The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1907-04-11
The Man on the Ice.
rcopyright, 1906, by M. McKeon.l

lCOpyrlSQL, 1SVo, ny IVA MCNCOH'1
Ne were whaling down in the south
| ,ea in the bark Wanderer when four
Jays gale drove us down among the
ice fields. On the third day OF this
weather l went on deck to have look
about. I was scanning it with a care
less eye, having made out that we had
nothing to fear from its presence, when
Rll Of a sudden man stepped into
view. After moment of astonishment
I ran for the glass, and when 7 got the
proper focus could even tell the color
Of his eyes. He was man six feet
high and dressed entirely in furs. But
for the glass I might have taken him
for an Eskimo. With it it was easy
to make out he was a European. He
stood with arms folded and looked into
my face and saw smile on his. He
did not ~ much as lift hand.
Naturally 1 was considerably excit-
ed and ran down to the cabin and
shouted the news. The captain and
several Of the men came on deck, and
we shouted and waved our arms at the
man on the foe. He made no signal.
The gripes of the boats were frozen
fast. and it would be half hours work
to get one afoat, but we had begun
operations when the man, who seemed
to know what we were at, turned his
back, walked away and was hidden by
a small berg. We stared after him for
awhile and then retreated to the cabin.
"Did we see live man on the ice, or
was it one of the many strange illu-
sions Of these frozen seasY asked the
captain.
All Of us insisted that we had seen
man. There was no mistake.
We would make no attempt at res
cue, but you may be sure the mystery
was one to puzzle us for many days.
If the man had a shelter he had no
fire and dressed as warmly as was pos
sible. It did not seem that any human
being could stand that cold for half a
day. We had the cabin stove red hot,
and yet six feet away water was freez-
ing in a dish. To thrust your face
through the cabin doors was like sub
hitting it to cuts and, slashes from
razor. 1t was so for two days more,
and then the weather moderated. AS
near as we could estim; Re, the Ice field
on which we had seen the man was ten
miles long by half as many broad. We
were far out of sight Of it when the
weather broke, and we lowered for a
whale. A week later after we had
killed whale we got another bad gale
and were driven to the west. At the
end Of two days we had ice in sight in
every direction but one. We were fight
ing our way through it and 1t was 3
o'clock in the afternoon when man
who had been aloft cried out that we
had come upon the stranger again. So
we had. His field had been broken up
by the gale, and he was left on an area
not over half a mile in extent, with a
berg forming it's center. This time we
ran through lane and within stones
throw of him. He stood surveying us
as before, a grim sort of smile on his
face, and every man Of our crew had
him fairly under his eye. At the near
est point the captain shouted at him:
"Ahoy, you! What are you doing on
the ice? Who are you, and where is
your ship? Do you want to be taken
offY'
For answer the man stared at us for
half minute, and then, with a gesture
signifying contempt he turned his
back and walked away. the berg hiding
him as before.
"The man is crazy and should be
brought aboard, whether or no." said
the mate to the captain.
"We will leave him where he is" an
swered the Other. II an not quite sure
yet whether he is q man OF ghost.
If he is a man he doesn't want to be
rescued; if he is a ghost we don't want
him aboard.
During the next three days we spoke
three Jwhalers and gave them news OF
the man. Later on each one Of them
saw him. Two of the ships were two
miles away and making heavy weather
of it, but when he was sighted by the
third the day was pleasant and the
sea calm. The captain determined to
land and bring the unknown OF or to
at least find out all about him. He
sailed his ship to within quarte- OF
a mile of the ice field and then lowered
a boat. and the mate and four men
rowed ashore, as you might call it.
They were making their boat fast
when they were startled by the ping
of a bullet and the report OF a rifle.
The man was firing Oh them to drive
them off. When the second bullet
came humming abort their ears they
cast loose and rowel back to the ship.
While the captain was vexed with the
man. he hated to leave him to what
must be sure death sooner or later, and
he rugged up a blackboard and wrote
messages on it i'll chalk. From his
hiding place the man could easily read
them, but he made no sign.
The man had a rifle and was deter
mined to prevent rescue, and the on
" thing to be done was to sail away
and leave him. He was later on seen
and reported by two other whalers.
One Of them, off Cape Horn, reported
the case to a British man-of-war, but