The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1908-07-24


spent half dozen years travelling in
remote parts of the earth. Unrest
had been his since he was small
boy. Something within him. some
thing he could not himself analyze or
describe, babe him wander to and
fro He had been in Australia, bush
whacking on the range; in South
Africa among the diamond diggers;
in the almost unknown interior of
China; in the valley of the Congo,
whore fever had left its poison in his
blood, and now he was with us, far
up toward the north pole, in glacier
shrouded Spitzbergen.
One tie there was that now and
then took him back to the old home
in New England his mother. No
other woman's love had he ever
known. Brave, rugged, adventurous
as he was, he might still be called a
mothers boy Her picture he al
ways carried with him, and her mem
DRY, we his comrades knew, was ever
green in his heart.
There were four of us, young fell
lows all, and things were not going
right. We had set out in July from
the schooner which carried us to
Spitzbergen. Our route lay across
the southern end of the main island
to the sea on the other side, where
we were to be picked up again by the
ship. Sport, science, adventure were
out objects.
1t was harder Journey than we
had thought Nor had we been care
full enough in providing our outfit.
Our clothing was too thin for the air
of the ice cap, 1000 feet above the
sea. Our shoes were nearly worn
out. Our little tent had been torn
half in tatters by the storms. Worse
still, the schooner was not there wait
ing for us, and though we had been
for a week or more at the rendezvous
not sign of ship or sail had we seen.
And the arctic winter was fast coming
down upon us. Already the sun sank
below the horizon at midnight, and
the nights were much colder.
Our provisions were running low.
We had been told there were many
reindeer on this coast, but not one
had we set eyes on Only one seal
and a few gulls had fallen before our
guns. Our prospects were gloomy
enough.
One there was who never lost cour-
age. 1t was John Miller. Though we
had set out simply as friends and
equal partners in the little enterprise,
by tacit consent he was now our
leader. We naturally looked to him
for guidance, and were ever content
to obey him. His was a gentle lead
ership, steady, practical, CHEEKY. 1t is
not surprising that we all loved him,
not alone for himself, but because Of
the love he bore for that mother of
his.
John did not seem to be in good
health. He was growing thin. Afri-
can fever and arctic hardships did not
make a good mixture. We all saw
this all but John himself. He
wouldn't hear a word of it.
why, you fellows" he would say,
"I'm the strongest man in the bunch!
Don't you worry about me. I've lust
about shaken off that Congo poison.
This northern air is a perfect cure
for it, you know That's what / came
here for"
And to show us he was we'll and
strong he did more than his share Of
the work, ate the smallest part of
our scanty rations, made the longest
excursions after deer. He was so
CHEEKY, too. He wouldn't admit that
we were in any danger.
Don't you boys worry about any
thing" he had a way of saying. "Ive
been in tighter places than this and
got out all right.
Somehow we believed in him. We
pinned cur faith to his judgment. He
was just that sort of a man. He
never Dragged. He never told us
stories about his travels unless we
coaxed him. He was simple and mod
est about everything.
But for some reason or other we
all had confidence in him. We be-
lieved him when he said the ship
would come. We believed him when
he said that even if the skipper failed
us, the cold weather would drive the
reindeer down from the mountains to
the warmer coast country, and then
we should have venison a-p1enty, and
skins to make warm sleeping bags
and Jackets, and we should build
hut, out of snow blocks and pass a
jolly good winter.
"But the ship will come. boys-it
will come" he always added. "a
Norwegian never goes back on YOU