The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1892-08-09

Some of the passengers were overcome
with that strange combined odor OF fish
and oil and skins, which is part of the
Alaskan-but the missionaries evidently
had become acclimsted. The young lady
assistant teacher, with very pretty pro-
hle, tail and weli-dressed with great
coils OF shining black hair, who prayed
so earnestly that we were thrilled in spite
OF ourselves, had been sent to an Eastern
college for four years by rich lady of
New Jersey, and now utilized her educa-
ton for the sake of the race with which
she was allied upon one side But the
white parent was in the ascendant-she
was more refined than some of the pas
sengers, who dared TO ask her imperti-
nent questions regarding herself. She
chilled perceptibly and slipped away.
AT the school exhibition for our bene-
Mt was cute little boy of who was a
genuine Esquimau. He was brought
down from Point Barrow (which is still
so far away to the north as to seem i'm
possible TO US even here in Sitka) to go
to school here. He was quick and bright
and talked to us in English as if it were
bis own tongue, though he had only just
learned it. In the flag-drill of the States
OF America, he was dressed in white furs
almost to his little brown nose, to repre-
sent Alaska as the last Territory asking
to be admitted. The children, young
women and men did very nicely-all in
Engllsh-and the passengers cheered at
each State from which they had come, so
that we were all in cheerfully patriotic
condition when we came out.
The Jail of Sitka is under kind of bar
racks, and the inmates were there mostly
for selling liquor TO the indians. They
were not degraded looking set by any
means, although the mere fact that this
was jail, and these men could not get
out, was enough to suggest horns and
hoofs. The night before we left Sitka the
genial Captain planned ball and it was
given on the floor above the jail-and
there the music sounded and the
feet kept step and merry laughter poured
OUT and contrasted with that state of be-
| ing below. 1t seemed cruel.
The transparent waters of Sitka Bay,
the lovely beach, and starfish, and Jelly
| fish, and seaweeds, floating to and fro.
and the halibut, sach monster fellows
but oh those two stately peaks, Vers-
nova and Edgecumbe; l adopted them for
| mine own.
Calmly we went to sleep at Sitka-and
woke up in the morning sailing through
a sea of icebergs. They were not like IN
the pictures, not hills nor even towers of
ice standing up in the water-not at all.
Gravity prevails up here the same as any
Where, and the iceberg generally lies on
It's side and is long-shaped, gradually
breaking up into halves. adjusting, turn
ing over and over, sailing awhile and
then breaking again and again till re-
duced TO small fluff Of snow on the sur
face, till we feel very much as if we were
sailing through great sea of floating
island.
And then it began to grow cold. l know
there were those on board who declared
| lit was just as warmn' But sometimes
| people deceive themselves. Mind cure is
wonderful thing. 1t grew colder and
| colder and then we faced great ice cliff,
two miles across, 500 feet above the water
and 400 below. 1t was all tossed up in
| pinnacles, minarets and fantastic shapes,
with deep blue patches of color on the
white. An occasional crash made us
rush madIy sto the front of the ship,
| but as we were some distance away it
was rather disappointing at first.
There falls piece of three poundsr'
cried Red Cap, scornfully. | suppose in
| reality it was three tons-but it broke so
| into small pieces as it fell that it became
minified. l could not see where the ice
! bergs came from. Though moving at the
rate oftorty feet every twenty-four hours,
yet the glacier breaks off only by jutting
piece or uneven crag, not by wholesale.
We went on shore in the small boats
and tramped several miles over a desc
late incline where the ground was frozen
| stiff, pebbles, rocks, clay, ice and all. to
the side Of the great glacier. We crawIed
up on some Of the peaks of snow and
| looked down into the chasms below.
Now that l think of it, l am convinced
that we did bear charmed lives. 1t was
great. Charming little blue lakes Law
| down in those icy valleys between those
tossed-up peaks, alluring US to vain
| wishes and almost to destruction T
| don't know why we didn't tumble down
with wild crash, for the whole thing
was moving and changing base, though
the edges are slower than the center.
The Egyptian. was not to be eclipsed
| by the Seven Sisters" She too. wanted
to scale the dangerous peak, but her
guardians would not allow it, And like
thwarted queen she sulked ali day in
consequence, promising to be revenged.
After lunch, when we had recuperated
a little from our long tramp, the Captain
set sail. But in his heart he thought we
sailed toward the face of the blue ice
cliff. That was grand. Then we saw
how stupendous it was, and the few great
great whales of blue ice around us kent
us on the alert by their breaking and
turning over and over like living
creatures of the sea. Colder and colder it
| got the icy breath Of death cutting our
faces. One Of the "Persians" declared it
was warm. YES" said Red Cap. whose
head was wrapped up in fox skin Oh
top of everything else she could get on.
''about 1907 in the shade''
| And then, all at once, a wonderful thing
happened. mighty mammoth of blue
ice came up from below, turning, twist
ing and making great waves by its LASH
| ing of the waters. 1t was an iceberg. w.
| ing on its side, but broken off by the
| grinding of the cliff on the bottom of the
! bay. underneath the water At last l saw
where the icebergs came from. At this
one of the prettiest and iolliest of the
Seven Sisters" grew pale and clasped her
hands IN fright, and begged the Captain
to go. ''Oh, 1t is TERRIBLE" she cried.
We sailed away from the great ice-cliff
and the breath of DEATH and all were
chattering. But the Egyptian sat with
her back to the scene, serene and majestic.
She was revenged on her guardians at
last They could not persuade her to take
even final glimpse.
And then we picked our way daintily
through the sea of icebergs that be-
spangled the waters on our way out. past
/ the Pacific Glacier, which is yet I'M
plored-great ships of snow as long
as the Mexico.
And then exhausted, thoroughly and
tremendously, we crept into our tiny
berths, and came to the conclusion that
the greatest joy left in the world was to
go TO sleep, perhaps forever. If bergs of
gold and diamonds We're to be had, it was
a matter OF total Indifference to us.
After meeting the Muir Glacier the best
| thing to be had was-oblivion
! ELLA STERLING CUMMINS.
|
Hodcarriers' Union.