San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-07-25

pursued.
The hunters allowed it without opposition
to slide down the side of the ship, pursued
bv the barking of the dogs, which they strov'
to restrain by reiterated calls, and wher
thew saw it run over the hummocks to
wards the ice hills, they experienced grea
relief.
Decidedly" observed NJ. Lafleur, ''this
kind of a hunt is too exciting for my TEN
permanent. If we only find here some boxe'
of biscuit, they will be of great help to u
during the winter"
but suppose the bears have deyouret
everything" said Yegor.
M. Lafeur made a grimace.
"We shall soon know about that, I" said he.
They went to the hatchway and descended
to the between-decks. A spectacle more
horrible still than that on deck awaited them
there-the bones and skulls of ten corpses
transformed this place into a veritable char
nel-house.
"Why, were not the first who died buried
by the others! 7" asked Yegor of M. Lafeur.
Because, my friend, !" replied the latter,
1.-The entire crew must have been stricken
with that terrible disease known as the
scurvy. Those who have it are attacked by
ar intolerable stiffness of the legs; they
limp; they can neither sleep nor even rest;
they lose all appetite, and their infiamed
gums are extremely painful, while a general
weakness of the body promptly m on
it is the indication of approaching disso-
luton. The death of these brave mariners
must have occurred last winter. But what
if, in this b~etween-decks which is carefully
stopped up and in which the air has not
been renewed, we ourselves should take the
scurvy?"
ut is easily taken, hen!"
Eyes; but always under like conditions"
"Such is, happily, not the case with US.
Let us have some air and go straight to the
provisions"
With his Ratchet which he still retained
possession of, Yegor cut the ropes which
closed the %scuttles. Air and light penetrat-
ed into the between decks.
I'VE inherit everything" said M. Lafeur.
''On one condition"
"What is that"
''That we give sculpture to the remains of
these unfortunates."
agreed. But look-they possessed an
organ"
1T was. without doubt. to abridge the
WEAKNESS of the long winter"
Beside the stove, in company with the
coal-box, a hand-organ stood upon a low ia
BILE. NJ. Laieur turned the handle, and,
by a sort of poignant irony, the instrument
gave vent to some strains of a gay dance
air.
Then, Yegor and NJ. Lafeur, affected in
the highest degree by the contrast of this
lively music with the heart-rending pic
ture before them, felt tears come into their
eyes.
On the organ was a large book.
Yegor glanced at tit was a Dutch Bible.
Upon the margins of the book could be read
traced by the failing hand of the captain,
the names of the first sailors who died, fol-
lowed by some sad reflections. Yegor, who
knew English and German, understood
enough of the Dutch language to obtain
from this record the explanation of this
tragedy of the polar seas. The whaler had
been surprised by the ice at the Island Of
Barentz. belonging to the Spitzbergen group.
M. Lafeur had not been wrong in consider.
ing the scurvy the active cause of the death
of all the crew.
The name Of the captain figured a little
further on in these Luxurious pages. His
second in command had taken up the pen
and had passed it, in his turn, to a survivor.
The last marginal note read thus:
But four of US are left: Molis Stoke, OF
HARLEM, sailor; Dirk Hooft, called the
Spreker, of Medenblik, sailor; Heymann
Jaarsveldt, of Elburg, our ship-boy, and
myself, Alberdingk HuiidecOper, of Rotter.
dam, chief cook. We have no longer the
strength to assist each other. Something
horrible may possibly happen-what if the
white bears which are prOwling around the
ship should come on board and devour us
alive!"
Poor men! !" thought Yegor, as he closed
the Bible. THAT is probably what took
place."
Already NJ, Lafeur was searching every.
where. From time to time, while Yegor was
running over the margins of the Bible, he
cried:
Lard biscuit -ruml- concentrated
milk!-ffty boxes of it! The preserved
meat has been eaten by the bearsl Twenty
pots of pemmican sugar! Ohl-hour!-
bottles of red wine and a box of candles
intactI More Biscuit cask full pack.
age of vermicelli! Chocolate! twenty
pounds at least! But what havocl The
foxes have aided the bears Green beans in
boxes! Sardines in oil !"
"Well, my dear friend" said Yegor to
him, 'let us bundle up some of these things
and carry them away We will carefully
close the scuttles."
"Whl 1t if we should not find the whaler