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And he chose one of the common sailors instead. And when we walked out to the thick edge of the shore-ice and launched the canoe among a whirling drift of ice-pans, we had small hope of ever seeing Fort Bourbon again. The ice had not the thickness of the spring jam, but it was sharp enough to cut our canoe, and we poled our way far oftener than we paddled.
A white whirl a mighty rush a tumult of roaring waters the ice walls pitched down the canoe was caught tossed up nipped crushed like a card-box and we four flung on the drenching ice-pans to a roll of the seas like to sweep us under, with a footing slippery as glass. "Keep hold of Gillam! Lock hands!" came a clarion voice through the storm. "Don't fear, men! There is no danger!
Now they crossed a broad, level pan and now climbed a gigantic pile of bowlder-like fragments that rolled and slipped at their every move, threatening to send them crashing to the surface of the ice-pans or to submerge them in the deep, open pool of stinging water that lay at its base. Exercising every precaution, the boy made his way slowly forward.
Between the huge ice-pans were gaping chasms, while half a mile out all was clear water. Three miles from the shore is a small island situated in the middle of the bay. This had preserved an ice bridge, so that by crossing a few cracks I managed to get to it safely.
He had arrived at a crisis. He was half starved and freezing. For three days now he had wandered over the vast expanse of ice-pans that covered the waters of Bering Straits. During that three days he had secured only two small birds, dovekies they were, birds who linger all winter in the Arctic. These he had shared with Rover.
Here a huge cake a hundred feet across and eight feet thick glided without a sound, up up, into mid-air, at last to crumble and fall; and here a mass of small cakes were thrown into convulsions. Pick their way as they might with greatest care, they were more than once in danger of being crushed by overhanging ice-pans, or of being plunged into a dark pool of water.
For a long, dull period the voyagers lay as helpless as if in dry-dock, while wandering herds of seals barked at them or bands of walruses ceased their fishing and crept out upon the ice-pans to observe these invaders of their peace.
Indeed, any words which might have been considered as unparliamentary he asked me to construe as gratitude to God. Our captain was a passenger on and prospective captain of the S.S. Tigris when she picked up those members of the ill-fated Polaris expedition who had been five months on the ice-pans.
He had the sailors lowering jolly-boats in a jiffy; and off seven of us went, round the ice-pans, ploughing, cutting, portaging a way till we had crossed the obstruction and were pulling for the French fort with the spars of three Company boats far in the offing.
Occasionally they had passed herds of walrus huddled sociably upon ice-pans, their wet hides glistening in the sunlight. The air had been clear and pleasant, while away on all quarters they had seen the smoke of other ships toiling through the barrier. The spring fleet was knocking at the door of the Golden North.
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