Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1895-04-06

! I'll QClSO VI gHO OGAIS AhSAG0 GOSCluG11
and patiently waited for the moon rfs-
ing. 1 wasn't at all sure, however, if
the moon would break up the fog.
might not tell the men so. I only pray
ed it might. / must have slept, for I
remember nothing more till I felt my
self rudely shaken, and a voice-it was
that of old Murdoch shouting some
thing in my ear.
Get ye up, Master Norris! Guild
ness sakes, sir, but ye're awful stiff at
the wakenin'."
whats up, Murdoch?" I said, start
| ing up, but suddenly recollected and
cautiously reseated myself. HAS the
moon risen?"
NAY, nay, sir, it's DER early i the
NIGHT for that I'm thinkin'. It's jist
this. There's nay sac muckle tum'le,
and 1 Wilma argy that we're in the lee
| o. somit''
you're rfghtr' 1 cried excitedly,
you're right; the boats quite steady.
And-Murdoch, it's colderv'
Then like a flash the whole phenom-
ena of the weather struck me; it's
strangeness was all explained. We
were in the lee of an iceberg. I had
up the banks of vapor, and 1 ordered
the men to get in the sea anchor and
stand ready to make way, which they
did with alacrity.
We hadn't long to wait. Presently
pencil of pure silver fame shot over our
heads like an electric ray from a war
vessels searchlight. Then a white
misty glimmer away over our stern
showed fat with the plane of the sea.
1t gradually grew larger and whittier,
till, all of a sudden, like the drawing Of
a stage curtain, a great rent was made
in the fog, splitting it from top to bot
tom, and there, bright like huge pearl,
the moon looked in upon us.
The men gave three wild cheers, and
Murdoch, with quaint gravity, said
'there was naethin' sac pleasant as jist
a bit blinkie O. the moon; it was that
refreshing like"
What caught my attention most was
q monster berg floating in the very
center of the opening. It's tall, minaret-
like pinnacles glistenedl ikepurest silver
under the light of the moon, and stairs
and terraces and cupolas everywhere
glimmered and sparkled, as though all
the mosques of Islam had been joined
to form one splendid temple. It weS
quite close to us, too. Its loom almost
fell across us. 1t awed ps, floating
there so silently, so majestically, with
the last swathes of breaking mist curl
ing off it's bright sides.
Surely there's something upon it, =
said I ''men, do you see, close by the
edge Of wonder capeY
"Oh, ay," said Murdoch, sit will be
a seal, I'm thinkin'."
A few powerful strokes brought US
alongside the berg, and sure enough
there sat a seal, blinking at us with
his big eyes as if nightly surprised at
such visitors. He lay close by the
edge of an inlet which ran right be-
tween two immense portals, for all the
world like those of an Egyptian tenn
pie. They shone cleaning blue in the
face of the moon.
The opening was large enough to
admit of two boats rowing abreast,
and the water was as calm as a mill
pond. But tho seal bestirred himself
as we approached, gave flap Of his
tail, opened his mouth, shut it again
with a clap, and then Topped into
\ the water so near that the spray he
7 raised came into the boat.
was grieved; Murdoch had manu-
featured a spear by tying his sheath
knife to the end of spare oar. If the
worst came to the worst, and we had
to abide upon the ice, seals blubber
would have kept US alive for some
time.
The men lay on their oars. It was
dark ahead, and it was impossible to
tell how the way terminated. Just
then, however, a streak Of light ran
right through the darkness, and 1
caught a CLINT of the round face Of the
moon.
Casting my eye up to a great spire
of ice, leaning like the tower Of Pisa,
over to the sea to the right of US,
saw that the berg was moving in a
circle The ray Of light which stood
out of the darkness, then, must be cast
through the center of the berg. And
so it was, for when we cautiously en-
tered beneath the doorway we found
ourselves in an immense cavern. 1t
was domed, of fine white ice, thin and
translucent like glass. The moon
beams came through great slit, run
ming from the water rim right up to
the roof, and formed a second en-
trance, but smaller than the one we
had entered by. A buttress had FALLEN
away, for part of it lay upon a broad
terrace that shot out half way across
the floor of the cavern.
Everywhere there were huge icicles.
One especially noted was as large as
the mainmast of full-rigged ship and
stood up from the middle of the ter
race The moon set straight on it,
and it cast shadow like a sun dial
upon the white water.