The mirror., 1923-05-24

was about two bells when | reached her,
putting and sweating, after the hard hike
over the rough ice. About fifty feet long
she was. Single mast stepped in a block
amidships All covered with ice was
everything. Boat looked as though it had
been dipped in crystal. Mighty pretty it
was too, when the sun glistened on it
and yet kinda spooky and scary. Full up
to the gunwales she was of snow and ice.
In the stern sheets was a bundle of fur
roze up in the ice. The boat perched on
a pinnacle of ice, which the weathering
had broke away until just little more
would have sent her scooting down the
slide. l didn't have thing but dun
garees, jersey the boots L stood in and
a sheath knife. l picked out a nice crys
tai clear bit of ice. Rough shapes it with
my knife and polishes it off with the
warmth of my palms and mouth
until had burning glass made of ice.
Then l cuts up some shavings and makes
kindling from the thwarts of the boat;
fills my pipe focuses the glass on the
tobacco >. tiny wisp of smoke curls
up from the bowl :. p. the tobacco bumped
itself into a tiny mound =. puff :.
puff the red glow came and
spread :. and first thing / knew l was
smoking. After smoking a while kindled
a fire and pretty soon the water run from
the side of the boat There was a copper
kettle forward of the mast and soon /
had it over the fire and filled with ice.
Pretty quick l had a kettleful of hot wa-
ter but what to cook; l was hungry and
had to eat something if it was only my
boots. l prys out the bundle of fur and
hacks off hunk of fur and ice and tosses
it into the kettle. In about twenty min
utes l harpoons into the kettle with my
knife and it was a queer bit of meat |
dragged out. Looked like an ear =. a
mans (. but hungry stomach has no
scruples so down she goes. The warm
fire, the bit O. grub and smoke put new
life into me. After little rest fills the
copper kettle with ice and keeping brisk
fire going under it soon has it full of
clear water. Then 1 sets it off the fire
and the next morning it was froze solid.
upends the kettle and there l had big
crystal of ice properly shaped for big
burning glass. The sun broke out bright
and clear and l was all of a tremble to
try out my ideer. l focused the big crys-
tai on the boat and in about second
there was a spiral of steam curling up
from the board. With this ice burning
glass melted off the ice on the mast and
rigging, the ice sheath from the entire boat.
1t well nigh filled her with water. Then
l kept the ray working back and forth
along the boats sides and pretty soon |
had stream of water running along the
side and down the cliff. Then l worked
on the other side. By eight bells had
channel cut like one of those St. MOrwitz
toboggan Slides 1t ran from the boat to
the sea. Then l lays aside the crystal
and grabs the copper kettle to bail out
the water in the boat. Well, sir, "here
old Tom shook his head with the smile
of one who expects to be misunderstood
and reviled for but telling the truth, SIM
ply and honestly, as brave man should.
Kinda look like poor Of Doc Cook musta
when he kept repeating his story of the
discovery of the North Pole after Peary
had run the government juggernaut over
him. Wal, sir, you never seen such an