The Irish standard., 1899-06-10

to him as we had hoped to get. He was
about foundering into the water, and
our empty stomachs fairly cried out
with despair as we saw him move. An
other moment and he would be gone.
1t was a sad disappointment.
But although Ben Maybrook was a
good boatsteerer, think we had never
rated him at his full value until then.
springingup fromhis creeping posture,
and drawing his weapon far back with
his brawny arms, he hurled it through
the air. 1t was a prodigious effort OF
strength and skill, and we held our
breath as we witnessed it. But it struck
the mark and we felt like giving loud
hurrah as we saw it buried deeply be-
hind the creatures forward flippers.
The next moment 20 men, with So stout
arms. were Juggling at the whale line.
The walrus had rolled off into the
water, but he had received mortal
wound; and being, besides, only one
against 20, he was at such a fearful dis
advantage that we got him, in spite of
his struggles. 1 think he was larger
than a full-grown OK, and his huge
curved tusks gave him very formid-
able appearance.
Our try works had been wrecked by
the fall of the masts and the general
breaking up of things, to say nothing
of the fire. Yet we had managed to
melt enough snow in the big kettles to
supply us with all the water we needed;
and now, with some charred fragments
of the wreck, and some matches which
the men had about them for their pipes,
we started blaze sufficient to broil, or
at least half broil, large slices of the
walrus, of which all hands partook
greedily, done or not done. Nearly
starved as we were, it seemed de-
icious feast. 1t was our first full meal
after the catastropL. to the ship, and
it gave us strength and hope.
After this, for some days we were
considerably annoyed by fogs, which
would come up suddenly, to disappear
in few hours. Sometimes they rose
but little above the ice or water, so that
a person upon an elevation of q dozen
feet could actually see over them. But
they prevented us from exploring our
surroundings to the extent we might
otherwise have done.
Our Impotence, however, would not
permit us to remain wholly inactive;
and we made excursions in various di-
rections, hoping to discover wider ex-
panse of open water than was visible
from our first position. Our longing
for some glimpse of ship, however
great her distance from us, had become
intense; for such discovery would tell
us that we were not utterly alone in
the midst of that frozen sea.
One day four of us, including May
brook, the boatsteerer who had killed
the walrus, took much longer tramp
than usual. We passed through several
narrow streaks of fog, with spaces of
clear air between, and at length
reached an immense berg, of which n
distant view had been obtained from
our camp, but which was not especially
notable among SO many others. In try
ing to pass around it where it shelved
downward to the level plain below, we
found ourselves at an elevation of so
or 60 feet, though this was nowhere
near the height of the great ice noun
tain itself; and here we stopped for a
survey of what was before us.
A fog. not very thick, had gathered
behind us, but, as usual, it had not risen
more than few feet. Where we now
stood the air was perfectly clear, but a
strange scene lay before us on the other
side of the berg. There the mist was so
dense that it looked as if a person might
walk upon it. Level and motionless as
house floor, and about 20 or 80 feet
in depth, it appeared like q still, un-
ruffled sea.
We were looking upon it curiously,
as the horizontal rays of the arctic sun
shone across it's surface, when Ben
Maybrook suddenly started, looking
intently toward something at dis
lance.
Look, you fellows!" he cried, "look,
look! There's ship, as sure as live!
See, there are her topgallant masts and
topmasts, just above the fog. She
must be in open water. In the name of
all that's lucky, let's make course for
her as straight as whale line"
We started for her at once, but the
fog was SO dense that it became verv
difficult to keep the necessary course.
and, besides, the distance was much
greater than we had supposed. There
could be little doubt that we were
astray, and, once confused, it was not
easy to right ourselves. The mist lay
so thick on our hair and clothing that
it formed itself into large drops, SO that
we were wet from head to foot.
We appeared to have somehow in
creased in size, looking unnaturally
bulky to each other, so that we took on
the clumsy appearance of Eskimo;
such strange effect had this dccep-
tive, solid body of mist.
We had wandered aimlessly for some
time, when the boatsteerer, who, with
his shouldered harpoon, was little in
advance, stopped short with a glad ex-
clamation.
"Hurrah!" he cried; "what's this?
Boys, we've found her! We're all right
now! Here she is, right before our
noses. Ship ahoy!" he continued, hail
ing the fog-covered vessel; take us
aboard, for heavens sake-we're in dis
tress."
A surly fellow put his head over the
rail, but said nothing. Then another
and another head appeared, until there
were nine in all; but although we were
so near them, they had such strange,
dim, supernatural look, as they peered
down at us through the fog. that we had