Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-04-07
CHAPTER XIII.

conceived IT must he the middle of the night;
but, TO my establishment, on lighting the
lantern and looking at the watch, which had
taken the precaution TO wind up over night,
saw it wanted but twenty minutes to eight
O'Clock, so that had passed through eleven
hours of solid sleep. However, it was only
needful to recollect where | was and TO cast
II glance at the closed door and port, 10
understand why it was dark. / had slept
fairly warm, and awoke with no sensation Of
cramp; but the keen air had caused the steam
of my breath TO freeze upon my mouth in
such manner that when feeling the sticky
inconvenience ! put my finger to it, it fell
like "A little mask, and likewise felt the pain
of cold in my face TO such an extent that had
] been blistered there, my checks, nose and
brow could not have smaTted more. This
resolved me henceforward to wrap up my
head and face before going TO rest.
opened the door and passed out, and OBJ
served an amazing difference between the
temperature Of the air in which l had been
sleeping and that of the atmosphere in the
passage-a happy discovery, for it served to
assure me that, If | was careful to lie under
plenty Of coverings and to keep the outer air
excluded, tho heat Of my body would raise
the temperature Of the little cabin; nor, pro-
viding tho compartment was ventilated
throughout the day, was there anything to
be feared from the vitiation of the air by my
own breathing.
Ny first business was 10 light the fire and
set my breakfast 10 thaw, and boil me a ket-
tie Of water; and while this was preparing
went on deck TO view the weather and to re.
vove in my mind the routine of the day. On
opening the door of the companion hatch |
was nearly blinded by the glorious brilliance
of the sunshine on the snow, after the black
ness of the cabin it was like looking at the
sun himself, aud had to stand II full three
minutes with my hand upon my eyes before
| could accustoin my sight to the dazzling
glare. 1t was fine weather again; the sky
over the glass like nasts of the schooner was
n clear, dark blue, with few light clouds
blowing over it from the southwark The
wind had shifted at last; but, pure as the
heavens were, the breeze was piping briskly
with the weight and song of a small gale,
and its fangs of frost, even in the compare
tive quiet of the sheltered deck, bit with a
ferceness that had not been observable yes
terday.
The moment had the body of the vessel
in my sight perceived that she had changed
her position since my last view of her. Her
bows were more raised, and she lay over ar-
Their by the depth of plank | stared ear
nestly at the rocky slopes on either hand, but
could not have sworn their figuration was
changed, An eager hope shot into my mind,
but it quickly faded into an emotion Of ap-
prehensiOn. 1t was conceivable, indeed, that
on n sudden some early day might find the
schooner liberated and afloat and this was
the first inspiritng flush; but then came the
fear that the disruption and volcanic throes
of the ice might crush her-a fear rational
enough when | saw the height she lay above
the sea- and how by pressure those slopes
which formed her cradle might be jammed
and Npl1p,l tDrptbnr Tho pbuppp of her
posture then fell upon me with kind of
shock, and determined me, when | had
broken my fast to search her hold for a boat
or for materials for constructing some ark
by which might float out to sea, should the
ice grow menacing and force me from the
schooner.
made plentiful meal, feeling the need of
abundance of food in such temperature as
this, and heartily grateful that there was no
need why should stint myself.
While | ate my mind was SO busy with
considerations of the change in the ships
posture during the night that it ended in de
termining me to take a survey of her from
the outside, and then climb the cliffs and
look around before fell to any other work.
Aiming myself with boarding pike to serve
us pole, [ dropped into the fore chains and
thence stepped on TO the ice, and very slowly
and carefully walked round the schooner,
examining her closely and boring into the
snow upon her side with my pike wherever
suspected a hole or indent | could find
nothing wrong with her in this way, though
what thaw might reveal could not know.
Her rudder hung frozen upon its pintles, and
looked as it should. Some little distance
abaft her rudder, where the hollow or chasm
sloped to the sea, was great split three or
four feet widei this had certainly happened
i'll the night, and must have slept as sound
as the dead not to hear the noise of it. Such
rent as this suliced to account for the sub
sidence of the after part of the schooner and
her farther inclination to larbcard. Indeed
the hollow was now coming to resemble the
"ways" on which ships are launched; and
you would have conceived by the appear
ance of 1t that If it should slope a little more
yet, Off would slide the schooner for the sea
and in the right posture, too-that is, stern
on. But | prayed with all my might and
main for anything but this. 1t would have
been very well had the hollow gone in gen.
tie deCliVity to the wash of the sea-to the
water ITSELF in Short but it terminated at
the edge of cliff not very high, indeed, but
high enough to warrant the prompt founder
ing of any vessel that should launch herself
off it. Happily the keel was too solidly
frozen into the ice to render passage of this
description possible, and the conclusion | ar
rived at, after careful inspection, was that
the sole chance that could offer for the de-
livery of the vessel to her proper element lay
in the cracking up and disruption of the bed
on which she lay.
Satisfied as to the state of the ice and the
posture of the schooner viewed from with
out, sent slow and piercing gaze along the
ocean line, and then returned 10 the ship
The strong wind, the dance of the sea, the
grandeur of the great tract of whiteness
vitalized by the flying of violet cloud shad- |
ows along it, had fortified my spirits, and |
being free for while) of all superstitious |
dread determined to begin by exploring |
the forecastle and ascertaining if more bodies |
were in the schooner than those two in the |
cabin and the giant form on deck l threw |
some coal on the fire, and placed an OK |
tongue along with the cheese and a lump Of |
the frozen wine in a panni1in into the oven |
flor had mind to taste the vessels stores
and thought the tongue would make an agree |
able change, and then, putting a candle into |
the lantern, walked very bravely to the fore |
castle and entered it.
| was prepared for the scene of confusion
hut / must say it staggered ME afresh with |
something of the force of the first impression. |
Sailors chests lay open in all directions, and |
their contents covered the decks. There was |
the clearest evidence here that the majority |
of the crew had quilted the vessel in a VIC |
lent hurry, turning out their boxes to cram |
their money and jewelry into their pockets
and heedlessly hinging down their own and
the clothes which had fallen to their share.
This had every right to suppose from the
character Of the middle on the floor; for
lria- - I