The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1900-03-01

ter of the raft, to ''hold 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 tug would happen along"
Sidney said.
But there was 0 particular reason for
a 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 Grownt ed ?" he
asked, and he shivered little as he put
the question.
"Oh, 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 atug out for us. All we've
got to do is-to wait"
| Perhaps Seneca didn't feel as conf
dent as his words indicated; but he
was a brave lad, and thought it best to
look on the bright side.
'If twas only summer now" Sidney
said, maybe the whalsback or the Vir-
| ,;r,, ,,,nld ANNA olopp from, Milwau-
kse and pick us up"
''If twas summer we wouldn't have
any ice to stay on, and we might get
drowned before they had chance to
pick us up" returned Seneca, still bent
on taking a cheerful view of the situ-
alton.
But after they had drifted a couple
If hours longer, even Seneca lost some
ef his courage, and they fell into more
d )leful strain of conversation. They
talked about the Inflated Chicora that
| had gone down in those icy seas, and
wondered what had been the feelings
of her hapless crew as they faced their
fate.
I'm cold" Bobby shivered.
| wen, we IluSl lllONc dipuhu anu St'
up circulation Seneca said, and he
rose to his feet.
Il say, fellows, / believe the wind has
changed" he shouted.
The others got up and all turned
their faces toward the direction of the
wind Sure enough, instead of blowing
from the southwest. it seemed to have
shifted to the southeast.
IF this keeps up, it may blow us
ashore" Seneca said. III tell you
what let's 90. Let's make a sail and
help our craft along"
How'll we do it?" Sidney asked.
"I'll show you. Unbutton your over
coats. Now, Bobby, you stand on one
side of me, and, Sidney, you stand on
the other. Now button your coat to
mine, same as I'm doing to Bobby's,'
and Seneca, suiting action to word, but
toned the buttonhole side Of his over
coat to the button side of Bobby's.
When Sidney had done the same to
Seneca's the three overcoats were Joined
together, and when the boys stood as
wide apart as the coats permitted, with
their backs to the wind, quite surface
was presented for the wind to blow
against.
You'd better wrap the other sides
Of your oyercoats around you, and then
YOU won't feel the cold so much," SEN
eca said
With his own ovrecoat spread wide
apart, he was exposed to the cold. He
had taken the center position for that
reason, so that the others might get
some protection. even if he couldn't.
The strong wind was inclined to blow
/ them across the smooth floor of the ice
raft, but by digging their heels into
the ice they could retain their places.
They soon noticed that they were be-
( ing borne along in a northwesterly di-
rection. They did not move rapidly,
but still were making headway, and
! their spirits rose at the success of their
scheme.
They drifted along in this manner
| for about an hour. when their piece OF
ice foated up against another to the
west of it.
By this time the wind had blown the
clouds away, and the moon was shining
brightly. Seneca looked at his watch
and saw that it was just midnight.
The ice foe against which they had
! foated seemed TO have drifted up
against Others west Of il, and the boys
decided they had better leave the one
! they were on and make their way as far
toward shore as they could on the float
ing cakes. BY jumping from one cake
to another, they succeeded in getting n
hundred yards nearer shore, and then
they came 10 another channel OF water.
On one of the cakes they had crossed
the boys had noticed plank frozen into
the ice. Into the brain of the resource
ful Seneca there now came an idea, and
he went back TO get the plank. Wrench
ing it loose from the ice, he returned to
the others.
Now we're going ashore on a pro-
| peller instead of on sailboat." be
cried.
Pushing the piece they were on away
from the cakes that had drifted against
it, Seneca proceeded 10 cut v in the