"She's all right," he returned; "she managed to weather the berg, and is
now brought up to leeward of the floe, but she had a narrow scrape of
it, and we thought for certain that she'd be knocked to pieces."
My mind felt greatly relieved, but Sandy having to attend to the
steering of the boat I could not again attract his attention. I was
anxious to know what had become of the boat. I did not suppose it
possible that she could have escaped. After some time I managed to
utter the word "boat" loud enough for him to hear me.
"It is a sad business, the poor fellows are all lost. We saw the wreck
dashing against the base of the floe, and that drew our attention to
you. Although we saw you at a distance we at first took you for a
seal."
I asked no further questions. Some twenty minutes or more passed away
before we reached the side of the ship. It was surprising that during
the time I did not perish from cold. I was hoisted on board, and Andrew
had me carried below immediately and put to bed with warm appliances to
my feet and chest. At first I suffered great pain, but at length I
began to feel a sensation of comfort and dropped off to sleep. I
afterwards found that Sandy's boat had not gone back to the ship as I
supposed, but that the foggy weather clearing off she had got under
weigh, hoping to find some channel, and that she had discovered the one
we were attempting to pass through when the mass of ice had fallen upon
us.
On awaking I felt greatly recovered, but my brother would not allow me
to leave my bed. I observed that he looked very grave. I inquired if
anything had happened.
"The loss of the first mate and the boat's crew is a serious matter," he
answered, "but our own position is critical in the extreme. We have
failed to get through among the icebergs, and are now passing through a
lead to the westward. It is possible that we may get out by it, but if
not we shall, too probably, be beset for the winter."
"We'll get through, doctor, don't be cast down," exclaimed the captain,
who had overheard my brother's remark. "We must keep up the spirits of
the men, they're rather low at having lost so many of our ship-mates."
I knew from the sounds that the ship was still making way. Sooner than
Andrew had expected I was all to rights. On once more going on deck, I
found that the captain was in the crow's nest, looking out for a further
lead, of which, from where I stood, nothing could be seen. There were a
few water holes and openings in the ice, none of them, except the one in
which we floated, being wide enough to admit the ship. The sun was
sinking towards the horizon, and a night of three hours' duration was
approaching. The captain on coming down ordered the ice-anchors to be
carried to the floe to windward, and the ship to be made fast.
"We shall be out of this in a few hours, lads, I hope," he said. "The
ice will open again soon, though at present I see no lead to follow."
Andrew sent me below soon after this. I was struck, when awaking at
night, with the perfect silence which prevailed everywhere. It was
evident we were not moving. The next morning when I went on deck, to my
dismay I found that the pool in which we floated was completely frozen
over. The crew were cutting away the ice from round the ship. It was
thick enough to bear them. While they were thus employed, the floes
around them began to move, emitting a rustling sound, or perhaps I might
liken it to a suppressed roar. The ice in the pool cracked in all
directions, and one slab was forced over another. The violence of the
movement increased on every side. We could see huge masses of ice
rushing together, one being piled over the other, until the appearance
of the surface became completely changed. Every moment it seemed as if
the ship herself would be nipped. The ice tumbled and tossed about in a
most fearful manner, filling the air with shrieks and howls, for I can
liken the noise it produced to nothing else. The hitherto level floes
became piled up into mountainous masses, towering many fathoms above the
deck. We could do nothing to preserve the ship. The captain, believing
that any moment might be her last, ordered the crew to bring their bags
and the provisions which we always kept ready for such a catastrophe up
on deck. Should the ship be crushed where could we go for safety? The
boats would be destroyed if placed on the ice. Though we might escape
to it, we could only expect to be utterly overwhelmed.
We could now see water round us in various directions, but we were too
closely beset to obtain any chance, unless some lane should unexpectedly
open by which we might reach one of the pools to the southward. In
about a couple of hours, however, the commotion ceased, but as it did so
our chance of escape lessened. The cold became greater than we had yet
felt it, and every floe and mass of ice was soon securely bound
together. Although we had not had time to form a dock, one made by
nature had preserved us.
Next day there was no change, except that the distant lanes and pools
appeared to be closed. Although our captain must have seen that there
was a great probability of our having to winter in the ice, he was
unwilling to dishearten the crew by preparations until it was absolutely
necessary. We, in the meantime, for the sake of taking exercise, made
excursions over the ice, generally accompanied by some dogs.
Of course we carried our rifles, and Sandy, with some of the men, took
their harpoons, on the chance of finding a seal or walrus on the ice or
coming up to breathe through a water-hole. Ewen and Croil and I set off
from the ship one morning, expecting to shoot some snow-buntings or
other birds, or perhaps, should we get near a water-hole, to kill a
seal. We carried provisions with us, as the air invariably made us
hungry. The captain had charged us not on any account to lose sight of
the ship. We had gone on and on, looking back every now and then,
seeing her clearly enough. At last Ewen proposed that we should sit
down under the lee of a huge hummock and take our lunch. Croil and I
were perfectly willing to do this. We had finished our repast, which as
may be supposed did not take us very long, when Ewen, looking up,
exclaimed, "Where is the ship?"
She was not to be seen.
"Stay! I'll climb to the top of this ice-hill, and I shall soon make
her out from thence," said Ewen, placing his rifle against a block of
ice near the spot where he commenced his ascent. He found the task a
pretty hard one.
"Perhaps we shall find it more easy on the other side," I observed to
Croil.
We both moved on, looking out for a part which we could both more
readily climb up. We were not disappointed; it seemed so easy, indeed,
that, slinging our rifles over our backs, we made our way up, expecting
to meet Ewen at the top. We had nearly reached it, when we heard him
shout out--
"Hugh, Croil, take care. I see a large bear coming along; he'll be up
to us presently."
We looked in the direction Ewen pointed, and there, sure enough, we saw
a large shaggy monster coming along leisurely, and sniffing the air as
if he had scented us. Croil and I waited until Ewen joined us.
"We must shoot him, or perhaps he'll manage to make a dinner off one of
us," I exclaimed.
"Dear me, and I left my rifle at the bottom of the hummock," cried Ewen.
"Then stay where you are, and Croil and I will see what we can do," I
answered. "Should I miss, Croil, do you take a steady aim, while I
retreat and reload."
This was agreed on, and we descended the hummock to a spot whence we
thought we could take a better aim at the bear. Just as we reached it,
what was our surprise to see Master Bruin seize Ewen's rifle and begin
to walk off with it, looking round cunningly as he did so, as if
perfectly aware that he was carrying off the means we possessed of
injuring him.
"Fire! fire!" cried Ewen, "or I shall lose my gun."
Ewen's voice made the bear stop, and I advanced as fast as I could,
being partially concealed by a projection of the hummock. Taking a
steady aim, I pulled the trigger. My bullet struck the bear on the
shoulder. He instantly dropped the rifle, and, turning round with a
fierce growl, bit at the wound, but did not attempt to run off. This
enabled me to reload. Fortunate it was that I had time to do so, for
Croil, not being a good shot, missed; when the bear, growling horribly,
and showing his teeth, began to move towards us; then, sitting up on his
hind paws, he looked about him to make us out more clearly. I told
Croil to reload and to stand by me with his rifle, that I might use it
should my next shot not take effect. I prayed that my aim might be
steady, and fired. Croil and Ewen raised a shout of joy as they saw the
bear roll over, kicking his legs in the air. We let him kick, while I
again got my rifle ready for action. We then advanced, intending to put
the bear out of its misery, while Ewen, slipping down from the top of
the ice-hill, ran to possess himself of his gun. The bear's struggles,
however, soon ceased, and we had not to expend any further powder and
shot upon him.
"How are we to get him to the ship?" exclaimed Croil.
"Where is the ship, rather?" I asked.
"I saw her clearly enough from the top of the hummock," said Ewen. "I
was going to cry out when I saw the bear. We may drag the carcase part
of the way, and then get some of the men to come and cut it up, and
transport the remainder on their shoulders," said Ewen.
This plan was agreed to; by going round the hummock we could see the
ship, though she appeared a long way off. We hoped, however, by
returning with so valuable a prize, we should be excused for having gone
further than we ought to have done. We found that it was no easy matter
to drag along the huge carcase over the ice, even where the surface of
the floe was perfectly smooth. At last we had to give up the task, but
how we were to find our way back to where we had left the bear was the
difficulty, as the fur could not be distinguished at any great distance.
At last Croil produced a red handkerchief from his pocket, which we
secured to the end of a pole we had carried for the purpose of trying
the ice. He then stuck it through the bear's body, with the iron head
fixed in the ice. Though the bear could not be seen, the handkerchief
could be distinguished at a long distance off. We were pretty well
tired when we got back to the ship, and the captain was beginning to
find fault with us for having gone so far, when we told him of the bear,
and he immediately sent four hands, under the command of Sandy, to bring
it in, or at all events the skin, and as much of his flesh as they could
carry. We three offered to set off with them, but I was secretly not
sorry when the captain remarked that we had taken enough exercise for
one day, and ordered us to go below and get some rest.
It was getting dark when Sandy's party returned with our prize, cut up,
however, into bits. They were received with a cordial welcome, as all
hands were glad to get some fresh meat, which we had not tasted for many
a long day.