arm,
where the bears had been seen. We landed, and pulled the boat up after
us. No danger from the tide at this time of day. The captain and Raed
led off, climbing over the rocks, and following along the jam of ice,
which was piled considerably higher than the shore of the arm.
Palmleaf, jolly as a darky need be, kept close behind them. The rest
followed as best they might, clambering from ledge to ledge. Wade and
I brought up the rear.

"Only look at that nigger!" muttered my kinsman of Southern blood.
"Impudent dog! I would like to crack his head with the butt of this
musket! Hear how he wagged his tongue to me?"

"Well, you called him a lubber."

"What of that?"

"What of that? Why, you must expect him to talk back: that's all. He's
a free man, now, you know."

"The more's the pity!"

"I don't see it."

"I'd like to have the handling of that nigger a while!"

"No doubt. But you might just as well get over those longings first as
last," I said; for I was beginning to get sick of his foolish spirit.
"You had better forget the war, bury your old-time prejudices, and
start new in the world, resolved to live and let live; to be a good
fellow, and treat everybody alike and well. That's the way we do in
the North,--or ought to."

Wade said not a word. I rather pity the fellow. He has got some mighty
hard, painful lessons to learn before he will be able to start right
in life.

Raed and the captain had stopped.

"They were right opposite here, over among the ice," Raed was saying.
"I marked the spot by that high cake sticking up above the rest."

"We need scaling-ladders to get up among it," laughed Kit. "Talk of
impenetrable jungles! here is a jungle of ice!"

Imagine, reader, a thousand ice-cakes from six to thirty feet square,
and of every grade of thickness, piled sidewise, edgewise, slantwise,
cross-wise, and flatwise on top of that, and you may, perhaps, gain
some idea of the vast jam which filled the arm and lay heaped up
twenty and thirty feet above us. For a moment we were at a loss how to
surmount it; then all began looking along for some available cranny or
rift which might offer a foothold.

"Here's a breach!" Weymouth shouted.

He had gone along a dozen rods farther. We followed to see him
mounting by the jagged edge of a vast cake five or six feet thick
which projected out over the ledges. Kit followed; and they stood at
the top, stretching down helping hands. In five minutes we were all