The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-11-19


born pride. Having had n splendid sleep
out on the snow during the afternoon, l
volunteered 10 keep the watch while the
mon slept It was the calmest night
had vet seen in the arctics Not leaf or
twig could have quivered in the wind, nor
q thistledown stirred, had there been such
a thing as tree or a thistle within
thousand miles. The great fields Of ice lay
absolutely motionless between tides There
was ice everywhere--on the sea outside, in
the strait, on the mUuutaiu tops, In tho
mir, for with a sun. of almost burning
heat tho mercury Indicated only 80 de-
grees. The arctic stiffness, the perfect
Stiffness Of which so much has been writ
ten, was not present From the mountain
side could be heard the rushing of tho
glacial torrents on their turbulent way to
the quiet deep. A few ducks were Groom
ing In a water pool near by. A big black
Thief Joe, pirate Of the bird world OF ths
Ear north, was pursuing poor gull round
and round ard up and down and terrify-
ing the poor innocent into "A series of out
cries. When all other noises failed, the
snoring from our camp rang out clear and
strong from the throats of four Norwe-
gians sleeping in the open air and another
Norwegian and two Americans under the
boat awnings.
On Piece of Floating Ice.
For two hours ! sat near the edge Of
large tidal crack near camp watching the
turning of the tide. They were two Of tho
most interesting hours Of my life. For
80 minutes the only signs of an ebb tide
were the occasional guraling of a few
drops of water through tho pores of the
rotten ice as the water underneath slowly
ran away. Then there came the gentle,
almost imperceptible sound of falling par
ticles, the collapsing of mere frost crys-
ta,s as the foes were disturbed by tho
withdrawal of their water support under
meath. From this time ON the whole move
ment was crescendo as the tide increased
In strength. Now larger pieces began to
fall, first with lazy. dullIsh thuds, and
later with the cracking of thin, brittle
sections, indicating not only settling Of
the whole mass, but movement in the di-
rcction of tho tidal current. The noises
ran the scale with register of / i oc-
taves, the thinner and harder pieces fur
nishing the high notes, the grinding OF
masses weighing many tons one against
another affcrding the deep bass. Where
at first the notes were occasional, dlscord-
ant, my ear sOon detected strains of har-
saeny- The -4dn-had- -aaLhered- So much
strength, wAs moving SO many Particles,
producing 80 many sounds, that the law
of average hsd applied to producea certain
rhythm. Simple strains, perfect I'm time,
but lacking accentuation, were heard ris-
ing one after another. IL was the singing
of the pack as the tide ripped through 1t.
With the aid cf a little imagination one
could hear his favorite airs as in "A sweet
dream, but rs matter OF fact the music, IL
such IL may be called, was moro like the
whirring OF machinery that has varied but
constantly recurring motions and there
fore the rhythm OF change and friction, or
like the distant rumbling of n railway
train, which Is often musical, particularly
on a frosty morning
Most interesting was IL TO sit and watch
the huge foes shake their edges, tremble
nervously, glitter with life as their myri-
ads Of crystals changed faces toward the
sun and slowly started adrift They set out
upon their Journey so stealthily that n
piece upon which / had stepped the better
70 observe tho panorama had Travelled 90
feet before was aware Of it's motion BY
this time It's pace was rapid enough, MS
was drifting az a rate of fully tw. miles
an hour and was wholly surrounded by
water. With So much heavy ice In motion
oil about ne and likely to crush tho
small, thin piece upon which I stood my
position was even moro dangerous than
then thought II Naturally my first i'm.
pulse wns to cry cut and awaken the men
before had drftcd ont q their hearing
aud ask them % come 20 my assistance
wits The boat. but a moments reflection
told me it would be- b or 90 minutes be
fore they could take down the awning,
STOW the boat and overtnke me, and by
that fiuc the danRcr. Il danger there was,
w0uid BE- over Losldos ! must confess
pride hac something 90 do with &C. one
docs not like tO admit he is unable to take
care ~ himeoif or that ie has been foolish
tAouah 10 stand idle whilc the tide carries
lini away % danger. 20 decided 20 take
car ~ nrscH Profiting by the expert
err wh5ch ] bad il,d with Cartnin fcter.
So ~ t'- s'rc~ing pacF, with riy 90
pt,s lfoa 0l o rioCe Of tiic dee GhoUt
slx itet square. stepped upon 1t and gave
a q mighty push toward tho fast ice near
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