Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1909-12-31


The fog, withour dispensing bacar,e
strangely luminous, and the sIoon soil
60 along in zone of electric light
MAST sail, and rigging appeared pen
0'ieu III black against the prosphor-
escent SKY with wondrous distinctness.
Inc men were bathed in light, and
thelr races shone with fiery glow.
IL Is a phenomenon" replied the
doctor, seldom met hitherto If we go
on we shall soon get out of this bril-
nant glow and be back in the darkness
ana tempest again"
Wen, let's go on, come what NAV"
said Hatteras
Inc doctor was right. Gradually the
log began to lose it's light and then it's
transparency, and the bowling wind
was heard not far Off A few minutes
more, and the little vessel was caught
IN violent squall, and swept back in
to the cyclone.
But the hurricane had fortunately
turned point toward the south, and
| lett the vessel free to run before the
wind straight toward the pale.
AT last they began evidently to near
the coast. Strange symptoms were
manifest in the air; the fog suddenly
| rent like curtain torn by the wind;
and for an instant, like flash of light
ming, an immense column of flame was
seen on the horizon.
The wind suddenly changed to
southeast, and drove the ship back
| again from the land.
AS Hatteras stood with disheveled
hair grasping the helm as if welded to
his hand, he seemed the animating
soul of the ship.
All at once fearful sight met his
gaze.
| Scarcely twenty yards in front was
| great block of ice coming right to-
| wards them, mounting and falling on
| the stormy pillows, ready to overturn
at any moment and crush them in it's
| descent.
But this was not the only danger
| that threatened the bold navigators.
| The iceberg was packed with white
| bears, budding close together, and evil
IDENTIFY beside themselves with terror.
For quarter of an hour, which
| seemed whole century, the sloop sail
| ed on in this formidable company,
| sometimes a few yards distant and
| sometimes near enough to touch.
| The storm now burst forth with re-
doubled fury. The little bark was lift
| ed bodily out of the water, and whirled
| round and round with the most fright
| full rapidity. Mast and sail were torn
| off. A whirlpool began to form among
the waves, drawing down the ship
| gradually by it's irresistible suction.
All five men stood erect, gazing at
| each other in speeches. terror. But
suddenly the ship rose perpendicular
| ly, her PROV went above the edge of
| the vortex, and getting out of the CEN
| ter Of attraction by her own velocity,
| she escaped at a tangent from the cir
| conference, and was thrown far be-
| yond, swift as a ball from a cannon's
mouth.
| It was o'clock in the morning.
For a few seconds they seemed stu
| pefed, and then a cry of 'Hatteras!"
| broke from every lip.
On all sides nothing was visible but
| the tempestuous ocean.
Take the helm, Altamont," said the
| doctor, "and let us try our utmost to
| find our poor captain
Johnson and Bell seized the oars,
hour; but their search was vain-Hat-
| teras was lost!
Lost! and so near the pole, just as
| he had caught sight of the goal!
At such distance from the coast it
was impossible Hatteras could reach it
alive, without an oar or even so much
as a spar to help him; if ever he
touched the haven Of his desire it
would be as swollen, mutilated
| corpse.
| Longer search was useless, and moth
| ing remained but to resume the route
north. The tempest was dying out,
| and about in the morning, on the
| 18th of July, the wind fell, and the sea
gradually became calm. The sky re-
covered it's polar clearness, and less
| than three miles away the land sS
peared in all it's grandeur
The new continent was only an ISL
and or. rather, a volcano, fixed like a
lighthouse on the north pole Of the
world
The mountain was in full activity
no1rine out mass of burning stones
and glowing rock
This enormous rock in the middle of
tho altitude of Hecla.
"Can we land?" said the doctor
"The wind is carrying us right to
it," said Altamont
LET us go, them said Clawbonny,
dejectedly.
He had no heart now for anything
The north pole was indeed before his
eyes. but not the man who had dis
covered it.
AS they got nearer the island, which
was not more than eight or ten miles
in circumference the navigators no
ticed a tiny ford, just large enough to
harbor their boat, and made toward
IT Immediately. They feared their cap
tain's dead body would meet their eyes
ON the coast, and yet it seemed dlft1-
cuIt for a corpse to lie on it, for there
was no shore, and the sea broke on
steep rocks, which were covered with
cinders above water mark.
At last the little sloop glided gently
inc