, 1909-07-15

1cined de Nova. his eyes rolling. his
great feet pounding the snow: while
Mcknight grabbed the ak from KEEL
ly's needless fingers and began slash
ing at the door. AS for myself, at
the instant everything was chaos. Tut
tie was right. then; he had seen all
that he said: our voyay re had not been
causeless. a search after a ~will-o.the-
wisp; the sacrifices. suffering, loss of
these past months. We're not all in
vain. Out of Antarctic solitudes. re-
leased iron the merciless grip of the
ice by some marvel of deliverance,
this treasure galleon of Old spain.
this ancient tomb OF dead sailors. had
come drifting down to US. a veritable
gift of Gcd The knowledge stunned
me; dazcd my perceptions. 1t seemed
u miracle. | could only press my
hands to my eyes. stare blindly at that
inscription. and struggle back to a
conception Of realty. 1t was Kelly's
wild shout and Meningitis blow that
aroused me. recalling me as instantly
to command.
stop that" l shouted. catching the
latter roughly by the arm. I'VE shall
necu tuAt CdDlu uOOT. IL tHeTe lnueet
he a treasure down below. we can
hunt for 1t like men and not maniacs
Mcknight. II you strike another blow
I'll drop o wher you stand Take
knives INT dig the ice out . of the
cracks. Get down on your knees al
the bottom. Dade. and don't stand
there like a tool. De Nova, see If you
can locate the ron windows-there
must be two Of them-and cut the ice
away from the shutters"
AS they labored feverishly, their
breath steaming in the frosty air. the
moonlight silvering them and CLEAN
ing weirdly OF the scattered ice.frag.
ments the haunting mystery of that
Theoretically sealed cabin brought to
me a feeling Of unutterable horror.
Heaven! how long had 1t been thus
frozen In? What awful tragedy of an
other century was about to be re.
vealed? What years of loneliness of
darkness. OF polar night II cole had
this derelict Of The grim Antarctic ex.
perienced? Where had 1t been? What
of those who had sailed on board out
of Guayaquil that fair June da" OF
1853, dreaming OF the glad welcome
awaiting them in sunny Spain? What
Of the crew. hardy seamen all. black
bearded, the gold loops in their ears?
What of the passengers? What of the
five women who had walked these
decks? Where had they died. and
how?
clenched my hands, my nerves
throbbing. tramping from rail to rail
In excitement as the men hacked. YET
[ was first to grasp the exposed latch.
and force the released woo back
ward in its groves. Through the mar
how opening thus attained there came
whistline a blast SO frigid as TO drive
us headlong back, gasping for breath.
God as it was without there on the
oDen deck, that cabin revealed a tenn
perature so awful in intensity as to
'l;ak9 us recoil before it, our hands to
out aces. A hundred years of win
'.r-,he black eternal winter of the
sonth pole-smote us with icy breath.
-aeming faiiry 20 scar the flesh with
its f.Czcn touch. Dade dropped un-
der it, and we dragged him aside. sob
hing like a baby. IL was several min
ntcs before We could even draw n.ar
rrcrgh to hack away more of the ice
and. with the TX. drive the door far
'her back into its grooves.
!; was intensely dark within, every
window and portfolio. s%hrouded. only
the narrow d~oor-opening permitting
sc slight glimmer If the moon TO
touch the edge of the black Interior.
wlarred my muller 10 he very eyes
AID s,eppe'; across the threshold. feel
Ing as II the icy air grasped me with
actual 2nsers. yet resolute to leern
all, and confident no other there would
ever venture it. l touched an over
turned bench with my knee; my fin
gers explored the back of a heavy
chair having a carven top, and then
came into contact with a bare table.
heavily ridged along the edge. Seem
iugly this stood crossways of the cab
l.. ana | felt cunt,
deeper cowardice elip : "i i
every hesita'ing slLp iCrNa.d II I~'
dark. Suddenly / touched lii an
The geld coldaess OF frozen flesh. an(
as instantly leaped backward. MAG
with naneless terror. The overturned
bench tripped me. AID ! fell. grGs1tnf
al the door cas- ne It's. ana thu.
dragged myself out OF that - l-hoie o.
my arms.
CLApTEp NxIN