Adventure Magazine Cover, October 1911 — page 79: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Forbidden Treasure unexpectedly, to end the long, silent, lonely vigil. Mark turned suddenly, gladly. Ber- wind, wrapped in his fur coat, was hurrying down the snowy hillside toward him. “Will you tell me,” cried Berwind, ‘“‘in the name of all the goblins of this unspeak- able country, what they have been doing to our sea out there while we slept?” Stuart regarded him fixedly but with a little whimsicality. ‘You will sympathize with me, my dear chap, when I tell you it is my professional duty to inform you of the worst. You may remember my speaking the other day of the Greenland floe—the pack-ice that swings away from the Arctic snow when the Summer sun begins to shine, and comes drifting south? It is alittle early this year, as you see. And it remains till the coast is sufficiently warmed by the long day to set it free—a process which is ener ally accomplished, I believe, by ‘By when?” cried Berwind as he hes “By the middle of August,’ answered Stuart quietly. Berwind stared at the speaker. ‘The middle of August—of August! My dear Stuart, then you mean to say Stuart swept his arm toward the death- like construction of the rigid, white expanse below them. ‘“‘It means, old man,” he said almost re- luctantly, ‘‘that the Blessed Damozel and her company are fast-locked prisoners here in the Vatna Jokull, for the next three months to come!” CHAPTER XXV AT THE SHIP’S RAIL Ge sound of voices, speaking in the earnest, explosive style of those face to face with an unexpected emergency, woke Nora Lee. She opened her eyes and stared in amazement at the cruelly brilliant blue sky above her. Then she remembered and sat up. Womanlike, she put up her hands to her hair. As she bent forward under this opera- tion, her hands suddenly slackened and stopped. Spread over the gay colors of her steamer-rug was the rough, harsh fur of a motor-coat. She looked at it a moment in amazement and then her glance flew to the row of men standing staring out tosea. Her father, Berwind and the Captain were all huddled down inside their great coats; 1025 Mark Stuart was standing as passively as they, with nothing over his tweed jacket. In an instant she had thrown off the cover- ing and risen to her feet. And the crimson that seemed to flourish in her cheeks for the sake of but this one man, colored her bravely in the action. He had dared! He had taken advantage of her sleeping to put her under obligation to him again! Knowing that she would rather have died of exposure than accept a sacrifice from him, he had allowed her no choice but had come to her like a thief in the night and had stolen her permission to serve her! And doubtless he had been revelling in every movement of her unconsciousness, rejoicing in his own discom- fort at the thought that he had gained an- other cowardly advantage over her! She put on her cap again and was tying her long veil with a vicious jerk when her father turned and saw that she was on her feet. He came toward her instantly. ‘‘Good morning!” she called brightly. “Well, there’s no difficulty about getting down this morning, is there? Why didn’t you wake me, dear? How clear it is, but how cold!” The word cold reminded her of the coat, but though she flushed again she did not so much as glance toward it. ‘‘Oh, for a hot breakfast on the yacht!” she said with a shiver. ‘‘Can’t we start at once?” Mr. Lee gavea short laugh. “You'll have plenty of hot breakfasts on the yacht!”’ he replied, half amused and half irritated. “‘Come and look at this!” He put his arm through hers, as was his ' way, and turning about, brought her a few steps nearer to where the others were stand- ing. They turned about to greet her, but her eyes stared past them at the sea and her step faltered beside her father’s. ‘““Why—what has happened?” she asked slowly. ‘It looks like the North Pole!” “That’s just what it is!” replied Berwind, smiling. ‘‘The Greenland floe has closed in on us, and I am informed it usually spends two or three months’ vacation on this coast every Spring.”’ Nora continued to stare at it. “‘But how do we get through it?”’ she asked. ““We—don’t,” said Berwind. “Don’t?” she queried. “What do you mean? We can’t stay here two or three months!” “T am afraid it is a matter of Hobson’s choice,” returned Berwind. CO MICLOOKS C©