The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1898-09-10

fashion, that quite won the boys ad-
miration.
There's a fair wind aft tonight and
We'll soon be under sailing orders, so
the men are off 10 cut ice down the
bay" replied the man.
For some time the lads 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 to see the fun"
"The professor might object and
then there would be a row." replied
Dane. obviously, although as much in
clined to see the sport as his friend.
"Oh, Uncle Dick won't care. We
can't come to grief, and he's toe busy
talking with the senator to mind what
We are up to-"
"All right! It's a 60" called out
Harry a moment later, as he r%ejoined
his companion. Uncle Dicks head is
buried in the clouds, and he's walking
on air. l don't believe he knew what
Twas talking about, but he said we
could CO."
just before the boat dropped down
the bay a dark figure was seen to slide
swiftly down the rope. and, with a
hasty jump, land in the foremost boat.
1t was Dane, who, a moment later, saw
Harry come flying down behind him
amid the loud hurrahs of the sailors.
and give a quick leap into the nearest
boat, the che in the rear. But it was
too late for Harry to rectify his mis-
take, for the first boat had already
swung clear of her ~moorings. and with
a dip of the oars was Swimming lightly
over the water to the sides of the bay.
4 row of n couple of miles brought
the boat into a small cove, where sew
eral immense bodies of ice had
grouped themselves, apparently, into a
solid mass. Steering to a good-siZed
rock of ice more free of dirt and stones
than its fellows, the men cleared off
the upper crust of snow that covered
it, and then began to chip off big.
sparkling blocks, which were quickly
landed in the bottom of the boat. For
some time Dane stood silently watch
ing the men, but presently he grabbed
a pickax and set to work as hard as
any of the sailors.
Suddenly a loud boom sounded in his
ear, followed by q terrible roaring
noise; he heard a sailor give a sharp
cry and looked up just in time to see
a huge iceberg that had suddenly
broken from a mass of bergs nearby.
bearing down upon them with light
ming like speed. Mortified. Dane stared
wildly about him, realizing that in a
seconds time their little boat would
be swamped, laden as she was with
~stupendous blocks of ice.
Another moment and the iceberg
had struck the boat, but simultaneous
ly with the crash of shiyering timber
Dane made a flying leap and landed in
a bed of snow on top of the moving
mass. But the bed of snow proved to
be a hard crust of ice, and a second
later the boy felt himself slipping off;
his feet were already touching the
water, when, with a quick movement,
he grasped a spar of ice that pro-
truded above his head. With a snap it
parted in his hand, and Dane felt that
his end had come. With a heart beat
ing like a sledge hammer, and his
breath coming IN heavy gasps, he fran
tically attempted to clutch a jagged
rift of ice at his side.
Thank God! This time he succeeded,
for the ice held firm. and then slowly,
step by step, he finally managed to Sc
cure a firm foGthold on the floating
iceberg.
Painting and shivering. for he had
been deluged with a showery spray
from the overturned boat. he gaZed
about him, and perceived he was al
most imbedded behind n huge snow
bank that lowered on top of the ice
berg, completely cutting off his view
of the capsized boat. and the steamer
in the distance beyond.
Frightened by his position, he ut
tered a loud shout. hut in the booming
of the icebergs his cry was lost. He
then attempted to climb to the top of
the snowbank, but it was slippery
work. and when he finally gained the
top he was miles and miles away from
the steamer, which began to look like
a spec in the distance.
Again he called aloud. but there was
no answer; and his iceberg bore stead
lily on her course toward the open
sea; but he kept on shouting until he
was utterly exhausted. He now be-
gan to realize his Peril. for undoubt-
edIys the sailors had failed to see his
flying leap. AMI would report him
| drowned. so all chance of rescue from
the ship would be gone. He would
swim to the shore, hut as he glanced
about him he realized the impossibility
of such n feat, for the iceberg. drift
ing with the tide. not only shot far
out from shore. but he would he
knocked senseless hy the immense
bodies of floating ice in the bay.
The air. which had been warm and
balmy, now seemed to grow sharp and
cold. and then the long twilight glow
faded into the shades of night. Dimly
in the distance Dane could discern the
snowy hood of Mount Fairweather
looming to his right, while on his left
Law Skidmore island, encircled with
rows of floating icerocks, which