pulp and smash the decks inI'
1t was three or four minutes past the hour,
and was looking breathlessly at my watch
when the first Of the explosions took place.
Before the car could well receive the shock
of the blast the whole Of the barrels exploded,
along with some twelve or fourteen parcels.
Tassard, who stood beside me, fell OH his
face, and believed he had been killed 1t
was so hellish a thunder that l suppose the
blowing up Of first rate could not make a
more frghtful roar of noise A kind of twi-
light was caused by the rise of the volumes of
white smoke out Of the ice. The schooner
shook with such a CONFUSION that was per-
suaded she had been split. Vast showers of
splinters Of ice fell as if from the sky, an5
rained like arrows through the smoke: but if
there were any great blocks uphoye they did
not touch the ship Meanwhile the other
parcels were exploding in their places some
times two and three at a time, sending a sort
of sickening spasm and throe through the
fabric of the vessel, and you heard the most
extraordinary grinding noises rising out of
the ice all about, as though the mighty rupt-
ure of the powder cracked through leagues
of the island. / burst not look forth till all
the powder had burst lest l should be struck
by some flying piece of ice; but unless the
schooner was injured below she was as sound
as before, and in exactly the same posture,
as if aloat in harbor, only that of course her
stern lay low with the slope Of her bed.
called to Tassard, and he lifted his head.
"Are you hurtF said !.
"No, nor he answered. '''Tis Spaniard's
trick to fling down to broadsido. Body Of
st. Joseph, what furious explosion!n and so
saying he crawled into tire companion and
squatted beside me 'What has it done
for ussn
81 don't know yet" said ], 'but / believe
the schooner is uninjured. That was a power
full shockln / cried, rs half dozen of bags
blew up together in the crevices deep down.
The thunder and tumult of the rending ice,
accompanied by the heavy explosions of the
gunpowder, 50 dulled the hearing that it was
difficult to speak. That the mines had nc
complished our end was not yet to be known;
but there could not be the least doubt that
they had not only occasioned tremendous
TUptures low down in the ice, but that the
volcanic influence was extending far beyond
its first effects by making one split produce
another, one weak part give way and create
other weaknesses, and so on, all round about
US and under our keel, as was clearly to be
gathered by the shivering and spasms of the
schooner, and by the growls, roars, blasts
and huddle of terrifying sounds which arose
from the frozen floor
1t was twenty minutes after the hour at
which the mines had been framed to explode
when the last parcel burst; but we waited
another quarter of an hour TO make sure that
it was the last, during all which time the
growing and roaring noises deep down con-
tinued, rs if there was a battle of thousand
lions raging in the vaults and hollows under
Meath The smoke had been settled away by
the wind, and the prospect was clear. We
ran below to see to the fire and receive five
minutes of heat into our chilled bodies, and
then returned to view the scene.
I looked first over the starboard side, and
saw the great split that had happened in the
night torn in places into immense yawns and
CULTS by the fall of vast masses of rock out
of its Sides but what most delighted me was
the hollow sound Of washing water lifted
my hand and listened.
"'Tis the swell of the sea flowing into the
opening!" l exclaimed.
"That means" said Tassard, ''that this side
Of the block is dislocated from the main"
Eyes" cried /; land if the powder ahead
Of the bows has done its work, the heave Of
the ocean will do the restn
We made our way on to the forecastle over
n deep bed of splinters of ice, lying like
wood shavings upon the deck; and l took
notice as walked that every glorious crystal
pendant that had before adorned the yards,
rigging and spars had been shaken Off.
had expected to see a wonderful spectacle Of
havoc in the leo where the barrels Of gun
powder had been poised; but saving many
scores of cracks where none was before, and
vast ragged gashes in the mouths of tho
crevices down which the barrels had been
lowered, the scene was much as heretofore.
The Frenchman stared and exclaimed,
"What has the powder donel l see only n
few cracks"
"What it may have done 1 don't know"
] answered; "but depend on it such heavy
charges of powder must have burst to some
purpose The dislocation win be below, and
8
come asunder if this block is to go free
lie gezcd about him, and then rapping out
a string Of oaths-English, Italian, and
French, for he swore in all the languages he
spoke, which, nc once told me, were five-he
declared that for his part be considered the
powder wasted, that we'd have done as well
to fling hand grenade into q fissure; that q
thousand barrels Of powder woull be but as
a popgun for rerding the schooner's bed from
tho main; and, in short, with several insult
ing looks and a face black with rage and dis
appointment, gave me very plainly to know
that had not only played the fool myself,
but had made a fool of him, and that he was
heartily sorry he had ever given himself any
trouble to contrive the cursed mines or to as
sist me in a ridiculous project that might
have resulted in blowing the schooner TO
pieces and ourselves with it.
1 glanced at him with a sheer, but took no
further notice of his insolence. 1t was not
only that he was so contemplate in all re-
spccts-a liar, rogue, a thief, poltroon,
hoary in twenty walks Of vice--there was
| something so unearthly about a creature that
had been as good as dead for eight and forty
years that it was impossible anything he
could say could affect me as the rancorous
tongue Of another man would. feared and
hated him, because / knew that in intent he
was already my assassin; but the mere in
science Of so incredible a creature could not
but find me imperturbablo.
''There is nothing to be seen by staringr'
he exclaimed presently, speaking very sui
lenly. II am hungry and freezing and shall
so belowl" And with that he turned his back
and made or, growing in his throat as he
went
/ got upon the ice and stepped very caro-
fully to the starboard side, and looked down
the vast split there. The sea in consequence
of the slope did not come so far, but l could
hear the wash Of the water very plain. 1t
was certain that the valley in which we lay
was wholly disconnected from the main ice
on this side. passed to the larboard quar-
ter, and here too were cracks wide and deep
enough to satisfy me that its hold was weak.
! 1t Yves forward Of the bows, where the barrels
had been exploded, that the ice was thickest
and had the firmost grasp; but its surface was
violently and heavily cracked by the ex-
plosions, and | thought to myself if the fis-