The Forrest City times., 1899-04-28

We'd them the possession OF those broad
wings. They were bound for the near
est land. and | felt doubly lonesome
when they were gone.
The next day a ship passed me, and
made all possible signals to her, but
in vain. Stripping off the heavy jacket
that / wore. | waved ii above my head,
at the same time running and leaping
about: but no one on board discovered
me. This was a dreadful disappoint-
ment, and after a few minutes of dis
traction / settled into a sullen despair.
IL seemed as if the men ought TO have
seen me, and / half hated them for not
doing so.
Still another day, and l was getting
dreadfully hungry and thirsty; but
luckily the June weather, after the last
blow, had become very warm, so that
even the ice under foot did not chill me
to any great extent. By good luck,
while walking about my ocean prison,
/ found small live fish which some
wave must have been deposited in hol-
low of the ice; and this was the only fish
tnat ever ate raw.
l had hardly finished my scanty meal,
when whale. &C or 30 feet long. sud-
denly rose up close to the edge of the
ice. shooting his immense head out of
the water with a force that sent the
waves smashing off on all sides. The
appearance of such a monster SO close
TO me was al first quite startling. Then
he lay motionless, blowing with loud
noise, and sending up sheets of fine
mist. After awhile he turned fukes,"
as the whalemen express it. and. throw
ing his broad tail in the air, once more
sought the ocean depths. But what a
picture he had made,
A flock of Mother Carey's chickens
circled about the spot where he went
down, but l could not perceive that
they found anything to eat. How I
longed to knock over some of them, for
l was still hungry, in spite of the fish 1
had eaten.
However, | felt better for my limited
meal and soon after fell asleep; for I
had slept but very little thus far,
and nature now stepped in to help me,
aided, no doubt, by that friendly little
fish.
l awoke with start, thinking that II
big shark had Topped up on the ice and
got me by the shoulder. But instead
of shark looked upon the shape of a
sturdy sailor. who was shaking me
briskly upon finding me asleep and net
dead
/ started to my feet with wide-open
eyes; then gazed with establishment
upon the young fellow who had reused
me from my nap. l really feared that l
was still dreaming.
''Sam Stanley" | cried. "Oh, Sam,
Sam. is it certainly you?"
Yes" he replied, Il am the same old
Sam that / used to be: but how under
the sun came you TO be here on this
piece of drift ice?"
I'm tell you all about it as soon as
possible" l said 'but how did you get
here? That's what want to know"
BY this time | was surrounded by a
circle of wondering sailors. while Sam
went on to tell in a few words how her
cargo of iron had caused their ship to
spring a leak, so that they had been
forced to abandon her; and they were
making for Cape Race in their boats,
when. passing close TO this floating ice,
they had discovered me lying near its
edge. Sam, il appeared, had been the
first to scramble upon it, though he lit
tie dreamed of finding his old chum in
the person of the supposed dead man.
What a strange thing it isl ra-
marked the stout young sailor, while
was devouring a piece of ship bread on
board one of the boats as we started off.
I'VE have chased each other all over the
ocean to meet at last on a bit of drift
ice, away out to sea-"
| We reached Cape Race without acct
dent, and another week saw us safe in
the home of our childhood. the first
! time that we had been there together
for three long years. Happy New Eng
! gland-how delightful il seemed to me.
after what | had suffered! And | was
also glad to learn that the Robert
Burns, from which ! had pitched over
board, had. after all. arrived safely in
port. in spite of the rude shock she had
receivec.-Golden Days.