Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1890-07-19

plenty of fuel and provisions, ana tnefe
was no reason to believe that we should
suffer either mentally or physically.
On the fifth day | went off with Mr..
Lampson, the first mate, on hunting
expedition. Foxes had already been
seen, and the sight of something we be-
lieyed to be bear was what started us
off. Daylight now lasted but few
brief hours, but the weather was calm
and the cold had relaxed several de-
grees within a few hours. We did not
intend to go over mile or two, and we
slipped away so quietly that only few
knew of our departure.
We shot fox within half a mile of the
ship, and soon after that reused up
half-groWn bear, which fled before us
| don't think we were over two miles
from the ship in straight line, and we
had not been absent over two hours
when we heard her signal for us to re
turn. This was done by dischargln g
three muskets in rapid succession. We
knew that there must be grave reasons
for giving this signal, and we at once
pushed for the ship. We were leaping
and scrambling over the hummocks
when 1 got bad fall, striking on my
head and shoulder, and lying uncon-
scious for perhaps half an hour. When
I came too night had set in; there was
great grinding and crashing among the
ice, showing that it was in motion, and
had no idea which way to go. If the
mate had seen me fall he had not
stopped to ascertain whether was hurt
or not. | made guess as to which way
the ship lay and started out, but L soon
found lane of water to cut me Oft. L
tried another direction, with the same
result. Then l knew for certain that l
was afoat on foe.
About this time the weather changed
and began to grow cold, and pretty soon
there was furry of snow. While | was
terribly scared | did not lose all sense.
| piled up number of ice cakes to make
a shelter, and hanging fast to the dead
fox crept under them and found the
place quite comfortable. [ felt that L
was helpless, 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 finised 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 l was
a great hummock of ice [ looked to the
south to find the ship 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 greae
blocks of ice all around her. | fired oil
nv gun and shouted, but 90 no answer,
and even before [ stood on her decks L
knew that she had been a bandoned.
NE davit falls were down and the boats
gone, while a box of bread, a fur cap,
musket and some other things were lett
on large block Of ice. When got
aboard the evidences of great scare
and hasty departure were more num-
erous. | 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 that she was doomed.
The field in which she was frozen had
at the same lime split up, and while the
men had drifted away on one foe, the
abandoned ship had gone with another.
There was reason to believe that the
entire 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, / replenished the fires, which
were not yet out, filled the cooks cop
pers with meat to boil, and then fired
my musket at intervals of five minutes
as signal. When daylight faded away
l ran a green light to the masthead as
night beacon, and turned in, feeling
positive that [ would see the whole
ships company by morning. It was
noon next day before would give up
that was to be left alone, and two days
later, when the fact became morally
certain, I was strongly tempted to COM
NIT suicide. Indeed l had written
letter to be left behind me, and had a
gun loaded to blow my brains out, when
a circumstance occurred to rouse up the
man in me- I had gone on deck by the
davit falls, though could have mounted
by her forechains. On her port quarter
was mass of ice, four feet higher than
her rail. This was q part of the bed she
had rested in. AS l went on deck to
take last look around | got an awful
fright. Two big polar bears were pre-
pairing to board the ship by way Of this
mass, and their fierce growls and sullen
retreat set me in tremble. The idea
of those beasts eating my body, even
after death, was so repugnant as to at
ore Danish all further thoughts of sui
eide.
When night came the bears still lin
-GGed. [ locked myself in the cabin
6 I'D heard them rummaging about in the
deck gangways, and making persistent
efforts to break into the deck house. It
was after midnight before they went
away, and next day l made prepare
tons to repel boarders. 1t was not day
now, but the season had brought con-
tinual twilight / set to work to cut the
hummock away from the port quarter,
but after working for two hours with an
axe, | decided to try powder. With the
tools at hand 7 SINK a shaft down seven