Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1889-03-22

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propped hands and diminished face, made
him as distressful and melancholy picture
of Time as ever mortal man viewed. He
broke off in his rambling to ask for moro
brandy, taking it for granted that ] was stil
in the cook room, for ] never spoke: and
filled u can for him, and as before held il to
his mouth, which ho opened wide--a piece of
behavior which went to snow that some of
his wits still hung loose upon him. This
was strong dose and, cooperating with the
other, soon seized hold on his head, and pres
emily he began to laugh to himself and talk,
and oven broke into a stave or two-some
French song, which he delivered in n voice
like the sQucukiug of a rat, alternating with
the growing of Il terrier.
guess his stumbling upon this old French
catch (Which | took it to be from seeing him
fecbly flourish one Of his sticks ms if inviting
chorus) put him upon speaking his own
tongue altogether; for though ho continued
to chatter with all tho volubilty his breath
would permit during the whole time | sat
eating, not one word of English did hcspcak,
and not one word therefore, did [ UNDER
stand Seeing how it must he with him pres
emily, [ brought his mattress and rugs from
his cabin, and had scarce laid them down
when he let fall one of his sticks and droNuod
over. | grasped him, and, partly lifting,
partly hauling, got him Oh his back and
covered him up. In a few minutes he was
asleep
trust ! shall not be doomed inhuman if
confess that | heartily wished his end would
come. If he went on living he promised to
be an intolcrahe burden to me, being quito
helpless Besides, he was much too old for
this world, in which n man who reaches tho
age of 80 is pointed to as a sort Of wonder.
| Nothing worth recording happened That
dav. The wind slackonod. and the ice trny-
eed SO slow chat Mt shutdown | could not dis
| cover that we had made moro than n quarter
of a mile of progress to the north since noon,
though we had settled by half as much again
that distance westward.
had not closed my eyes on the previous
night, and was tired out when the evening
/ arrived; and as no good could come of my
| keeping Il watch. for the simple reason that
/ it was not in my power to avert ANYTHING
| that might happen. tumbled some further
! covering over the Frcnchnan, who had lain
on tho deck all the afternoon, sometimes
doing, sometimes waking and talking to
| himself and appearing Oh the whole very
easy and comfortable. and went to my cabin.
slept sound the whole NIGHT through. and
on waking went ON deck before going to the
cook house and lighting the furnace las was
my custom so impatient was to observe our
state, and to hear such news as tho ocean
had for me. II wa, after S-a very curious
day, somewhat darksomc. and dead calm,
with large, long swell ont of the southeast.
The sky was full of Clouds with a stopping
appearance in the hang of them that re-
minded you of the belly of a hammock;
they were OF a salow brown. very uncom-
mon: some of them round about slipped the
sea line, and their shadows, celebrating
those parts Of the cincture which they over
hung, broke the continuity of the horizon as
though there were valleys in the ocean there.
A good part of or bed of ice was gone-at
least fourth of it but the schooner still lay
as strongly fixed as before. ! had come to
tine deck half expecting to find her anoat
from the regular manner of her hcaving, and
was bitterly disappointed to discover her
rooted as strongly as ever in the ice, though
the irritation softenol when | noticed how
the bed had diminished. The mass, with the
ship upon it. rose and sank, with the slug
Eish, squatting motion of a water logged YES
sci. 1t was an odd sensation tony legs after
their long rest from such exercise The heav-
ing satisfied me that the base of the bed did
not so deep, but at the same time it was all
too solid for me, | could not doubt: for. had
the sheet been as thin as ! had hoped it, it
must have given under the weight of the
schooner and released her.
l went below and got about lighting the
as many clothes ms youlj I'll n hale do,on IF