The Elbert County tribune., 1913-04-25


Then the strain began to tell on
Cockney. He found that the contIn.
ued lashing of his comrade to keep
him alive had weakened him.
The sled lurched suddenly and slid
deep into a hummock pit Cockney
saved himself on the caribou meat
Jim pitched forward and landed in a
heap off to the side, half burying him.
selp in the snow He made no effort
to move. but lay laughing for a 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.
Cockney saw that 1t 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 lashed
1t there. Then he took up the trail
again.
But now the mists had begun to
swim before his eyes and his leg mus
cles 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 heavier burden. Cockney was
convinced that it was his strength
which would tell the tale.
Over and over again he repeated to
himself:
Il must do it! l 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
teenth day. Yet he had not given the
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 day
he cut it to one biscuit and one bite OF
the meat
The men forward grumbled at this
and mutiny was whispered. Two of
them had been crazed with hunger
and seizing 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 clung to the partition as he
stood over the captain. His enact
ated form bore no semblance of the
heavy man whose boat 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
clung more determinedly to the parti-
tion 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 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 officers?' the
captain asked
Boyle tried to talk to them, but they
fell on him. / think he's gone. The
others have very little life left"
I'VE must hold them, Hunter. be-
neve Cockney will return. | 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
shuffiing of slow. dragging feet be-
came distinct. A 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
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