FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54  
55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   >>   >|  
dertake, in the use of ice-tools, consisting of chisels, poles with iron points, claws, lines, &c. In a short time, the prospect of liberating the "Pioneer" was seen to be farcical, and all the officers and men from the "Resolute" returned to their ship, although parties of novices would walk down constantly to see the first vessel beset in the ice. A few birds playing about induced myself and some others to go out shooting, a foggy night promising to be favourable to our larders. The ice, however, was full of holes, and very decayed; in addition to which it was in rapid motion in many places, from the action of wind and tide. The risk of such sporting was well evinced in my gallant friend M----'s case. He was on one side of a lane of water, and I on the other: a bird called a "Burgomaster" flew over his head to seaward, and he started in the direction it had gone. I and another shouted to warn him of the ice being in rapid motion and very thin; he halted for a moment, and then ran on, leaping from piece to piece. The fog at this moment lifted a little, and most providentially so, for suddenly I saw M---- make a leap and disappear--the ice had given way!--he soon rose, but without his gun, and I then saw him scramble upon a piece of ice, and on watching it, observed with a shudder that both he and it were drifting to the northward, and away from us. Leaving my remaining companion to keep sight of M----, and thus to point out the way on my return, I retraced my steps to the "Pioneer," and with a couple of men, a long hand-line, and boarding-pikes, started off in the direction M---- was in. I could tell my route pretty well by my companion's voice, which in rich Milesian was giving utterance to encouraging exclamations of the most original nature--"Keep up your courage, my boy!--Why don't you come back?--Faith, I suppose it's water that won't let you!--There will be some one there directly!--Hoy! hoy! ahoy! don't be down-hearted anyway!" I laughed as I ran. My party placed themselves about ten yards apart, the last man carrying the line, ready to heave, in case of the leader breaking through. So weak was the ice that we had to keep at a sharp trot to prevent the weight of our own bodies resting long on any one spot; and when we sighted our friend M---- on his little piece of firm ice, the very natural exclamation of one of my men was, "I wonder how he ever reached it, sir?" M---- assisted us to approach him by point
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54  
55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

moment

 

direction

 

motion

 

started

 
friend
 

Pioneer

 

companion

 

remaining

 

Leaving

 

nature


original

 

encouraging

 

exclamations

 
drifting
 
northward
 
utterance
 

courage

 

retraced

 

return

 

couple


boarding

 

Milesian

 

giving

 
pretty
 

prevent

 

weight

 
resting
 
bodies
 

leader

 
breaking

reached
 

assisted

 
approach
 

sighted

 
natural
 

exclamation

 

carrying

 
directly
 

suppose

 

hearted


laughed

 
suddenly
 

shooting

 

induced

 
playing
 

promising

 

addition

 

places

 
action
 

decayed