st, that I was at home, and could hear the birds
singing by the window; and I believe that I called out "Bob!" once or
twice before I was fairly roused. But soon the real state of the case
came back to me; and, going into the staterooms, I hunted round until I
found a suit of good clean clothes that would fit me, and dressed myself
for the day. The clothes that I had worn were now so dirty and torn that
I was very glad to get rid of them. After breakfasting heartily,--and an
excellent cup of hot coffee I had that morning,--I began to think what I
should do with myself during the day. I had no longer to go tramping
about in search of food; and so I thought that I would take a little
stroll over my farm,--as I called the acre of loam that lay by the side
of my abode,--and see how the crops were looking. I must confess that
the vegetation was not much advanced; and yet I could see, here and
there, little green shoots springing out of the earth, indicating that
the summer sun was beginning to have its effect upon the soil. It then
occurred to me how pleasant it would be to look out upon a greensward in
that icy spot; and remembering to have seen in the store-room a canvas
bag marked "grass-seed," and a rake standing there, I went for them, and
passed the forenoon in agricultural pursuits. In a few hours, I had
quite a patch of ground nicely raked over, and sown for grass. In less
than a fortnight, it had sprouted beautifully, and I began to be quite
proud of my arctic lawn.
All the time, however, I was wondering how I should find my way back to
the abodes of man, and how soon I might expect to start for home. I had
presumed, that, as the season advanced, I should begin to drift
southward; and I hoped, that, before the winter closed in again, I might
reach those parts of the sea which are frequented by vessels, and so
find rescue. But whether I was moving or not, it was impossible as yet
to tell, as there was no fixed object in sight by which a movement could
be measured. I felt very certain that the iceberg was not grounded,
because there would be, occasionally, a quivering of the whole mass,
which showed that it was floating on the water. It was also growing
warmer and warmer every day, which was a favorable symptom. If I had
known how to use the sextant or quadrant, I could have settled the
matter at once.
Before long, I was satisfied, from the change in the appearance of the
ocean and of the sun, that I was indeed mov
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