Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1904-06-29

the open knife was in his grasp, and
he mustered all his powers for the
coming struggle. With SO small an
instrument he would have no more
than time to cut himself clear before
the tide should reach him. Every
stroke must tell.
To gain his liberty he set out to
cut three sides of an ice-cake sixteen
inches long, sixteen wide, and from
six to ten thick. The fourth side was
| the edge directly before his face. This
would allow. him to sit upright, with
his head above the slab, and when
the rising tide lifted the ice, he could
easily pull his legs out.
With freedom of motion and suit.
able instrument, his task would have
been trifing one. But handicap
ped as he was by being held down in
a cramped position, armed only with
a short, slender steel blade, and un-
able to lift his head high enough to
see the surface he must attack, he did
not underrate the difficulty of the
achievement.
Stretching his arms forward above
the edge Of the slab, he began with
strong, cautious strokes to draw his
knife across the cracking fragments
which sprinkled his face and cheeks,
and fell in heaps on each side. Deep
er and deeper grew the riffs; before
many minutes he would be free!
| Ho 9trilnk hord ,~ok
down a little too heavily Snap! The
brittle steel, chilled by constant con-
tact with the ice, broke short of. AS
the blade gave way his hand came
heavily dowD upon the surface and
the knife flew from his grasp.
For an instant this catastrophe,
coming so unexpectedly, paralyzed
Duncan. Then he remembered that
the tool had another blade, and swept
his fingers over the ice in the hope
OF grasping the horn handle. To his
horror he could nowhere discover 1t.
He tried again. straining and stretch
ing forward with all his might, but
again failed.
Sick with disappointment, he let his
head drop back upon the mud, and lay
for moment with closed eyes, then
turned his face to note the progress
OF the tide. 1t was rising quietly,
more terrifying to him than il 1t had
come with sound and tumult. Al
ready it washed the foot of the spiles
across the dock.
Resignation now would be cowar.
dice. Duncan braathed short pray
er for strength, and again faced the
situation.
A rushing far up the river broke
the stiffness of the afternoon. The
Boston boat! Perhaps some one on
board might see or hear him.
But he was doomed to disappoint.
ment. Just as the steamer came op-
posite the dock she whistled for the
Winterport landing, and the hoarse
below of escaping steam crowned
the shouts he raised. And so swiftly
did she speed by the narrow opening
between the wharves that not one
among her scores of passengers per.
ceived the frantic waving of his arms.
The beating of the paddle wheels died
away and he was again left to himself.
1t was not far from four o'clock.
The sun was declining toward the
west, and the banks were beginning
to cast their shadows toward the
river and it was growing colder. Dun.
cans body was stiff and numb from
the fearful weight that was grind
ing him d2Mn. Unto tn. asi Tse
rSdav .E.ge Of the ice seemed to cut
lf Sfs Siiesh. = su'
All the while his brain was busy
with schemes to get the knife that he
knew must lie not far away on the ice
above his head. If he only had
short stick, it might he possible to
pull the tool within his reach; but
nothing of the sort was at hand. Then
1t came to him that he might make
a moose with his handkerchief, and
perhaps fling 1t over the knife.
A few minutes careful angling on
the unseen surface, to his great Joy
he regained possession of the precious
instrument
Duncan now addressed himself to
his task with renewed energy, temp
cred with caution. Never in his life
had he done any harder work than
with that little penknife.
Now he would strike shelly place,
and his progress would be rapid.
Then the ice would grow hard and
blue again, rendering his advance
slower. All the time there grew upon
him an increasing terror of the tide.
He had never known that 1t could rise
SO fast. Often in summer, when he
had been waiting for it to float his
vessel, it had barely crept up the
beach. Now every minute showed a
steady gain.
There was patter of feet, a scrap
ing Of claws on the wharf across the
dock. Then on its capsill appeared
the head and shoulders Of hound,
outlined against the clear sky. Dun
can recognized him as dog belong.
ing to neighbor, and the wild hope
flashed into his head that here was a
messenger that might summon assist.
ance. Oh, if he could only be made
be made to understand!
With voice and gesture he tried to
coax the hound down into the dock.
The animal evidently appreciated the
fact that something was wanted OF
him, for he ran whining back and
forth on the edge of the wharf, as
il seeking place to descend. Final.
ly, however, to Duncan's bitter dis.
appointment he turned and bounded
off.
Two sides of the ice-cake parallel
to his body were now cut through,
but the hardest of the three, that
across his thighs, had hardly been
touched. And the water had already
laid its icy clutch on his hair. How
freezing cold it was! 1t had crept
under tho caEa and Voc oh;II;nr IL,