The Van Buren press., 1895-03-16
"Hard a-portl" is Che command.


And the vessel quivers and hceln
over as she rounds to, and almost
scrapes the mass OF Ice that towers far
above her trucks.
II is u harrow escape; but what Of
that? She has seen such narrow es-
capes before, and has, indeed, felt the
Ice Gathering on her decks more than
once during these perilous voyages.
Was she not built for these perils2
What II she should strike a berg?
Those bows, with their immense
strength, would be able to withstand
almost any blow.
On she drives, and the morning
breaks on sea covered with floating
lee. The wind has gone down, and the
snow has ceased falling. The captain
orders his most experienced hand into
the "cro' nest" where, from his airy
perch, he scans the sea for some sign
OF the game they are pursuing.
High up on the foremost, lashed to
its slender dimensions, is the post Of
observation referred to, and within its
depths stands the man selected for this
duty, his head just peering above the
rim OF the barrel, which completely
hides his person from view.
Away to the northward stretches On
unbroken field of ice, its surface dotted
here and there with tho game, but not
in sufficient quantity to warrant secur
Ing It.
Under the guidance of the man aloft
the ship winds her way in and out of
the ice floes until she is brought to a
standstill, with shock that tun bles
the unwary head over heels on the
deck. She must force her way through
the immense pan at her bow, and her
engines draw the hull backward, and
still backward, until her commander
thinks that he has sufficient room to
gain the impetus needed to break the
ice.
Then he signals Full speed ahead"
and the ship hesitates moment, as
though gaining its breath before 1t
leaps forward to it's work. On It
comes, faster and still faster. until 1t
strikes the pan tremendous blow fair
In It's center, and with groan, as
though it yielded up its possessions
with protest, however unavailing 1t
might be, long crack creeps snake-
like over its surface, and it opens under
the immense weight and crushing
strength and leaves the victor to pur-
sue her way unimpeded towards her
goal.
The captain has gained his object by
the subterfuge of the night. There is
not d rival in sight to share the spoils,
and right before the ship lies mass Of
seals numbering thousands, their dusky
bodies huddled together, fairly hiding
the ice from sight.
Closer and closer, as under the re-
duced speed she sails along. nearer to
the edge of the ice, until the engines
stop and the ship is moored to the
frozen water.
The hunks are torn down, and the
firemen heave away great mounds OF
coal on to the ice. Every inch of space
must be reserved for the splendid har-
vest soon to be garnered; and what
matters it that the coal lift may be all
too little to carry the ship back to port,
SO long as there is enough to supply
power to the engines to tear the hull
loose from its icy letters? Never mind
the cost. 1t is mere bagatelle COM
pared with the wealth represented by
the greasy pelts occupying its space in
the hunks.
as the swiftest runners in the crew
bear the stats upholding their flutter.
ing pennants racing over the ice, and
through the groups of vicious old seals,
who rear up and snap ut the intruders.
There is only homeguard of these old
ones left, and the ice is dusky with the
bodies OF the young pups, that are not
old enough to swim and whose parents
are away seeking food.
The seals are surrounded now with a
line of futtering pennants. Off coats
and to work. No idle time now. Over
the sides clamor the men, and, with
"bat" in hand and knife between their
teeth, begin the work of slaughter.
The pelts are dragged to the side Of the
ship; the winches hoist them on board
and lower them into the hold, where
they are carefully slowed by hands
long rracticed in this trade, and the
close of the day, which is in this lati-
tude many hours long, finds the cargo
well slowed.
After this comes the gathering in of
the pennants, and the return to the
ship Of the men far distant, dragging
the pelts that there is hardly room for
on the ships deck. Piled as high as
the rail, and in every conceivable spare
spot, they lie, while upon their greasy
surface the men throw themselves, and
get few hours well-earncd sleep
1t had been hard f1ght--one well
calculated to try the strength Of the
victors-and when the laurels are
theirs, little wonder that they seek a
resting place without regard to any
thing but respite from their labors.
Once more the thick, black smoke
pours out OF the funnel; once more the
telegraph conveys the tidings to the
waiting engineers that on them de-
pends the safe return homeward, as the
dial reads: Full speed ahead"
Husband the coal and get all the
steam possible with the least expendi-
ture of the black diamonds. The cap
tain takes the bridge, and remains
there until he sights the welcome land
Of his birth in this industry, and the
engineer tells him that there sis just
enough coal left to carry them into the
harbor."
There is no storm coming up now,
and again the captains hopes are real
lied as he sees, through his binocular,
that he has been recognized, that his