Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-06-11
THE STORY OF A FOX.
CAPTURED ON A BERlNc SEA ISL AMI
AND DIED BROKEN HEARTED.

"~~>~A~AD ~ r
jamin HarrisOn-His Love For the Cat-A
Thrilling Experience With Iceberrs End.
ing In Disaster.
While on whaling voyage two or three
years ago I caught young arctic fox
while ashore on one of the islands in Be-
ring sea, somewhat about 81 or 63 degrees
north latitude
He was about feet long and pure
white. His fur was long and soft and
line as silk, but his tail was the crowning
glory, Is inches long, brshy and white as
snow. got him aboard ship, and we all
tried a hand at training him. He was
powerful offish for q good many days and
used to bark and glare like mailman at
any fellow who touched his chain. But
nnally wheedled him into subsection and
got him SO he ate from my hand
we had great time settling on a name
for him, but after changing it dozen
times we decided to call him Benjamin
Harrison, to please the cap'n, who was
born in the same town with the owner Of
that lllustrious cognomen.
After "a few weeks we unclaimed the lit
tie rascal, and Ben had full swing of the
cabin and deck, where he followed me
about like house DOG. He and the ships
cat grew to be famous friends, though she
hated him like poison at first, and time
and time again I've seen her leap up the
mainmast with Ben after her, where they
would swing themselves into the rigging,
then down again and scamper off, both
laughing as hard as they could laugh-in
their way.
The crew petted him like q baby, and
his sharp nose poked into everything
aboard ship without word even from the
cook, who often dished up special messes
for him.
trip, and our hold was well stored with
oil and bone, but the cap'n was for pull
ing in one more whale before we put
about for home. We had met acres of
floating ice, but no icebergs.
While we We're changing around in Be-
ring strait for a last big fellow the weather,
which had been middling fair, changed
and for two days blew great guns At the
close Of the second day it came on to snow,
and it got SO thick we couldn't see a hands
breadth before us. The wind howled like
a demon, the ropes were crusted with ice,
and our heavy sealskin suits felt thin as
paper No one slept that night. Above
the noise of the wind we suddenly began
to hear another groaning, cracking sound,
which cap'n feared meant icebergs. Ben
got up and went yelping up and down
deck, as though he shifted danger and was
telling us to beware.
Toward morning the storm lifted sud
denly. Capn and 1 had gone below for
mess, when we heard the man at the wheel
shout, ''Icebergs, ahoyn' and we weren t
SLOW in scrambling up the hatchway and
rushing forward.
There they were, two of 'em, not half q
mile ahead, higher than our good old ship
herself, and together they must have been
mile wide. There was no steering from
'em nor around 'cm.
Forty minutes after they hove in sight
they were upon us. We had given up all
hope of saving the ship, for the great
mountains had drifted and drawn together
till there wasn't 80 feet between 'em.
Most of us hurried below to get together
few clothes, and among other things l
grabbed chain and fastened it around
Ben,s neck--for he was close.a my heels
to keep him by me. AS l came on deck
again the cap'n was giving orders to clear
away the boats.
Twas mono too soon. In three whale
boats we dropped into the black waters,
Ben with the rest, and pulled for life,
ahead of the ship, into the narrowing
space between the icebergs.
1t was tough to leave our stanch old
ship to her doom. She held all our posses
sions and had brought us safely around
many n hard corner. Cap'n Johnson blub-
bcrcd like Il baby when he looked back at
her. We leaned on our oars to take one
last look together, when Ben gave n most
unearthly yelp and but for my hold on his
chain would have leaped overheard.
Following the direction of his eyes, we
looked to tho top of the mizzenmast and
saw the cat, forgotten in our excitement,
grimly cinging there.
Ben took his eyes from her long enough
to look into my face and ask me in short
quick banks to go and help her. But had
to shake my head He leaped to the cap n S
side with the same question, and then
to some of the sailors. When he found
nothing could be done, he stood gazing at
his old friend tabby, with actual tears
rolling down his face, and gave utterance
to one prolonged howl till the end came.
Just as we pulled through, well out be-
yond the narrow passage of the bcrgs, our
ship slipped into the great arms waiting
for her, and they closed on her like huge
Jaws. hope l may never again suffer the
anguish did then as ! heard her moan,
like human creature in pain. The cat
gave one last, uncanny shrek that curdled
the blood in the veins, and then we saw her
no more.
In less than no time the monster bergs
had ground our ship into sawdust. l
never saw such complete dcstruction-not
a mast, not plank escaped.
might spin out this yarn by telling Of
our three days experience in the boats
Sometimes we rowed over the water for
hours. Again we had to pull our boats up
onto great cakes of ice and travel afoot,
pushing the boats ahead of us, The cold
was intense. Our food got pretty low. But
on the third day we made out in the dim
light whaler not far off, and we managed
to attract attention, and they bore down
on us and took us aboard, more dead than
alive.
Poor little Ben never ate mouthful of
yictuais after the death of old tabby.
When we were rowing, he lay in the bow
of the cap'n's boat, with his head under
his paws, and took no notice of anything
that passed. When we were footing it over
the ice, l had to pull him along much of
81. xx-ax- Ix- ,,,ai,, fprra His heart seemed