Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-04-14
CHAPTER XVII.
TILE rREASIrRE

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. Rodney!" said he II 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 cabin 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
tom
'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 l despse their supersti-
/ ton, but they are the better pirates for it,
They carry it as man might featherbed:
it enables them to fall soft. "D'ye take me?"
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
to see how she lies. What dye say, Mr..
Rodney Shall venture into the openF'
"Why notF said l. 'You can move
briskly. You have as much life as ever you
had"
Lets go, thenl' he exclaimed and climb
ing the ladder he pushed open the companion
door and stepped on to the deck l followed
with but little solicitude, as you NAV SUD-
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.
"Haw cried he, grinning to the smart of
his cheeks, ''this is not the cook room, eh9
Great thunder! you will not have it that this
ice has been drifting norths Why, man, it's
icier by 20 dogs. than when we were first
locked up"
Il hope not" said l, land 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
sky, and listen to the thunder of the seal"
The commotion 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-
hullpiii W my himself.
MAY the blessed Virgin preserve usr' he
said. 'Do you say we have drifted northa
If this is not the very heart of the South
Pole, you shall persuade me we are on the
equator"
1T cannot storm too terribly for us, as
you just now said" replied. 81 want this
island to go to pieces"
AS I said this a solid pillar of ice lust 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
d faint cry of "Bon Dieu!n
Judge for yourself how the ship lies"
said l.; this is freezing work.
He went aft and looked over the stern,
then walked to the larboard rail and peered
over the side.
SIS there ice beyond that opening?" he |
asked, pointing over the taffrail.
'No," l answered; "that goes to the sea.
There is a low cliff beyond. Mark that cloud |
Of white; it is the spray hurled athwart the |
mouth of this hollown
Good 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 1,
pointing to the two bodies lying a little dis
tance 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 l do--this cold, to which they are now
as insensible as l wass By heaven, for my
part 1 can stand it no longeri" and with that
he ran briskly to the hatch
l 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 n lump of wine into the oven to melt,
and this comforted him also
81 can converse now,n said he. "PerhaDs
after all the danger lies more in the imagina-
ton than i'll 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
,rashing falls of masses of ice TO render it
'rightful.n
"You tell me-" said I, ''that when YOU fell
would sometimes express his frozen |
tate thus-"there was quarter of mile of |
&c beyond the schooner's stern"
AT least a quarter of a mile" he answered. |
Day after day it would be built up till il |
anne to face of that extent"
1 thought to myself if it had taken forty.
'lght years of the wear and tear of storm and
urge TO extinguish quarter of a mile. how
ong time must elapse before this island
pitts ups But then reflected that. during
he greater part of these years, this seat Of
&c had been stuck very low south where
he cold was 50 extreme as to make it defy