The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1899-07-07

down upon us without saying word,
as if wondering what sort of beings we
were that had come out of the fog.
II tell you we're in distress" persist
ed the boat-steerer. "We're ship
wrecked and starving-lost everything
in the ice. There's " lot more Of us-29
in all. Let US get aboard, won't you?"
Not a word came in reply-nothing
but that stupid, silent stare.
"What can they mean?" queried Ben;
"they can't be Yankees; no American
would act in such way as this; it's
barbarous they must be a pack of
fools. Hold on, thought guess we can
make out what craft this is-I'R sce."
He passed around to the stern, looked
up and spelled out "Languedoc-
Havre." She was a French ship, at all
events-the name told us that much.
"Yes, these chaps are French," said
Ben, "and they can't understand Eng
lish; but then they might say some
thing to us in their own lingo, anyhow.
Hey, you fellows up there!" he con-
tinued, once more hailing the queer
looking crew, ''parlez vous Francais?
/ say, don't you know your own lam
guage?"
Still no answer, and what was worse,
the heads began to disappear from the
rail, one after another, as if not caring
to notice us further.
"Well, that is cool!" said Ben; "but
I'm going aboard of her, whether they
want me or not. This thing must be
cleared up-so here goes!'
He clambered up the ships side and
looked over, then quickly duclIed his
head and came down faster than he had
gone up.
The next moment monstrous white
bear sprang upon the bulwarks, hold
ing in one of his big paws the boat
steerer's cap, just missing the wearer's
head.
"Dears!" cried Ben; "the deck is alive
with them, and they are the fellows
that have been looking at us. There
isn't a man aboard of her. Why, that
old cpsaS up there wasn't three feet
from ME as | looked over. He's got my
cap, and he just grazed my scalp with a
sweep of his paw. He struck out like
lightning"
Two other bears followed the first,
evidently excited by what had taken
place, and now there was an ominous
growing. We drew back hurriedly.
Ben, however, would have tried his
harpoon, had we not restrained him
from the dangerous act. The white
monsters were too many for us, and we
could only return to camp as speedily
as possible.
Our shipmates were greatly excited
by our story, and all hands presently
set out with us for the scene of our adj
venture. AS we reached the spot not
an animal was visible, but we had hard
ly mounted the bulwarks when per-
feet stream of big, scrambling paws
came pouring out of the main hatchway
and tumbling over the opposite side of
the ship. There were 13 of them-four
more than we had bargained for-but
our superior force appeared to terrify
them. Ben Maybrook killed one of the
largest; but all the others escaped, and
we were glad to see them go.
An examination of the French whaler
showed that the bears, as our men re-
marked, had been Giving high" They
had torn off the main hatch, which per-
haps had not been fastened down, and
having once got into the hold, had
worked with tooth and claw upon the
barrels of provisions which they found
there, till the contents were arrived at.
To our great joy, we discovered that
the vessel, which at first must have
been solidly frozen in, was now almost
ahoat. She had, as we found from her
papers, been abandoned eight months
previous, yet she seemed perfectly
tight. The ice continued to break up,
and fortnight later she was in open
water.
Being once more in possession of a
good ship, with nearly a full cargo of
oil, we made sail out of the Arctic, ar
irving in due time at San Francisco,
where we had good reason to be salts
fled with the award of the marine
court, which allowed us a generous
amount of salvage. But think we had
very fairly earned it.-Golden Days.