The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1898-09-29
A MOONLIGHT RIDE
ON AN ICEBERG.

By Rena J. halsey.
Copyright. 1855

II
ID non, or a park of artillery, rang
sharply out on the still air. and one
of the very highest peaks on the wall
of ice was shivered into fragments,
falling with a loud splash 400 feet into
the water below.
"By Joyel That was Jim Dandy!"
cried Harry Page, as he stood with
Dane Hartmann on the deck of the
Queen, at anchor in Glacier bay, gaz-
ing with glowing eyes upon the won
derful Muir Glacier.
Every few moments there would
come the sound of a sharp explosion,
or a sudden crash, and some monument
of snowy beauty would fall from the
icy wall like an avalanche of snow;
filling the air with shower of pow
derry flakes, and tumble headlong into
the foam below, to drift with the tide
to the open sea, or to join its fellows
in the ice-rimmed bay, where they
cleaned with such beautiful rainbow
tints that the inlet had the appearance
of fairyland.
On hearing Harry's exclamation,
Dane drew a deep breath and then sur
reptitiously gave himself several hard
pinches TO assure himself that he was
still in the land of the living, and not
in a world of dreams. But his doubts
upon the subject were suddenly
brought to an abrupt termination by
Harry giving him a sharp prod in the
back as he exclaimed: Come, old
man, don't look so glum. One would
think you were frozen as stiff as yon-
der ice wall"
At this moment the professor Joined
the boys. His pale countenance, which
generally wore an expression of the
utmost placidiiy, seemed unduly ruff
fed. His glasses had fallen from his
nose and were dangling in his beard,
as he stared about him with a short
sighted glare, utterly oblivious of his
loss.
"'Tis wonderful! Sublime!" he muir
INJURED. Boys" he continued, after
pause, sit is a sight you will never see
again. Improve every moment"
But Harry-who had spent all his
spare seconds on the trip in counting
the number of times his uncle had re-
peated that admonitory preface to
lengthy lecture, on the advisibility of
improving each shining moment, and
having arrived at the 349th count
broke in with "Why, Uncle Dick, where
are your glasses? You look as if you
had been struck by cyclone"
my glasses!" nervously repeated
Prof. Deane, as he began to glare wild
ly about him in search of the missing
eyes; but at that moment Dane came
to the rescue and the professor was re-
stored to his normal condition.
Tell me, professor" inquired Dane,
after another long look at the mag
nificent spectacle before him, "who
first discovered this wonderful gla-
cier?'
IAN old schoolmate of mine, Prof.
John Muir, state geologist of Califor-
MIA" replied Prof. Deane. "He was the
first white man to visit the glacier, and
tits said his first view of it was in 1879,
from an Indian canoe"
At that moment there came a sharp
detcnation, followed by far away
rumbling sound.
what is that rumbling?" asked
Dane, quickly. at sounds like an
earthquake"
ut is the ice breaking away far back
in the mountain passes" replied Mr..
Deane.
Not long after, as the two boys were
standing on deck, their attention was
suddenly attracted to a party of sail
ors who were being lowered over the
side of the ship. Eager with the nov
city of their surroundings, and wide
awake to each new phase of the scene,
the boys rushed quickly to the side of
the steamer, where they perceived two
boats, manned with sailors, who were
armed with pickaXes and hatchets,
bobbing up and down on the waves.
"What are they going to doP'' asked
Harry, curiously of a good-natured
looking tar, who was hauling up long
rope while calling: STEADY as ye go,
now!" in sort of sing-song sailor
fashion, that quite won the boys ad-
miration.
There's a fair wind aft tonight and
Wen soon be under sailing orders, so
the men are of TO cut ice down the
bay" replied the man.
For some time the laGs stood and
watched the sailors slide up and down
the rope. until at length Harry cried;
"Come, Dane, let's swing down and go
with the sailors 10 see the fun"
''The professor might object and
then there would be row." replied