Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1888-04-07
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CHAPTER XVII.
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awhile surveying the place.
$50 this would have been my coffin but
for you, Mr.. Rodneyr said he. II was in
good company, though" pointing over his
shoulder at tho cracifx with his thumb.
lord, how tho rogues prayed and cursed
In this same cabinl In fine weather and
when all was we'll, 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 IL heaven
was twice as big as It Is, 1t could not have
held saints enough for those varlets to peti.
tion.n
"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 flttest Of all the nations in the
world; better even than the Portuguese, and
with truer trade instincts than tho trained
mulatto-nimbler artists in roguery than
ever one Of them. despise their supersti.
tion, but they are the better pirates for It.
They carry 1t as man might a featherbed.
1t enables them to fall soft. "D'ye take meyi
He gave one Of his short, loud laughs, and
said, ~ hope this slope won't increase. The
angles stiff enough as 1t is. Twill be like
living on the roof Of house. have mind
to see how she lies. What dye say, Mr.
Rodney Shall venture into the openr'
why notF' said l. "You can nova
briskly. You have as much life as ever you
hadn
"Let's 60, thenr' he exclaimed. and climb.
ing the ladder be pushed open the companion
door and stepped on to the deck I followed
with but little solicitude, as You NAV 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
1t, and for some moments he could think Of
nothing but the cold, stamping the deck in
his boots and beating his hands.
'Ha" cried he, grinn;ng to the smart of
his cheeks, "this is not the cook room. eb,
Great thunderl you will not have it that this
ice has been drifting northi Why, man, ,tis
icier by 20 degs. than when wo were first
locked up"
II hope not" said I, "and I think not.
Your blood doesn't course strong vet 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 seaIn
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-
nation, and to my surprise crossed himself
May the blessed Virgin preserve usIn he
said. "Do you say we have drifted northi
II this is not the very heart of the South
Pole, you shall persuade me we 1re on the
equator"
ut cannot storm too terribly for us, as
you just now said," replied. II want this
island to go to pieces"
As said this a solid pillar Of ice just DO.
yond the brow of tho hill on the starboard
side was dislodged or blown down; it fell
with mighty crash, and filled the air with
crystal splinters. Tassard started back with
a faint cry Of "Bon Dieuv'
"Judge for yourself how the shin 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.
''Is there ice beyond that openingr, he
asked, pointing over the taffrail.
NO." answered; "that goes to the sen.
There is low cliff beyond. Mark that cloud
OF white; 1t 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 u quarter Of a milo where TINT
slope ends. Tis too cold to converse here.p
There are your companions" said I,
pointing to the two bodies lying little dis.
tance before tho mainmast.
He marched up to them and exclaimed,
ayes, 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 was' By heaven, for my
part / can stand 1t no longer!" and with that
he ran briskly to the hatch.
followed him to the cook room and he
crept SO close to the furnace that l 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.
II 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 it
frightful."
''You tell me,n said l. "that when you fell
asleep"-l would sometimes express his frozen
state thus--"there was a quarter Of mile Of
ice beyond the schooner's stern"
"At least quarter Of mile" he answered.
"Day after day it would be built up till il
came to a face Of that extent
thought to myself if it had taken forty.
eight years Of the wear and tear of storm and
surge to extinguish quarter Of mile, how
long O time must elapse before this island
splits upl But then I 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 it was come away
from the main and stealing north, SO that
what might have taken thirty years to ac-
complish in 70 degs Of south latitude might
be performed in a day on the parallel of CO
degs. In the summer season in these seas.
~ ri al IL with tba
nikin In his hand, and his eyes shut as il to
get the picture Of the schooner's position fair
before mis- minds vision There was O
quarter of mile Of ice beyond the ship,
have 1t very plain in my sight; it was great
muddle of hillocks for the ice pressed thick
and hard, and raised us, and vomited uI
peaks and rocks to the squeeze Suppose
have been asleep weekin Here he opened
his eyes and gazed at me.
"Wellf' said l.
~ say" he continued, in the tone Of on
easily excited into passion, "a week. i
will not have been more 1t is impossible
Never mind about your 1901" showing hi
fangs in sarcastic grin; "a week is lonl
enough, friend. Then this is what mean T.
say: that the breaking away Of quarter o
mile Of ice in week is fine work, full o
grand promise; To next wrench-whicl
might come now as I speak, ,-or tomorrow
or In week-the next wrench may brin
away the rock on which we are lodged, an
the rest is a matter of patience-which W
can afford, hey. for We are but two-there
plenty Of meat and liquor, and the rewar
afterward is princsly independence, Nj
Paul Rodney
was struck with the notion Of the bed Q
Ice on whi.h the schooner lay going afioa
sId said "Are sea and wind TO be helpec
think youl If the block on which we III
eould be detached it might beat II bit agains
its parent stock, but would not unite again
The schooner's canvas might be made to bel
II alongrthough suppose it capsized"
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