The Argosy, Christmas 1912 — page 21: what you’re looking at

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

LOOSING THE TEMPEST, 7 similar. I advanced to the edge, and stood there, mute with wonder. Some distance below me, on a ledge but a few inches above the water, was Ordway. The wreck of the Northbird floated, and from bow and stern the painters stretched to iron spikes that Ordway was driving into the ice. He was working like a Trojan, as though he had not a minute to spare. “Hello, down there!” I called. He looked up and waved his hammer. “ Bully for you, old chap,” he said. “All right?” “Oh, I guess I’m all right. sor¢head, though.” “T reckon you will be for some time, after the crack you got. Come down here. Go that way,” and he pointed with the hammer, “and you'll find some mush. It’s easy to get down.” : | I followed his direction, and half walking, half slipping, I was soon at his side. “Old man,” he explained, pausing in his‘work and surveying it while he spoke, “‘ we are‘about the luckiest wards of Providence that ever lived. It was a miracle. Miracle? Why, there was never a greater miracle than this.” “Something seems to have hap- pened, truly,” I replied. “Tell me, what was it?” “Tl tell you what it was. You re- member I yelled that 1 saw a cave?” “Yes; and I remember you yelled ‘Look out!’ I seem, however, to have looked in.” “We both looked in. At the mouth of that cave—which, by the way, is this cave—there was roaring, sucking whirlpool. Caused, I suppose, by the motion of the ice, and perhaps some undercurrent formed by the opening. The water swirls up against the side of the entrance like a mighty wave. “Well, that wave caught the North- bird, whirled her around, smashed her up against the side, swept her inward, and hurled her, like a thing to be de- ma spised, clear of its clutch into this calm. water. You were struck on the head, or, at least, your head struck the ice, and you fell in the cockpit. Fortunate- ly, I wasn’t hurt. “I got out on this ledge and hauled what was left of the Northbird farther in, to be clear of any inward rush of the sea. ““ Now I’ve made her secure. You gee there is no bruise below the water- line. We have all the stores, and are safe. Just how long we are going to be safe is a problem. But the thing is, we are safe now.” To my aching head the performance of the forces of nature in this instance was too stupendous for comprehension. -That such a vast destroying force as the berg had seemed should have sud- denly shown mercy was beyond my limited brain just then to understand. But we were there, and as Ordway had said, we were, for the time being, safe. Just what prank the mighty ice- berg would choose to play next no one could tell. “ Now she can’t get away,” went on Ordway, “what is your idea? Shall we leave all the stuff aboard and use the hulk as a headquarters, or take it all out and carry it up to where you were? ” “That requires some thought,” I answered, feeling the gravity of the situation. ‘“‘ There are things to be reasoned out. To begin with, it is problematical whether those bolts you have driven into that ice will hold half an hour or half a year. The iron may melt the ice, in which case the North- bird would make a poor headquarters, indeed. Then, as you say, there is no telling how long we shall be safe. We have already seen one proof that the berg is breaking up. If she splits and comes down on us here, that will end it all.” “What you say is true. Well, then, go on. Your head isn’t so very bad after all. I think I'll go crack mine against the ice.” “ Don’t do that. It hurts afterward. But now let’s do some real thinking. Suppose we haul out the grub and oO MICLOOO© CO Sj CO