THE WORLD OF ICE

OR

The Whaling Cruise of "The Dolphin"

AND

The Adventures of Her Crew in the Polar Regions

By

Robert Michael Ballantyne

Author of "The Dog Crusoe and his Master, " "The Young Fur-Traders, ""The Gorilla-Hunters, " "Ungava, " "The Coral Island, " &c. 

1893

PREFACE

Dear Reader, most people prefer a short to a long preface. Permit me, therefore, to cut this one short, by simply expressing an earnest hopethat my book may afford you much profit and amusement. 

R. M. BALLANTYNE. 

CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER I. Some of the "dramatis personæ" introduced--Retrospectiveglances--Causes of future effects--Our hero's early life at sea--Apirate--A terrible fight and its consequences--Buzzby's helm lashedamidships--A whaling-cruise begun. 

CHAPTER II. Departure of the "Pole Star" for the Frozen Seas--Sage reflections ofMrs. Bright, and sagacious remarks of Buzzby--Anxieties, fears, surmises, and resolutions--Isobel--A search proposed--Departure of the"Dolphin" for the Far North. 

CHAPTER III. The voyage--The "Dolphin" and her crew--Ice ahead--Polarscenes--Masthead observations--The first whale--Great excitement. 

CHAPTER IV. The chase and the battle--The chances and dangers of whalingwar--Buzzby dives for his life and saves it--So does the whale and losesit--An anxious night, which terminates happily, though with a heavyloss. 

CHAPTER V. Miscellaneous reflections--The coast of Greenland--Upernavik--News ofthe "Pole Star"--Midnight-day--Scientific facts and fairy-likescenes--Tom Singleton's opinion of poor old women--In danger of asqueeze--Escape. 

CHAPTER VI. The gale--Anchored to a berg which proves to be a treacherousone--Dangers of the "pack"--Beset in the ice--Mivins shows an inquiringmind--Walruses--Gale freshens--Chains and cables--Holding on forlife--An unexpected discovery--A "nip" and its terribleconsequences--Yoked to an iceberg. 

CHAPTER VII. New characters introduced--An old game under novelcircumstances--Remarkable appearances in the sky--O'Riley meets with amishap. 

CHAPTER VIII. Fred and the doctor go on an excursion in which, among other strangethings, they meet with red snow and a white bear, and Fred makes hisfirst essay as a sportsman. 

CHAPTER IX. The "Dolphin" gets beset in the ice--Preparations for wintering in theice--Captain Guy's code of laws. 

CHAPTER X. Beginning of winter--Meetuck effects a remarkable change in the men'sappearance--Mossing, and working, and plans for a winter campaign. 

CHAPTER XI. A hunting-expedition, in the course of which the hunters meet with manyinteresting, dangerous, peculiar, and remarkable experiences, and makeacquaintance with seals, walruses, deer, and rabbits. 

CHAPTER XII. A dangerous sleep interrupted--A night in a snow-hut, and an unpleasantvisitor--Snowed up. 

CHAPTER XIII. Journey resumed--The hunters meet with bears and have a great fight, inwhich the dogs are sufferers--A bear's dinner--Mode in which Arcticrocks travel--The ice-belt. 

CHAPTER XIV. Departure of the sun--Effects of darkness on dogs--Winter arrangementsin the interior of the "Dolphin. "

CHAPTER XV. Strangers appear on the scene--The Esquimaux are hospitably entertainedby the sailors--A spirited traffic--Thieving propensities and summaryjustice. 

CHAPTER XVI. The Arctic Theatre enlarged upon--Great success of the first play--TheEsquimaux submit, and become fast friends. 

CHAPTER XVII. Expeditions on foot--Effects of darkness on dogs and men--The firstdeath--Caught in a trap--The Esquimau camp. 

CHAPTER XVIII. The hunting-party--Reckless driving--A desperate encounter with awalrus, etc. 

CHAPTER XIX. The northern party--A narrow escape, and a great discovery--Esquimauxagain, and a joyful surprise. 

CHAPTER XX. Keeping it down--Mutual explanations--The truecomforter--Death--New-Year's day. 

CHAPTER XXI. First gleam of light--Trip to welcome the sun--Bears and strangediscoveries--O'Riley is reckless--First view of the sun. 

CHAPTER XXII. The "Arctic Sun"--Rats! rats! rats!--A hunting-party--Out on thefloes--Hardships. 

CHAPTER XXIII. Unexpected arrivals--The rescue party--Lost and found--Return to theship. 

CHAPTER XXIV. Winter ends--The first insect--Preparations for departure--Narrowescape--Cutting out--Once more afloat--Ship on fire--Crew take to theboats. 

CHAPTER XXV. Escape to Upernavik--Letter from home--Meetuck's grandmother--Dumps andPoker again. 

CHAPTER XXVI. The return--The surprise--Buzzby's sayings and doings--Thenarrative--Fighting battles o'er again--Conclusion. 

CHAPTER I. 

_Some of the "dramatis personæ" introduced--Retrospectiveglances--Causes of future effects--Our hero's early life at sea--Apirate--A terrible fight and its consequences--Buzzby's helm lashedamidships--A whaling-cruise begun. _

Nobody ever caught John Buzzby asleep by any chance whatever. No weaselwas ever half so sensitive on that point as he was. Wherever he happenedto be (and in the course of his adventurous life he had been to nearlyall parts of the known world) he was the first awake in the morning andthe last asleep at night; he always answered promptly to the first call;and was never known by any man living to have been seen with his eyesshut, except when he winked, and that operation he performed lessfrequently than other men. 

John Buzzby was an old salt--a regular true-blue Jack tar of the oldschool, who had been born and bred at sea; had visited foreign portsinnumerable; had weathered more storms than he could count, and hadwitnessed more strange sights than he could remember. He was tough, andsturdy, and grizzled, and broad, and square, and massive--a first-ratespecimen of a John Bull, and according to himself, "always kept hisweather-eye open. " This remark of his was apt to create confusion in theminds of his hearers; for John meant the expression to be understoodfiguratively, while, in point of fact, he almost always kept one of hisliteral eyes open and the other partially closed, but as he reversed theorder of arrangement frequently, he might have been said to keep hislee-eye as much open as the weather one. This peculiarity gave to hiscountenance an expression of earnest thoughtfulness mingled with humour. Buzzby was fond of being thought old, and he looked much older than hereally was. Men guessed his age at fifty-five, but they were ten yearsout in their reckoning; for John had numbered only forty-five summers, and was as tough and muscular as ever he had been--although not quite soelastic. 

John Buzzby stood on the pier of the sea-port town of Grayton watchingthe active operations of the crew of a whaling-ship which was on thepoint of starting for the ice-bound seas of the Frozen Regions, andmaking sundry remarks to a stout, fair-haired boy of fifteen, who stoodby his side gazing at the ship with an expression of deep sadness. 

"She's a trim-built craft and a good sea-boat, I'll be bound, MasterFred, " observed the sailor; "but she's too small by half, accordin' tomy notions, and I _have_ seen a few whalers in my day. Them bow-timbers, too, are scarce thick enough for goin' bump agin the ice o' Davis'Straits. Howsom'iver, I've seen worse craft drivin' a good trade in thePolar Seas. "

"She's a first-rate craft in all respects; and you have too high anopinion of your own judgment, " replied the youth indignantly. "Do yousuppose that my father, who is an older man than yourself and as good asailor, would buy a ship, and fit her out, and go off to thewhale-fishery in her, if he did not think her a good one?"

"Ah! Master Fred, you're a chip of the old block--neck or nothing--carryon all sail till you tear the masts out of her! Reef the t'gallant sailsof your temper, boy, and don't run foul of an old man who has been allbut a wet-nurse to ye--taught ye to walk, and swim, and pull an oar, andbuild ships, and has hauled ye out o' the sea when ye fell in--from thetime ye could barely stump along on two legs, lookin' like as if ye wasmore nor half-seas-over. "

"Well, Buzzby, " replied the boy, laughing, "if you've been all that tome, I think you _have_ been a _wet_-nurse too! But why do you run downmy father's ship? Do you think I'm going to stand that? No! not evenfrom you, old boy. "

"Hallo! youngster, " shouted a voice from the deck of the vessel inquestion, "run up and tell your father we're all ready, and if he don'tmake haste he'll lose the tide, so he will, and that'll make us have tostart on a Friday, it will, an' that'll not do for me, nohow it won't;so make sail and look sharp about it, do--won't you?"

"What a tongue he's got!" remarked Buzzby. "Before I'd go to sea with afirst mate who jawed like that I'd be a landsman. Don't ever you git totalk too much, Master Fred, wotever ye do. My maxim is--and it hasserved me through life, uncommon--'Keep your weather-eye open and yourtongue housed 'xcept when you've got occasion to use it. ' If thatfellow'd use his eyes more and his tongue less, he'd see your fathercomin' down the road there, right before the wind, with his old sisterin tow. "

"How I wish he would have let me go with him!" muttered Fred to himselfsorrowfully. 

"No chance now, I'm afeard, " remarked his companion. "The gov'nor's asstiff as a nor'-wester. Nothin' in the world can turn him once he's madeup his mind but a regular sou'-easter. Now, if you had been _my_ son, and yonder tight craft _my_ ship, I would have said, 'Come at once. ' Butyour father knows best, lad; and you're a wise son to obey orderscheerfully, without question. That's another o' my maxims, 'Obey orders, an' ax no questions. '"

Frederick Ellice, senior, who now approached, whispering words ofconsolation into the ear of his weeping sister, might, perhaps, havejust numbered fifty years. He was a fine, big, bold, hearty Englishman, with a bald head, grizzled locks, a loud but not harsh voice, a ratherquick temper, and a kind, earnest, enthusiastic heart. Like Buzzby, hehad spent nearly all his life at sea, and had become so thoroughlyaccustomed to walking on an unstable foundation that he felt quiteuncomfortable on solid ground, and never remained more than a few monthsat a time on shore. He was a man of good education and gentlemanlymanners, and had worked his way up in the merchant service step by stepuntil he obtained the command of a West India trader. 

A few years previous to the period in which our tale opens, an eventoccurred which altered the course of Captain Ellice's life, and for along period plunged him into the deepest affliction. This was the lossof his wife at sea under peculiarly distressing circumstances. 

At the age of thirty Captain Ellice had married a pretty blue-eyed girl, who resolutely refused to become a sailor's bride unless she should bepermitted to accompany her husband to sea. This was without muchdifficulty agreed to, and forthwith Alice Bremner became Mrs. Ellice, and went to sea. It was during her third voyage to the West Indies thatour hero Fred was born, and it was during this and succeeding voyagesthat Buzzby became "all but a wet-nurse" to him. 

Mrs. Ellice was a loving, gentle, seriously-minded woman. She devotedherself, heart and soul to the training of her boy, and spent many apleasant hour in that little, unsteady cabin in endeavouring to instilinto his infant mind the blessed truths of Christianity, and in makingthe name of Jesus familiar to his ear. As Fred grew older his motherencouraged him to hold occasional intercourse with the sailors--for herhusband's example taught her the value of a bold, manly spirit, and sheknew that it was impossible for her to instil _that_ into him--but shewas careful to guard him from the evil that he might chance to learnfrom the men, by committing him to the tender care of Buzzby. To do themen justice, however, this was almost unnecessary, for they felt that amother's watchful eye was on the child, and no unguarded word fell fromtheir lips while he was romping about the forecastle. 

When it was time for Fred to go to school, Mrs. Ellice gave up herroving life and settled in her native town of Grayton, where she residedwith her widowed sister, Amelia Bright, and her niece Isobel. Here Fredreceived the rudiments of an excellent education at a private academy. At the age of twelve, however, Master Fred became restive, and duringone of his father's periodical visits home, begged to be taken to sea. Captain Ellice agreed; Mrs. Ellice insisted on accompanying them; and ina few weeks they were once again on their old home, the ocean, and Fredwas enjoying his native air in company with his friend Buzzby, who stuckto the old ship like one of her own stout timbers. 

But this was destined to be a disastrous voyage. One evening, aftercrossing the line, they descried a suspicious-looking schooner towindward, bearing down upon them under a cloud of canvas. 

"What do you think of her, Buzzby?" inquired Captain Ellice, handinghis glass to the seaman. 

Buzzby gazed in silence and with compressed lips for some time; then hereturned the glass, at the same time muttering the word, "Pirate. "

"I thought so, " said the captain in a deep, unsteady voice. "There isbut one course for us, Buzzby, " he continued, glancing towards his wife, who, all unconscious of their danger, sat near the taffrail employedwith her needle; "these fellows show no mercy, because they expect noneeither from God or man. We must fight to the last. Go, prepare the menand get out the arms. I'll tell my wife. "

Buzzby went forward; but the captain's heart failed him, and he took twoor three rapid, hesitating turns on the quarter-deck ere he could makeup his mind to speak. 

"Alice, " he said at length abruptly, "yonder vessel is a pirate. "

Mrs. Ellice looked up in surprise, and her face grew pale as her eye metthe troubled gaze of her husband. 

"Are you quite sure, Frederick?"

"Yes, quite. Would God that I were left alone to--but--nay, do not bealarmed; perhaps I am wrong, it may be a--a clipper-builttrading-vessel. If not, Alice, we must make some show of fighting, andtry to frighten them. Meanwhile you must go below. "

The captain spoke encouragingly as he led his wife to the cabin; but hiscandid countenance spoke too truthfully, and she felt that his look ofanxious concern bade her fear the worst. 

Pressing her fervently to his heart, Captain Ellice sprang on deck. 

By this time the news had spread through the ship, and the crew, consisting of upwards of thirty men, were conversing earnestly in knotsof four or five while they sharpened and buckled on cutlasses, or loadedpistols and carbines. 

"Send the men aft, Mr. Thompson, " said the captain, as he paced the deckto and fro, casting his eyes occasionally on the schooner, which wasrapidly nearing the vessel. "Take another pull at thesemain-topsail-halyards, and send the steward down below for my sword andpistols. Let the men look sharp; we've no time to lose, and hot work isbefore us. "

"I will go for your sword, father, " cried Fred, who had just come ondeck. 

"Boy, boy, you must go below; you can be of no use here. "

"But, father, you know that I'm not _afraid_. "

"I know that, boy--I know it well; but you're too young to fight--you'renot strong enough. Besides, you must comfort and cheer your mother; shemay want you. "

"I'm old enough and strong enough to load and fire a pistol, father; andI heard one of the men say we would need all the hands on board, andmore if we had them. Besides, it was my mother who told me what wasgoing on, and sent me on deck to _help you, to fight. _"

A momentary gleam of pride lit up the countenance of the captain as hesaid hastily, "You may stay, then, " and turned towards the men, who nowstood assembled on the quarter-deck. 

Addressing the crew in his own blunt, vigorous style, he said, "Lads, yon rascally schooner is a pirate, as you all know well enough. I neednot ask you if you are ready to fight; I see by your looks you are. Butthat's not enough--you must make up your minds to fight _well_. You knowthat pirates give no quarter. I see the decks are swarming with men. Ifyou don't go at them like bull-dogs, you'll walk the plank before sunsetevery man of you. Now, go forward, and double-shot your muskets andpistols, and stick as many of the latter into your belts as they willhold. Mr. Thompson, let the gunner double-shot the four big guns, andload the little carronade with musket-balls to the muzzle. If they dotry to board us, they'll get a warm reception. "

"There goes a shot, sir, " said Buzzby, pointing towards the piraticalschooner, from the side of which a white cloud burst, and a round shotricochetted over the sea, passing close ahead of the ship. 

"Ay, that's a request for us to lay-to, " said the captain bitterly, "butwe won't. Keep her away a point. "

"Ay, ay, sir, " sung out the man at the wheel. A second and a third shotwere fired, but passed unheeded, and the captain, fully expecting thatthe next would be fired into them, ordered the men below. 

"We can't afford to lose a man, Mr. Thompson; send them all down. "

"Please, sir, may I remain?" said Buzzby, touching his hat. 

"Obey orders, " answered the captain sternly. The sailor went below witha sulky fling. 

For nearly an hour the two vessels cut through the water before a steadybreeze, during which time the fast-sailing schooner gradually overhauledthe heavy West Indiaman, until she approached within speaking distance. Still Captain Ellice paid no attention to her, but stood with compressedlips beside the man at the wheel, gazing alternately at the sails of hisvessel and at the windward horizon, where he fancied he saw indicationsthat led him to hope the breeze would fail ere long. 

As the schooner drew nearer, a man leaped on the hammock-nettings, and, putting a trumpet to his mouth, sang out lustily, "Ship ahoy! where areyou from, and what's your cargo?"

Captain Ellice made no reply, but ordered four of his men on deck topoint one of the stern-chasers. 

Again the voice came harshly across the waves, as if in passion, "Heaveto, or I'll sink you. " At the same moment the black flag was run up tothe peak, and a shot passed between the main and fore masts. 

"Stand by to point this gun, " said the captain in a subdued voice. 

"Ay, ay, sir!"

"Fetch a red-hot iron; luff, luff a little--a little more steady--so. "At the last word there was a puff and a roar, and an iron messenger flewtowards the schooner. The gun had been fired more as a reply ofdefiance to the pirate than with the hope of doing him any damage; butthe shot had been well aimed--it cut the schooner's main-sail-yard intwo and brought it rattling down on deck. Instantly the pirate yawed anddelivered a broadside; but in the confusion on deck the guns were badlyaimed, and none took effect. The time lost in this manoeuvre, added tothe crippled condition of the schooner, enabled the West Indiaman togain considerably on her antagonist; but the pirate kept up awell-directed fire with his bow-chasers, and many of the shots struckthe hull and cut the rigging seriously. As the sun descended towards thehorizon the wind fell gradually, and ceased at length altogether, sothat both vessels lay rolling on the swell with their sails flappingidly against the masts. 

"They're a-gittin' out the boats, sir, " remarked John Buzzby, who, unable to restrain himself any longer, had crept upon deck at the riskof another reprimand; "and, if my eyes be'n't deceiving me, there's asail on the horizon to wind'ard--leastways, the direction which _wos_wind'ard afore it fell calm. "

"She's bringing a breeze along with her, " remarked the captain, "but Ifear the boats will come up before it reaches us. There are three in thewater and manned already. There they come. Now, then, call up allhands. "

In a few seconds the crew of the West Indiaman were at their stationsready for action, and Captain Ellice, with Fred at his elbow, stoodbeside one of the stern-chasers. Meanwhile, the boats of the pirate, five in number, pulled away in different directions, evidently with theintention of attacking the ship at different points. They were full ofmen armed to the teeth. While they rowed towards the ship the schoonerresumed its fire, and one ball cut away the spanker-boom and slightlywounded two of the men with splinters. The guns of the ship were nowbrought to bear on the boats, but without effect, although the shotplunged into the water all round them. As they drew nearer a brisk fireof musketry was opened on them, and the occasional falling of an oar andconfusion on board showed that the shots told. The pirates repliedvigorously, but without effect, as the men of the ship were sheltered bythe bulwarks. 

"Pass the word to load and reserve fire, " said the captain; "and hand mea musket, Fred. Load again as fast as I fire. " So saying, the captaintook aim and fired at the steersman of the largest boat, which pulledtowards the stern. "Another, Fred--"

At this moment a withering volley was poured upon the boat, and a savageyell of agony followed, while the rowers who remained unhurt paused foran instant as if paralyzed. Next instant they recovered, and anotherstroke would have brought them almost alongside, when Captain Ellicepointed the little carronade and fired. There was a terrific crash; thegun recoiled violently to the other side of the deck; and the pirateboat sank, leaving the sea covered with dead and wounded men. A number, however, who seemed to bear charmed lives, seized their cutlasses withtheir teeth, and swam boldly for the ship. This incident, unfortunately, attracted too much of the attention of the crew, and ere they couldprevent it another boat reached the bow of the ship, the crew of whichsprang up the side like cats, formed on the forecastle, and poured avolley upon the men. 

"Follow me, lads!" shouted the captain, as he sprang forward like atiger. The first man he reached fell by a ball from his pistol; inanother moment the opposing parties met in a hand-to-hand conflict. Meanwhile Fred, having been deeply impressed with the effect of the shotfrom the little carronade, succeeded in raising and reloading it. He hadscarcely accomplished this when one of the boats reached the larboardquarter, and two of the men sprang up the side. Fred observed them, andfelled the first with a handspike before he reached the deck; but thepirate who instantly followed would have killed him had he not beenobserved by the second mate, who had prevented several of the men fromjoining in the _mêlée_ on the forecastle in order to meet such anemergency as this. Rushing to the rescue with his party, he drove thepirates back into the boat, which was immediately pulled towards thebow, where the other two boats were now grappling and discharging theircrews on the forecastle. Although the men of the West Indiaman foughtwith desperate courage, they could not stand before the increasingnumbers of pirates who now crowded the fore part of the ship in a densemass. Gradually they were beaten back, and at length were brought to bayon the quarter-deck. 

"Help, father!" cried Fred, pushing through the struggling crowd, "here's the carronade ready loaded. "

"Ha! boy, well done!" cried the captain, seizing the gun, and, with thehelp of Buzzby, who never left his side, dragging it forward. "Clear theway, lads!"

In a moment the little cannon was pointed to the centre of the mass ofmen, and fired. One awful shriek of agony rose above the din of thefight, as a wide gap was cut through the crowd; but this only seemed torender the survivors more furious. With a savage yell they charged thequarter-deck, but were hurled back again and again by the captain and afew chosen men who stood around him. At length one of the pirates, whohad been all along conspicuous for his strength and daring, steppeddeliberately up, and pointing a pistol at the captain's breast, fired. Captain Ellice fell, and at the same moment a ball laid the pirate low;another charge was made; Fred rushed forward to protect his father, butwas thrown down and trodden under foot in the rush, and in two minutesmore the ship was in possession of the pirates. 

Being filled with rage at the opposition they had met with, thesevillains proceeded, as they said, to make short work of the crew, whileseveral of them sprang into the cabin, where they discovered Mrs. Ellice almost dead with terror. Dragging her violently on deck, theywere about to cast her into the sea, when Buzzby, who stood with hishands bound, suddenly burst his bonds and sprang towards her. A blowfrom the butt of a pistol, however, stretched him insensible on thedeck. 

"Where is my husband? my boy?" screamed Mrs. Ellice wildly. 

"They've gone before you, or they'll soon follow, " said a savagefiercely, as he raised her in his powerful arms and hurled heroverboard. A loud shriek was followed by a heavy plunge. At the samemoment two of the men raised the captain, intending to throw himoverboard also, when a loud boom arrested their attention, and acannon-shot ploughed up the sea close in front of their bows. 

While the fight was raging, no one had observed the fact that the breezehad freshened, and a large man-of-war, with American colours, at herpeak, was now within gunshot of the ship. No sooner did the pirates makethis discovery than they rushed to their boats, with the intention ofpulling to their schooner; but those who had been left in charge, seeingthe approach of the man-of-war, and feeling that there was no chance ofescape for their comrades, or, as is more than probable, being utterlyindifferent about them, crowded all sail and slipped away, and it wasnow hull-down on the horizon to leeward. The men in the boats rowedafter her with the energy of despair; but the Americans gave chase, andwe need scarcely add that, in a very short time, all were captured. 

When the man-of-war rejoined the West Indiaman, the night had set in anda stiff breeze had arisen, so that the long and laborious search thatwas made for the body of poor Mrs. Ellice proved utterly fruitless. Captain Ellice, whose wound was very severe, was struck down as if by athunderbolt, and for a long time his life was despaired of. During hisillness Fred nursed him with the utmost tenderness, and in seeking tocomfort his father, found some relief to his own stricken heart. 

Months passed away. Captain Ellice was conveyed to the residence of hissister in Grayton, and, under her care, and the nursing of his littleniece Isobel, he recovered his wonted health and strength. To the eyesof men Captain Ellice and his son were themselves again; but those whojudge of men's hearts by their outward appearance and expressions, innine cases out of ten judge very wide of the mark indeed. Both hadundergone a great change. The brilliancy and glitter of this world hadbeen completely and rudely dispelled, and both had been led to inquirewhether there was not something better to live for than mere presentadvantage and happiness--something that would stand by them in thosehours of sickness and sorrow which must inevitably, sooner or later, come upon all men. Both sought, and discovered what they sought, in the_Bible_, the only book in all the world where the jewel of great priceis to be found. 

But Captain Ellice could not be induced to resume the command of hisold ship, or voyage again to the West Indies. He determined to changethe scene of his future labours and sail to the Frozen Seas, where theaspect of every object, even the ocean itself, would be very unlikely torecall the circumstances of his loss. 

Some time after his recovery, Captain Ellice purchased a brig and fittedher out as a whaler, determined to try his fortune in the Northern Seas. Fred pleaded hard to be taken out, but his father felt that he had moreneed to go to school than to sea; so he refused, and Fred, after sighingvery deeply once or twice, gave in with a good grace. Buzzby, too, whostuck to his old commander like a leech, was equally anxious to go; butBuzzby, in a sudden and unaccountable fit of tenderness, had, just twomonths before, married a wife, who might be appropriately described as"fat, fair, and forty, " and Buzzby's wife absolutely forbade him to go. Alas! Buzzby was no longer his own master. At the age of forty-five hebecame--as he himself expressed it--an abject slave, and he would assoon have tried to steer in a slipper-bath right in the teeth of anequinoctial hurricane, as have opposed the will of his wife. He used tosigh gruffly when spoken to on this subject, and compare himself to aDutch galliot that made more leeway than headway, even with a wind onthe quarter. "Once, " he would remark, "I was clipper-built, and couldsail right in the wind's eye; but ever since I tuck this craft in tow, I've gone to leeward like a tub. In fact, I find there's only one way ofgoing ahead with my Poll, and that is right before the wind! I used toyaw about a good deal at first, but she tuck that out o' me in a day ortwo. If I put the helm only so much as one stroke to starboard, she guv'a tug at the tow-rope that brought the wind dead aft again; so I've gi'nit up, and lashed the tiller right amid-ships. "

So Buzzby did not accompany his old commander; he did not even so muchas suggest the possibility of it; but he shook his head with greatsolemnity, as he stood with Fred, and Mrs. Bright, and Isobel, at theend of the pier, gazing at the brig, with one eye very much screwed up, and a wistful expression in the other, while the graceful craft spreadout her canvas and bent over to the breeze. 

CHAPTER II. 

_Departure of the "Pole Star" for the Frozen Seas--Sage reflections ofMrs. Bright, and sagacious remarks of Buzzby--Anxieties, fears, surmises, and resolutions--Isabel--A search proposed--Departure of the"Dolphin" for the Far North_. 

Digressions are bad at the best, and we feel some regret that we shouldhave been compelled to begin our book with one; but they are necessaryevils sometimes, so we must ask our reader's forgiveness, and beg him, or her, to remember that we are still at the commencement of our story, standing at the end of the pier, and watching the departure of the _PoleStar_ whale-ship, which is now a scarcely distinguishable speck on thehorizon. 

As it disappeared Buzzby gave a grunt, Fred and Isobel uttered a sigh inunison, and Mrs. Bright resumed the fit of weeping which for some timeshe had unconsciously suspended. 

"I fear we shall never see him again, " sobbed Mrs. Bright, as she tookIsobel by the hand and sauntered slowly home, accompanied by Fred andBuzzby, the latter of whom seemed to regard himself in the light of ashaggy Newfoundland or mastiff, who had been left to protect the family. "We are always hearing of whale-ships being lost, and, somehow orother, we _never_ hear of the crews being saved, as one reads of whenships are wrecked in the usual way on the seashore. "

Isobel squeezed her mother's hand, and looked up in her face with anexpression that said plainly, "Don't cry so, mamma; I'm _sure_ he willcome back, " but she could not find words to express herself, so sheglanced towards the mastiff for help. 

Buzzby felt that it devolved upon him to afford consolation under thecircumstances; but Mrs. Bright's mind was of that peculiar stamp whichrepels advances in the way of consolation unconsciously, and Buzzby waspuzzled. He screwed up first the right eye and then the left, and smotehis thigh repeatedly; and assuredly, if contorting his visage could havecomforted Mrs. Bright, she would have returned home a happy woman, forhe made faces at her violently for full five minutes. But it did her nogood, perhaps because she didn't see him, her eyes being suffused withtears. 

"Ah! yes, " resumed Mrs. Bright, with another burst, "I _know_ they willnever come back, and your silence shows that you think so too. And tothink of their taking two years' provisions with them _in case ofaccidents!_--doesn't that prove that there are going _to be_ accidents?And didn't I hear one of the sailors say that she was a crack ship, anumber one? I don't know what he meant by A number one, but if she's acracked ship I _know_ she will never come back; and although I told mydear brother of it, and advised him not to go, he only laughed at me, which was very unkind, I'm sure. "

Here Mrs. Bright's feelings overcame her again. 

"Why, aunt, " said Fred, scarce able to restrain a laugh, despite thesadness that lay at his heart, "when the sailor said it was a crackship, he meant that it was a good one, a first-rate one. "

"Then why did he not say what he meant? But you are talking nonsense, boy. Do you think that I will believe a man means to say a thing is goodwhen he calls it cracked? and I'm sure nobody would say a crackedtea-pot was as good as a whole one. But tell me, Buzzby, do you thinkthey ever _will_ come back?"

"Why, ma'am, in coorse I do, " replied Buzzby, vehemently; "for why, ifthey don't, they're the first that ever, went out o' this port in my dayas didn't. They've a good ship and lots o' grub, and it's like to be agood season; and Captain Ellice has, for the most part, good luck; andthey've started with a fair wind, and kep' clear of a Friday, and whatmore could ye wish? I only wish as I was aboard along with them, that'sall. "

Buzzby delivered himself of this oration with the left eye shut andscrewed up, and the right one open. Having concluded, he shut andscrewed up the right eye, and opened the left--he reversed the engine, so to speak, as if he wished to back out from the scene of his triumphand leave the course clear for others to speak. But his words werethrown away on Mrs. Bright, who was emphatically a weak-minded woman, and never exercised her reason at all, except in a spasmodic, galvanicsort of way, when she sought to defend or to advocate some unreasonableconclusion of some sort, at which her own weak mind had arrived somehow. So she shook her head, and sobbed good-bye to Buzzby, as she ascendedthe sloping avenue that led to her pretty cottage on the green hill thatoverlooked the harbour and the sea beyond. 

As for John Buzzby, having been absent from home full half-an-hourbeyond his usual dinner-hour, he felt that, for a man who had lashed hishelm amid-ships, he was yawing alarmingly out of his course; so hespread all the canvas he could carry, and steered right before the windtowards the village, where, in a little whitewashed, low-roofed, one-doored, and two little-windowed cottage, his spouse (and dinner)awaited him. 

To make a long story short, three years passed away, but the _Pole Star_did not return, and no news of her could be got from the variouswhale-ships that visited the port of Grayton. Towards the end of thesecond year Buzzby began to shake his head despondingly; and as thethird drew to a close, the expression of gloom never left his honest, weather-beaten face. Mrs. Bright, too, whose anxiety at first was onlyhalf genuine, now became seriously alarmed, and the fate of the missingbrig began to be the talk of the neighbourhood. Meanwhile, Fred Elliceand Isobel grew and improved in mind and body; but anxiety as to hisfather's fate rendered the former quite unable to pursue his studies, and he determined at last to procure a passage in a whale-ship, and goout in search of the brig. 

It happened that the principal merchant and shipowner in the town, Mr. Singleton by name, was an intimate friend and old school-fellow ofCaptain Ellice, so Fred went boldly to him and proposed that a vesselshould be fitted out immediately, and sent off to search for hisfather's brig. Mr. Singleton smiled at the request, and pointed out theutter impossibility of his agreeing to it; but he revived Fred's sinkinghopes by saying that he was about to send out a whaler to the NorthernSeas at any rate, and that he would give orders to the captain to devotea _portion_ of his time to the search, and, moreover, agreed to let Fredgo as a passenger in company with his own son Tom. 

Now, Tom Singleton had been Fred's bosom friend and companion during hisfirst year at school; but during the last two years he had been sent tothe Edinburgh University to prosecute his medical studies, and the twofriends had only met at rare intervals. It was with unbounded delight, therefore, that he found his old companion, now a youth of twenty, wasto go out as surgeon of the ship, and he could scarce contain himself ashe ran down to Buzzby's cottage to tell him the good news, and ask himto join. 

Of course Buzzby was ready to go, and, what was of far greaterimportance in the matter, his wife threw no obstacle in the way. On thecontrary, she undid the lashings of the helm with her own hand, and toldher wondering partner, with a good-humoured but firm smile, to steerwhere he chose, and she would content herself with the society of thetwo young Buzzbys (both miniature fac-similes of their father) till hecame back. 

Once again a whale-ship prepared to sail from the port of Grayton, andonce again Mrs. Bright and Isobel stood on the pier to see her depart. Isobel was about thirteen now, and as pretty a girl, according toBuzzby, as you could meet with in any part of Britain. Her eyes wereblue and her hair nut-brown, and her charms of face and figure wereenhanced immeasurably by an air of modesty and earnestness that wentstraight home to your heart, and caused you to adore her at once. Buzzbydoated on her as if she were his only child, and felt a secret pride inbeing in some indefinable way her protector. Buzzby philosophized abouther, too, after a strange fashion. "You see, " he would say to Fred, "it's not that her figurehead is cut altogether after a parfectpattern--by no means, for I've seen pictur's and statues that wosbetter--but she carries her head a little down, d'ye see, Master Fred?and there's where it is; that's the way I gauges the worth o' youngwomen, jist accordin' as they carry their chins up or down. If theirbrows come well for'ard, and they seems to be lookin' at the ground theywalk on, I knows their brains is firm stuff, and in good workin' order;but when I sees them carryin' their noses high out o' the water, as ifthey wos afeard o' catchin' sight o' their own feet, and their chinselewated, so that a little boy standin' in front o' them couldn't seetheir faces nohow, I make pretty sure that t'other end is filled with asort o' _mush_ that's fit only to think o' dress and dancing. "

On the present occasion Isobel's eyes were red and swollen, and by nomeans improved by weeping. Mrs. Bright, too, although three years haddone little to alter her character, seemed to be less demonstrative andmuch more sincere than usual in her grief at parting from Fred. 

In a few minutes all was ready. Young Singleton and Buzzby havinghastily but earnestly bade Mrs. Bright and her daughter farewell, leapedon board. Fred lingered for a moment. 

"Once more, dear aunt, " said he, "farewell. With God's blessing we shallcome back soon. --Write to me, darling Isobel, won't you? to Upernavik, on the coast of Greenland. If none of our ships are bound in thatdirection, write by way of Denmark. Old Mr. Singleton will tell you howto address your letter; and see that it be a long one. "

"Now then, youngster, jump aboard, " shouted the captain; "look sharp!"

"Ay, ay, " returned Fred, and in another moment he was on thequarter-deck, by the side of his friend Tom. 

The ship, loosed from her moorings, spread her canvas, and plungedforward on her adventurous voyage. 

But this time she does not grow smaller as she advances before thefreshening breeze, for you and I, reader, have embarked in her, and theland now fades in the distance, until it sinks from view on the distanthorizon, while nothing meets our gaze but the vault of the bright bluesky above, and the plane of the dark blue sea below. 

CHAPTER III. 

_The voyage--The "Dolphin" and her crew--Ice ahead--Polarscenes--Masthead observations--The first whale--Great excitement_. 

And now we have fairly got into blue water--the sailor's delight, thelandsman's dread, --

 "The sea! the sea! the open sea; The blue, the fresh, the ever free. "

"It's my opinion, " remarked Buzzby to Singleton one day, as they stoodat the weather gangway watching the foam that spread from the vessel'sbow as she breasted the waves of the Atlantic gallantly--it's my opinionthat our skipper is made o' the right stuff. He's entered quite into thespirit of the thing, and I heard him say to the first mate yesterdayhe'd made up his mind to run right up into Baffin's Bay and makeinquiries for Captain Ellice first, before goin' to his usualwhalin'-ground. Now that's wot I call doin' the right thing; for, yesee, he runs no small risk o' getting beset in the ice, and losing thefishin' altogether by so doin'. "

"He's a fine fellow, " said Singleton; "I like him better every day, andI feel convinced he will do his utmost to discover the whereabouts ofour missing friend; but I fear much that our chances are small, for, although we know the spot which Captain Ellice intended to visit, wecannot tell to what part of the frozen ocean ice and currents may havecarried him. "

"True, " replied Buzzby, giving to his left eye and cheek just thatpeculiar amount of screw which indicated intense sagacity andpenetration; "but I've a notion that, if they are to be found, CaptainGuy is the man to find 'em. "

"I hope it may turn out as you say. Have you ever been in these seasbefore, Buzzby?"

"No, sir--never; but I've got a half-brother wot has bin in theGreenland whale-fishery, and I've bin in the South Sea line myself. "

"What line was that, Buzzby?" inquired David Summers, a sturdy boy ofabout fifteen, who acted as assistant steward, and was, in fact, anautical maid-of-all-work. "Was it a log-line, or a bow-line, or acod-line, or a bit of the equator, eh?"

The old salt deigned no reply to this passing sally, but continued hisconverse with Singleton. 

"I could give ye many a long yarn about the South Seas, " said Buzzby, gazing abstractedly down into the deep. "One time when I was about fiftymiles to the sou'-west o' Cape Horn, I--"

"Dinner's ready, sir, " said a thin, tall, active man, stepping smartlyup to Singleton, and touching his cap. 

"We must talk over that some other time, Buzzby. The captain lovespunctuality. " So saying, the young surgeon sprang down the companionladder, leaving the old salt to smoke his pipe in solitude. 

And here we may pause a few seconds to describe our ship and her crew. 

The _Dolphin_ was a tight, new, barque-rigged vessel of about threehundred tons burden, built expressly for the northern whale-fishery, andcarried a crew of forty-five men. Ships that have to battle with the icerequire to be much more powerfully built than those that sail inunencumbered seas. The _Dolphin_ united strength with capacity andbuoyancy. The under part of her hull and sides were strengthened withdouble timbers, and fortified externally with plates of iron, while, internally, stanchions and crossbeams were so arranged as to causepressure on any part to be supported by the whole structure; and on herbows, where shocks from the ice might be expected to be most frequentand severe, extra planking, of immense strength and thickness, wassecured. In other respects, the vessel was fitted up much in the samemanner as ordinary merchantmen. The only other peculiarity about herworthy of notice was the crow's-nest, a sort of barrel-shaped structurefastened to the fore-mast-head, in which, when at the whaling-ground, aman is stationed to look out for whales. The chief men in the ship wereCaptain Guy, a vigorous, earnest, practical American; Mr. Bolton, thefirst mate, a stout, burly, off-hand Englishman; and Mr. Saunders, thesecond mate, a sedate, broad-shouldered, raw-boned Scot, whose opinionof himself was unbounded, whose power of argument was extraordinary, notto say exasperating, and who stood six feet three in his stockings. Mivins, the steward, was, as we have already remarked, a tall, thin, active young man, of a brisk, lively disposition, and was somewhat of abutt among the men, but being in a position of power and trust, he wasrespected. The young surgeon, Tom Singleton, whom we have yet scarcelyintroduced to the reader, was a tall, slim, but firmly-knit youth, witha kind, gentle disposition. He was always open, straightforward, andpolite. He never indulged in broad humour, though he enjoyed it much, seldom ventured on a witticism, was rather shy in the company of hiscompanions, and spoke little; but for a quiet, pleasant _tête-à-tête_there was not a man in the ship equal to Tom Singleton. His countenancewas Spanish-looking and handsome, his hair black, short, and curling, and his budding moustache was soft and dark as the eyebrow of anAndalusian belle. 

It would be unpardonable, in this catalogue, to omit the cook, DavidMizzle. He was round, and fat, and oily, as one of his own "duff"puddings. To look at him you could not help suspecting that he purloinedand ate at least half of the salt pork he cooked, and his sly, dimplinglaugh, in which every feature participated, from the point of his broadchin to the top of his bald head, rather tended to favour thissupposition. Mizzle was prematurely bald--being quite a young man--andwhen questioned on the subject, he usually attributed it to the fact ofhis having been so long employed about the cooking coppers, that theexcessive heat to which he was exposed had stewed all the hair off hishead! The crew was made up of stout, active men in the prime of life, nearly all of whom had been more or less accustomed to thewhale-fishing, and some of the harpooners were giants in musculardevelopment and breadth of shoulder, if not in height. 

Chief among these harpooners was Amos Parr, a short, thick-set, powerfulman of about thirty-five, who had been at sea since he was a little boy, and had served in the fisheries of both the Northern and Southern Seas. No one knew what country had the honour of producing him--indeed, he wasignorant of that point himself; for, although he had vivid recollectionsof his childhood having been spent among green hills, and trees, andstreamlets, he was sent to sea with a strange captain before he was oldenough to care about the name of his native land. Afterwards he ran awayfrom his ship, and so lost all chance of ever discovering who he was;but, as he sometimes remarked, he didn't much care who he was, so longas he was _himself_; so it didn't matter. From a slight peculiarity inhis accent, and other qualities, it was surmised that he must be anIrishman--a supposition which he rather encouraged, being partial to thesons, and particularly partial to the daughters, of the Emerald Isle, one of which last he had married just six months before setting out onthis whaling expedition. 

Such were the _Dolphin_ and her crew, and merrily they bowled alongover the broad Atlantic with favouring winds, and without meeting withanything worthy of note until they neared the coast of Greenland. 

One fine morning, just as the party in the cabin had finished breakfast, and were dallying with the last few morsels of the repast, as men whohave more leisure than they desire are wont to do, there was a suddenshock felt, and a slight tremor passed through the ship as if somethinghad struck her. 

"Ha!" exclaimed Captain Guy, finishing his cup of chocolate, "there goesthe first bump. "

"Ice ahead, sir, " said the first mate, looking down the skylight. 

"Is there much?" asked the captain, rising and taking down a smalltelescope from the hook on which it usually hung. 

"Not much, sir--only a stream; but there is an ice-blink right ahead allalong the horizon. "

"How's her head, Mr. Bolton?"

"Nor'-west and by north, sir. "

Before this brief conversation came to a close, Fred Ellice and TomSingleton sprang up the companion ladder, and stood on the deck gazingahead with feelings of the deepest interest. Both youths were well readin the history of Polar Seas and Regions; they were well acquainted, byname at least, with floes, and bergs, and hummocks of ice, but neitherof them had seen such in reality. These objects were associated in theiryoung minds with all that was romantic and wild, hyperborean and polar, brilliant and sparkling, and light and white--emphatically _white_. Tobehold ice actually floating on the salt sea was an incident of note intheir existence; and certainly the impressions of their first day in theice remained sharp, vivid, and prominent, long after scenes of a muchmore striking nature had faded from the tablets of their memories. 

At first the prospect that met their ardent gaze was not calculated toexcite excessive admiration. There were only a few masses of low icefloating about in various directions. The wind was steady, but light, and seemed as if it would speedily fall altogether. Gradually the_blink_ on the horizon (as the light haze always distinguishable aboveice, or snow-covered land, is called) resolved itself into a long whiteline of ice, which seemed to grow larger as the ship neared it, and inabout two hours more they were fairly in the midst of the pack, whichwas fortunately loose enough to admit of the vessel being navigatedthrough the channels of open water. Soon after, the sun broke out incloudless splendour, and the wind fell entirely, leaving the ocean in adead calm. 

"Let's go to the fore-top, Tom, " said Fred, seizing his friend by thearm and hastening to the shrouds. 

In a few seconds they were seated alone on the little platform at thetop of the fore-mast, just where it is connected with the fore-top-mast, and from this elevated position they gazed in silent delight upon thefairy-like scene. 

Those who have never stood at the mast-head of a ship at sea in a deadcalm cannot comprehend the feeling of intense solitude that fills themind in such a position. There is nothing analogous to it on land. Tostand on the summit of a tower and look down on the busy multitude belowis not the same, for there the sounds are quite different in _tone_, andsigns of life are visible all over the distant country, while cries fromafar reach the ear, as well as those from below. But from the mast-headyou hear only the few subdued sounds under your feet--all beyond issilence; you behold only the small, oval-shaped platform that is your_world_--beyond lies the calm desolate ocean. On deck you cannot realizethis feeling, for there sails and yards tower above you, and masts, andboats, and cordage intercept your view; but from above you _take in_ theintense minuteness of your home at a single glance--you stand aside, asit were, and in some measure comprehend the insignificance of the_thing_ to which you have committed your life. 

The scene witnessed by our friends at the masthead of the _Dolphin_ onthis occasion was surpassingly beautiful. Far as the eye could stretchthe sea was covered with islands and fields of ice of every conceivableshape. Some rose in little peaks and pinnacles, some floated in the formof arches and domes, some were broken and rugged like the ruins of oldborder strongholds, while others were flat and level like fields ofwhite marble; and so calm was it, that the ocean in which they floatedseemed like a groundwork of polished steel, in which the sun shone withdazzling brilliancy. The tops of the icy islets were pure white, and thesides of the higher ones of a delicate blue colour, which gave to thescene a transparent lightness that rendered it pre-eminently fairy-like. 

"It far surpasses anything I ever conceived, " ejaculated Singleton aftera long silence. "No wonder that authors speak of scenes beingindescribable. Does it not seem like a dream, Fred?"

"Tom, " replied Fred earnestly, "I've been trying to fancy myself inanother world, and I have almost succeeded. When I look long andintently at the ice, I get almost to believe that these are streets, andpalaces, and cathedrals. I never felt so strong a desire to have wingsthat I might fly from one island to another, and go floating in and outand round about those blue caves and sparkling pinnacles. "

"It's a curious fancy, Fred, but not unnatural. "

"Tom, " said Fred after another long silence, "has not the thoughtoccurred to you that God made it all?"

"Some such thought did cross my mind, Fred, for a moment, but it soonpassed away. Is it not _very_ strange that the idea of the Creator is soseldom and so slightly connected with his works in our minds?"

Again there was a long silence. Both youths had a desire to continue theconversation, and yet each felt an unaccountable reluctance to renew it. Neither of them distinctly understood that the natural heart is enmityagainst God, and that, until he is converted by the Holy Spirit, manneither loves to think of his Maker nor to speak of him. 

While they sat thus musing, a breeze dimmed the surface of the sea, andthe _Dolphin_, which had hitherto lain motionless in one of the numerouscanals, began slowly to advance between the islands of ice. The breezefreshened, and rendered it impossible to avoid an occasional collisionwith the floating masses; but the good ship was well armed for thefight, and, although she quivered under the blows, and once or twicerecoiled, she pushed her way through the pack gallantly. In the courseof an hour or two they were once more in comparatively clear water. 

Suddenly there came a cry from the crow's-nest--"There she blows!"

Instantly every man in the ship sprang to his feet as if he had receivedan electric shock. 

"Where away?" shouted the captain. 

"On the lee-bow, sir, " replied the look-out. 

From a state of comparative quiet and repose the ship was now throwninto a condition of the utmost animation, and, apparently, unmeaning, confusion. The sight of a whale acted on the spirits of the men likewild-fire. 

"There she blows!" sang out the man at the masthead again. 

"Are we keeping right for her?" asked the captain. 

"Keep her away a bit; steady!" replied the lookout. 

"Steady it is!" answered the man at the wheel. 

"Call all hands and get the boats out, Mr. Bolton, " said the captain. 

"All hands ahoy!" shouted the mate in a tempestuous voice, while the menrushed to their respective stations. 

"Boat-steerers, get your boats ready. "

"Ay, ay, sir. "

"There go flukes, " cried the look-out, as the whale dived and tossed itsflukes--that is, its tail--in the air, not more than a mile on thelee-bow; "she's heading right for the ship. "

"Down with the helm!" roared the captain. "Mr. Bolton, brace up themizzen-top-sail! Hoist and swing the boats! Lower away!"

In another moment three boats struck the water, and their respectivecrews tumbled tumultuously into them. Fred and Singleton sprang into thestern-sheets of the captain's boat just as it pushed off, and, in lessthan five minutes, the three boats were bounding over the sea in thedirection of the whale like race-horses. Every man did his best, and thetough oars bent like hoops as each boat's crew strove to outstrip theothers. 

CHAPTER IV. 

_The chase and the battle--The chances and dangers of whalingwar--Buzzby dives for his life and saves it--So does the whale and losesit--An anxious night, which terminates happily, though with a heavyloss. _

The chase was not a long one, for, while the boats were rowing swiftlytowards the whale, the whale was, all unconsciously, swimming towardsthe boats. 

"Give way now, lads, give way, " said the captain in a suppressed voice;"bend your backs, boys, and don't let the mate beat us. "

The three boats flew over the sea, as the men strained their muscles tothe utmost, and for some time they kept almost in line, being prettyequally matched; but gradually the captain shot ahead, and it becameevident that his harpooner, Amos Parr, was to have the honour ofharpooning the first whale. Amos pulled the bow-oar, and behind him wasthe tub with the line coiled away, and the harpoon bent on to it. Beingan experienced whaleman, he evinced no sign of excitement, save in thebrilliancy of his dark eye and a very slight flush on his bronzed face. They had now neared the whale and ceased rowing for a moment, lest theyshould miss it when down. 

"There she goes!" cried Fred in a tone of intense excitement, as hecaught sight of the whale not more than fifty yards ahead of the boat. 

"Now, boys, " cried the captain, in a hoarse whisper, "spring hard--layback hard, I say--_stand up_!"

At the last word Amos-Parr sprang to his feet and seized the harpoon, the boat ran right on to the whale's back, and in an instant Parr senttwo irons to the hitches into the fish. 

"Stern all!" The men backed their oars with all their might, in order toavoid the flukes of the wounded monster of the deep, as it plunged downheadlong into the sea, taking the line out perpendicularly likelightning. This was a moment of great danger. The friction of the lineas it passed the loggerhead was so great that Parr had to keepconstantly pouring water on it to prevent its catching fire. A hitch inthe line at that time, as it flew out of the tub, or any accidentalentanglement, would have dragged the boat and crew right down: many suchfatal accidents occur to whalers, and many a poor fellow has had a footor an arm torn off, or been dragged overboard and drowned, inconsequence of getting entangled. One of the men stood ready with asmall hatchet to cut the line in a moment, if necessary; for whalessometimes run out all that is in a boat at the first plunge, and shouldnone of the other boats be at hand to lend a second line to attach tothe one nearly expended, there is nothing for it but to cut. On thepresent occasion, however, none of these accidents befell the men of thecaptain's boat. The line ran all clear, and long before it wasexhausted the whale ceased to descend, and the _slack_ was hauledrapidly in. 

Meanwhile the other boats pulled up to the scene of action, and preparedto strike the instant the fish should rise to the surface. It appeared, suddenly, not twenty yards from the mate's boat, where Buzzby, who washarpooner, stood in the bow ready to give it the iron. 

"Spring, lads, spring!" shouted the mate, as the whale spouted into theair a thick stream of water. The boat dashed up, and Buzzby planted hisharpoon vigorously. Instantly the broad flukes of the tail were tossedinto the air, and, for a single second, spread like a canopy overBuzzby's head. There was no escape. The quick eye of the whaleman saw ata glance that the effort to back out was hopeless. He bent his head, andthe next moment was deep down in the waves. Just as he disappeared theflukes descended on the spot which he had left, and cut the bow of theboat completely away, sending the stern high into the air with aviolence that tossed men, and oars, and shattered planks, and cordage, flying over the monster's back into the seething caldron of foam aroundit. It was apparently a scene of the most complete and instantaneousdestruction, yet, strange to say, not a man was lost. A few secondsafter, the white foam of the sea was dotted with black heads as the menrose one by one to the surface, and struck out for floating oars andpieces of the wrecked boat. 

"They're lost!" cried Fred Ellice in a voice of horror. 

"Not a bit of it, youngster; they're safe enough, I'll warrant, " repliedthe captain, as his own boat flew past the spot, towed by thewhale. --"Pay out, Amos Parr; give him line, or he'll tear the bows outof us. "

"Ay, ay, sir, " sang out Amos, as he sat coolly pouring water on theloggerhead round which a coil of the rope was whizzing like lightning;"all right. The mate's men are all safe, sir; I counted them as we shotpast, and I seed Buzzby come up last of all, blowin' like a grampus; andsmall wonder, considerin' the dive he took. "

"Take another turn of the coil, Amos, and hold on, " said the captain. 

The harpooner obeyed, and away they went after the whale like a rocket, with a tremendous strain on the line and a bank of white foam gurglingup to the edge of the gunwale, that every moment threatened to fill theboat and sink her. Such a catastrophe is of not unfrequent occurrence, when whalemen thus towed by a whale are tempted to hold on too long; andmany instances have happened of boats and their crews being in this waydragged under water and lost. Fortunately the whale dashed horizontallythrough the water, so that the boat was able to hold on and follow, andin a short time the creature paused and rose for air. Again the men bentto their oars, and the rope was hauled in until they came quite close tothe fish. This time a harpoon was thrown and a deep lance-thrust givenwhich penetrated to the vital parts of its huge carcass, as wasevidenced by the blood which it spouted and the convulsive lashing ofits tremendous tail. 

While the captain's crew were thus engaged, Saunders, the second mate, observing from the ship the accident to the first mate's boat, sent offa party of men to the rescue, thus setting free the third boat, whichwas steered by a strapping fellow named Peter Grim, to follow up thechase. Peter Grim was the ship's carpenter, and he took after his name. He was, as the sailors expressed it, a "grim customer, " being burnt bythe sun to a deep rich brown colour, besides being covered nearly up tothe eyes with a thick coal-black beard and moustache, which completelyconcealed every part of his visage except his prominent nose and dark, fiery-looking eyes. He was an immense man, the largest in the ship, probably, if we except the Scotch second mate Saunders, to whom he wasabout equal in all respects--except argument. Like most big men, he waspeaceable and good-humoured. 

"Look alive now, lads, " said Grim, as the men pulled towards the whale;"we'll get a chance yet, we shall, if you give way like tigers. Splityour sides, boys--do--that's it. Ah! there she goes right down. Pullaway now, and be ready when she rises. "

As he spoke the whale suddenly _sounded_--that is, went perpendicularlydown, as it had done when first struck--and continued to descend untilmost of the line in the captain's boat was run out. 

"Hoist an oar!" cried Amos Parr, as he saw the coil diminishing. Grimobserved the signal of distress, and encouraged his men to use theirutmost exertions. "Another oar!--another!" shouted Parr, as the whalecontinued its headlong descent. 

"Stand by to cut the line, " said Captain Guy with compressed lips. "No!hold on, hold on!"

At this moment, having drawn down more than a thousand fathoms of rope, the whale slackened its speed, and Parr, taking another coil round theloggerhead, held on until the boat was almost dragged under water. Thenthe line became loose, and the slack was hauled in rapidly. MeanwhileGrim's boat had reached the spot, and the men now lay on their oars atsome distance ahead, ready to pull the instant the whale should showitself. Up it came, not twenty yards ahead. One short, energetic pull, and the second boat sent a harpoon deep into it, while Grim sprang tothe bow and thrust a lance with deadly force deep into the carcass. Themonster sent up a stream of mingled blood, oil, and water, and whirledits huge tail so violently that the sound could be heard a mile off. Before it dived again, the captain's boat came up, and succeeded inmaking fast another harpoon, while several additional lance-thrusts weregiven with effect, and it seemed as if the battle were about toterminate, when suddenly the whale struck the sea with a clap likethunder, and darted away once more like a rocket to windward, tearingthe two boats after it as if they had been egg-shells. 

Meanwhile a change had come over the scene. The sun had set, red andlowering, behind a bank of dark clouds, and there was every appearanceof stormy weather; but as yet it was nearly calm, and the ship wasunable to beat up against the light breeze in the wake of the two boats, which were soon far away on the horizon. Then a furious gust arose andpassed away, a dark cloud covered the sky as night fell, and soon boatsand whale were utterly lost to view. 

"Wae's me!" cried the big Scotch mate, as he ran up and down thequarter-deck wringing his hands, "what _is_ to be done noo?"

Saunders spoke a mongrel kind of language--a mixture of Scotch andEnglish--in which, although the Scotch words were sparsely scattered, the Scotch accent was very strong. 

"How's her head?"

"Nor'-nor'-west, sir. "

"Keep her there, then. Maybe, if the wind holds stiddy, we may overhaulthem before it's quite dark. "

Although Saunders was really in a state of the utmost consternation atthis unexpected termination to the whale-hunt, and expressed theagitation of his feelings pretty freely, he was too thorough a seaman toneglect anything that was necessary to be done under the circumstances. He took the exact bearings of the point at which the boats haddisappeared, and during the night, which turned out gusty andthreatening, kept making short tacks, while lanterns were hung at themast-heads, and a huge torch, or rather a small bonfire, of tarredmaterials was slung at the end of a spar and thrust out over the sternof the ship. But for many hours there was no sign of the boats, and thecrew of the _Dolphin_ began to entertain the most gloomy forebodingsregarding them. 

At length, towards morning, a small speck of light was noticed on theweather-beam. It flickered for a moment, and then disappeared. 

"Did ye see yon?" said Saunders to Mivins in an agitated whisper, layinghis huge hand on the shoulder of that worthy. "Down your helm" (to thesteersman). 

"Ay, ay, sir!"

"Stiddy!"

"Steady it is, sir. "

Mivins's face, which for some hours had worn an expression of deepanxiety, relaxed into a bland smile, and he smote his thigh powerfully, as he exclaimed, "That's them, sir, _and_ no mistake! What's youropinion, Mr. Saunders?"

The second mate peered earnestly in the direction in which the light hadbeen seen; and Mivins, turning in the same direction, screwed up hisvisage into a knot of earnest attention so complicated and intense, thatit seemed as if no human power could evermore unravel it. 

"There it goes again!" cried Saunders, as the light flashed distinctlyover the sea. 

"Down helm; back fore-top-sails!" he shouted, springing forward; "loweraway the boat there!"

In a few seconds the ship was hove to, and a boat, with a lantern fixedto an oar, was plunging over the swell in the direction of the light. Sooner than was expected they came up with it, and a hurrah in thedistance told that all was right. 

"Here we are, thank God, " cried Captain Guy, "safe and sound. We don'trequire assistance, Mr. Saunders; pull for the ship. "

A short pull sufficed to bring the three boats alongside, and in a fewseconds more the crew were congratulating their comrades with thatmingled feeling of deep heartiness and a disposition to jest which ischaracteristic of men who are used to danger, and think lightly of itafter it is over. 

"We've lost our fish, however, " remarked Captain Guy, as he passed thecrew on his way to the cabin; "but we must hope for better luck nexttime. "

"Well, well, " said one of the men, wringing the water out of his wetclothes as he walked forward, "we got a good laugh at Peter Grim, if wegot nothin' else by our trip. "

"How was that, Jack?"

"Why, ye see, jist before the whale gave in, it sent up a spout o' bloodand oil as thick as the main-mast, and, as luck would have it, down itcame slap on the head of Grim, drenchin' him from head to foot, andmakin' him as red as a lobster. "

"'Ow did you lose the fish, sir?" inquired Mivins, as our hero sprang upthe side, followed by Singleton. 

"Lost him as men lose money in railway speculations now-a-days. We_sank_ him, and that was the last of it. After he had towed us I don'tknow how far--out of sight of the ship at any rate--he suddenly stopped, and we pulled up and gave him some tremendous digs with the lances, until he spouted jets of blood, and we made sure of him, when all atonce down he went head-foremost like a cannon ball, and took all theline out of both boats, so we had to cut, and he never came up again. Atleast, if he did it became so dark that we never saw him. Then we pulledto where we thought the ship was, and, after rowing nearly all night, caught sight of your lights; and here we are, dead tired, wet to theskin, and minus about two miles of whale-line and three harpoons. "

CHAPTER V. 

_Miscellaneous reflections--The coast of Greenland--Upernavik--News ofthe "Pole Star"--Midnight-day--Scientific facts and fairy-likescenes--Tom Singleton's opinion of poor old women--In danger of asqueeze--Escape. _

In pursuance of his original intention, Captain Guy now proceededthrough Davis' Straits into Baffin's Bay, at the head of which heintended to search for the vessel of his friend Captain Ellice, andafterwards prosecute the whale-fishery. Off the coast of Greenland manywhalers were seen actively engaged in warfare with the giants of thePolar Seas, and to several of these Captain Guy spoke, in the faint hopeof gleaning some information as to the fate of the _Pole Star_, butwithout success. It was now apparent to the crew of the _Dolphin_ thatthey were engaged as much on a searching as a whaling expedition; andthe fact that the commander of the lost vessel was the father of "youngMr. Fred, " as they styled our hero, induced them to take a deep interestin the success of their undertaking. 

This interest was further increased by the graphic account that honestJohn Buzzby gave of the death of poor Mrs. Ellice, and the enthusiasticway in which he spoke of his old captain. Fred, too, had, by his frank, affable manner and somewhat reckless disposition, rendered himself ageneral favourite with the men, and had particularly recommended himselfto Mivins the steward (who was possessed of an intensely romanticspirit), by stating once or twice very emphatically that he (Fred) meantto land on the coast of Baffin's Bay, should the captain fail to findhis father, and continue the search on foot and alone. There was nodoubt whatever that poor Fred was in earnest, and had made up his mindto die in the search rather than not find him. He little knew theterrible nature of the country in which for a time his lot was to becast, and the hopelessness of such an undertaking as he meditated. Withboyish inconsiderateness he thought not of how his object was to beaccomplished; he cared not what impossibilities lay in the way; but, with manly determination, he made up his mind to quit the ship andsearch for his father through the length and breadth of the land. Letnot the reader smile at what he may perhaps style a childish piece ofenthusiasm. Many a youth at his age has dreamed of attempting as greatif not greater impossibilities. All honour, we say, to the boy who_dreams_ impossibilities, and greater honour to him who, like Fred, _resolves to attempt them!_ James Watt stared at an iron tea-kettle tillhis eyes were dim, and meditated the monstrous impossibility of makingthat kettle work like a horse; and men might (perhaps did) smile atJames Watt _then_, but do men smile at James Watt _now?_--now thatthousands of iron kettles are dashing like dreadful comets over thelength and breadth of the land, not to mention the sea, with long tailsof men and women and children behind them!

"That's 'ow it is, sir, " Mivins used to say, when spoken to by Fred onthe subject; "I've never bin in cold countries myself, sir, but I've binin 'ot, and I knows that with a stout pair o' legs and a will to work, aman can work 'is way hanywhere. Of course there's not much of apop'lation in them parts, I've heerd; but there's Heskimos, and whereone man can live so can another, and what one man can do so cananother--that's bin my hexperience, and I'm not ashamed to hown it, I'mnot, though I _do_ say it as shouldn't, and I honour you, sir, for yourfilleral detarmination to find your father, sir, and--"

"Steward!" shouted the captain down the cabin skylight. 

"Yes, sir!"

"Bring me the chart. "

"Yes, sir, " and Mivins disappeared like a Jack-in-the-box from the cabinjust as Tom Singleton entered it. 

"Here we are, Fred, " he said, seizing a telescope that hung over thecabin door, "within sight of the Danish settlement of Upernavik; come ondeck and see it. "

Fred needed no second bidding. It was here that the captain had hintedthere would, probably, be some information obtained regarding the _PoleStar_, and it was with feelings of no common interest that the twofriends examined the low-roofed houses of this out-of-the-waysettlement. 

In an hour afterwards the captain and first mate with our young friendslanded amid the clamorous greetings of the entire population, andproceeded to the residence of the governor, who received them with greatkindness and hospitality; but the only information they could obtain wasthat, a year ago, Captain Ellice had been driven there in his brig bystress of weather, and after refitting and taking in a supply ofprovisions, had set sail for England. 

Here the _Dolphin_ laid in a supply of dried fish, and procured severaldogs, besides an Esquimau interpreter and hunter, named Meetuck. 

Leaving this little settlement, they stood out once more to sea, andthreaded their way among the ice, with which they were now wellacquainted in all its forms, from the mighty berg, or mountain of ice, to the wide field. They passed in succession one or two Esquimausettlements, the last of which, Yotlik, is the most northerly point ofcolonization. Beyond this all was _terra incognita_. Here inquiry wasagain made through the medium of the Esquimau interpreter who had beentaken on board at Upernavik, and they learned that the brig in questionhad been last seen beset in the pack, and driving to the northward. Whether or not she had ever returned they could not tell. 

A consultation was now held, and it was resolved to proceed north, asfar as the ice would permit, towards Smith's Sound, and examine thecoast carefully in that direction. 

For several weeks past there had been gradually coming over the aspectof nature a change, to which we have not yet referred, and which filledFred Ellice and his friend, the young surgeon, with surprise andadmiration. This was the long-continued daylight, which now lasted thewhole night round, and increased in intensity every day as they advancednorth. They had, indeed, often heard and read of it before, but theirminds had utterly failed to form a correct conception of the exquisitecalmness and beauty of the _midnight-day_ of the north. 

Every one knows that, in consequence of the axis of the earth not beingperpendicular to the plane of its orbit round the sun, the poles arealternately directed more or less _towards_ that great luminary duringone part of the year, and _away_ from it during another part. So thatfar north the days during the one season grow longer and longer until atlast there is _one long day_ of many weeks' duration, in which the sundoes not set at all; and during the other season there is _one longnight_, in which the sun is never seen. It was approaching the height ofthe summer season when the _Dolphin_ entered the Arctic Regions, and, although the sun descended below the horizon for a short time eachnight, there was scarcely any diminution of the light at all, and, asfar as one's sensations were concerned, there was but one longcontinuous day, which grew brighter and brighter at midnight as theyadvanced. 

"How thoroughly splendid this is!" remarked Tom Singleton to Fred onenight, as they sat in their favourite outlook, the main-top, gazing downon the glassy sea, which was covered with snowy icebergs and floes, andbathed in the rays of the sun; "and how wonderful to think that the sunwill only set for an hour or so, and then get up as splendid as ever!"

The evening was still as death. Not a sound broke upon the ear save thegentle cries of a few sea-birds that dipped ever and anon into the sea, as if to kiss it gently while asleep, and then circled slowly into thebright sky again. The sails of the ship, too, flapped very gently, and aspar creaked plaintively, as the vessel rose and fell on the gentleundulations that seemed to be the breathing of the ocean. But suchsounds did not disturb the universal stillness of the hour; neither didthe gambols of yonder group of seals and walruses that were at playround some fantastic blocks of ice; nor did the soft murmur of the swellthat broke in surf at the foot of yonder iceberg, whose blue sides wereseamed with a thousand watercourses, and whose jagged pinnacles rose uplike needles of steel into the clear atmosphere. 

There were many bergs in sight, of various shapes and sizes, at somedistance from the ship, which caused much anxiety to the captain, although they were only a source of admiration to our young friends inthe main-top. 

"Tom, " said Fred, breaking a long silence, "it may seem a strange ideato you, but, do you know, I cannot help fancying that heaven must besomething like this. "

"I'm not sure that that's such a strange idea, Fred, for it has two ofthe characteristics of heaven in it--peace and rest. "

"True; that didn't strike me. Do you know, I wish that it were alwayscalm like this, and that we had no wind at all. "

Tom smiled. "Your voyage would be a long one if that were to happen. Idaresay the Esquimaux would join with you in the wish, however, fortheir kayaks and oomiaks are better adapted for a calm than a stormysea. "

"Tom, " said Fred, breaking another long silence, "you're very tiresomeand stupid to-night, why don't you talk to me?"

"Because this delightful dreamy evening inclines me to think and besilent. "

"Ah, Tom! that's your chief fault. You are always inclined to think toomuch and to talk too little. Now I, on the contrary, am always--"

"Inclined to talk too much and think too little--eh, Fred?"

"Bah! don't try to be funny, man; you haven't it in you. Did you eversee such a miserable set of creatures as the old Esquimau women are atUpernavik?"

"Why, what put _them_, into your head?" inquired Tom laughing. 

"Yonder iceberg! Look at it! There's the nose and chin exactly of theextraordinary hag you gave your silk pocket-handkerchief to at parting. Now, I never saw such a miserable old woman as that before, did you?"

Tom Singleton's whole demeanour changed, and his dark eyes brightened asthe strongly-marked brows frowned over them, while he replied, "Yes, Fred, I have seen old women more miserable than that. I have seen womenso old that their tottering limbs could scarcely support them, goingabout in the bitterest November winds, with clothing too scant to covertheir wrinkled bodies, and so ragged and filthy that you would haveshrunk from touching it--I have seen such groping about among heaps offilth that the very dogs looked at and turned away from as if indisgust. "

Fred was inclined to laugh at his friend's sudden change of manner; butthere was something in the young surgeon's character--perhaps its deepearnestness--that rendered it impossible, at least for his friends, tobe jocular when he was disposed to be serious. Fred became grave as hespoke. 

"Where have you seen such poor wretches, Tom?" he asked, with a look ofinterest. 

"In the cities, the civilized cities of our own Christian land. If youhave ever walked about the streets of some of these cities before therest of the world was astir, at gray dawn, you must have seen themshivering along and scratching among the refuse cast out by the tenantsof the neighbouring houses. O Fred, Fred! in my professional career, short though it has been, I have seen much of these poor old women, andmany others whom the world never sees on the streets at all, experiencing a slow, lingering death by starvation, and fatigue, andcold. It is the foulest blot on our country that there is no sufficientprovision for the _aged poor_. "

"I have seen those old women too, " replied Fred, "but I never thoughtvery seriously about them before. "

"That's it--that's just it; people don't _think_, otherwise thisdreadful state of things would not continue. Just listen _now_, for amoment, to what I have to say. But don't imagine that I'm standing upfor the poor in general. I don't feel--perhaps I'm wrong, " continued Tomthoughtfully--"perhaps I'm wrong--I hope not--but it's a fact, I don'tfeel much for the young and the sturdy poor, and I make it a rule_never_ to give a farthing to _young_ beggars, not even to littlechildren, for I know full well that they are sent out to beg by idle, good-for-nothing parents. I stand up only for the _aged_ poor, because, be they good or wicked, they _cannot_ help themselves. If a man felldown in the street, struck with some dire disease that shrunk hismuscles, unstrung his nerves, made his heart tremble, and his skinshrivel up, would you look upon him and then pass him by _withoutthinking?_"

"No, " cried Fred in an emphatic tone, "I would not! I would stop andhelp him. "

"Then, let me ask you, " resumed Tom earnestly, "is there any differencebetween the weakness of muscle and the faintness of heart which isproduced by disease, and that which is produced by old age, except thatthe latter is incurable? Have not these women feelings like other women?Think you that there are not amongst them those who have 'known bettertimes'? They think of sons and daughters dead and gone, perhaps, just asother old women in better circumstances do. But they must not indulgesuch depressing thoughts; they must reserve all the energy, the staminathey have, to drag round the city--barefoot, it may be, and in thecold--to beg for food, and scratch up what they can find among thecinder heaps. They groan over past comforts and past times, perhaps, andthink of the days when their limbs were strong and their cheeks weresmooth; for they were not always 'hags. ' And remember that _once_ theyhad friends who loved them and cared for them, although they are old, unknown, and desolate now. "

Tom paused and pressed his hand upon his flushed forehead. 

"You may think it strange, " he continued, "that I speak to you in thisway about poor old women, but I _feel_ deeply for their forlorncondition. The young can help themselves, more or less, and they havestrength to stand their sorrows, with _hope_, blessed hope, to keepthem up; but _poor_ old men and old women cannot help themselves, andcannot stand their sorrows, and, as far as this life is concerned, theyhave _no hope, _ except to die soon and easy, and, if possible, in summertime, when the wind is not so very cold and bitter. "

"But how can this be put right, Tom?" asked Fred in a tone of deepcommiseration. "Our being sorry for it and anxious about it (and you'vemade me sorry, I assure you) can do very little good, you know. "

"I don't know, Fred, " replied Tom, sinking into his usual quiet tone. "If every city and town in Great Britain would start a society, whosefirst resolution should be that they would not leave one poor _old_ manor woman unprovided for, _that_ would do it. Or if the Government wouldtake it in hand _honestly_, that would do it. "

"Call all hands, Mr. Bolton, " cried the captain in a sharp voice. "Getout the ice-poles, and lower away the boats. "

"Hallo! what's wrong?" said Fred, starting up. 

"Getting too near the bergs, I suspect, " remarked Tom. "I say, Fred, before we go on deck, will you promise to do what I ask you?"

"Well--yes, I will. "

"Will you promise, then, all through your life, especially if you evercome to be rich or influential, to think _of_ and _for_ old men andwomen who are poor?"

"I will, " answered Fred; "but I don't know that I'll ever be rich, orinfluential, or able to help them much. "

"Of course you don't. But when a thought about them strikes you, willyou always _think it out_, and, if possible, _act it out_, as God shallenable you?"

"Yes, Tom, I promise to do that as well as I can. "

"That's right; thank you, my boy, " said the young surgeon, as theydescended the shrouds and leaped on deck. 

Here they found the captain walking up and down rapidly, with an anxiousexpression of face. After taking a turn or two he stopped short, andgazed out astern. 

"Set the stun'-sails, Mr. Bolton. The breeze will be up in a little, Ithink. Let the men pull with a will. "

The order was given, and soon the ship was under a cloud of canvas, advancing slowly as the boats towed her between two large icebergs, which had been gradually drawing near to each other the whole afternoon. 

"Is there any danger, Buzzby?" inquired Fred, as the sturdy sailor stoodlooking at the larger berg, with an ice-pole in his hands. 

"Danger? ay, that there is, lad, more nor's agreeable, d'ye see. Here weare without a breath o' wind to get us on, right between two bergs ascould crack us like a walnut. We can't get to starboard of 'em for thecurrent, nor to larboard of 'em for the pack, as ye see, so we must gobetween them, neck or nothing. "

The danger was indeed imminent. The two bergs were within a hundredyards of each other, and the smaller of the two, being more easily movedby the current probably, was setting down on the larger at a rate thatbade fair to decide the fate of the _Dolphin_ in a few minutes. The menrowed lustily, but their utmost exertions could move the ship butslowly. Aid was coming, however, direct from the hand of Him who is arefuge in the time of danger. A breeze was creeping over the calm searight astern, and it was to meet this that the studding-sails had beenset a-low and aloft, so that the wide-spreading canvas, projecting farto the right and left, had, to an inexperienced eye, the appearance ofbeing out of all proportion to the little hull by which it wassupported. 

With breathless anxiety those on board stood watching the two bergs andthe approaching breeze. 

At last it came. A few cat's-paws ruffled the surface of the sea, distending the sails for a moment, then leaving them flat and loose asbefore. This, however, was sufficient; another such puff, and the shipwas almost out of danger; but before it came the projecting summit ofthe smaller berg was overhanging the deck. At this critical moment thewind began to blow steadily, and soon the _Dolphin_ was in the openwater beyond. Five minutes after she had passed, the moving mountainsstruck with a noise louder than thunder; the summits and large portionsof the sides fell with a succession of crashes like the roaring ofartillery, just above the spot where the ship had lain not a quarter ofan hour before; and the vessel, for some time after, rocked violently toand fro in the surges that the plunge of the falling masses had raised. 

CHAPTER VI. 

_The gale--Anchored to a berg which proves to be a treacherousone--Dangers of the "pack"--Beset in the ice--Mivins shows an inquiringmind--Walruses--Gale freshens--Chains and cables--Holding on forlife--An unexpected discovery--A "nip" and its terribleconsequences--Yoked to an iceberg_. 

The narrow escape related in the last chapter was but the prelude to anight of troubles. Fortunately, as we have before mentioned, _night_ didnot now add darkness to their difficulties. Soon after passing thebergs, a stiff breeze sprang up off shore, between which and the_Dolphin_ there was a thick belt of loose ice, or sludge, while outside, the pack was in motion, and presented a terrible scene of crashing andgrinding masses under the influence of the breeze, which soon freshenedto a gale. 

"Keep her away two points, " said Captain Guy to the man at the wheel;"we'll make fast to yonder berg, Mr. Bolton. If this gale carries usinto the pack, we shall be swept far out of our course, if, indeed, weescape being nipped and sent to the bottom. "

Being _nipped_ is one of the numberless dangers to which Arcticnavigators are exposed. Should a vessel get between two moving fields orfloes of ice, there is a chance, especially in stormy weather, of theice being forced together and squeezing in the sides of the ship; thisis called nipping. 

"Ah!" remarked Buzzby, as he stood with folded arms by the capstan, "many and many a good ship has been sent to the bottom by that same. I've see'd a brig, with my own two eyes, squeezed together a'most flatby two big floes of ice, and after doin' it they jist separated agin andlet her go plump down to the bottom. Before she was nipped, the crewsaved themselves by jumpin' on to the ice, and they wos picked up by ourship that wos in company. "

"There's no dependin' on the ice, by no means, " remarked Amos Parr; "forI've see'd the self-same sort of thing that ye mention happen to a smallsteamer in Davis' Straits, only instead o' crushin' it flat, the icelifted it right high and dry out o' the water, and then let it downagain, without more ado, as sound as iver. "

"Get out the warps and ice-anchors there!" cried the captain. 

In a moment the men were in the boats and busy heaving and plantingice-anchors, but it was not until several hours had been spent in thistedious process that they succeeded in making fast to the berg. They hadbarely accomplished this when the berg gave indications of breaking up, so they cast off again in great haste, and not long afterwards a mass ofice, many tons in weight, fell from the edge of the berg close to wherethey had been moored. 

The captain now beat up for the land in the hope of findinganchoring-ground. At first the ice presented an impenetrable barrier, but at length a lead of open water was found, through which they passedto within a few hundred yards of the shore, which at this spot showed afront of high precipitous cliffs. 

"Stand by to let go the anchor!" shouted the captain. 

"Ay, ay, sir. "

"Down your helm! Let go!"

Down went the anchor to the music of the rattling chain-cable--a soundwhich had not been heard since the good ship left the shores of OldEngland. 

"If we were only a few yards farther in, sir, " remarked the first-mate, "we should be better. I'm afraid of the stream of ice coming roundyonder point. "

"So am I, " replied the captain; "but we can scarcely manage it, I fear, on account of the shore ice. Get out a boat, Mr. Saunders, and try tofix an anchor. We may warp in a few yards. "

The anchor was fixed, and the men strained at the capstan with a will, but, notwithstanding their utmost efforts, they could not penetrate theshore ice. Meanwhile the wind increased, and snow began to fall in largeflakes. The tide, too, as it receded, brought a stream of ice round thepoint ahead of them, which bore right down on their bows. At first theconcussions were slight, and the bow of the ship turned the floes aside;but heavier masses soon came down, and at last one fixed itself on thecable, and caused the anchor to drag with a harsh, grating sound. 

Fred Ellice, who stood beside the second mate near the companion hatch, looked inquiringly at him. 

"Ah! that's bad, " said Saunders, shaking his head slowly; "I dinna likethat sound. If we're carried out into the pack there, dear knows wherewe'll turn up in the long run. "

"Perhaps we'll turn bottom up, sir, " suggested the fat cook as he passedat the moment with a tray of meat. Mizzle could not resist a joke--nomatter how unsuitable the time or dreadful the consequences. 

"Hold your tongue, sir!" exclaimed Saunders indignantly. "Attend to yourbusiness, and speak only when you're spoken to. "

With some difficulty the mass of ice that had got foul of the cable wasdisengaged, but in a few moments another and a larger mass fixed uponit, and threatened to carry it away. In this extremity the captainordered the anchor to be hove up; but this was not easily accomplished, and when at last it was hove up to the bow both flukes were found tohave been broken off, and the shank was polished bright with rubbing onthe rocks. 

Ice now came rolling down in great quantities and with irresistibleforce, and at last the ship was whirled into the much-dreaded pack, where she became firmly embedded, and drifted along with it before thegale into the unknown regions of the North all that night. To add totheir distress and danger a thick fog overspread the sea, so that theycould not tell whither the ice was carrying them, and to warp out of itwas impossible. There was nothing for it therefore but to drive beforethe gale, and take advantage of the first opening in the ice that shouldafford them a chance of escape. 

Towards evening of the following day the gale abated, and the sun shoneout bright and clear; but the pack remained close as ever, driftingsteadily towards the north. 

"We're far beyond the most northerly sea that has ever yet beenreached, " remarked Captain Guy to Fred and Singleton, as he leaned onthe weather bulwarks, and gazed wistfully over the fields of ice inwhich they were embedded. 

"I beg your pardon for differing, Captain Guy, but I think that CaptainParry was farther north than this when he attempted to reach the Pole, "remarked Saunders, with the air of a man who was prepared to defend hisposition to the last. 

"Very possibly, Mr. Saunders; but I think we are at least farther northin _this_ direction than any one has yet been; at least I make it out soby the chart. "

"I'm no sure o' that, " rejoined the second mate positively; "charts arenot always to be depended on, and I've heard that whalers have been uphereabouts before now. "

"Perhaps you are right, Mr. Saunders, " replied the captain, smiling;"nevertheless, I shall take observations, and name the variousheadlands, until I find that others have been here before me. --Mivins, hand me the glass; it seems to me there's a water-sky to the northward. "

"What is a water-sky, captain?" inquired Fred. 

"It is a peculiar, dark appearance of the sky on the horizon, whichindicates open water; just the reverse of that bright appearance whichyou have often seen in the distance, and which we call the ice-blink. "

"We'll have open water soon, " remarked the second mate authoritatively. 

"Mr. Saunders, " said Mivins, who, having just finished clearing away andwashing up the _débris_ and dishes of one meal, was enjoying in completeidleness the ten minutes of leisure that intervened between that andpreparations for the next--"Mr. Saunders, sir, can you _h_inform me, sir, 'ow it is that the sea don't freeze at 'ome the same as it does_h_out 'ere?"

The countenance of the second mate brightened, for he prided himself nota little on his vast and varied stores of knowledge, and nothing pleasedhim so much as to be questioned, particularly on knotty subjects. 

"Hem! yes, Mivins, I can tell 'ee that. Ye must know that before freshwater can freeze on the surface the whole volume of it must be cooleddown to 40 degrees, and _salt_ water must be cooled down to 45 degrees. Noo, frost requires to be very long continued and very sharp indeedbefore it can cool the deep sea from the top to the bottom, and until itis so cooled it canna freeze. "

"Oh!" remarked Mivins, who only half understood the meaning of theexplanation, "'ow very _h_odd. But can you tell me, Mr. Saunders, 'ow itis that them 'ere _h_icebergs is made? Them's wot I don't comprehendno'ow. "

"Ay, " replied Saunders, "there has been many a wiser head than yours, puzzled for a long time about icebergs. But if ye'll use yer eyes you'llsee how they are formed. Do you see the high cliffs yonder away to thenor'-east? Weel, there are great masses o' ice that have been formedagainst them by the melting and freezing of the snows of many years. When these become too heavy to stick to the cliffs, they tumble into thesea and float away as icebergs. But the biggest bergs come from the footof glaciers. You know what glaciers are, Mivins?"

"No, sir, I don't. "

The second mate sighed. "They are immense accumulations of ice, Mivins, that have been formed by the freezings and meltings of the snows ofhundreds of years. They cover the mountains of Norway and Switzerland, and many other places in this world, for miles and miles in extent, andsometimes they flow down and fill up whole valleys. I once saw one inNorway that filled up a valley eight miles long, two miles broad, andseven or eight' hundred feet deep; and that was only a wee bit of it, for I was told by men who had travelled over it that it covered themountains of the interior, and made them a level field of ice, with asurface like rough, hard snow, for more than twenty miles in extent. "

"You don't say so, sir!" said Mivins in surprise. "And don't they_never_ melt?"

"No, never. What they lose in summer they more than gain in winter. Moreover, they are always in motion; but they move so slow that you maylook at them ever so closely and so long, you'll not be able to observethe motion--just like the hour hand of a watch--but we know it byobserving the changes from year to year. There are immense glaciers herein the Arctic Regions, and the lumps which they are constantly sheddingoff into the sea are the icebergs that one sees and hears so muchabout. "

Mivins seemed deeply impressed with this explanation, and would probablyhave continued the conversation much longer, had he not been interruptedby the voice of his mischievous satellite, Davie Summers, who touchedhis forelock and said, "Please, Mr. Mivins, shall I lay the table-cloth?or would it be better to slump dinner with tea this afternoon?"

Mivins started. "Ha! caught me napping! Down below, you young dog!"

The boy dived instantly, followed, first by a dish-clout, rolled tightlyup and well aimed, and afterwards by his active-limbed superior. Bothreached the region of smells, cruets, and crockery at the same moment, and each set energetically to work at their never-ending duties. 

Soon after this the ice suddenly loosened, and the crew succeeded, aftera few hours' hard labour, in warping the _Dolphin_ once more out of thepack; but scarcely had this been accomplished when another storm, whichhad been gradually gathering, burst upon them, and compelled them oncemore to seek the shelter of the land. 

Numerous walruses rolled about in the bays here, and they approachedmuch nearer to the vessel than they had yet done, affording those onboard a good view of their huge, uncouth visages, as they shook theirshaggy fronts and ploughed up the waves with their tusks. These enormouscreatures are the elephants of the Arctic Ocean. Their aspect isparticularly grim and fierce, and being nearly equal to elephants inbulk they are not less terrible than they appear. In form they somewhatresemble seals, having barrel-shaped bodies, with round, or rathersquare, blunt heads and shaggy bristling moustaches, and two long ivorytusks which curve downwards instead of upwards, serving the purposefrequently of hooks, by means of which and their fore-flippers they canpull themselves up on the rocks and icebergs. Indeed, they are sometimesfound at a considerable height up the sides of steep cliffs, basking inthe sun. 

Fred was anxious to procure the skull of one of these monstrous animals, but the threatening appearance of the weather rendered any attempt tosecure one at that time impossible. A dark sinister scowl overhung theblink under the cloud-bank to the southward, and the dovkies which hadenlivened their progress hitherto forsook the channel, as if theydistrusted the weather. Captain Guy made every possible preparation tomeet the coming storm, by warping down under the shelter of a ledge ofrock, to which he made fast with two good hawsers, while everything wasmade snug on board. 

"We are going to catch it, I fear, " said Fred, glancing at the blackclouds that hurried across the sky to the northward, while he walked thedeck with his friend, Tom Singleton. 

"I suspect so, " replied Tom, "and it does not raise my spirits to seeSaunders shaking his huge visage so portentously. Do you know, I have agreat belief in that fellow. He seems to know everything and to havegone through every sort of experience, and I notice that most of hisprognostications come to pass. "

"So they do, Tom, " said Fred; "but I wish he would put a better face onthings till they _do_ come to pass. His looks are enough to frightenone. "

"I think we shall require another line out, Mr. Saunders, " remarked thecaptain, as the gale freshened, and the two hawsers were drawn straightand rigid like bars of iron; "send ashore and make a whale-line fastimmediately. "

The second mate obeyed with a grunt that seemed to insinuate that _he_would have had one out long ago. In a few minutes it was fast; and not amoment too soon, for immediately after it blew a perfect hurricane. Heavier and heavier it came, and the ice began to drift more wildly thanever. The captain had just given orders to make fast another line, whenthe sharp, twanging snap of a cord was heard. The six-inch hawser hadparted, and they were swinging by the two others, with the gale roaringlike a lion through the spars and rigging. Half a minute more and"twang, twang!" came another report, and the whale-line was gone. Onlyone rope now held them to the land, and prevented them being swept intothe turmoil of ice, and wind, and water, from which the rocky ledgeprotected them. The hawser was a good one--a new ten-inch rope. It sanglike the deep tones of an organ, loud above the rattle of the riggingand the shrouds; but that was its death-song. It gave way with the noiseof a cannon, and in the smoke that followed its recoil they were draggedout by the wild ice, and driven hither and thither at its mercy. 

With some difficulty the ship was warped into a place of comparativesecurity in the rushing drift, but it was soon thrown loose again, andseverely squeezed by the rolling masses. Then an attempt was made to setthe sails and beat up for the land; but the rudder was almostunmanageable owing to the ice, and nothing could be made of it, so theywere compelled to go right before the wind under close-reefed top-sails, in order to keep some command of the ship. All hands were on deckwatching in silence the ice ahead of them, which presented a mostformidable aspect. 

Away to the north the strait could be seen growing narrower, with heavyice-tables grinding up and clogging it from cliff to cliff on eitherside. About seven in the evening they were close upon the pilingmasses, to enter into which seemed certain destruction. 

"Stand by to let go the anchor!" cried the captain, in the desperatehope of being able to wind the ship. 

"What's that ahead of us?" exclaimed the first mate suddenly. 

"Ship on the starboard bow, right in-shore!" roared the look-out. 

The attention of the crew was for a moment called from their owncritical situation towards the strange vessel which now came into view, having been previously concealed from them by a large grounded berg. 

"Can you make her out, Mr. Bolton?"

"Yes, sir; I think she's a large brig, but she seems much chafed, andthere's no name left on the stern, if ever there was one. "

As he spoke, the driving snow and fog cleared up partially, and the brigwas seen not three hundred yards from them, drifting slowly into theloose ice. There was evidently no one on board; and although one or twoof the sails were loose, they hung in shreds from the yards. Scarcelyhad this been noted when the _Dolphin_ struck against a large mass ofice, and quivered under the violence of the shock. 

"Let go!" shouted the captain. 

Down went the heaviest anchor they had, and for two minutes the chainflew out at the hawse-hole. 

"Hold on!"

The chain was checked, but the strain was awful. A mass of ice, hundreds of tons weight, was tearing down towards the bow. There was nohope of resisting it. Time was not even afforded to attach a buoy or logto the cable, so it was let slip, and thus the _Dolphin's_ best bowerwas lost for ever. 

But there was no time to think of or regret this, for the ship was nowdriving down with the gale, scraping against a lee of ice which wasseldom less than thirty feet thick. Almost at the same moment thestrange vessel was whirled close to them, not more than fifty yardsdistant, between two driving masses of thick ice. 

"What if it should be my father's brig?" whispered Fred Ellice, as hegrasped Singleton's arm and turned to him a face of ashy paleness. 

"No fear of that, lad, " said Buzzby, who stood near the larboard gangwayand had overheard the remark. "I'd know your father's brig among athousand--"

As he spoke, the two masses of ice closed, and the brig was nippedbetween them. For a few seconds she seemed to tremble like a livingcreature, and every timber creaked. Then she was turned slowly on oneside, until the crew of the _Dolphin_ could see down into her hold, where the beams were giving way and cracking up as matches might becrushed in the grasp of a strong hand. Then the larboard bow wasobserved to yield as if it were made of soft clay, the starboard bow waspressed out, and the ice was forced into the forecastle. Scarcely threeminutes had passed since the nip commenced; in one minute more the brigwent down, and the ice was rolling wildly, as if in triumph, over thespot where she had disappeared. 

The fate of this vessel, which might so soon be their own, threw amomentary gloom over the crew of the _Dolphin_, but their position leftthem no time for thought. One upturned mass rose above the gunwale, smashed in the bulwarks, and deposited half a ton of ice on deck. Scarcely had this danger passed when a new enemy appeared in sightahead. Directly in their way, just beyond the line of floe-ice againstwhich they were alternately thumping and grinding, lay a group of bergs. There was no possibility of avoiding them, and the only question was, whether they were to be dashed to pieces on their hard blue sides, or, perchance, in some providential nook to find a refuge from the storm. 

"There's an open lead between them and the floe-ice, " exclaimed Boltonin a hopeful tone of voice, seizing an ice-pole and leaping on thegunwale. 

"Look alive, men, with your poles, " cried the captain, "and shove with awill!"

The "Ay, ay, sir, " of the men was uttered with a heartiness that showedhow powerfully this gleam of hope acted on their spirits; but a new dampwas cast over them when, on gaining the open passage, they discoveredthat the bergs were not at rest, but were bearing down on the floe-icewith slow but awful momentum, and threatening to crush the ship betweenthe two. Just then a low berg came driving up from the southward, dashing the spray over its sides, and with its forehead ploughing upthe smaller ice as if in scorn. A happy thought flashed across thecaptain's mind. 

"Down the quarter boat, " he cried. 

In an instant it struck the water, and four men were on the thwarts. 

"Cast an ice-anchor on that berg. "

Peter Grim obeyed the order, and, with a swing that Hercules would haveenvied, planted it securely. In another moment the ship was following inthe wake of this novel tug! It was a moment of great danger, for thebergs encroached on their narrow canal as they advanced, obliging themto brace the yards to clear the impending ice-walls, and they shaved thelarge berg so closely that the port quarter-boat would have been crushedif it had not been taken from the davits. Five minutes of suchtravelling brought them abreast of a grounded berg, to which theyresolved to make fast. The order was given to cast off the rope. Awaywent their white tug on his race to the far north, and the ship swunground in safety under the lee of the berg, where the crew acknowledgedwith gratitude their merciful deliverance from imminent danger. 

CHAPTER VII. 

_New characters introduced--An old game under novelcircumstances--Remarkable appearances in the sky--O'Riley meets with amishap_. 

Dumps was a remarkably grave and sly character, and Poker was a wag--anincorrigible wag--in every sense of the term. Moreover, although theyhad an occasional fight, Dumps and Poker were excellent friends, andgreat favourites with the crew. 

We have not yet introduced these individuals to our reader, but as theywill act a conspicuous part in the history of the _Dolphin's_adventurous career in the Arctic Regions, we think it right now topresent them. 

While at Upernavik, Captain Guy had purchased a team of six good, toughEsquimau dogs, being desirous of taking them to England, and therepresenting them to several of his friends who were anxious to possessspecimens of those animals. Two of these dogs stood out conspicuous fromtheir fellows, not only in regard to personal appearance, but also inreference to peculiarities of character. One was pure white, with alively expression of countenance, a large shaggy body, two erect, sharp-pointed ears, and a short projection that once had been a tail. Owing to some cause unknown, however, his tail had been cut or bittenoff, and nothing save the stump remained. But this stump did as muchduty as if it had been fifty tails in one. It was never at rest for amoment, and its owner evidently believed that wagging it was the trueand only way to touch the heart of man; therefore the dog wagged it, soto speak, doggedly. In consequence of this animal's thievingpropensities, which led him to be constantly _poking_ into every holeand corner of the ship in search of something to steal, he was named_Poker_. Poker had three jet-black spots in his white visage--one wasthe point of his nose, the other two were his eyes. 

Poker's bosom friend, Dumps, was so named because he had the sulkiestexpression of countenance that ever fell to the lot of a dog. Hopelesslyincurable melancholy seemed to have taken possession of his mind, for henever by any chance smiled--and dogs do smile, you know, just asevidently as human beings do, although not exactly with their mouths. Dumps never romped either, being old, but he sat and allowed his friendPoker to romp round him with a sort of sulky satisfaction, as if heexperienced the greatest enjoyment his nature was capable of inwitnessing the antics of his youthful companion--for Poker was young. The prevailing colour of Dumps's shaggy hide was a dirty brown, withblack spots, two of which had fixed themselves rather awkwardly roundhis eyes, like a pair of spectacles. Dumps, also, was a thief, and, indeed, so were all his brethren. Dumps and Poker were both of themlarger and stronger, and in every way better, than their comrades; andthey afterwards were the sturdy, steady, unflinching leaders of the teamduring many a toilsome journey over the frozen sea. 

One magnificent afternoon, a few days after the escape of the _Dolphin_just related, Dumps and Poker lay side by side in the lee-scuppers, calmly sleeping off the effects of a surfeit produced by the eating of alarge piece of pork, for which the cook had searched in vain forthree-quarters of an hour, and of which he at last found the bare bonesticking in the hole of the larboard pump. 

"Bad luck to them dogs, " exclaimed David Mizzle, stroking his chin as hesurveyed the bone. "If I could only find out, now, which of ye it was, I'd have ye slaughtered right off, and cooked for the mess, I would. "

"It was Dumps as did it, I'll bet you a month's pay, " said Peter Grim, as he sat on the end of the windlass refilling his pipe, which he hadjust smoked out. 

"Not a bit of it, " remarked Amos Parr, who was squatted on the deckbusily engaged in constructing a rope mat, while several of the men satround him engaged in mending sails, or stitching canvas slippers, etc. --"not a bit of it, Grim; Dumps is too honest by half to do sich athing. 'Twas Poker as did it, I can see by the roll of his eye below theskin. The blackguard's only shammin' sleep. "

On hearing his name mentioned, Poker gently opened his right eye, butdid not move. Dumps, on the contrary, lay as if he heard not the baseaspersion on his character. 

"What'll ye bet it was Dumps as did it?" cried Davie Summers, who passedat the moment with a dish of some sort of edible towards the galley orcooking-house on deck. 

"I'll _bet_ you over the 'ead, I will, if you don't mind your business, "said Mivins. 

"You'd _better_ not, " retorted Davie with a grin. "It's as much as yoursituation's worth to lay a finger on me. "

"That's it, youngster, give it 'im, " cried several of the men, while theboy confronted his superior, taking good care, however, to keep thefore-mast between them. 

"What do you mean, you young rascal?" cried Mivins with a frown. 

"Mean!" said Davie, "why, I mean that if you touch me I'll resignoffice; and if I do that, you'll have to go out, for every one knows youcan't get on without me. "

"I say, Mivins, " cried Tom Green, the carpenter's mate, "if you wereasked to say, '_H_old on _h_ard to this _h_andspike _h_ere, my_h_earties, ' how would ye go about it?"

"He'd 'it you a pretty 'ard crack _h_over the 'ead with it, 'e would, "remarked one of the men, throwing a ball of yarn at Davie, who stoodlistening to the conversation with a broad grin. 

In stepping back to avoid the blow, the lad trod on Dumps's paw, andinstantly there came from the throat of that excellent dog a roar ofanguish that caused Poker to leap, as the cook expressed it, nearly outof his own skin. Dogs are by nature extremely sympathetic and remarkablyinquisitive; and no sooner was Dumps's yell heard than it was vigorouslyresponded to by every dog in the ship, as the whole pack rushed eachfrom his respective sleeping-place and looked round in amazement. 

"Hallo! what's wrong there for'ard?" inquired Saunders, who had beenpacing the quarter-deck with slow giant strides, arguing mentally withhimself in default of a better adversary. 

"Only trod on Dumps's paw, sir, " said Mivins, as he hurried aft; "themen are sky-larking. "

"Sky-larking, are you?" said Saunders, going forward. "Weel, lads, you've had a lot o' hard work of late, ye may go' and take a run on theice. "

Instantly the men, like boys set free from school, sprang up, tumbledover the side, and were scampering over the ice like madmen. 

"Pitch over the ball--the football!" they cried. In a second the ballwas tossed over the ship's side, and a vigorous game was begun. 

For two days past the _Dolphin_ had been sailing with difficulty throughlarge fields of ice, sometimes driving against narrow necks and tonguesthat interrupted her passage from one lead or canal to another; at othertimes boring with difficulty through compact masses of sludge; oroccasionally, when unable to advance farther, making fast to a largeberg or a field. They were compelled to proceed north, however, inconsequence of the pack having become fixed towards, the south, and thusrendering retreat impossible in that direction until the ice should beagain set in motion. Captain Guy, however, saw, by the steady advance ofthe larger bergs, that the current of the ocean in that place flowedsouthward, and trusted that in a short time the ice which had beenforced into the strait by the late gales would be released, and open upa passage. Meanwhile he pushed along the coast, examining every bay andinlet in the hope of discovering some trace of the _Pole Star_ or hercrew. 

On the day about which we are writing, the ship was beset by largefields, the snow-white surfaces of which extended north and south to thehorizon, while on the east the cliffs rose in dark, frowning precipicesfrom the midst of the glaciers that encumber them all the year round. 

It was a lovely Arctic day. The sun shone with unclouded splendour, andthe bright air, which trembled with that liquidity of appearance thatone occasionally sees in very hot weather under peculiar circumstances, was vocal with the wild music of thousands of gulls, and auks, and othersea-birds, which clustered on the neighbouring cliffs and flew overheadin clouds. All round the pure surfaces of the ice-fields were broken bythe shadows which the hummocks and bergs cast over them, and by thepools of clear water which shone like crystals in their hollows, whilethe beautiful beryl blue of the larger bergs gave a delicate colouringto the dazzling scene. Words cannot describe the intense _glitter_ thatcharacterized everything. Every point seemed a diamond, every edge sentforth a gleam of light, and many of the masses reflected the richprismatic colours of the rainbow. It seemed as if the sun himself hadbeen multiplied in order to add to the excessive brilliancy, for he wassurrounded by _parhelia_, or _sun-dogs, _ as the men called them. Thispeculiarity in the sun's appearance was very striking. The great orb ofday was about ten degrees above the horizon, and a horizontal line ofwhite passed completely through it, extending to a considerable distanceon either hand, while around it were two distinct halos, or circles oflight. On the inner halo were situated the mock-suns, which were four innumber--one above and one below the sun, and one on each side of him. 

Not a breath of wind stirred the little flag that drooped from themizzen-peak, and the clamorous, ceaseless-cries of sea-birds, added tothe merry shouts and laughter of the men as they followed the restlessfootball, rendered the whole a scene of life, as it was emphatically oneof beauty. 

"Ain't it glorious?" panted Davie Summers vehemently as he stoppedexhausted in a headlong race beside one of his comrades, while the ballwas kicked hopelessly beyond his reach by a comparatively fresh memberof the party. 

"Ah! then, it bates the owld country intirely, it does, " repliedO'Riley, wiping the perspiration from his forehead. 

It is needless to say that O'Riley was an Irishman. We have notmentioned him until now, because up to this time he had not doneanything to distinguish himself beyond his messmates; but on thisparticular day O'Riley's star was in the ascendant, and fortune seemedto have singled him out as an object of her special attention. He was ashort man, and a broad man, and a particularly _rugged_ man--so tospeak. He was all angles and corners. His hair stuck about his head inviolently rigid and entangled tufts, rendering it a matter of wonder howanything in the shape of a hat could stick on. His brow was a countlessmass of ever-varying wrinkles, which gave to his sly visage an aspect ofhumorous anxiety that was highly diverting--and all the more divertingwhen you came to know that the man had not a spark of anxiety in hiscomposition, though he often said he had. His dress, like that of mostJack tars, was naturally rugged, and he contrived to make it more sothan usual. 

"An' it's hot, too, it is, " he continued, applying his kerchief again tohis pate "If it warn't for the ice we stand on, we'd be melted down, Ido belave, like bits o' whale blubber. "

"Wot a jolly game football is, ain't it?" said Davie seating himself ona hummock, and still panting hard. 

"Ay, boy, that's jist what it is. The only objiction I have agin it is, that it makes ye a'most kick the left leg clane off yer body. "

"Why don't you kick with your right leg, then, stupid, like otherpeople?" inquired Summers. 

"Why don't I, is it? Troth, then, I don't know for sartin. Me fatherlost his left leg at the great battle o' the Nile, and I've sometimesthought that had somethin' to do wid it. But then me mother was lame o'the _right_ leg intirely, and wint about wid a crutch, so I can't makeout how it was, d'ye see?"

"Look out, Pat, " exclaimed Summers, starting up, "here comes the ball. "

As he spoke, the football came skimming over the ice towards the spot onwhich they stood, with about thirty of the men running at full speed andshouting like maniacs after it. 

"That's your sort, my hearties! another like that and it's home! Pitchinto it, Mivins. You're the boy for me! Now then, Grim, trip him up!Hallo! Buzzby, you bluff-bowed Dutchman, luff! luff! or I'll stave inyour ribs! Mind your eye, Mizzle! there's Green, he'll be into yourlarboard quarter in no time. Hurrah! Mivins, up in the air with it. Kick, boy, kick like a spanker-boom in a hurricane!"

Such were a few of the expressions that showered like hail round the menas they rushed hither and thither after the ball. And here we may remarkthat the crew of the _Dolphin_ played football in a somewhat differentstyle from the way in which that noble game is played by boys inEngland. Sides, indeed, were chosen, and boundaries were marked out, butvery little, if any, attention was paid to such secondary matters! Tokick the ball, and keep on kicking it in front of his companions, wasthe ambition of each man; and so long as he could get a kick at it thatcaused it to fly from the ground like a cannon-shot, little regard washad by any one to the direction in which it was propelled. But, ofcourse, in this effort to get a kick, the men soon became scattered overthe field, and ever and anon the ball would fall between two men, whorushed at it simultaneously from opposite directions. The inevitableresult was a collision, by which both men were suddenly and violentlyarrested in their career. But generally the shock resulted in one of themen being sent staggering backwards, and the other getting the _kick_. When the two were pretty equally matched, both were usually, as theyexpressed it, "brought up all standing, " in which case a short scuffleensued, as each endeavoured to trip up the heels of his adversary. Toprevent undue violence in such struggles, a rule was laid down thathands were not to be used on any account. They might use their feet, legs, shoulders, and elbows, but not their hands. 

In such rough play the men were more equally matched than might havebeen expected, for the want of weight among the smaller men was oftenmore than counterbalanced by their activity, and frequently a sturdylittle fellow launched himself so vigorously against a heavy tar as tosend him rolling head over heels on the ice. This was not always thecase, however, and few ventured to come into collision with Peter Grim, whose activity was on a par with his immense size. Buzzby contentedhimself with galloping on the outskirts of the fight, and putting in akick when fortune sent the ball in his way. In this species of warfarehe was supported by the fat cook, whose oily carcass could neither standthe shocks nor keep up with the pace of his messmates. Mizzle was aparticularly energetic man in his way, however, and frequently kickedwith such goodwill that he missed the ball altogether, and thetremendous swing of his leg lifted him from the ice and laid himsprawling on his back. 

"Look out ahead!" shouted Green, the carpenter's mate; "there's a sailbearing down on your larboard bow. "

Mivins, who had the ball before him at the moment, saw his ownsatellite, Davie, coming down towards him with vicious intentions. Hequietly pushed the ball before him for a few yards, then kicked it farover the boy's head, and followed it up like an antelope. Mivinsdepended for success on his almost superhuman activity. His tall, slightframe could not stand the shocks of his comrades, but no one could equalor come near to him in speed, and he was quite an adept at dodging a_charge_, and allowing his opponent to rush far past the ball by theforce of his own momentum. Such a charge did Peter Grim make at him atthis moment. 

"Starboard hard!" yelled Davie Summers, as he observed his master'sdanger. 

"Starboard it is!" replied Mivins, and leaping aside to avoid the shock, he allowed Grim to pass. Grim knew his man, however, and had heldhimself in hand, so that in a moment he pulled up and was followingclose on his heels. 

"It's an ill wind that blows no good, " cried one of the crew, towardswhose foot the ball rolled, as he quietly kicked it into the centre ofthe mass of men. Grim and Mivins turned back, and for a time looked onat the general _mêlée_ that ensued. It seemed as though the ball mustinevitably be crushed among them as they struggled and kicked hither andthither for five minutes, in their vain efforts to get a kick; andduring those few exciting moments many tremendous kicks, aimed at theball, took effect upon shins, and many shouts of glee terminated inyells of anguish. 

"It can't last much longer!" screamed the cook, his face streaming withperspiration and beaming with glee, as he danced round the outside ofthe circle. "There it goes!"

As he spoke, the ball flew out of the circle like a shell from a mortar. Unfortunately it went directly over Mizzle's head. Before he could winkhe went down before them, and the rushing mass of men passed over himlike a mountain torrent over a blade of grass. 

Meanwhile Mivins ran ahead of the others, and gave the ball a kick thatnearly burst it, and down it came exactly between O'Riley and Grim, whochanced to be far ahead of the others. Grim dashed at it. "Och! ye bigvillain, " muttered the Irishman to himself, as he put down his head andrushed against the carpenter like a battering-ram. 

Big though he was, Grim staggered back from the impetuous shock, andO'Riley following up his advantage, kicked the ball in a side direction, away from every one except Buzzby, who happened to have been steeringrather wildly over the field of ice. Buzzby, on being brought thusunexpectedly within reach of the ball, braced up his energies for akick; but seeing O'Riley coming down towards him like a runawaylocomotive, he pulled up, saying quietly to himself, "Ye may take it allyer own way, lad; I'm too old a bird to go for to make my carcass abuffer for a madcap like you to run agin. "

Jack Mivins, however, was troubled by no such qualms. He happened to beabout the same distance from the ball as O'Riley, and ran like a deer toreach it first. A pool of water lay in his path, however, and thenecessity of going round it enabled the Irishman to gain on him alittle, so that it became evident that both would come up at the samemoment, and a collision be inevitable. 

"Hold yer wind, Paddy, " shouted the men, who paused for a moment towatch the result of the race. "Mind your timbers, Mivins! Back yourtop-sails, O'Riley; mind how he yaws!"

Then there was a momentary silence of breathless expectation. The twomen seemed about to meet with a shock that would annihilate both, whenMivins bounded to one side like an indiarubber ball. O'Riley shot pasthim like a rocket, and the next instant went head foremost into the poolof water. 

This unexpected termination to the affair converted the intended huzzahof the men into a yell of mingled laughter and consternation as theyhastened in a body to the spot; but before they reached it, O'Riley'shead and shoulders reappeared, and when they came up he was standing onthe margin of the pool blowing like a walrus. 

"Oh! then, but it _is_ cowld!" he exclaimed, wringing the water from hisgarments. "Och! where's the ball? give me a kick or I'll freeze! so Iwill. "

As he spoke the drenched Irishman seized the ball from Mivins's handsand gave it a kick that sent it high into the air. He was too wet andheavy to follow it up, however, so he ambled off towards the ship asvigorously as his clothes would allow him, followed by the whole crew. 

CHAPTER VIII. 

_Fred and the doctor go on an excursion in which, among other strangethings, they meet with red snow and a white bear, and Fred makes hisfirst essay as a sportsman_. 

But where were Fred Ellice and Tom Singleton all this time? the readerwill probably ask. 

Long before the game at football was suggested they had obtained leaveof absence from the captain, and, loaded with game-bag, a botanical boxand geological hammer, and a musket, were off along the coast on asemi-scientific cruise. Young Singleton carried the botanical box andhammer, being an enthusiastic geologist and botanist, while Fred carriedthe game-bag and musket. 

"You see, Tom, " he said as they stumbled along over the loose icetowards the ice-belt that lined the cliffs--"you see, I'm a great dab atornithology, especially when I've got a gun on my shoulder. When Ihaven't a gun, strange to say, I don't feel half so enthusiastic aboutbirds!"

"That's a very peculiar style of regarding the science. Don't you thinkit would be worth while communicating your views on the subject to oneof the scientific bodies when we get home again. They might elect you amember, Fred. "

"Well, perhaps I shall, " replied Fred gravely; "but I say, to beserious, I'm really going to screw up my energies as much as possible, and make coloured drawings of all the birds I can get hold of in theArctic Regions. At least, I would like to try. "

Fred finished his remark with a sigh, for just then the object for whichhe had gone out to those regions occurred to him; and although thenatural buoyancy and hopefulness of his feelings enabled him generallyto throw off anxiety in regard to his father's fate, and join in thelaugh, and jest, and game as heartily as any one on board, there weretimes when his heart failed him, and he almost despaired of ever seeinghis father again, and these feelings of despondency had been morefrequent since the day on which he witnessed the sudden and utterdestruction of the strange brig. 

"Don't let your spirits down, Fred, " said Tom, whose hopeful and earnestdisposition often reanimated his friend's drooping spirits; "it willonly unfit you for doing any good service. Besides, I think we have nocause yet to despair. We know that your father came up this inlet, orstrait, or whatever it is, and he had a good stock of provisions withhim, according to the account we got at Upernavik, and it is not morethan a year since he was there. Many and many a whaler and discoveryship has wintered more than a year in these regions. And then, considerthe immense amount of animal life all round us. They might have laid upprovisions for many months long before winter set in. "

"I know all that, " replied Fred, with a shake of his head; "but think ofyon brig that we saw go down in about ten minutes. "

"Well, so I do think of it. No doubt the brig was lost very suddenly, but there was ample time, had there been any one on board, to haveleaped upon the ice, and they might have got to land by jumping from onepiece to another. Such things have happened before frequently. To saytruth, at every point of land we turn, I feel a sort of expectationamounting almost to certainty that we shall find your father and hisparty travelling southward on their way to the Danish settlements. "

"Perhaps you are right. God grant that it may be so!"

As he spoke, they reached the fixed ice which ran along the foot of theprecipices for some distance like a road of hard white marble. Manylarge rocks lay scattered over it, some of them several tons in weight, and one or two balanced in a very remarkable way on the edge of thecliffs. 

"There's a curious-looking gull I should like to shoot, " exclaimed Fred, pointing to a bird that hovered over his head, and throwing forward themuzzle of his gun. 

"Fire away, then, " said his friend, stepping back a pace. 

Fred, being unaccustomed to the use of fire-arms, took a wavering aimand fired. 

"What a bother! I've missed it!"

"Try again, " remarked Tom with a quiet smile, as the whole cliff vomitedforth an innumerable host of birds, whose cries were perfectlydeafening. 

"It's my opinion, " said Fred with a comical grin, "that if I shut myeyes and point upwards I can't help hitting something; but Iparticularly want yon fellow, because he's beautifully marked. Ah! I seehim sitting on a rock yonder, so here goes once more. "

Fred now proceeded towards the coveted bird in the fashion that is knownby the name of _stalking_--that is, creeping as close up to your game aspossible, so as to get a good shot; and it said much for his patienceand his future success the careful manner in which, on this occasion, hewound himself in and out among the rocks and blocks of ice on the shorein the hope of obtaining that sea-gull. At last he succeeded in gettingto within about fifteen yards of it, and then, resting his musket on alump of ice, and taking an aim so long and steadily that his companionbegan to fancy he must have gone to sleep, he fired, and blew the gullto atoms! There was scarcely so much as a shred of it to be found. 

Fred bore his disappointment and discomfiture manfully. He formed aresolution then and there to become a good shot, and although he did notsucceed exactly in becoming so that day, he nevertheless managed to putseveral fine specimens of gulls and an auk into his bag. The last birdamused him much, being a creature with a dumpy little body and a beak ofpreposterously large size and comical aspect. There were also a greatnumber of eider-ducks flying about, but they failed to procure aspecimen. 

Singleton was equally successful in his scientific researches. He foundseveral beautifully green mosses, one species of which was studded withpale yellow flowers, and in one place, where a stream trickled down thesteep sides of the cliffs, he discovered a flower-growth which was richin variety of colouring. Amid several kinds of tufted grasses were seengrowing a small purple flower and the white star of the chickweed; Thesight of all this richness of vegetation growing in a little spot closebeside the snow, and amid such cold Arctic scenery, would have delighteda much less enthusiastic spirit than that of our young surgeon. He wentquite into raptures with it, and stuffed his botanical box with mossesand rocks until it could hold no more, and became a burden that cost hima few sighs before he got back to the ship. 

The rocks were found to consist chiefly of red sandstone. There was alsoa good deal of green-stone and gneiss, and some of the spires of thesethat shot up to a considerable height were particularly striking andpicturesque objects. 

But the great sight of the day's excursion was that which unexpectedlygreeted their eyes on rounding a cape towards which they had beenwalking for several hours. On passing this point they stopped with anexclamation of amazement. Before them lay a scene such as the ArcticRegions alone can produce. 

In front lay a vast reach of the strait, which at this place opened upabruptly and stretched away northward, laden with floes, and fields, andhummocks, and bergs of every shade and size, to the horizon, where theappearance of the sky indicated open water. Ponds of various sizes andsheets of water whose dimensions entitled them to be styled lakesspangled the white surface of the floes; and around these were sportinginnumerable flocks of wild-fowl, many of which, being pure white, glanced like snow-flakes in the sunshine. Far off to the west the icecame down with heavy uniformity to the water's edge. On the right therewas an array of cliffs whose frowning grandeur filled them with awe. They varied from twelve to fifteen hundred feet in height, and some ofthe precipices descended sheer down seven or eight hundred feet into thesea, over which they cast a dark shadow. 

Just at the feet of our young discoverers--for such we may truly callthem--a deep bay or valley trended away to the right, a large portion ofwhich was filled with the spur of a glacier, whose surface was coveredwith _pink snow_! One can imagine with what feelings the two youthsgazed on this beautiful sight. It seemed as if that valley, instead offorming a portion of the sterile region beyond the Arctic Circle, wereone of the sunniest regions of the south, for a warm glow rested on thebosom of the snow, as if the sun were shedding upon it his rosiest hues. A little farther to the north the red snow ceased, or only occurred hereand there in patches; and beyond it there appeared another gorge in thecliffs, within which rose a tall column of rock, so straight andcylindrical that it seemed to be a production of art. The whole of theback country was one great rolling distance of glacier, and, wherever acrevice or gorge in the riven cliffs afforded an opportunity, this oceanof land-ice sent down spurs into the sea, the extremities of which wereconstantly shedding off huge bergs into the water. 

"What a scene!" exclaimed Tom Singleton, when he found words to expresshis admiration. "I did not think that our world contained so grand asight. It surpasses my wildest dreams of fairy-land. "

"Fairy-land!" ejaculated Fred, with a slight look of contempt; "do youknow since I came to this part of the world, I've come to the conclusionthat fairy tales are all stuff, and very inferior stuff too! Why, thisreality is a thousand million times grander than anything that was everinvented. But what surprises me most is the red snow. What can be thecause of it?"

"I don't know, " replied Singleton, "it has long been a matter of disputeamong learned men. But we must examine it for ourselves, so come along. "

The remarkable colour of the snow referred to, although a matter ofdispute at the period of the _Dolphin's_ visit to the Arctic Seas, isgenerally admitted now to be the result of a curious and extremelyminute vegetable growth, which spreads not only over its surface, butpenetrates into it sometimes to a depth of several feet. The earliernavigators who discovered it, and first told the astonished world thatthe substance which they had been accustomed to associate with the ideaof the purest and most radiant whiteness had been seen by them lying_red_ upon the ground, attributed the phenomenon to innumerablemultitudes of minute creatures belonging to the order _Radiata_; but thediscovery of red snow among the central Alps of Europe, and in thePyrenees, and on the mountains of Norway, where _marine_ animalculacould not exist, effectually overturned this idea. The colouring matterhas now been ascertained to result from plants belonging to the ordercalled _Algae_, which have a remarkable degree of vitality, and possessthe power, to an amazing extent, of growing and spreading with rapidityeven over such an ungenial soil as the Arctic snow. 

While Singleton was examining the red snow, and vainly endeavouring toascertain the nature of the minute specks of matter by which it wascoloured, Fred continued to gaze with a look of increasing earnestnesstowards the tall column, around which a bank of fog was spreading, andpartially concealing it from view. At length he attracted the attentionof his companion towards it. 

"I say, I'm half inclined to believe that yon is no work of nature, buta monument set up to attract the attention of ships. Don't you thinkso?"

Singleton regarded the object in question for some time. "I don't thinkso, Fred; it is larger than you suppose, for the fog-bank deceives us. But let us go and see; it cannot be far off. "

As they drew near to the tall rock, Fred's hopes began to fade, and soonwere utterly quenched by the fog clearing away, and showing that thecolumn was indeed of nature's own constructing. It was a single, solitary shaft of green limestone, which stood on the brink of a deepravine, and was marked by the slaty limestone that once encased it. Thelength of the column was apparently about five hundred feet, and thepedestal of sandstone on which it stood was itself upwards of twohundred feet high. 

This magnificent column seemed the flag-staff of a gigantic crystalfortress, which was suddenly revealed by the clearing away of thefog-bank to the north. It was the face of the great glacier of theinterior, which here presented an unbroken perpendicular front--a sweepof solid glassy wall, which rose three hundred feet above thewater-level, with an unknown depth below it. The sun glittered on thecrags and peaks and battlements of this ice fortress, as if themysterious inhabitants of the Far North had lit up their fires andplanted their artillery to resist further invasion. 

The effect upon the minds of the two youths, who were probably thefirst to gaze upon those wondrous visions of the Icy Regions, wastremendous. For a long time neither of them could utter a word, and itwould be idle to attempt to transcribe the language in which, at length, their excited feelings sought to escape. It was not until their backshad been for some time turned on the scene, and the cape near the valleyof red snow had completely shut it out from view, that they couldcondescend to converse again in their ordinary tones on ordinarysubjects. 

As they hastened back over the ice-belt at the foot of the cliffs, aloud boom rang out in the distance and rolled in solemn echoes along theshore. 

"There goes a gun, " exclaimed Tom Singleton, hastily pulling out hiswatch. "Hallo! do you know what time it is?"

"Pretty late, I suppose. It was afternoon, I know, when we started, andwe must have been out a good while now. What time is it?"

"Just two o'clock in the morning!"

"What! do you mean to say it was _yesterday_ when we started, and thatwe've been walking all night, and got into _to-morrow morning_ withoutknowing it?"

"Even so, Fred. We have overshot our time, and the captain is signallingus to make haste. He said that he would not fire unless there seemedsome prospect of the ice moving, so we had better run, unless we wish tobe left behind; come along. "

They had not proceeded more than half-a-mile when a Polar bear walkedleisurely out from behind a lump of ice, where it had been regalingitself on a dead seal, and sauntered slowly out towards the icebergsseaward, not a hundred yards in advance of them. 

"Hallo! look there! what a monster!" shouted Fred, as he cocked hismusket and sprang forward. "What'll you do, Tom, you've no gun?"

"Never mind, I'll do what I can with the hammer. Only make sure youdon't miss. Don't fire till you are quite close to him. "

They were running after the bear at top speed while they thus conversedin hasty and broken sentences, when suddenly they came to a yawningcrack in the ice, about thirty feet wide, and a mile long on eitherhand, with the rising tide boiling at the bottom of it. Bruin's pursuerscame to an abrupt halt. 

"Now, isn't that disgusting?"

Probably it was, and the expression of chagrin on Fred's countenance ashe said so evidently showed that he meant it; but there is no doubt thatthis interruption to their hunt was extremely fortunate, for to attack aPolar bear with a musket charged only with small shot, and a geologicalhammer, would have been about as safe and successful an operation astrying to stop a locomotive with one's hand. Neither of them had yet hadexperience of the enormous strength of this white monarch of the FrozenRegions and his tenacity of life, although both were reckless enough torush at him with any arms they chanced to have. 

"Give him a long shot--quick!" cried Singleton. 

Fred fired instantly; and the bear stopped, and looked round, as much asto say, "Did you speak, gentlemen?" Then, not receiving a reply, hewalked away with dignified indifference, and disappeared among theice-hummocks. 

An hour afterwards the two wanderers were seated at a comfortablebreakfast in the cabin of the _Dolphin_, relating their adventures tothe captain and mates, and, although unwittingly, to Mivins, whogenerally managed so to place himself, while engaged in the mysteriousoperations of his little pantry, that most of the cabin talk reached hisear, and travelled thence through his mouth to the forecastle. Thecaptain was fully aware of this fact, but he winked at it, for there wasnothing but friendly feeling on board the ship, and no secrets. When, however, matters of serious import had to be discussed, the cabin doorwas closed, and Mivins turned to expend himself on Davie Summers, who, in the capacity of a listener, was absolutely necessary to thecomfortable existence of the worthy steward. 

Having exhausted their appetites and their information, Fred and Tomwere told that, during their absence, a bear and two seals had been shotby Meetuck, the Esquimau interpreter, whom they had taken on board atUpernavik; and they were further informed that the ice was in motion tothe westward, and that there was every probability of their beingreleased by the falling tide. Having duly and silently weighed thesefacts for a few minutes, they simultaneously, and as if by a commonimpulse, yawned, and retired to bed. 

CHAPTER IX. 

_The "Dolphin" gets beset in the ice--Preparations for wintering in theice--Captain Guy's code of laws_. 

An accident now befell the _Dolphin_ which effectually decided the fateof the ship and her crew, at least for that winter. This was her gettingaground near the ravine of the giant flagstaff before mentioned, andbeing finally beset by ice, from which all efforts on the part of themen to extricate her proved abortive, and in which she was ultimatelyfrozen in, hard and fast. 

The first sight the crew obtained of the red snow filled them withunbounded amazement, and a few of the more superstitious amongst themwith awe approaching to fear. But soon their attention was attractedfrom this by the wonderful column. 

"Och, then! may I niver!" exclaimed O'Riley, the moment he caught sightof it, "if there ben't the north pole at long last--_sure_ enough!"

The laugh that greeted this remark was almost immediately checked, partly from the feelings of solemnity inspired by the magnificent viewwhich opened up to them, and partly from a suspicion on the part of themore ignorant among the men that there might be some truth in O'Riley'sstatement after all. 

But their attention and energies were speedily called to the dangerousposition of the ship, which unexpectedly took the ground in a bay wherethe water proved to be unusually shallow, and before they could warp heroff the ice closed round her in compact, immovable masses. At firstCaptain Guy was not seriously alarmed by this untoward event, althoughhe felt a little chagrin in consequence of the detention, for the summerwas rapidly advancing, and it behoved him to return to Baffin's Bay andprosecute the whale-fishing as energetically as possible; but when dayafter day passed, and the ice round the ship still remained immovable, he became alarmed, and sought by every means in his power to extricatehimself. 

His position was rendered all the more aggravating by the fact that, aweek after he was beset, the main body of the ice in the strait openedup and drifted to the southward, leaving a comparatively clear seathrough which he could have pushed his way without much difficulty inany direction; but the solid masses in which they lay embedded were fastto the ground for about fifty yards beyond the vessel, seaward, anduntil these should be floated away there was no chance of escape. 

"Get up some powder and canisters, Mr. Bolton, " he exclaimed, onemorning after breakfast, "I'll try what can be done by blasting theice. The highest spring tide will occur to-morrow, and if the ship don'tmove then we shall--"

He did not finish the sentence, but turned on his heel and walkedforward, where he found Buzzby and some of the men preparing theice-saws. 

"Ay, ay, " muttered the mate, as he went below to give the necessarydirections, "you don't need to conclude your speech, captain. If wedon't get out to-morrow, we're locked up for one winter, at least, ifnot more. "

"Ay, and ye'll no get oot to-morrow, " remarked Saunders, with a shake ofhis head as he looked up from the log-book in which he was making anentry. "We're hard and fast, so we'll just have to make the best o't. "

Saunders was right, as the efforts of the next day proved. The ice layaround the vessel in solid masses, as we have said, and with each of thelast three tides these masses had been slightly moved. Saws and icechisels, therefore, had been in constant operation, and the men workedwith the utmost energy, night and day, taking it by turns, and havingdouble allowance of hot coffee served out to them. We may mention herethat the _Dolphin_ carried no spirits, except what was needed formedicinal purposes, and for fuel to several small cooking lamps that hadbeen recently invented. It had now been proved by many voyagers ofexperience that in cold countries, as well as hot, men work harder, andendure the extremity of hardship better, without strong drink than withit, and the _Dolphin's_ crew were engaged on the distinct understandingthat coffee, and tea, and chocolate were to be substituted for rum, andthat spirits were never to be given to any one on board, except in casesof extreme necessity. 

But, to return--although the men worked as only those can who toil forliberation from long imprisonment, no impression worth mentioning couldbe made on the ice. At length the attempt to rend it by means ofgunpowder was made. 

A jar containing about thirty pounds of powder was sunk in a hole in animmense block of ice which lay close against the stern of the ship. Mivins, being light of foot, was set to fire the train. He did so, andran--ran so fast that he missed his footing in leaping over a chasm, andhad well-nigh fallen into the water below. There was a whiz and a loudreport, and the enormous mass of ice heaved upwards in the centre, andfell back in huge fragments. So far the result was satisfactory, and themen were immediately set to sink several charges in various directionsaround the vessel, to be in readiness for the highest tide, which wassoon expected. Warps and hawsers were also got out and fixed to theseaward masses, ready to heave on them at a moment's notice; the shipwas lightened as much as possible by lifting her stores upon the ice;and the whole crew--captain, mates, and all--worked and heaved likehorses, until the perspiration streamed from their faces, while Mizzlekept supplying them with a constant deluge of hot coffee. Fred and theyoung surgeon, too, worked like the rest, with their coats off, handkerchiefs bound round their heads, and shirt-sleeves tucked up totheir shoulders. 

At last the tide rose--inch by inch, and slowly, as if it grudged togive them even a chance of escape. 

Mivins grew impatient and unbelieving under it. "I don't think it'llrise another hinch, " he remarked to O'Riley, who stood near him. 

"Niver fear, boy. The capting knows a sight better than you do, and _he_says it'll rise a fut yit. "

"Does he?" asked Grim, who was also beginning to despond. 

"Ov coorse he does. Sure he towld me in a confidintial way, just beforehe wint to turn in last night--if it wasn't yisturday forenoon, for it'smeself as niver knows an hour o' the day since the sun becamedissipated, and tuck to sitting up all night in this fashion. "

"Shut up yer tatie-trap and open yer weather-eye, " muttered Buzzby, whohad charge of the gang; "there'll be time enough to speak after we'reoff. "

Gradually, as the tide rose, the ice and the ship moved, and it becameevident that the latter was almost afloat, though the former seemed tobe only partly raised from the ground. The men were at their severalposts ready for instant action, and gazing in anxious expectation at thecaptain, who stood, watch in hand, ready to give the word. 

"Now, then, fire!" he said in a low voice. 

In a moment the ice round the ship was rent, and upheaved, as if someleviathan of the deep were rising from beneath it, and the vessel swungslowly round. A loud cheer burst from the men. 

"Now, lads, heave with a will!" roared the captain. 

Round went the capstan, the windlass clanked, and the ship forged slowlyahead, as the warps and hawsers became rigid. At that moment a heavyblock of ice, which had been overbalanced by the motion of the vessel, fell with a crash on the rudder, splitting off a large portion of it, and drawing the iron bolts that held it completely out of thestern-post. 

"Never mind; heave away--for your lives!" cried the captain. "Jump onboard, all of you!"

The few men who had until now remained on the ice scrambled up the side. There was a sheet of ice right ahead which the ship could not clear, butwhich she was pushing out to sea in advance of her. Suddenly this tookthe ground and remained motionless. 

"Out there with ice-chisels! Sink a hole like lightning! Prepare acanister, Mr. Bolton--quick!" shouted the captain in desperation, as hesprang over the side and assisted to cut into the unwieldy obstruction. The charge was soon fixed and fired, but it only split the block in twoand left it motionless as before. A few minutes after the ship againgrounded; the ice settled round her; the spring tide was lost, and theywere not delivered. 

Those who know the bitterness of repeated disappointment and of hopedeferred, may judge of the feelings with which the crew of the _Dolphin_now regarded their position. Little, indeed, was said, but the gravelooks of most of the men, and the absence of the usual laugh, and jest, and disposition to skylark, which, on almost all other occasionscharacterized them, showed too plainly how heavily the prospect of awinter in the Arctic Regions weighed upon their spirits. They continuedtheir exertions to free the ship, however, for several days after thehigh tide, and did not finally give in until all reasonable hope ofmoving her was utterly annihilated. Before this, however, a reactionbegan to take place; the prospects of the coming winter were discussed;and some of the more sanguine looked even beyond the winter, and beganto consider how they would contrive to get the ship out of her positioninto deep water again. 

Fred Ellice, too, thought of his father, and this abrupt check to thesearch, and his spirits sank again as his hopes decayed. But poor Fred, like the others, at last discovered that it was of no use to repine, andthat it was best to face his sorrows and difficulties "like a man!"

Alas! poor human nature; how difficult do we find it to face sorrows anddifficulties _cheerfully_, even when we do conscientiously try! Wellwould it be for all of us could we submit to such, not only becausethey are inevitable, but because they are the will of God--of him whohas asserted in his own Word that "he afflicteth not the children of menwillingly. "

Among so many men there were all shades of character, and the fact thatthey were doomed to a year's imprisonment in the Frozen Regions wasreceived in very different ways. Some looked grave and thought of itseriously; others laughed and treated it lightly; a few grumbled andspoke profanely; but most of them became quickly reconciled, and in aweek or two nearly all forgot the past and the future in the duties, andcares, and amusements of the present. Captain Guy and his officers, however, and a few of the more sedate men, among whom were Buzzby andPeter Grim, looked forward with much anxiety, knowing full well thedangers and trials that lay before them. 

It is true the ship was provisioned for more than a year, but most ofthe provisions were salt, and Tom Singleton could have told them, hadthey required to be told, that without fresh provisions they stood apoor chance of escaping that dire disease scurvy, before which havefallen so many gallant tars whom nothing in the shape of dangers ordifficulties could subdue. There were, indeed, myriads of wild-fowlflying about the ship, on which the men feasted and grew fat every day;and the muskets of Meetuck and those who accompanied him seldom failedto supply the ship with an abundance of the flesh of seals, walruses, and Polar bears, portions of all of which creatures were considered verygood indeed by the men, and particularly by the dogs, which grew so fatthat they began to acquire a very disreputable waddle in their gait asthey walked the deck for exercise, which they seldom did, by the way, being passionately fond of sleep! But birds, and perchance beasts, mightbe expected to take themselves off when the winter arrived, and leavethe crew without fresh food. 

Then, although the _Dolphin_ was supplied with every necessary for awhaling-expedition, and with many luxuries besides, she was ill providedwith the supplies that men deem absolutely indispensable for a winter inthe Arctic Regions, where the cold is so bitterly intense that, after aprolonged sojourn, men's minds become almost entirely engrossed by twoclamant demands of nature--food and heat. They had only a small quantityof coal on board, and nothing except a few extra spars that could beused as a substitute, while the bleak shores afforded neither shrub nortree of any kind. Meanwhile, they had a sufficiency of everything theyrequired for at least two or three months to come, and for the rest, asGrim said, they had "stout hearts and strong arms. "

As soon as it became apparent that they were to winter in the bay, whichthe captain named the Bay of Mercy, all further attempt to extricate theship was abandoned, and every preparation for spending the winter wasbegun and carried out vigorously. It was now that Captain Guy'squalities as a leader began to be displayed. He knew, from longexperience and observation, that in order to keep up the _morale_ ofany body of men it was absolutely necessary to maintain the strictestdiscipline. Indeed, this rule is so universal in its application, thatmany men find it advantageous to impose strict rules on themselves inthe regulation of their time and affairs, in order to keep their ownspirits under command. One of the captain's first resolves thereforewas, to call the men together and address them on this subject; and heseized the occasion of the first Sabbath morning they spent in the Bayof Mercy, when the crew were assembled for prayers on the quarter-deck, to speak to them. 

Hitherto we have not mentioned the Sabbath day in this story, because, while at sea, and while struggling with the ice, there was little tomark it from other days, except the cessation of unnecessary labour, andthe reading of prayers to those who chose to attend; but as necessarylabour preponderated at all times, and the reading of prayers occupiedscarce half-an-hour, there was little _perceptible_ difference betweenthe Sabbath and any other day. We would not be understood to speaklightly of this difference. Little though it was in point of time andappearance, it was immeasurably great in _fact_, as it involved thegreat principle that the day of rest ought to be observed, and that theCreator should be honoured in a special manner on that day. 

On the Sabbath in question--and it was an exceedingly bright, peacefulone--Captain Guy, having read part of the Church of England service asusual, stood up, and in an earnest, firm tone said:--

"My lads, I consider it my duty to say a few plain words to you inreference to our present situation and prospects. I feel that theresponsibility of having brought you here rests very much upon myself, and I deem it my solemn duty, in more than the ordinary sense, to do allI can to get you out of the ice again. You know as well as I do thatthis is impossible at the present time, and that we are compelled tospend a winter here. Some of you know what that means, but the most ofyou know it only by hearsay, and that's much the same as knowing nothingabout it at all. Before the winter is done your energies and endurancewill probably be taxed to the uttermost. I think it right to be candidwith you. The life before you will not be child's play, but I assure youthat it may be mingled with much that will be pleasant and hearty if youchoose to set about it in the right way. Well, then, to be short aboutit. There is no chance whatever of our getting through the winter inthis ship comfortably, or even safely, unless the strictest disciplineis maintained aboard. I know, for I've been in similar circumstancesbefore, that when cold and hunger, and, it may be, sickness press uponus--should it please the Almighty to send these on us in greatseverity--you will feel duty to be irksome, and you'll think it useless, and perhaps be tempted to mutiny. Now, I ask you solemnly, while yourminds are clear from all prejudices, each individually to sign a writtencode of laws, and a written promise that you will obey the same, andhelp me to enforce them even with the punishment of _death_, if needbe. Now, lads, will you agree to that?"

"Agreed! agreed!" cried the men at once, and in a tone of promptdecision that convinced their leader he had their entire confidence--amatter of the highest importance in the critical circumstances in whichthey were placed. 

"Well, then, I'll read the rules. They are few, but sufficientlycomprehensive:--

"1st. Prayers shall be read every morning before breakfast, unlesscircumstances render it impossible to do so. "

The captain laid down the paper, and looked earnestly at the men. 

"My lads, I have never felt so strongly as I now do the absolute need wehave of the blessing and guidance of the Almighty, and I am persuadedthat it is our duty as well as our interest to begin, not only theSabbath, but _every_ day with prayer. 

"2nd. The ordinary duties of the ship shall be carried on, the watchesregularly set and relieved, regular hours observed, and the details ofduty attended to in the usual way, as when in harbour. 

"3rd. The officers shall take watch and watch about as heretofore, except when required to do otherwise. The log-books, and meteorologicalobservations, etc. , shall be carried on as usual. 

"4th. The captain shall have supreme and absolute command as when atsea; but he, on his part, promises that, should any peculiarcircumstance arise in which the safety of the crew or ship shall beimplicated, he will, if the men are so disposed, call a council of thewhole crew, in which case the decision of the majority shall become law, but the minority, in that event, shall have it in their option toseparate from the majority and carry along with them their share of thegeneral provisions. 

"5th. Disobedience to orders shall be punishable according to thedecision of a council to be appointed specially for the purpose offraming a criminal code, hereafter to be submitted for the approval ofthe crew. "

The rules above laid down were signed by every man in the ship. Severalof them could not write, but these affixed a cross (x) at the foot ofthe page, against which their names were written by the captain inpresence of witnesses, which answered the same purpose. And from thattime, until events occurred which rendered all such rules unnecessary, the work of the ship went on pleasantly and well. 

CHAPTER X. 

_Beginning of winter--Meetuck effects a remarkable change in the men'sappearance--Mossing, and working, and plans for a winter campaign_. 

In August the first frost came and formed "young ice" on the sea, butthis lasted only for a brief hour or two, and was broken up by the tideand melted. By the 10th of September the young ice cemented the floes oflast year's ice together, and soon rendered the ice round the shipimmovable. Hummocks clustered round several rocky islets in theneighbourhood, and the rising and falling of the tide covered the sidesof the rocks with bright crystals. All the feathered tribes took theirdeparture for less rigorous climes, with the exception of a small whitebird about the size of a sparrow, called the snow-bird, which is thelast to leave the icy North. Then a tremendous storm arose, and the seabecame choked up with icebergs and floes, which the frost soon lockedtogether into a solid mass. Towards the close of the storm snow fell ingreat abundance, and when the mariners ventured again to put their headsup the opened hatchways, the decks were knee-deep, the drift to windwardwas almost level with the bulwarks, every yard was edged with white, every rope and cord had a light side and a dark, every point and truckhad a white button on it, and every hole, corner, crack, and crevice waschoked up. 

The land and the sea were also clothed with this spotless garment, whichis indeed a strikingly appropriate emblem of purity, and the only darkobjects visible in the landscape were those precipices which were toosteep for the snow to lie on, the towering form of the giant flagstaff, and the leaden clouds that rolled angrily across the sky. But theseleaden clouds soon rolled off, leaving a blue wintry sky and a brightsun behind. 

The storm blew itself out early in the morning, and at breakfast-time onthat day, when the sun was just struggling with the last of the clouds, Captain Guy remarked to his friends who were seated round the cabintable, "Well, gentlemen, we must begin hard work to-day. "

"Hard work, captain!" exclaimed Fred Ellice, pausing for a second or twoin the hard work of chewing a piece of hard salt junk; "why, what do youcall the work we've been engaged in for the last few weeks?"

"Play, my lad; that was only play--just to bring our hands in, beforesetting to work in earnest!--What do you think of the health of the men, doctor?"

"Never was better; but I fear the hospital will soon fill if you carryout your threat in regard to work. "

"No fear, " remarked the second mate; "the more work the better healthis my experience. Busy men have no time to git seek. "

"No doubt of it, sir, " said the first mate, bolting a large mouthful ofpork. "Nothing so good for 'em as work. "

"There are two against you, doctor, " said the captain. 

"Then it's two to two, " cried Fred, as he finished breakfast; "for Iquite agree with Tom, and with that excellent proverb which says, 'Allwork and no play makes Jack a dull boy. '"

The captain shook his head as he said, "Of all the nuisances I ever metwith in a ship a semi-passenger is the worst. I think, Fred, I must getyou bound apprentice and give you regular work to do, yougood-for-nothing. "

We need scarcely say that the captain jested, for Fred was possessed ofa spirit that cannot rest, so to speak, unless at work. He was able todo almost anything _after a fashion_, and was never idle for a moment. Even when his hands chanced to be unemployed, his brows were knitted, busily planning what to do next. 

"Well now, gentlemen, " resumed the captain, "let us consider the orderof business. The first thing that must be done now is to unstow the holdand deposit its contents on the small island astern of us, which weshall call Store Island, for brevity's sake. Get a tent pitched there, Mr. Bolton, and bank it up with snow. You can leave Grim to superintendthe unloading. --Then, Mr. Saunders, do you go and set a gang of men tocut a canal through the young ice from the ship to the island. Fortunately the floes there are wide enough apart to let ourquarter-boats float between them. The unshipping won't take long. TellBuzzby to take a dozen men with him and collect moss; we'll need a largequantity for fuel, and if another storm like this comes it'll be hardwork to get down to it. Send Meetuck to me when you go on deck; I shalltalk to him as to our prospects of finding deer hereabouts, and arrangea hunt. --Doctor, you may either join the hunting-party, or post up theobservations, etc. , which have accumulated of late. "

"Thank you, captain, " said Singleton; "I'll accept the latter duty, themore willingly that I wish to have a careful examination of my botanicalspecimens. "

"And what am I to do, captain?" inquired Fred. 

"What you please, lad. "

"Then I'll go and take care of Meetuck; he's apt to get into mischiefwhen left--"

At this moment a tremendous shout of laughter, long continued, came fromthe deck, and a sound as if numbers of men dancing overhead was heard. 

The party in the cabin seized their caps and sprang up the companionladder, where they beheld a scene that accounted for the laughter, andinduced them to join in it. At first sight it seemed as if thirty Polarbears had boarded the vessel, and were executing a dance of triumphbefore proceeding to make a meal of the crew; but on closer inspectionit became apparent that the men had undergone a strange transformation, and were capering with delight at the ridiculous appearance theypresented. They were clad from head to foot in Esquimau costume, and nowbore as strong a resemblance to Polar bears as man could attain to. 

Meetuck was the pattern and the chief instrument in effecting thischange. At Upernavik Captain Guy had been induced to purchase a largenumber of fox-skins, deer-skins, seal-skins, and other furs, as aspeculation, and had them tightly packed and stowed away in the hold, little imagining the purpose they were ultimately destined to serve. Meetuck had come on board in a mongrel sort of worn-out seal-skin dress;but the instant the cold weather set in he drew from a bundle which hehad brought with him a dress made of the fur of the Arctic fox, some ofthe skins being white and the others blue. It consisted of a loose coat, somewhat in the form of a shirt, with a large hood to it, and a shortelongation behind like the commencement of a tail. The boots were madeof white bear-skin, which, at the end of the foot, were made toterminate with the claws of the animal; and they were so long that theycame up the thigh under the coat, or "jumper, " as the men called it, andthus served instead of trousers. He also wore fur mittens, with a bagfor the fingers, and a separate little bag for the thumb. The hair onthese garments was long and soft, and worn outside, so that when a manenveloped himself in them, and put up the hood, which well-nighconcealed the face, he became very much like a bear or some suchcreature standing on its hind legs. 

Meetuck was a short, fat, burly little fellow by nature; but when he puton his winter dress he became such a round, soft, squat, hairy, andcomical-looking creature, that no one could look at him withoutlaughing, and the shout with which he was received on deck the firsttime he made his appearance in his new costume was loud and prolonged. But Meetuck was as good-humoured an Esquimau as ever speared a walrus orlanced a Polar bear. He joined in the laugh, and cut a caper or two toshow that he entered into the spirit of the joke. 

When the ship was set fast, and the thermometer fell pretty low, the menfound that their ordinary dreadnoughts and pea-jackets, etc. , were not asufficient protection against the cold, and it occurred to the captainthat his furs might now be turned to good account. Sailors areproverbially good needle-men of a rough kind. Meetuck showed them how toset about their work. Each man made his own garments, and in less than aweek they were completed. It is true, the boots perplexed them a little, and the less ingenious among the men made very rare and curious-lookingfoot-gear for themselves; but they succeeded after a fashion, and atlast the whole crew appeared on deck in their new habiliments, as wehave already mentioned, capering among the snow like bears, to theirown entire satisfaction and to the intense delight of Meetuck, who nowcame to regard the white men as brothers--so true is it that "the tailormakes the man!"

"'Ow 'orribly 'eavy it is, _h_ain't it?" gasped Mivins, after dancinground the main-hatch till he was nearly exhausted. 

"Heavy!" cried Buzzby, whose appearance was such that you would havehesitated to say whether his breadth or length was greater--"heavy, d'yesay? It must be your sperrits wot's heavy, then, for I feel as light asa feather myself. "

"O morther! then may I niver sleep on a bed made o' sich feathers!"cried O'Riley, capering up to Green, the carpenter's mate, and throwinga mass of snow in his face. The frost rendered it impossible to form thesnow into balls, but the men made up for this by throwing it about eachother's eyes and ears in handfuls. 

"What d'ye mean by insultin' my mate?--take that!" said Peter Grim, giving the Irishman a twirl that tumbled him on the deck. 

"Oh, bad manners to ye!" spluttered O'Riley, as he rose and ran away;"why don't ye hit a man o' yer own size?"

"'Deed, then, it must be because there's not one o' my own size to hit, "remarked the carpenter with a broad grin. 

This was true. Grim's colossal proportions were increased so much by hishairy dress that he seemed to have spread out into the dimensions oftwo large men rolled into one. But O'Riley was not to be overturned withimpunity. Skulking round behind the crew, who were laughing at Grim'sjoke, he came upon the giant in the rear, and seizing the short tail ofhis jumper, pulled him violently down on the deck. 

"Ah, then, give it him, boys!" cried O'Riley, pushing the carpenter flatdown, and obliterating his black beard and his whole visage in a mass ofsnow. Several of the wilder spirits among the men leaped on theprostrate Grim, and nearly smothered him before he could gather himselfup for a struggle; then they fled in all directions while their victimregained his feet, and rushed wildly after them. At last he caughtO'Riley, and grasping him by the two shoulders gave him a heave that wasintended and "calc'lated, " as Amos Parr afterwards remarked, "to pitchhim over the foretop-sail-yard!" But an Irishman is not easily overcome. O'Riley suddenly straightened himself and held his arms up over hishead, and the violent heave, which, according to Parr, was to have senthim to such an uncomfortable elevation, only pulled the jumpercompletely off his body, and left him free to laugh in the face of hisbig friend, and run away. 

At this point the captain deemed it prudent to interfere. 

"Come, come, my lads!" he cried, "enough o' this. That's not the morningwork, is it? I'm glad to find that your new dresses, " he added with asignificant smile, "make you fond of rough work in the snow; there'splenty of it before us. --Come down below with me, Meetuck; I wish totalk with you. "

As the captain descended to the cabin the men gave a final cheer, and inten minutes they were working laboriously at their various duties. 

Buzzby and his party were the first ready and off to cut moss. They drewa sledge after them towards the red-snow valley, which was not more thantwo miles distant from the ship. This "mossing, " as it was termed, wasby no means a pleasant duty. Before the winter became severe, the mosscould be cut out from the beds of the snow streams with comparativeease; but now the mixed turf of willows, heaths, grasses, and moss wasfrozen solid, and had to be quarried with crowbars and carried to theship like so much stone. However, it was prosecuted vigorously, and asufficient quantity was soon procured to pack on the deck of the ship, and around its sides, so as to keep out the cold. At the same time, theoperation of discharging the stores was carried on briskly; and Fred, incompany with Meetuck, O'Riley, and Joseph West, started with thedog-sledge on a hunting-expedition. 

In order to enable the reader better to understand the condition of the_Dolphin_ and her crew, we will detail the several arrangements thatwere made at this time and during the succeeding fortnight. As a measureof precaution, the ship, by means of blasting, sawing, and warping, waswith great labour got into deeper water, where one night's frost sether fast with a sheet of ice three inches thick round her. In a fewweeks this ice became several feet thick; and the snow drifted up herhull so much that it seemed as if she were resting on the land, and hadtaken final leave of her native element. Strong hawsers were thensecured to Store Island, in order to guard against the possibility ofher being carried away by any sudden disruption of the ice. Thedisposition of the masts, yards, and sails was next determined on. Thetop-gallant-masts were struck, the lower yards got down to the housings. The top-sail-yards, gaff, and jib-boom, however, were left in theirplaces. The topsails and courses were kept bent to the yards, the sheetsbeing unrove and the clews tucked in. The rest of the binding-sails werestowed on deck to prevent their thawing during winter; and the sparespars were lashed over the ship's sides, to leave a clear space fortaking exercise in bad weather. 

The stores, in order to relieve the strain on the ship, were removed toStore Island, and snugly housed under the tent erected there, and then athick bank of snow was heaped up round it. After this was accomplished, all the boats were hauled up beside the tent, and covered with snow, except the two quarter-boats, which were left hanging at the davits allwinter. When the thermometer fell below zero, it was found that thevapours below, and the breath of the men, condensed on the beams of thelower deck and in the cabin near the hatchway. It was therefore resolvedto convert some sheet-iron, which they fortunately possessed, intopipes, which, being conducted from the cooking-stove through the lengthof the ship, served in some degree to raise the temperature andventilate the cabins. A regular daily allowance of coal was served out, and four steady men appointed to attend to the fire in regular watches, for the double purpose of seeing that none of the fuel should be wastedand of guarding against fire. They had likewise charge of the fire-pumpsand buckets, and two tanks of water, all of which were kept in thehatchway in constant readiness in case of accidents. In addition tothis, a fire-brigade was formed, with Joseph West, a steady, quiet, active young seaman, as its captain, and their stations in the event offire were fixed beforehand; also, a hole was kept constantly open in theice alongside to insure at all times a sufficient supply of water. 

Strict regulations as to cleanliness and the daily airing of thehammocks were laid down, and adhered to throughout the winter. A regularallowance of provisions was appointed to each man, so that they shouldnot run the risk of starving before the return of the wild-fowl inspring. But those provisions were all salt, and the captain trusted muchto their hunting-expeditions for a supply of fresh food, without whichthere would be little hope of their continuing in a condition of goodhealth. Coffee was served out at breakfast and cocoa at supper, besidesbeing occasionally supplied at other times to men who had been engagedin exhausting work in extremely cold weather. Afterwards, when the darkseason set in, and the crew were confined by the intense cold more thanformerly within the ship, various schemes were set afoot for passing thetime profitably and agreeably. Among others, a school was started by thecaptain for instructing such of the crew as chose to attend in reading, writing, and arithmetic, and in this hyperborean academy Fred Elliceacted as the writing master, and Tom Singleton as the accountant. Themen were much amused at first at the idea of "goin' to school, " and someof them looked rather shy at it; but O'Riley, after some consideration, came boldly forward and said, "Well, boys, bad luck to me if I don'tthink I'll be a scholard afther all. My old gran'mother used to tell me, whin I refused to go to the school that was kip be an owld man as tuckhis fees out in murphies and potheen, --says she, 'Ah! ye spalpeen, ye'llniver be cliverer nor the pig, ye won't. ' 'Ah, then, I hope not, ' saysI, 'for sure she's far the cliverest in the house, an' ye wouldn't haveme to be cliverer than me own gran'mother, would ye?' says I. So I niverwint to school, and more be token, I can't sign me name, and if it wasonly to larn how to do that, I'll go and jine; indeed I will. " SoO'Riley joined, and before long every man in the ship was glad to join, in order to have something to do. 

The doctor also, twice a-week, gave readings from Shakespeare, a copy ofwhich he had fortunately brought with him. He also read extracts fromthe few other books they happened to have on board; and after a time, finding unexpectedly that he had a talent that way, he began to drawupon his memory and his imagination, and told long stories (which werefacetiously called _lectures_) to the men, who listened to them withgreat delight. Then Fred started an illustrated newspaper once a-week, which was named the _Arctic Sun_, and which was in great favour duringthe whole course of its brief existence. It is true, only one copy wasissued each morning of publication, because, besides supplying thegreater proportion of the material himself, and executing theillustrations in a style that would have made Mr. Leech of the presentday envious, he had to transcribe the various contributions he receivedfrom the men and others in a neat, legible hand. But this _one_ copy wasperused and re-perused, as no single copy of any paper extant--notexcepting _The Times_ or _Punch_--has ever yet been perused; and when itwas returned to the editor, to be carefully placed in the archives ofthe _Dolphin_, it was emphatically the worse for wear. Besides all this, a theatre was set agoing, of which we shall have more to say hereafter. 

In thus minutely recounting the various expedients which these banishedmen fell upon to pass the long dark hours of an Arctic winter, we may, perhaps, give the reader the impression that a great deal of thought andtime were bestowed upon _amusement_, as if that were the chief end andobject of their life in those regions. But we must remind him thatthough many more pages might be filled in recounting all theparticulars, but a small portion of their time was, after all, taken upin this way; and it would have been well for them had they been able tofind more to amuse them than they did, for the depressing influence ofthe long-continued darkness, and the want of a sufficiency of regularemployment for so many months added to the rigorous nature of theclimate in which they dwelt, well-nigh broke their spirits at last. 

In order to secure warmth during winter, the deck of the ship was paddedwith moss about a foot deep, and down below the walls were lined withthe same material. The floors were carefully plastered with common pasteand covered with oakum a couple of inches deep, over which a carpet ofcanvas was spread. Every opening in the deck was fastened down andcovered deeply over with moss, with the exception of one hatch, whichwas their only entrance, and this was kept constantly closed except whenit was desirable to ventilate. Curtains were hung up in front of it toprevent draughts. A canvas awning was also spread over the deck fromstem to stern, so that it was confidently hoped the _Dolphin_ wouldprove a snug tenement even in the severest cold. 

As has been said before, the snow-drift almost buried the hull of theship, and as snow is a good _non-conductor_ of heat, this further helpedto keep up the temperature within. A staircase of snow was built up tothe bulwarks on the larboard quarter, and on the starboard side aninclined plane of snow was sloped down to the ice to facilitate thelaunching of the sledges when they had to be pulled on deck. 

Such were the chief arrangements and preparations that were made by ouradventurers for spending the winter; but although we have described themat this point in our story, many of them were not completed until a muchlater period. 

CHAPTER XI. 

_A hunting-expedition, in the course of which the hunters meet with manyinteresting, dangerous, peculiar, and remarkable experiences, and makeacquaintance with seals, walruses, deer, and rabbits_. 

We must now return to Fred Ellice and his companions, Meetuck theEsquimau, O'Riley, and Joseph West, whom we left while they were on thepoint of starting on a hunting-expedition. 

They took the direction of the ice-hummocks out to sea, and, seatedcomfortably on a large sledge, were dragged by the team of dogs over theice at the rate of ten miles an hour. 

"Well! did I iver expect to ride a carriage and six?" exclaimed O'Rileyin a state of great glee as the dogs dashed forward at full speed, whileMeetuck nourished his awful whip, making it crack like a pistol-shotever and anon. 

The sledge on which they travelled was of the very curious and simpleconstruction peculiar to the Esquimaux, and was built by Peter Grimunder the direction of Meetuck. It consisted of two runners of about tenfeet in length, six inches high, two inches broad, and three feet apart. They were made of tough hickory, slightly curved in front, and wereattached to each other by cross-bars. At the stern of the vehicle therewas a low back composed of two uprights and a single bar across. Thewhole machine was fastened together by means of tough lashings of rawseal-hide, so that, to all appearance, it was a rickety affair, ready tofall to pieces. In reality, however, it was very strong. No metal nailsof any kind could have held in the keen frost--they would have snappedlike glass at the first jolt--but the sealskin fastenings yielded to therude shocks and twistings to which the sledge was subjected, and seldomgave way, or if they did, were easily and speedily renewed without theaid of any other implement than a knife. 

But the whip was the most remarkable part of the equipage. The handlewas only sixteen inches in length, but the lash was twenty _feet_ long, made of the toughest seal-skin, and as thick as a man's wrist near thehandle, whence it tapered off to a fine point. The labour of using sucha formidable weapon is so great that Esquimaux usually, whenpracticable, travel in couples, one sledge behind the other. The dogs ofthe last sledge follow mechanically and require no whip, and the riderschange about so as to relieve each other. When travelling, the whiptrails behind, and can be brought with a tremendous crack that makes thehair fly from the wretch that is struck; and Esquimaux are splendid_shots_, so to speak. They can hit any part of a dog with certainty, butusually rest satisfied with simply cracking the whip--a sound thatproduces an answering yell of terror, whether the lash takes effect ornot. 

Our hunters were clothed in their Esquimau garments, and cut the oddestimaginable figures. They had a soft, rotund, cuddled-up appearance, thatwas powerfully suggestive of comfort. The sledge carried one day'sprovisions, a couple of walrus harpoons with a sufficient quantity ofrope, four muskets with the requisite ammunition, an Esquimaucooking-lamp, two stout spears, two tarpaulins to spread on the snow, and four blanket sleeping-bags. These last were six feet long, and justwide enough for a man to crawl into at night, feet first. 

"What a jolly style of travelling, isn't it?" cried Fred, as the dogssprang wildly forward, tearing the sledge behind them, Dumps and Pokerleading and looking as lively as crickets. 

"Well now, isn't it true that wits jump?--that's jist what I was sayin'to meself, " remarked O'Riley, grinning from ear to ear as he pulled thefur-hood farther over his head, crossed his arms more firmly on hisbreast, and tried to double himself up as he sat there like an overgrownrat. "I wouldn't exchange it wid the Lord Mayor o' London and his coachan' six--so I wouldn't. --Arrah! have a care, Meetuck, ye baste, or ye'llhave us kilt. "

This, last exclamation was caused by the reckless driver dashing over apiece of rough ice that nearly capsized the sledge. Meetuck did notanswer, but he looked over his shoulder with a quiet smile on his oilycountenance. 

"Ah, then, ye may laugh, " said O'Riley with menacing look, "but av yebreak a bone o' me body I'll--"

Down went the dogs into a crack in the ice as he spoke, over went thesledge and hurled them all out upon the ice. 

"Musha! but ye've done it!"

"Hallo, West! are you hurt?" cried Fred anxiously, as he observed thesailor fall heavily on the ice. 

"Oh no, sir; all right, thank you, " replied the man, rising alertly andlimping to the sledge. "Only knocked the skin off my shin, sir. "

West was a quiet, serious, polite man, an American by birth, who wasmuch liked by the crew in consequence of a union of politeness andmodesty with a disposition to work far beyond his strength. He was notvery robust, however, and in powers of physical endurance scarcelyfitted to engage in an Arctic expedition. 

"An' don't ye think it's worth makin' inquiries about _me_?" criedO'Riley, who had been tossed into a crevice in the hummock, where he layjammed and utterly unable to move. 

Fred and the Esquimau laughed heartily while O'Riley extricated himselffrom his awkward position. Fortunately no damage was done, and in fiveminutes they were flying over the frozen sea as madly as ever in thedirection of the point at the opposite side of Red-Snow Valley, where acloud of frost-smoke indicated open water. 

"Now, look you, Mr. Meetuck, av ye do that again ye'll better don't, let me tell ye. Sure the back o' me's brack entirely, " said O'Riley, ashe re-arranged himself with a look of comfort that belied his words. "Och, there ye go again, " he cried, as the sledge suddenly fell aboutsix inches from a higher level to a lower, where the floe had cracked, causing the teeth of the whole party to come together with a snap. "Aman durs'n't spake for fear o' bitin' his tongue off. "

"No fee, " said Meetuck, looking over his shoulder with a broader smirk. 

"No fee, ye lump of pork! it's a double fee I'll have to pay the dacteran ye go on like that. "

_No fee_ was Meetuck's best attempt at the words _no fear. _ He hadpicked up a little English during his brief sojourn with the sailors, and already understood much of what was said to him; but words were asyet few, and his manner of pronouncing them peculiar. 

"Holo! look! look!" cried the Esquimau, suddenly checking the dogs andleaping off the sledge. 

"Eh! what! where?" ejaculated Fred, seizing his musket. 

"I think I see something, sir, " said West, shading his eyes with hishand, and gazing earnestly in the direction indicated by Meetuck. 

"So do I, be the mortial, " said O'Riley in a hoarse whisper. "I see themountains and the sky, I do, as plain as the nose on me face!"

"Hush! stop your nonsense, man, " said Fred. "I see a deer, I'm certainof it. "

Meetuck nodded violently to indicate that Fred was right. 

"Well, what's to be done? Luckily we are well to leeward, and it hasneither sighted nor scented us. "

Meetuck replied by gestures and words to the effect that West andO'Riley should remain with the dogs, and keep them quiet under theshelter of a hummock, while he and Fred should go after the reindeer. Accordingly, away they went, making a pretty long detour in order togain the shore, and come upon it under the shelter of the groundedfloes, behind which they might approach without being seen. In hurryingalong the coast they observed the footprints of a musk-ox, and also ofseveral Arctic hares and foxes; which delighted them much, for hithertothey had seen none of these animals, and were beginning to be fearfullest they should not visit that part of the coast at all. Of course Fredknew not what sort of animals had made the tracks in question, but hewas an adept at guessing, and the satisfied looks of his companion gavehim reason to believe that he was correct in his surmises. 

In half-an-hour they came within range, and Fred, after debating withhimself for some time as to the propriety of taking the first shot, triumphed over himself, and stepping back a pace, motioned to theEsquimau to fire. But Meetuck was an innate gentleman, and modestlydeclined; so Fred advanced, took a good aim, and fired. 

The deer bounded away, but stumbled as it went, showing that it waswounded. 

"Ha! ha! Meetuck, " exclaimed Fred, as he recharged in tremendousexcitement (taking twice as long to load in consequence), "I've improveda little, you see, in my shoot--oh bother this--ramrod!--tut! tut!there, that's it. "

Bang went Meetuck's musket at that moment, and the deer tumbled overupon the snow. 

"Well done, old fellow!" cried Fred, springing forward. At the sameinstant a white hare darted across his path, at which he fired, withouteven putting the gun to his shoulder, and knocked it over, to his ownintense amazement. 

The three shots were the signal for the men to come up with the sledge, which they did at full gallop, O'Riley driving, and flourishing the longwhip about in a way that soon entangled it hopelessly with the dogs'traces. 

"Ah, then, ye've done it this time, ye have, sure enough. Musha! what apurty crature it is. Now, isn't it, West? Stop, then, won't ye (to therestive dogs); ye've broke my heart entirely, and the whip's tied upinto iver so many knots. Arrah, Meetuck! ye may drive yer coach yerselffor me, you may; I've had more nor enough of it. "

In a few minutes the deer and the hare were lashed to the sledge--whichthe Irishman asserted was a great improvement, inasmuch as the carcassof the former made an excellent seat--and they were off again at fullgallop over the floes. They travelled without further interruption ormishap, until they drew near to the open water, when suddenly they cameupon a deep fissure or crack in the ice about four feet wide, with waterin the bottom. Here they came to a dead stop. 

"Arrah! what's to be done now?" inquired O'Riley. 

"Indeed I don't know, " replied Fred, looking toward Meetuck for advice. 

"Hup, cut-up ice, mush, hurroo!" said that fat individual. Fortunatelyhe followed his advice with a practical illustration of its meaning. Seizing an axe, he ran to the nearest hummock, and chopping it down, rolled the heaviest pieces he could move into the chasm. The othersfollowed his example, and in the course of an hour the place was bridgedacross, and the sledge passed over. But the dogs required a good deal ofcoaxing to get them to trust to this rude bridge, which their sagacitytaught them was not to be depended on like the works of nature. 

A quarter of an hour's drive brought them to a place where there wasanother crack of little more than two feet across. Meetuck stretched hisneck and took a steady look at this as they approached it at fullgallop. Being apparently satisfied with his scrutiny, he resumed hislook of self-satisfied placidity. 

"Look out, Meetuck--pull up!" cried Fred in some alarm; but the Esquimaupaid no attention. 

"O morther! we're gone now for iver, " exclaimed O'Riley, shutting hiseyes and clenching his teeth as he laid fast hold of the sides of thesledge. 

The feet of the dogs went faster and faster until they pattered on thehard surface of the snow like rain. Round came the long whip, as O'Rileysaid, "like the shot of a young cannon, " and the next moment they wereacross, skimming over the ice on the other side like the wind. 

It happened that there had been a break in the ice at this point on theprevious night, and the floes had been cemented by a sheet of ice onlyan inch thick. Upon this, to the consternation even of Meetuck himself, they now passed, and in a moment, ere they were aware, they were passingover a smooth, black surface that undulated beneath them like the wavesof the sea, and crackled fearfully. There was nothing for it but to goon. A moment's halt would have allowed the sledge to break through, andleave them struggling in the water. There was no time for remark. Eachman held his breath. Meetuck sent the heavy lash with a tremendous crackover the backs of the whole team; but just as they neared the solid floethe left runner broke through. In a moment the men flung themselveshorizontally upon their breasts, and scrambled over the smooth surfaceuntil they gained the white ice, while the sledge and the dogs nearestto it were sinking. One vigorous pull, however, by dogs and mentogether, dragged the sledge upon the solid floe, even before the thingsin it had got wet. 

"Safe!" cried Fred, as he hauled on the sledge rope to drag it fartherout of danger. 

"So we are, " replied O'Riley, breathing very hard; "and it's meselfthought to have had a wet skin at this minute. --Come, West, lind a handto fix the dogs, will ye?"

A few minutes sufficed to put all to rights and enable them to startafresh. Being now in the neighbourhood of dangerous ice, they advancedwith a little more caution; the possibility of seals being in theneighbourhood also rendered them more circumspect. It was well that theywere on the alert, for a band of seals were soon after descried in apool of open water not far ahead, and one of them was lying on the ice. 

There were no hummocks, however, in the neighbourhood to enable them toapproach unseen; but the Esquimau was prepared for such a contingency. He had brought a small sledge, of about two feet in length by a foot anda half in breadth, which he now unfastened from the large sledge, andproceeded quietly to arrange it, to the surprise of his companions, whohad not the least idea what he was about to do, and watched hisproceedings with much interest. 

"Is it to sail on the ice ye're goin', boy?" inquired O'Riley at last, when he saw Meetuck fix a couple of poles, about four feet long, into ahole in the little sledge, like two masts, and upon these spread a pieceof canvas upwards of a yard square, with a small hole in the centre ofit. 

But Meetuck answered not. He fastened the canvas "sail" to a cross-yardabove and below. Then placing a harpoon and coil of rope on the sledge, and taking up his musket, he made signs to the party to keep under thecover of a hummock, and, pushing the sledge before him, advanced towardsthe seals in a stooping posture, so as to be completely hid behind thebit of canvas. 

"O the haythen! I see it now!" exclaimed O'Riley, his face puckering upwith fun. "Ah, but it's a cliver trick, no doubt of it. "

"What a capital dodge!" said Fred, crouching behind the hummock, andwatching the movements of the Esquimau with deep interest. 

"West, hand me the little telescope; you'll find it in the pack. "

"Here it is, sir, " said the man, pulling out a glass of about six incheslong, and handing it to Fred. 

"How many is there, an ye plaze?"

"Six, I think; yes--one, two, three--I can't make them out quite, but Ithink there are six, besides the one on the ice. Hist! there he seeshim. Ah, Meetuck, he's too quick for you. "

As he spoke the seal on the ice began to show symptoms of alarm. Meetuckhad approached to within shot, but he did not fire; the wary Esquimauhad caught sight of another object which a lump of ice had hithertoconcealed from view. This was no less a creature than a walrus, whochanced at that time to come up to take a gulp of fresh air and lavehis shaggy front in the brine, before going down again to the depths ofhis ocean home. Meetuck, therefore, allowed the seal to glide quietlyinto the sea, and advanced towards this new object of attack. At lengthhe took a steady aim through the hole in the canvas screen, and fired. Instantly the seals dived, and at the same time the water round thewalrus was lashed into foam and tinged with red. It was evidently badlywounded, for had it been only slightly hurt it would probably havedived. 

Meetuck immediately seized his harpoon, and rushed towards thestruggling monster; while Fred grasped a gun and O'Riley a harpoon, andran to his assistance. West remained to keep back the dogs. As Meetuckgained the edge of the ice the walrus recovered partially, and tried, with savage fury, to reach his assailant, who planted the harpoon deepin its breast, and held on to the rope while the animal dived. 

"Whereabouts is he?" cried O'Riley, as he came panting to the scene ofaction. 

As he spoke the walrus ascended almost under his nose, with a loudbellow, and the Irishman started back in terror, as he surveyed at closequarters, for the first time, the colossal and horrible countenance ofthis elephant of the Northern Seas. O'Riley was no coward, but thesuddenness of the apparition was too much for him, and we need notwonder that in his haste he darted the harpoon far over the animal'shead into the sea beyond. Neither need we feel surprised that when Fredtook aim at its forehead, the sight of its broad muzzle fringed with abristling moustache, and defended by huge tusks, caused him to miss italtogether. But O'Riley recovered, hauled his harpoon back, andsucceeded in planting it deep under the creature's left flipper; andFred, reloading, lodged a ball in its head, which finished it. Withgreat labour the four men, aided by the dogs, drew it out upon the ice. 

This was a great prize, for walrus-flesh is not much inferior to beef, and would be an acceptable addition of fresh meat for the use of the_Dolphin's_ crew; and there was no chance of it spoiling, for the frostwas now severe enough to freeze every animal solid almost immediatelyafter it was killed. 

The body of this walrus was not less than eighteen feet long and elevenin circumference. It was more like an elephant in bulk and rotunditythan any other creature. It partook very much of the form of a seal, having two large paw-like flippers, with which, when struggling forlife, it had more than once nearly succeeded in getting upon the ice. Its upper face had a square, bluff aspect, and its broad muzzle andcheeks were completely covered by a coarse, quill-like beard ofbristles, which gave to it a peculiarly ferocious appearance. The notionthat the walrus resembles man is very much overrated. The square, bluffshape of the head already referred to destroys the resemblance tohumanity when distant, and its colossal size does the same when near. Spine of the seals deserve this distinction more, their droopingshoulders and oval faces being strikingly like to those of man when at adistance. The white ivory tusks of this creature were carefully measuredby Fred, and found to be thirty inches long. 

The resemblance of the walrus to our domestic land-animals has obtainedfor it, among sailors, the names of the sea-horse and sea-cow; and therecords of its ferocity when attacked are numerous. Its hide is nearlyan inch thick, and is put to many useful purposes by the Esquimaux, wholive to a great extent on the flesh of this creature. They cut up hishide into long lines to attach to the harpoons with which they catchhimself, the said harpoons being pointed with his own tusks. This toughhide is not the only garment the walrus wears to protect him from thecold. He also wears under-flannels of thick fat and a top-coat of closehair, so that he can take a siesta on an iceberg without the leastinconvenience. Talking of siestas, by the way, the walrus is sometimes"caught napping. " Occasionally, when the weather is intensely cold, thehole through which he crawls upon the ice gets frozen over so solidlythat, on waking, he finds it beyond even his enormous power to break it. In this extremity there is no alternative but to go to sleep again, and--die! which he does as comfortably as he can. The Polar bears, however, are quick to smell him out, and assembling round his carcassfor a feast, they dispose of him, body and bones, without ceremony. 

As it was impossible to drag this unwieldy animal to the ship thatnight, for the days had now shortened very considerably, the huntershauled it towards the land, and having reached the secure ice, preparedto encamp for the night under the lee of a small iceberg. 

CHAPTER XII. 

_A dangerous sleep interrupted--A night in a snow-hut, and an unpleasantvisitor--Snowed up_. 

"Now, then, " cried Fred, as they drew up on a level portion of theice-floe, where the snow on its surface was so hard that the runners ofthe sledge scarce made an impression on it, "let us to work, lads, andget the tarpaulins spread. We shall have to sleep to-night understar-spangled bed-curtains. "

"Troth, " said O'Riley, gazing round towards the land, where the distantcliffs loomed black and heavy in the fading light, and out upon thefloes and hummocks, where the frost-smoke from pools of open water onthe horizon circled round the pinnacles of the icebergs--"troth, it's acowld place intirely to go to wan's bed in, but that fat-faced Exqueemawseems to be settin' about it quite coolly; so here goes!"

"It would be difficult to set about it otherwise than coolly with thethermometer forty-five below zero, " remarked Fred, beating his handstogether, and stamping his feet, while the breath issued from his mouthlike dense clouds of steam, and fringed the edges of his hood and thebreast of his jumper with hoar-frost. 

"It's quite purty, it is, " remarked O'Riley, in reference to this wreathof hoar-frost, which covered the upper parts of each of them; "it's jistlike the ermine that kings and queens wear, so I'm towld, and it'schaper a long way. "

"I don't know that, " said Joseph West. "It has cost us a rough voyageand a winter in the Arctic Regions, if it doesn't cost us more yet, toput that ermine fringe on our jumpers. I can make nothing of this knot;try what you can do with it, messmate, will you?"

"Sorra wan o' me'll try it, " cried O'Riley, suddenly leaping up andswinging both arms violently against his shoulders; "I've got two hands, I have, but niver a finger on them--leastwise I feel none, though it_is_ some small degrae o' comfort to see them. "

"My toes are much in the same condition, " said West, stamping vigorouslyuntil he brought back the circulation. 

"Dance, then, wid me, " cried the Irishman, suiting his action to theword. "I've a mortial fear o' bein' bit wid the frost--for it's no joke, let me tell you. Didn't I see a whole ship's crew wance that wos wreckedin the Gulf o' St. Lawrence about the beginnin' o' winter, and beforethey got to a part o' the coast where there was a house belongin' to thefur-traders, ivery man-jack o' them was frost-bit more or less, theywor. Wan lost a thumb, and another the jint of a finger or two, andmost o' them had two or three toes off, an' there wos wan poor fellowwho lost the front half o' wan fut an' the heel o' the other, an' twoinches o' the bone was stickin' out. Sure it's truth I'm tellin' ye, forI seed it wid me own two eyes, I did. "

The earnest tones in which the last words were spoken convinced hiscomrades that O'Riley was telling the truth, so having a decidedobjection to be placed in similar circumstances, they danced and beateach other until they were quite in a glow. 

"Why, what are you at there, Meetuck?" exclaimed Fred, pausing. 

"Igloe make, " replied the Esquimau. 

"Ig--what?" inquired O'Riley. 

"Oh, I see!" shouted Fred, "he's going to make a snow-hut--igloes theycall them here. Capital!--I never thought of that. Come along; let'shelp him!"

Meetuck was indeed about to erect one of those curious dwellings of snowin which, for the greater part of the year, his primitive countrymendwell. He had no taste for star-spangled bed-curtains, when solid walls, whiter than the purest dimity, were to be had for nothing. His firstoperation in the erection of this hut was to mark out a circle of aboutseven feet diameter. From the inside of this circle the snow was cut bymeans of a long knife in the form of slabs nearly a foot thick, and fromtwo to three feet long, having a slight convexity on the outside. Theseslabs were then so cut and arranged that, when they were piled uponeach other round the margin of the circle, they formed a dome-shapedstructure like a bee-hive, which was six feet high inside, andremarkably solid. The slabs were cemented together with loose snow, andevery accidental chink or crevice filled up with the same material. Thenatives sometimes insert a block of clear ice in the roof for a window, but this was dispensed with on the present occasion--first, becausethere was no light to let in; and, secondly, because if there had been, they didn't want it. 

The building of the hut occupied only an hour, for the hunters were coldand hungry, and in their case the old proverb might have beenparaphrased, "No _work_, no supper. " A hole, just large enough to permita man to creep through on his hands and knees, formed the door of thisbee-hive. Attached to this hole, and cemented to it, was a low tunnel ofabout four feet in length. When finished, both ends of the tunnel wereclosed up with slabs of hard snow, which served the purpose of doubledoors, and effectually kept out the cold. 

While this tunnel was approaching completion, Fred retired to a shortdistance, and sat down to rest a few minutes on a block of ice. 

A great change had come over the scene during the time they were at workon the snow-hut. The night had settled down, and now the whole sky waslit up with the vivid and beautiful coruscations of the auroraborealis--that magnificent meteor of the North which, in some measure, makes up to the inhabitants for the absence of the sun. It spread overthe whole extent of the sky in the form of an irregular arch, and wasintensely brilliant. But the brilliancy varied, as the green etherealfire waved mysteriously to and fro, or shot up long streamers toward thezenith. These streamers, or "merry dancers, " as they are sometimestermed, were at times peculiarly bright. Their colour was mostfrequently yellowish white, sometimes greenish, and once or twice of alilac tinge. The strength of the light was something greater than thatof the moon in her quarter, and the stars were dimmed when the aurorapassed over them as if they had been covered with a delicate gauze veil. 

But that which struck our hero as being most remarkable was themagnitude and dazzling brightness of the host of stars that covered theblack firmament. It seemed as if they were magnified in glory, andtwinkled so much that the sky seemed, as it were, to tremble with light. A feeling of deep solemnity filled Fred's heart as he gazed upwards; andas he thought upon the Creator of these mysterious worlds, andremembered that he came to this little planet of ours to work out themiracle of our redemption, the words that he had often read in theBible, "Lord, what is man, that thou art mindful of him?" came forciblyto his remembrance, and he felt the appropriateness of that sentimentwhich the sweet singer of Israel has expressed in the words, "Praise yehim, sun and moon; praise him, all ye stars of light. "

There was a deep, solemn stillness all around--a stillness widelydifferent from that peaceful composure which characterizes a calm day inan inhabited land. It was the death-like stillness of that most peculiarand dreary desolation which results from the total absence of animalexistence. The silence was so oppressive that it was with a feeling ofrelief he listened to the low, distant voices of the men as they pausedever and anon in their busy task to note and remark on the progress oftheir work. In the intense cold of an Arctic night the sound of voicescan be heard at a much greater distance than usual, and although the menwere far off, and hummocks of ice intervened between them and Fred, their tones broke distinctly, though gently, on his ear. Yet thesesounds did not interrupt the unusual stillness. They served rather toimpress him more forcibly with the vastness of that tremendous solitudein the midst of which he stood. 

Gradually his thoughts turned homeward, and he thought of the dear oneswho circled round his own fireside, and perchance talked of him--of thevarious companions he had left behind, and the scenes of life and beautywhere he used to wander. But such memories led him irresistibly to theFar North again; for in all home-scenes the figure of his father startedup, and he was back again in an instant, searching toilsomely among thefloes and icebergs of the Polar Seas. It was the invariable ending ofpoor Fred's meditations, and, however successful he might be inentering for a time into the spirit of fun that characterized most ofthe doings of his shipmates, and in following the bent of his own joyousnature, in the hours of solitude and in the dark night, when no one sawhim, his mind ever reverted to the one engrossing subject, like theoscillating needle to the Pole. 

As he continued to gaze up long and earnestly into the starry sky, histhoughts began to wander over the past and the present at random, and acold shudder warned him that it was time to return to the hut. But thewandering thoughts and fancies seemed to chain him to the spot, so thathe could not tear himself away. Then a dreamy feeling of rest andcomfort began to steal over his senses, and he thought how pleasant itwould be to lie down and slumber; but he knew that would be dangerous, so he determined not to do it. 

Suddenly he felt himself touched, and heard a voice whispering in hisear. Then it sounded loud. "Hallo, sir! Mr. Ellice! Wake up, sir! d'yehear me?" and he felt himself shaken so violently that his teeth rattledtogether. Opening his eyes reluctantly, he found that he was stretchedat full length on the snow, and Joseph West was shaking him by theshoulder as if he meant to dislocate his arm. 

"Hallo, West! is that you? Let me alone, man, I want to sleep. " Fredsank down again instantly: that deadly sleep produced by cold, and fromwhich those who indulge in it never awaken, was upon him. 

"Sleep!" cried West frantically; "you'll die, sir, if you don't rouseup. --Hallo! Meetuck! O'Riley! help! here. '

"I tell you, " murmured Fred faintly, "I want to sleep--only a moment ortwo--ah! I see; is the hut finished? Well, well, go, leave me. I'llfollow--in--a--"

His voice died away again, just as Meetuck and O'Riley came running up. The instant the former saw how matters stood, he raised Fred in hispowerful arms, set him on his feet, and shook him with such vigour thatit seemed as if every bone in his body must be forced out of joint. 

"What mane ye by that, ye blubber-bag?" cried the Irishman wrathfully, doubling his mittened fists and advancing in a threatening mannertowards the Esquimau; but seeing that the savage paid not the leastattention to him, and kept on shaking Fred violently with agood-humoured smile on his countenance, he wisely desisted frominterfering. 

In a few minutes Fred was able to stand and look about him with a stupidexpression, and immediately the Esquimau dragged and pushed and shookhim along towards the snow-hut, into which he was finally thrust, thoughwith some trouble, in consequence of the lowness of the tunnel. Here, bymeans of rubbing and chafing, with a little more buffeting, he wasrestored to some degree of heat, on seeing which, Meetuck uttered aquiet grunt and immediately set about preparing supper. 

"I do believe I've been asleep, " said Fred, rising and stretchinghimself vigorously as the bright flame of a tin lamp shot forth and sheda yellow lustre on the white walls. 

"Aslaap is it! be me conscience an' ye have jist. Oh, then, may I niverindulge in the same sort o' slumber!"

"Why so?" asked Fred in some surprise. 

"You fell asleep on the ice, sir, " answered West, while he busiedhimself in spreading the tarpaulin and blanket-bags on the floor of thehut, "and you were very near frozen to death. "

"Frozen, musha! I'm not too sure that he's melted yit!" said O'Riley, taking him by the arm and looking at him dubiously. 

Fred laughed. "Oh yes; I'm melted now! But let's have supper, else Ishall faint for hunger. Did I sleep many hours?"

"You slept only five minutes, " said West, in some surprise at thequestion. "You were only gone about ten minutes altogether. "

This was indeed the case. The intense desire for sleep which is producedin Arctic countries when the frost seizes hold of the frame soonconfuses the faculties of those who come under its influence. As long asFred had continued to walk and work he felt quite warm; but the instanthe sat down on the lump of ice to rest, the frost acted on him. Beingmuch exhausted, too, by labour and long fasting, he was more susceptiblethan he would otherwise have been to the influence of cold, so that itchilled him at once, and produced that deadly lethargy from which, butfor the timely aid of his companions, he would never have recovered. 

The arrangements for supping and spending the night made rapid progress, and, under the influence of fire and animal heat--for the dogs weretaken in beside them--the igloe became comfortably warm. Yet thesnow-walls did not melt, or become moist, the intense cold without beingsufficient to counteract and protect them from the heat within. The fairroof, however, soon became very dingy, and the odour of melted fatrather powerful. But Arctic travellers are proof against such trifles. 

The tarpaulin was spread over the floor, and a tin lamp, into whichseveral fat portions of the walrus were put, was suspended from a stickthrust into the wall. Bound this lamp the hunters circled, each seatedon his blanket-bag, and each attended to the duty which devolved uponhim. Meetuck held a tin kettle over the flame till the snow with whichit was filled melted and became cold water, and then gradually heateduntil it boiled; and all the while he employed himself in masticating alump of raw walrus-flesh, much to the amusement of Fred, and to thedisgust, real or pretended, of O'Riley. But the Irishman, and Fred too, and every man on board the _Dolphin_, came at last to _relish_ raw meat, and to long for it! The Esquimaux prefer it raw in these parts of theworld (although some travellers assert that in more southern latitudesthey prefer cooked meat); and with good reason, for it is much morenourishing than cooked flesh, and learned, scientific men who havewintered in the Arctic Regions have distinctly stated that in those coldcountries they found raw meat to be better for them than cooked meat, and they assure us that they at last came to _prefer_ it! We would nothave our readers to begin forthwith to dispense with the art of cookery, and cast Soyer to the dogs; but we would have them henceforth refuse toaccept that common opinion and vulgar error that Esquimaux eat theirfood raw _because they are savages_. They do it because nature teachesthem that, under the circumstances, it is best. 

The duty that devolved upon O'Riley was to roast small steaks of thewalrus, in which operation he was assisted by West; while Fred undertookto get out the biscuit-bag and pewter plates, and to infuse the coffeewhen the water should boil. It was a strange feast in a strange place, but it proved to be a delightful one, for hunger requires not to betempted, and is not fastidious. 

"Oh, but it's good, isn't it?" remarked O'Riley, smacking his lips, ashe swallowed a savoury morsel of the walrus and tossed the remnant, asinewy bit, to Dumps, who sat gazing sulkily at the flame of the lamp, having gorged himself long before the bipeds began supper. 

"Arrah! ye won't take it, won't ye?--Here, Poker!"

Poker sprang forward, wagging the stump of his tail, and turned hishead to one side, as if to say, "Well, what's up? Any fun going?"

"Here, take that, old boy; Dumps is sulky. "

Poker took it at once, and a single snap caused it to vanish. He, too, had finished supper, and evidently ate the morsel to please theIrishman. 

"Hand me the coffee, Meetuck, " said Fred. --"The biscuit lies beside you, West; don't give in so soon, man. "

"Thank you, sir; I have about done. "

"Meetuck, ye haythen, try a bit o' the roast; do now, av it was only toplaze me. "

Meetuck shook his head quietly, and, cutting a _fifteenth_ lump off themass of raw walrus that lay beside him, proceeded leisurely to devourit. 

"The dogs is nothin' to him, " muttered O'Riley. "Isn't it a curiousthing, now, to think that we're all _at sea_ a-eatin', and drinkin', andslaapin'--or goin' to slaap--jist as if we wor on the land, and thegreat ocean away down below us there, wid whales, and seals, andwalruses, and mermaids, for what I know, a-swimmin' about jist underwhare we sit, and maybe lookin' through the ice at us this very minute. Isn't it quare?"

"It is odd, " said Fred, laughing, "and not a very pleasant idea. However, as there is at least twelve feet of solid ice between us andthe company you mention, we don't need to care much. "

"Ov coorse not, " replied O'Riley, nodding his head approvingly as helighted his pipe; "that's my mind intirely--in all cases o' danger, whenye don't need to be afeard, you needn't much care. It's a good chart tosteer by, that same. "

This last remark seemed to afford so much food for thought to thecompany that nothing further was said by any one until Fred rose andproposed to turn in. West had already crawled into his blanket-bag, andwas stretched out like a mummy on the floor, and the sound of Meetuck'sjaws still continued as he winked sleepily over the walrus-meat, when ascraping was heard outside the hut. 

"Sure, it's the foxes; I'll go and look, " whispered O'Riley, laying downhis pipe and creeping to the mouth of the tunnel. 

He came back, however, faster than he went, with a look ofconsternation, for the first object that confronted him on looking outwas the enormous head of a Polar bear. To glance round for theirfire-arms was the first impulse, but these had unfortunately been lefton the sledge outside. What was to be done? They had nothing but theirclasp-knives in the igloe. In this extremity Meetuck cut a large hole inthe back of the hut, intending to creep out and procure one of themuskets; but the instant the opening was made the bear's head filled itup. With a savage yell O'Riley seized the lamp and dashed the flamingfat in the creature's face. It was a reckless deed, for it left them allin the dark; but the bear seemed to think himself insulted, for heinstantly retreated, and when Meetuck emerged and laid hold of a gun hehad disappeared. 

They found, on issuing into the open air, that a stiff breeze wasblowing, which, from the threatening appearance of the sky, promised tobecome a gale; but as there was no apprehension to be entertained inregard to the stability of the floe, they returned to the hut, takingcare to carry in their arms along with them. Having patched up the hole, closed the doors, rekindled the lamp, and crept into their respectivebags, they went to sleep; for, however much they might dread the returnof Bruin, sleep was a necessity of nature that would not be denied. 

Meanwhile the gale freshened into a hurricane, and was accompanied withheavy snow, and when they attempted to move next morning, they found itimpossible to face it for a single moment. There was no alternative, therefore, but to await the termination of the gale, which lasted twodays, and kept them close prisoners all the time. It was very wearisome, doubtless, but they had to submit, and sought to console themselves andpass the time as pleasantly as possible by sleeping, and eating, anddrinking coffee. 

CHAPTER XIII. 

_Journey resumed--The hunters meet with bears and have a great fight, inwhich the dogs are sufferers--A bear's dinner--Mode in which Arcticrocks travel--The ice-belt. _

On the abating of the great storm referred to in the last chapter, thehunters sought to free themselves from their snowy prison, and succeededin burrowing, so to speak, upwards after severe labour, for the hut wasburied in drift which the violence of the gale had rendered extremelycompact. 

O'Riley was the first to emerge into the upper world. Having dusted thesnow from his garments, and shaken himself like a Newfoundland dog, hemade sundry wry faces, and gazed round him with the look of a man thatdid not know very well what to do with himself. 

"It's a quare place, it is, intirely, " he remarked, with a shake of thehead that betokened intense sagacity, while he seated himself on a moundof snow and watched his comrades as they busied themselves in draggingtheir sleeping-bags and cooking utensils from the cavern they had justquitted. O'Riley seemed to be in a contemplative mood, for he did notventure any further remark, although he looked unutterable things as heproceeded quietly to fill his little black pipe. 

"Ho! O'Riley, lend a hand, you lazy fellow, " cried Fred; "work first andplay afterwards, you skulker. "

"Sure that same is what I'm doin', " replied O'Riley with a bland smile, which he eclipsed in a cloud of smoke. "Haven't I bin workin' like anaagur for two hours to git out of that hole, and ain't I playin' a tuneon me pipe now? But I won't be cross-grained. I'll lind ye a hand av yebehave yerself. It's a bad thing to be cross-grained, " he continued, pocketing his pipe and assisting to arrange the sledge; "me owldgrandmother always towld me that, and she wos wise, she wos, beyandordn'r. More like Salomon nor anything else. "

"She must have directed that remark specially to you, I think, " saidFred--"(Let Dumps lead, West, he's tougher than the others)--did shenot, O'Riley?"

"Be no manes. It wos to the pig she said it. Most of her conversation(and she had a power of it) wos wid the pig; and many's the word o' goodadvice she gave it, as it sat in its usual place beside the firefore-nint her. But it wos all thrown away, it wos, for there wosn'tanother pig in all the length o' Ireland as had sich a will o' its own;and it had a screech, too, when it wosn't plaazed, as bate all the steamwhistles in the world, it did. I've often moralated on that same, andI've noticed that, as it is wid pigs, so it is wid men and women--someof them at laste--the more advice ye give them, the less they take. "

"Down, Poker! quiet, good dog!" said West, as he endeavoured torestrain the ardour of the team, which, being fresh and full fed, couldscarcely be held in by the united efforts of himself and Meetuck, whiletheir companions lashed their provisions, etc. , on the sledge. 

"Hold on, lads!" cried Fred, as he fastened the last lashing. "We'll beready in a second. Now, then, jump on, two of you! Catch hold of thetail-line, Meetuck! All right!"

"Hall right!" yelled the Esquimau, as he let go the dogs and sprang uponthe sledge. 

The team struggled and strained violently for a few seconds in theirefforts to overcome the _vis inertiæ_ of the sledge, and it seemed asif the traces would part; but they were made of tough walrus-hide, andheld on bravely, while the heavy vehicle gradually fetched way, and atlength flew over the floes at the rate of seven or eight miles an hour. Travelling, however, was not now quite so agreeable as it had been whenthey set out from the ship; for the floes were swept bare in some placesby the gale, while in other places large drifts had collected, so thatthe sledge was either swaying to and fro on the smooth ice, and swingingthe dogs almost off their feet, or it was plunging heavily through banksof soft snow. 

As the wind was still blowing fresh, and would have been dead againstthem had they attempted to return by a direct route to the ship, theymade for the shore, intending to avail themselves of the shelterafforded by the ice-belt. Meanwhile the carcass of the walrus--at leastas much of it as could not be packed on the sledge--was buried in thehut, and a spear planted above it to mark the spot. 

"Ha! an' it's cowld, " said O'Riley, wrapping himself more closely in hisfur jumper as they sped along. "I wish we wos out o' the wind, I do. "

"You'll have your wish soon, then, " answered West, "for that row oficebergs we're coming to will shelter us nearly all the way to theland. "

"Surely you are taking us too much off to the right, Meetuck, " saidFred; "we are getting farther away from the ship. "

"No fee. De win' too 'trong. We turn hup 'long shore very quick, soon--ha!"

Meetuck accompanied each word with a violent nod of his head, at thesame time opening and shutting his mouth and winking with both eyes, being apparently impressed with the conviction that such contortions ofvisage rendered his meaning more apparent. 

"Look! look! ho! Nannook, nannook!" (a bear, a bear!) whispered theEsquimau with sudden animation, just as they gained the lee of the firsticeberg. 

The words were unnecessary, however, for the whole party were lookingahead with the most intense eagerness at a bear which their suddenadvent had aroused from a nap in the crevice of the iceberg. A littlecub was discerned a moment after standing by her side, and gazing at theintruders with infantine astonishment. While the muskets were beingloosened and drawn out, Meetuck let slip all the dogs, and in a fewseconds they were engaged in active warfare with the enemy. 

"Oh! musha! Dumps is gone intirely!" The quadruped referred to wastossed to a height of about thirty feet, and alighted senseless upon theice. The bear seized him with her teeth and tossed him with anincredibly slight effort. The other dogs, nothing daunted by the fate oftheir comrade, attacked the couple in the rear, biting their heels, andso distracting their attention that they could not make an energeticattack in any direction. Another of the dogs, however, a young one, waxing reckless, ventured too near the old bear, and was seized by theback, and hurled high into the air, through which it wriggled violently, and descended with a sounding whack upon the ice. At the same moment avolley from the hunters sent several balls into the carcass of bothmother and cub; but, although badly wounded, neither of them evinced anysign of pain or exhaustion as they continued to battle with theremaining dogs. 

The dogs that had already fallen in the fray had not been used tobear-hunting; hence their signal defeat. But this was not the case withthe others, all of which were old campaigners; and Poker especially, although not old in years, was a practical fighter, having been trainednot to attack but to harass. The systematic and steady way in which theyadvanced before the bear, and retired, right and left, leading her intoa profitless pursuit, was very interesting to witness. Another volleyfrom the hunters caused them to make off more rapidly, and wounded thecub severely, so much so that in a few minutes it began to flag. Seeingthis, the mother placed it in front of her, and urged it forward withher snout so quickly that it was with the utmost difficulty the mencould keep up with them. A well-directed shot, however, from Fred Ellicebrought the old bear to the ground; but she rose instantly, and againadvanced, pushing her cub before her, while the dogs continued toembarrass her. They now began to fear that, in spite of dogs and men, the wounded bears would escape, when an opportune crack in the icepresented itself, into which they both tumbled, followed by the yelping, and we may add limping, dogs. Before they could scramble up on the otherside, Meetuck and Fred, being light of foot, gained upon themsufficiently to make sure shots. 

"There they go, " cried Fred, as the she-bear bounced out of the crackwith Poker hanging to her heels. Poker's audacity had at lastoutstripped his sagacity, and the next moment he was performing atremendous somersault. Before he reached the ice, Meetuck and Fred firedsimultaneously, and when the smoke cleared away the old bear wasstretched out in death. Hitherto the cub had acted exclusively on thedefensive, and intrusted itself entirely to the protection of its dam;but now it seemed to change its character entirely. It sprang upon itsmother's body, and, assuming an attitude of extreme ferocity, kept thedogs at bay, snapping and snarling right and left until the hunters cameup. 

For the first time since the chase began a feeling, of intense pitytouched Fred's heart, and he would have rejoiced at that moment had themother risen up and made her escape with her cub. He steeled his heart, however, by reflecting that fresh provisions were much wanted on boardthe _Dolphin_; still, neither he nor his shipmates could bringthemselves to shoot the gallant little animal, and it is possible thatthey might have made up their minds to allow it to escape after all, hadnot Meetuck quietly ended their difficulty by putting a ball through itsheart. 

"Ah! then, Meetuck, " said O'Riley, shaking his head as they examinedtheir prize, "ye're a hardhearted spalpeen, ye are, to kill a poorlittle baby like that in cowld blood. Well, well, it's yer natur', an'yer trade, so I s'pose it's all right. "

The weight of this bear, which was not of the largest size, wasafterwards found to be above five hundred pounds, and her length waseight feet nine inches. The cub weighed upwards of a hundred pounds, andwas larger than a Newfoundland dog. 

The operation of cutting out the entrails, preparatory to packing on thesledge, was now commenced by Meetuck, whose practised hand applied theknife with the skill, though not with the delicacy, of a surgeon. 

"She has been a hungry bear, it seems, " remarked Fred, as he watched theprogress of the work, "if we may judge from the emptiness of herstomach. "

"Och! but she's had a choice morsel, if it was a small wan, " exclaimedO'Riley in surprise, as he picked up a plug of tobacco. On furtherexamination being made, it was found that this bear had dined onraisins, tobacco, pork, and adhesive plaster! Such an extraordinarymixture of articles, of course, led the party to conclude that eithershe had helped herself to the stores of the _Dolphin_ placed on StoreIsland, or that she had fallen in with those of some other vessel. Thissubject afforded food for thought and conversation during the next houror two, as they drove towards the ship along the ice-belt of the shore. 

The ice-belt referred to is a zone of ice which extends along the shorefrom the unknown regions of the North. To the south it breaks up insummer and disappears altogether, but in the latitude which ourtravellers had now reached, it was a permanent feature of the sceneryall the year round, following the curvatures and indentations of baysand rivers, and increasing in winter or diminishing in summer, but nevermelting entirely away. The surface of this ice-belt was covered withimmense masses of rock many tons in weight, which had fallen from thecliffs above. Pointing to one of these as they drove along, Westremarked to Fred, --

"There is a mystery explained, sir. I have often wondered how huge, solitary stones, that no machinery of man's making could lift, have cometo be placed on sandy shores where there were no other rocks of any kindwithin many miles of them. The ice must have done it, I see. "

"True, West. The ice, if it could speak, would explain many things thatnow seem to us mysterious; and yonder goes a big rock on a journey thatmay perhaps terminate at a thousand miles to the south of this. "

The rock referred to was a large mass that became detached from thecliffs and fell, as he spoke, with a tremendous crash upon the ice-belt, along which it rolled for fifty yards. There it would lie all winter, and in spring the mass of ice to which it was attached would probablybreak off and float away with it to the south, gradually melting untilit allowed the rock to sink to the bottom of the sea, or depositing it, perchance, on some distant shore, where such rocks are not wont tolie--there to remain an object of speculation and wonderment to theunlearned of all future ages. 

Some of the bergs close to which they passed on the journey were veryfantastically formed, and many of them were more than a mile long, withclear, blue, glassy surfaces, indicating that they had been but recentlythrown off from the great glacier of the North. Between two of thesethey drove for some time, before they found that they were going into asort of blind alley. 

"Sure the road's gittin' narrower, " observed O'Riley, as he glanced upat the blue walls, which rose perpendicularly to a height of sixty feeton either hand. "Have a care, Meetuck, or ye'll jam us up, ye will. "

"'Tis a pity we left the ice-belt, " remarked Fred, "for this rough workamong the bergs is bad for man and dog. How say you, Meetuck--shall wetake to it again when we get through this place?"

"Faix, then, we'll nive'r git through, " said O'Riley, pointing to theend of the chasm, where a third iceberg had entirely closed the opening. 

The Esquimau pulled up, and after advancing on foot a short way toexamine, returned with a rueful expression on his countenance. 

"Ha! no passage, I suppose?" said Fred. 

"Bad luck to ye!" cried O'Riley, "won't ye spaak?"

"No rod--muss go bock, " replied Meetuck, turning the dogs in thedirection whence they had come, and resuming his place on the sledge. 

The party had to retrace their steps half-a-mile in consequence of thisunfortunate interruption, and return to the level track of the ice-belt, which they had left for a time and taken to the sea-ice, in order toavoid the sinuosities of the land. To add to their misfortunes, the dogsbegan to flag, so that they were obliged to walk behind the sledge at aslow pace, and snow began to fall heavily. But they pressed forwardmanfully, and having regained the shore-ice, continued to make their waynorthward towards the ship, which was now spoken of by the endearingname of home. 

CHAPTER XIV. 

_Departure of the sun--Effects of darkness on dogs--Winter arrangementsin the interior of the "Dolphin. "_

It is sad to part with an old friend, especially if he be one of theoldest and best friends we ever had. When the day of departure arrives, it is of no avail that he tells us kindly he will come back again. Thatassurance is indeed a comfort after he is gone, and a sweet star of hopethat shines brighter and brighter each day until he comes back; but itis poor consolation to us at the time of parting, when we are squeezinghis hand for the last time, and trying to crush back the drops that_will_ overflow. 

The crew of the _Dolphin_ had, in the course of that winter, to partwith one of their best friends; one whom they regarded with the mostdevoted attachment; one who was not expected to return again till thefollowing spring, and one, therefore, whom some of them might, perhaps, never see again. 

Mivins became quite low-spirited about it, and said "as 'ow 'e'd 'ave a'eavy 'eart for _h_ever and _h_ever, _h_amen, " after he was gone. O'Riley remarked, in reference to his departure, that every man in theship was about to lose a _son_! Yes, indeed he did; he perpetrated thatatrocious pun, and wasn't a bit ashamed of it. O'Riley had perpetratedmany a worse pun than that before; it's to be hoped for the credit ofhis country he has perpetrated a few better ones since!

Yes, the period at length arrived when the great source of light andheat was about to withdraw his face from these Arctic navigators for along, long time, and leave them in unvarying night. It was a good while, however, before he went away altogether, and for many weeks after winterset in in all its intensity, he paid them a daily visit which grewgradually shorter and shorter, until that sad evening in which hefinally bade them farewell. 

About the middle of October the dark months overspread the Bay of Mercy, and the reign of perpetual night began. There was something terriblydepressing at first in this uninterrupted gloom, and for some time afterthe sun ceased to show his disk above the horizon the men of the_Dolphin_ used to come on deck at noon, and look out for the faintstreak of light that indicated the presence of the life-giving luminarywith all the earnestness and longing of Eastern fire-worshippers. 

The dogs, too, became sensibly affected by the continued absence oflight, and seemed to draw more sympathetically than ever to their humancompanions in banishment. A curious and touching instance of thisfeeling was exhibited when the pack were sent to sleep on Store Island. A warm kennel had been erected for them there, partly in order that theship might be kept more thoroughly clean, and partly that the dogs mightact as a guard over the stores, in case bears or wolves should take afancy to examine them. But nothing would induce the poor animals to keepaway from the ship and remain beyond the sound of human voices. Theydeserted their comfortable abode with one consent the first time theywere sent to it, preferring to spend the night by the side of the shipupon the bare snow. Coaxing them was of no use. O'Riley tried it invain. 

"Ah! then, " said he to Dumps with a wheedling air and expression ofintense affection that would have taken by storm the heart of anycivilized dog, "_won't_ ye come now an' lay in yer own kennel? Sure it'sa beautiful wan, an' as warm as the heart of an iceberg. Doo come now, avic, an' I'll show ye the way. "

But Dumps's heart was marble; he wouldn't budge. By means of a piece ofwalrus, however, he was at length induced to go with the Irishman to thekennel, and was followed by the entire pack. Here O'Riley endeavoured tomake them comfortable, and prevailed on them to lie down and go tosleep; but whenever he attempted to leave them, they were up and at hisheels in a moment. 

"Och! but ye're too fond o' me intirely, Doo lie down agin, and I'llsing ye a ditty?"

True to his word, O'Riley sat down by the dog-kennel, and gave vent to ahowl which his "owld grandmother, " he said, "used to sing to the pig;"and whether it was the effects of this lullaby, or of the cold, it isimpossible to say, but O'Riley at length succeeded in slipping away andregaining the ship, unobserved by his canine friends. Half-an-hour laterhe went on deck to take a mouthful of fresh air before supper, and onlooking over the side he saw the whole pack of dogs lying in a circleclose to the ship, with Dumps comfortably asleep in the middle, andusing Poker's back for a pillow. 

"Faix, but ye must be fond of the cowld to lie there all night whenye've got a palace on Store Island. "

"Fond of society, rather, " observed Captain Guy, who came on deck at themoment; "the poor creatures cannot bear to be left alone. It is astrange quality in dogs which I have often observed before. "

"Have ye, capting? Sure I thought it was all owin' to the bad manners o'that baste Dumps, which is for iver leadin' the other dogs intomischief. "

"Supper's ready, sir, " said Mivins, coming up the hatchway, and touchinghis cap. 

"Look here, Mivins, " said O'Riley, as the captain went below, "can youpoint out the mornin' star to me, lad?"

"The morning star?" said Mivins slowly, as he thrust his hands into thebreast of his jumper, and gazed upwards into the dark sky, where thestarry host blazed in Arctic majesty. "No, _h_of course, I can't. Why, don't you know that there _h_ain't no _morning_ star when it's _night_all round?"

"Faix ye're right. I niver thought o' that. "

Mivins was evidently a little puffed up with a feeling of satisfactionat the clever way in which he had got out of the difficulty, withoutdisplaying his ignorance of astronomy, and was even venturing, in thepride of his heart, to make some speculative and startling assertions inregard to the "'eavenly bodies" generally, when Buzzby put his head upthe hatchway. 

"Hallo! messmates, wot's ado now? Here's the supper awaitin', and thetea bilin' like blazes!"

Mivins instantly dived down below, as the sailors express it; and we mayremark, in passing, that the expression, in this particular case, wasnot inappropriate, for Mivins, as we have elsewhere said, was remarkablyagile and supple, and gave beholders a sort of impression that he wenthead-foremost at everything. O'Riley followed at a more reasonable rate, and in a few minutes the crew of the _Dolphin_ were seated at supper inthe cabin, eating with as much zest, and laughing and chatting asblithely, as if they were floating calmly on their ocean home intemperate climes. Sailors are proverbially light-hearted, and in theirmoments of comfort and social enjoyment they easily forget theirtroubles. The depression of spirits that followed the firstdisappearance of the sun soon wore off, and they went about theirvarious avocations cheerfully by the light of the aurora borealis andthe stars. 

The cabin, in which they now all lived together, had undergoneconsiderable alterations. After the return of Fred Ellice and thehunting-party, whom we left on the ice-belt in the last chapter, thebulk-head, or partition, which separated the cabin from the hold hadbeen taken down, and the whole was thrown into one large apartment, inorder to secure a freer circulation of air and warmth. All round thewalls inside of this apartment moss was piled to the depth of twelveinches to exclude the cold, and this object was further gained by thespreading of a layer of moss on the deck above. The cabin hatchway wasclosed, and the only entrance was at the farther end, through the hold, by means of a small doorway in the bulk-head, to which was attached asort of porch, with a curtain of deer-skins hung in front of it. In thecentre of the floor stood an iron cooking-stove, which served at oncethe purpose of preparing food and warming the cabin, which was lightedby several small oil lamps. These were kept burning perpetually, forthere was no distinction between day and night in mid-winter, either inthe cabin or out of doors. 

In this snug-looking place the officers and men of the ship messed, anddwelt, and slept together; but, notwithstanding the _apparent_ snugness, it was with the greatest difficulty they could keep themselves in asufficient degree of warmth to maintain health and comfort. Whenever thefire was allowed to get low, the beams overhead became coated withhoar-frost; and even when the temperature was raised to the utmostpossible pitch, it was cold enough, at the extreme ends of theapartment, to freeze a jug of water solid. 

A large table occupied the upper end of the cabin between the stove andthe stern, and round this the officers and crew were seated when O'Rileyentered and took his place among them. Each individual had his appointedplace at the mess-table, and with unvarying regularity these places werefilled at the appointed hours. 

"The dogs seem to be disobedient, " remarked Amos Parr, as his comradesat down; "they'd be the better of a taste o' Meetuck's cat, I think. "

"It's truth ye're sayin', " replied O'Riley, commencing a violent assaulton a walrus-steak; "they don't obey orders at all, at all. An' Dumps, the blaggard, is as cross-grained as me grandmother's owld pig--"

A general laugh here interrupted the speaker, for O'Riley could seldominstitute a disparaging comparison without making emphatic allusion tothe pig that once shared with him the hospitalities of his grandmother'scabin. 

"Why, everything you speak of seems to be like that wonderful pig, messmate, " said Peter Grim. 

"Ye're wrong there intirely, " retorted O'Riley. "I niver seed nothinglike it in all me thravels except yerself, and that only in regard toits muzzle, which was black and all kivered over with bristles, it wos. I'll throuble you for another steak, messmate; that walrus is greatlivin'. --We owe ye thanks for killin' it, Mister Ellice. "

"You're fishing for compliments, but I'm afraid I have none to giveyou. Your first harpoon, you know, was a little wide of the mark, if Irecollect right, wasn't it?"

"Yis, it wos--about as wide as the first bullet. I mis-remember exactlywho fired it--wos it you, Meetuck?"

Meetuck, being deeply engaged with a junk of fat meat at that moment, expressed all he had to say in a convulsive gasp without interruptinghis supper. 

"Try a bit of the bear, " said Fred to Tom Singleton; "it's better thanthe walrus to my taste. "

"I'd rather not, " answered Tom, with a dubious shake of the head. 

"It's a most unconscionable thing to eat a beast o' that sort, " remarkedSaunders gravely. 

"Especially one who has been in the habit of living on raisins andsticking-plaster, " said Bolton with a grin. 

"I have been thinking about that, " said Captain Guy, who had been forsome time listening in silence to the conversation, "and I cannot helpthinking that Esquimaux must have found a wreck somewhere in thisneighbourhood and carried away her stores, which Bruin had managed tosteal from them. "

"May they not have got some of the stores of the brig we saw nipped somemonths ago?" suggested Singleton. 

"Possibly they may. "

"I dinna think that's likely, " said Saunders, shaking his head. "Yonbrig had been deserted long ago, and her stores must have been consumed, if they were taken out of her at all, before we thought o' comin' here. "

For some time the party in the cabin ate in silence. 

"We must wait patiently, " resumed the captain, as if he were tired offollowing up a fruitless train of thought. "What of your theatricals, Fred? we must get them set a-going as soon as possible. "

The captain spoke animatedly, for he felt that, with the prospect of along dark winter before them, it was of the greatest importance that thespirits of the men should be kept up. 

"I find it difficult to beat up recruits, " answered Fred, laughing;"Peter Grim has flatly refused to act, and O'Riley says he could no morelearn a part off by heart than--"

"His grandmother's pig could, " interrupted David Mizzle, who, havingconcluded supper, now felt himself free to indulge in conversation. 

"Och! ye spalpeen, " whispered the Irishman. 

"I have written out the half of a play which I hope to produce in a fewdays on the boards of our Arctic theatre with a talented company, but Imust have one or two more men--one to act the part of a lady. Will youtake that part, Buzzby?"

"Wot! _me_?" cried the individual referred to with a stare of amazement. 

"Oh yes! _do_, Buzzby, " cried several of the men with great delight. "You're just cut out for it. "

"Blue eyes, " said one. 

"Fair hair, " cried another. 

"And plump, " said a third. 

"Wid cheeks like the hide of a walrus, " cried O'Riley; "but, sure, itwon't show wid a veil on. "

"Come, now, you won't refuse. "

But Buzzby did refuse; not, however, so determinedly but that he wasinduced at last to allow his name to be entered in Fred's note-book as asupernumerary. 

"Hark!" cried the captain; "surely the dogs must have smelt a bear. "

There was instantly a dead silence in the cabin, and a long, loud wailfrom the dogs was heard outside. 

"It's not like their usual cry when game is near, " said the second mate. 

"Hand me my rifle, Mivins, " said the captain, springing up and pullingforward the hood of his jumper, as he hurried on deck followed by thecrew. 

It was a bright, still, frosty night, and the air felt intensely sharp, as if needles were pricking the skin, while the men's breath issued fromtheir lips in white clouds and settled in hoar-frost on the edges oftheir hoods. The dogs were seen galloping about the ice-hummocks as ifin agitation, darting off to a considerable distance at times, andreturning with low whines to the ship. 

"It is very strange, " remarked the captain. "Jump down on the ice, boys, and search for footprints. Extend as far as Store Island, and see thatall is right there. "

In a few seconds the men scattered themselves right and left, and werelost in the gloom, while the vessel was left in charge of Mivins andfour men. A strict search was made in all directions, but no traces ofanimals could be found; the stores on the island were found undisturbed;and gradually the dogs ceased their agitated gyrations, and seemedinclined to resume their slumbers on the ice. 

Seeing this, and supposing that they were merely restless, Captain Guyrecalled his men, and not long after every man in the cabin of the_Dolphin_ was buried in profound slumber. 

CHAPTER XV. 

_Strangers appear on the scene--The Esquimaux are hospitably entertainedby the sailors--A spirited, traffic--Thieving propensities and summaryjustice. _

Dumps sat on the top of a hummock, about quarter of a mile from theship, with an expression of subdued melancholy on his countenance, andthinking, evidently, about nothing at all. Poker sat in front of himgazing earnestly and solemnly right into his eyes with a look that said, as plain as if he had spoken, "What a tremendously stupid old fellow youare, to be sure!" Having sat thus for full five minutes, Dumps waggedhis tail. Poker, observing the action, returned the compliment with hisstump. Then Poker sprang up and barked savagely, as much as to say, "Play, won't you?" but Dumps wouldn't; so Poker endeavoured to relievehis mind by gambolling violently round him. 

We would not have drawn your attention, reader, to the antics of ourcanine friends, were it not for the fact that these antics attracted thenotice of a personage who merits particular description. This was noother than one of the Esquimau inhabitants of the land--a woman, and_such_ a woman! Most people would have pronounced her a man, for shewore precisely the same dress--fur jumper and long boots--that was wornby the men of the _Dolphin_. Her lips were thick and her nose was blunt;she wore her hair turned up, and twisted into a knot on the top of herhead; her hood was thrown back, and inside of this hood there was ababy--a small and a very fat baby! It was, so to speak, a conglomerateof dumplings. Its cheeks were two dumplings, and its arms were fourdumplings--one above each elbow and one below. Its hands, also, were twosmaller dumplings, with ten extremely little dumplings at the end ofthem. This baby had a nose, of course, but it was so small that it mightas well have had none; and it had a mouth, too, but that was socapacious that the half of it would have been more than enough for ababy double the size. As for its eyes they were large and black--blackas two coals--and devoid of all expression save that of astonishment. 

Such were the pair that stood on the edge of the ice-belt gazing downupon Dumps and Poker. And no sooner did Dumps and Poker catch sight ofthem than they sprang hastily towards them, wagging their tails--or, more correctly speaking, their tail and a quarter. But on a nearerapproach those sagacious animals discovered that the woman and her childwere strangers, whereupon they set up a dismal howl, and fled towardsthe ship as fast as they could run. 

Now, it so happened that, at this very time, the howl of the dogs fellupon the ears of two separate parties of travellers--the one was a bandof Esquimaux who were moving about in search of seals and walruses, towhich band this woman and her baby belonged; the other was a party ofmen under command of Buzzby, who were returning to the ship after anunsuccessful hunt. Neither party saw the other, for one approached fromthe east, the other from the west, and the ice-belt, on the point ofwhich the woman stood, rose up between them. 

"Hallo! what's yon?" exclaimed Peter Grim, who was first to observe thewoman. 

"Dun'no', " said Buzzby, halting; "it looks like a bear. "

"Faix an' it is, then, it's got a young wan on its back, " cried O'Riley. 

"We had better advance and find out, " remarked West, as he led the way, while several of the men threw up their arms in token of their friendlyintentions. O'Riley capered somewhat extravagantly as he drew near, partly with the intention of expressing his feelings of good-willtowards the unknown, and partly in order to relieve the excitementcaused by the unexpected apparition. 

These demonstrations, however, had the effect of terrifying the woman, who wheeled suddenly round and made off. 

"Och! it _is_ a man. Hooray, boys! give chase. "

"Men don't usually carry babies on their backs and tie their hair upinto top-knots, " remarked Grim, as he darted past in pursuit. 

A few seconds sufficed to enable Grim to overtake the woman, who fellon her knees the instant she felt the sailor's heavy hand on hershoulder. 

"Don't be afeard, we won't hurt ye, " said Buzzby in a soothing tone, patting the woman on the head and raising her up. 

"No, avic, we's yer frinds; we'll not harm a hair o' yer beautiful head, we won't. Ah! then, it's a swate child, it is, bless its fat face, " saidO'Riley, stroking the baby's head tenderly with his big hand. 

It was with difficulty that the poor creature's fears were calmed atfirst, but the genuine tenderness displayed by the men towards the baby, and the perfect complacency with which that conglomerate of dumplingsreceived their caresses, soon relieved her mind, and she began to regardher captors with much curiosity, while they endeavoured by signs andwords to converse with her. Unfortunately Meetuck was not with theparty, he having been left on board ship to assist in a general cleaningof the cabin that had been instituted that day. 

"Sure, now, ye don't know how to talk with a girl at all, ye don't; let_me_ try, " cried O'Riley, after several of the party had made numerousineffectual attempts to convey their meaning. "Listen to _me_, darlint, and don't mind them stupid grampuses. Where have ye comed from, now?tell me, dear, _doo_ now. "

O'Riley accompanied the question with a smile of ineffable sweetness anda great deal of energetic pantomime, which, doubtless, explained muchof his meaning to himself, but certainly to no one else. 

"Ah! then, ye don't understand me? Well, well, now, isn't that strange?Look you, avic, have ye seen a brig or a brig's crew anywhere betunethis and the north pole?--try, now, an' remimber. " He illustrated thisquestion by holding up both arms straight above his head to representthe masts of a brig, and sticking his right leg straight out in front ofhim, to represent the bowsprit; but the woman gazed at him with an airof obtuse gravity that might have damped the hopes even of an Irishman. O'Riley prided himself, however, on not being easily beat, and despitehis repeated failures, and the laughter of his messmates, was proceedingto make a third effort, when a loud shout from the cliffs caused thewhole party to start and turn their eyes in that direction. The cry hadbeen uttered by a figure whose costume bore so close a resemblance tothat which they themselves wore, that they thought for a moment it wasone of their own shipmates; but a second glance proved that they weremistaken, for the individual in question carried a spear, which hebrandished with exceedingly fierce and warlike intentions. 

"Faix it must be her husband, " said O'Riley. 

"Hallo! lads, there's more on 'em, " cried Grim, as ten or twelveEsquimaux emerged from the rents and caverns, of the ice-belt, andscrambling to the top of surrounding hummocks and eminences, gazedtowards the party of white men, while they threw about their arms andlegs, and accompanied their uncouth and violent gesticulations withloud, excited cries. "I've a notion, " he added, "that it was the scento' them chaps set the dogs off after yon strange fashion t'other night. "

It was evident that the Esquimaux were not only filled with unboundedastonishment at this Unexpected meeting With strangers, but were alsogreatly alarmed to see one of their own women in their power. 

"Let's send the woman over to them, " suggested one of the men. 

"No, no; keep her as a hostage, " said another. 

"Look out, lads, " cried Buzzby, hastily examining the priming of hismusket, as additional numbers of the wild inhabitants of the Northappeared on the scene, and crowned the ice-belt and the hummocks aroundthem. "Let's show a bold front. Draw up in single line and hold on tothe woman. West, put her in front. "

The men instantly drew up in battle array, and threw forward theirmuskets; but as there were only a dozen of them, they presented a veryinsignificant group compared with the crowds of Esquimaux who appearedon the ice in front of them. 

"Now, then, stand fast, men, and I'll show ye wot's the way to managethem chaps. Keep yer weather-eyes open, and don't let them git in rearof ye. "

So saying, Buzzby took the Woman by the arm and led her out a few yardsin front of his party, while the Esquimaux drew closer together, toprepare either to receive or make an attack, as the case might be. Hethen laid his musket down on the ice, and, still holding the woman bythe arm, advanced boldly towards the natives unarmed. On approaching towithin about twenty yards of them he halted, and raised both arms abovehis head as a sign of friendship. The signal was instantly understood, and one big fellow leaped boldly from his elevated position on a lump ofice, threw down his spear, and ran to meet the stranger. 

In a few minutes Buzzby and the Esquimau leader came to a mutualunderstanding as to the friendly disposition of their respectiveparties, and the woman was delivered up to this big fellow, who turnedout to be her husband after all, as O'Riley had correctly guessed. Theother Esquimaux, seeing the amicable terms on which the leaders met, crowded in and surrounded them. 

"Leave the half o' ye to guard the arms, and come on the rest of yewithout 'em, " shouted Buzzby. 

The men obeyed, and in a few minutes the two parties mingled togetherwith the utmost confidence. The sailors, however, deemed it prudent toget possession of their arms again as soon as possible; and afterexplaining as well as they could by signs that their home was only at ashort distance, the whole band started off for the ship. The nativeswere in a most uproarious state of hilarity, and danced and yelled asthey ambled along in their hairy dresses, evidently filled with delightat the prospect of forming a friendship with the white strangers, asthey afterwards termed the crew of the _Dolphin_, although some of thesaid crew were, from exposure, only a few shades lighter thanthemselves. 

Captain Guy was busily engaged with Fred Ellice and Tom Singleton inmeasuring and registering the state of the tide, when this riotous bandturned the point of the ice-belt to the northward, and came suddenlyinto view. 

"Jump down below, Fred, and fetch my rifle and sword; there are thenatives!" cried the captain, seizing his telescope. --"Call all hands, Mivins, and let them arm; look alive!"

"All 'ands, _ahoy_!" shouted the steward, looking down the hatchway;"tumble up there, tumble up, 'ere come the Heskimows. Bring your harmswith ye. Look alive!"

"Ay, ay!" shouted the men from below, and in a few minutes they crowdedup the hatchway, pulling up their hoods and hauling on their mittens, for it was intensely cold. 

"Why, captain, there are some of our men with them, " exclaimed TomSingleton, as he looked through his pocket-glass at them. 

"So there are, --I see Buzzby and Grim. Come, that's fortunate, for theymust have made friends with them, which it is not always easy to do. Hide your muskets, men, but keep on your cutlasses; it's as well to beprepared, though I don't expect to find those people troublesome. Is thesoup in the coppers, David Mizzle?"

"Yes, sir, it is. "

"Then put in an extra junk of pork, and fill it up to the brim. "

While the cook went below to obey this order, the captain and half ofthe crew descended to the ice, and advanced unarmed to meet the natives. The remainder of the men stayed behind to guard the ship, and be readyto afford succour if need be. But the precaution was unnecessary, forthe Esquimaux met the sailors in the most frank and confiding manner, and seemed quite to understand Captain Guy when he drew a line round theship, and stationed sentries along it to prevent them from crossing. Thenatives had their dogs and sledges with them, and the former theypicketed to the ice, while a few of their number, and the woman, whosename was Aninga, were taken on board and hospitably entertained. 

It was exceedingly interesting and amusing to observe the feelings ofamazement and delight expressed by those barbarous but good-humoured andintelligent people at everything they saw. While food was preparing forthem, they were taken round the ship, on deck and below, and the sailorsexplained, in pantomime, the uses of everything. They laughed, andexclaimed, and shouted, and even roared with delight, and touchedeverything with their fingers, just as monkeys are wont to do when letloose. Captain Guy took Aninga and her tall husband, Awatok, to thecabin, where, through the medium of Meetuck, he explained the object oftheir expedition, and questioned the chief as to his knowledge of thecountry. Unfortunately Awatok and his band had travelled from theinterior to the coast, and never having been more than twenty or thirtymiles to the north of the Bay of Mercy, could give no information eitherin regard to the formation of the coast or the possibility of Europeanshaving wintered there. In fact, neither he nor his countrymen had everseen Europeans before, and they were so much excited that it wasdifficult to obtain coherent answers to questions. The captain, therefore, postponed further inquiries until they had become somewhataccustomed to the novelty of their position. 

Meanwhile, David Mizzle furnished them with a large supply of pea-soup, which they seemed to relish amazingly. Not so, however, the salt porkwith which it had been made. They did, indeed, condescend to eat it, butthey infinitely preferred a portion of raw walrus-flesh, which had beenreserved as food for the dogs, and which they would speedily haveconsumed had it not been removed out of their reach. Having finishedthis, they were ordered to return to their camp on the ice beside theship, and a vigorous barter was speedily begun. 

First of all, however, a number of presents were made to them, and itwould really have done your heart good, reader, to have witnessed theextravagant joy displayed by them on receiving such trifles as bits ofhoop-iron, beads, knives, scissors, needles, etc. Iron is as preciousamong them as gold is among civilized people. The small quantities theypossessed of it had been obtained from the few portions of wrecks thathad drifted ashore in their ice-bound land. They used it for pointingtheir spear-heads and harpoons, which, in default of iron, wereingeniously made of ivory from the tusks of the walrus and the horn ofthe narwal. A bit of iron, therefore, was received with immense glee, and a penny looking-glass with shouts of delight. 

But the present which drew forth the most uproarious applause was aUnion Jack, which the captain gave to their chief, Awatok. He was in thecabin when it was presented to him. On seeing its gaudy coloursunrolled, and being told that it was a gift to himself and his wife, hecaught his breath, and stared, as if in doubt, alternately at the flagand the captain; then he gave vent to a tremendous shout, seized theflag, hugged it in his arms, and darted up on deck literally _roaring_with delight. The sympathetic hearts of the natives on the ice echoedthe cry before they knew the cause of it; but when they beheld theprize, they yelled, and screamed, and danced, and tossed their arms inthe air in the most violent manner. 

"They're all mad, ivery mother's son o' them, " exclaimed O'Riley, whofor some time had been endeavouring to barter an old rusty knife for apair of seal-skin boots. 

"They looks like it, " said Grim, who stood looking on with his legsapart and his arms crossed, and grinning from ear to ear. 

To add to the confusion, the dogs became affected with the spirit ofexcitement that filled their masters, and gave vent to their feelings inloud and continuous howling which nothing could check. The imitativepropensity of these singular people was brought rather oddly into playduring the progress of traffic. Buzzby had produced a large roll oftobacco--which they knew the use of, having been already shown how touse a pipe--and cut off portions of it, which he gave in exchange forfox-skins, and deer-skins, and seal-skin boots. Observing this, a verysly, old Esquimau began to slice up a deer-skin into little pieces, which he intended to offer for the small pieces of tobacco! He waschecked, however, before doing much harm to the skin, and the principlesof exchange were more perfectly explained to him. 

The skins and boots, besides walrus and seal flesh, which the crew wereenabled to barter at this time, were of the utmost importance, for theirfresh provisions had begun to get low, and their boots were almost wornout, so that the scene of barter was exceedingly animated. Davie Summersand his master, Mivins, shone conspicuous as bargain makers, and carriedto their respective bunks a large assortment of native articles. Fred, and Tom Singleton, too, were extremely successful, and in a few hours asufficient amount of skins were bartered to provide them with clothingfor the winter. The quantity of fresh meat obtained, however, was notenough to last them a week, for the Esquimaux lived from hand to mouth, and the crew felt that they must depend on their own exertions in thehunt for this indispensable article of food, without which they couldnot hope to escape the assaults of the sailors' dread enemy, scurvy. 

Meetuck's duties were not light upon this occasion, as you may suppose. 

"Arrah! then, _don't_ ye onderstand me?" cried O'Riley, in an excitedtone, to a particularly obtuse and remarkably fat Esquimau, who wasabout as sharp at a bargain as himself. --"Hallo! Meetuck, come here, do, and tell this pork-faced spalpeen what I'm sayin'. Sure I couldn't spakeplainer av I wos to try. "

"I'll never get this fellow to understand, " said Fred. --"Meetuck, myboy, come here and explain to him. "

"Ho! Meetuck, " shouted Peter Grim, "give this old blockhead a taste o'your lingo, I never met his match for stupidity. "

"I do believe that this rascal wants the 'ole of this ball o' twine forthe tusk of a sea-'oss. --Meetuck! w'ere's Meetuck? I say, give us a 'and'ere, like a good fellow, " cried Mivins; but Mivins cried in vain, forat that moment Saunders had violently collared the interpreter and draggedhim towards an old Esquimau woman, whose knowledge of Scotch had notproved sufficient to enable her to understand the energetically-expressedwords of the second mate. 

During all this time the stars had been twinkling brightly in the sky, and the aurora shed a clear light upon the scene, while the air wasstill calm and cold; but a cloud or two now began to darken the horizonto the north-east, and a puff of wind blew occasionally over the icyplain, and struck with such chilling influence on the frames of thetraffickers, that with one consent they closed their business for thatday, and the Esquimaux prepared to return to their snow village, whichwas about ten miles to the southward, and which village had been erectedby them only three days previous to their discovery of the ship. 

"I'm sorry to find, " remarked the captain to those who were standingnear him, "that these poor creatures have stolen a few trifling articlesfrom below. I don't like to break the harmonious feeling which nowexists between us for the sake of a few worthless things, but I knowthat it does more harm than good to pass over an offence with thenatives of these regions, for they attribute our forbearance to fear. "

"Perhaps you had better tax them with the theft, " suggested the surgeon;"they may confess it, if we don't look very angry. "

A few more remarks were made by several of those who stood on thequarter-deck, suggesting a treatment of the Esquimaux which was not ofthe gentlest nature, for they felt indignant that their hospitality hadbeen abused. 

"No, no, " replied the captain to such suggestions, "we must exerciseforbearance. These poor fellows do not regard theft in the same lightthat we do; besides, it would be foolish to risk losing theirfriendship. Go down, Meetuck, and invite Awatok and his wife, andhalf-a-dozen of the chief men, into the cabin. Say I wish to have a talkwith them. "

The interpreter obeyed, and in a few minutes the officers of the shipand the chiefs of the Esquimaux were assembled in solemn conclave roundthe cabin table. 

"Tell them, Meetuck, " said the captain, "that I know they have stolentwo pieces of hoop-iron and a tin kettle, and ask them why they were soungrateful as to do it. "

The Esquimaux, who were becoming rather alarmed at the stern looks ofthose around them, protested earnestly that they knew nothing about it, and that they had not taken the things referred to. 

"Say that I do not believe them, " answered the captain sternly. "It isan exceedingly wicked thing to steal and to tell lies. White men thinkthose who are guilty of such conduct to be very bad. "

"Ah, ye villain!" cried Saunders, seizing one of the Esquimaux namedOosuck by the shoulder, and drawing forth an iron spoon which heobserved projecting from the end of his boot. 

An exclamation of surprise and displeasure burst from the officers, butthe Esquimaux gave vent to a loud laugh. They evidently thought stealingto be no sin, and were not the least ashamed of being detected. Awatok, however, was an exception. He looked grave and annoyed, but whether thiswas at being found out, or at the ingratitude of his people, they couldnot decide. 

"Tell them, " said the captain, "that I am much displeased. If theypromise to return the stolen goods immediately, I will pass over theiroffence this time, and we will trade together, and live like brothers, and do each other good; but if not, and if any more articles are taken, I will punish them. "

Having had this translated to them, the chiefs were dismissed, but theexpression of indifference on some of their faces proved that noimpression had been made upon them. 

In a quarter of an hour the articles that had been mentioned as missingwere returned; and in order to restore harmony, several plugs of tobaccoand a few additional trinkets were returned by the messenger. Soonafter, the dogs were harnessed, the sledges packed, and, with manyprotestations of good-will on both sides, the parties separated. A fewcracks of their long whips, a few answering howls from the dogs, and theEsquimaux were off and out of sight, leaving the _Dolphin_ in her formersolitude under the shadow of the frowning cliffs. 

"Fetch me the telescope, Mivins, " said the captain, calling down thehatchway. 

"Ay, ay, sir, " answered the steward. 

"Where's my hatchet?" cried Peter Grim, striding about the deck andlooking into every corner in search of his missing implement. "It's mybest one, and I can't get on without it, nohow. "

The captain bit his lip, for he knew full well the cause of itsabsence. 

"Please, sir, " said the steward, coming on deck with a very perturbedexpression of countenance, "the--the--a--"

"Speak out, man! what's the matter with you?"

"The glass ain't nowhere to be seen, sir. "

"Turn up all hands!" shouted the captain, jumping down the hatchway. "Arm the men, Mr. Bolton, and order the largest sledge to be got readyinstantly. This will never do. Harness the whole team. "

Instantly the _Dolphin's_ deck was a scene of bustling activity. Musketswere loaded, jumpers and mittens put on, dogs caught and harnessed, andevery preparation made for a sudden chase. 

"There, that will do, " cried the Captain, hurrying on deck with a braceof pistols and a cutlass in his belt, "six men are enough; let twelve ofthe remainder follow on foot. Jump on the sledge, Grim and Buzzby;O'Riley, you go too. Have a Care, Fred; not too near the front. Now, Meetuck--"

One crack of the long whip terminated the sentence as if with a fullstop, and in another moment the sledge was bounding over the snow like afeather at the tails of twelve dogs. 

It was a long chase, for it was a "stern" one, but the Esquimaux neverdreamed of-pursuit, and as their dogs were not too well fed they hadprogressed rather slowly. In less than two hours they were distinguishedon the horizon far off to the southward, winding their way among thehummocks. 

"Now, Meetuck, " said the captain, "drive like the wind, and lay mealongside of Awatok's sledge;--and be ready, men, to act. "

"Ay, ay, sir, " Was the prompt reply, as the heavy whip fell on theflanks of the leaders. 

A few minutes brought them up with Awatok's sledge, and Captain Guy, leaping upon it with a clasp-knife in his hand, cut the traces in atwinkling, set the dogs free, and turning round, seized the Esquimau bythe collar. The big chief at first showed a disposition to resent thisunceremonious treatment, but before he could move Grim seized his elbowsin his iron grasp, and tied them adroitly together behind his back witha cord. At the same time poor Aninga and her baby were swiftlytransferred to the sailors' sledge. 

Seeing this, the whole band of natives turned back and rushed in a bodyto the rescue, flourishing their lances and yelling fiercely. 

"Form line!" shouted the captain, handing Awatok and Aninga over to thecare of O'Riley. "Three of you on the right fire over their heads, andlet the rest reserve their fire. I will kill one of their dogs, for itwon't do to let them fancy that nothing but noise comes out of ourmuskets. Ready--present!"

A rattling volley followed, and at the same moment one of the dogs fellwith a death-yell on the ice, and dyed it with its blood. 

"Forward!" shouted the captain. 

The men advanced in a body at a smart run; but the terrified Esquimaux, who had never heard the report of fire-arms before, did not wait forthem. They turned and fled precipitately, but not before Grim capturedOosuck, and dragged him forcibly to the rear, where he was pinioned andplaced on the sledge with the others. 

"Now, then, lads, that will do; get upon the sledge again. Away withyou, Meetuck. --Look after Awatok, Grim; O'Riley will see that Aningadoes not jump off. "

"That he will, darlint, " said the Irishman, patting the woman on theback. 

"And I shall look after the baby, " said Fred, chucking that series ofdumplings under the chin--an act of familiarity that seemed to afford itimmense satisfaction, for, notwithstanding the melancholy position ofits father and mother as prisoners, it smiled on Fred benignly. 

In five minutes the party were far on their way back to the ship, and inless than five hours after the Esquimaux had closed their barter andleft for their village, four of their number, including the baby, wereclose prisoners in the _Dolphin's_ hold. It was not Captain Guy'sintention, however, to use unnecessarily harsh means for the recovery ofthe missing articles. His object was to impress the Esquimaux with asalutary sense of the power, promptitude, and courage of Europeans, andto check at the outset their propensity for thieving. Having succeededin making two of their chief men prisoners, he felt assured that thelost telescope and hatchet would soon make their appearance; and in thishe was not mistaken. Going to the hold where the prisoners sat withdowncast looks, he addressed to them a lengthened speech as to the sinand meanness of stealing in general, and of stealing from those who hadbeen kind to them in particular. He explained to them the utterhopelessness of their attempting to deceive or impose upon the white menin any way whatever, and assured them that if they tried that sort ofthing again he would punish them severely; but that if they behavedwell, and brought plenty of walrus-flesh to the ship, he would give themhoop-iron, beads, looking-glasses, etc. These remarks seemed to make aconsiderable impression on his uncouth hearers. 

"And now, " said the captain in conclusion, "I shall keep Awatok and hiswife and child prisoners here, until my telescope and hatchet arereturned [Awatok's visage fell, and his wife looked stolid], and I shallsend Oosuck to his tribe [Oosuck's face lit up amazingly] to tell themwhat I have said. "

In accordance with this resolve Oosuck was set free, and, making use ofhis opportunity, with prompt alacrity he sped away on foot over the iceto the southward, and was quickly lost to view. 

CHAPTER XVI. 

_The Arctic Theatre enlarged upon--Great success of the first play--TheEsquimaux submit, and become fast friends. _

The 1st of December was a great day on board the _Dolphin_, for on thatday it was announced to the crew that "The Arctic Theatre" would beopened, under the able management of Mr. F. Ellice, with the play of"Blunderbore; or, the Arctic Giant. " The bill, of which two copies wereissued gratis to the crew, announced that the celebrated Peter Grim, Esq. , who had so long trodden the boards of the _Dolphin, _ withunparalleled success, had kindly consented to appear in the character of_Blunderbore_ for one winter only. The other parts were asfollows:--_Whackinta, _ a beautiful Esquimau widow, who had been capturedby two Polar bears, both of which were deeply in love with her, byFrederick Ellice, Esq. _First Bear, _ a big one, by Terrence O'Riley, Esq. _Second Bear_, a little one, by David Summers, Esq. _Ben Bolt_, abrave British seaman, who had been wrecked in Blunderbore's desolatedominions, all the crew having perished except himself, by John Buzzby, Esq. These constituted the various characters of the piece, the name ofwhich had been kept a profound secret from the crew until the morningof the day on which it was acted. 

Fred's duties, as manager and author, upon this occasion were by nomeans light, for his troop, being unaccustomed to study, found theutmost difficulty in committing the simplest sentences to memory. O'Riley turned out to be the sharpest among them, but having agreed toimpersonate the First Bear, and having to act his part in dumbshow--bears not being supposed capable of speech--his powers of memoryhad not to be exerted. Grim was also pretty good; but Davie Summerscould not be got to remember even the general arrangements of the piece;and as for Buzzby, he no sooner mastered a line than he forgot the onebefore it, and almost gave it up in despair. But by dint of much studyand many rehearsals in secret, under the superintendence of Fred, andTom Singleton, who undertook to assist, they succeeded at last in goingthrough it with only a few mistakes. 

On the morning of the 1st December, while the most of the crew were awayat Red-Snow Valley cutting moss, Fred collected his _corps dramatique_for a last rehearsal in the forecastle, where they were secure frominterruption, the place being so cold that no one would willingly gointo it except under the force of necessity. A dim lantern lit up theapartment faintly. 

"We must do it without a mistake this time, " said Fred Ellice, openinghis book, and calling upon Grim to begin. 

"'Tis cold, " began Grim. 

"Stop, you're wrong. "

"Oh! so I am, " cried Grim, slapping his thigh, "I'll begin again. "

It may be remarked here, that although Blunderbore was supposed to be anEsquimau monarch, he was compelled to speak English, being unfortunatelyignorant--if we may so speak--of his native tongue!

"Oh! 'tis a dismal thing, " began Grim again, "to dwell in solitude andcold! 'Tis very cold [Grim shuddered here tremendously], and--and--(what's next?)"

"Hunger, " said Fred. 

"Hunger gnaws my vitals. My name is Blunderbore. 'Twere better had Ibeen born a Blunder_buss_, 'cause then I'd have _gone off_ and dwelt inclimes more shootable to my tender constitoosion. Ha! is that a bear Isees before me?"

"It's not _sees_, " interrupted Fred. 

At this moment a tremendous roar was heard, and O'Riley bounded frombehind a top-sail, which represented an iceberg, dressed from head tofoot in the skin of a white bear which had been killed a few daysbefore. 

"Stop, O'Riley, " cried Fred; "you're too soon, man. _I_ have to come onfirst as an Esquimau woman, and when Grim says to the woman he wishes hecould see a bear, _then_ you are to come. "

"Och! whirra, but me brains is confuged intirely wid it all, " saidO'Riley, rising on his hind legs, and walking off with his tail, literally as well as figuratively, between his legs. 

"Now, Buzzby, now; it's _your_ time. When you hear the word 'misery, 'come on and fight like a Trojan with the bears. The doctor will remindyou. "

Fred was remarkably patient and painstaking, and his pupils, though notapt scholars, were willing, so that the morning rehearsal was gonethrough with fewer mistakes than might have been expected; and when thecrew came back to dinner about mid-day, which, however, was as dark asmidnight, their parts were sufficiently well got up, and nothingremained to be done but to arrange the stage and scenery for theevening's entertainment--it having been resolved that the performanceshould commence after supper. The stage was at the after part of thecabin, and raised about a foot above the deck; and its management hadbeen intrusted to the doctor, who, assisted by Peter Grim, transformedthat portion of the ship into a scene so romantically beautiful that thefirst sight of it petrified the crew with surprise. But until thecurtain should rise all arrangements were carefully concealed from everyone except the _dramatis personæ_. Even the captain and officers wereforbidden to peep behind the sail that formed a curtain to the stage;and this secrecy, besides being necessary, was extremely useful, inasmuch as it excited the curiosity of the men, and afforded them foodfor converse and speculation for a week before the great day arrived. 

The longed-for hour came at last. The cabin tables having been removed, and rows of seats placed in front of the stage, the men were admittedfrom the deck, to which they had been expelled an hour previous in ordernot to impede preliminary arrangements. There was great joking, ofcourse, as they took their seats and criticised the fittings up. DavidMizzle was of opinion that the foot-lights "wos oncommon grand, " whichwas an unquestionable fact, for they consisted of six tin lamps filledwith seal-oil, from the wicks of which rose a compound of yellow flameand smoke that had a singularly luminous effect. Amos Parr guessed thatthe curtain would be certain sure to get jammed at the first haul, andseveral of the others were convinced that O'Riley would stick his partin one way or another. However, an end was put to all remarks andexpectation raised on tip-toe by the ringing of a small hand-bell, andimmediately thereafter a violent pulling at the curtain which concealedthe stage. But the curtain remained immovable (they always do on suchoccasions), and a loud whispering was heard behind the scenes. 

"Clap on extra tackle and call all hands to hoist away, " suggested oneof the audience. 

The laugh with which this advice was received was checked in the bud bythe sudden rising of the curtain with such violence that the wholeframework of the theatre shook again. 

For a few seconds a dead silence reigned, for the men were stricken dumbwith genuine amazement at the scene before them. The stage was coveredwith white sheets arranged in such a manner as to represent snow, andthe more effectually to carry out the idea several huge blocks of realice and a few patches of snow were introduced here and there, the coldin the after part of the cabin being too great to permit of theirmelting. A top-gallant-sail, on which were painted several blue cracks, and some strong white lights did duty for an iceberg, and filled up thewhole back of the scene. In front of this, in the centre of the stage, on an extemporized hummock, sat Peter Grim, as the Giant Blunderbore. His colossal proportions were enhanced by the addition of an entirewhite bear-skin to his ordinary hairy dress, and which was thrown roundhis broad shoulders in the form of a tippet. A broad scarlet sash wastied round his waist, and a crown of brown paper painted in alternatediamonds of blue, red, and yellow sat upon his brow. Grim was in truth amagnificent-looking fellow, with his black beard and moustache; and themock-heroic frown with which he gazed up (as one of the audiencesuggested) at the aurora borealis, while he grasped an enormous club inhis right hand, became him well. 

The first few seconds of dead silence with which this was received weresucceeded by a long and loud burst of applause, the heartiness of whichplainly showed that the scene far exceeded the expectations of the men. 

"Bravo!" cried the captain, "excellent! nothing could be better. "

"It beats natur', quite, " said one. 

"All to sticks, " cried another. 

"And wot a _tree_-mendous giant he makes. Three cheers for Peter Grim, lads!"

Three cheers were promptly given with right goodwill, but the giant didnot move a muscle. He was far too deeply impressed with the importanceof playing his part well to acknowledge the compliment. Having gazedlong enough to enable the men to get rid of their first flow ofenthusiasm, Blunderbore rose majestically, and coming forward to thefoot-lights, looked straight over the heads of the men, and addressedhimself to the opposite bulk-head. 

"Oh! 'tis a dismal thing, " he began, and continued to spout his partwith flashing eyes and considerable energy, until he came to the wordBlunderbuss, when, either from a mistaken notion as to when it was histime to go on, or nervous forgetfulness of the plan of the piece, theLittle Bear sprang over the edge of the iceberg and alighted on themiddle of the stage. 

"Oh! bad luck to yees intirely, " said the Big Bear from behind thescenes in an angry whisper, which was distinctly heard by the audience, "ye've gone and spoiled it all, ye have. Come off, will ye, and take yerturn at the right time, won't ye?"

In the midst of the shout of delight caused by this mistake, O'Riley, forgetting that he was a bear, rushed on the stage on his hind legs, seized the Little Bear by the fore leg, and dragged him off at the otherside amid loud applause. Blunderbore, with admirable self-possession, resumed his part the instant there was a calm, and carried itsuccessfully to a close. 

Just as he ended, Fred waddled on, in the guise of an Esquimau woman;and so well was he got up that the crew looked round to see if Aninga(who, with her husband, had been allowed to witness the play) was in herplace. Fred had intentionally taken Aninga as his model, and had beenvery successful in imitating the top-knot of hair. The baby, too, washit off to perfection, having been made by Mivins, who proved himself agenius in such matters. Its head was a ball of rags covered with brownleather, and two white bone buttons with black spots in the centre didduty for its eyes. 

The first thing Whackinta did on coming forward was to deposit the babyon the snow with its head downwards by mistake, whereat it began toscream vociferously. This scream was accomplished by Davie Summerscreeping below the stage and putting his mouth to a hole in the flooringclose to which the baby's head lay. Davie's falsetto was uncommonly liketo a child's voice, and the effect was quite startling. Of courseWhackinta tried to soothe it, and failing in this she whipped it, whichcaused it to yell with tenfold violence. Thereafter losing all patience, she covered its face and stuffed its mouth with a quantity of snow, andlaying it down on its back, placed a large block of ice on its head. This, as might be expected, had the desired effect, and the baby wassilenced--not, however, until Whackinta had twice called down the holein a hoarse whisper, "That'll do, Davie; stop, man, stop!" Then, sittingdown on the hummock which Blunderbore had just left--and from behindwhich he was now eagerly watching her--she began to weep. 

Having given full vent to her feelings in a series of convulsive sobs, Whackinta addressed a lengthened harangue, in a melancholy tone ofvoice, to the audience, the gist of which was that she was anunfortunate widow; that two bears had fallen in love with her, andstolen her away from her happy home in Nova Zembla; and, although theyallowed her to walk about as much as she chose, they watched her closelyand prevented her escaping to her own country. Worst of all, they hadtold her that she must agree to become the wife of one or other of them, and if she did not make up her mind and give them an answer that veryday, she was to be killed and eaten by both of them. In order the morestrongly to impress the audience with her forlorn condition, Whackintasang a tender and touching ditty, composed by herself expressly for theoccasion, and sang it so well that it was encored twice. 

To all this Blunderbore listened with apparent rapture, and at lengthventured to advance and discover himself; but the instant Whackinta sawhim she fell on her knees and trembled violently. 

"Spare me, good king, " she said; "do not slay me. I am a poor widow, andhave been brought here by two bears against my will. "

"Woman, " said the giant, "my name is Blunderbore. I am, as you perceiveby my crown, a king; and I am a lonely man. If I kill the two bears youspeak of, will you marry me?"

"Oh, do not ask me, good Blunderbore! I cannot; it is impossible. Icannot love you--you are--forgive me for saying it--too big, and fierce, and ugly to love. "

Blunderbore frowned angrily, and the audience applauded vociferously atthis. 

"You cannot love me! ha!" exclaimed the giant, glaring round withclenched teeth. 

At this moment the Big Bear uttered an awful roar, Whackinta gave apiercing scream and fled, and Blunderbore hid himself hastily behind thehummock. The next moment the two bears bounded on the stage and began togambol round it, tossing up their hind legs and roaring and leaping in amanner that drew forth repeated plaudits. At length the Little Beardiscovered the baby, and, uttering a frantic roar of delight, took it inits fore paws and held it up. The Big Bear roared also, of course, andrushing forward caught the baby by the leg, and endeavoured to tear itaway from the Little Bear, at which treatment the poor baby againcommenced to cry passionately. In the struggle the baby's head came off, upon which the Little Bear put the head into its mouth and swallowed it. The Big Bear immediately did the same with the body; but its mouth wastoo small, and the body stuck fast and could not be finally disposed ofuntil the Little Bear came to the rescue and pushed it forcibly downits throat. Having finished this delicate little morsel the two bearsrose on their hind legs and danced a hornpipe together--Tom Singletonplaying the tune for them on a flute behind the scenes. When this wasdone they danced off the stage, and immediately, as if in the distance, was heard the voice of a man singing. It came gradually nearer, and atlast Buzzby, in the character of Ben Bolt, swaggered up to thefoot-lights with his hands in his breeches pockets. 

 "I'm a jolly, jolly tar, Wot has comed from afar, An' it's all for to seek my fortin"--

sang Buzzby. "But I've not found it yit, " he continued, breaking intoprose, "and there don't seem much prospect o' findin' it here anyhow. Wot an 'orrible cold place it is, ugh!"

Buzzby was received with enthusiastic cheers, for he was dressed in theold familiar blue jacket, white ducks, pumps, and straw hat set jauntilyon one side of his head--a costume which had not been seen for so manymonths by the crew of the _Dolphin_, that their hearts warmed to it asif it were an old friend. 

Buzzby acted with great spirit, and was evidently a prime favourite. Hecould scarcely recollect a word of his part, but he remembered thegeneral drift of it, and had ready wit enough to extemporize. Havingexplained that he was the only survivor of a shipwrecked crew, heproceeded to tell some of his adventures in foreign lands, andafterwards described part of his experiences in a song, to which thedoctor played an accompaniment behind the scenes. The words werecomposed by himself, sung to the well-known Scotch air, "Corn Riggs, "and ran as follows:--

THE JOLLY TAR. 

 My comrades, you must know It was many years ago I left my daddy's cottage in the greenwood O! And I jined a man-o'-war An' became a jolly tar, An' fought for king and country on the high seas O! Pull, boys, cheerily, our home is on the sea Pull, boys, merrily and lightly O! Pull, boys, cheerily, the wind is passing free An' whirling up the foam an' water sky-high O!

 There's been many a noble fight, But Trafalgar was the sight That beat the Greeks and Romans in their glory O! For Britain's jolly sons Worked the thunder-blazing guns, And Nelson stood the bravest in the fore-front O! Pull, boys, etc. 

 A roaring cannon shot Came an' hit the very spot Where my leg goes click-an'-jumble in the socket O! And swept it overboard With the precious little hoard Of pipe an' tin an' baccy in the pocket O! Pull, boys, etc. 

 They took me down below, An' they laid me with a row Of killed and wounded messmates on a table O! Then up comes Dr. Keg, An' says, Here's a livin' leg I'll sew upon the stump if I am able O! Pull, boys, etc. 

 This good and sturdy limb Had belonged to fightin' Tim, An' scarcely had they sewed it on the socket O! When up the hatch I flew, An' dashed among the crew, An' sprang on board the Frenchman like a rocket O! Pull, boys, etc. 

 'Twas this that gained the day, For that leg it cleared the way-- And the battle raged like fury while it lasted O! Then ceased the shot and shell To fall upon the swell, And the Union Jack went bravely to the mast-head O!' Pull, boys, etc. 

We need scarcely say that this song was enthusiastically encored, andthat the chorus was done full justice to by the audience, who picked itup at once and sang it with lusty vehemence. At the last word Ben Boltnodded familiarly, thrust his hands into his pockets, and swaggered offwhistling "Yankee Doodle. " It was a matter of uncertainty where he hadswaggered off to, but it was conjectured that he had gone on his journeyto anywhere that might turn up. 

Meanwhile, Blunderbore had been bobbing his head up and down behind thehummock in amazement at what he heard and saw, and when Ben Bolt madehis exit he came forward. This was the signal for the two bears todiscover him and rush on with a terrific roar. Blunderbore instantlyfetched them each a sounding whack on their skulls, leaped over boththeir backs, and bounded up the side of the iceberg, where he tookrefuge, and turned at bay on a little ice pinnacle constructed expresslyfor that purpose. 

An awful fight now ensued between the giant and the two bears. Thepinnacle on which Blunderbore stood was so low that the Big Bear, bystanding up on its hind legs, could just scratch his toes, which causedthe giant to jump about continually; but the sides of the iceberg wereso smooth that the bears could not climb up it. This difficulty, indeed, constituted the great and amusing feature of the fight; for no soonerdid the Little Bear creep up to the edge of the pinnacle, than thegiant's tremendous club came violently down on its snout (which had beenmade of hard wood on purpose to resist the blows), and sent it sprawlingback on the stage, where the Big Bear invariably chanced to be in theway, and always fell over it. Then they both rose, and, roaringfearfully, renewed the attack, while Blunderbore laid about him with theclub ferociously. Fortune, however, did not on this occasion favour thebrave. The Big Bear at last caught the giant by the heel and pulled himto the ground; the Little Bear instantly seized him by the throat; and, notwithstanding his awful yells and struggles, it would have gone illwith Blunderbore had not Ben Bolt opportunely arrived at that identicalspot at that identical moment in the course of his travels. 

Oh! it was a glorious thing to see the fear-nothing, dare-anythingfashion in which, when he saw how matters stood, Ben Bolt threw down hisstick and bundle, drew his cutlass, and attacked the two bears at once, single-handed, crying, "Come on, " in a voice of thunder. And it was asatisfactory thing to behold the way in which he cut and slashed attheir heads (the heads having been previously prepared for suchtreatment), and the agility he displayed in leaping over their backs andunder their legs, and holding on by their tails, while they vainlyendeavoured to catch him. The applause was frequent and prolonged, andthe two Esquimau prisoners rolled about their burly figures and laughedtill the tears ran down their fat cheeks. But when Ben Bolt suddenlycaught the two bears by their tails, tied them together in a doubleknot, and fled behind a hummock, which the Big Bear passed on one sideand the Little Bear on the other, and so, as a matter of course, stuckhard and fast, the laughter was excessive; and when the gallant Britishseaman again rushed forward, massacred the Big Bear with two terrificcuts, slew the Little Bear with one tremendous back-hander, and thensank down on one knee and pressed his hand to his brow as if he wereexhausted, a cheer ran from stem to stern of the _Dolphin_, the like ofwhich had not filled the hull of that good ship since she was launchedupon her ocean home!

It was just at this moment that Whackinta chanced, curiously enough, toreturn to this spot in the course of _her_ wanderings. She screamed inhorror at the sight of the dead bears, which was quite proper andnatural, and then she started at the sight of the exhausted Bolt, andsmiled sweetly--which was also natural--as she hastened to assist andsympathize with him. Ben Bolt fell in love with her at once, and toldher so off-hand, to the unutterable rage of Blunderbore, who recoveredfrom his wounds at that moment, and seizing the sailor by the throat, vowed he would kill and quarter, and stew and boil, and roast and eathim in one minute if he didn't take care what he was about. 

The audience felt some fears for Ben Bolt at this point, but theirdelight knew no bounds when, shading the giant off and springingbackwards, he buttoned up his coat and roared, rather than said, thatthough he were all the Blunderbores and blunderbusses in the worldrolled together and changed into one immortal blunder-_cannon_, hedidn't care a pinch of bad snuff for him, and would knock all the teethin his head down his throat. This valorous threat he followed up byshaking his fist close under the giant's nose and crying out, "Come on'"

But the giant did not come on. He fortunately recollected that he owedhis life to the brave sailor; so he smiled, and saying he would be hisfriend through life, insisted on seizing him by the hand and shaking itviolently. Thereafter he took Ben Bolt and Whackinta by their righthands, and leading them forward to the foot-lights, made them a longspeech to the effect that he owed a debt of gratitude to the former forsaving his life which he could never repay, and that he loved the lattertoo sincerely to stand in the way of her happiness. Then he joined theirright hands, and they went down on one knee, and he placed his hands ontheir heads, and looked up at the audience with a benignant smile, andthe curtain fell amid rapturous cheers. 

In this play it seemed somewhat curious and unaccountable that Whackintaforgot to inquire for her demolished baby, and appeared to feel noanxiety whatever about it. It was also left a matter of uncertaintywhether Ben Bolt and his Esquimau bride returned to live happily duringthe remainder of their lives in England, or took up their permanentabode with Blunderbore. But it is not our province to criticise; wemerely chronicle events as they occurred. 

The entertainments were to conclude with a hornpipe from Mivins; butjust as that elastic individual had completed the first of a series ofcomplicated evolutions, and was about to commence the second, avociferous barking of the dogs was heard outside, accompanied by thesound of human voices. The benches were deserted in a moment, and themen rushed upon deck, catching up muskets and cutlasses, which alwaysstood in readiness, as they went. The sounds proceeded from a party ofabout twenty Esquimaux who had been sent from the camp with the stolenproperty, and with a humble request that the offence might be forgiven, and their chief and his wife returned to them. They were all unarmed;and the sincerity of their repentance was further attested by the factthat they brought back, not only the hatchet and telescope, but a largeassortment of minor articles that had not been missed. 

Of course the apology was accepted; and, after speeches were delivered, and protestations of undying friendship made on both sides, the partywere presented with a few trinkets and a plug of tobacco each, and sentback in a state of supreme happiness to their village, where for a weekAwatok kept the men of his tribe, and Aninga the women, in a state ofintense amazement by their minute descriptions of the remarkable doingsof the white strangers. 

The friendship thus begun between the Esquimaux and the _Dolphin's_ crewwas never once interrupted by any unpleasant collision during the monthsthat they afterwards travelled and hunted in company. Strength of muscleand promptitude in action are qualities which all nations in a savagestate understand and respect, and the sailors proved that they possessedthese qualities in a higher degree than themselves during the hardshipsand dangers incident to Arctic life, while at the same time theirseemingly endless resources and contrivances impressed the simplenatives with the belief that white men could accomplish anything theychose to attempt. 

CHAPTER XVII. 

_Expeditions on foot--Effects of darkness on dogs and men--The firstdeath--Caught in a trap--The Esquimau camp. _

"I don't know how it is, an' I can't tell wot it is, but so it is, "remarked Buzzby to Grim, a week after the first night of thetheatricals, "that that 'ere actin' has done us all a sight o' good. Here we are as merry as crickets every one, although we're short o'fresh meat, and symptoms o' scurvy are beginning to show on some of us. "

"It's the mind havin' occupation, an' bein' prewented from broodin' overits misfortins, " replied Grim, with the air of a philosopher. 

Grim did not put this remark in turned commas, although he ought to havedone so, seeing that it was quoted from a speech made by the captain toSingleton the day before. 

"You see, " continued Grim, "we've been actin' every night for a weekpast. Well, if we hadn't been actin', we should ha' been thinkin' an'sleepin'; too much of which, you see, ain't good for us, Buzzby, andwould never pay. "

Buzzby was not quite sure of this, but contented himself by saying, "Well, mayhap ye're right. I'm sorry it's to come to an end so soon; butthere is no doubt that fresh meat is ondispensable. An' that reminds me, messmate, that I've not cleaned my musket for two days, an' it wouldn'tdo to go on a hunt with a foul piece, nohow. We start at ten o'clock, A. M. , don't we?"

Grim admitted that they did--remarking that it might just as well be tenP. M. For all the difference the _sun_ would make in it--and went belowwith Buzzby. 

In the cabin active preparations were making for an extendedhunting-expedition, which the empty state of the larder renderedabsolutely necessary. For a week past the only fresh provisions they hadprocured were a white fox and a rabbit, notwithstanding the exertions ofMeetuck, Fred, and the doctor, who with three separate parties hadscoured the country for miles round the ship. Scurvy was now beginningto appear among them, and Captain Guy felt that although they had enoughof salt provisions to last them the greater part of the winter, if usedwith economy, they could not possibly subsist on these alone. Anextended expedition in search of seals and walruses was thereforeprojected. 

It was determined that this should consist of two parties, the one toproceed north, the other to travel south in the tracks of the Esquimaux, who had left their temporary village in search of walruses, they alsobeing reduced almost to a state of starvation. 

The plan of the expedition was as follows:--

One party, consisting of ten men, under Bolton, the first mate, was totake the largest sledge, and the whole team of dogs, on which, withtwelve days' provisions and their sleeping-bags, they were to proceednorthward along the coast as far as possible; and, in the event of beingunsuccessful, they were to turn homeward on the eighth day, and make thebest of their way back on short allowance. 

The other party, consisting of fifteen men, under Saunders, the secondmate, was to set off to the southward on foot, dragging a smaller sledgebehind them, and endeavour to find the Esquimaux, who, it was supposed, could not be far off, and would probably have fresh meat in their camp. 

It was a clear, cold, and beautiful star-light day when the two partiesstarted simultaneously on their separate journeys. The coruscations ofthe aurora were more than usually vivid, and the snow gave forth thatsharp, dry, _crunching_ sound, under the heels of the men as they movedabout, that denotes intense frost. 

"Mind that you hug the land, Mr. Bolton, " said the captain at parting;"don't get farther out on the floes than you can help. To meet with agale on the ice is no joke in these latitudes. "

The first mate promised obedience; and the second mate having been alsocautioned to hug the land, and not to use their small supply of spiritsfor any other purpose than that of lighting the lamp, except in cases ofthe most urgent need, they set off with three hearty cheers, which werereturned by Captain Guy and those who remained with him in the ship. All the able and effective men were sent on these expeditions; those whoremained behind were all more or less affected with scurvy, except thecaptain himself, whose energetic nature seemed invulnerable, and whoseflow of spirits never failed. Indeed, it is probable that to this heartyand vigorous temperament, under God, he owed his immunity from disease;for, since provisions began to fail, he along with all his officers hadfared precisely like the men--the few delicacies they possessed havingbeen reserved for the sick. 

Unfortunately, their stock of lime-juice was now getting low, and thecrew had to be put on short allowance. As this acid is an excellentanti-scorbutic, or preventive of scurvy, as well as a cure, its rapiddiminution was viewed with much concern by all on board. Thelong-continued absence of the sun, too, now began to tell more severelythan ever on men and dogs. On the very day the expeditions took theirdeparture one of the latter, which had been left behind on account ofillness, was attacked with a strange disease, of which several of theteam eventually died before the winter came to an end. It was seizedwith spasms, and, after a few wild paroxysms, lapsed into a lethargicstate. In this condition the animal functions went on apparently as wellas usual, the appetite continued not only good but voracious. Thedisease was clearly mental. It barked furiously at nothing, and walkedin straight or curved lines perseveringly; or, at other times, itremained for hours in moody silence, and then started off howling as ifpursued. In thirty-six hours after the first attack the poor animaldied, and was buried in the snow on Store Island. 

This was the first death that had occurred on board, and although it wasonly a dog, and not one of the favourites, its loss cast a gloom overthe crew for several days. It was the first blow of the fell destroyerin the midst of their little community, which could ill spare the lifeeven of one of the lower animals, and they felt as if the point of thewedge had now been entered, and might be driven farther home ere long. 

The expressive delight of the poor dogs on being admitted to the lightof the cabin showed how ardently they longed for the return of the sun. It was now the beginning of December, and the darkness was complete. Notthe faintest vestige of twilight appeared even at noon. Midnight andnoonday were alike. Except when the stars and aurora were bright, therewas not light enough to distinguish a man's form at ten paces distant, and a blacker mass than the surrounding darkness alone indicated wherethe high cliffs encompassed the Bay of Mercy. When therefore any onecame on deck, the first thing he felt on groping his way about was thecold noses of the dogs pushed against his hands, as they frisked andgambolled round him. They howled at the appearance of an accidentallight, as if they hoped the sun, or at least the moon, were going torise once more, and they rejoiced on being taken below, and leaped upin the men's faces for sympathy, and whined, and all but spoke withexcess of satisfaction. 

The effect of the monotony of long-continued darkness and the absence ofnovelty had much to do also with the indifferent health of many of themen. After the two expeditions were sent out, those who remained behindbecame much more low spirited, and the symptoms of scurvy increased. Inthese circumstances Captain Guy taxed his inventive genius to the utmostto keep up their spirits and engage their minds. He assumed an air ofbustling activity, and attached a degree of importance to the regularperformance of the light duties of the ship that they did not in realitypossess apart from their influence as discipline. The cabin was sweptand aired, the stove cleaned, the fittings dusted, the beds made, thetides, thermometers, and barometers registered; the logs posted up, clothes mended, food cooked, traps visited, etc. , with the regularity ofclockwork, and every possible plan adopted to occupy every waking hour, and to prevent the men from brooding over their position. When thelabours of the day were over, plans were proposed for getting up aconcert, or a new play, in order to surprise the absentees on theirreturn. Stories were told over and over again, and enjoyed if good, orvalued far beyond their worth if bad. When old stories failed, and oldbooks were read, new stories were invented; and here the genius of somewas drawn out, while the varied information of others became of greatimportance. Tom Singleton, in particular, entertained the men withsongs and lively tunes on the flute, and told stories, as one of themremarked, "like a book. " Joseph West, too, was an invaluable comrade inthis respect. He had been a studious boy at school, and a lover of booksof all kinds, especially books of travel and adventure. His memory wasgood, and his inventive powers excellent, so that he recalled wonderfuland endless anecdotes from the unfathomable stores of his memory, strungthem together into a sort of story, and told them in a soft, pleasantvoice that captivated the ears of his audience; but poor West was indelicate health, and could not speak so long as his messmates would havewished. The rough life they led, and the frequent exposure to intensecold, had considerably weakened a frame which had never been robust, andan occasional cough, when he told a long story, sometimes warned him todesist. Games, too, were got up. "Hide and seek" was revived with allthe enthusiasm of boyhood, and "fox-chase" was got up with tremendousenergy. In all this the captain was the most earnest and vigorous, andin doing good to others he unconsciously did the greatest possibleamount of good to himself; for his forgetfulness of self, and theactivity of his mind in catering for the wants and amusements of hismen, had the effect of imparting a cheerfulness to his manner, and ahealthy tone to his mind, that tended powerfully to sustain andinvigorate his body. But despite all this, the men grew worse, and a fewof them showed such alarming symptoms that the doctor began to fearthere would soon be a breach in their numbers. 

Meanwhile Saunders and his fifteen men trudged steadily to thesouthward, dragging their sledge behind them. The ice-floes, however, turned out to be very rugged and hummocky, and retarded them so muchthat they made but slow progress until they passed the Red-Snow Valley, and doubled the point beyond it. Here they left the floes, and took tothe natural highway afforded by the ice-belt, along which they sped morerapidly, and arrived at the Esquimau village in the course of about fivehours. 

Here all was deserted and silent. Bits of seal and walrus hide and bonesand tusks were scattered about in all directions, but no voices issuedfrom the dome-shaped huts of snow. 

"They're the likest things to bee-skeps I ever saw, " remarked Saunders, as he and his party stood contemplating the little group of huts. "Andthey don't seem to care much for big doors. "

Saunders referred here to the low tunnels, varying from three to twelvefeet, that formed the entrance to each hut. 

"Mayhap there's some o' them asleep inside, " suggested Tom Green, thecarpenter's mate; "suppose we go in and see. "

"I daresay ye're no far wrong, " replied the second mate, to whom theidea seemed to be a new one. "Go in, Davie Summers, ye're a wee chap, and can bend your back better than the most o' us. "

Davie laughed as he went down on his hands and knees, and creeping inat the mouth of one of the tunnels, which barely permitted him to enterin that position, disappeared. 

Several of the party at the same time paid similar visits to the otherhuts, but they all returned with the same remark--"empty. " The interiorswere begrimed with lamp-black and filth, and from their appearanceseemed to have been deserted only a short time before. 

Buzzby, who formed one of the party, rubbed his nose for some time ingreat perplexity, until he drew from Davie Summers the remark that hisproboscis was red enough by nature and didn't need rubbing. "It's odd, "he remarked; "they seems to ha' bin here for some time, and yit they'veniver looked near the ship but once. Wot's become on 'em _I_ don'tknow. "

"Don't you?" said Davie in a tone of surprise; "now that _is_ odd. Onewould have thought that a fellow who keeps his weather-eye so constantlyopen should know everything. "

"Don't chaff, boy, but lend a hand to undo the sled-lashings. I see thatMr. Saunders is agoin' to anchor here for the night. "

The second mate, who had been taking a hasty glance at the various hutsof the village, selected two of the largest as a lodging for his men, and having divided them into two gangs, ordered them to turn in andsleep as hard as possible. 

"S'pose we may sup first?" said Summers in a whining tone of mockhumility. 

"In coorse you may, " answered Tom Green, giving the lad a push thatupset him in the snow. 

"Come here, Buzzby, I want to speak to 'ee, " said Saunders, leading himaside. "It seems to me that the Esquimaux canna be very far off, and Iobserve their tracks are quite fresh in the snow leadin' to thesouthward, so I mean to have a night march after them; but as the menseem pretty weel tired I'll only take two o' the strongest. Who d'yethink might go?"

"I'll go myself, sir. "

"Very good; and who else, think 'ee? Amos Parr seems freshest. "

"I think Tom Green's the man wot can do it. I seed him capsize DavieSummers jist now in the snow; an' when a man can skylark, I always knowhe's got lots o' wind in 'im. "

"Very good. Then go, Buzzby, and order him to get ready, and look sharpabout it. "

"Ay, ay, sir, " cried Buzzby, as he turned to prepare Green for themarch. 

In pursuance of this plan, an hour afterwards Saunders and his twofollowers left the camp with their sleeping-bags and a day's provisionson their shoulders, having instructed the men to follow with the sledgeat the end of five hours, which period was deemed sufficient time forrest and refreshment. 

For two hours the trio plodded silently onward over the ice-belt by thelight of a clear, starry sky. At the end of that time clouds began togather to the westward, rendering the way less distinct, but stillleaving sufficient light to render travelling tolerably easy. Then theycame to a part of the coast where the ice-belt clung close to a line ofperpendicular cliffs of about three miles in extent. The ice-belt herewas about twenty feet broad. On the left the cliffs referred to rosesheer up several hundred feet; on the right the ice-belt descended onlyabout three feet to the floes. Here our three adventurous travellerswere unexpectedly caught in a trap. The tide rose so high that it raisedthe sea-ice to a level with the ice-belt, and, welling up between thetwo, completely overflowed the latter. 

The travellers pushed on as quickly as possible, for the precipices ontheir left forbade all hope of escape in that direction, while the gapbetween the ice-belt and the floes, which was filled with a gurglingmixture of ice and water, equally hemmed them in on the right. Worsethan all, the tide continued to rise, and when it reached half-way totheir knees, they found it dangerous to advance for fear of steppinginto rents and fissures which were no longer visible. 

"What's to be done noo?" inquired Saunders, coming to a full stop, andturning to Buzzby with a look of blank despair. 

"Dun'no', " replied Buzzby, with an equally blank look of despair; as hestood with his legs apart and his arms hanging down by his side--thevery personification of imbecility. "If I wos a fly I'd know wot to do. I'd walk up the side o' that cliff till I got to a dry bit, and then I'dstick on. But, not bein' a fly, in coorse I can't. "

Buzzby said this in a recklessly facetious tone, and Tom Green followedit up with a remark to the effect that "he'd be blowed if he ever wos insich a fix in his life;" intimating his belief, at the same time, thathis "toes wos freezin'. "

"No fear o' that, " said the second mate; "they'll no freeze as lang asthey're in the water. We'll just have to stand here till the tide goesdoon. "

Saunders said this in a dogged tone, and immediately put his plan inforce by crossing his arms and planting his feet firmly on the submergedice and wide apart. Buzzby and Green, however, adopted the wiser plan ofmoving constantly about within a small circle, and after Saunders hadargued for half-an-hour as to the advantages of his plan, he followedtheir example. The tide rose above their knees, but they had fortunatelyon boots made by the Esquimaux, which were perfectly waterproof; theirfeet, therefore, although very cold, were quite dry. In an hour andthree-quarters the ice-belt was again uncovered, and the half-frozentravellers resumed their march with the utmost energy. 

Two hours later and they came to a wide expanse of level ground at thefoot of the high cliffs, where a group of Esquimau huts, similar tothose they had left, was descried. 

"They're all deserted too, " remarked Buzzby. 

But Buzzby was wrong, for at that moment a very small and particularlyfat little boy in a fox-skin dress appeared at the mouth of one of thelow tunnels that formed the entrance to the nearest hut. This boy lookedexactly like a lady's muff with a hairy head above it and a pair of feetbelow. The instant he observed the strangers he threw up his arms, uttered a shrill cry of amazement, and disappeared in the tunnel. Nextinstant a legion of dogs rushed out of the huts barking furiously, andon their heels came the entire population, creeping on their hands andknees out of the tunnel mouths like dark hairy monsters issuing fromtheir holes. They had spears and knives of ivory with them; but a glanceshowed the two parties that they were friends, and in a few momentsAwatok and his comrades were chattering vociferously round the sailors, and endeavouring by word and sign to make themselves understood. 

The Esquimaux received the three visitors and the rest of the sledgeparty, who came up a few hours later, with the utmost hospitality. Butwe have not space to tell of how they dragged them into their smoky hutsof snow; and how they offered them raw seal-flesh to eat; and how, onthe sailors expressing disgust, they laughed, and added moss mixed withoil to their lamps to enable them to cook their food; and how theymanaged by signs and otherwise to understand that the strangers had comein search of food, at which they (the Esquimaux) were not surprised;and how they assured their visitors (also by means of signs) that theywould go a-hunting with them on the following day, whereat they (thesailors) were delighted, and shook hands all round. Neither have wespace to tell of how the visitors were obliged to conform to custom, andsleep in the same huts with men, women, children, and dogs, and how theyfelt thankful to be able to sleep anywhere and anyhow without beingfrozen. All this, and a great deal more, we are compelled to skip overhere, and leave it, unwillingly, to the vivid imagination of our reader. 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

_The hunting-party--Reckless driving--A desperate encounter with awalrus, etc. _

Late in the day, by the bright light of the stars, the sailors and theEsquimaux left the snow-huts of the village, and travelling out toseaward on the floes, with dogs and sledges, lances and spears, advancedto do battle with the walrus. 

The northern lights were more vivid than usual, making the sky quiteluminous; and there was a sharp freshness in the air, which, while itinduced the hunters to pull their hoods more tightly round their faces, also sent their blood careering more briskly through their veins, asthey drove swiftly over the ice in the Esquimau sledges. 

"Did ye ever see walruses afore, Davie?" inquired Buzzby, who sat besideSummers on the leading sledge. 

"None but what I've seed on this voyage. "

"They're _re_markable creeturs, " rejoined Buzzby, slapping his hand onhis thigh. "I've seed many a one in my time, an' I can tell ye, lad, they're ugly customers. They fight like good uns, and give theEsquimaux a deal o' trouble to kill them--they do. "

"Tell me a story about 'em, Buzzby--do, like a good chap, " said DavieSummers, burying his nose in the skirts of his hairy garment to keep itwarm. "You're a capital hand at a yarn; now, fire away. "

"A story, lad; I don't know as how I can exactly tell ye a story, butI'll give ye wot they calls a hanecdote. It wos about five years ago, more or less, I wos out in Baffin's Bay, becalmed off one o' theEsquimau settlements, when we wos lookin' over the side at the lumps ofice floatin' past, up got a walrus not very far off shore, and out wenthalf-a-dozen kayaks, as they call the Esquimau men's boats, and they allsot on the beast at once. Well, it wos one o' the brown walruses, whichis always the fiercest; and the moment he got the first harpoon he wentslap at the man that threw it. But the fellow backed out; and then a crywas raised to let it alone, as it wos a brown walrus. One youngEsquimau, howsiver, would have another slap at it, and went so closethat the brute charged, upset the kayak, and ripped the man up with histusks. Seein' this, the other Esquimaux made a dash at it, and woundedit badly; but the upshot wos that the walrus put them all to flight andmade off, clear away, with six harpoons fast in its hide. "

"Busby's tellin' ye gammon, " roared Tom Green, who rode on the secondsledge in rear of that on which Davie Summers sat. "What is't allabout?"

"About gammon, of coorse, " retorted Davie. "Keep yer mouth shut forfear your teeth freeze. "

"Can't ye lead us a better road?" shouted Saunders, who rode on thethird sledge; "my bones are rattlin' about inside o' me like a bag o'ninepins. "

"Give the dogs a cut, old fellow, " said Buzzby, with a chuckle and amotion of his arm to the Esquimau who drove his sledge. 

The Esquimau did not understand the words, but he quite understood thesly chuckle and the motion of the arm, so he sent the lash of the heavywhip with a loud crack over the backs of the team. 

"Hold on for life!" cried Davie, as the dogs sprang forward with abound. 

The part they were about to pass over was exceedingly rough and broken, and Buzzby resolved to give his shipmates a shake. The pace wastremendous. The powerful dogs drew their loads after them withsuccessive bounds, which caused a succession of crashes, as the sledgessprang from lump to lump of ice, and the men's teeth snapped in a trulysavage manner. 

"B-a-ck ye-r t-to-p-sails, will ye?" shouted Amos Parr. 

But the delighted Esquimau leader, who entered quite into the joke, hadno intention whatever of backing his top-sails; he administered anothercrack to the team, which yelled madly, and, bounding over a wide chasmin the ice, came down with a crash, which snapped the line of theleading dog and set it free. Here Buzzby caused the driver to pull up. 

"Stop, ye varmint. Come to an anchor, " said he. "Is that a way to drivethe poor dogs?"

"Ye might have stopped him sooner, I think, " cried the second mate inwrath. 

"Hai!" shouted the band of Esquimaux, pointing to a hummock of ice a fewhundred yards in advance of the spot on which they stood. 

Instantly all were silent, and gazing intently ahead at a dark objectthat burst upwards through the ice. 

"A walrus!" whispered Buzzby. 

"So it is, " answered Amos Parr. 

"I've my doobts on that point, " remarked Saunders. 

Before the doubts of the second mate could be resolved, the Esquimauxuttered another exclamation, and pointed to another dark object aquarter of a mile to the right. It was soon found that there wereseveral of these ocean elephants sporting about in the neighbourhood, and bursting up the young ice that had formed on several holes, by usingtheir huge heads as battering-rams. It was quickly arranged that theparty should divide into three, and while a few remained behind to watchand restrain the dogs, the remainder were to advance on foot to theattack. 

Saunders, Buzzby, Amos Parr, Davie Summers, and Awatok formed one party, and advanced with two muskets and several spears towards the walrus thathad been first seen, the sailors taking care to keep in rear of Awatokin order to follow his lead, for they were as yet ignorant of the propermode of attack. 

Awatok led the party stealthily towards a hummock, behind which hecaused them to crouch until the walrus should dive. This it did in a fewminutes, and then they all rushed from their place of concealmenttowards another hummock that lay about fifty yards from, the hole. Justas they reached it and crouched, the walrus rose, snorting the brinefrom its shaggy muzzle, and lashing the water into foam with itsflippers. 

"Losh, what a big un!" exclaimed Saunders in amazement; and well hemight, for this was an unusually large animal, more like an elephant insize than anything else. 

It had two enormous ivory tusks, with which it tore and pounded largefragments from the ice-tables, while it barked like a gigantic dog, androlled its heavy form about in sport. 

Awatok now whispered to his comrades, and attempted to get them tounderstand that they must follow him as fast as possible at the nextrun. Suddenly the walrus dived. Awatok rushed forward, and in anotherinstant stood at the edge of the hole with his spear in readiness in hisright hand and the coil of line in his left. The others joined himinstantly, and they had scarcely come up when the huge monster againrose to the surface. 

Saunders and Buzzby fired at his head the moment it appeared abovewater, and Awatok at the same time planted a spear in his breast, andran back with the coil. The others danced about in an excited state, throwing their spears and missing their mark, although it was a bigone, frequently. 

"Give him a lance-thrust, Amos, " cried Saunders, reloading his piece. 

But Amos could not manage it, for the creature lashed about so furiouslythat, although he made repeated attempts, he failed to do more thanprick its tough sides and render it still more savage. Buzzby, too, madeseveral daring efforts to lance it, but failed, and nearly slipped intothe hole in his recklessness. It was a wild scene of confusion--thespray was dashed over the ice round the hole, and the men, as they ranabout in extreme excitement, slipped and occasionally tumbled in theirhaste; while the maddened brute glared at them like a fiend, andbellowed in its anger and pain. 

Suddenly it dived, leaving the men staring at each other. The suddencessation of noise and turmoil had a very strange effect. 

"Is't away?" inquired Saunders, with a look of chagrin. 

He was answered almost instantly by the walrus reappearing, and makingfurious efforts by means of its flippers and tusks to draw itself outupon the ice, while it roared with redoubled energy. The shot that wasinstantly fired seemed to have no effect, and the well-directed harpoonof Awatok was utterly disregarded by it. Amos Parr, however, gave it alance-thrust that caused it to howl vehemently, and dyed the foam withits blood. 

"Hand me a spear, Buzzby, " cried Saunders; "the musket-balls seem tohurt him as little as peas. Oot o' my gait. "

The second mate made a rush so tremendous that something awful wouldinfallibly have resulted, had he not struck his foot against a bit ofice and fallen violently on his breast. The impetus with which he hadstarted shot him forward till his head was within a foot of the walrus'sgrim muzzle. For one moment the animal looked at the man, as if it weresurprised at his audacity, and then it recommenced its franticstruggles, snorting blood, and foam, and water into Saunders's face ashe scrambled out of its way. Immediately after, Awatok fixed anotherharpoon in its side, and it dived again. 

The struggle that ensued was tremendous, and the result seemed for along time to be doubtful. Again and again shots were fired andspear-thrusts made with effect, but the huge creature seemedinvulnerable. Its ferocity and strength remained unabated, while themen--sailors and Esquimau alike--were nearly exhausted. The battle hadnow lasted three hours; the men were panting from exertion; the walrus, still bellowing, was clinging to the edge of the ice, which for severalyards round the hole was covered with blood and foam. 

"Wot a brute it is!" said Buzzby, sitting down on a lump of ice andlooking at it in despair. 

"We might have killed it lang ago had I not wet my gun, " growledSaunders, regarding his weapon, which was completely drenched, with alook of contempt. 

"Give it another poke, Awatok, " cried Amos Parr; "you'll know bestwhereabouts its life lies; I can make nothin' o't. "

Awatok obeyed, and gave it a thrust under the left flipper that seemedto reach its heart, for it fell back into the water and struggledviolently. At the same moment Davie Summers mounted to the top of ahummock, part of which overhung the pool, and launched a harpoon downupon its back. This latter blow seemed to revive its ferocity, for itagain essayed to clamber out on the ice, and looked up at Davie with aglance of seeming indignation; while Buzzby, who had approached, fellbackward as he retreated from before it. At the same time Saunderssucceeded in getting his musket to go off. The ball struck it in theeye, and entering the brain, caused instant death, a result which wasgreeted with three enthusiastic cheers. 

The getting of this enormous creature out of the water would have been amatter of no small difficulty had there not been such a large partypresent. Even as it was it took them a considerable time to accomplishthis feat, and to cut it up and pack it on the sledges. 

While the battle above described was going on, two smaller walruses hadbeen killed and secured, and the Esquimaux were in a state of greatglee, for previous to the arrival of the sailors they had beenunsuccessful in their hunts, and had been living on short allowance. Onreturning home there was a general feasting and merrymaking, andSaunders felt that if he remained there long they would not only eat uptheir own meat, but his also. He therefore resolved to returnimmediately to the ship with his prize, and leave part of his men behindto continue the hunt until he should return with the sledge. 

But he was prevented from putting this intention into practice by ahurricane which burst over the Arctic Regions with inconceivablebitterness, and for two days kept all the inhabitants of thesnow-village confined to their huts. This hurricane was the fiercestthat had swept over these bleak regions of ice since the arrival of the_Dolphin_. The wind shrieked as it swept round the cliffs, and down theravines, and out upon the frozen sea, as if a legion of evil spiritswere embodied and concentrated in each succeeding blast. The snow-driftrose in solid masses, whirled madly round for a few seconds, and thenwas caught by the blast and swept away like sheets of white flame. Thethermometer stood at 25° below zero, a temperature that was mildcompared with what it usually had been of late, but the fierce windabstracted heat from everything exposed to it so rapidly that neitherman nor beast could face it for a moment. Buzzby got a little bit of hischin frozen while he merely put his head out at the door of the hut tosee how the weather looked; and Davie Summers had one of his fingersslightly frozen while in the act of carrying in one of the muskets thathad been left outside by mistake. 

As for the Esquimaux, they recked not of the weather. Their snow-hutswere warm, and their mouths were full, so like wise men and women theywaited patiently within doors till the storm should blow itself out. Thedoings of these poor people were very curious. They ate voraciously, andevidently preferred their meat raw. But when the sailors showed disgustat this, they at once made a small fire of moss mingled with blubber, over which they half-cooked their food. 

Their mode of procuring fire was curious. Two small stones weretaken--one a piece of white quartz, the other a piece of iron-stone--andstruck together smartly. The few sparks that flew out were thrown upon akind of white down, found on the willows, under which was placed a lumpof dried moss. It was usually a considerable time before they succeededin catching a spark; but, once caught, they had no difficulty in blowingit into a flame. 

They had also an ingenious contrivance for melting snow. This was a flatstone, supported by two other stones, and inclined slightly at one end. Upon this flat stone a lump of snow was placed, and below it was kindleda small fire of moss and blubber. When the stone became heated, the snowmelted and flowed down the incline into a small seal-skin cup placedthere to catch it. 

During the continuance of the storm the sailors shared the food andlodging of these Esquimaux. They were a fat, oily, hospitable, dirtyrace, and vied with each other in showing kindness to those who had beenthus thrown into their society. As Davie Summers expressed it, "theywere regular trumps;" and according to Buzzby's opinion, "they wos thejolliest set o' human walruses wot he had ever comed across in all histravels; and he ought to know, for he had always kep' his weather-eyeopen, he had, and wouldn't give in on that p'int, he wouldn't, to no manlivin'. "

CHAPTER XIX. 

_The northern party--A narrow escape, and a great discovery--Esquimauxagain, and a joyful surprise. _

It is interesting to meditate, sometimes, on the deviousness of thepaths by which men are led in earthly affairs--even when thestarting-point and the object of pursuit are the same. The two partieswhich left the _Dolphin_ had for their object the procuring of freshfood. The one went south and the other north; but their field was thesame--the surface of the frozen sea and the margin of the ice-girtshore. Yet how different their experiences and results were the sequelwill show. 

As we have already said, the northern party was in command of Bolton, the first mate, and consisted of ten men, among whom were our hero, Fred, Peter Grim, O'Riley, and Meetuck, with the whole team of dogs andthe large sledge. 

Being fine weather when they set out, they travelled rapidly, makingtwenty miles, as near as they could calculate, in the first six hours. The dogs pulled famously, and the men stepped out well at first, beingcheered and invigorated mentally by the prospect of an adventurousexcursion and fresh meat. At the end of the second day they buried partof their stock of provisions at the foot of a conspicuous cliff, intending to pick it up on their return; and thus lightened, theyadvanced more rapidly, keeping farther out on the floes, in hopes offalling in with walruses or seals. 

Their hopes, however, were doomed to disappointment. They got only oneseal, and that was a small one--scarcely sufficient to afford a coupleof meals to the dogs. 

They were "misfortunate entirely, " as O'Riley remarked; and to add totheir misfortunes, the floe-ice became so rugged that they couldscarcely advance at all. 

"Things grow worse and worse, " remarked Grim, as the sledge, for thetwentieth time that day, plunged into a crack in the ice, and had to beunloaded ere it could be got out. "The sledge won't stand much o' sichwork, and if it breaks--good-bye to it, for it won't mend without wood, and there's none here. "

"No fear of it, " cried Bolton encouragingly; "it's made of material astough as your own sinews, Grim, and won't give way easily, as the thumpsit has withstood already prove. --Has it never struck you, Fred, " hecontinued, turning to our hero who was plodding forward in silence--"hasit never struck you that when things in this world get very bad, and webegin to feel inclined to give up, they somehow or other begin to getbetter?"

"Why, yes, I have noticed that; but I have a vague sort of feeling justnow that things are not going to get better. I don't know whether it'sthis long-continued darkness, or the want of good food, but I feel moredowncast than I ever was in my life before. "

Bolton's remark had been intended to cheer, but Fred's answer provedthat a discussion of the merits of the question was not likely to have agood effect on the men, whose spirits were evidently very much castdown, so he changed the subject. 

Fortunately, at that time an incident occurred which effected the mate'spurpose better than any efforts man could have made. It has frequentlyhappened that when Arctic voyagers have, from sickness and longconfinement during a monotonous winter, become so depressed in spiritsthat games and amusements of every kind bailed to rouse them from theirlethargic despondency, sudden danger has given to their minds theneedful impulse, and effected a salutary change, for a time at least, intheir spirits. Such was the case at the present time. The men were soworn with hard travel and the want of fresh food, and depressed bydisappointment and long-continued darkness, that they failed in theirattempts to cheer each other, and at length relapsed into moody silence. Fred's thoughts turned constantly to his father, and he ceased to remarkcheerfully, as was his wont, on passing objects. Even O'Riley's jestsbecame few and far between, and at last ceased altogether. Bolton alonekept up his spirits, and sought to cheer his men, the feeling ofresponsibility being, probably, the secret of his superiority over themin this respect. But even Bolton's spirits began to sink at last. 

While they were thus groping sadly along among the hummocks, a largefragment of ice was observed to break off from a berg just over theirheads. 

"Look out! follow me, quick!" shouted the first mate in a loud, sharpvoice of alarm, at the same time darting in towards the side of theberg. 

The startled men obeyed the order just in time, for they had barelyreached the side of the berg when the enormous pinnacle fell, and wasshattered into a thousand fragments on the spot they had just left. Arebounding emotion sent the blood in a crimson flood to Fred's forehead, and this was followed by a feeling of gratitude to the Almighty for thepreservation of himself and the party. Leaving the dangerous vicinity ofthe bergs, they afterwards kept more in-shore. 

"What can yonder mound be?" said Fred, pointing to an object that wasfaintly seen at a short distance off upon the bleak shore. 

"An Esquimau hut, maybe, " replied Grim. --"What think'ee, Meetuck?"

Meetuck shook his head and looked grave, but made no reply. 

"Why don't you answer?" said Bolton. "But come along, we'll soon see. "

Meetuck now made various ineffectual attempts to dissuade the party fromexamining the mound, which turned out to be composed of stones heapedupon each other; but as all the conversation of which he was capablefailed to enlighten his companions as to what the pile was, theyinstantly set to work to open a passage into the interior, believingthat it might contain fresh provisions, as the Esquimaux were in thehabit of thus preserving their superabundant food from bears and wolves. In half-an-hour a hole, large enough for a man to creep through, wasformed, and Fred entered, but started back with an exclamation of horroron finding himself in the presence of a human skeleton, which was seatedon the ground in the centre of this strange tomb, with its head and armsresting on the knees. 

"It must be an Esquimau grave, " said Fred, as he retreated hastily;"that must be the reason why Meetuck tried to hinder us. "

"I should like to see it, " said Grim, stooping and thrusting his headand shoulders into the hole. 

"What have you got there?" asked Bolton, as Grim drew back and held upsomething in his hand. 

"Don't know exactly. It's like a bit o' cloth. " On examination thearticle was found to be a shred of coarse cloth, of a blue or blackcolour; and being an unexpected substance to meet with in such a place, Bolton turned round with it to Meetuck in the hope of obtaining someinformation. But Meetuck was gone. While the sailors were breaking intothe grave, Meetuck had stood aloof with a displeased expression ofcountenance, as if he were angry at the rude desecration of acountryman's tomb; but the moment his eye fell on the shred of cloth anexpression of mingled surprise and curiosity crossed his countenance, and, without uttering a word, he slipped noiselessly into the hole, fromwhich he almost immediately issued bearing several articles in his hand. These he held up to view, and with animated words and gesticulationsexplained that this was the grave of a white man, not of a native. 

The articles he brought out were a pewter plate and a silvertable-spoon. 

"There's a name of some kind written here, " said Bolton, as he carefullyscrutinized the spoon. "Look here, Fred, your eyes are better than mine, see if you can make it out. "

Fred took it with a trembling hand, for a strange feeling of dread hadseized possession of his heart, and he could scarcely bring himself tolook upon it. He summoned up courage, however; but at the first glancehis hand fell down by his side, and a dimness came over his eyes, forthe word "_POLE STAR_" was engraven on the handle. He would have fallento the ground had not Bolton caught him. 

"Don't give way, lad, the ship may be all right. Perhaps this is one o'the crew that died. "

Fred did not answer, but recovering himself with a strong effort, hesaid, "Pull down the stones, men. "

The men obeyed in silence, and the poor boy sat down on a rock to awaitthe result in trembling anxiety. A few minutes sufficed to disentomb theskeleton, for the men sympathized with their young comrade, and workedwith all their energies. 

"Cheer up, Fred, " said Bolton, coming and laying his hand on the youth'sshoulder; "it's _not_ your father. There is a bit of _black_ hairsticking to the scalp. "

With a fervent expression of thankfulness Fred rose and examined theskeleton, which had been placed in a sort of sack of skin, but wasdestitute of clothing. It was quite dry, and must have been there a longtime. Nothing else was found, but from the appearance of the skull andthe presence of the plate and spoon, there could be no doubt that it wasthat of one of the _Pole Star's_ crew. 

It was now resolved that they should proceed along the coast and examineevery creek and bay for traces of the lost vessel. 

"O Bolton! my heart misgives me, " said Fred, as they drove along; "Ifear that they have all perished. "

"Niver a bit, sir, " said O'Riley, in a sympathizing tone; "yon chap musthave died and been buried here be the crew as they wint past. "

"You forget that sailors don't bury men under mounds of stone, withpewter plates and spoons beside them. "

O'Riley was silenced, for the remark was unanswerable. 

"He may ha' bin left or lost on the shore, and been found by theEsquimaux, " suggested Peter Grim. 

"Is that not another tomb?" inquired one of the men, pointing towardsan object which stood on the end of a point or cape towards which theywere approaching. 

Ere any one could reply, their ears were saluted by the well-known barkof a pack of Esquimau dogs. In another moment they dashed into the midstof a snow village, and were immediately surrounded by the excitednatives. For some time no information could be gleaned from theirinterpreter, who was too excited to make use of his meagre amount ofEnglish. They observed, however, that the natives, although muchexcited, did not seem to be so much surprised at the appearance of whitemen amongst them as those were whom they had first met with near theship. In a short time Meetuck, apparently, had expended all he had tosay to his friends, and turned to make explanations to Bolton in a veryexcited tone; but little more could be made out than that what he saidhad some reference to white men. At length, in desperation, he pointedto a large hut, which seemed to be the principal one of the village, anddragging the mate towards it, made signs to him to enter. 

Bolton hesitated an instant. 

"He wants you to see the chief of the tribe, no doubt, " said Fred;"you'd better go in at once. "

A loud voice shouted something in the Esquimau language from within thehut. At the sound Fred's heart beat violently, and pushing past the matehe crept through the tunnelled entrance and stood within. There waslittle furniture in this rude dwelling. A dull flame flickered in astone lamp which hung from the roof, and revealed the figure of a largeEsquimau reclining on a couch of skins at the raised side of the hut. 

The man looked up hastily as Fred entered, and uttered a fewunintelligible words. 

"Father!" cried Fred, gasping for breath, and springing forward. 

Captain Ellice, for it was indeed he, started with apparent difficultyand pain into a sitting posture, and throwing back his hood revealed aface whose open, hearty, benignant expression shone through a coat ofdark brown which long months of toil and exposure had imprinted on it. It was thin, however, and careworn, and wore an expression that seemedto be the result of long-continued suffering. 

"Father!" he exclaimed in an earnest tone; "who calls me father?"

"Don't you know me, father?--don't you remember Fred?--look at--"

Fred checked himself, for the wild look of his father frightened him. 

"Ah! these dreams, " murmured the old man; "I wish they did not comeso--"

Placing his hand on his forehead, he fell backwards in a state ofinsensibility into the arms of his son. 

CHAPTER XX. 

_Keeping it down--Mutual explanations--The truecomforter--Death--New-Year's day. _

It need scarcely be said that the sailors outside did not remain long inignorance of the unexpected and happy discovery related in the lastchapter. Bolton, who had crept in after Fred, with proper delicacy offeeling retired the moment he found how matters stood, and left fatherand son to expend, in the privacy of that chamber of snow, thosefeelings and emotions which can be better imagined than described. 

The first impulse of the men was to give three cheers, but Boltonchecked them in the bud. 

"No, no, lads. Ye must hold on, " he said, in an eager but subdued voice. "Doubtless it would be pleasant to vent our feelings in a hearty cheer, but it would startle the old gentleman inside. Get along with you, andlet us get ready a good supper. "

"O morther!" exclaimed O'Riley, holding on to his sides as if hebelieved what he said, "me biler'll bust av ye don't let me screech. "

"Squeeze down the safety-valve a bit longer, then, " cried Bolton, asthey hurried along with the whole population to the outskirts of thevillage. "Now, then, ye may fire away, they won't hear ye--huzza!"

A long enthusiastic cheer instantly burst from the sailors, and wasimmediately followed by a howl of delight from the Esquimaux, whocapered round their visitors with uncouth gestures and grinning faces. 

Entering one of the largest huts, preparations for supper were promptlybegun. The Esquimaux happened to be well supplied with walrus-flesh, sothe lamps were replenished, and the hiss of the frying steaks anddropping fat speedily rose above all other sounds. 

Meanwhile, Fred and his father, having mutually recovered somewhat oftheir wonted composure, began to tell each other the details of theiradventures since they last met, while the former prepared a cup ofcoffee and a steak for their mutual comfort. 

"But, father, " said Fred, busying himself at the lamp, "you have not yettold me how you came here, and what has become of the _Pole Star_, andhow it was that one of your men came to be buried in the Esquimaufashion, and how you got your leg broken. "

"Truly, Fred, I have not told you all that, and to give it you all indetail will afford us many a long hour of converse hereafter, if itplease God, whose tenderness and watchful care of me has never failed. But I can give you a brief outline of it thus:--

"I got into Baffin's Bay and made a good fishing of it the first year, but was beset in the ice, and compelled to spend two winters in theseregions. The third year we were liberated, and had almost got fairly onour homeward voyage when a storm blew us to the north and carried us uphere. Then our good brig was nipped and went to the bottom, and all thecrew were lost except myself and one man. We succeeded in leaping fromone piece of loose ice to another until we reached the solid floe andgained the land, where we were kindly received by the Esquimaux. Butpoor Wilson did not survive long. His constitution had never beenrobust, and he died of consumption a week after we landed. The Esquimauxburied him after their own fashion, and, as I afterwards found, hadburied a plate and a spoon along with him. These, with several otherarticles, had been washed ashore from the wreck. Since then I have beenliving the life of an Esquimau, awaiting an opportunity of escape eitherby a ship making its appearance or a tribe of natives travelling south. I soon picked up their language, and was living in comparative comfort, when, during a sharp fight I chanced to have with a Polar bear, I felland broke my leg. I have lain here for many months, and have sufferedmuch, Fred; but, thank God, I am now almost well, and can walk a little, though not yet without pain. "

"Dear father, " said Fred, "how terribly you must have felt the want ofkind hands to nurse you during those dreary months, and how lonely youmust have been!"

"Nay, boy, not quite so lonely as you think. I have learned the truth ofthese words, 'I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee'--'Call upon Mein the time of trouble, and I will deliver thee. ' This, Fred, has beenmy chief comfort during the long hours of sickness. "

Captain Ellice drew forth a soiled pocket Bible from his breast as hespoke. 

"It was your beloved mother's, Fred, and is the only thing I broughtwith me from the wreck; but it was the only thing in the brig I wouldnot have exchanged for anything else on earth. Blessed Bible! It tellsof Him whose goodness I once, in my ignorance, thought I knew, but whoselove I have since been taught 'passeth knowledge. ' It has been aglorious sun to me, which has never set in all the course of this longArctic night. It has been a companion in my solitude, a comfort in mysorrows, and even now is an increase to my joy; for it tells me that ifI commit my way unto the Lord, he will bring it to pass, and already Isee the beginning of the end fulfilled. "

Fred's eyes filled with tears as his father spoke; but he remainedsilent, for he knew that of late he had begun to neglect God's blessedWord, and his conscience smote him. 

It were impossible here to enter minutely into the details of all thatCaptain Ellice related to Fred during the next few days, while theyremained together in the Esquimau village. To tell of the dangers, theadventures, and the hair-breadth escapes that the crew of the _PoleStar_ went through before the vessel finally went down, would require awhole volume. We must pass it all over, and also the account of the fewdays that followed, during which sundry walruses were captured, andreturn to the _Dolphin_, to which Captain Ellice had been conveyed onthe sledge, carefully wrapped up in deer-skins, and tended by Fred. 

A party of the Esquimaux accompanied them, and as a number of thenatives from the other village had returned with Saunders and his men tothe ship, the scene she presented, when all parties were united, wasexceedingly curious and animated. 

The Esquimaux soon built quite a little town of snow-huts all round the_Dolphin_, and the noise of traffic and intercourse was peculiarlyrefreshing to the ears of those who had long been accustomed to thedeath-like stillness of an Arctic winter. The beneficial effect of thechange on men and dogs was instantaneous. Their spirits rose at once, and this, with the ample supply of fresh meat that had been procured, soon began to drive scurvy away. 

There was one dark spot, however, in this otherwise pleasant scene--oneimpending event that cast a gloom over all. In his narrow berth in thecabin Joseph West lay dying. Scurvy had acted more rapidly on hisdelicate frame than had been expected. Despite Tom Singleton's utmostefforts and skill, the fell disease gained the mastery, and it soonbecame evident that this hearty and excellent man was to be taken awayfrom them. 

During the last days of his illness, Captain Ellice was his greatestcomfort and his constant companion. He read the Bible to him, and whendoubts and fears arose, as they sometimes did, he pointed him to Jesus, and spoke of that love from which nothing could separate him. 

It was on Christmas day that West died. 

"O sir, " said he to Captain Ellice just an hour before he breathed hislast, "how much I regret the time that I have lost! How I wish now thatI had devoted more of my precious time to the study of the Word and toprayer! How many opportunities of speaking a word for Jesus I haveneglected. Once, everything seemed of importance; now, but _one_ thingis worthy of a thought. "

"True, " answered the captain, "'the one thing needful. ' It is strangethat we will scarce permit ourselves to think or speak of _that_ till wecome to die. But you have thought on Jesus long ere now, have you not?"

"Yes, " answered West faintly, "I have; but I take no comfort from thatthought. When I think of my past life it is only with regret. My hope isin the Lord. What I have been, or might have been, is nothing. One thingI know--I _am_ a sinner; and this I also know--'Christ Jesus came intothe world to save sinners!'"

These were the last words the dying man spoke. Shortly after, he fellasleep. 

Next day the body of Joseph West was put in a plain deal coffin, andconveyed to Store Island, where it was placed on the ground. They had noinstruments that could penetrate the hard rock, so were obliged toconstruct a tomb of stones, after the manner of the Esquimaux, underwhich the coffin was laid and left in solitude. 

New-Year's day came, and preparations were made to celebrate the daywith the usual festivities. But the recent death had affected the crewtoo deeply to allow them to indulge in the unrestrained hilarity of thatseason. Prayers were read in the morning, and both Captain Guy andCaptain Ellice addressed the men feelingly in allusion to their lateshipmate's death and their own present position. A good dinner was alsoprepared, and several luxuries served out, among which were thematerials for the construction of a large plum-pudding. But no grog wasallowed, and they needed it not. As the afternoon advanced, stories weretold, and even songs were sung; but these were of a quiet kind, and themen seemed, from an innate feeling of propriety, to suit them to theoccasion. Old friends were recalled, and old familiar scenes described. The hearths of home were spoken of with a depth of feeling that showedhow intense was the longing to be seated round them again, and futureprospects were canvassed with keen interest and with hopeful voices. New-Year's day came and went, and when it was gone the men of the_Dolphin_ did not say, "what a jolly day it was. " They _said_ little ornothing, but long after they _thought_ of it as a bright spot in theirdreary winter in the Bay of Mercy--as a day in which they had enjoyedearnest, glad, and sober communings of heart. 

CHAPTER XXI. 

_First gleam of light--Trip to welcome the sun--Bears and strangediscoveries--O'Riley is reckless--First view of the sun. _

The wisest of men has told us that "it is a pleasant thing for the eyesto behold the sun, " but only those who spend a winter in the ArcticRegions can fully appreciate the import of that inspired saying. 

It is absolutely essential to existence that the bright beams of thegreat luminary should fall on animal as well as plant. Most of the poordogs died for want of this blessed light, and had it been much longerwithheld, doubtless our navigators would have sunk also. 

About the 20th of January a faint gleam of light on the horizon told ofthe coming day. It was hailed with rapture, and long before the brightsun himself appeared on the southern horizon the most of the men madedaily excursions to the neighbouring hilltops to catch sight of as muchas possible of his faint rays. Day by day those rays expanded, and atlast a sort of _dawn_ enlightened a distant portion of their earth, which, faint though it was at first, had much the appearance in theireyes of a bright day. But time wore on, and _real_ day appeared. The redsun rose in all its glory, showed a rim of its glowing disk above thefrozen sea, and then sank, leaving a long gladsome smile of twilightbehind. This great event happened on the 19th of February, and wouldhave occurred sooner, but for the high cliffs to the southward whichintervened between the ship and the horizon. 

On the day referred to, a large party was formed to go to the top of thecliffs at Red-Snow Valley to welcome back the sun. 

"There's scarce a man left behind, " remarked Captain Guy, as theystarted on this truly joyous expedition. 

"Only Mizzle, sir, " said Buzzby, slapping his hands together, for thecold was intense; "he said as how he'd stop and have dinner ready aginour return. "

There was a general laugh from the men, who knew that the worthy cookhad other reasons for not going--namely, his shortness of wind, and hisinveterate dislike to ascend hills. 

"Come, Fred, " cried Captain Ellice, who had completely recovered fromhis accident, "I shall be quite jealous of your friend Singleton if youbestow so much of your company on him. Walk with me, sirrah, I commandyou, as I wish to have a chat. "

"You are unjust to me, " replied Fred, taking his father's arm, andfalling with him a little to the rear of the party; "Tom complains thatI have quite given him up of late. "

"Och! isn't it a purty sight, " remarked O'Riley to Mivins, "to see usall goin' out like good little childers to see the sun rise of abeautiful mornin' like this?"

"So it _his_, " answered Mivins; "but I wish it wasn't quite so cold. "

It was indeed cold--so cold that the men had to beat their handstogether, and stamp their feet, and rush about like real children, inorder to keep their bodies warm. This month of February was the coldestthey had yet experienced. Several times the thermometer fell to theunexampled temperature of 75° below zero, or 107° below thefreezing-point of water. When we remind our young readers that thethermometer in England seldom falls so low as zero, except in what weterm weather of the utmost severity, they may imagine--or rather, theymay try to imagine--what 75° _below_ zero must have been. 

It was not quite so cold as that upon this occasion, otherwise the mencould not have shown face to it. 

"Let's have leap-frog, " shouted Davie; "we can jump along as well aswalk along. Hooray! _hup_!"

The "hup" was rather an exclamation of necessity than of delight, inasmuch as that it was caused by Davie coming suddenly down flat on theice in the act of vainly attempting to go leap-frog over Mivins's head. 

"That's your sort, " cried Amos Parr; "down with you, Buzzby. "

Buzzby obeyed, and Amos, being heavy and past the agile time of life, leaped upon, instead of over, his back, and there stuck. 

"Not so high, lads, " cried Captain Guy. "Come, Mr. Saunders, give us aback. "

"Faix he'd better go on his hands an' knees. "

"That's it! over you go! hurrah, lads!"

In five minutes nearly the whole crew were panting from their violentexertions, and those who did not or could not join panted as much fromlaughter. The desired result, however, was speedily gained. They wereall soon in a glow of heat, and bade defiance to the frost. 

An hour's sharp climb brought the party almost to the brow of the hill, from which they hoped to see the sun rise for the first time for nearlyfive months. Just as they were about to pass over a ridge in the cliffs, Captain Guy, who had pushed on in advance with Tom Singleton, wasobserved to pause abruptly and make signals for the men to advance withcaution. He evidently saw something unusual, for he crouched behind arock and peeped over it. Hastening up as silently as possible, theydiscovered that a group of Polar bears were amusing themselves on theother side of the cliffs, within long gunshot. Unfortunately not one ofthe party had brought fire-arms. Intent only on catching a sight of thesun, they had hurried off unmindful of the possibility of their catchingsight of anything else. They had not even a spear; and the few oakcudgels that some carried, however effectual they might have proved atDonnybrook, were utterly worthless there. 

There were four large bears and a young one, and the gambols theyperformed were of the most startling as well as amusing kind. But thatwhich interested and surprised the crew most was the fact that thesebears were playing with barrels, and casks, and tent-poles, and sails. They were engaged in a regular frolic with these articles, tossing themup in the air, pawing them about, and leaping over them like kittens. Inthese movements they displayed their enormous strength several times. Their leaps, although performed with the utmost ease, were so great asto prove the iron nature of their muscles. They tossed the heavy casks, too, high into the air like tennis-balls, and in two instances, whilethe crew were watching them, dashed a cask in pieces with a slight blowof their paws. The tough canvas yielded before them like sheets ofpaper, and the havoc they committed was wonderful to behold. 

"Most extraordinary!" exclaimed Captain Guy, after watching them forsome time in silence. "I cannot imagine where these creatures can havegot hold of such things. Were not the goods at Store Island all rightthis morning, Mr. Bolton?"

"Yes, sir, they were. "

"Nothing missing from the ship?"

"No, sir, nothing. "

"It's most unaccountable. "

"Captain Guy, " said O'Riley, addressing his commander with a solemnface, "haven't ye more nor wance towld me o' the queer thing in thedeserts they calls the _mirage_?"

"I have, " answered the captain, with a puzzled look. 

"An' didn't ye say there was somethin' like it in the Polar Seas, thatmade ye see flags, an' ships, an' things o' that sort when there was nosich things there at all?"

"True, O'Riley, I did. "

"Faix, then, it's my opinion that yon bears is a _mirage_, an' thesooner we git out o' their way the better. "

A smothered laugh greeted this solution of the difficulty. 

"I think I can give a better explanation--begging your pardon, O'Riley, "said Captain Ellice, who had hitherto looked on with a sly smile. "Morethan a year ago, when I was driven past this place to the northward, Itook advantage of a calm to land a supply of food, and a few stores andmedicines, to be a stand-by in case my ship should be wrecked to thenorthward. Ever since the wreck actually took place I have lookedforward to this _cache_ of provisions as a point of refuge on my waysouth. As I have already told you, I have never been able to commencethe southward journey; and now I don't require these things, which islucky, for the bears seem to have appropriated them entirely. "

"Had I known of them sooner, captain, " said Captain Guy, "the bearsshould not have had a chance. "

"That accounts for the supply of tobacco and sticking-plaster we foundin the bear's stomach, " remarked Fred, laughing. 

"True, boy; yet it surprises me that they succeeded in breaking into my_cache_, for it was made of heavy masses of stone, many of whichrequired two and three men to lift them, even with the aid ofhandspikes. "

"What's wrong with O'Riley?" said Fred, pointing to that eccentricindividual, who was gazing intently at the bears, muttering between histeeth, and clinching his cudgel nervously. 

"Sure it's a cryin' shame, " he soliloquized in an undertone, quiteunconscious that he was observed, "that ye should escape, ye villains. Av I only had a musket now--but I han't. Arrah! av it was only a spear. Be the mortial! I think I could crack the skull o' the small wan! Faix, then, I'll try!"

At the last word, before any one was aware of his intentions, this sonof Erin, whose blood was now up, sprang down the cliffs towards thebears, flourishing his stick, and shouting wildly as he went. The bearsinstantly paused in their game, but showed no disposition to retreat. 

"Come back, you madman!" shouted the captain; but the captain shouted invain. 

"Stop! halt! come back!" chorused the crew. 

But O'Riley was deaf. He had advanced to within a few yards of thebears, and was rushing forward to make a vigorous attack on the littleone. 

"He'll be killed!" exclaimed Fred in dismay. 

"Follow me, men, " shouted the captain, as he leaped the ridge: "make allthe noise you can. "

In a moment the surrounding cliffs were reverberating with the loudhalloos and frantic yells of the men, as they burst suddenly over theridge, and poured down upon the bears like a torrent of maniacs. 

Bold though they were, they couldn't stand this. They turned tail andfled, followed by the disappointed howls of O'Riley, and also by hiscudgel, which he hurled violently after them as he pulled up. 

Having thus triumphantly put the enemy to flight, the party continuedtheir ascent of the hill, and soon gained the summit. 

"There it is!" shouted Fred, who, in company with Mivins, first crossedthe ridge, and tossed his arms in the air. 

The men cheered loudly as they hurried up and one by one emerged into ared glow of sunshine. It could not be termed _warm_, for it had no powerin that frosty atmosphere, and only a small portion of the sun's diskwas visible. But his _light_ was on every crag and peak around; and asthe men sat down in groups, and, as it were, bathed in the sunshine, winking at the bright gleam of light with half-closed eyes, theydeclared that it _felt_ warm, and wouldn't hear anything to thecontrary, although Saunders, true to his nature, endeavoured to prove tothem that the infinitely small degree of heat imparted by such feeblerays could not by any possibility be _felt_ except in imagination. ButSaunders was outvoted. Indeed, under the circumstances, he had not achance of proving his point; for the more warm the dispute became, thegreater was the amount of animal heat that was created, to be placed, falsely, to the credit of the sun. 

Patience, however, is a virtue which is sure to meet with a reward. Thepoint which Saunders failed to prove by argument, was pretty well provedto every one (though not admitted) by the agency of John Frost. Thatremarkably bitter individual nestled round the men as they sat sunningthemselves, and soon compelled them to leap up and apply to othersources for heat. They danced about vigorously, and again took toleap-frog. Then they tried their powers at the old familiar games ofhome. Hop-step-and-jump raised the animal thermometer considerably, andthe standing leap, running leap, and high leap sent it up many degrees. But a general race brought them almost to a summer temperature, and atthe same time, most unexpectedly, secured to them a hare! This littlecreature, of which very few had yet been procured, darted in an evilhour out from behind a rock right in front of the men, who, having begunthe race for sport, now continued it energetically for profit. A dozensticks were hurled at the luckless hare, and one of these felled it tothe ground. 

After this they returned home in triumph, keeping up all the way ananimated dispute as to the amount of heat shed upon them by the sun, andupon that knotty question, "Who killed the hare?"

Neither point was settled when they reached the _Dolphin_, and, we mayadd, for the sake of the curious reader, neither point is settled yet. 

CHAPTER XXII. 

_The "Arctic Sun"--Rats! rats! rats!--A hunting-party--Out on thefloes--Hardships. _

Among the many schemes that were planned and carried out for lighteningthe long hours of confinement to their wooden home in the ArcticRegions, was the newspaper started by Fred Ellice, and named, as we havealready mentioned, the _Arctic Sun_. 

It was so named because, as Fred stated in his first leading article, itwas intended to throw light on many things at a time when there was noother sun to cheer them. We cannot help regretting that it is not in ourpower to present a copy of this well-thumbed periodical to our readers;but being of opinion that _something_ is better than _nothing_, wetranscribe the following extract as a specimen of the contributions fromthe forecastle. It was entitled--

JOHN BUZZBY'S OPPINYUNS O' THINGS IN GIN'RAL. 

Mr. Editer, --As you was so good as to ax from me a contribootion to yourwaluable peeryoddical, I beg heer to stait that this heer article isintended as a gin'ral summery o' the noos wots agoin'. Your reederswill be glad to no that of late the wether's bin gittin' colder, butthey'll be better pleased to no that before the middle o' nixt sumerit's likely to git a, long chawk warmer. There's a gin'ral complaintheer that Mivins has bin eatin' the shuger in the pantry, an' that'swots makin' it needfull to put us on short allowance. Davie Summers saishe seed him at it, an' it's a dooty the guvermint owes to the publik tohave the matter investigated. It's gin'rally expected, howsever, thatthe guvermint won't trubble its hed with the matter. There's bin anonusual swarmin' o' rats in the ship of late, an' Davie Summers has hada riglar hunt after them. The lad has becum more than ornar expert withhis bow an' arrow, for he niver misses now--exceptin', always, when hedusn't hit--an' for the most part takes them on the pint on the snowtwith his blunt-heded arow, which he drives in--the snowt, not the arow. There's a gin'ral wish among the crew to no whether the north pole _is_a pole or a dot. Mizzle sais it's a dot, and O'Riley swears (no, hedon't do that, for we've gin up swearin' in the fog-sail), but he saisthat it's a real post, 'bout as thick again as the main-mast, an' nineor ten times as hy. Grim sais it's nother wun thing nor anuther, but ahydeear that _is_ sumhow or other a fact, but yit don't exist at all. Tom Green wants to no if there's any conexshun between it an' the polethat's conected with elections. In fact, we're all at sea, in a riglarmuz abut this, an' as Dr. Singleton's a syentiffick man, praps he'llgive us a leadin' article in your nixt--so no more at present from--Yours to command, JOHN BUZZBY. 

This contribution was accompanied with an outline illustration of Mivinseating sugar with a ladle in the pantry, and Davie Summers peeping in atthe door--both likenesses being excellent. 

Some of the articles in the _Arctic Sun_ were grave and some were gay, but all of them were profitable, for Fred took care that they should becharged either with matter of interest or matter provocative of mirth. And, assuredly, no newspaper of similar calibre was ever looked forwardto with such expectation, or read and re-read with such avidity. It wasone of the expedients that lasted longest in keeping up the spirits ofthe men. 

The rat-hunting referred to in the foregoing "summary" was not a merefiction of Buzzby's brain. It was a veritable fact. Notwithstanding theextreme cold of this inhospitable climate, the rats in the shipincreased to such a degree that at last they became a perfect nuisance. Nothing was safe from their attacks--whether substances were edible ornot, they were gnawed through and ruined--and their impudence, whichseemed to increase with their numbers, at last exceeded all belief. Theyswarmed everywhere--under the stove, about the beds, in the lockers, between the sofa cushions, amongst the moss round the walls, and insidethe boots and mittens (when empty) of the men. And they became soaccustomed to having missiles thrown at them, that they acquired toperfection that art which Buzzby described as "keeping one's weather-eyeopen. "

You couldn't hit one if you tried. If your hand moved towards an objectwith which you intended to deal swift destruction, the intruder paused, and turned his sharp eyes towards you, as if to say, "What! going to tryit again?--come, then, here's a chance for you. " But when you threw, atbest you could only hit the empty space it had occupied the momentbefore. Or, if you seized a stick, and rushed at the enemy in wrath, itgrinned fiercely, showed its long white teeth, and then vanished with afling of its tail that could be construed into nothing but an expressionof contempt. 

At last an expedient was hit upon for destroying these disagreeableinmates. Small bows and arrows were made, the latter having heavy, bluntheads, and with these the men slaughtered hundreds. Whenever any one wasinclined for a little sport, he took up his bow and arrows, and retiringto a dark corner of the cabin, watched for a shot. Davie Summersacquired the title of Nimrod in consequence of his success in thispeculiar field. 

At first the rats proved a capital addition to the dogs' meals, but atlength some of the men were glad to eat them, especially when fresh meatfailed altogether, and scurvy began its assaults. White or Arcticfoxes, too, came about the ship sometimes in great numbers, and provedan acceptable addition to their fresh provisions; but at one period allthese sources failed, and the crew were reduced to the utmost extremity, having nothing to eat except salt provisions. Notwithstanding thecheering influence of the sun, the spirits of the men fell as theirbodily energies failed. Nearly two-thirds of the ship's company wereconfined to their berths. The officers retained much of their wontedhealth and vigour, partly in consequence, no doubt, of their unweariedexertions in behalf of others. They changed places with the men at last, owing to the force of circumstances--ministering to their wants, drawingwater, fetching fuel, and cooking their food--carrying out, in short, the divine command, "By love serve one another. "

During the worst period of their distress a party was formed to go outupon the floes in search of walruses. 

"If we don't get speedy relief, " remarked Captain Guy to Tom Singletonin reference to this party, "some of us will die. I feel certain ofthat. Poor Buzzby seems on his last legs, and Mivins is reduced to ashadow. "

The doctor was silent, for the captain's remark was too true. 

"You must get up your party at once, and set off after breakfast, Mr. Bolton, " he added, turning to the first mate. "Who can accompany you?"

"There's Peter Grim, sir; he's tough yet, and not much affected byscurvy. And Mr. Saunders, I think, may--"

"No, " interrupted the doctor, "Saunders must not go. He does not lookvery ill, and I hope is not, but I don't like some of his symptoms. "

"Well, doctor, we can do without him. There's Tom Green and O'Riley. Nothing seems able to bring down O'Riley. Then there's--"

"There's Fred Ellice, " cried Fred himself, joining the group; "I'll gowith you if you'll take me. "

"Most happy to have you, sir. Our healthy hands are very short, but wecan muster sufficient, I think. "

The captain suggested Amos Parr and two or three more men, and thendismissed his first mate to get ready for an immediate start. 

"I don't half like your going, Fred, " said his father. "You've not beenwell lately, and hunting on the floes, I know from experience, is hardwork. "

"Don't fear for me, father; I've quite recovered from my recent attack, which was but slight after all, and I know full well that those who arewell must work as long as they can stand. "

"Ho, lads! look alive there! are you ready?" shouted the first mate downthe hatchway. 

"Ay, ay, sir, " replied Grim, and in a few minutes the party wereassembled on the ice beside the small sledge with their shoulder-beltson, for most of the dogs were either dead or dying of that strangecomplaint to which allusion has been made in a previous chapter. 

They set out silently, but ere they had got a dozen yards from the shipCaptain Guy felt the impropriety of permitting them thus to depart. 

"Up, lads, and give them three cheers!" he cried, mounting the ship'sside and setting the example. 

A hearty, generous spirit, when vigorously displayed, always finds aready response from human hearts. The few sailors who were on deck atthe time, and one or two of the sick men who chanced to put their headsup the hatchway, rushed to the side, waved their mittens--in default ofcaps--and gave vent to three hearty British cheers. The effect on thedrooping spirits of the hunting-party was electrical. They pricked uplike chargers that had felt the spur, wheeled round, and returned thecheer with interest. It was an apparently trifling incident, but itserved to lighten the way and make it seem less dreary for many a longmile. 

"I'm tired of it intirely, " cried O'Riley, sitting down on a hummock, onthe evening of the second day after setting out on the hunt; "here weis, two days out, an' not a sign o' life nowhere. "

"Come, don't give in, " said Bolton cheerfully; "we're sure to fall inwith a walrus to-day. "

"I think so, " cried Fred; "we have come so far out upon the floes thatthere must be open water near. "

"Come on, then, " cried Peter Grim; "don't waste time talking. "

Thus urged O'Riley rose, and throwing his sledge-strap over hisshoulder, plodded on wearily with the rest. 

Their provisions were getting low now, and it was felt that if they didnot soon fall in with walruses or bears they must return as quickly aspossible to the ship in order to avoid starving. It was therefore amatter of no small satisfaction that, on turning the edge of an iceberg, they discovered a large bear walking leisurely towards them. To droptheir sledge-lines and seize their muskets was the work of a moment. But, unfortunately, long travelling had filled the pans with snow, andit required some time to pick the touch-holes clear. In this extremityPeter Grim seized a hatchet and ran towards the bear, while O'Rileycharged it with a spear. Grim delivered a tremendous blow at its headwith his weapon; but his intention was better than his aim, for hemissed the bear and smashed the corner of a hummock of ice. O'Riley wasmore successful. He thrust the spear into the animal's shoulder; but theshoulder-blade turned the head of the weapon, and caused it to run alongat least three feet just under the skin. The wound, although not fatal, was so painful that Bruin uttered a loud roar of disapproval, wheeledround, and ran away!--an act of cowardice so unusual on the part of aPolar bear that the whole party were taken by surprise. Several shotswere fired after him, but he soon disappeared among the ice-hummocks, having fairly made off with O'Riley's spear. 

The disappointment caused by this was great, but they had little time tothink of it, for soon after a stiff breeze of wind sprang up, whichfreshened into a gale, compelling them to seek the shelter of a clusterof icebergs, in the midst of which they built a snow-hut. Before night aterrific storm was raging, with the thermometer 40° below zero. The skybecame black as ink, drift whirled round them in horrid turmoil, and thewild blast came direct from the north, over the frozen sea, shriekingand howling in its strength and fury. 

All that night and the next day it continued. Then it ceased, and forthe first time that winter a thaw set in, so that ere morning theirsleeping-bags and socks were thoroughly wetted. This was of shortduration, however. In a few hours the frost set in again as intense asever, converting all their wet garments and bedding into hard cakes ofice. To add to their misfortunes their provisions ran out, and they wereobliged to abandon the hut and push forward towards the ship with theutmost speed. Night came on them while they were slowly toiling throughthe deep drifts that the late gale had raised, and to their horror theyfound they had wandered out of their way, and were still but a shortdistance from their snow-hut. In despair they returned to pass the nightin it, and spreading their frozen sleeping-bags on the snow, they laydown, silent and supperless, to rest till morning. 

CHAPTER XXIII. 

_Unexpected arrivals--The rescue party--Lost and found--Return to theship. _

The sixth night after the hunting-party had left the ship, Grim and FredEllice suddenly made their appearance on board. It was quite dark, andthe few of the ship's company who were able to quit their berths wereseated round the cabin at their meagre evening meal. 

"Hallo, Fred!" exclaimed Captain Ellice, as his son staggered ratherthan walked in and sank down on a locker. "What's wrong, boy? where arethe rest of you?"

Fred could not answer; neither he nor Grim was able to utter a word atfirst. It was evident that they laboured under extreme exhaustion andhunger. A mouthful of hot soup administered by Tom Singleton ralliedthem a little, however. 

"Our comrades are lost, I fear. "

"Lost!" exclaimed Captain Guy. "How so? Speak, my boy; but hold, takeanother mouthful before you speak. Where did you leave them, say you?"

Fred looked at the captain with a vacant stare. "Out upon the ice tothe north; but, I say, what a comical dream I've had!" Here he burstinto a loud laugh. Poor Fred's head was evidently affected, so hisfather and Tom carried him to his berth. 

All this time Grim had remained seated on a locker swaying to and frolike a drunken man, and paying no attention to the numerous questionsthat were put to him by Saunders and his comrades. 

"This is bad!" exclaimed Captain Guy, pressing his hand on his forehead. 

"A search must be made, " suggested Captain Ellice. "It's evident thatthe party have broken down out on the floes, and Fred and Grim have beensent to let us know. "

"I know it, " answered Captain Guy. "A search must be made, and thatinstantly, if it is to be of any use; but in which direction are we togo is the question. These poor fellows cannot tell us. 'Out on the iceto the north' is a wide word. --Fred, Fred, can you not tell us in whichdirection we ought to go to search for them?"

"Yes, far out on the floes--among hummocks--far out, " murmured Fred, half unconsciously. 

"We must be satisfied with that. Now, Mr. Saunders, assist me to get thesmall sledge fitted out. I'll go to look after them myself. "

"An' I'll go with 'ee, sir, " said the second mate promptly. 

"I fear you are hardly able. "

"No fear o' me, sir. I'm better than 'ee think. "

"I must go too, " added Captain Ellice; "it is quite evident that youcannot muster a party without me. "

"That's impossible, " interrupted the doctor. "Your leg is not strongenough nearly for such a trip; besides, my dear sir, you must staybehind to perform my duties, for the ship can't do without a doctor, andI shall go with Captain Guy, if he will allow me. "

"That he won't, " cried the captain. "You say truly the ship cannot beleft without a doctor. Neither you nor my friend Ellice shall leave theship with my permission. But don't let us waste time talking. --Come, Summers and Mizzle, you are well enough to join, and, Meetuck, you mustbe our guide. Look alive and get yourselves ready. "

In less than half-an-hour the rescue party were equipped and on theirway over the floes. They were six in all--one of the freshest among thecrew having volunteered to join those already mentioned. 

It was a very dark night, and bitterly cold; but they took nothing withthem except the clothes on their backs, a supply of provisions for theirlost comrades, their sleeping-bags, and a small leather tent. Thecaptain also took care to carry with them a flask of brandy. 

The colossal bergs, which stretched like well-known land-marks over thesea, were their guides at first; but after travelling ten hours withouthalting, they had passed the greater number of those with which theywere familiar, and entered upon an unknown region. Here it becamenecessary to use the utmost caution. They knew that the lost men mustbe within twenty miles of them, but they had no means of knowing theexact spot, and any footprints that had been made were now obliterated. In these circumstances Captain Guy had to depend very much on his ownsagacity. 

Clambering to the top of a hummock, he observed a long stretch of levelfloe to the northward. 

"I think it likely, " he remarked to Saunders, who had accompanied him, "that they may have gone in that direction. It seems an attractive roadamong this chaos of ice-heaps. "

"I'm no sure o' that, " objected Saunders; "yonder's a pretty clear roadaway to the west, maybe they took that. "

"Perhaps they did, but as Fred said they had gone far out on the ice _tothe north_, I think it likely they've gone in _that_ direction. "

"Maybe ye're right, sir, and maybe ye're wrang, " answered Saunders, asthey returned to the party. As this was the second mate's method ofintimating that he _felt_ that he ought to give in (though he didn'tgive in, and never would give in _absolutely_), the captain felt moreconfidence in his own opinion. 

"Now, Meetuck, keep your eyes open, " he added, as they resumed theirrapid march. 

After journeying on for a considerable distance, the men were ordered tospread out over the neighbouring ice-fields, in order to multiply thechances of discovering tracks; but there seemed to be some irresistiblepower of attraction which drew them gradually together again, howeverearnestly they might try to keep separate. In fact, they were beginningto be affected by the long-continued march and the extremity of thecold. 

This last was so great that constant motion was absolutely necessary inorder to prevent them from freezing. There was no time allowed forrest--life and death were in the scale. Their only hope lay in acontinuous and rapid advance, so as to reach the lost men ere theyshould freeze or die of starvation. 

"Holo! look 'eer!" shouted Meetuck, as he halted and went down on hisknees to examine some marks on the snow. 

"These are tracks!" cried Captain Guy eagerly. "What think you, Saunders?"

"They look like it"

"Follow them up, Meetuck. Go in advance, my lad, and let the rest of youscatter again. "

In a few minutes there was a cry heard, and as the party hastenedtowards the spot whence it came, they found Davie Summers pointingeagerly to a little snow-hut in the midst of a group of bergs. 

With hasty steps they advanced towards it, and the captain, with aterrible misgiving at heart, crept in. 

"Ah! then, is it yerself, darlint?" were the first words that greetedhim. 

A loud cheer from those without told that they heard and recognized thewords. Immediately two of them crept in, and striking a light, kindled alamp, which revealed the care-worn forms of their lost comradesstretched on the ground in their sleeping-bags. They were almostexhausted for want of food, but otherwise they were uninjured. 

The first congratulations over, the rescue party immediately proceededto make arrangements for passing the night. They were themselves littlebetter than those whom they had come to save, having performed anuninterrupted march of eighteen hours without food or drink. 

It was touching to see the tears of joy and gratitude that filled theeyes of the poor fellows, who had given themselves up for lost, as theywatched the movements of their comrades while they prepared food forthem; and the broken, fitful conversation was mingled strangely withalternate touches of fun and deep feeling, indicating the conflictingemotions that struggled in their breasts. 

"I knowed ye would come, captain; bless you, sir, " said Amos Parr, in anunsteady voice. 

"Come! Av coorse ye knowed it, " cried O'Riley energetically. "Och, butdon't be long wid the mate, darlints, me stummik's shut up intirely. "

"There won't be room for us all here, I'm afraid, " remarked Bolton. 

This was true. The hut was constructed to hold six, and it wasimpossible that ten could _sleep_ in it, although they managed tosqueeze in. 

"Never mind that, " cried the captain. "Here, take a drop of soup;gently, not too much at a time. "

"Ah, then, it's cruel of ye, it is, to give me sich a small taste. "

It was necessary, however, to give men in their condition a "smalltaste" at first, so O'Riley had to rest content. Meanwhile, the rescueparty supped heartily, and after a little more food had beenadministered to the half-starved men, preparations were made forspending the night. The tent was pitched, and the sleeping-bags spreadout on the snow. Then Captain Guy offered up fervent thanks to God forhis protection thus far, and prayed shortly but earnestly fordeliverance from their dangerous situation; after which they all laydown and slept soundly till morning--or at least as soundly as could beexpected with a temperature at 55° below zero. 

Next morning they prepared to set out on their return to the ship. Butthis was no easy task. The exhausted men had to be wrapped up carefullyin their blankets, which were sewed closely round their limbs, thenpacked in their sleeping-bags and covered completely up, only a smallhole being left opposite their mouths to breathe through, and after thatthey were lashed side by side on the small sledge. The larger sledge, with the muskets, ammunition, and spare blankets, had to be abandoned. Then the rescue party put their shoulders to the tracking-belts, andaway they went briskly over the floes. 

But the drag was a fearfully heavy one for men who, besides havingwalked so long and so far on the previous day, were, most of them, muchweakened by illness, and very unfit for such laborious work. The floes, too, were so rugged that they had frequently to lift the heavy sledgeand its living load over deep rents and chasms which, in circumstancesless desperate, they would have scarcely ventured to do. Work as theywould, however, they could not make more than a mile an hour, and nightovertook them ere they reached the level floes. But it was of the utmostimportance that they should continue to advance, so they pushed forwarduntil a breeze sprang up that pierced them through and through. 

Fortunately there was a bright moon in the sky, which enabled them topick their way among the hummocks. Suddenly, without warning, the wholeparty felt an alarming failure of their energies. Captain Guy, who wasaware of the imminent danger of giving way to this feeling, cheered themen to greater exertion by word and voice, but failed to rouse them. They seemed like men walking in their sleep. 

"Come, Saunders, cheer up, man!" cried the captain, shaking the mate bythe arm; but Saunders stood still, swaying to and fro like a drunkenman. Mizzle begged to be allowed to sleep, if it were only for twominutes, and poor Davie Summers deliberately threw himself down on thesnow, from which, had he been left, he would never more have risen. 

The case was now desperate. In vain the captain shook and buffeted themen. They protested that they did not feel cold--"they were quite warm, and only wanted a little sleep. " He saw that it was useless to contendwith them, so there was nothing left for it but to pitch the tent. 

This was done as quickly as possible, though with much difficulty, andthe men were unlashed from the sledge and placed within the tent. Theothers then crowded in, and falling down beside each other were asleepin an instant. The excessive crowding of the little tent was anadvantage at this time, as it tended to increase their animal heat. Captain Guy allowed them to sleep only two hours, and then roused themin order to continue the journey; but short though the period of restwas, it proved sufficient to enable the men to pursue their journey withsome degree of spirit. Still it was evident that their energies had beenovertaxed; for when they neared the ship next day, Tom Singleton, whohad been on the look-out, and advanced to meet them, found that theywere almost in a state of stupor, and talked incoherently--sometimesgiving utterance to sentiments of the most absurd nature withexpressions of the utmost gravity. 

Meanwhile, good news was brought them from the ship. Two bears and awalrus had been purchased from the Esquimaux, a party of whom--sleek, fat, oily, good-humoured, and hairy--were encamped on the lee side ofthe _Dolphin_, and were busily engaged in their principal and favouriteoccupation--eating!

CHAPTER XXIV. 

_Winter ends--The first insect--Preparations for departure--Narrowescape--Cutting out--Once more afloat--Ship on fire--Crew take to theboats. _

Winter passed away, with its darkness and its frost, and, happily, withits sorrows; and summer--bright, glowing summer--came at last, togladden the heart of man and beast in the Polar Regions. 

We have purposely omitted to make mention of spring, for there is nosuch season, properly so called, within the Arctic Circle. Winterusually terminates with a gushing thaw, and summer then begins with ablaze of fervent heat. Not that the heat is really so intense ascompared with that of southern climes, but the contrast is so great thatit _seems_ as though the Torrid Zones had rushed towards the Pole. 

About the beginning of June there were indications of the coming heat. Fresh water began to trickle from the rocks, and streamlets commenced torun down the icebergs. Soon everything became moist, and a marked changetook place in the appearance of the ice-belt, owing to the pools thatcollected on it everywhere and overflowed. 

Seals now became more numerous in the neighbourhood, and werefrequently killed near the _atluks_, or holes, so that fresh meat wassecured in abundance, and the scurvy received a decided check. Reindeer, rabbits, and ptarmigan, too, began to frequent the bay, so that thelarder was constantly full, and the mess-table presented a pleasingvariety--rats being no longer the solitary dish of fresh meat at everymeal. A few small birds made their appearance from the southward, andthese were hailed as harbingers of the coming summer. 

One day O'Riley sat on the taffrail, basking in the warm sun, anddrinking in health and gladness from its beams. He had been ill, and wasnow convalescent. Buzzby stood beside him. 

"I've bin thinkin', " said Buzzby, "that we don't half know the blessin'sthat are given to us in this here world till we've had 'em taken away. Look, now, how we're enjoyin' the sun an' the heat, just as if it wos somuch gold!"

"Goold!" echoed O'Riley, in a tone of contempt; "faix I niver thought solittle o' goold before, let me tell ye. Goold can buy many a thing, itcan, but it can't buy sunshine. Hallo! what's this?"

O'Riley accompanied the question with a sudden snatch of his hand. 

"Look here, Buzzby! Have a care, now! jist watch the openin' o' myfist. "

"Wot is it?" inquired Buzzby, approaching, and looking earnestly at hiscomrade's clinched hand with some curiosity. 

"There he comes! Now, then, not so fast, ye spalpeen!"

As he spoke, a small fly, which had been captured, crept out frombetween his fingers, and sought to escape. It was the first that hadvisited these frozen regions for many, many months, and the whole crewwere summoned on deck to meet it as if it were an old and valued friend. 

"Let it go, poor thing!" cried half-a-dozen of the men, gazing at thelittle prisoner with a degree of interest that cannot be thoroughlyunderstood by those who have not passed through experiences similar tothose of our Arctic voyagers. 

"Ay, don't hurt it, poor thing! You're squeezin' it too hard!" criedAmos Parr. 

"Squaazing it! no, then, I'm not. Go, avic, an' me blessin' go wid ye. "

The big, rough hand opened, and the tiny insect, spreading its gossamerwings, buzzed away into the bright atmosphere, where it was soon lost toview. 

"Rig up the ice-saws, Mr. Bolton; set all hands at them, and get out thepowder-canisters, " cried Captain Guy, coming hastily on deck. 

"Ay, ay, sir, " responded the mate. "All hands to the ice-saws! Lookalive, boys! Ho! Mr. Saunders! Where's Mr. Saunders?"

"Here 'am, " answered the worthy second mate in a quiet voice. 

"Oh, you're there! Get up some powder, Mr. Saunders, and a fewcanisters. "

There was a heartiness in the tone and action with which these orderswere given and obeyed that proved they were possessed of more thanordinary interest; as, indeed, they were, for the time had now come formaking preparations for cutting the ship out of winter-quarters, andgetting ready to take advantage of any favourable opening in the icethat might occur. 

"Do you hope to effect much?" inquired Captain Ellice of Captain Guy, who stood at the gangway watching the men as they leaped over the sideand began to cut holes with ice-chisels preparatory to fixing the sawsand powder-canisters. 

"Not much, " replied the captain; "but a _little_ in these latitudes isworth fighting hard for, as you are well aware. Many a time have I seena ship's crew strain and heave on warps and cables for hours together, and only gain a yard by all their efforts; but many a time, also, have Iseen a single yard of headway save a ship from destruction. "

"True, " rejoined Captain Ellice; "I have seen a little of it myself. There is no spot on earth, I think, equal to the Polar Regions forbringing out into bold relief two great and _apparently_ antagonistictruth's--namely, man's urgent need of all his powers to accomplish thework of his own deliverance, and man's utter helplessness and entiredependence on the sovereign will of God. "

"When shall we sink the canisters, sir?" asked Bolton, coming up andtouching his hat. 

"In an hour, Mr. Bolton; the tide will be full then, and we shall trywhat effect a blast will have. "

"My opeenion is, " remarked Saunders, who passed at the moment with twolarge bags of gunpowder under his arms, "that it'll have no effect ata'. It'll just loosen the ice roond the ship. "

The captain smiled as he said, "_That_ is all the effect I hope for, Mr. Saunders. Should the outward ice give way soon, we shall then be in abetter position to avail ourselves of it. "

As Saunders predicted, the effect of powder and saws was merely toloosen and rend the ice-tables in which the _Dolphin_ was imbedded; butdeliverance was coming sooner than any of those on board expected. Thatnight a storm arose, which, for intensity of violence, equalled, if itdid not surpass, the severest gales they had yet experienced. It set thegreat bergs of the Polar Seas in motion, and these moving mountains ofice slowly and majestically began their voyage to southern climes, crashing through the floes, overturning the hummocks, and ripping up theice-tables with quiet but irresistible momentum. For two days the war ofice continued to rage, and sometimes the contending forces, in the shapeof huge tongues and corners of bergs, were forced into the Bay of Mercy, and threatened swift destruction to the little craft, which was a mereatom that might have been crushed and sunk and scarcely missed in such awild scene. 

At one time a table of ice was forced out of the water and reared up, like a sloping wall of glass, close to the stern of the _Dolphin_, whereall the crew were assembled with ice-poles ready to do their utmost; buttheir feeble efforts could have availed them nothing had theslowly-moving mass continued its onward progress. 

"Lower away the quarter-boat, " cried the captain, as the sheet of icesix feet thick came grinding down towards the starboard quarter. 

Buzzby, Grim, and several others sprang to obey, but before they couldlet go the fall-tackles, the mass of ice rose suddenly high above thedeck, over which it projected several feet, and caught the boat. Inanother moment the timbers yielded, the thwarts sprang out or werebroken across, and slowly, yet forcibly, as a strong hand might crush anegg-shell, the boat was squeezed flat against the ship's side. 

"Shove, lads! if it comes on we're lost, " cried the captain, seizing oneof the long poles with which the men were vainly straining every nerveand muscle. They might as well have tried to arrest the progress of aberg. On it came, and crushed in the starboard quarter bulwarks. Providentially at that moment it grounded and remained fast; but theprojecting point that overhung them broke off and fell on the deck witha crash that shook the good ship from stem to stern. Several of the menwere thrown violently down, but none were seriously hurt in thiscatastrophe. 

When the storm ceased the ice out in the strait was all in motion, andthat round the ship had loosened so much that it seemed as if the_Dolphin_ might soon get out into open water, and once more float uponits natural element. Every preparation, therefore, was made. The storeswere re-shipped from Store Island; the sails were shaken out, and thoseof them that had been taken down were bent on to the yards; tackle wasoverhauled; and, in short, everything was done that was possible underthe circumstances. But a week passed away ere they succeeded in finallywarping out of the bay into the open sea beyond. 

It was a lovely morning when this happy event was accomplished. Beforethe tide was quite full, and while they were waiting until the commandto heave on the warps should be given, Captain Guy assembled the crewfor morning prayers in the cabin. Having concluded, he said:--

"My lads, through the great mercy of God we have been all, except one, spared through the trials and anxieties of a long and dreary winter, andare now, I trust, about to make our escape from the ice that has held usfast so long. It becomes me at such a time to tell you that, if I amspared to return home, I shall be able to report that every man in thisship has done his duty. You have never flinched in the hour of danger, and never grumbled in the hour of trial. Only one man--our late braveand warm-hearted comrade, Joseph West--has fallen in the struggle. Forthe mercies that have never failed us, and for our success in rescuingmy gallant friend, Captain Ellice, we ought to feel the deepestgratitude to the Almighty. We have need, however, to pray for a blessingon the labours that are yet before us, for you are well aware that weshall probably have many a struggle with the ice before we are once moreafloat on blue water. And now, lads, away with you on deck, and man thecapstan, for the tide is about full. "

The capstan was manned, and the hawsers were hove taut. Inch by inch thetide rose, and the _Dolphin_ floated. Then a lusty cheer was given, andAmos Parr struck up one of those hearty songs intermingled with "Ho!"and "Yo heave ho!" that seem to be the life and marrow of all nauticalexertion. At last the good ship forged ahead, and, _boring_ through theloose ice, passed slowly out of the Bay of Mercy. 

"Do you know I feel quite sad at quitting this dreary spot?" said Fredto his father, as they stood gazing backward over the taffrail. "I couldnot have believed that I should have become so much attached to it. "

"We become attached to any spot, Fred, in which incidents have occurredto call forth frequently our deeper feelings. These rocks and stones areintimately associated with many events that have caused you joy andsorrow, hope and fear, pain and happiness. Men cherish the memory ofsuch feelings, and love the spots of earth with which they areassociated. "

"Ah, father, yonder stands one stone, at least, that calls forthfeelings of sorrow. "

Fred pointed as he spoke to Store Island, which was just passing out ofview. On this lonely spot the men had raised a large stone over thegrave of Joseph West. O'Riley, whose enthusiastic temperament had causedhim to mourn over his comrade more, perhaps, than any other man in theship, had carved the name and date of his death in rude characters onthe stone. It was a conspicuous object on the low island, and every eyein the _Dolphin_ was fixed on it as they passed. Soon the point of rockthat had sheltered them so long from many a westerly gale intervened andshut it out from view for ever. 

When man's prospects are at the worst, it often happens that someunexpected success breaks on his path like a bright sunbeam. Alas! itoften happens, also, that when his hopes are high and his prospectsbrightest, a dark cloud overspreads him like a funeral pall. We mightlearn a lesson from this--the lesson of dependence on that Saviour who_careth_ for us, and of trust in that blessed assurance that "_all_things work together for good to them that love God. "

A week of uninterrupted fair wind and weather had carried the _Dolphin_far to the south of their dreary wintering ground, and all was goingwell, when the worst of all disasters befell the ship--she caught fire!How it happened no one could tell. The smoke was first seen risingsuddenly from the hold. Instantly the alarm was spread. 

"Firemen, to your posts!" shouted the captain. "Man the water-buckets!Steady, men; no hurry. Keep order. "

"Ay, ay, sir, " was the short, prompt response, and the most perfectorder _was_ kept. Every command was obeyed instantly with a degree ofvigour that is seldom exhibited save in cases of life and death. 

Buzzby was at the starboard and Peter Grim at the larboard gangway, while the men stood in two rows, extending from each to the main hatch, up which ever thickening clouds of dark smoke were rolling. Bucket afterbucket of water was passed along and dashed into the hold, andeverything that could be done was done, but without effect. The fireincreased. Suddenly a long tongue of flame issued from the smokingcavern, and lapped round the mast and rigging with greedy eagerness. 

"There's no hope, " said Captain Ellice in a low voice, laying his handgently on Captain Guy's shoulder. 

The captain did not reply, but gazed with an expression of the deepestregret, for one moment, at the work of destruction. 

Next instant he sprang to the falls of the larboard quarter-boat. 

"Now, lads, " he cried energetically, "get out the boats. Bring upprovisions, Mr. Bolton, and a couple of spare sails. --Mr. Saunders, seeto the ammunition and muskets. Quick, men. The cabin will soon be toohot to hold you. "

Setting the example, the captain sprang below, followed by Fred and TomSingleton, who secured the charts, a compass, chronometer, and quadrant;also the log-book and the various journals and records of the voyage. Captain Ellice also did active service, and being cool andself-possessed he recollected and secured several articles which wereafterwards of the greatest use, and which, but for him, would in such atrying moment have probably been forgotten. 

Meanwhile, the two largest boats in the ship were lowered. Provisions, masts, sails, and oars, etc. , were thrown in. The few remaining dogs, among whom were Dumps and Poker, were also embarked; and the crewhastily leaping in pushed off. They were not a moment too soon. The firehad reached the place where the gunpowder was kept, and although therewas not a great quantity of it, there was enough when it exploded toburst open the deck. The wind, having free ingress, fanned the fire intoa furious blaze, and in a few moments the _Dolphin_ was wrapped inflames from stem to stern. It was a little after sunset when the firewas discovered. In two hours later the good ship was burned to thewater's edge. Then the waves swept in, and while they extinguished thefire they sank the blackened hull, leaving the two crowded boatsfloating in darkness on the bosom of the ice-laden sea. 

CHAPTER XXV. 

_Escape to Upernavik--Letter from home--Meetuck's grandmother--Dumps andPoker again. _

For three long weeks the shipwrecked mariners were buffeted by winds andwaves in open boats, but at last they were guided in safety through alltheir dangers and vicissitudes to the colony of Upernavik. Here theyfound several vessels on the point of setting out for Europe, one ofwhich was bound for England, and in this vessel the crew of the_Dolphin_ resolved to ship. 

Nothing of particular interest occurred at this solitary settlementexcept _one_ thing, but that one thing was a great event, and deservesvery special notice. It was nothing less than the receipt of a letter byFred from his cousin Isobel! Fred and Isobel, having been brought up forseveral years together, felt towards each other like brother and sister. 

Fred received the letter from the pastor of the settlement shortly afterlanding, while his father and the captain were on board the English brigmaking arrangements for their passage home. He could scarcely believehis eyes when he beheld the well-known hand; but having at last come torealize the fact that he actually held a real letter in his hand, hedarted behind one of the curious, primitive cottages to read it. Here hewas met by a squad of inquisitive natives, so with a gesture ofimpatience he rushed to another spot; but he was observed and followedby half-a-dozen Esquimau boys, and in despair he sought refuge in thesmall church near which he chanced to be. He had not been there asecond, however, when two old women came in, and, approaching him, beganto scan him with critical eyes. This was too much, so Fred thrust theletter into his bosom, darted out, and was instantly surrounded by aband of natives, who began to question him in an unknown tongue. Seeingthat there was no other resource, Fred turned round and fled towards themountains at a pace that defied pursuit, and, coming to a halt in themidst of a rocky gorge that might have served as an illustration of whatchaos was, he sat down behind a big rock to peruse Isobel's letter. 

Having read it, he re-read it; having re-read it, he read it over again. Having read it over again, he meditated a little, exclaiming severaltimes emphatically, "My _darling_ Isobel, " and then he read bits of ithere and there; having done which, he read the _other_ bits, and so gotthrough it again. As the letter was a pretty long one, it took him aconsiderable time to do all this. Then it suddenly occurred to him thathe had been thus selfishly keeping it all to himself instead of sharingit with his father; so he started up and hastened back to the village, where he found Captain Ellice in earnest confabulation with the pastorof the place. Seizing his parent by the arm, Fred led him into a room inthe pastor's house, and, looking round to make sure that it was empty, he sought to bolt the door. But the door was a primitive one and had nobolt, so Fred placed a huge old-fashioned chair against it, and sittingdown therein, while his father took a seat opposite, he unfolded theletter, and yet once again read it through. 

The letter was about twelve months old, and ran thus:--

GRAYTON, _25th July. _

MY DARLING FRED, --It is now two months since you left us, and it seemsto me two years. Oh, how I _do_ wish that you were back! When I think ofthe terrible dangers that you may be exposed to amongst the ice my heartsinks, and I sometimes fear that we shall never see you or your dearfather again. But you are in the hands of our Father in heaven, dearFred, and I never cease to pray that you may be successful and return tous in safety. Dear, good old Mr. Singleton told me yesterday that he hadan opportunity of sending to the Danish settlements in Greenland, so Iresolved to write, though I very much doubt whether this will ever findyou in such a wild far-off land. 

Oh, when I think of where you are, all the romantic stories I have everread of Polar Regions spring up before me, and _you_ seem to be the heroof them all. But I must not waste my paper thus; I know you will beanxious for news. I have very little to give you, however. Good old Mr. Singleton has been _very_ kind to us since you went away. He comesconstantly to see us, and comforts dear mamma very much. Your friend, Dr. Singleton, will be glad to hear that he is well and strong. Tell myfriend Buzzby that his wife sends her 'compliments!' I laugh while Iwrite the word. Yes, she actually sends her 'compliments' to herhusband. She is a very stern but a really excellent woman. Mamma and Ivisit her frequently when we chance to be in the village. Her two boysare the finest little fellows I ever saw. They are both so like eachother that we cannot tell which is which when they are apart, and bothare so like their father that we can almost fancy we see him whenlooking at either of them. 

"The last day we were there, however, they were in disgrace, for Johnnyhad pushed Freddy into the washing-tub, and Freddy, in revenge, hadpoured a jug of treacle over Johnny's head! I am quite sure that Mrs. Buzzby is tired of being a widow--as she calls herself--and will be veryglad when her husband comes back. But I must reserve chit-chat to theend of my letter, and first give you a minute account of all yourfriends. "

Here followed six pages of closely-written quarto, which, howeverinteresting they might be to those concerned, cannot be expected toafford much entertainment to our readers, so we will cut Isobel'sletter short at this point. 

"Cap'n's ready to go aboord, sir, " said O'Riley, touching his cap toCaptain Ellice while he was yet engaged in discussing the letter withhis son. 

"Very good. "

"An', plaze sir, av ye'll take the throuble to look in at Mrs. Meetuckin passin', it'll do yer heart good, it will. "

"Very well, we'll look in, " replied the captain as he quitted the houseof the worthy pastor. 

The personage whom O'Riley chose to style Mrs. Meetuck was Meetuck'sgrandmother. That old lady was an Esquimau, whose age might bealgebraically expressed as an _unknown quantity_. She lived in a boatturned upside down, with a small window in the bottom of it, and a holein the side for a door. When Captain Ellice and Fred looked in, the oldwoman, who was a mere mass of bones and wrinkles, was seated on a heapof moss beside a fire, the only chimney to which was a hole in thebottom of the boat. In front of her sat her grandson Meetuck, and on acloth spread out at her feet were displayed all the presents with whichthat good hunter had been loaded by his comrades of the _Dolphin_. Meetuck's mother had died many years before, and all the affection inhis naturally warm heart was transferred to, and centred upon, his oldgrandmother. Meetuck's chief delight in the gifts he received was insharing them, as far as possible, with the old woman. We say _as far aspossible_, because some things could not be shared with her, such as asplendid new rifle and a silver-mounted hunting-knife and powder-horn, all of which had been presented to him by Captain Guy over and above hiswages, as a reward for his valuable services. But the trinkets of everykind which had been given to him by the men were laid at the feet of theold woman, who looked at everything in blank amazement, yet with a smileon her wrinkled visage that betokened much satisfaction. Meetuck's oilycountenance beamed with delight as he sat puffing his pipe in hisgrandmother's face. This little attention, we may remark, was paiddesignedly, for the old woman liked it, and the youth knew that. 

"They have enough to make them happy for the winter, " said CaptainEllice, as he turned to leave the hut. 

"Faix they have. There's only two things wantin' to make it complate. "

"What are they?" inquired Fred. 

"Murphies and a pig, sure. That's all they need. "

"Wot's come o' Dumps and Poker?" inquired Buzzby, as they reached theboat. 

"Oh, I quite forgot them!" cried Fred. "Stay a minute, I'll run up andfind them. They can't be far off. "

For some time Fred searched in vain. At last he bethought him ofMeetuck's hut as being a likely spot in which to find them. On enteringhe found the couple as he had left them, the only difference being thatthe poor old woman seemed to be growing sleepy over her joys. 

"Have you seen Dumps or Poker anywhere?" inquired Fred. 

Meetuck nodded, and pointed to a corner, where, comfortably rolled up ona mound of dry moss, lay Dumps; Poker, as usual, making use of him as apillow. 

"Thems is go bed, " said Meetuck. 

"Thems must get up then and come aboard, " cried Fred, whistling. 

At first the dogs, being sleepy, seemed indisposed to move; but at lastthey consented, and following Fred to the beach, were soon conveyedaboard the ship. 

Next day Captain Guy and his men bade Meetuck and the kind, hospitablepeople of Upernavik farewell, and spreading their canvas to a fairbreeze, set sail for England. 

CHAPTER XXVI. 

_The return--The surprise--Buzzby's sayings and doings--Thenarrative--Fighting battles o'er again--Conclusion. _

Once again we are on the end of the quay at Grayton. As Fred standsthere, all that has occurred during the past year seems to him but avivid dream. 

Captain Guy is there, and Captain Ellice, and Buzzby, and Mrs. Buzzbytoo, and the two little Buzzbys also, and Mrs. Bright, and Isobel, andTom Singleton, and old Mr. Singleton, and the crew of the wrecked_Dolphin_, and, in short, the "whole world"--of that part of thecountry. 

It was a great day for Grayton that. It was a wonderful day--quite anindescribable day; but there were also some things about it that madeCaptain Ellice feel, somehow, that it was a mysterious day, for, whilethere were hearty congratulations, and much sobbing for joy, on the partof Mrs. Bright, there were also whisperings which puzzled him a gooddeal. 

"Come with me, brother, " said Mrs. Bright, at length, taking him by thearm, "I have to tell you something. "

Isobel, who was on the watch, joined them, and Fred also went with themtowards the cottage. 

"Dear brother, " said Mrs. Bright, "I--I--O Isobel, tell him. _I_cannot. "

"What means all this mystery?" said the captain in an earnest tone, forhe felt that they had something serious to communicate. 

"Dear uncle, " said Isobel, "you remember the time when the piratesattacked--"

She paused, for her uncle's look frightened her. 

"Go on, Isobel, " he said quickly. 

"Your dear wife, uncle, _was not lost at that time_--"

Captain Ellice turned pale. "What mean you, girl? How came you to knowthis?" Then a thought flashed across him. Seizing Isobel by the shoulderhe gasped, rather than said, "Speak quick--is--is she alive?"

"Yes, dear uncle, she--"

The captain heard no more. He would have fallen to the ground had notFred, who was almost as much overpowered as his father, supported him. In a few minutes he recovered, and he was told that Alice was alive--inEngland--_in the cottage_. This was said as they approached the door. Alice was aware of her husband's arrival. In another moment husband andwife and son were reunited. 

Scenes of intense joy cannot be adequately described, and there aremeetings in this world which ought not to be too closely touched upon. Such was the present. We will therefore leave Captain Ellice and hiswife and son to pour out the deep feelings of their hearts to eachother, and follow the footsteps of honest John Buzzby, as he sailed downthe village with his wife and children, and a host of admiring friendsin tow. 

Buzzby's feelings had been rather powerfully stirred up by the joy ofall around, and a tear _would_ occasionally tumble over hisweather-beaten cheek, and hang at the point of his sunburnt and oftfrost-bitten nose, despite his utmost efforts to subdue such outrageousdemonstrations. 

"Sit down, John dear, " said Mrs. Buzzby in kind but commanding tones, when she got her husband fairly into his cottage, the little parlour ofwhich was instantly crowded to excess. "Sit down, John dear, and tell usall about it. "

"Wot! begin to spin the whole yarn o' the Voyage afore I've had time tosay, 'How d'ye do?'" exclaimed Buzzby, at the same time grasping his twouproarious sons, who had, the instant he sat down, rushed at his legslike two miniature midshipmen, climbed up them as if they had been twomasts, and settled on his knees as if they had been their own favouritecross-trees!

"No, John, not the yarn of the voyage, " replied his wife, while shespread the board before him with bread and cheese and beer, "but tell ushow you found old Captain Ellice and where, and what's comed of thecrew. "

"Werry good! then here goes. "

Buzzby was a man of action. He screwed up his weather-eye (the one nexthis wife, _of course_, that being the quarter from which squalls mightbe expected). And began a yarn which lasted the better part of twohours. 

It is not to be supposed that Buzzby spun it off without interruption. Besides the questions that broke in upon him from all quarters, the twoBuzzbys junior scrambled, as far as was possible, into his pockets, pulled his whiskers as if they had been hoisting a main-sail therewith, and, generally, behaved in such an obstreperous manner as to rendercoherent discourse all but impracticable. He got through with it, however; and then Mrs. Buzzby intimated her wish, pretty strongly, thatthe neighbours should vacate the premises, which they did laughingly, pronouncing Buzzby to be "a trump, " and his better half "a true blue. "

"Good day, old chap, " said the last who made his exit; "tiller's fixedagin--nailed amid-ships, eh?"

"Hard and fast, " replied Buzzby, with a broad grin, as he shut the doorand returned to the bosom of his family. 

Two days later a grand feast was given at Mrs. Bright's cottage, towhich all the friends of the family were invited to meet with CaptainEllice and those who had returned from their long and perilous voyage. It was a joyful gathering that, and glad and grateful hearts were there. 

Two days later still, and another feast was given. On this occasionBuzzby was the host, and Buzzby's cottage was the scene. It was a joyfulmeeting, too, and a jolly one to boot, for O'Riley was there, and PeterGrim, and Amos Parr, and David Mizzle, and Mivins--in short, the entirecrew of the lost _Dolphin_--captain, mates, surgeon, and all. Fred andhis father were also there, and old Mr. Singleton, and a number of otherfriends, so that all the rooms in the house had to be thrown open, andeven then Mrs. Buzzby had barely room to move. It was on this occasionthat Buzzby related to his shipmates how Mrs. Ellice had escaped fromdrowning on the night they were attacked by pirates on board the WestIndiaman. He took occasion to relate the circumstances just before the"people from the house" arrived, and as the reader may perhaps preferBuzzby's account to ours, we give it as it was delivered. 

"You see, it happened this way, " began Buzzby. 

"Hand us a coal, Buzzby, to light my pipe, before ye begin, " said PeterGrim. 

"Ah! then, howld yer tongue, Blunderbore, " cried O'Riley, handing theglowing coal demanded, with as much nonchalance as if his fingers weremade of cast-iron. 

"Well, ye see, " resumed Buzzby, "when poor Mrs. Ellice wos pitchedoverboard, as I seed her with my own two eyes--"

"Stop, Buzzby, " said Mivins; "'ow was 'er 'ead at the time?"

"Shut up, Mivins, " cried several of the men; "go on, Buzzby. "

"Well, I think her '_ead_ wos sou'-west, if it warn't nor'-east. Anyhowit wos pintin' somewhere or other round the compass. But, as I wossayin', when Mrs. Ellice struck the water (an' she told me all about itherself, ye must know) she sank, and then she comed up, and didn't knowhow it wos, but she caught hold of an oar that wos floatin' close besideher, and screamed for help; but no help came, for it wos dark, and theship had disappeared, so she gave herself up for lost. But in a littlethe oar struck agin a big piece o' the wreck o' the pirate's boat, andshe managed to clamber upon it, and lay there, a'most dead with cold, till mornin'. The first thing she saw when day broke forth wos a bigship, bearin' right down on her, and she wos jist about run down whenone o' the men observed her from the bow. 

"'Hard a-port!' roared the man. 

"'Port it is, ' cried the man at the wheel, an' round went the ship likea duck, jist missin' the bit of wreck as she passed. A boat wos lowered, and Mrs. Ellice wos took aboard. Well, she found that the ship wos boundfor the Sandwich Islands, and as they didn't mean to touch at any portin passin', Mrs. Ellice had to go on with her. Misfortins don't comesingle, howsiver. The ship wos wrecked on a coral reef, and the crew hadto take to their boats, which they did, an' got safe to land; but theland they got to wos an out-o'-the-way island among the Feejees, and aspot where ships never come, so they had to make up their minds to stopthere. "

"I thought, " said Amos Parr, "that the Feejees were cannibals, and thatwhoever was wrecked or cast ashore on their coasts was killed androasted, and eat up at once. "

"So ye're right, " rejoined Buzzby; "but Providence sent the crew to oneo' the islands that had bin visited by a native Christian missionaryfrom one o' the other islands, and the people had gin up some o' theirworst practices, and wos thinkin' o' turnin' over a new leaf altogether. So the crew wos spared, and took to livin' among the natives, quitecomfortable like. But they soon got tired and took to their boats agin, and left. Mrs. Ellice, however, determined to remain and help the nativeChristians, till a ship should pass that way. For three years nothin'but canoes hove in sight o' that lonesome island; then, at last, a brigcame, and cast anchor off shore. It wos an Australian trader that hadbeen blown out o' her course on her way to England, so they took poorMrs. Ellice aboard, and brought her home--and that's how it wos. "

Buzzby's outline, although meagre, is so comprehensive that we do notthink it necessary to add a word. Soon after he had concluded, theguests of the evening came in, and the conversation became general. 

"Buzzby's jollification, " as it was called in the village, was longremembered as one of the most interesting events that had occurred formany years. One of the chief amusements of the evening was the spinningof long yarns about the incidents of the late voyage, by men who couldspin them well. 

Their battles in the Polar Seas were all fought over again. Thewondering listeners were told how Esquimaux were chased and captured;how walruses were lanced and harpooned; how bears were speared and shot;how long and weary journeys were undertaken on foot over immeasurablefields of ice and snow; how icebergs had crashed around their ship, andchains had been snapped asunder, and tough anchors had been torn fromthe ground or lost; how schools had been set agoing and a theatre gotup; and how, provisions having failed, rats were eaten--and eaten, too, with gusto. All this and a great deal more was told on that celebratednight--sometimes by one, sometimes by another, and sometimes, to theconfusion of the audience, by two or three at once, and, notunfrequently, to the still greater confusion of story-tellers andaudience alike, the whole proceedings were interrupted by the outrageousyells and turmoil of the two indomitable young Buzzbys, as they rompedin reckless joviality with Dumps and Poker. But at length the morninglight broke up the party, and stories of the World of Ice came to anend. 

 * * * * *

And now, reader, our tale is told. But we cannot close without a partingword in regard to those with whom we have held intercourse so long. 

It must not be supposed that from this date everything in the affairs ofour various friends flowed on in a tranquil, uninterrupted course. Thisworld is a battle-field, on which no warrior finds rest until he dies;and yet, to the Christian warrior on that field, the hour of death isthe hour of victory. "Change" is written in broad letters on everythingconnected with Time; and he who would do his duty well, and enjoy thegreatest possible amount of happiness here, must seek to prepare himselffor _every_ change. Men cannot escape the general law. The current oftheir particular stream may long run smooth, but sooner or later therugged channel and the precipice will come. Some streams run quietly formany a league, and only at the last are troubled. Others burst fromtheir very birth on rocks of difficulty, and rush, throughout theircourse, in tortuous, broken channels. 

So was it with the actors in our story. Our hero's course was smooth. Having fallen in love with his friend Tom Singleton's profession, hestudied medicine and surgery, became an M. D. , and returned to practisein Grayton, which was a flourishing sea-port, and, during the course ofFred's career, extended considerably. Fred also fell in love with apretty young girl in a neighbouring town, and married her. Tom Singletonalso took up his abode in Grayton, there being, as he said, "room fortwo. " Ever since Tom had seen Isobel on the end of the quay, on the daywhen the _Dolphin_ set sail for the Polar Regions, his heart had beentaken prisoner. Isobel refused to give it back unless he, Tom, shouldreturn the heart which he had stolen from her. This he could not do, soit was agreed that the two hearts should be tied together, and they twoshould be constituted joint guardians of both. In short, they weremarried, and took Mrs. Bright to live with them, not far from theresidence of old Mr. Singleton, who was the fattest and jolliest oldgentleman in the place, and the very idol of dogs and boys, who lovedhim to distraction. 

Captain Ellice, having had, as he said, "more than his share of thesea, " resolved to live on shore, and, being possessed of a moderatelycomfortable income, he purchased Mrs. Bright's cottage on the green hillthat overlooked the harbour and the sea. Here he became celebrated forhis benevolence, and for the energy with which he entered into all theschemes that were devised for the benefit of the town of Grayton. LikeTom Singleton and Fred, he became deeply interested in the condition ofthe poor, and had a special weakness for _poor old women, _ which heexhibited by searching up, and doing good to, every poor old woman inthe parish. Captain Ellice was also celebrated for his garden, which wasa remarkably fine one; for his flagstaff, which was a remarkably talland magnificent one; and for his telescope, which constantly protrudedfrom his drawingroom window, and pointed in the direction of the sea. 

As for the others--Captain Guy continued his career at sea as commanderof an East Indiaman. He remained stout and true-hearted to the last, like one of the oak timbers of his own good ship. 

Bolton, Saunders, Mivins, Peter Grim, Amos Parr, and the rest of them, were scattered in a few years, as sailors usually are, to the fourquarters of the globe. O'Riley alone was heard of again. He wrote toBuzzby "by manes of the ritin' he had larn'd aboord the _Dolfin_, "informing him that he had forsaken the "say" and become a small farmernear Cork. He had plenty of murphies and also a pig--the latter "bein'"he said, "so like the wan that belonged to his owld grandmother, that hethought it must be the same wan corned alive agin, or its darter. "

And Buzzby--poor Buzzby--he also gave up the sea, much against his will, by command of his wife, and took to miscellaneous work, of which therewas plenty for an active man in a sea-port like Grayton. His rudder, poor man, was again (and this time permanently) lashed amid-ships, andwhatever breeze Mrs. Buzzby chanced to blow, his business was to sail_right before it. _ The two little Buzzbys were the joy of their father'sheart. They were genuine little true-blues, both of them, and went tosea the moment their legs were long enough, and came home, voyage aftervoyage, with gifts of curiosities and gifts of money to their worthyparents. 

Dumps resided during the remainder of his days with Captain Ellice, andPoker dwelt with Buzzby. These truly remarkable dogs kept up theirattachment to each other to the end. Indeed, as time passed by, theydrew closer and closer together, for Poker became more sedate, and, consequently, a more suitable companion for his ancient friend. The dogsformed a connecting link between the Buzzby and Ellice families--constantlyreminding each of the other's existence by the daily interchange of visits. 

Fred and Tom soon came to be known as the best doctors with which thatpart of the country had ever been blessed. And the secret of theirsuccess lay in this, that while they ministered to the diseased bodiesof men, they also ministered to their diseased souls. With skilful handsthey sought to arrest the progress of decay; but when all their remediesfailed, they did not merely cease their efforts and retire--they turnedto the pages of divine truth, and directed the gaze of the dyingsufferers to Jesus Christ, the Great Physician of souls. When death haddone its work, they did not quit the mourning household as if they wereneeded there no longer, but kneeling down with the bereaved, they prayedto Him who alone can bind up the broken heart, and besought the HolySpirit to comfort the stricken ones in their deep affliction. 

Thus Fred and his friend went hand in hand together, respected andblessed by all who knew them--each year as it passed cementing closerand closer that undying friendship which had first started into being inthe gay season of boyhood, and had bloomed and ripened amid theadventures, dangers, and vicissitudes of the World of Ice.