The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1898-06-02


of the polar desert reigns, for the mo-
ment, undisturbed.
The first soud that broke the silence
| came from the inner apartment. An
| officer lifted the canvas screen in the
hut of the "Sea-M Nav" and entered the
main room. Cold and priyation had
| sadly thinned the ranks. The COM
mander of the ship-Captain Eds
worth-was dangerously i'll. The first
| lieutenant was dead. An officer or the
| Wanderer filled their places for the
time, with Captain Holdings permits
sion. The officer so employed was
Lieutenant Crawford.
He approached the man at the fire.
side and awakened him.
Jump up, Bateson! It's your turn
| to be relieved"
The relief appeared, rising from
heap of old sails at the back OF the hut.
Bateson vanished, yawning to his bed.
Lieutenant Crawford walked backward
and forward briskly, trying what ex-
ercise would do toward warming his
blood.
The postal and the mortar on the
cask attracted his attention. He stop
ped and looked up at the man in the
hammock.
II must rouse the cook" he said to
himself, with a smile. That fellow
little thinks how useful he is in keep
Ing up my spirits. The most in
veterate croaker and grumbler in the
world-and yet, according to his own
account, the only cheerful man in the
whole ships company. John Want!
| John Want, Rouse up, there"
A head rose slowly out Of the bed
clothes, covered with red night-cap.
A melancholy nose rested itself on the
edge Of the hammock. A voice, worthy
| OF the nose, expressed its opinion OF
the Arctic climate in these words:
Lord! Lord. here's all my breath
on my blanket. Icicles, If you please,
sir, all round my mouth and all over
| my blanket. Every time I have
| snored I've frozen something. When
a man gets the cold into him to that
extent that he ices his own bed, IL
can't last much longer Never mind
l don't grumble."
Crawford tapped the saucepan OF
bones impatiently. John Want low
cred himself TO the grumbling
all the way-by rope attached to the
rafters of his bed head. Instead OF
| approaching his superior officer and
his saucepan, he hobbled, shivering, tc
the fireplace, and held his chin as close
as he possibly could over the fire
Crawford looked after him.
Hello! what are you doing there?"
"Thawing my beard, sir"
Come here directly, and set to work
on these bones"
John Want remained immovably at
tached to the fireplace, holding some
thing else over the fire. Crawford be-
| gan to lose his temper.
What the devil are you about
now?"
"Thawing my watch, sir. It's been
under my pillow all night, and the
cold has stopped it. Cheerful, whole
some, bracing sort of climate to live in,
isn't it, sir? Never mind. I don't
grumble."
"No; we all know that. Look
here! Are these bones pounded small
enough"
John Want suddenly approached the
| lieutenant, and looked at him with an
| pearance Of the deepest interest.
You'll excuse me, sir" he said;
''how very hollow your voice sounds
this morning."
Never mind my voice. The bones!
the bonesw
Eyes, sir-the bones. They'll take
trifle more pounding. I'll do my
best with them, sir, FOR your sake"
What do you mean"
looked at Crawford with a dreary
smile.
81 don't think shall have the honor
OF making much more bone soup for
you, sir. Do you think yourself youth
last long, sir? I don't. saving your
presence. think about another week
or ten days will do for us all. Never
mind, don't grumble."
He poured the bones into the mortar
and began to pound them-under pro-
test. At the same moment a sailor
appeared, entering from the inner hut
"A message from Captain Ebs-
worth, sir"
"Well?"
"The captain is worse than ever with
his freezing pains, sir. He wants
to see you Immediately"