The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-10-07

out soon found lane Of water TO cut me
OF / tried another direction with the
same result. Then knew for certain that
! was afoat on foe.
About this time the weather changed
and began TO grow cold, and pretty soon
there WIS a furry Of snow. While l was
terribly scared ! did not lose all sense.
}lIed up rumber OF fee cakes TO make q
shelter, and hanging fast to the dead fox
crept under them and found the place
quite comfortable. I felt that was help
less, and could only hope that the cold
would set the ice again, stop my drift and
that might recover the ship before cold
and hunger had finished me. slept bit
after getting out of the wind, but was
awake when daylight came. The ice had
ceased grinding, the air was still and frosty
and knew that / was frozen in again.
Climbing 70 the top of a great hummock
Of ice looked TO the south to find the shin
within quarter Of mile Of me, and in
half an hour had come up with her.
She rested on an even keel, fast frozen in,
with great blocks Of ice all around her. I
fired of my gun and shouted, but got no
answer, and even before / stood on her
decks knew that she had been abandoned.
| The davit falls were down and the boats
| gone, while a box of bread, a fur cap, a
musket and some other things were left on
large block of ice. When got aboard
the evidences of a great scare and hasty
| departure were more numerous. I soon
| concluded that a squeeze of the ice had
! hove the ship out Of her slip, and had given
her such cant that her crew feared she
was doomed. The field in which she was
frozen had af he Zv1t \
while the men had drifted away on one
foe the abandoned ship had gone with an
other.
There was reason to believe that the en-
tire crew would return. They could not
have drifted many miles, and would at
once take advantage of the new ice to
reach the ship. Holding to this view re-
plenished the fires, which were not yet out
filled the cooks coppers with meat to boil.
and then fired my rhusket ct intervals Of
five minutes as signal When daylight
faded away ran green light 10 the mast
head as right beacon and turned in, feel
ing positive that / would see the whole
ships company by morning. 1t was noon
next day before 1 would give up that | was
to be left alone, and two days later, when
the fact became morally certain, was
strongly tempted to commit suicide. In
deed had written letter TO be left be-
hind me, and had gun loaded to blow my
brains out, when q Circumstance occurred
to rouse up the man in me. had gone on
deck by the davit falls, though | could
have mounted by her foreehains. On her
port quarter wss 8 great mass Of fee four
feet higher than Der rail. This was a part
Of the bed she had rested in. As I went on
deck to take last look around got an
awful fright. Two big polar bears were
preparing TO board the ship by way of this
mass, and their ferce growls and sullen
retreat set me in a tremble The idea Of
those beasts eating my body, even after
death was so repugnant as to at once ban
ish all further thoughts of suicide.
When night came the bears still fingered.
locked myself in the cabin, and heard
them rummaging about in the deck gang
ways and making persistent efforts to
break into the deck house. 1t was after
midnight before they went away, and next
day made preparations to repel boarders.
1t was not day now, but the season had
brought continual twilight. set TO work
to cut the hummock away from the port
quarter, but after working for two hours
with an AK decided to try powder With
L
seven or eight feet, filed gallon tug with
blasting powder, and then arranged slow
match and was ready. ! expected the ice
10 fly about in lively manner, but the
deck house would give me shelter. was
within minute of firing the train when
l heard great shifting and growing, and
10! the two same bears came up the in
cline, and stood again on the crest of the
mn tn
yelled and swung my bat, but they held
their ground and were evidently intending
to board the ship again | now ignited a
match, set fire to the fuse and waiting as
long as dared to, ran into the deck house.
was hardly under cover when the ex-
plosion came, and for the next half minute
pieces of fee were Gathering on the board I
roof as they descended from their fight. /
When opened the door and looked out /
the hummock was gone-leveled far below 4
the rail, and the bears had taken 70 fight. |
now reahzed that l must pass many /
long weeks alone, surrounded by darkness
and various dangers, and | mapped out a
to be followed | had break
fast at O'Clock a. IN. Then l worked at
clearing of snow aud ice until 10. Then
read until noon From l to 2 got up coal
and overhauled stores. AT had dinner.
Thence till read From 4 to 9
looked after some fox traps l had made,
and nearly always had pelt 70 take care
Of From 8 to : practiced on the dumb
bells. At / had supper and between
that and my bedtime | studied the charts
Of several seas we had aboard, and learned
10 locate various islands and countries. /
held to this programme very rigidly,
knowing that / might 90 mad il / allowed
myself to brood over the situation, and
thus l slept sOundly, preserved a buoyant
spirit, and constantly gained in flesh.
In January there was a move Of the ice
which lifted the ship fairly out Of the
water, but after an hour she settled back
without damage BY day and night there
we're tremblings and shocks and thunder
Jus reports, but got used 70 them after
while and was not greatly disturbed. Il
vas at noon on the ID day Of February
hat sledge drawn BY dogs came close up
o the ship and two EsQuima1x made long
urvey Of it, waved their hands and shout
d 70 me as they went OF. On the 7th two
Lodges appeared. bringing eur captain.
mates and two harpooners, and four days
alter al our old crew were on board I ,
vas correct IN my conclusions a. 20 why
hey had abandoned the ship They left
Ter hurriedly, expecting her 20 20 down, .
nd had drifted almost down to UpernAvik !
Enen discovered b. natives and p.loted :
shore Later on sIedges were sent cut %
earch for the slip, aud after many fruit
sss journeys SIC was finally sighted AID
Then the spring break Up came we Eot :
own into the Atlantic with scarcely az :
overture worth recording YORK
un. :
VI ] . WIT. ~ Hail. VI :