SHORT TALE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2252, 29 April 1897, Page 42

SHORT TALE.

IMPRISONED TJ'ITE A BEATS. I shippoJ on board tha Arctic Queen, bound for Greenland, one day loto in May, and expected to return to ths Maiuo seaport whence I started some liraa 5n August. The craft was an old b;ig, loaded with a, miscellaneous cargo, and chartered for the pnrpoao cf brirgicg back ite burden oi: graphite irora the neighbourhood of Upcraavik, tho most northern Danish' settlement but one in Greenland. The voysga was quite uneventful, and I was glad enough to Eec the headlands of tho Eskimo village, early one flue morning, over tho starboard bow. All tho sui rounding hills were patched with snow close down to the water's edge, and you could see where thsir steep basen had been abradad by tho moving ice floes. We had arrived during the breaking up of the Arctic water. The brig remained three weeks at Upernavik, and in tha course of my stay I became acquainted with a bright, yoneg Eskimo by the name of Jans. Of course, most of our talk was in pantomime, for ha could understand no Ecglisb, and I knew just about as much Danish. But, for all that, we got on quite nicaly together. He owned a native canoe, or k&yack, in which ho seemed perfectly at ease, and appeared, when stowed in the small hole in its deck, as much a part of the frail craft as a mun's body was of the fabled "Centaur. To handle the kayack properly requires considerable practice, and is not learned in an hour. I had bought ene of the shells from a native for a silver half-dollar and a box of paint?, and, under the tuition of Jans, I managed to paddle the thiog, at first clumsily, and finally with some degree o£ skill. It consisted meiely of a light framework covered with tanned seal hide, 30 transparent that you could almost look through the covering into the dark water beneath. It was IS Ft in length, 2ft beam, and lft. in depth, and when J sat in the little opening, somewhat astern, I folt completely wedged in. One fine morning, in the last week of our stay, I determined to test my ability by making a trip in my craffc seaward. I was obliged to go alone, for Jans was absent from the village on an expedition into the interior. Clothed in my bearskin breeche3, with a sealskin jacket having a hood, which covered all save my eyes and nose, and wearing a pair of coarsely -stitched seal hide boots, I jammed myself in the kayack and skimmed pasb the brig out to sea. 1 turned my face aside so that none of the crew would see me, for I did not wish to bo called back. The eea was pretty rou^h, and by the tiros I had made a mile out the kayack was buried a dczen times under water. I had fastened a little American flag at the prow, and, in spite of the bouncing of the boat, it still flew merrily at the masthead. Presently the water grew smoother, and, putting in some good strokes at the paddle, I sent tbe kuyack forward at great speed. I soon had enoueh cf ench exertion, however, and was on the point of turning landward, when I chanced to see a mass of glittering objects about; a mile to the westward. They were icebergs, glistening with all sorts of fantastic colours in tbe morning I paddled closer to get a good look at them, for I knew they were bound south, to diasolve in the warm waters of the Atlantic. It was a large ice-field, consisting of hummocks and bergs of all sizes, and in the midst, seeming to have oommacd of the floe, were two great berpp. One was ths image of a floating wbite castle, crowned with rampart's and turrets or ice. It was certainly a grand object Although the ice was thick around mo, I steered tbe kayack safely to the side of the berg, and touched it with my hand. Then I paddled to the other— about four boat-

lengths to the rear. This one was of quite a peculiar shape. It was an irregular quadrangle, and pointed to the sky at the extremity of a series of ice structures that clung to it like parasites. It reminded me of the promontory of a sharp headland, or, to put it more plainly, a gigantic rhinocero 3 horn piercing the air. Standing at the farther end of the here, I saw an awkward squatting bird, which I judged to be the celebrated loon of the Arctic regions. It was flapping its winga uneasily, and seem uncertain whether to dive from its icy resting place or not. Bat what interested me most was the structure of the iceberg. Ifc had great barrelled arches at its bass, which ran back and formed huge caverns that might easily have been imagined to be the home of the mythical sea kings. I peered into the grottoes as far as I could, holding my craft olose to the ica with one hand. When I had gazed to my satisfaction, I gave the kayack a push, with the intention of starting homeward. I had no sooner done so than I heard a sharp report, and felt the icy water rushing in the bottom of the boat. I knew in an instant what had happend. My frail bark had foundered upon a hidden piece of ice, which had penetrated the lower sealskin. As I felt myself sinking I clutched the sifJe of the berg, and, just as the kayack went under, I extricated myself from it and climbed upon the flat ahelf of ice. The flag and its shattered staff were floating near me, and I hastily seized them, not kuowirg but what Ui9y would prove useful. Just think of my situation ! Alone upon an icebeig that waß carrying me— an unwilling passenger — down in the direction of the United S '-rites. After I had recovered from my first fiS of despair I began to tbink of soniQ meano of succour. I looked out to sea, where nothing met my gaze, and then into the oavein, wnere something did. There in a C3rner of the frigid apartment I saw a huge Polav bear — dead or alive, I was not certain which, and you can depend upon it I took' no paics to d'scover. Id a little while I taw tho beast— which was cuddled up in a ball— move hia head slightly, and th6n all uncertainty vanished from my mind. I was in very comfortable society, in truth— a locn holding up the rear of my floating prison and a bear guarding its interior. I quickly withdrew to the ledg-3 at the side ot the berg, and crawled alorg it as far as it extended. I huddled up there for 10 miuutes, I suppose, until the idea of climbing to tha top Hfrnck me. WUh m 7 jack-knife I carved stopa in the slantißg side of the iceberg, and carefully made my way by means of these to the summit of tho mass. I planted the flag thera as a j,ij;usl. Far away, towards the west, I saw an oomiak, or woman's boat, evidently returning from a fishing trip. To the ease I discerned an object which I was ablo to distinguish %3 the brig's boat. I tell you I felt p,lad. They had seen my signal, and were palling toward me, I thought I was all safe theD, when I happened to glance downward, and saw the bear emerging from his oavern and walking alorg the ledge evidently to etretch his pouderous limbs. His colour w.is a delicate yellow or • gamboge, hia haunches were regularly arched, and hs looked to ray terrified eyes as large a3 a mastodon. A kinri of crawling dignity seemed to oppress him, and he did not raise his enormous legs higher than was strictly necessary to mske progress?. Ho crept along as if he were treading on eggs, and reminded me of a burly Puss-in-Boofcs. As he got to the end of the ledge he sniffed the air suspiciously and snapped at the icicles on the side of tbe berg. Then he rubbed his mouth sideways against the ice and tried to roll overTbut the ledge wag too narrow for such an operation, and bruin nearly tumbled into the water. If I had not been in such a predicament I could have laughad aloud at his absurd antics. At that moment the bear looked up and saw me. He did not appear startled at all, but seemed to tak9 mv presence quite as a matter of course. Maybe he tbonght I was a seal sitting up there, for bundled up in furs as I was I did not look unlike one. The animal uexfc arose upon its hind legs, and gazed at me inquisitively. Although I was 20fl above him 1 could plainly ceo his blue-black nose and his white teeth shining over his dowlaps. He was not like tho meek and subdued beasts that you see in menagerie cages, I can tell you, for he acted as though he owned thab berg and wanted no trespassers upon it. He , commenced to climb up the incline for the purpose of investigating me, and I frantically began cutting off a large piece of ice, with the design of heaviugit at him. I was spared the trouble, however, for at this juncture the brig'ti mate arose in tbe bow of the boat, and, taking aim with his rifle at the yellow mass of fur against the white ice, sent a ball into the back of the beast's neck, and brought him rolling down into the water, dead. "Come down from there 1" yelled the mate to me angrily as the boat wa<3 moored to the side of the berg and the carcase of the bear pu'.led in. I obeyed with alacrity, for I knew he was in a jaaiifiible state of rage with me. " Now, then," he continued sternly ; " it's a lucky thing someone saw you leave tJpernavik. IE we hadn't followed you, you'd hay» been a gone youth, Nice mate you had here 1 " with a nod at the bear. " Yes," I replied ruefully, " and there was a loon at the other end, but it's gone now." " There was a loon at this end, too ; but he'a gone now," he responded. " Give way, men 1 " And do you know it was some .time before I understood what he meant. — A short time ago an old lady went on board Nelson's flagship, the Victory. The different objects of interest were duly shown to her, and, on reaching the spot where the great naval hero was wounded (which is marked by a raised brass plate), the officer remarked to her : " Here Nelson fell ! " "And no wonder," exclaimed the old lady; j " I nearly fell there myself 1 " | As a medicine for cure and relief of coughs, ■ colda, and any throat complaints, Bonningiton's Ikisii- Moss still stands to the fore. Those who have not tried ifc for an annoying cold— old or young— should do so.— Advt.