Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-08-25


standing"
A week later, after an uneventful
voyage across sea Of glass. The Bed
ford Castle made up through swirl
ing, tide-rip and into the fog-bound
harbor Of Unalaska. The soaring
"goonies" that had followed them from
Flattery had dropped astern at the
first sight of the volcanic headlands,
and now countless thousands Of sea-
parrots fled from the ships path, squat
tering away in comic terror, drag
ging their fat bodies across the
sea as boy skips fiat
rock. 1t had been Captain
Peasley's hope, here at the gateway Of
the Misty Sea, to learn something
about the lay Of the big icefioes to
the northward, but he was disappoint-
ed, for the season was yet too young
| for the revenue cutters, and the local
hunters knew nothing. Forced to rely
on luck and his own skill, he steamed
out again the next day, this time
doubling back to the eastward and lay
ing cautious course along the second
leg of the journey.
Once through the ragged barrier
that separates the North Pacific from
her sister sea, the dank breath of the
Arctic smote them fairly. The breeze
that waited out from the north
brought with it the chill of limitless
ice-fields, and the first night found
them hove-to among the outposts of
that shifting desert of death which de.
bouches out of Behring Straits with
the first approach of autumn, to re.
treat again only at the coming of re.
luctant summer. From the crow's-nest
| the lookout stared down upon a white
| expanse that stretched beyond the
horizon. At dawn they began their
careful search, feeling their way east
ward through the open lanes and tor
tuous passages that separated the
foes, now laying-to for the northwar1
set of the fields to clear a path before
them, now stealing through some mar
row lead that opened into freer waters.
The Bedford Castle was steel hull
whose sides, opposed to the Jaws OF
tire ponderous masses, would have
been crushed like an egg-shell in a
wise. Unlike wooden ship, the gent.
lest contact would have sprung her
plates, while any considerable collision
would have pierced her as if she had
been built Of paper. Approaching to
the full the peril of his slow advance
Captain Peasley did all the navigatire
in person; but eventually they were
hemmed in 50 closely for day and
night they could do nothing but drift
with the pack. In time, however, they
retreated to follow the outer limits
farther eastward, until they were
baked again.
Opposed to them were the forces OF
Nature, and they were wholly depend
ent upon her tickle favor. 1t might be
day, week, a month, before she
would let them through, and. even
when the barrier began to yield, an
other ship, a league distant, might
profit by an opening which to them
was barred. For long, dull period the
voyagers lay as helpless as IL in a dry
dock, while wandering herds of seals
barked at them or bands of walruses
ceased their fishing and crept ont
upon the ice-pans to observe these in
vaders Of their peace. When an oppor
tunity at last presented itself, they
threaded their way southwark, there
to try another approach, and another
and another, until the first Of May had
come and gone leaving them but little
closer to their goal than when they
first hove-to. Late one evening they
discerned smoke on the horizon and
the next mornings light showed a
three-masted steamship fast in the ice
a few miles to the westward
That's the Juliet" Big George in
l for Il A.
North American Packers Association
| tenders"
"She was loading when we left Sc
attle," Boyd remarked.
1T is Willis Marsh's ship, so he
must be aboard" supplemented Cherry
"She's wooden ship, and built for
this business. If we don't look out, he'll
beat us in, after ALL
what good will that do him? q
Clyde questioned. "The fish don't bite
Il mean run--for sixty days yet"
Emerson and Bait merely shrugged
| To Cherry Malotte this had been a
voyage Of dreams; for once away from
land, Boyd had become his real sell
again-that geniel, irrepressible sell
she had seen but rarely-and his man.
ner had lost the restraint and GOODNESS
which recently had disturbed their re.
lations. OF necessity their cramped
environment had thrown them much
together, and their companionsfip had
been most pleasant. She and Boyd had
spent long hours together, during
which his light-heartedness had
rivalled that of Alton Clyde hours
wherein she had come to know him
more intimately and to feel that he
was growing to truer understanding
of herself. She realized beyond all
doubt that for him there was but one
woman in all the world, yet the mere
pleasure Of being near him was an ano.
dyne for her secret distress. Woman
like, she took what was offered her
and strove increasingly for more.
Two days after sighting the Juliet,
they raised another ship, one of the
sailing fleet they knew to be lowering
in the off1ng, and then on the fifth of
the month the caprisious current
opened way for them. Slowly at first
they pushed on between the foes into
vast area of slush Ice, thence to a
tr,%r %oL Vic riI