Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1900-03-22

were suddenly brought to halt again.
The northern limits of their Ice island
had been reached, and they could see
stretch of black water In front. More
over, the channel TO their left had sud-
denly widened.
A new danger beset them. Under
the strain of the wind and the motion
through the water, the field of ice over
which they had skated was breaking up.
1t was fragment detaching itself from
the part they were on that had caused
the gulf from the north; and hearing
a loud cracking behind them, they
looked back, and saw that the piece
they were on had broken from the
larger part behind 1t. The smaller
pieces foated before the wind faster
than the larger ones, and when they
skated back to the edge that had just
parted from the large island, they found
there was already a gap too wide for
them to leap, even If they had wanted
to do so.
The wind was now bearing them
northward and eastward faster than
before, and the gulf between them and
the shore was constantly widening.
eve ought to have tried to swim
across when we first saw the water"
Sidney said.
Bobby can't swim, you know" was
Seneca's only reply.
The idea of swimming across the
channel had come to Seneca long be-
fore, but he had rejected 1t because
Bobby wasn't swimmer. Even now,
Seneca and Sidney, who were both good
swimmers, could perhaps have swum
to the firm ice, but the idea of doing so
and leaving Bobby alone on the ice
Hoe did not enter the mind Of either.
Fragments of ice had broken of from
the eastern boundary Vi their island,
and the piece they were now on was
about 100 feet wide by 200 feet long,
but of irregular shape. Soon this piece
parted in two, and the three boys were
left on the smaller of the two frag-
ments. The strong wind had put the
water in motion, and the strain contin-
ued to crack up the ice, until presently,
the piece they were left on was scarce
w larger than a good-sized raft, with
other similar pieces floating around
them. The ice comprising their raft
was of good quality, and after it had
broken loose from the larger pieces
and the strain had thus been relieved,
it ceased to break any more, and soon
The boys began to feel reasonably Sc
cure on it.
But their plight was a sorry one at
best. The wind, still blowing strongly,
was bearing them steadily away from
the shore. Fortunately for the boys
1t was not very cold night. 1t seemed
| to have grown warmer, If anything
since the snow had stopped falling.
Each of them had on q warm over
coat, and 90 they were not suffering
much from the cold. They took off
their skates and sat down in the cen
ter of the raft, to 'hold a council OF
war" as Seneca said, and consider what
they should do. In truth, there wasn't
much that could be done except to
wait events.
81 wish a tug would happen along"
Sidney said.
But there was no particular reason for
tug being out that night, and as the
boys gazed wistfully at the lights of
the city far to the southwest, there
was no sign anywhere of craft afoat.
Bobby, usually as jolly little lad
as one would meet in days journey,
was downhearted now and about ready
to cry.
"Doyou think We'll be drownded?" he
asked, and he shivered little as he put
the question.
ooh, no." Seneca answered cheerily
"We've got a good raft here. The Ice
isn't breaking any more, and even II
this piece did break and dump us into
the water, we could get onto another
When our folks find we don't come home
they'll probably suspect we got carried
away on the ice, and in the morning
they'll send a'tug out for us. All we've
got to do is-to wait"
Perhaps Seneca didn't feel as conf
dent as his words INDICATED; puI ID
was brave lad, and thought it best t
look on the bright side.
"lf twas Only summer now" Sidne,
SAID. maybe the whaleback or the Vii
piuia would come along from Milwau
kee and pick us up"
"If twas summer we wouldn't hav
anv ice to stay on, and we might ge
drowned before they had a chance t
pick us up" returned Seneca, still ben
on taking a cheerful view OF the stu
Rtion.
But after they had drifted a coupl
of hours longer, even Seneca lost som
} of his courage, and they fell into NOR
doleful strain of conversation. The
I talked about the Inflated Chicora tina
: had gone down in those icy seas, an
j, wondered what had been the teeilne
6 of her hapless crew as they faced the
fate.
4 "I'm cold" Bobby shivered.
: "Well, we must move around and g
d nm circulation" Seneca said, and h
G rose to his feet.
d 81 say, fellows, I believe the wind ha
changed!" he shouted.
The others got up and all turn
q their faces toward the direction OF II
t wind. Sure enough, instead OF blown
d from the southwest, it seemed to nav
q shifted to the southeast.
, IF this keeps up, it may plow
ashore" Seneca said. I'll tell yo
what let's do. Let's make sail al
Re help our craft along"
p How'll we do it?" Sidney asked.
<. eI'll show you. Intuition your owe
lie coats. Now, Bobby, you stand on OF
y side of me, and, Sidney, you stand
lie the other. Now button your coat
h mine. same as I'm doing to Bobbys
k and Seneca, suiting action to word Oh
lie toned the buttonhole side OF his owe
lie coat to the button side OF Bobby
ID When Sidney had done the same
I'd Seneca's the three overcoats were ]oln'
le together. and when the boys stood
Of ,,,;do oror4 nc the coats permitted, WI