The record-union., 1897-12-02
PLAY IN THE ARCTIC.
Two Little Girls Who Were Ice
Bound on a Wha1er.

"The Christmas Ship by H. H. Ben
nett, in the December "St. Nicholas" is
a story about two little girls who We're
on board ice-bound whaling vessels,
near Herald Island, in the Arctic
ocean. Mr. Bennett says
Dolly and Jessie found plenty of ways
to play when the mercury did not drop
down to forty degrees below zero, as 1t
did, frequently, for days together.
Sometimes the sailors bundled them
up on Eskimo sledges, and hauled them
for miles over the ice; at other times
they went fishing, dropping their lines
into holes which the sailors cut through
thin places in the ice, where it was
not more than three or four feet thick.
There We're Eskimo dogs on the ships,
and the sailors trained them to act as
pack-mufes; two bags were hung on
each dog, one on each side, and the
fish which were caught were put IN
these bags; then the dogs trotted along
very carefully, so as not to drop the
fish When they got tired they would
lie down on the ice to rest, and would
get up and trot off without losing
fish. Sometimes the dogs were hitched
to sledges, and the girls were whirlaa
the sides of the sledge to keep from
falling off.
When Dolly went outside the ship She
looked more like little Eskomo than
like the girls at home. She wore the
heaviest of woolen clothes in the cab
in, but these were. not enough to keep
her warm when she and Jessie went on
the sledges or went fishing. AT such
time she put on a coat of deerskin
which went to her feet; it was lined
with flannel, and trimmed with fur
and had hood which could be pulled
over her head and face; the hood was
lined with wool and trimmed with the
fur of the wolverine. Woollen stock
ings and gloves covered her feet and
hands, and on top of these she wore
Eskimo boots Of fur, and deerskin nit
tens lined with wool. Jessie dressed in
the same way; but her coat was trim
med with mink, and her boots were Of
sealskn.
Out on one Of the ice-hills. old Tom
Barks. the boatswain of the Blackbird
who made it his special duty to look
after Dolly and eJsse, made them
toboggan slide down which their
sIedges would rush to sweep far out on
the ice plain; then some of the sailors
would haul them back to the top again,
for another swift, breathless dash
down the CLASSY slope. In the morn
ings there were lessons to be learned
and recited. for Dolly's aunt did not be-
lFeve in "all play and no work." so
Dolly and. Jessie too, had geography
and smelling. arithmetic and reading,
just as though they were not hundreds
of miles away from any school. Dolly
studied French, also; and both or them
We're learning to play on the mandolin
and guitar for several of the Captains
wives had their instruments with them,
ard were accomplished musicians.
One day Captain Ferry had killed a
great white bear; and Dolly and Jessie
had watched the hunt from the top Of
the deck-house and had been so excited
that they nearly fell off. The bear had
been prowling around the ships all the
night before. and Captain Ferry said
he was going after 1t because he want
ed IT'S shaggy, white-furred skin for
rug. and because it was a dangerous
animal to be in the neighborhood or the
ship So in the morning he started
off, going in hoat part Of the way.
for the wind had caused wide ere
vase to open in the ice not far from
the ship. The bear was lying down be-
hind a hummock of ice when the Cap
tain shot It: it did not seem to mind
the bullet, but got up and started after
the Captain. who ran as hard as ne
could toward the boat into WHICH ne
jumped. and the sailors pushed OFF, The
angry bear did not stop at the water,
but plunged in and began to swim after
the boat. The sailors had not got a
good start. and the bear swan so fast
that IT got one paw on the boat before
the Captain could shoot 1t.
HYo- nao~ Fvionds.