The Argosy, March 1907 — page 68: what you’re looking at

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

: % ae th ia tae ee ee pe RE TSS Se ‘eye sy a . ae : - > a y . « , Forward they shot: in Steps scokes only by-the ring of their runners and the booming of splitting ice. Again and again Gibson brought them up short and dodged an open stretch of water. They had tacked till they had en- tirely lost the direction of the light. They could not tell whether they were on the main strip of ice or off on one of its branches which could only lead them to the open sea. The fog-horn at the light had gone wrong the night before, and the men had been mending it that day. It was still silent. Again came that ominous booming from the open. This time it was to leeward, and would cut them off from the light, if, indeed, that had not already happened. “We must jump _ that,’ Gibson groaned, heading straight before the wind. The boat fairly flew. Then came the final report, and the ~ice opened right under their bowsprit. The forward runner jumped clear, and so did the aft starboard runner, but with a crash that brought them up short the port runner rammed under the edge of the ice. Barrett shut his eyes, expecting to feel the water close over him the next instant. Then he realized that they were again moving. The boat had swung around parallel to the fissure and was sailing across the wind, dragging one runner over the edge in the water. That could last only for an instant. Gibson, in desperation, drew the sail tight aft and threw his weight far out over the ice. This move, with the force of the wind, keeled the boat so far over that only a swift leap by Gibson in the opposite direction prevented a capsize. When they righted again, almost by -a miracle all runners were on the ice, and they were skimming along at a safe distance from the fissure. Once more they turned and _ sailed before the wind. Scarcely another dozen rods brought them again to a breach, so wide that they could hardly see the — ice in the fog. “Shut off!’ gasped Barrett. “THE ARGOSY. Gibson was silent. _ Again he had brought the boat around in the nick of time and was skirting the chasm in the vain hope of finding a bridge. <A little distance ‘brought them to a cross-split. Once more they turned and worked back, only to find a far edge broken by choppy waves that betokened the open sea. They were marooned on an _ ice-floe, dashing wildly around the outer edge of a flimsy island that with every heave of the waves was growing smaller and might at any moment break into a thou- sand pieces. “Could we swim it?” asked Barrett, in despair. Gibson’s only reply was a look of pity- ing scorn. It would have been a feat in clear water of such a temperature even if the swimmer could have seen where he was going. The fog lifted a little, but the wind was increasing to a gale, making it con- stantly more difficult to handle the ice- boat. The air was at least ten gc. colder than when they started. To add to their confusion, the dark- ness of an early winter evening was now closing over them. They might be a short distance eos % the light and safety, or they might be far out to sea. Then for the first time it occurred to them to shout for help. Again and again they hallooed together and listened for an answering shout, but in vain. Suddenly, with an increased volume of wind, the fog lifted for a moment. Should he live to tell the story, never to his dying day could Barrett forget the _ feeling of despair the sight gave him. They were racing straight to sea on their ice-island, now scarcely an acre in extent. The mainland was almost lost on the horizon, and the light was sending its intermittent flashes to them, nearly — five miles away. Every moment the racing tide was - bearing them farther from land. There was not a sail in sight. It was probable that the very tide that was carrying them away had so far pre- served them, for as they dashed along the edge of the floe they saw that the broken ice had jammed under the main 2 "comicbooks.com — » it » b A tots e 7 * 4 1) us “ Wee) Fires T* y ‘ Dddls ius ae ihe La ad Vaid Bcidia ., 5