IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) ^/ A ,.V .V^o rj l/s II 1.0 III 1.25 ■i^lM |2.5 ■ 50 ■^~ Hl^l y£ 1^ |2.2 ^U4 u l^-^IIM 1.8 U IIIIII.6 III 71 AWs '/ ■ de Tangle sup^rieur gauche, de gauche d droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images n6cessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la m6thode. 1 2 3 1 1 2 3 r : ♦ s 6 -p^ o< ,iA^..Jje_i2_^ V<^\yt^ aj=t^-r Vt--^'^ / ^ l\ i 1. ,/'.'' ^^' i FAST IN THE ICE ^ I % t r i ^ I .MBjBI!.tlM>lH»N^ "HE ROSE ON HIS HIND LEGS AT OXCE."-P. 65. FAST I^ THE ICE OR ADVENTURES IN THE POLAR REGIONS By R. M. BALLANTYNE axjthor of "the lifeboat ; " "the lighthouse; " "the HORSE ; " " UNDER THE WAVES ; " " RIVERS OF ICE " "shifting winds," ETC. ETC. IRON , V ». V V ^ \ 4 ( fM LONDON: '", JAMES NISBET & CO., LIMITED 21 BERNERS STREET ( • 1 \ \-,-> 34684G 1 NOTE PLAN OF THIS MISCELLANY Thbrb is a vast amount of interesting information, on almost all subjects, which many people, especially the young, cannot attain to because of the expense, and, in some instances, the rarity of the books in which it is contained. To place some of this information, in an attractire form, within the reach of those who cannot a£fbrd to purchase expensive books, is the principal object of this Miscellany. Truth is stranger than fiction, but fiction is a valuable assistant in the development of truth. Both, therefore, shall be used in these volumes. Care will be taken to ensure, as far as is possible, that the faxis stated shall be true, and that the impressions given shall be truthful As all classes, in every age, have proved that tales and stories are the most popular style of literature, each volume of the series (with, perhaps, one or two exceptions) will contain a complete tale, the heroes and actors in which, together with the combination of circumstances in which they move, shall be more or less fictitious. In writing these volumes, the author has earnestly en- deavoured to keep in view the glory of God and the good of man. V r. '. V ....'.^ f I T CONTENTS PAOE CiiAP. I.— Outward Bound, . . . . . . 11 II. — At Sea--Tiie First Storm, .... 16 in.— In the Ice— Dangers of Arctic Voyaoing, . 23 IV.— Difficulties, Troubles, and Dangers, . . 34 V. — A Gale— Narrow Escapes — Signs op Winter ^ — Set Fast, . . , . ... 44 VI. — Preparations for Wintering— Remarkable Adventures with a Bear 65 VII.— A xxREAT Battle with the Walrus, , # . 67 VIII.— 1'he Cause of IcE-BfR ''A m m aW.. h ■a .■ir •li 34 FAST IN THE ICE CHAPTEE IV DIFFICULTIES, TROUBLES, AND DANGERS I FOE some hours the brig proceeded onward with a fresheuing breeze, winding and turning in order to avoid the lumps of ice. Many of the smaller pieces were not worth turning out of the way of, the mere weight of the vessel being suffi- cient to push them aside. Up to this time they had succeeded in steering clear of everything without getting a thump; but they got one at last, which astonished those among the crew who had not been in the ice before. The captain, Gregory, and Dicey were seated in the cabin at the time taking tea. Ned Dawkins, the steward, an active little man, was bringing in a tea-pot with a second supply of tea. In his left hand he carried a tray of biscuit. The captain sat at the head of the table. Dicey at the foot, and the doctor at the side. Suddenly a tremendous shock was felt! The captain's cup of tea leaped away from him ani flooded the centre of the table. The doctor's cup FAST IN THE ICE S6 was empty; ho seized the table with boii .lands aud remained steady ; but Dicey's cup happ^ii^il to be at his lips at the moment, and was quite fall. The effect on him was unfortunate. Hq waa thrown violently on his back, and the tea poured over his face and drenched his hair as he lay sprawling on the floor. The steward saved him- self by dropping the bread-tray and grasping the handle of the cabin door. So violent was the shock that the ship's bell was set a-ringing. "Beg pardon, gentlemen," cried the first mate looking down the sky-light. " I forgot to warn you. The ice is gettiog rather thick round us, and I had to charge a lump of it." "It 's all very well to beg pardon," said the captain " but that won't mend my crockery ! " " Or dry my head," growled Mr. Dicey, " it 's as bad as if I 'd been dipped overboard, it is." Before Mr. Dicey's grumbling remarks were finished all three of them had reached the deck. The wind had freshened considerably, and the brig was rushing in a somewhat alarmiug manner among the floes. It required the most careful attention to prevent her striking heavily. " If it goes on like this we shall have to reduce sail," observed the captain. " See, there is a neck of ice ahead that will stop us." This seemed to be probable, for the lane of water along which they were steering was, just ahead of them, stopped by a neck of ice that connected two c I'M !l I if -I ^^ ■" ■' 36 FAST IN TnE ICE lloe-piecc5. The water beyond was pretty free from ice, but this neck or mass seemed so thick that it became a question whether they should venture to charge it or shorten sail. *' Stand by the fore and main-topsail braces 1 " shouted the captain. *• Ay, ay, sir." "Now, Mr. Mansell," said he, with a smile, "we have come to our first real difficulty. What do you advise ; shall we back the topsails, or try what our little Hope is made of, and charge the euemy ? " " Charge ! " answered the mate. "Just so," said the captain, hastening to the bow to direct the steersman. *' Port your helm." "Steady." The brig was now about fifty yards from the neck of ice, tearing through the water like a racehorse. In another moment she was up to it and struck it fair in the middle. The stout little vessel quivered to her keel under the shock, but she did not recoil. She split the mass into fragments, and, bearing down all before her, sailed like a conqueror into the clear water beyond. " WoU done the Hope \ " said the captain, as he walked aft, while a cheer burst from the men. " I think she ought to be called the * Good Hope * ever after this," said Tom Gregory. ** If she cuts her way through everything as easily as she has cut through that neck of ice, we shall reach the North Pole itself before winter." ) fl ,4 FAST IN THE 101 SI "If we reach the North Pole at all" observed Mr. Dicey, " I '11 climb up to the top of it, and stand on my head, I will I '* The second mate evidently had no expectation of reaching that mysterious Pole, which men have so long and so often tried to find in vain. " Heavy ice ahead, sir," shouted Mr. Mansell, who was at the mast-head with a telescope. " Where away ? " " On the vveather-bow, sir, the pack seems oper enough to push through, but the large bergs ar« numerous." The Hope was now indeed getting into the heart of those icy regions where ships are in constant danger from the floating masses that come down with the ocean-currents from the far north. In sailing along she was often obliged to run with great violence against lumps so large that they caused her whole frame to tremble, stout though it was. " Shall we smash the lump, or will it stave in our bows ? " was a question that frequently ran in the captain's mind. Sometimes ice closed round her and squeezed her sides so that her beams cracked. At other times, when a large field was holding her fast, the smaller pieces would grind and rasp against her as they went past, until the crew fancied the whole of the outer sheathing of planks had been scraped off. Often she had to press close to ice- bergs of great size, and more than once a lump as large as a good-sized house fell off the ice-cL£fs, and I A1 n* l.f' li •1 ill ff / 38 FAST IN THE ICE 1 " t T ii plunged into the sea close to her side, causing her to rock violently on the waves that were raised by it. Indeed the bergs are dangerous neighbours, not only from this cause, but also on account of their turning upside down at times, and even falling to pieces, so that Captain Harvey always kept well out ol their way when he could; but this was not always possible. The little brig had a narrow escape one day from the falling of a berg. It was a short time after that day on which they had the game of football. They passed in safety through the floes and bergs that had been seen that evening, and got into open water beyond, where they made good progress before again falling in with ice , but at last they came to a part of Baffin's Bay where a great deal of ice is always found. Here the pack surrounded them, and compelled them to pass close to a berg which was the largest they had fallen in with up to that time. It was jagged in form, and high rather than broad. Great peaks rose up from it like the mountain-tops of some wild highland region. It was several hundred yards off the weather-beam when the brig passed, but it towered so high over the masts that it seemed to be much nearer than it was. There was no apparent motion in this berg, and the waves beat and rolled upon its base just as they do on the shore of an island. In fact it was as like an island as possible, or, rather, like a mountain planted in the sea, only it was white instead of green. There were cracks and rents and A I . ^f FAST IN THE IClS caverns in it just as there are on a rugged mountain- side, all of which were of a beautiful blue colour. There were also slopes and crags and precipices, down which the water of the melted ice constantly flowed in wila torrents. Many of these were equal to small rivulets, and some of the waterfalls were beautiful. The berg couid not have measured less than a mile round the base, and it was probably two hundred feet high. It is well known that floating ice sinks deep, and that there is about eight or ten times as much of it below as there is above water. The reader may therefore form some idea of what an enormous mass of ice this berg was. The crew of the Hope observed, in passing, that lumps were continually falling from the cliff's into the sea. The berg was evidently in a very rotten and dangerous state, and the captain ran the brig as close to the pack on the other side as possible, in order to keep out of its way. Just as this was done some great rents occurred, and suddenly a mass of ice larger than the brig fell from the top of a cliff into the sea. No danger flowed from this, but the mass thus thrown off was so large as to destroy the balance of the berg, and, to the horror of the sailors, the huge mountain began to roll over. Fortunately it fell in a direction away from the brig. Had it rolled towards her, no human power could have saved our voyagers. The mighty mass went over with a wild hollow roar, and new peaks and cliffs I 1:, ;:■ r Ul II *^ \ ( 4d FAST IN THE ICB ,• (^ rose out of the sea, as the old ones disappeared, with great cataracts of uplifted brine pouring furiously down their sides. Apart from its danger this was an awful sight. Those who witnessed it could only gaze in solemn silence. Even the most careless among them must have been forced to recognise the might and majesty of God in the event, as well as His mercy in having led them to the right side of the berg at such a dangerous moment. But the scene had not yet closed. For some time the ice mountain rocked grandly to and fro, raising a considerable swell on the sea, which, all round, was covered with the foam caused by this tremend- ous commotion. In a few minutes several rents took place, sounding like the reports of great guns. Kotten as it was, the berg could not stand the shock of its change of position — for it had turned fairly upside down. Crack after crack took place, with deafening reports. Lumps of all sizes fell from its sides. Then there was a roar, long continued, like thunder ; a moment after, the whole berg sank down in ruins, and, with a mighty crash, fell flat upon the sea ! The Hope was beyond the reach of danger, ir. 1. she rose and sank on the swell caused by the rum of this berg for some time after. It was on the afternoon of the same day that tlie brig received her first really severe " nip *' from the ice. % FAST IN THE ICE 41 She had got deep into the pack, and was sur- rounded on all sides by large bergs, some of these being high, like the one that has just been described, others low and flat, but of great extent. One, not far off, was two miles long, and its glittering walls rose about fifteen feet above the sea. The sky was brighter than usual at the time. This was owing to one of those strange appearances which one sees more of in the Arctic Kegions than in any other part of the world. The sun shone with unclouded splendour, and around it there were three mock suns almost as bright as the sun itself, one on each side and one directly above it. Learned men call these bright spots parhelia. Sailors call them sun-dogs. They were connected together with a ring of light which entirely encircled the sun, but the lower edge of it was partly lost on the horizon. Although this was the first time that these mock suns had been seen by Gregory and some others of the crew of the Hope, little attention was paid to them at the time, because of the dangerous position into which the brig had been forced. The pack had again closed all round her, obliging her to take shelter in the lee oi a small berg, which, from its shape, did not seem likely to be a dangerous protector. There was a small bay in the berg. Into this the brig was warped, and for some time she lay safely here. It was just large enough to hold her, and a I* m •'4 1 ■, , 1 1 IV : ;■ ( » » 1 III •V i2 FAST IN THE ICE ! f ! ■M M m i long tongue of ice, projecting from the foot of it, kept off the pressure of the sea-ice. Nevertheless a look of anxiety rested on the captain's face after the ice-anchors had been made fast. " You don't seem to like our position, captain," said young Gregory, who had been watching the doings of the men, and now and then lent them a hand. " I don't, Tom. The pack is closing tight up, and this berg may prove an enemy instead of a friend, if it forces into our harbour here. Let us hear what our mate thinks of it. "What say you, Mr. Mansell, shall we hold on here, or warp out, and take our chance in the pack ? " " Better hold on, sir," answered the mate gravely. " The pack is beginning to grind ; we should get a tight embrace, I fear, if we went out. Here we may do well enough; but everything depends on that tongue." He looked as he spoke towards the point of ice which extended in front of the brig's stern and guarded the harbour from the outer ice in that direction. The toi gue was not a large one, and it was doubtful whether it could stand the pressure that was increasing everv minute. The pack was indeed beginning to "grind," as the mate had said, for, while they were looking at it, the edges of two floes came together with a crash about fifty yards from the berg. They ground together for a moment with a harsh growling sound, and then the two edges were suddenly forced up to ».i '* n m f A.St m THE let 43 a height of about fifteen or twenty feet. Next moment they fell on the closed-up ice and lay there in a mound, or hummock, of broken masses. "That's how a 'ummock is formed, Doctor Gregory," said Mr. Dicey, looking uncommonly wise. " You '11 see more things here in five minutes, by means of your own eyes, than ye could learn from books in a year. There's nothin' like seein'. Seein* is believin', you know. I wouldn't give an ounce of experience for a ton of hearsay." " Come, Mr. Dicey, don't run down book-learning," said Gregory. " If a man only knew about things that he had seen, he would know very little." Before the second mate could reply the captain shouted to the men to " Bear a hand with the ice- poles." The whole crew answered to the call, and each man, seizing a long pole, stood ready for action. The tongue to which I have referred more than once had broken off, and the ice was rushing in. The bay was full in a minute, and although the men used their ice-poles actively and worked with a will, they could not shove the pieces past them. The Hope was driven bow on to the berg. Then there was a strain, a terrible creaking and groaning of the timbers, as if the good little vessel were complaining of the pressure. All at once there was a loud crack, the bow of the brig lifted a little, and she was forced violently up the sloping side of the berg. Twice this happened, and then she remained stationary — high and dry out of the water ! 4% ' II I J"1 1 C 1 1 i If) ii « HI I « > 1 ' ^^ '1 -'1 } vi '»! • (1 } 44 FAST IN THE ICE CHAPTER V A GALE — NARROW ESCAPES — SIGNS OF WINTER — SET FAST DURING the rest of that day and the whole of that night did the brig remain fixed on the berg. Early next morning the ice began to move. It eased off, and the vessel slid gently down the slope on which she had been forced and was re- launched safely into the water. The satisfaction of the crew on being thus de- livered from a position of much danger was very great; but they had no sooner escaped from one peril than they were overtaken by another. A sharp breeze sprang up from the eastward, and drove them out into the pack, which began to heave about in a terrible manner under the i ^u- ence of the wind. Soon this increased to a gale, and the ice was driven along at a great speed by a strong northerly current. While this was going on, land was discovered bepring to the north-east. Here was new danger, for although it was not a lee-shore, still there was TJ! f« tASt IN tHE ICE 45 some risk of the vessel being caught among grounded icebergs — of which a few were seen. The gale increased to such a degree before night that Captain Harvey began to think of taking shelter under the lee of one of these bergs. He therefore stood towards one, but before reaching it the vessel received one or two severe shocks from the passing floes. A large L g lay within half a mile of them. They reached it in safety, and getting under its lee, lowered a boat and fixed their ice-anchors. Just after they were fixed, a mass of ice, the size of a ship's long-boat, and many tons in weight, came suddenly up out of the sea with, great violence, the top of it rising above the bulwarks One corner of it struck the hull just behind the mainmast, and nearly stove in the bottom of the brig. This lump wa^ what Arctic voyagers term a "calf." When masses of ice break off from the bergs far below the surface of the water, they rise with extreme violence, and ships run great risk of being destroyed by these calves when they anchor too near to the bergs. Had this calf struck the Hope a fair blow, she must certainly have gone down with all on board. They were not yet freed from their troubles, however. In half an hour the wind shifted a few points, but the stream of the loose ice did not change. The brig was therefore blown right in amongst the rushing masses. The three cables that H I ' 'm « • I %.* • V i6 *AST IN THE IC4 i^*' 1 ■1 held her were snapped as if they had been pieces of pack-thread, and she was whirled out into the pack, where she drove helplessly, exposed to the fury of the howling storm and the dangers of the grinding ice. Captain Harvey now felt that he could do nothing to save his vessel. He believed that if God did not mercifully put forth His hand to deliver them by a miracle, he and his companions would certainly perish. In this the captain was wrong. Nothing is impossible to the Almighty. He can always accomplish His purposes without the aid of a miracle. There did, indeed, seem no way of escape; for the driving masses of ice were grinding each other to powder in nearly every direction, and the brig only escaped instant destruction by being wedged between two pieces that held together from some unknown cause. Presently they were carried down towards a large berg that seemed to be aground, for the loose ice was passing it swiftly. This was not the case, however. An under-current, far down in the depths of the sea, was acting on this berg, and preventing it from travelling with the ice that floated with the stream at the surface. In passi g it, the mass of ice that held them struck one of the projecting tongues beneath the surface and was split in two. The brig was at once set free. As they passed they might almost have leaped upon the berg. Captain Harvey saw and seized his opportunity. m .. 'Mi! FAST IN THE ICE 47 ** Stand by to heave an anchor," he shouted, Sam Baker, being the strongest man in the ship, sprang to one of the small ice-anchors that lay on the deck with a line attached to it, and lifting it with both hands stood ready. The brig passed close to the end of the berg, where the lee-side formed a long tail of sheltered water. She was almost thrust into this by the piece of ice from which she had just escaped. She grazed the edge of the berg as she drove past. " Heave !" shouted the captain. Sam Baker swung the anchor round his head as if it had been a feather and hurled it far upon the ice. For a few yards it rattled over the slippery surface ; then it caught a lump, but the first strain broke it off. Just after that it fell into a crack and held on. The brig was checked, and swung round into the smooth water ; but they had to ease off the line lest it should snap. At last she was brought up, and lay safely under the shelter of that berg until the storm was over. Some weeks flew by after this without anything occurring worthy of particular notice. During this time the Hope made good progress into the Polar Kegions, without again suffering severely either from ice or storm, although much retarded by the thick fogs that prevail in the Arctic regions. She was indeed almost always surrounded by ice, but it was sufficiently open to allow of a free passage through it. Many whf^loM And seals had been seen, also one I". m ' T i 1 ' . ^ ( « n ;i i I! it PAST IN THE lOB or two bears, but not in circumstances in which they could be attacked without occasioning much delay. The brief summer had now passed away, and the days began to shorten as winter approached. Still Captain Harvey hoped to get farther north before being obliged to search for winter quarters. One morning early in September, however, he found to his sorrow that pancake-ice was forming on the sea. When the sea begins to freeze, it does so in small needle-like spikes, which cross and re-cross each other until they form thin ice, which the motion of the waves breaks up into flat cakes about a foot or so across. These, by constantly rubbing against each other, get worn into a rounded shape. Sailors call this "pancake-ice." It is the first sign of coming winter. The cakes soon become joined together as the frost increases. The place where this occurred was near to those wild cliffs that rise out of the sea in the channels or straits that lie at the head of Baffin's Bay. The vessel was now beyond the farthest point of land that had been discovered at the time of which I am writing, and already one or two of the headlands hctd been named by Captain Harvey and marked on his chart. " I don't like to see pancake-ice so early in the season," remarked the captain to Mr. Mansell. " No more do I, sir," answered the mate, " This would be a bad place to winter in, I fear." FAST IN THE lOS 49 "Land ahead 1" was sliouted at that moment by the look-out at the mast-head. " Keep her away two points," said the captain to tlie man at the helm. " How does it lie ? " " Right ahead, sir." " Any ice near it ? " " No ; all clear." The brig was kept a little more out to sea. Soon she came to more open water, and in the course of four hours was close to the land, which proved to be a low barren island not more than a mile across. Here the wind died away altogether, and a sharp frost set in. The pancakes became joined together ; and on the following morning when our friend Gregory came on deck he found that the whole ocean was covered with ice! It did not, indeed, look very like ice, because, being so thin, it did not prevent the usual swell from rolling over the sea. A ]' ■ breeze was blowing, and the brig cut her way through it for some time ; but the breeze soon died away, leaving her becalmed within a quarter of a mile of the island. For some time the voyagers hoped that a thaw would take place, or that wind would break up the ice. But they were disappointed. This was the first touch of the cold hand of winter, and the last day of the Hope's advance northward. Seeing this. Captain Harvey set energetically to work to cut his way into winter quarters, for it would not do to remain all winter in the exposed 51 4>5 3:1 1 ^ * « r S « 1 'X\ , I) ; ' ^1 :'j| 1 ^, S 'i :§m i :-i fj I' V ■ » " i': 4 ': 1:1 50 FAST IN THE ICE position in which his vessel then lay. On his right was the island, already referred to, about a quarter of a mile off. Beyond this, about five miles distant, were the high steep cliffs of the western coast of Greenland. Everywhere else lay the open sea, covered here and there with floes and bergs, and coated with new ice. This ice became so thick in the course of another night that the men could walk on it without danger. By means of saws and chisels made for the purpose they cut a passage towards the island, and finally moored the brig in a small bay which was sheltered on all sides except the east. This, being the land side, required no protection. They named the place " Kef uge Harbour." Every one was now full of activity. The voyagers had reached the spot where they knew they were destined to spend the winter, an^"" 'uch had to be done before they could consider th .^elves in a fit state to face that terrible season. Winter in the Polar Eegions extends over eight months of the year — from September to May. But so much of ice and snow remains there all the summer, that winter can scarcely be said to quit those regions at all. It is difficult to imagine what the Arctic winter is. We cannot properly understand the tremendous difficulties and sufferings that men who go to the Polar Seas have to fight against. Let the reader think of the following facts, and see if he does not 1 PAST IN THE ICE 51 draw his chair closer to the fire and feel thankful that he has not heen born un Eskimo, and is not an Arctic seaman I Winter within the Arctic Circle, as I have said, is fully eight months long. During that time the land is covered with snow many feet deep, and the sea with ice of all degrees of thickness — from vast fields of ten or fifteen feet thick to bergs the size of islands and mountains, — all frozen into one solid mass. There is no sunlight there, night or day, for three out of these eight winter months, and there is not much during the remaining five. In summer there is perpetual sunlight, all night as well as all day for about two months, — for many weeks the sun never descends below the horizon. It is seen every day and every night sweeping a complete circle in the bright blue sky. Having been so free of his light in summer, the sun seems to think he has a right to absent himself in winter, for the three months of darkness that I have spoken of are not months of partial but of total darkness — as far at least as the sun is concerned. The moon and stars and the " Northern Lights " do indeed give their light when the fogs and clouds will allow them; but no one will say that these make up for the absence of the sun. Then the frost is so intense that everything freezes solid except pure spirits of wine. Unless you have studied the thermometer you cannot understand the intensity of this frost ; but for the D $ m * U M 52 FAST IN THT? ICE i il sake of those who do know something about extreme cold, I give here a few facts that were noted down during the winter that my story tells of. On the 10th of September these icebound voyagers had eighteen degrees of frost, and the darkness had advanced on them so rapidly that it was dark about ten at night. By the 1st of October the ice round the brig was a foot and a half thick. Up to this time they had shot white hares on the island, and the hunting parties that crossed the ice lo the main- land shot deer and musk oxen, and caught -white foxes in traps. Gulls and other birds, too, had continued to fly round them; but most of these went away to seek warmer regions farther south. Walrus and seals did not leave so soon. They re- mained as long as there was any open water out at sea. The last birds that left them (and the first tliat returned in spring) were the " snow-birds " — little creatures about the size of a sparrow, almost white, v/ith a few brown feathers here and there. The last of these fled from the darkening winter on the 7th November, and did not return until the 1st of the following May. When they left, it was dark almost all day. The thermometer could scarcely be read at noon, and the stars were visible during the day. From this time forward thick darkness set in, and the cold became intense. The ther- mometer fell helow zero, and after that they never saw it above that point for months together ; 20, 30, and 40 degrees below, were common temperatures. If FAST IN THE ICE 53 i ,*■ The ice around them was ten feet thick. On the 1st of December noon was so dark that they could not see fifty yards ahead, and on the 15th the fingers could not be counted a foot from the eyes. The thermometer stood at 40° below zero. The darkness could not now become greater, but the cold still continued to grow more intense. It almost doubled in severity. In January it fell to 67° below zero ! So great was this cold that the men felt impelled to breathe guardedly. The breath issued from their mouths in white clouds of steam and instantly settled on their beards and whiskers in hoarfrost. In the cabin of the Hojpe they had the utmost difficulty in keeping themselves moderately warm at this time. Things had now T'eached their worst, and by slow degrees matters bt m to mend. On the 22d of January the first laint sign of returning day ap- peared — just a blut glimmer on the horizon. By the middle of February the light tipped the tops of the mountains on shore and the highest peaks of the icebergs on the sea, and on the 1st of March it bathed the deck of the Rope. Then the long im- prisoned crew began to feel that spring was really coming. But there was little heat in the sun's rays at first, and it was not till the month of May that the ice out at sea broke up and summer could be said to have begun. During all this long winter — during all these wonderful changes, our Arctic voyagers had a hard J 5 ti % M n m •t X. mil 5A FAST IN THE ICE fight in order to keep themselves alive. Their life was a constant struggle. They had to fight the bears and the walrus ; to resist the cold and the darkness ; to guard against treachery from the natives; and to suffer pains, sickness, and trials, such as seldom fall to the lot of men in '• 'dinary climates. How they did and suffered all this I shall try to show in the following pages. In attempting this I shall make occasional extracts from the journal oi our friend Tom Gregory, for Tom kept his journal regularly, and was careful to note down only what he heard and saw. 't \ i ♦I'd. VAST IN THE IC£ 56 . ' CHAPTER VI PREPARATIONS FOR WINTERING — REMARKABLE ADVENTURES WITH A BEAR fTlHE first care of Captain Harvey, after getting J- his brig securely laid up in her icy cradle for the winter, was to remove some of the stores to the island, where he had them carefully secured in a little hut which the crew built of loose stones. This relieved the strain on the vessel, and permitted the free circulation of air. The fitting up of the interior of the brig was then begun. The wooden partition between the cabin and the hold was taken down, and the whole space thrown into one apartment. The stove was put up in the centre of it, and moss was piled round the walls inside about a foot thick. Moss was also spread on the deck, and above it the snow was allowed to gather, for snow, although so cold itself, keeps things that it covers warm, by not permitting the heat to escape. The brig was banked up all round with snow, and a regular snowy staircase was built from the ice to her bulwarks. Tlf.l1 mi s J* 5:1. 1 56 FAST IN THE ICE m ■m- I'i- ff' They changed their time, now, from what is called sea-time to that which we follow on land. That is to say, they reckoned the day to commence just after twelve midnight, instea'l of dividing it into watches as they were wont to do at sea. Journals were begun, and careful notes made of everything that occurred, or that might in any way further the object for which they had gone there. Every man in the ship had his appointed duty and his post. If the native Eskimos should arrive in a warlike tem- per, each man had his cutlass and pistols in readiness. If a bear should pay them a visit, each could lay hands on his musket in an instant; and if a fire should break out on board, every man had his bucket ready and his particular post fixed. Some were to run to the water-hole, which it was the duty of one man to keep open. Others were to station them- selves from the hole to the ship to pass the buckets, while the rest were to remain on board to convey them to the point of danf^^er. Captain Harvey fixed all the arrangements and superintended the carrying out of his orders in a general way, making his two officers and the young doctor responsible for the overseeing of details. Each of these foremen fur- nished him with a report every night of what had been done during the day, and the result was noted down by himself in a journal. Thus everything went smoothly and pleasantly along during the first weeks of their sojourn in their frozen home. In regard to fresh provisions they were fortunate FAST IN THE ICE 57 at first, for they obtained sufficient supplies of deer and other game. This was in the early part of winter, while there was still plenty of daylight. In Tom Gregory's journal I find it thus written : — " Septemher lOth. — The days are beginning to shorten now, and we are all busily occupied in pre- paring for the long dark winter that is before us. Sam Baker, who is the best shot among us, brought in a deer to-day. This is fortunate, for we stand in need of fresh meat. Our greatest enemy this winter, I fear, will be scurvy. Unless we obtain a large supply of fresh provisions, we cannot hope to escape it. Crofts brought in two Arctic hares. They are beautiful creatures — pure white — and each weighs about seven pounds. These, with the four deer shot by myself last week, and the ten hares got by Baker, will keep us going for some time. "September 12th. — I had an adventure with a polar bear last night which has amused the men very much, and given them food for jocularity for a few days. Some days back Davy Butts set a trap on the island, in which he has caught a few foxes. Last night his long legs were so tired that he did not care to visit his trap, so I offered to go instead of him. It was while I was out on this errand that I happened to meet with bruin. Our meeting was sudden, and unexpected on both sides, I believe. It •^as midnight when I set off to the trap, which was not more than half a mile from the ship, and it was quite dark when I reached it mi « ^ . fit • * :: '^■: ■ ^Jf 58 FAST IN THE ICE " Davy is an ingenious fellow. His trap is made of four blocks of hard snow, with a sort of wooden trigger that goes off the moment the bait is touched, and allows a heavy log to fall down on the poor fox's back. There was nc fox there, however, when I reached it. I went down on my knees, and was examining the bait when I heard a low growl. I leaped up and felt for the knife which I usually carried in my belt. It was not there! In the haste of my departure from the ship I had forgotten to buckle it on. I had no gun, of course. It was too dark to shoot, and I had not counted on meeting with any dangerous enemy. I could only crouch down behind a lump of ice and hope that the bear would go away, but another growl, much louder than the first, and close at hand, showed that I had been seen. It was so dark that I could hardly see fifty yards ahead. There was a great chasm or hole just in front of me. This was the place where the main body of the sea-ice had been separated from the shore- ice that was aground. Here every rise and fall of the tide had broken it afresh, so that the rent was twenty yards wide, and full of large blocks that had been tossed about in confusion. Across this I gazed into the gloom, and thought I saw an object that looked like a large block of rounded ice. Before I could make up my mind how to act the block of ice rose up with a furious roar and charged me. . The chasm checked him for a moment. But for this I should have been caught .' 'V FAST IN THE ICE 59 immediately. While he was scrambling over it I took to my heels and ran along the edge of the ice at the top of my speed. " There was a narrow part of the chasm which I had looked at in daylight and wondered whether I might venture to leap across it. I had made up my mind that it was too wide and dangerous to be attempted. But it is wonderful how quickly a man changes his 'nind on such a point when a Polar bear is roaring at his heels. I came to the gap in the ice. It was ten feet deep and thirteen or fourteen feet across. The jagged lumps of ice at the bottom lay there in horrible confusion. There was barely light enough to see where the hole was when I came within ten yards of it, but 1 did not hesitate. A rush ! a bound ! and I went over like a cat. Not so the bear. He had not measured the place with his eye in daylight as T iiad done. He made a gallant leap, it is true, but fell short, as I knew frcm the bursting sound and the growl of rage with which he came against the edge of the ice and fell back among the broken blocks. I did not wait to see how he got out, you may be sure, but ran as I never ran before in all my life ! I reached the brig quite out of breath. The bear had not followed me up, for I did not see him that night again. Long Davy laughed at me a good deal, and said he was sure I had been frightened at a shadow. It gave a wonderfully loud roar for a shadow ! I hope that Davy himself may get a chase before the winter is w m . « r •4 ) 5 i : ! i ; '9 *■ "' I' ' if ' Sil :) m % m '■m I. 60 FAST IN THE lOE over, just to convince him of his error in not be- lieving me ! " The kind wish thus expressed in the young doctor's journal was gratified sooner than might have been expected. Only two days after the incident above described, poor Davy Butts met with the same bear, face to face, and had a run for his life that turned the laugh from Tom Gregory to himself. It was on the afternoon of a clear cold day just about sunset. The men had finished dinner, and were smoking their pipes on deck, stamping their feet and slapping their hands and arms to keep them warm. " Hallo, Davy ! where are you bound for ? " in- quired the captain on observing that Butts was wrapping himself carefully in his fur coat, tighten- ing his belt and putting on his mittens, as if bent on a long journey. " I 'm only goin' to take a look at my fox-trap, sir, if you 11 allow me." " Certainly, my lad. If you get a fox it *s well worth the trouble. And hark'ee, Davy, take your axe, and make one or two more of these cnow-traps of yours. It will be a well-spent hour." " Why, Butts," exclaimed Gregory, " what do you mean to do with that big horse-pistol ? Surely you are not afraid of bears after laughing so much at the one that chased me ? " "Oh no, not afraid^ you know," replied Davy; " But there 's no harm in being armed." y FAST IN THE lOB 61 " Mind you shoot him straight in the eye, or send a bullet up his nose. Them 's the wulnerable parts of him," cried Joe Davis, with a laugh, as Butts went down the snow-steps and got upon the ice. " I say," cried Pepper, as he was moving away. " Well ? " " Bring his tongue aboard with you and I '11 cook it for supper." "Ah, and a bit of fat to fry it in," added the steward. "There's nothing like tongue fried in bears' grease." "No, no, Dawkins," said Mr. Dicey. "Hallo Davy, bring the 'ams. Bears' 'ams are considered fustrate heatin'." " No, don't bring the hams," shouted Jim Croft, " fetch the tongue ; that 's the thing for supper of a cold night — fetch the tongue, lad." " Hold your own tongue," shouted Davy in reply, as he went off amid the laughter of his comrades. The sun sank soon after, and before the ingenious seaman had finished two new traps the short twilight had gradually deepened into night. Still there was plenty of light, for the sky was clear, and studded with a host of stars. In addition to this the Aurora Borealis was sending its beautiful flashes of pale- green light all across the western sky. The Aurora — which also goes by the names of " Northern Lights," and " Streamers," and " Merry- dancers" — ^is seen in great splendour in these northern skies. When the seaman had finished his #; ! If ii I?* 6S FAST IN THE lOK li. traps and looked up for a minute or two at the sky, before starting on his return to the ship, he beheld the Aurora extending over the heavens in the form of an irregular arch. It was extremely bright, but the brightness was not the same in all parts. It moved and waved gently about like a band of thin green fire. Every now and then long tongues or streamers darted up from it, and these were brighter than the rest. They were yellowish white, and sometimes became pale pink in colour. The light from this beautiful object was equal to that of the moon in her quarter, and the stars that were behind it shone dimly through, as if they were covered with a thin gauze veil. While Davy was gazing in wonder at the splendid lights above him, a deep growl fell upon his ear. If the m^n had been a Jack-in-the-box he could not have leaped more quickly round. His pistol was out and cocked in a moment ! The growl was followed by a roar, which drove all the blood back into Davy's heart and seemed to freeze it there — solid. The man was no coward, as was quite clear, for at first he boldly stood his ground. But he would have been more than mortal if he had not felt some strange qualms about his heart when he saw a large white bear rushing furiously towards him. The animal came this time from the interior of the small island. The seaman knew well the place over which young Gregory had jumped when he had been chased. \ FAST IN THE ICE 63 After wavering for a moment or two he turned and fled. Another tremendous roar helped him over the ice like a deer, and he took the chasm with a bound like an india-rubber ball. It must certainly have been the same animal that chased Gregory, for, instead of trying to leap the chasm, it went to another part of the rent and scrambled across. This gave Butts time to increase the distance between them, but a man is no match for a Polar bear in a race. The monster was soon close up with him and the ship still far off. The man knew his danger ; he turned, took a quick aim, and fired. He missed, of course ; flung the pistol in desperation in the bear's face, and ran on. The pistol happened to stick in the snow with the butt in the air, and when the bear came up to it he stopped to smell it I It is well known, nowadays, that Polar bears are full of curiosity, and will stop for a few minutes to examine anything that comes in their way, even when they are in full chase of a man. Davy Butts knew nothing of this at the time; but he was a quick-witted fellow. He observed this stopping of the bear, and determined to give him something more to stop at. When bruin was close at his heels he threw down his cap. The bear at once pulled up, smelt it all round, and tossed it into the air with his snout, pawed it once or twice, then tore it to pieces with one wrench, and continued the chase. Very little / 1 t • « % * f % 64 FAST IN TITK ICE time was lost in this operation. He was soon up with the man again, then a mitten was thrown down for his inspection. After that the other mitten went, the cravat followed, and the axe went next. All that I have just related happened in a very few minutes. Davy was still a good quarter of a mile from the brig ; everything that he could tear off his person in h^^ste and throw down was gone, and the bear was onct more coming up behind. As a last hope he pulled off his heavy fur coat and dropped it. This seemed to be a subject of great interest to the bear, for it was longer of inspecting it than the other things. And now poor Butts went tearing along like a maniac in his flannel shirt and trousers. He was a miserable and curious object, for his body, besides being very long, was uncommonly lanky, and his legs and arms seemed to go like the wings of a windmill. Never since the day of his birth had David Butts run at such a pace, in such light clothing, and in such severe fro^t ! A long line of low hummocks hid him from the brig. The aicment he passed these he came in sight of her and ber.'an to yoll. " Wot on airth is yon ? " exclaimed Joe Davis, who chanced to be looking over the gangway when this remarkable object appeared. " The wild man o' the north himself, or my name ain't Jim," said Crofts, turning pale. " Why, it 's Davy Butts I do believe," cried Sam Baker, who came on deck at thot momciit. FAST IN THE ICK 65 Just then the bear came tearing round the end of the hummocks in full chase. " Hurrah ! hallo ! ho ! " roared the men, who had crowded on deck at the first note of alarm. Sam Baker seized a heavy ash handspike, about five feet long, and was on his way to meet his com- rade before the others had gained the ice. They were not slow, however. Some with muskets, some with pistols and cutlasses, and some with nothing but their fists — all followed Sam, who was now far ahead. Baker passed Davy without a remark and ran straight at the bear, which stopped on seeing such a big powerful man running so furiously at him, and flourishing a bludgeon that would almost have suited the hand of a giant. But Polar bears are not timid. He rose on his hind legs at once, and paid no attention whatever to the tremendous crack that Sam dealt him over the skull. The blow broke the handspike in two, and the fool- hardy seaman would soon have paid for his rash- ness with his life had not friendly and steady hands been near. Nothing daunted, he was about to repeat the blow with the piece of the handspike that was still in his grasp, and the bear was about to seize him with its claws, each of which were full two inches long, when the first mate and Gregory came running towards them side by side ; the first armed with a rifle, the doctor with pistols. n./.;,. < ^ 66 FAST IN THE ICE " Too late," gasped Gregory. " We must fire," said Mansell, " and risk hitting Sam. Here, doctor, you are a good shot; take the rifle." The young man obeyed ^ dropped on one knee and took aim, but did not fire. Sam was between him and the b'jar. A sudden movement changed their positions. The side of ohe monster came into view, and in another instant it was stretched on the ice with a bullet in its brain. 7 1 I. FAST IN THE lOE 67 CHAPTER VII A GREAT BATTLE WITH THE WALRUS IT need scarcely be said that there was a jovial feast that night at supper. The bear's tongue was cooked after all, but the impudent tongues of the party were not silenced, for they almost worried the life out of poor Davy for having run away from a bear. Soon after this event the preparations for spend- ing the winter were completed ; at least as far as the fitting up of the vessel was concerned. "This morning," writes Gregory in his journal, "we finished housing over our Arctic home. The Hope is very snug, lined with moss and almost covered with snow. A sail has been spread over the quarter-deck like an awning ; it is also covered with moss and snow. This, we hope, will give much additional warmth to our house below. We all live together now, men and officers. It will require our united strength to fight successfully against that terrible enemy John Frost. John is king of the Arctic Begions undoubtedly . i k 7i SUM 68 FAST IN THE lOB '* Dawking got a cold bath yesterday tliat amused the men much and did him no harm. For some time past we have been carrying moss from the island in large bundles. Dawkins got leave to help, as he said he was sick-tired of always working among stores. He was passing close to the fire-hole with a great bundle of moss on his back, when his foot slipped and down he went. This hole is kept constantly open. It is Baker's duty night and morning to break the ice, and have it ready in case of fire. The ice on the surface was therefore thin ; in a moment nothing was to be seen of poor Dawkins but his bundle 1 Fortunately he held tight on to it, and we hauled him out soaked to the skin. The thermometer stood at 35° below zero, the coldest day we have had up to this time ; and in two minutes the unfortunate man's clothes were frozen so stiff that he could scarcely walk ! We had to break the ice on his legs and arms at the joints, and even then he had to be half hoisted on board and carried below. We all dress in seal-skin and fox-skin garments now. Dawkins had on a rough coat made of white and grey foxes ; trousers of the same ; boots of seal- skin, and mittens ditto. When all this was soaked and frozen he was truly a humbling sight ! " The undressing of him was a labour of difficulty as well as of love. However, when he was rubbed dry, and re-clothed, he was none the worse. Indeed, I am inclined to think he was much the better of his ducking. FAST IN THE ICE %% " To-morrow we are to make some curious experi- ments with boats, sledges, and kites. The captain is anxioukj to take our largest boat over the ice as far to the south as possible and leave her the ^i with a quantity of provisions, so that we may have her to fall back upon if any misfortune should befall the brig, which I earnestly pray that God may forbid. " Davy Butts, who is an ingenious fellow in his way, says wc can sail a boat on the ioe almost as well as on the water, and that we may drag sledges by means of kites if we choose. The captain means to attempt a journey to the north with sledges in spring, so, if the kites answer. Butts will have done us good service. But I have my doubts. " The nights are closing in fast ; very soon we shall be without the sun altogether. But the moon is cheering us. Last night (28th October) she swept in a complete circle round the sky all day as well as all night. She only touched the horizon, and then, instv^ad of setting, she rose again as if the frozen sea had frightened her. " October ZOth, — Baker came in to-day and reported open water about six miles off, and walrus sporting in it. I shall set out to-morrow on a hunt." The hunt which the young doctor here wrote of -^ame off on the following day, but it was a very different one from what any of the men had expected. Early in the mornirg. Baker, Davy Butts, and Gregory set off on foot, armed with a rifle and two muskets, besides a couple of harpoons, a whale- ■ i ;■ t ' >»* t V )l 70 FAST IN TItE ICE vUf lance, and a long line. They also took a small sledge, which was intended to be used in hauling home the meat if they should be successful. Thre^-». hours' hard walking brought the party to the edgd of the solid ice, aiter which they travelled on tho floes that were being constantly broken by the tides, and were only joined together by ice of a night or two old. This was little more than an inch thick, so they had to advance with caution. Presently the loud mooing of a bull walrus was heard. Its roar was something between the lowing of a bull and the bark of a large dog, but much louder, for the walrus resembles an elephant in size more than any other animal. Soon after they came in sight of their game. Five walrus were snorting and barking in a hole which they had broken in the ice. The way in which this huge monster opens a hole when he wants to get out of the sea is to come up from below with considerable violence and send his head crashing through the ice. The three men now became very wary. They crept on their hands and knees behind the ice- hummocks until within about a hundred yards of the brutes. Then they ascended a small hummock to take a look round and decide on their plan of operations. While lying there, flat on their faces, they took particular care to keep their heads well concealed, just raising them high enough to observe the position of the walrus. There was a sheet of flat ice betweeo them and the hole, so that it was w 1 4 i r if AST IN THE ICE 71 , impossible to advance nearer without being seen. This perplexed them much, for although their bullets might hit at that distance they would not be able to run in quick enough to use their lances, and the harpoons would be of no use at all. While thus undecided what to do they were un- expectedly taught a lesson in walrus hunting that surprised them not a little. " Hallo ! there 's a bear ! " whispered Davy Butts, as a hairy object crawled out from behind an ice- hummock about two hundred yards from the place where they lay and made jwards the walrus in a sly cat-like manner. " More like a seal," observed Baker. " A seal ! why it 's a man ! " said Gregory in a low excited whisper. " So it is, sure enough," said Baker ; " it must be an Eskimo, though his hairy garments make him look more like a bear than a man, and as the fellow has got here before us, I suppose we must give up our claim to the brutes." "Time enough to talk of that when the brutes are killed," said Gregory with a smile. "But lie still, lads. We will take a lesson from this fellow, who has been so earnestly staring at the walrus that he has not noticed us." The three men lay perfectly motionless watching the native, who crept as near to the hole as he could without being seen, and then waited for a few minutes until the creatures should dive. This ^ « i 4 ■. I r-. 72 tASt IN TtiE I0J8 they were constantly doing; staying down a few moments at a time, and then coming up to breathe — for the walrus cannot live without air. He is not a fish, and although he can stay down a long time, he must come to the surface occasionally to breathe. In this he resembles the seal and the v/hale. Presently, down they all went with a tremendous splash. Now was the moment! the Eskimo rose, ran at full speed for a few yards, then fell flat on his face and lay quite still as if he had been shot dead. The reason of this was soon apparent. He understood the habits of the walrus, and knew that they would rise again. This they did almost the moment after, and began their snorting, bellowing, and rolling again. Once more they dived. Up got the Eskimo, ran a few yards farther forward, and then fell flat down as before. In this way he got near to the hole without being seen. The watchers observed that he carried a harpoon and a coil of thick line. The next time the walrus dived, he ran to the edge of the hole, but now, instead of falling down, he stood quite still, with the harpoon raised above his head ready to be thrown. In a few moments the monsters re-appeared. Two rose close at the edge of the hole; one was a male, the other a female. They were frightfully ugly to look at. Shaking the water from his head and shoulders, the bull at once caught sight of the man who had thus suddenly appeared. At that instant the % «. FAST IN THE ICE 73 !• Eskimo threw up his left arm. This action, instead of frightening the brutes away, caused them to raise themselves high out of the water, in order to have a good look at the strange creature who had thus dared to disturb them in their watery home. This was just what the native wanted. It gave him a chance of driving the harpoon under the flipper of the male. The instant this was done he caught up the end of his coil, and ran quickly back to the full length of the line. The battle that now began was perhaps one of the fiercest that was ever fought in the Arctic Kegions. The walrus lashed the water furiously for a second or two and dived. This checked the native, who at once stopped running, drove the sharp point of a little piece of wood into the ice and put the loop at the end of his line over it. He pressed the loop close down to the ice with his feet, so that he could hold on when it tightened, which it did with great force. But the line was a stout one. It had been cut from the hide of a walrus, and prepared in a peculiar way for the pur- pose of standing a heavy strain. The Eskimo now played the monster as an angler plays a trout. At one moment he held on, the next he eased off. The line was sometimes like a bar of iron, then it was slackened off as the animal rose and darted about. After this had hap- pened once or twice the bull came to the surface blowing tremendously, and began to bark and roar t^l 3 R 74 FAST IN THE ICE in great fury. The female came up at the same time. She evidently meant to stick by her partner and share his danger. The others had dived and made off at the first sign of war. The wounded walrus was a little flurried and very angry; the female was not at all frightened, she was passionately furious ! Both of them tore up the ice tables with their great ivory tusks, and glared at their enemy with an expression that there was no mistaking. The walrus is well known to be one of the fiercest animals in the world.' Wo« to the poor native if he had been caught by these monsters at that time. After so'ne minutes spent in uselessly smashing the ice and trying to get at the native, they both dived. Now came into play the Eskimo's know- ledge of the animal's habits and his skill in this curious kind of warfare. Before diving they looked steadily at the man for a second and then swam under the ice straight for the spot where he stood. The Eskimo of course could not see this, but he knew it from past experience. He there- fore changed his position instantly, ran a few yards to one side, and planted his stick and loop again. This had hardly been done when the ice burst up with a loud crash ; a hole of more than fifteen feet wide was made on the exact spot which the man had quitted, and the walrus appeared with a puff like that of a steam-engine and a roar that would have done credit to a lion. ^^^i • « 3( * M 1 ■ 3 ^ ' l-v If * • 4 ITAST IN THE ICK 77 * The great lumpish-looking heads and square- cut faces of the creatures looked frightful at this point in the figlit. There was something like human intelligence in their malicious and brutal faces, as the water poured down their cheeks and over their bristling beards mingled with blood and foam. At this moment there was a shout close at hand, and two other Eskimos ran out from behind the ice-hummocks and joined their comrade. They wero armed with long lances, the handles of which were made of bone, and the points of beautiful white ivory tipped with steel. It was afterwards discovered that these natives obtained small pieces of ircn and steel from the Eskimos farther south, who were in the habit of trading at the settle- ments on the coast of Greenland. The strangers at once ran to the edge of the pool and gave the bull walrus two deep wounds with their lances. They also wounded the female. This seemed to render them more furious than ever. They dived again. The first Eskimo again shifted his position and the others ran back a short distance. They were not a moment too soon in these changes, for the ice was again burst upward at the spot they had just quitted, and the enraged beasts once more came bellowing to the surface and vented their fury on the ice. It may seem almost incredible to the reader hut it is a fact, that this battle lasted fully four •lil ■ '11 « rs 78 FAST IN THE lOlt hours. At the end of the third hour it seemed to the sailors wlio were watching it that the result was still doubtful, for the Eskimos were evidently becoming tired, while the monsters of the Polar Seas were still furious. " I think we might help them with a bullet," whispered Baker. " It might frighten them, per- haps, but it would save them a good deal of trouble." " Wait a little longer," replied Gregory. " I have it in my mind to astonish them. You see they have wounded the female very badly, but when the male dies, which he cannot now be long of doing, she will dive and make off, and so they'll lose her, for they don't seem to have another harpoon and lino." " Perhaps they have one behind the hummocks," suggested Davy Butts, whose teeth were chattering in his head with cold. "If they had they would have used it long ago," said Gregory. " At any rate I mean to carry out my plan — which is this. When the bull is about dead I will fire at the female and try to hit her in a deadly part so as to kill her at once. Then, Sam, you will run out with our harpoon and dart it into her to prevent her sinking, or diving if she should not be killed. And you, Davy, will follow me and be ready with a musket." This plan had just been settled when the bull »« ;.! FAST IN THE ICE 79 walrus began to show signs of approaching death. Gregory therefore took a deliberate aim with the rifle and fired. The result was startling! The female walrus began to roll and lash about furi- ously, smashing the ice and covering the sea around with bloody foam. At tirst the Eskimos stood motionless — rooted to the spot, as if they had been thunderstruck. But when they saw Sam Baker dart from behind the hummock, flourishing his harpoon, followed by Gregory and Butts, cheir courage deserted them; they turned in terror and fled. On getting behind the hummocks, however, they halted and peeped over the ledges of ice to see what the seamen did. Sam Baker, being an old whaleman, darted his harpoon cleverly and held fast the struggling animal. At the same time Davy Butts seized the end of the line which the natives had thrown down in terror, and held on to the bull It was almost dead, and quite unable to show any more fight. Seeing that ail was right, Gregory now laid down his rifle and advanced slowly to the hummock behind which the Eii.v'u los had taken refuge. }h^. knew, from the reports of previous travellers, tha<; holding up both arms is a sign of peace with tl:;, jilskimos. He therefore stopped when within a short distance of the hummocks and held up his arms. The signal was understood at once. The natives leaped upon the top of the hummock and 4 * t < .. ;! . If •- }k II m. A 80 FAST IN TTJE ICE held up their arms in reply. Again Gregory tossed up his and made signs to them to draw near. This they did without hesitation, and the doctor shook them by the hand and patted their hairy shoulders. They were all of them stout well-made fellows, about five feet seven or eight inches high, and very broad across the shoulders. They were fat, too, and oily-faced, jolly-looking men. They smiled and talked to each other for a few moments and then spoke to Gre[|;ory, but when he shook his head, as much as to say, "I don't understand you," they burst into a loud laugh. Then they suddenly be- came grave, and ran at full speed towards the hole where the walrus floated. Davy Butts made the usual sign of friendship, and handed them the end of their line, which they seized and set about securing their prize without taking any further notice of their new friends. The manner in which these wild yet good-natured fellows hauled the enormous carcass out of the water was simple and ingenious. They made four cuts in the neck, about two inches apart from each other, and raised the skin between these cuts, thus making two bands. Through one of these bands they passed a line and carried it to a stick made fast in the ice, where they passed it through a loop of well-greased hide. It was then carried back to the animal, made to pass under the second band, and the end was hauled in by the Eskimos. This formed a sort of double pujxhase that enabled them to pull « in '^ FAST IN THB ICE 81 out of the hole a carcass which double their numbers could not have hauled up. Some idea of the bull's weight may be formed when I say that the carcass was eighteen feet long, and eleven feet in circumference at the thickest part. There were no fewer than sixty deep lance-wounds in vario' 3 parts of its body. When seen close at hand the walrus is a very ugly monster. It is something like a gigantic seal, having two large flippers or fins near its shoulders, and two others behind that look lili;e its tail. It uses these in swimming, but can also use them on land, so as to crawl, or rather to bounce forward in a clumsy fashion. By means of its fore-flippers it can raise itself high out of the water and get upon the ice and rocks. It is fond of doing this, and is often found sleeping in the sunshine on the ice and on rocks. It has even been known to scramble up the side of an island to a height of a hundred feet, and there lie basking in the sun. Nevertheless, the water is the proper element of the walrus. All its motions are clumsy and slow until it gets into the sea; there it is "at home." Its upper face has a square bluff look, and its broad muzzle and cheeks are covered by a coarse beard of bristles like quills. The two white tusks point downward. In this they are unlike those of the elephant. The tusks of the bull killed on this occa- sion were thirty inches long. The hide of the walrus is nearly an inch thick, and is covered with close i\ ! k •u m it 83 FAST IN THE ICE . It i, short hair. Beneath the skin he has a thick layer of fat, and this enables him to resist the extreme cold in the midst of which he dwells. The walrus is of great value to the Eskimos. But for it and the seal, these poor members of the human family could not exist at all in those frozen regions. As it is, it costs them a severe struggle to keep the life in their bodies. But they do not complain of what seems to us a hard lot. They have been born to it. They know no happier condition of life. They wish for no better home, and the All-wise Creator has fitted them admirably, both in mind and body, to live, and even to enjoy life, in a region where most other men could live only in great discomfort if they could exist at all. The Eskimos cut the walrus's thick hide into long lines, with which they hunt — as we have seen. They do not cut these lines in strips and join them in many places, but, beginning at one end of the skin, they cut round and round without break to the centre, a ad thus securo a line of many fathoms in length. It is truly said that *' necessity is the mother of invention." These natives have no wood. Not a single tree grows in the whole land of whicl: I am writing. There are plenty of plants, grasses, mosses, and beautiful flowers in summer — growing, too, close beside ice-fields that remain unmelted all the year round. But there is not a tree large enough to make a harpoon of. Consequently the Eskimos are FAST IN THE ICB 83 obliged to make sledges of bones ; and as the bones and tusks of the walrus are not big enough for this purpose, they tie and piece them together in a re- markably neat and ingenious manner. Sometimes, indeed, they find pieces of drift- wood in the sea. Wrecks of whale-ships, too, are occasionally found by the natives in the south of Greenland. A few pieces of the precious wood obtained in this way are exchanged from one tribe »o another, and so Hud their way north. But the further north we go, the fewer pieces of this kind of wood do we find ; and in the far north, where our adventurous voyagers were now ice-bound, the Eskimos have very little wood indeed. Food is the chief object which the Eskimo has in view when he goes out to do battle with the walrus. Its flesh is Somewhat coarse, no doubt, but it is excellent nourishing food notwithstanding, and although a well-fed Englishman might turn up his nose at it, many starving Englishmen have smacked their lips over walrus-beef in days gone by, — ay. and have eaten it raw, too, with much delight ! Let not my reader doubt the truth of this. Well- known and truth-loving men have dwelt for a time in those regions, and some of these have said that they actually came to prefer the walrus flesh raw, because it was more strengthening, and fitted them better for undertaking long and trying journeys in extremely cold weather. One of the most gallant n Mil i n 84 FAST m THE lOB men who ever went to the Polar Seas (Dr. Kane of the American navy) tells us in his delightful book ^ that he frequently ate raw flesh, and liked it, and that the Eskimos often eat it raw. In fact, they are not particular. They will eat it cooked or raw — just as happens to be most convenient for them. When the animals, whose killing I have described, were secured, the Eskimos proceeded to skin and cut them up. The sailors of course assisted, and learned a lesson. While this was going on one of their number went away for a short time and soon returned with a sledge drawn by about a dozen dogs. This they loaded vvith the meat and hide of the bull, intending evidently to leave the cow to their new friends, as being their property. But Gregory thought they were entitled to a share of it, so after loading his sledge with a considerable portion of the meat he gave them the remainder along with the hide. This pleased them mightily, t\nd caused them to talk much, though to little purpose. However, Gregory made good use of the language of signs. He also delighted them with the gift of a brass ring, an old knife, and a broken pencil-case, and made them understand that his abode was not far distant by drawing the figure of a walrus in a hole on the snow, and then a thing like a bee-hive at some distance from it, pointing northward at the same time. He struck a harpoon into the outline of the ^ Arctic Explorations. Ki^'w m^:^ FAST IN THE ICE 86 f walrus to show that it was the animal that had just been killed, and then went and lay down in the picture of the oee-hive to show that he dwelt there. The natives understood this quite well They immediately drew another bee- hive, pointed to the south and to the sun and held up five fingers. From this it v as understood that their village was five days distant from the spot where they then were. He next endeavoured to purchase three of their dogs, but they objected to this, and refused to accept of three knives as a price for them. They were tempted, however, by the offer of a whale harpoon and a hemp line, and at last agreed to let him have three of their best dogs. This the youn*,- doctor considered a piece of great good fortune, and being afraid that they would repent he pre- pared to leave the place at once. The dogs were fastened by lines to the sledge of their new masters. A whip was made out of a strip of walrus hide, a bone served for a handle, and away they went for the brig at a rattling pace, after bidding the natives farewell and making them understand that they hoped to meet again in the course of the winter. Thus happily ended their first meeting with the Eskimos. It may well be believed that there was both astonishment and satisfaction on board the Hope that night when the hunting party returned, much sooner than had b<^en expected, with the whip cracking, the men che g, the dogs howling, ^nd the sledge well laden with fresh meat, I !| t 'I i I « 86 FIST IN THE Id CHAPTER VIII THE CAUSE OF ICE-BERGS — FOX-CHASE— A BEAR ONE day, long after the walrus-hunt just described, Joe Davis stood on the deck of the Hope leaning over the side and looking out to sea — at least in the direction of the sea, for, although mid-day, it was so dark that he could not see very far in any directioii. Joe was conversing with Mr. Dicey on the appearance of things around him. " Do you know, Mr. Dicey," said he, " wot it is as causes them there ice-bergs ? " Mr. Dicey looked very grave and wise for a few seconds without answering. Then he said, in rather a solemn tone, "Well, Davis, to tell you the real truth, I dorit know ! " Now, as this question is one of considerable in- terest, I shall endeavour to answer it for the benefit of the reader. The whole of the interior of Greenland is covered with ice and snow. This snowy covering does not resemble that soft snow which falls on our own hills. It is hard, and Mver melts entirely away. The snow ??. ^fv tAST IN THE iOB 87 there is in some places a thousand feet thick ! It covers all the hill-tops and fills up all the valleys, so that th«. country may be said to be a buried land. Since the world began, perhaps, snow has been falling on it every winter ; but the summers there have been so short that they could not melt away the snow of one winter before that of another came and covered it up and pressed it down. Thus, for ages, the snow of one year has been added to that which was left of the preceding, and the pressure has been so great that the mass has been squeezed nearly as hard as pure ice. The ice that has been formed in this way is called glacier \ and the glaciers of Greenland cover, as I have said, the whole country, so that it can never be cultivated or inhabited by man unless the climate change. There are glaciers of this kind in many other parts of the world. We have them in Swit- zerland and in Norway, but not on nearly so large a scale as in Greenland. Now, although this glacier-ice is clear and hard, it is not quite so solid as pure ice, and when it is pushed down into the valleys, by the increasing masses above, it actually fiows. But this flowing motion cannot be seen. It is like the motion of the hour hand of a watch which cannot be perceived however closely it may be looked at. You might go to one of the valleys of Greenland and gaze at a glacier for days together but you would see no motion whatever. All would appear solid, frozen ;ii I 88 FAST IN THE IClS up, and still. But notice a block of stone lying on the surface of the glacier, and go back many months after and you will find the stone lying a little farther down the valley than when you first saw it. Thus glaciers are formed and thus they slowly move. But what has all this to do with ice-bergs ? We shall see. As the great glaciers of the north, then, are con- tinually moving down the valleys, of course their ends are pushed into the sea. These ends, or tongues, are often hundreds of feet thick. In some places they present a clear glittering wall to the sea of several hundreds of feet in height, with perhaps as much again lost to view down in the deep water. As the extremities of these tongues are shoved farther and farther out they chip off and float away. These chips are ice-hergs I I have already said that ice- bergs are sometimes miles in extent — like islands ; that they sink seven or eight hundred feet below the surface, while their tops rise more than a hundred feet above it — like mountains. If these, then, are the " chips " of the Greenland glaciers what must the " old blocks " be? Many a long and animated discussion the sailors had that winter in the cabin of the Hcrpe on the subject of ice and ice-bergs ! When the dark nights drew on little or nothing could be done outside by our voyagers, and when the ice everywhere closed up, all the animals forsook them except Polar bears, so that they ran short of fresh provisions. As months of dreary darkness FAST IN THE ICE 89 passed away, the scurvy, that terrible disease, began to show itself among the men ; their bodies became less able to withstand the cold, and it was difficult for them at last to keep up their spirits. But they fought against their troubles bravely. Captain Harvey knew well that when a man's spirits go he is not worth much. He therefore did his utmost to cheer and enliven those around him. One day, for instance, he went on deck to breathe a mouthful of fresh air. It was about eleven in the forenoon, and the moon was shining brightly in the clear sky. The stars, too, and the aurora borealis, helped to make up for the total absence of the sun. The cold air cut like a knife against his face when he issued from the hatchway, and the cold nose of one of the dogs immediately touched his hand, as the animal gambolled re und him with delight ; for the extreme severity of the weather began to tell on the poor dogs and made them draw more lovingly to their human companions. "Hoi hallo!" shouted the captain down the hatchway. " A fox-chase ! a fox-chase ! Tumble up all hands 1 " The men were sitting at the time in a very dull and silent mood. They were much cast down, for as it had been cloudy weather for some weeks past, thick darkness had covered them night and day, so that they could not tell the one from the other, except by the help of their watches, which were kept carefully going. Their journals, also, were ;* I I m'l, K 'i! 90 FAST IN THE ICE written up daily, otherwise they must certainly have got confused in their time altogether ! In consequence of this darkness the men wer6 confined almost entirely to the cabin for a time. Those who had scurvy got worse ; those who were well became gloomy. Even Pepper, who was a tremendous joker, held his tongue, and Joe Davis, who was a great singer, became silent, Jim Crofts was in his bunk " down " with the scurvy, and stout Sam Baker, who was a capital teller of stories, could not pluck up spirit enough to open his mouth. *• In fact," as Mr. Dicey said, " they all had a most 'orrible fit o' the blues ! " The captain and officers were in better health and spirits than the men, though they all fared alike at the same table and did the same kind of work, whatever that might chance to be. The officers, however, were constantly exerting themselves to cheer the men, and I have no doubt that this very effort of theirs was the means of doing good to themselves. "He that watereth others shall be watered" says the Word of God. I take this to mean — he that does good to others shall get good to himself. So it certainly was with the officers of the Hope, When the captain's shout reached the cabin, Jim Crofts had just said : " 1 11 tell 'ee what it is, mess- mates, if this here state o* things goes on much longer, I '11 go out on the floes, walk up to the first Polar bear I meet, and ask him to take his supper off me ! " I If AST IN THE IClB 01 There was no laugh at this, but Pepper remarked in a quiet way *hat " he needn't put himself to so much trouble, tor he was such a pale-faced, dis- agreeable-looking object, that no bear would eat him unless it was starving." " Well, then, I '11 offer myself to a starvin' bear, — to on ! that 's a'most dead with hunger," retorted Jim gloomily. "What's that the cap'en is singin' out?" said Davy Butts, who was mending a pair of canvas shoes. The men roused themselves at once ; for the hope of anything new turning up excited them. " Hallo ! ho ! " roared the captain again, in a voice that might have started a dead walrus, " Tumble up there ! — a fox-chase ! I '11 give my second-best fur- coat to the man that catches foxey ! " In one instant the whole crew were scrambling up the ladder. Even Jim Crofts, who was really ill, rolled out of his bunk and staggered on deck, saying he would have a " go after foxey if he should die for it ! " . The game of fox is simple. One man is chosen to be the fox. He runs off and the rest follow. They are bound to go wherever the fox leads. In this case it was arranged that the fox should run round the deck until he should be caught ; then the man who caught him should become fox and continue rurming on with all the rest following until he, in turn, should be caught, and so on until the one who 'i n i \l «L IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) z 1.0 H"^ I I.I ■UUt. 2.5 2.2 U^ 11.4 1^ 9 <^ /i / >^ % S om w Hiotographic Sdences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 Id FAST IN THE ICE could run longest and fastest should break down all the rest. The warm fur-coat was a prize worth running for in such a cold climate, so the game began with spirit. Young Gregory offered to be fox first, and away they went with a yell. Mr. Mansell was a little lame, and soon gave in. Mr. Dicey fell at the second round and was unable to recover distance. Gregory would certainly have gained the coat, for he was strong and had been a crack racer at school ; but he did not want the coat, so allowed Sam Baker to crtch him. Sam held on like a deer for a few minutes, and one after another the men dropped off as they were blown. Jim Crofts, poor fellow, made a gallant burst, but his limbs refused to help his spirit. He fell, and was assisted below by the captain and replaced in his bunk, where, however, he felt the benefit of his efforts. The chase was now kept up by Sam Baker, Joe Davis, and Butts. These three were struggling on and panting loudly while their comrades danced about, clapped their mittened hands and shouted, "Now then, Sam ! — go in and win, Joe I — Butts for ever ! " and such like encouraging cries. To the surprise of every one Davy Butts came off the winner, and for many a day after that enjoyed the warm coat which he said his long legs had gained for him. This effort of the captain to cheer the men was very successful, so he resolved to follow it up with an attempt at private theatricals. Accordingly, •'r* I f-AST IN tllE ICE 93 ^1 the thing was proposed and heartily agreed to. Next day every one was busy making preparations. Tom Gregory agreed to write a short play. Sam Baker, being the healthiest man on board, was willing to act the part of an invalid old lady, and Jim Crofts consented to become a gay young doctor for that occasion. Meanwhile the captain arranged a piece of real work, for he felt that the attempt to keep up the spirits alone would not do. They had been for a long time living on salt provisions. Nothing could restore the crew but fresh meat — yet fresh meat was not to be had. The walrus and deer were gone, and although foxes and bears were still around them they had failed in all their attempts to shoot or trap any of these animals. A visit to the Eskimo camp, therefore (if such a camp really existed), became necessary ; so, while the theatricals were in preparation, a small sledge was rigged up, Gregory and Sam Baker were chosen to go with him ; the dogs were harnessed, and, on a fine starry forenoon, away they went to the south at full gallop with three hearty cheers from the crew of the brig, who were left in charge of the first mate. The journey thus undertaken was one full of risk. It was not known how far distant the natives might be, or where they were likely to be found. The weather was intensely cold. Only a small quantity of preserved meat could be taken — for the rest, vhey trusted in some measure to their guns. But the 94 t-AST IN THE let; captain's great hope was to reach the Eskimo village in a day or two at the farthest. If he should fail to do so, the prospect of himself and his crew surviving the remainder of the long winter was, he felt, very gloomy indeed. Success attended this expedition at the very be- ginning. They had only been eight hours out when they met a bear sitting on its haunches behind a nummock. "Hallo! look out!" cried Gregory on catching sight of him. " Fire, lads," said the captain, " I 'm not quite ready." Gregory fired, and the bear staggered. Baker then fired, and it fell ! This was a blessing which filled their hearts so full of thankfulness that they actually shook hands with each other and then gave vent to three hearty cheers. Their next thoughts were given to their comrades in the Ho'pe. " You and Baker will camp here, Tom," said the captain, " and I will return to the brig with a sledge- load of the meat. When I've put it aboard I'll come straight back to you. We '11 keep a ham for ourselves, of course. Now, then, to work." To work the three men went. A hind leg of the bear was cut off, the rest was lashed firmly on the sledge, and the dogs enjoyed a feed while this was being done. Then the captain cracked his whip. " Good-bye, lads," " Good-bye, captain," and away he and the dogs and sledge went, and were soon lost to view among the hummocks of the frozen sea. FAST IN THB lOB »5 CHAPTER IX A VISIT TO THE ESKIMOS — WONDERFUL DOINGS— A MYSTERY THE proceedings of this sledge-party were so interesting that I gi\e them in the words of Tom Gregory's journal : — " Sunday. — We have indeed cause to rejoice and to thank God for His mercies this morning. Last night we shot a bear, and the captain is away with the carcass of it to our poor scurvy-smitten friends in the Hope. This Sunday will be a real day of rest for me and Sam Baker, though our resting-place is a very queer one. After the captain left us, we looked about for a convenient place to encamp, and only a few yards from the spot where we killed the bear we found the ruins of an old Eskimo hut made partly of stones partly of ice. We set to work to patch it up with snow, and made it perfectly air-tight in about two hours. " Into this we carried our bear-skins and things, spread them on the snowy floor, put a lump of bear's fat into our tin travelling lamp, and prepared supper. 96 FAST IN THI ICE We were not particular about the cookery. We cut a couple of huge slices off our bear's ham, half roasted them over the lamp, and began. It was cut, roast, and come again, for the next hour and a half. I positively never knew what hunger was until I came to this savage country ! And I certainly never before had any idea of how much I could eat at one sitting I " This hearty supper was washed down with a swig of melted snow-water. We had some coffee with us, but were too tired to infuse it. Then we blocked up the door with snow, rolled our bear-skins round us, and were sound asleep in five minutes. " Lucky for us that we were so careful to stop up every hole with snow, for, during the night, the wind rose and it became so intensely cold that Baker and I could scarcely keep each other warm enough to sleep, tired though we were. At this moment my fingers are so stiff that they will hardly hold the pencil with which I write, and the gale is blowing so furiously outside that we dare not open the door. This door, by the way, is only a hole big enough to creep through. The captain cannot travel to-day. He knows we are safe, so I will not expect him. I have brought my small Testament with me. It has hitherto been my constant travelling companion. I am thus provided with mental food. But in truth I shall not want much of that for the next twelve hours. Eest! rest I rest! is what we require. No one can imagine how a man can enjoy rest after he FAST IN TRI lOE 97 if has been for many months exposed to constant, ex- hausting, heart-breaking toil, with the thermometer always below zero, and with nothing but salt food to keep him alive. " Tuesday night. — Here we are at last — among the Eskimos I and what a queer set they are, to be sure. All fat and fur ! They look as broad as they are long. They wear short fox- and seal-skin coats or shirts with hoods to them ; no trousers, but long boots that come up and meet the coats. Women, men, and babies, all dressed alike, or nearly so. The only difference is, that the women's boots are longer and wider than those of the men. But I forget — yes, there is one other difference ; the women have tails to their coats ; the men have none ! Keal tails — not like the broad skirts of our dress-coats, but long narrow tails something like the tail of a cow, with a broadish flap at the end of it. This they evidently look upon as a handsome ornament, for I observe that, when they go off on a journey, each woman buttons her tail up to her waist to keep it out of the way, and when she returns she unbuttons it and comes into camp with her tail flowing grace- fully behind her ! " We had a terrible journey of it down here. The captain returned to us on Monday morning early, and the next two days we spent struggling over the hummocks and out upon the floes. It was so cold that the wind cut into our very marrow. We have all had our faces frozen, more or less, but not badly. 98 FAST IN THE ICE w Ml- Baker will have an ugly spot on the end of his nose for some weeks to come. It is getting black now, and as the nose itself :«? bright red and much swelled his appearance is not improved. I foolishly tried to eat a little snow yesterday morning, and the con- sequence is that my lips are sore and bloody. On Monday afternoon the dogs and sledge went head over heels into a deep rut in the ice, and it cost us two hours to get them out again. Luckily no damage was done, although the captain was on the sledge at the time. " We had almost despaired of finding the village when we came upon a sledge track that led us straight up to it. I shall never forget the beauty of the scene on our arrival. The sky was lighted up with the most beautiful aurora I have yet seen in these regions. Stars spangled the sky in millions. Great ice-bergs rose in wild confusion in the dis- tance, and all along the shore for a few hundred yards were clusters of snow-huts. They looked exactly like big bee-hives. I have seen many a strange house, but the strangest of all is certainly a house of snow ! To-day I was fortunate enough to see one built It was done very neatly. The hard snow was cut into slabs with a wooden knife. These were piled one above another in regular order and cemented with snow — as bricks are with lime. The form of the wall was circular, and the slabs were so shaped that they sloped inwards, thus forming a dome, or large bee-hive, with a key-stone slab in *:^ -p' PAST IN THK ICE 99 his nose ack now, [1 swelled hly tried the con- 3dy. On ent head id it cost uckily no as on the he village it led us le beauty lighted up [t seen in millions, the dis- hundred ly looked many a ertainly a snough to The hard e. These order and me. The s were so brming a e slab in the top to keep all firm. A hole was then cut in the side for a door — just large enough to admit of a man creeping through. In front of this door a porch or passage of snow was built. The only way of getting into the hut is by creeping on hands and knees along the passage. A hole was also cut in the roof, into which was inserted a piece of clear ice to serve for a window. " The natives received us with wild surprise, and I found my old friends the walrus hunters among them. They were remarkably friendly. One stout middle-aged fellow invited us to his hut I am now seated in it beside the Eskimo's wife, who would be a good-looking woman if she were not so fat, dirty, and oily 1 But we cannot expect people living in this fashion and in such a country to be very clean. Although the hut is white outside it is by no means white inside. They cook all their food over an oil lamp, which also serves to heat the place ; and it is wonderful how warm a house of snow becomes. The cold outside is so great as to prevent the walls melting inside. Besides Myouk, our host, and his wife, there are two of the man's sisters, two lads, two girls, and a baby in the hut. Also six dogs. The whole of them — men, women, children, and dogs — are as fat as they can be, for they have been success- ful in walrus-hunting of late. No wonder that the perspiration is running down my face ! The natives feel the heat too, for they are all half naked — the baby entirely so ; but they seem to like it I G 100 FAST IN THE ICE "What a chattering, to be sure! I am trying to take notes, and Myouk's wife is staring at me with her mouth wide open. It is a wonder she can open her eyes at all, her cheeks are so fat. The captain is trying, by the language of signs, to get our host to understand that we are much in want of fresh meat. Sam Baker is making himself agreeable to the young people, and the plan he has hit upon to amuse them is to show them his watch, and let them hear it tick. Truly, I have seldom seen a happier family group than this Eskimo household under their snowy roof I " There is to be a grand walrus-hunt to-morrow. We shall accompany them and see whether our endurance on a long march and our powers with the rifle cannot impress them with some respect for us. At present they have not much. They seem to think us a pale-faced set of helpless creatures. " Wednesday night. — We have just returned from the hunt ; and a tremendous hunt it was 1 Six walrus and two bears have been killed, and the whole village is wild with delight. Cooking is going on in every hut. But they have no patience. Nearly every one is munching away at a lump of aw walrus flesh. All their faces are more or less greasy and bloody. Even Myouk's baby — though not able to speak — is choking itself with a long stringy piece of blubber. The dogs, too, have got their share. An Eskimo's chief happiness seems to be in eating, and I cannot FAST IN THE ICE 101 wcnder at it, for the poor creatures have hard work to get food, and they are often on the verge ot starvation. "What a dirty set they are I I shall never forget the appearance of Myouk's hut when we entered it this evening after returning from the hunt. The man's wife had made the wick of her stone lamp as long as possible in order to cook a large supper. There were fifteen people crowded together in this hive of snow, and the heat had induced them to throw off the greater part of their clothing. Every hand had a greasy lump of bear or walrus meat in it; every mouth was in full occupation, and every fat face, of man, woman, and child, was beaming with delight, and covered with dirt and oil ! "The captain and I looked at each other and smiled as we entered, and Sam Baker la,ughed outright. This set all the natives laughing too. We did not much relish the idea of supping and sleeping in such a place — but necessity has no law. We were hungry as hawks, desperately tired, and the temperature outside is 35° below zero. The first duty of the night is now over. We have supped. The natives will continue to eat the greater part of the night. They eat till they fall asleep; if they chance to awake they eat again. Half of them are asleep now — and snoring. The other half are eating slowly, for they are nearly full. The heat and smell are awful! I am perspiring at every pore. We V'« r I i \ 102 FAST IN THE ICK have taken off as much of our clothes as decency will permit. Sam has on a pair of trousers — nothing more. I am in the same state! There is little room, as may be supposed. We have to lie huddled up as we best can, and a strange sight we are as the red light of the flaring lamp falls on us. At this moment Myouk's wife is cutting a fresh steak. The youngest boy is sound asleep with a lump of fat between his teeth. The captain is also sound, with his legs sprawling over the limbs of half a dozen slumbering natives. He is using the baby as a pillow. It is curious to think that these poor creatures always live in this way. Sometnnes feasting, sometimes starving. Freezing out on the tloes ; stewing under their roofs of snow. Usually fat ; for the most part jolly ; always dirty ! " It is sad, too, to think of this ; for it is a low condition for human beings to live in. They seem to have no religion at all. Certainly none that is worthy of the name. I am much puzzled when I think of the difficulties in the way of introducing Christianity among these northern Eskimos. No missionary could exist in such a climate and in such circumstances. It is with the utmost difficulty that hardy seamen can hold out for a year, even with a ship-load of comforts. Fnt this is too deep a subject to write about to-night! I can't keep my eyes open. I will, therefore, close my note- book and lie down to sleep — perhaps to be suffo- cated ! I hope not I " :,i- / n FAST IN THE ICE 103 Jg Accordingly, our young friend the doctor did lie down to sleep, and got through the night without being suffocated. Indeed he slept so soundly that Captain Harvey could scarcely rouse him next morning. "Hallo! Tom! Tom!" cried he loudly, at the same time shaking his nephew's arm violently. "Ay! eh!" and a tremendous yawn from Tom. " What now, uncle ? Time to rise, is it ? where ami?" "Time to rise," replied the captain, laughing, "I should think it is. Why, it's past eleven in the forenoon. The stars are bright and the sky clear. The aurora, too, is shining. Come, get up! The natives are all outside watching Sam while he packs our sledge. The laches are going about the camp whisking their tails and whacking their babies in great glee, for it is not every du^v they ttujjo^ . _h a feed as they had last night. ' In half an hour they were ready The whole village turned out to see them start. Myouk, with his wife Oomia, and he baby, uw^ his son Meetek, accompanied them to ilefuge Harbour. Oow io 'i baby was part of herself. She could not move without it J It was always naked, but being stuffed into the hooi of its mother's fur coat, it seemed always warnx. " I say, Tom, what 's that up in the sky ? " said Captain Harvey suddenly, after they had been driving for a couple of hours. " It 's the strangest- looking thing I ever did see." ) 104 FAST IN THE ICE " So it is," replied Gregory, gazing intently at the object in question, which seemed high up in the air. "It can't be a comet, because it gives no light." " Perhaps not, but it has got a tail, that *s a fact," said Baker in a voice of surprise. "Who ever heard of a dark, four-cornered star with a tail ? If I had seen it in daylight, and in Merry England, I would have said it was a kite ! " " A kite ! nonsense," cried the captain, " what in the world can it be ? " Eeader, you shall find that out in the next chapter. 11 < >J RHQinitAUX VlJLIJkOK. ^1 K- FAST IN THE ICB 107 CHAPTER X THE TALE OF A KITE — A GREAT BEAR-FIGHT WHEN Mr. Mansell was left in charge of the brig, a heavy weight lay on his heart, and he could by no means take part in the preparations for the theatricals which occupied the rest of the crew. He felt that life or death depended on the success of the captain in his search for fresh meat. Already most of the men were ill with scurvy, and some of them were alarmingly low. Nothing could save them but fresh meat, and when the first mate thought of the difficulties and dangers of a journey on the floes in such weather, and the uncertainty of the Eskimos being discovered, his heart misgave him. About an hour after the departure of Captain Harvey on the Monday morning he took Davy Butt aside. "Davy," said he, "youVe been at work on these kites a long time. Are they nearly finished 1 " " Quite finished, sir," answered Butts. "Then get them up, for there is a good breeze. '<. ■ » i m" 108 FAST IN THE ICE I shall try them on our small sledges. It will at least stir up and amuse the men." Ten minutes after this the crew were summoned on deck to witness an experiment. A small dog sledge lay on the hard snow beside the vessel, and near to this Davy Butts and Mr. Dicey were hold- ing on to a stout line, at the end of which an enormous kite was pulling. This kite was square in shape, made of the thickest brown paper, and nearly six feet across. That its power was great was evident from the difficulty with which the two men held it. The end of the line was fastened to the sledge. " Now, boys, ease off line till it is taut, and then wait for the word," said Davy Butts, jumping on to the sledge. " Now — let go ! " Away went the sledge over the hard snow at the rate of three miles an hour, which soon increased to double that rate. Davy cheered and waved his arms. The men gave one loud "hurrah" of surprise and delight and set off in mad pursuit. They were soon left behind. " Hold on, Davy ! " " Good-bye, Butts." " Look out, mind the ridge ! " The last warning was needful. The sledge was rushing furiously towards a long ridge of ice which rose in a sharp slope to a height of three feet, and descended on the other side to an equal depth, but without any slope. Davy saw his danger, but he did not dare to put out foot or hand to check his progress. Even if he had it would have been of '.^ PAST IN THE ICE 109 no use. Up the slope he went as a sea-gull skims over a wave ; for one moment he was in the air — the next, he came down with a crash that nearly dislocated all his joints, and his teeth came together with a loud snap. (By good fortune his tongue was not between them !) The sledge was a strong one, and the thing was done so quickly and neatly that it did not upset. But now a large and rugged hummock lay right before him. To go against that would have been certain death, so Davy made up his mind at once and jumped off at the smoothest part of the floe he could find. The lightened sledge sprang away like a rocket, and was brought up with a sudden jerk by the hummock. Of course the line broke, and the kite commenced to descend. It twirled and circled violently round, and at last went crash into an ice-berg, where it was broken to pieces ! "Not so bad for a beginning," said Mansell, as poor Davy came back, looking very crestfallen. " Now, Butts, come below. You have proved that the thing wUl do. Mr. Dicey, get yourself ready for a trip over the ice. Let three men prepare to accompany you. I shall send you off to-morrow." Dicey, much surprised, went ofi" to obey these orders; and Mansell with the assistance of Butts fitted the second kite for the intended journey. He made a rough guess at the strength of its pull, and loaded the sledge accordingly. Two tail ropes were fastened to the last bar of the sledge for the * PI m [•j- no FAST IN THE lOE ^ii men to hold on by and check its speed. A sort of anchor was made by which it could be stopped at any moment, and two stout poles with iron claws at the end of them were prepared for scraping over the snow and checking the pace. Next day all was ready. A trial was made, and the thing found to work admirably. The trial trip over they bade their comrades farewell, and away they went due south, in the direction where the native village was supposed to be. It /as this remarkable tow-horse that had filled Captain Harvey and his companions with so much surprise. The appearance of the sledge imme- diately after, with a shout and cheer from Dicey and the men, explained the mystery. Being so near the Eskimo camp they at once returned to it, in order to allow the newly arrived party to rest, as well as to load their sledge with as much fresh meat as it could carry; for which supplies the captain took care to pay the natives with a few knives and , a large quantity of hoop- iron — articles that were much more valuable to them than gold. As the wind could not be made to turn about to suit their convenience, the kite was brought down and given to Davy to carry, and a team of native dogs was harnessed to the sledge instead. On the following day the united party «et out on their return to the brig, which they reached in safety. Tom Gregory's account of the Eskimos who ac- 1' FAST IN THE ICE 111 companied them to their wooden home is amusing. His journal runs thus : — "The amazement of our visitors is very great. Myouk, his wife and baby, and his son Meetek, are now our guests. When they first came in sight of the brig they uttered a wild shout — the men did so, at least — and tossed their arms and opened their eyes and mouths. They have never shut them since. They go all round the vessel staring and gaping with amazement. "We have given them a number of useful presents, and intend to send them home loaded with gifts for their friends. It is necessary to make a good impression on them. Oui lives depend very much on the friendship of these poor people. We find that they are terrible thieves. A number of knives and a hatchet were missed — they were found hidden in Myouk's sledge. We tried to prevail on Oomia to sell her long boots. To our surprise she was quite willing to part with one. but nothing would induce her to give up the other. One of the men observed her steal a knife out of the cabin and hide it in the leg of her boot. The reason was now plain. We pulled off the boot without asking leave, and found there a large assort- ment of articles stolen from us. Two or three knives,, a spoon, a bit of hoop-iron, and a marline spike. I have tried to make them understand by signs that this is very wicked conduct, but they only laugh at me. They are not in the least ashamed, and evidently regard stealing as no sin. T' » t I 112 FAST IN THE ICE }^ [\ : " We have shot a musk ox. There are many of these creatures in other parts of the Arctic Regions, but this is the first we have seen here. He fell to my rifle, and is now being devoured by ourselves and our dogs with great relish. He is about the size of a very small cow, has a large head, and enor- mously thick horns, which cover the whole top of his head, bend down towards his cheeks, and then curve up and outwards at the point. He is covered with long brown hair, which almost reaches the ground, and has no tail worthy of the name. He seems to be an active and an angry creature. When I wounded him he came at me furiously, but had not pluck to charge home. As he turned away I gave him the shot that killed him. The meat is not bad, but it smells strongly of musk. Walrus is better. " Myouk and his son Meetek and I have had a most exciting bear-hunt since we returned. I fol- lowed these men one day, as I thought them bold active-looking fellows who would be likely to show me good Eskimo sport. And I was not disappointed. " About two miles from the brig we came on fresh bear tracks. A glow of the aurora gave us plenty of light. ' What is yon round white lump V thought I. * A bear ? No, it must be a snow-wreath !' Myouk did not think so, for he ran behind a lump of ice, and became excited. He made signs to me to remain there while he and his son should go and attack the bear. They were armed each with a long lance. I must say, when I remembered the size and \ '^ FAST IN THE ICE 113 strength of the Polar bear, that I was surprised to find these men bold enough to attack him with such arms. I had my rifle, but determined not to use it except in case of necessity. I wished to see how the natives were accustomed to act. "They were soon ready. Gliding swiftly from one lump of ice to another they got near enough to make a rush. I was disobedient ! I followed, and when the rush was made I was not far behind them. The bear was a very large one. It uttered an angry growl on seeing the men running towards it, and rose on its hind-legs to receive them. It stood nearly eight feet high when in this position, and looked really a terrible monster. I stood still behind a hummock at a distance of about fifty yards with my rifle ready. " On coming close up the.father and son separated, and approached the bear one on each side. This divided his attention and puzzled him very much ; for, when he made a motion as if he were going to rush at Myouk, Meetek flourished his spear and obliged him to turn, then Myouk made a demon- stration and turned him back again. Thus they were enabled to get close to its side before it could make up its mind which to attack. But the natives soon settled the question for it. Myouk was on the bear's right side, Meetek o'n his left The father pricked it with the point of his lance. A tremendous roai followed, and the enraged animal turned towards him. This was just what he wanted, because it 1 ii \ y H .' ;r,] / 114 FAST IN THE ICE ;< gave the sou an opportunity of making a deadly thrust.^ Meetek was not slow to do it. He plunged his lance deep into the bear's heart, and it fell at once at full length, while a crimson stream poured out of the wound upon the snow. " While this fight was going on I might have shot the animal through the heart with great ease, for it was quite near to me, and when it got up on its hind- legs its broad chest presented a fine target. It was difficult to resist the temptation to fire, but I wished to see the native manner of doing the thing from beginning to end, so did not interfere. I. was re- warded for my self-denial. " Half an hour later, while we were dragging the carcass towards the brig, we came unexpectedly upon another bear. Myouk and Meetek at once grasped their lances and ran forward to attack him. I now resolved to play them a trick. Besides my rifle I carried a large horse-pistol in my belt. This I examined, and, finding it all right, I followed close at the heels of the Eskimos. Bruin got up on his hind-legs as before, and the two men advanced close to him. I stopped when within thirty yards, cocked my rifle and stood ready. Myouk was just going to thrust with his lance when — hang t went my rifle. The bear fell. It was shot right through the heart, but it struggled for some time after that. The natives seemed inclined to run away when they heard the shot, but I laughed and made signs of * See frontispiece. ^K- H in FAST IN THE ICE 115 friendship. Then I went close up and shot the bear through the head with my pistol. This affair has filled my savage companions with deep respect for me!" These two bears were the last they obtained that winter; but as a good supply of meat had been obtained from the Eskimos they were relieved from anxiety for the time, and the health of the men began to improve a little. But this happy state of things did not last till spring. These sorely tried men were destined to endure much suffering before the light of the sun came back to cheer their droop- ing spirits. il \j U6 7AST IN THE ICS If if* CHAPTER XI CHRISTMAS-TIME — DEATH — RETURNING LIGHT AND HOPE — DISASTERS AND FINAL DELIVERANCE CHRISTMAS came at last, but with it came no bright sun to remind those ice-bound men of our Saviour — tlie " Sun of Righteousness " — whose birth the day commemorated. It was even darker than usual in Refuge Harbour on that Christmas Day. It was so dark at noon that one could not see any object more than a few yards distant from the eyes. A gale of wind from the nor'- west blew the snow-drift in whirling ghost-like clouds round the llopet so that it was impossible to face it for a moment. So intense was the cold that it felt like sheets of fire being driven against the face ! Truly it was a day well fitted to have depressed the hearti- est of men. But man is a wonderful creature, not easy to comprehend I The very things that ought to have cast down the spirits of the men of the Rope were the things that helped to cheer them. About this time, as I have said, the health of the crew had improved a little, so they were prepared to make the most of everything. Those feelings of kindliness and goodwill, which warm the breasts of FAST IN THE lOB 117 all right-minded men at this season of the year, filled our Arctic voyagers to overflowing. Thoughts of " home " came crowding on them with a power that they had not felt at other times. Each man knew that on this day, more than any other day of that long dark winter, the talk round a well-known hearth in Merry England would be of one who was far, far away in the dark regions of ice and snow. A tear or two that could not be forced back tumbled over rough cheeks which were not used to that kind of salt water ; and many a silent prayer went up to call down a blessing on the heads of dear ones at home. It blew " great guns outside," as Baker said, but what of that^ it was a dead calm in the cabin! It was as dark as a coal-hole on the floes. What then ? it was bright as noon-day in the Hope I No sun blazed through the sky-light, to be sure, but a lamp, filled with fat, glared on the table, and a great fire of coal glowed in the stove. Both of these together did not make the place too warm, but there were fur coats and trousers and boots to help to defy the cold. The men were few in number and not likely to see many friends on that Christmas Day. All the more reason why they should make the most of each other ! Besides, they were wrong in their last idea about friends, for it chanced, on that very day, that Myouk the Eskimo paid them a visit — quite ignorant of its being Christmas, of course. Meetek was with him, and so was Oomia, and so was the baby — that re- i i ii Hi '4 !! i . I ' i 118 PAST IN THE ICE mariably fat, oily, naked baby, that seemed rather to enjoy the cold than otherwise ! They had a plum-pudding that day. Butts said it was almost as big as the head of a walrus. They had also a roast of beef — walrus beef, of course — and first-rate it was. But before dinner the captain made them go through their usual morning work of cleaning, airing, making beds, posting journals, noting temperatures, opening the fire-hole, and redding up. For the captain was a great believer in the value of discipline. He knew that no man enjoys, himself so much as he who has got through his work early — wlio has done his duty. It did not take them long, and when it was done, the captain said, " Now, boys, we must be jolly to-day. As we can't get out we must take some exercise in-doors. We shall need extra appetite to make away with that plum-pudding." So, at it they went ! Every sort of game or feat of strength known to sailors was played, or attempted. It was in the middle of all this that Myouk and his family arrived, 30 they were compelled to join; even the fat baby was put into a blanket and swung round the cabin by Jim Croft, to the horror of its mother, who seemed to think it would be killed, and to the delight of its father, who didn't seem to care whether it was killed or not. Then came the dinner. What a scene that was, to be sure ! It would take a whole book to describe all that was said and done that day. The Eskimos ate till they could hardly stand — that was their FAST IN THE ICE 119 usual custom. Then they lay down and went to sleep — that was their usual custom too. The rest ate as heartily, poor fellows, as was possible for men not yet quite recovered from scurvy. They had no wine, but they had excellent coffee, and with this they drank to absent friends, sweethearts and wives, and many other toasts, the mere mention of which raised such strong home-feelings in their breasts that some of them almost choked in the attempt to cheer. Then came songs and stories — all of them old, very old indeed — but they came out on this occasion as good as new. The great event of the evening, however, was a fancy ball, in which our friends Butts, Baker, Gregory, and Pepper distin- guished themselves. They had a fiddle, and Dawkins the steward could play it. He knew nothing but Scotch reels; but what could have been better? They could all dance, or, if they could not, they all tried. Myouk and Meetek were made to join, and they capered as gracefully as Polar bears, which ani- mals they strongly resembled in their hairy garments. Late in the evening came supper. It was just a repetition of dinner, with the remains of the pudding fried in bear's grease. Thus passed Christmas Day ; much in the same way passed New Year's Day. Then the men settled down to their old style of life ; but the time hung so heavy on their hands that their spirits began to sink again. The long darkness became intolerable and the fresh meat began to fail. Everything with *♦ ! if' n ) i. m f 120 FAST IN THE ICE life seemed to have forsaken the place. The captain made another trip to the Eskimo village and found the huts empty — the whole race had flown, he knew not whither I The private theatricals were at first very successful; but by degrees they lost their interest and were given up. Then a school was started and Gregory became head-master. Writing and arithmetic were the only branches taught. Some of the men were much in need of instruction, and all of them took to the school with energy and much delight. It lasted longer than the theatricals did. As time wore on the fresh meat was finished," scurvy became worse, and it was as much as the men who were not quite knocked down could do to attend to those who were. Day after day Tom Gregory and Sam Baker went out to hunt and each day returned empty-handed. Sometimes an Arctic hare or a fox was got ; but not often. At last rats were eaten as food. These creatures swarmed in the hold of the brig. They were caught in traps and shot with a bow and a blunt-headed arrow. But few of the men would eat them. The captain urged them to do so in vain. Those who did eat kept in better health than those who did not. At last death came. Mr. Mansell sank beneath the terrible disease and was buried on the island. No grave could be dug in that hard frozen soil. The burial service was read by his sorrowing comrades over his body, which was frozen quite hard before they reached the grave, and then they laid it in a tomb of ice. FAST IN THE ICE 121 Time hung heavier than ever after that. Death is at all times a terrihle visitant, but in such a place and in such circumstances it was tenfold more awful than usual. The blank in so small a band was a great one. It would perhaps have depressed them more than it did had their own situation been less desperate. But thej had too fierce a battle to fight with disease, and the midnight gloom and the bitter frost, to give way to much feeling about him who was gone. Thus the long winter passed heavily away. The sun came back at last, and when he came his beams shone upon a pale, shattered and heart- weary band of men. But with his cheering light came also hope, and health soon followed in his train. Let young Gregory's journal tell the rest of our story, little of which now remains to be told. "February 2\st. — I have to record with joy and gratitude that the sun shone on the peaks of the ice- bergs to-day. The first time it has done so since October last. By the end of this month we shall have his rays on deck. I climbed to the top of a berg and actually bathed in sunshine this forenoon ! We are all quite excited by the event, some of us even look jolly. Ah ! what miserable faces my com- rades have ! so pale, so thin ! "We are all as weak as water. The captain and I are the strongest. Baker is also pretty well. Crofts and Davis are almost useless, the rest are quite helpless. The captain cooks. Baker and I hunt. Crofts and Davis attend to the sick. Another month of darkness would have killed the half of us. •!' I ^ ii 122 FAST IN THE ICE "March Idth. — I shot a bear to-day. It did my heart good to see the faces of the men when I brought them the news and a piece of the flesh ! The cold is not quite so intense now. Our coldest day this year has been the 17th of January. The glass stood at ^V below zero on that morning. What a winter W3 have had ! I shudder when I think of it. But th^re is more cause to be anxious about what yet lies before us. A single bear will not last long. Many weeks must pass before we are free. In June we hope to be released from our ice-prison. Fresh meat we shall then have in abundance. With it strength will return, and then, if God permits, we shall attempt to continue our voyage northward. The captain is confident on the point of open water round the Pole. The men are game for anything, in spite of their sad condition." Thus wrote Gregory at that date. Many weeks later we find him writing as follows : — "June \^th. — ^Free at last! The ice has been breaking up out at sea for some time past. It gave way in Eefuge Harbour yesterday, and we warped out in the night. Everything is ready to push north again. We have been feeding heartily for many weeks on walrus, seals, wild-fowl, and last, but not least, on some grasses which make bad greens, but they have put scurvy to flight. All the jnen are well and strong and fit for hard work — Ihough nothing like what they were when we first same here. Could it be otherwise ? There are some FAST IN THE ICE 123 of us who will carry the marks of this winter to our graves. The bright beautiful sunlight shines now, all day and all night, cheering our hearts and in- spiring hope. ''June XUh. — All is lost! How little we know what a day may bring forth ! Our good little brig is gone, and we are here on the ice without a thing in the world except the clothes on our backs. 1 have saved my note-book, which chanced to be in my breast-pocket when the nip took place. How awfully sudden it was ! We now appreciate the wise forethought of Captain Harvey in sending the large boat to Forlorn-Hope Bay. This boat is our last and only hope. We shall have to walk forty miles before we reach it. " Our brig went down at three o'clock this after- noon. We had warped out into the floes to catch a light breeze that was blowing outside. For some time we held on steadily to the northward, but had not got out of sight of our winter quarters when a stream of ice set down upon us and closed in all round. At first we thought nothing of this, having escaped so many dangers of the kind last autumn, but by degrees the pressure increased alarmingly. We were jammed against a great ice-field which was still fast to the shore. In a few moments the sides of our little vessel began to creak and groan loudly. The men laboured like tigers at the ice- poles, but in vain. We heard a loud report in the cabin. No one knows what it was, but I suppose ■11 i -f ■i': * / ■" n 124 FAST IN THE ICE it must have been the breaking of a large bolt. At any rate it was followed by a series of crashes and reports that left no doubt in our minds as to what was going on. The ice was cracking the brig as if she had been a nut-shell. " Save yourselves, lads ! " cried the captain. One or two of the men made a rush to the hatchway intending to run below and save some of their things. I ran to the cabin-ladder in the hope of saving our log-book and journals, but we all started back in horror, for the deck at that moment burst open almost under our feet. I cast one glance down through the opening into the hold. That glance was sufficient. The massive timbers and beams were being crushed together, doubled up, split, and shivered, as if they had been rotten straws! In another moment I was on the ice, where the whole crew were assembled looking on at the work of destruction in solemn silence. " After bursting in the vessel's sides the ice eased off and she at once began to settle down. We could hear the water rushing furiously into the hold. Ten minutes later, she was gone! Thus end our hopes of farther discovery, and we are now left to fight our way in an open boat to the settlements on the south coast of Greenland. We have little time to think. Prompt action must be our watchword now if we would escape from this world of ice. "July 20th. — I have not entered a line in this jo'irnal since our vessel was lost. Our work has been so severe and our sufferings so great that I V. FAST IN THE ICE 125 if r ide nd er ; have had no heart for writing. Our walk to the place where we left the boat was a hard one, but we were cheered by finding the boat all safe and the provisions and stores just as we left them. There was not enough to last out the voyage, but we had guns and powder. It is in vain to attempt to describe the events of the last few weeks. Con- stant and hard and cold work — at the oars, with the ice-poles — warping, hauling, and shoving. Be- set by ice ; driving before storms ; detained by thick fogs ; often wet to the skin ; always tired, almost starving — such has been our fate since that sad day when our brig went down. And yet I don't think there is one of cur party who would not turn about on the spot and renew our voyage of discovery if he only got a chance of going in a well-appointed vessel. As it is, we must push on. Home 1 home ! is our cry now. " August \8t. — ^We are now in clover, after having been reduced to think of roasting our shoes for breakfast. For three days last week we ate nothing at all. Our powder has been expended for some weeks past. On Monday we finished our last morsel of the gull that Pepper managed to bring down with a stcne. Tuesday was a terrible day. The agony of hunger was worse than I had expected it to be. Nevertheless, we tried hard to cheer each other as we laboured at the oars. Our only hope was to fall in with natives. Signs of them were seen everywhere, and we expected to hear their !»'' 1 ' J ■ *1 126 FAST IN THE lOB I sr shouts at every point of land we doubled. The captain suggested that we should try shoe-soup on Wednesday morning! He was more than half in earnest, but spoke as if he were jesting. Pepper cocked his ears as if there was some hope still of work for him to do in his own line. Jim Crofts pulled off his shoe, and, looking at it earnestly, wondered if the sole would make a very tough chop. We all laughed, but I cannot say that the laugh sounded hearty. On the Thursday I began to feel weak, but the pangs of hunger were not so bad. Our eyes seemed very large and wolfish. I could not help shuddering when I thought of the terrible things that men have done when reduced to this state. " That evening, as we rounded a point, we saw an Eskimo boy high on a cliff with a net in his hand. He did not see us for some time, and we were so excited that we stopped rowing to watch him in breathless silence. Thousands of birds were flying round his head among the cliffs. How often we had tried to kill some of these with sticks and stones, in vain ! The net he held was a round one with a long handle. Suddenly he made a dashing sweep with it, and caught two of the birds as they passed 1 We now saw that a number of dead birds lay at his feet. In one moment our boat was ashore and we scrambled up the cliff's in eager haste. The boy fled in terror, but before he was well out of sight every man was seated on a ledge ITAST IN THE ICE 127 of rock with a bird at his mouth sucking the blood. Hunger like ours despises cookery I It was fortun- ate that there were not many birds, else we should have done ourselves harm by eating too much. I have eaten many a good meal in my life, but never one so sweet, or for which I was so thankful, as that meal of raw birds devoured on the cliffs of Greenland. "That night we reached the Eskimo village, where we now lie. We find that it is only two days* journey from this place to the Danish settle- ments. There we mean to get on board the first ship that is bound for Europe — no matter what port she sails for. Meanwhile we rest our weary limbs in peace, for our dangers are past and — thanks be to God — we are saved." » » * • Header, my tale is told. A little book cannot be made to contain a long story, else would I have narrated many more of the strange and interesting events that befell our adventurers during that voyage. But enough has been written to give some idea of what is done and suffered by those daring men who attempt to navigate the Polar Seas. ■•■tji i Edinburgh : Printed by T. and A. Constable. HR. R. H. BALLANTYNE'S MISCELLANY OF ENTERTAINING AND INSTRUCTIVE TALES. TA^ith Illustrations. Is. each. 1». each. The Athencpum says :— *' There is no more practical way of communicating elementary information than that which has been adopted in this series. When we see contained in 124 small pages (as in Fast in the Ice) such information as a man of fair education should possess about icebergs, northern lights, Esquimaux, musk-oxen, beai's, walruses, etc., together with all the ordinary incidents of an Arctic voyage, woven into a clear, connected narra- tive, we must admit that a good work has been done, and that the author deserves the gratitude of those for whom the books are especially designed, and also of young people of all classes." ■' lighting the Whales ; or, Doings and Dangers on a Fishing Cruise. II. Away in the Wilderness; or, Life among the Red Indians and Fur Traders of North America. III. Fast In the Ice; or. Adventures in the Polar Regions. IV. Chasing the Sun ; or, Rambles in Norway. V. Sunk at Sea; or. The Adventures of Wandering Will in the Pacific. VI. Lost in the Forest; or, Wandering Will's Adventures in South America. n I 1 ih % Mr. R. M. Ballantf/ne's Miscellany — continued. 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