The Argosy, Christmas 1912 — page 31: what you’re looking at

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

LOOSING THE TEMPEST. “Well, I suppose while you were studying about ostriches and tigers and rhinoceroses and big things of hot countries I was looking at things be- longing to the cold. Anyway, the meat of the dolphin is good, for I have eaten it. It is dark, and not like fish at all. Anyway, he is ours.” “ All right,” he said easily. “Ifa sea-cow happens to drop in for a call I'll take a milk-punch. And if you chance to lasso a sea-horse, I think a ride in the open air will do me good.” “Undoubtedly. But don’t get too facetious here. The funnier you are the sicker you will seem. By the way, it seems to be unusually dark in the south. And the water beyond our friendly breakwater is. getting rough.” ‘He peered from the cabin window. “That’s a storm coming, sure enough,” he said. ‘‘ And we are in an exposed spot here.”’ “We are protected by the piece that broke off.” He gazed in a silent, contemplative way at that fragment for two minutes at least. “Vou know more about this unholy region than Ido. Are you sure that thing is a protection? ”’ “Why not? Won’t it break the fury of the storm? ”’ ‘““ Perhaps — perhaps. thinking.” “ Well, come across with the goods. You were. thinking what? ”’ “That light bodies are driven be- fore a storm more swiftly than heavy ones. Moreover, that hunk of the American Ice Trust will get the brunt of the storm it saves us from. Now, pace He paused, and I knew he was right. f finished for him. “Tf the storm drives that piece up against us—well, the only answer now is a question mark.” “ Just so.”’ “Then let’s get ready for the bump. We can’t do anything to ‘save the Northbird. We can drag the dolphin up into the grotto. We must put every- I was only 17 thing into the grotto. And we must get in there ourselves when we see the bump coming.” “The bump won’t come for many hours.” . ‘ Still, we can be ready.” Ordway was able to give me some assistance, and after my good dinner I felt fit for anything. We dragged the carcass of the dolphin up to the grotto. Then we put everything far inside, and left ample room for ourselves. The Northbird we could do nothing with. She must take her chances. “ How about getting up on top out of harm’s way?” asked Ordway. “The path we went up was on this side, and we could probably do it again.” “We undoubtedly could get up there,” I answered, doing some hard thinking on the subject, “ but there is this about it: We would probably be shut off from our supplies, and shoved back into the very conditions we have just escaped. Here we have every- thing for our comfort. We can cook, eat, drink, and smoke. It is warm. I do not apprehend any great danger in here from the impact, should that cake be blown against us. The worst it could do would be to shut us in. A change of wind would separate the parts again. But if you want to freeze and starve, I’ll tackle the job with you.” “No,” said Ordway, wrapping a fur around him. “ We tried one dose of that medicine. It is quite enough. We'll remain in the drawing-room.” We smoked and chatted, drank our coffee, and an occasional glass.of some- thing else, sitting on comfortable chairs from the Northbird. We had ripped the furniture out of her, and now had chairs, a table, and sleeping berths that made isolation on an iceberg far from uncomfortable. We tried to get the motor out, but as we had no way of taking out the feed-tubes and tank this would be a useless waste of energy. Anyway, the thing wouldn't go, so what was the use? We watched the growing blackness CoOMmicbook CO