The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1888-08-10
MANKATo FREF| Press.
FRIDAY. AUGUST lo( 1855.
ICE BOUND.
BY w. CLARK RUSSELL.
AxtAor Of .TAs Wrecks Of the Grosvenor,"
"JacR: Cosrtship,' my Watch Be
loss, "'Ths Lady Maud Etc.
CHAPTER XXII.

A CHANGE COMES OVER THE FRENoHMAN.
Tassard was logged and scowling. Such
was his temper that had been small or
weak man, or person likely to prove sub
missive, he would have given loose rein to
his foul tongue and may be handled me very
roughly. But my demeanor was cold and
resolved, and not Of a kind to improve his
courage. / leveled a deliberate, semi-con-
temptuous gaze at his own fiery stare, and
puzzled him, too, believe, a good deal by
my cool reserve. He muttered while we ate,
drinking beautifully of wine and garnishing
his draughts with oaths and to spare; and
then, after falling silent and remaining so
for the space of twenty minutes, during
which lighted my Pipe and sat with my
feet close to the furnace, listening with
eager ears to the sounds of the ice and the
dull crying of the wind, he exclaimed sulk-
lily: "Your scheme is a failure. The schooner
is fixed What's to be done nowp
81 don't know that my scheme is fail
ure,n said /. "What did you suppose-that
the blast would blow the ice, with the
schooner on it, into the ocean clear of the
islandl II the ice is. so shaken as to enable
the swell to detach it, my scheme will have
accomplished all proposed"
"Ifn he cried, scornfully and passionately;
s'if will not deliver US and save the treasure.
I tell YOU the schooner is iized-as fixed as
the damned in everlasting Ere. BE it sol" he
cried, clenching his fist. But you must
NEEDLE no moreI The Boca del Dragon is
mine-mine. dye see, now that they're all
dead and gone but men-sniting his bosom
.'and IL ever she is to float, let nature or the
devil launch her; no more explosions, with
the risks your failure has made her and me
runr'
His voice sank; he looked at me in silence,
and then, with a wild grin of anger, he ex-
claimed: "What made you awake me?
was at peaee-neither cold, hungry nor hope
lessi What demon forced you to bring me
to this-to bring me back to thiss"
'Mr. Tassard," said l, coldly, ~ don't ask
your pardon for my experiment; l meant
well, and to my mind it is no failure yet
But for disturbing your repose do sincerely
beg your forgiveness, and solemnly promise
you, if you will return to the state in which
I found you, that will not repeat the of,
Tense"
He eyed me from top to toe in silence,
filed and lighted his hideous pipe, and
smoked with his back turned upon me.
Had there been smother warm place in the
schooner should have retired to it, and left
this surly and scandalous savage to the en-
joyment of his own company.
After sitting a long while sullenly smok-
ing in silence, he fetched his mattress and
some covers, lay down upon it, and fell fast
asleep. admired and envied this display of
confidence in me, and heartily wished myself
as safe in his hands as he was in mine. The
afternoon passed. l was on deck half
dozen times, but never witnessed the least
alteration in the ice. My spirits sank very
low.
I sat before the furnace extremely detected,
while the Frenchman snored on his mattress.
could no longer fiatter myself that the ex-
plosions had made the impression had ex-
pected on the ice, and my mind was utterly
at loss. How to deliver myself from this
horrible situation I could not imagine.
The sole ray of hope that CLEANED upon me
broke out of the belief that this island was
going north, and that when we had come to
the height Of the summer in these seas, the
wasting of the coast or the dislocation of the
northern mass would release us.
Yet this was but poor comfort too; it
threatened terrible long spell of waiting,
with perhaps disappointment in the end, and
months of enforced association with wretch
with whom should have to live in fear of
my life.
When I was getting supper Tassard
awoke, quilted his mattress and came to his
bench.
"Has anything happened while I slept'r
said he.
'Nothing," answered.
"The ice shows no signs of givingT' he
asked.
"T see none" said ].
"Well," cried he, with sarcastic sheer,
shave you any more fine schemesg"
UT;S ----"-.---IIOw,~I 4 TeDiIetI ivy
your hand. If you fail premise you shall
not be disappointed"
"But you English Sailors" said he, wag-
ging his head and regarding me with great
deal Of wildness in his eye, "speak of your
selves as the finest seamen in the world.
Justify the maritime reputation of your
nation by showing me how we are to escape
with the schooner from the ice."
'Mr. Tassard," said I, approaching him
and looking him full In the face, 81 would
advise you to sweeten your temper and
change your tone. have borne myself very
moderately toward you, submitted to your
insults with patience, and have done you
some kindness. am not afraid of you. On
the contrary, look upon you as a swagger-
ing bully and hoary villain. Do you under
stand met I am a desperate man in des-
perate situation. But If don't fear death,
depend upon it I don't fear you; and take
God to witness that if you do not use me
with the civility have thesright to expect, I
will kill your
My temper had given way; meant every
word ] spoke, and my air and sincerity
rendered my speech very formidable. I ap-
preached him by another stride; he started
up, as thought, to seize me, but in reality
to recoil, and this he did SO effectually as to
tumble over his bench, and down he fell,
striking his bald head so hard that he lay
for several minutes motionless