Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1908-11-12

seemed full of them, and they loomed I
up in the deep dark so sudden and
often, white and ghostlike, that twas
scaresome to stand there and watch
them sail along in that tide.
II went below, and stretching out
on the port locker before my bunk,
with my boots and watch-coat on,
watched the hands at their games and
listened to their bandying.
Il could hear the lookout for ard
every once in a while sing out steer
ing orders to the man aft at the
wheel, andffeeling the Nancy running
smooth, I dozed, in spite of my de-
termination to keep awake.
Yes, sir, Toby I family heard
Buster Plummer say, when we chucks
that rat overheard a big gull swoops
down and grabs him, and you may
not believe me, sir, but what does
that rat do but turn round and grabs
that gull, and setting one wing up for
a mainsail and tother for a jib, he
beats into port ahead of the ship, and
when we got up to our dock he was
there waiting for u.s.
But l must have slept in spite of
Busters yarn I heard thundered on
deck:
up with her! Let her come up
quick, man, 1 say!' And though I
could swear l had not been asleep, I
landed all standing as l felt the craft
careen to port Before a short helm.
Il shot a glance around the cabin,
and was dumfounded to find the card
board deserted and the light turned
down low. / looked at the clock be-
| fore me and read half past two, and
as make toward the companionway
I noticed all the aft hands sound
asleep in their hunks.
II felt her strike easy as stumbled
on deck, and then shivering and quiv-
ering she rose, as on sea, but in that
second I felt twas no sea she was
riding. In fact, she didn't ride at all;
up she went and stayed there.
Long Jack at the Wheel thought
I, as pushed by him. Surely Peter
Hanscom and his dory-mate took the
deck as I lay down. I must have
slept.
Il stumbled round the house, and
clutching the starboard rail, seemed
to be staring into a great white wal
that ran straight up higher than
could see. 1t was ice. I could almost
reach out and touch it with my hand
All hands now!' heard the mar
at the wheel roar with all his might
and before I could collect my wits
from the surprise, every man of tina
crew stood round me.
"Not word broke the deep silenct
that held there. We could see tn,
green glare of our starboard runnins
light reflected against the glistenint
wall, and could feel the cold air from
the sides.
'Cap'n, we're high and dry on al
iceberg! came a trembling voice from
for'ard, and for the first time I wa
able to fathom our true situation
Il had been up on the rocks, hov
; down on Georges, and with a coaste
poked clean into our windlass, bu
!; high and dry on an iceberg I neve
was before in all my life.
"We needed no torches to see hoy
[ we lay. Dark as it was all roun
us, every inch of that ice shone ou
as plain as day. Up on the starboar
l side like a great crystal cliff towere
that mountain, awful to look at, it
, great top pinnacles leaning out int
l the air, seemingly ready to drop dow
on us at any minute.
} cat it's foot spread out a shelf, ii
: breadth so great that we couldn
\ see or form any idea of it's size, ru1
ming from below the water at it's eds
! up a steep grade to the base of tn
I berg, allowing us, under our heat
r way, to slide fair upon it, high an
t dry, for more than our length, and {
truly flush with the face of that berg