Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-04-02

v. Q hr6 in his eagerness to make an end. When we were finished he wrapped himself up in three or four coats and cloaks, waGming the under ones before folding them about him. and completing his preparations for the excnr- sion Inv swallowing half a pint of raw brandy hade him arm himself with short headed spear to save his neck, and thus euuipped xe went on deck.
 He stood stock still with his eyes sbut on emerging through the hatch, crying out with a number of French oaths that he had been struck blind. This did not believe. thoueh I readily supposed that the glare made his eyeballs smart so as to cause him good deal of agony. Indeed, all along had been sur prised that he should have found his sight go easily after having sat in blindness for forty eight years, and it was not wonderful that the amazing brillance on deck, smiting his sight on a sudden, should have caused him to cry out as if he had lost the use of his eyes forever.
 waited patiently, aiid in about ten min- utes he was able to look about him, and then it was not long before ne could see without pain. He stood minute gazing at the glo- ries upon the rigging, and in that piercing light noticed the unwholesome color of his face. His cap hid the scar, and no: hing of his countenance was to be seen but the cheeks, eyes and nose. He was much more wrinkled than I had supposed, and me- thought the spirit of cruelty lay visible in every line. I had never seen eyes SO full of cunning and treachery-so expressive, should say, of these qualities; yet they were no bigger than mere punctures. I was sen- sible of momantary fear of the man-not, let me say, an emotion of cowardice, but a sort of mixture of alarm and awe, such as a ghost might inspire. This I put down to che searching light in which watched him for moment or two-an irradiation subtle enough to give the sharpest form to expres- sion, to exquisitely define every meaning that was distinguishable in his graveyard physiognomy. left him to stare and judge for himself of the posture in which the long, hard gale had put the schooner, and stepped over to the two bodies. They were shrouded in ice from head to foot, as though they had each man been packed in glass case cun- ningly wrought to their shapes. Their faces were hid by the crystal masks. Tassard joined me.
 Small chance for your friends now," said l, ''even if you were agreeable to my pro posal to attempt to revive them"
 "So' cried he, touching the body of the mate with his foot; land this is the end of the irresistible Trentanovel for what con- quests has Death robed him SO bravely2 See, the colors shine in him like fifty differ ent kinds of ribbons. Poor fellowl he could not curl his mustaches now, though the loveliest eyes in Europe were fixed in pas sionate admiration on him. He'll never slit another throat, nor hiccough Petrarch over a gobletful, nor remonstrate with me for my humanity. Shall we toss the bodies over the side?'
 ''They are your friends" said I; ''do as you please"
 ''But we must empty their pockets first. Business before sentiment, Mr. Rodney"
 He stirred the figure again with his foot
 "Well, presently" said he, ''this armor will want the hatchet. Now my friend, to view the work of the gale"
 The increased heel of the ship brought the larboard fore channel low, and we stepped without difficulty from it on to the ice. The rent or Assure that have before spoken of went very deep-it was nearly two feet wide in places; but, though the light poured bril- Hantly upon it, could see no bottom.
 "If only such another split as this would happen t'other side," said the Frenchman, II believe this block would go adrift."
 Well, said I, after musing little while, as ran my eye over the hollows, ''I'l] tell you what was in my mind just now. Tbere is sp great quantity of gunpowder in the hold
 
 parcels of it into the crevices on the right there, and firing it with slow matches"-
 He interrupted me with cry: By St. Paul, you have it! What crevices have youa'
 We walked briskly round the vessel; and all about her beam and starboard quarter found, in addition to the seams I had before noticed, many great cracks and Assures, caused no doubt by the fall of the shoulder of the slope. pushed o3 farther yet, going down the ravine, as have called it, until came to the edge; and here I looked down from height of some twelve or fourteen feet-so greatly had the ice sunk or been changed by the weather-upon the ocean called to Tassard He approached warily. firmly believe he feared might be tempted to give him friendly shove over the edge. "Observe this hollow" said I ''the split there goes down to the water, and you may take it that the block is wholly disconnected on that side. Now look at the face of tho ice, said I, pointing to the starboard or right hand side; ''that crack goes as far as the vessels quarter, and the weakness is carried on to past the bows by the other rents. MT. Tassard, if we could burst this body of ice by an explosion from its moorings ahead of the bowsprit, where it is all too compact, this cradle with the schooner in it will go free of the parent body"
 ~~AO VI OAA0 and only plan. That crack to starboard is like telling us what to do. It is well you came here. We should not have seen it from the top. This valley runs steep. You must expect no more than the surface to be liberated, for | the foot of the cliff will go deep." 'sI desire no more."
 sWill the ship stand such launch, suppos- 1 ing we bring it about? said he. responded with one of his own shrugs, and said, Nothing is certain. We have one of two courses to choose; to venture this launch, or stay till the ice breaks up, and take our chance of floating or of being | smashed"
 ''You are right!" he exclaimed "Here is an opportunity. If we wait, bergs may gather about this point and build us in. As to this island dissolving, we are yet to know which way 'tis heading. Suppose it should be travelling south, hey?'
 | He struck the ice with his spear, and we toiled up the slippery rocks with difficulty to the ship We walked past the bows to the distance of the vessels length Here were many deep holes and cracks, and, as if we were to be taught how these came about,