Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1899-07-19

ment had begun.
, The memory OF those long weary years
that followed will never leave me. Inch
by inch | was slowly pushed forward,
grinding and rasping over lodges and
frozen ground, until after an almost end
less period l felt salt water beneath me
and heard strange booming sound,
which at every stroke sent eonvulsive
thrill through the vast icy mass about
me. / was wondering what this could
mean, when came mighty heave, a roar,
and a splash, and the next instant | was
resting on the peak OF a huge cake OF ice,
with he clear blue sky above me, in which
the cold northern sun was dimly shining
With feeling OF awe my gaze rested upon
the endless waste of leaden-tinted ocean,
which mighty wind was rolling up into
great foam-capped waves, that beat
upon the rocky shore like the roar OF in
cessant cannonading.
1.-THE iceberg upon which 1 rested had
been broken from the glacier behind me,
by the action OF the waves, that were now
humping it upon rocky headland. The
wind veered. and we were driven out to
sea. Day after day we drifted, with only
an occasional glimpse of land, until we
reached warmer climate, where the brill
liant MONDAY sun poured its warm rays
full upon me, causing the berg beneath
me to melt and trickle in little rivulets
down its furrowed sides,
"I.ate one stormy evening we were
racing before a fierce northeast gale. The
foaming crest OF the mountainous waves
were beating savagely against the ley
sides OF nay massive craft, when huge
iceberg, whose progress was retarded by
its depth under water, loomed up before
me in the darkness. The next instant
we collided with q terrific crash; the
shock wrencned me from my setting and
/ dropped with a splash into the angry
ocean.
zone moment of Nightingale descent,
and was resting on the ocean bed, w here
everything was dark and silent. l mar
veied greatly that such quietness could
here prevail, while mighty tempest was
raging above.
was not so gloomy as | had anticipated,
for | was never tired OF watching the
huge ieyiathans as they disported about
me, or made a savage rush for food into a
school OF smaller fishes. Here, as in other
places that | bad been, great changes were
perpetuslly going on. | noted, after
many years had passed away, that only
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places where once the Shiny monsters
trolicked. The water, too, was becoming
less dense; the darkness was slowly pass
ing away, and the mufiied roar OF the
surf could be heard. | concluded that
either the sea was retreatiug, or the land
was rising out OF the water.
"These signs grew even more apparent
until an exceptionally low tide left me
only about half immersed. All around
me, as far as the eye could REACH was Il
network of islands which increased and
diminished in size at each rise or fall of
the tide. From this time onward, the
sect hing waters rose and fell around me,
until the sea, as il wearying OF its hope
less task, dropped below my level and
slowly retreated down the valley.
"The years passed by, and the sea grad
ually receded until only Il slender arm re-
manned. That too vanished, but not with
out levyng tribute upon the land over
which it had once reigned in majestic
silence; for through yonder valley, the
same as to-day, tiny river wended its
way in quest Of its retreating lord.
The saline incrustations having been
washed from the soil, tiny shoots began
to appear, first on the hilltops above, then
in the valley below. They grew with
such amazing rapidity, that those about
me had soon reared their plume-like tops
| far above, shutting out all view OF the
surrounding country. So dense became
| the foliage that only the harder trees
survived, and their branches intertwined
| themselves SO thickly that | could get
only occasional CLEANS from the great
ruler of day, as adorned in his most daz-
cling robes, he swept cloudless sky.
The forest teemed with life. In sum
mer the fragrant air was vibrant with the
sleepy hum OF insects aud the melodious
notes OF the feathered songsters; but
when stern yisaged winter had thrown 6
snowy coverlet over the face OF sleeping
nature, the silence was only broken by
the swapping OF frosted trees, and thu
noisy hammering Of the industriou'
woodpecker, mingled with the mournfu
cadence OF the wind-swept forest.
"Here, happy and contented, dwelt, IL
the semi darkness OF the primeval forest
Now and then band of gaudily painted
savsges passed me. AT last came the
white men. They arrived in early spring
time, and having selected a site for thei
home, the hardy little band Of pioneer
lost no time in beginning their labors
Soon the sharp ring of the ak resoundet
through the forest.
Each man selected that portion o
forest that best suited his individual
tastes. The land upon which | had laiI