The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1898-09-07

|
and as nothing in particular happened,
they presently wearied. Then they
caught sight of an old fiat-bottomed
skiff, lying upside-down on the beach.
That looked interesting, and they
pried it over. 1t was warped and rot
ten, and gaped with cracks; evident
ly it had lain there long while.
"What shall we do with her?"
queried Bob; for of course, being
boys, and such boys, they must do
something.
'I'H tell you what" exclaimed Joe.
LESS shove her over the ice an send
her downstream. She's no good here"
| This is a sort of reasoning that only
boys can appreciate; but with boys it
goes. The two madcaps pulled off their
skates and began Juggling.
"She's heavier'n a dozy old saw log"
cried Bob; and they had to scatter
snow over the bare gravel of the beach
before they could slide the ponderous
! affair down to the ice. Then it went
easier, and at last they got it to the
edge of the open water.
Here they paused to take breath be-
fore giving the final push; and while
the waited the situation changed.
81 say, Joe, it's Dustin off," screamed
Bob. A long crack ran between them
and the shore, as with an earthquake
shudder and tremendous report that
almost drowned Bob's cry, the over
| burdened ice parted and swung out
like huge raft into the current The
sudden lurch threw them from their
feet; for moment the rocking cake
was flooded with water. They sprang
up quickly, but already the gap was
far too wide to leap. They were fairly
launched for voyage down the ST.
Lawrence-no holiday trip. as they
were to take it.
At first they were dreadfully fright
ened; reckless people, when once they
realize their danger, get just as badly
scared as other folks. They climbed
into the boat and crouched on the bot
tom, crying bitterly; they would glad
ly have taken any sort of whipping for
the sake of being where there was
some one to whip them. But after
time, as their ice raft steadied and no
immediate harm came, they began to
feel more confident and could almost
enjoy the novel ride. Surely, they
would get off somehow.
Their unmanageabie craft, however,
kept persistently to the middle of the
stream in the midst of an undulating
field of chunks too small to bear up
even boy, and they were forced to
wait for further developments.
The old sl>iff, though they knew that
it was utterly unseaworthy, was
great comfort TO them. 1t rested near
the center of their raft, and made
sort of cabin; they felt much safer in
or beside it.
It was late in the afternoon when
they had started on their involuntary
excursion, and it was now growing
dark. This brought new terrors and
more tears; they were cold and hun
CRY and the prospect was cherries
and unhopeful. To escape over the
ice pack at night was, of course, i'm
possible; and who could tell what
chances they were missing. Yet it is
more than likely that the darkness
saved the lives of these desperate lit
tie castaways.
And wretched as they were, their
misery was small matter compared
will the torture their parents suffered,
when the boys did not appear for sup
per nor even ct bedtime. What had
really happened was about the last
thing to be suspected
90 10 i
ed the little fellows that they had
taken along a bit of luncheon; and
on rummaging their pockets they
found three apples and few dough-
nuts. These they divided with great
care and devoured with ravenous rel
ish. The cold, however, was chilling
them to numbness.
''Say, Bob. don't you s'pose we can
start fire?" chartered Joe. eve can
get wood from this boat. She wouldn't
float anyhow"
The seats were easily pulled out,
and they proved to be of pine. These
they split by striking them on the
rowlocks, and Bob whitfield off big
pile of shavings. Joe had few
matches, and after several failures
they got flame which blazed up
through the kindling, and threw
glimmer over The gray ice and black
water. The boys laid on the bits of
board, and soon had a fire that warmed
their spirits as well as their toes and
fingers. When it began to burn low
they tore off one side of the skiff to
feed it. This opened up the interior
to the direct glow, and made coy
nook in which they curled together
and they actually fell asleep.
When they awcke the red morning
sky was glowing in their faces like an
open CRATE. 1t was delusive sugges-
ton, however, for the air was cruelty
| cold and the boys were half frozen.