The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1910-03-18

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ed along in zone of electric light.
Mast. sail, and rigging appeared pen
ciled in black against the prosphor-
escent sky with wondrous distinctness.
The men were bathed in light, and
their faces shone with a fiery glow.
1T is a phenomenon" replied the
doctor, seldom met hitherto. If we go
on, we shall soon get out of this bril-
liant glow and be back in the darkness
and tempest again.
| We'll, let's go on, come what may"
said Hatteras.
The doctor was right. Gradually the
| fog 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 a point toward the south. and
| left 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 a 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 tangent from the cir
conference, and was thrown far be-
yond, swift as a ball from a lannon's
| mouth.
| 1t was 2 o'clock in the morning.
For few seconds they seemed stu
pefied. 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.
| and rowed about for more than an
| hour; but their search was vain-Hat-
| teras was lost!
Lost! and so near the pole, lust as
he had caught sight Of the goal!
At such a distance from the coast It
| was impossible Hatteras could reach II
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 its polar clearness, and less
| than three miles away the land s.-
peared in all it's grandeur
| The new continent was only an isl.
and, or, rather, volcano, fixed like a
lighthouse on the north pole Of the
I world.
| The mountain was in full activity.
and glowing rock.
This enormous rock in the middle of
| the sea was 5000 feet high, just about
the altitude of Hecla.
"Can we land?" said the doctor.
1.-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 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 diff
cult for corpse to lie on it. for there
was no shore, and the sea broke on
stes p rocks. which were covered with
cir.ders above water mark.
/ At last the little sloop glided gently
into the narrow opening between two
sandbanks just visible above the water,
where she would be safe from the vio-