Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1913-04-24

4 True Tale of The Arctic r,<<;m %? 5rft;4h

like a boy who had been caught in pet
ty mischief. and it sent q chill through
Cockney.
Then the strain began to tell on
Cockney. He found that the contin-
ued lashing of his comrade 10 keep
him alive had weakened him
The sled lurched suddenly and slid
deep into hummock pit Cockney
saved himself On the caribou meat.
Jim pitched forward and landed in q
heap of to the side, half burying him
selp in the snow. He made nc effort
TO move, but lay laughing for mo-
ment until the drowsiness ended the
sound in a sigh. Cockney beat the
massive body Until his strength gave
way and he tottered in his tracks He
called in vain for the big fellow to
make an effort to arise, but Jim only
half laughed once. and the sleep of
the north took possession of him.
CCckney saw that it was too late.
and that he would not rise voluntarily
again.
After almost an hour of muscle
racking toll, Cockney got the body of
his companion to the sled and dashed
it there. Then he took up the trail
again
But now the mists had begun to
swim before his eyes and his leg mus
Giles to ache cruelty He shouted to the
dogs for courage, and grasping the
gee pole, he pounded his feet over the
snow, as vigorously as the worn ten
dons would allow, to withstand the
| creeping numbness. The dogs, as yet,
went strong. although the sled now
bore a heavier burden. Cockney was
convinced that it was his strength
which would tell the tale.
Over and over again he repeated to
himself
J must do it! | must do it,
The captain lay in his cabin. Weak
ness had almost completely overcome
him, and he lay listless. Every day
he had trained his glasses on the desc
late waste of the miles of ice for any
/ sign of Cockney and Hall But none
| had been seen, and this was the four
little fellow up. He hoped, and this
hope had caused him further to cut
/ the rations. From two pieces of hard
/ bread and an inch of salt beef a day
! he cut it to one biscuit and one bite of
! the meat
The men forward grumbled at this
! and mutiny was whispered. Two o.
them had been crazed with hunger
and Selling rifles, had gone over the
! side on the ice where they had seen
! the fleeing Arctic foxes. They did not
! return, but remained the prey Of
! those same foxes where they fell of
! exhaustion not far distant from the
! ship
! The mate, Hunter. entered the cab
! in. He chung to the partition as he
/ stood over the captain. His enact
| ated form bore no semblance % the
/ heavy man whose beat had struck five
, whales during the preceding season.
Captain" he whispered hoarsely.
! the men forward have gone mad.
They are saying that We are keeping
| the food from them; that we sent the
| dogs away so that they could not
! be eaten. They have lost all hope and
! say that they want one square meal
| before they die They are coming aft
! in a body to search the cabin lock
| ers''
!. Hunter finished his speech, and
| chung more determinedly TO the partl-
| ton from exhaustion after the effort.
| He stared at the captain with the wild,
| glazing glance of a starving man Yet
. his mind had remained unaffected He
! and the captain and the other officers
| had allowed themselves the same food
as was allotted to the men forward,
! The PROSTATE man made an effort
| to rise. but fell back. Hunter assist
ed him at the second attempt, and he
painfully got to his feet.
Get your rifle he said, breath
ing heavily.
The mate staggered out of his cab
| in and a few minutes later returned
dragging his Winchester. The cap
| tain had possessed himself of his. and
sat on the cabin couch The mate pull
ed himself over and sat with him
Where are the other oficers?" the
captain asked.
Almost done for replied the mate
! Boyle tried to talk to them, but they
fel! on him. | think he's gone The
others have very little life left"
I'VE must hold them, Hunter. | be-
Iieve Cockney will return. l know he
will. Well talk to them. If they
won't listen, shoot"
The two men then sat silent and
! waited From time to time dull sounds
came to them as If men were STUN
bling through the passages. Then the
mutterings of crazed, straved humans
The mutterings grew louder, and the
shutting of slow. dragging feet be
came distinct \ thud would tell that
a man had stumbled and fallen Then
the scrape and drag of the crawl
ing
The cabin door fell in with a
crash as the bodies lurched against it
The foremost hands sprawled over
the floor with hoarse, animal cries. a
gaunt, heavy boned Norwegian got TO
his feet before the others. His eyes
stared wildly aud the two on the
couch saw that he was quite mad.
This madness gave him strength,
though he wayered where he stood.
can ever possibly atone for so bad