The World of Ice

by R. M. Ballantyne

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.

  EXPEDITIONS ON FOOT--EFFECTS OF DARKNESS ON DOGS AND MEN--THE FIRSTDEATH--CAUGHT IN A TRAP--THE ESQUIMAUX CAMP.

  "Don't know how it is, an' I can't tell wot it is, but so it is,"remarked Buzzby to Grim, a week after the first night of thetheatricals, "that that 'ere actin' has done us all a sight o' good.Here we are as merry as crickets every one, although we're short offresh meat, and symptoms o' scurvy are beginnin' to show on some of us."

  "It's the mind havin' occupation, an' bein' prewented from broodin' overits misfortins," replied Grim with the air of a philosopher.

  Grim did not put this remark in turned commas, although he ought to havedone so, seeing that it was quoted from a speech made by the captain toSingleton the day before.

  "You see," continued Grim, "we've been actin' every night for a weekpast; well, if we hadn't been actin', we should ha' been thinkin' an'sleepin'--too much of which, you see, ain't good for us, Buzzby, andwould never pay."

  Buzzby was not quite sure of this, but contented himself by saying:"Well, mayhap ye're right. I'm sorry it's to come to an end so soon,but there is no doubt that fresh meat is ondispensable--an' that remindsme, messmate, that I've not cleaned my musket for two days, an' itwouldn't do to go on a hunt with a foul piece, nohow. We start at 10o'clock a.m., don't we?"

  Grim admitted that they did--remarking that it might just as well be 10p.m., for all the difference the _sun_ would make in it--and went belowwith Buzzby.

  In the cabin active preparations were making for an extended huntingexpedition, which the empty state of the larder rendered absolutelynecessary. For a week past the only fresh provisions they had procuredwere a white fox and a rabbit, notwithstanding the exertions of Meetuck,Fred, and the doctor, who with three separate parties had scoured thecountry for miles round the ship. Scurvy was now beginning to appearamong them, and Captain Guy felt that although they had enough of saltprovisions to last them the greater part of the winter, if used witheconomy, they could not possibly subsist on these alone. An extendedexpedition in search of seals and walrus was therefore projected.

  It was determined that this should consist of two parties, the one toproceed north, the other to travel south in the tracks of the Esquimaux,who had left their temporary village in search of walrus--they alsobeing reduced almost to a state of starvation.

  The plan of the expedition was as follows:--

  One party, consisting of ten men, under Bolton, the first mate, was totake the largest sledge, and the whole team of dogs, on which, withtwelve days' provisions and their sleeping-bags, they were to proceednorthward along the coast as far as possible; and, in the event of beingunsuccessful, they were to turn homeward on the eighth day, and make thebest of their way back on short allowance.

  The other party, consisting of fifteen men under Saunders, the secondmate, was to set off to the southward on foot, dragging a smaller sledgebehind them, and endeavour to find the Esquimaux, who, it was supposed,could not be far off, and would probably have fresh meat in their camp.

  It was a clear, cold, and beautiful starlight day, when the two partiesstarted simultaneously on their separate journeys. The coruscations ofthe aurora were more than usually vivid, and the snow gave forth thatsharp, dry, _crunching_ sound, under the heels of the men as they movedabout, that denotes intense frost.

  "Mind that you hug the land, Mr Bolton," said the captain at parting,"don't get farther out on the floes than you can help. To meet with agale on the ice is no joke in these latitudes."

  The first mate promised obedience, and the second mate having been alsocautioned to hug the land, and not to use their small supply of spiritsfor any other purpose than that of lighting the lamp, except in cases ofthe most urgent need, they set off with three hearty cheers, which werereturned by Captain Guy and those who remained with him in the ship.All the able and effective men were sent on these expeditions; those whoremained behind were all more or less affected with scurvy, except thecaptain himself, whose energetic nature seemed invulnerable, and whoseflow of spirits never failed. Indeed it is probable that to this heartyand vigorous temperament, under God, he owed his immunity from disease,for, since provisions began to fail, he, along with all his officers,had fared precisely like the men--the few delicacies they possessedhaving been reserved for the sick.

  Unfortunately their stock of lime-juice was now getting low, and thecrew had to be put on short allowance. As this acid is an excellentanti-scorbutic, or preventive of scurvy, as well as a cure, its rapiddiminution was viewed with much concern by all on board. Thelong-continued absence of the sun, too, now began to tell more severelythan ever on men and dogs. On the very day the expeditions took theirdeparture, one of the latter, which had been left behind on account ofillness, was attacked with a strange disease, of which several of theteam eventually died before the winter came to an end. It was seizedwith spasms, and, after a few wild paroxysms, lapsed into a lethargicstate. In this condition the animal functions went on apparently aswell as usual, the appetite continued not only good but voracious. Thedisease was clearly mental. It barked furiously at nothing, and walkedin straight or curved lines perseveringly; or at other times it remainedfor hours in moody silence, and then started off howling as if pursued.In thirty-six hours after the first attack the poor animal died, and wasburied in the snow on Store Island.

  This was the first death that had occurred on board, and although it wasonly a dog, and not one of the favourites, its loss cast a gloom overthe crew for several days. It was the first blow of the fell destroyerin the midst of their little community, which could ill spare the lifeeven of one of the lower animals, and they felt as if the point of thewedge had now been entered, and might be driven farther home ere long.

  The expressive delight of the poor dogs on being admitted to the lightof the cabin showed how ardently they longed for the return of the sun.It was now the beginning of December, and the darkness was complete.Not the faintest vestige of twilight appeared, even at noon. Midnightand noonday were alike. Except when the stars and aurora were bright,there was not light enough to distinguish a man's form at ten pacesdistant, and a blacker mass than the surrounding darkness aloneindicated where the high cliffs encompassed the Bay of Mercy. When,therefore, anyone came on deck, the first thing he felt on groping hisway about was the cold noses of the dogs pushed against his hands, asthey frisked and gambolled round him. They howled at the appearance ofan accidental light, as if they hoped the sun, or at least the moon,were going to rise once more, and they rejoiced on being taken below,and leaped up in the men's faces for sympathy, and whined, and all butspoke, with excess of satisfaction.

  The effect of the monotony of long-continued darkness, and the absenceof novelty, had much to do also with the indifferent health of many ofthe men. After the two expeditions were sent out, those who remainedbehind became much more low-spirited, and the symptoms of scurvyincreased. In these circumstances Captain Guy taxed his inventivegenius to the utmost to keep up their spirits and engage their minds.He assumed an air of bustling activity, and attached a degree ofimportance to the regular performance of the light duties of the shipthat they did not in reality possess, apart from their influence asdiscipline. The cabin was swept and aired, the stove cleaned, thefittings dusted, the beds made, the tides, thermometers, and barometersregistered; the logs posted up, clothes mended, food cooked, trapsvisited, etcetera, with the regularity of clockwork, and every possibleplan adopted to occupy every waking hour, and to prevent the men frombrooding over their position. When the labours of the day were over,plans were proposed for getting up a concert, or a new play, in order tosurprise the absentees on their return. Stories were told over and overagain, and enjoyed if good, or valued far beyond their worth if bad.When old stories failed, and old books were read, new stories wereinvented, and here the genius of some was drawn out, while the variedinformation of others became of great importance. Tom Singleton, inparticular, entertained the men with songs and lively t
unes on theflute, and told stories, as one of them remarked, "like a book". JosephWest, too, was an invaluable comrade in this respect. He had been astudious boy at school, and a lover of books of all kinds, especiallybooks of travel and adventure. His memory was good, and his inventivepowers excellent, so that he recalled wonderful and endless anecdotesfrom the unfathomable stores of his memory, strung them together into asort of story, and told them in a soft, pleasant voice that captivatedthe ears of his audience; but poor West was in delicate health, andcould not speak so long as his messmates would have wished. The roughlife they led, and the frequent exposure to intense cold, hadconsiderably weakened a frame which had never been robust, and anoccasional cough, when he told a long story, sometimes warned him todesist. Games, too, were got up. "Hide-and-seek" was revived with allthe enthusiasm of boyhood, and "fox-chase" was got up with tremendousenergy. In all this the captain was the most earnest and vigorous, andin doing good to others he unconsciously did the greatest possibleamount of good to himself; for his forgetfulness of self, and theactivity of his mind in catering for the wants and amusements of hismen, had the effect of imparting a cheerfulness to his manner, and ahealthy tone to his mind, that tended powerfully to sustain andinvigorate his body. But despite all this, the men grew worse, and afew of them showed such alarming symptoms that the doctor began to fearthere would soon be a breach in their numbers.

  Meanwhile Saunders and his fifteen men trudged steadily to thesouthward, dragging their sledge behind them. The ice-floes, however,turned out to be very rugged and hummocky, and retarded them so muchthat they made but slow progress until they passed the Red Snow Valley,and doubled the point beyond it. Here they left the floes, and took tothe natural highway afforded by the ice-belt, along which they sped morerapidly, and arrived at the Esquimaux village in the course of aboutfive hours.

  Here all was deserted and silent. Bits of seal and walrus, hide, andbones and tusks were scattered about in all directions, but no voicesissued from the dome-shaped huts of snow.

  "They're the likest things to bee-skeps I ever saw," remarked Saunders,as he and his party stood contemplating the little group of huts. "Andthey don't seem to care much for big doors."

  Saunders referred here to the low tunnels, varying from three to twelvefeet, that formed the entrance to each hut.

  "Mayhap there's some o' them asleep inside," suggested Tom Green, thecarpenter's mate; "suppose we go in and see?"

  "I dare say ye're no far wrong," replied the second mate, to whom theidea seemed to be a new one. "Go in, Davie Summers, ye're a wee chap,and can bend your back better than the most o' us."

  Davie laughed as he went down on his hands and knees, and, creeping inat the mouth of one of the tunnels, which barely permitted him to enterin that position, disappeared.

  Several of the party at the same time paid similar visits to the otherhuts, but they all returned with the same remark, "empty". Theinteriors were begrimed with lamp-black and filth, and, from theirappearance, seemed to have been deserted only a short time before.

  Buzzby, who formed one of the party, rubbed his nose for some time ingreat perplexity, until he drew from Davie Summers the remark that hisproboscis was red enough by nature and didn't need rubbing. "It's odd,"he remarked, "they seems to ha' bin here for some time, and yit they'veniver looked near the ship but once. Wot's become on 'em _I_ don'tknow."

  "Don't you?" said Davie in a tone of surprise; "now that _is_ odd. Onewould have thought that a fellow who keeps his weather-eye so constantlyopen should know everything."

  "Don't chaff; boy, but lend a hand to undo the sled-lashings. I seethat Mr Saunders is agoin' to anchor here for the night."

  The second mate, who had been taking a hasty glance at the various hutsof the village, selected two of the largest as a lodging for his men,and, having divided them into two gangs, ordered them to turn in andsleep as hard as possible.

  "'Spose we may sup first," said Summers in a whining tone of mockhumility.

  "In coorse you may," answered Tom Green, giving the lad a push thatupset him in the snow.

  "Come here, Buzzby, I want to speak to 'ee," said Saunders, leading himaside. "It seems to me that the Esquimaux canna be very far off, and Iobserve their tracks are quite fresh in the snow leadin' to thesouthward, so I mean to have a night march after them, but as the menseem pretty weel tired I'll only take two o' the strongest. Who d'yethink might go?"

  "I'll go myself, sir."

  "Very good, and who else, think 'ee? Amos Parr seems freshest."

  "I think Tom Green's the man wot can do it. I seed him capsize DavieSummers jist now in the snow, an' when a man can skylark, I always knowhe's got lots o' wind in 'im."

  "Very good. Then go, Buzzby, and order him to get ready, and look sharpabout it."

  "Ay, ay, sir," cried Buzzby, as he turned to prepare Green for themarch.

  In pursuance of this plan, an hour afterwards Saunders and his twofollowers left the camp with their sleeping-bags and a day's provisionson their shoulders, having instructed the men to follow with the sledgeat the end of five hours, which period was deemed sufficient time forrest and refreshment.

  For two hours the trio plodded silently onward over the icebelt by thelight of a clear, starry sky. At the end of that time clouds began togather to the westward, rendering the way less distinct, but stillleaving sufficient light to render travelling tolerably easy. Then theycame to a part of the coast where the ice-belt clung close to a line ofperpendicular cliffs of about three miles in extent. The ice-belt herewas about twenty feet broad. On the left the cliffs referred to rosesheer up several hundred feet; on the right the ice-belt descended onlyabout three feet to the floes. Here our three adventurous travellerswere unexpectedly caught in a trap. The tide rose so high that itraised the sea ice to a level with the ice-belt and, welling up betweenthe two, completely overflowed the latter.

  The travellers pushed on as quickly as possible, for the precipices ontheir left forbade all hope of escape in that direction, while the gapbetween the ice-belt and the floes, which was filled with a gurglingmixture of ice and water, equally hemmed them in on the right. Worsethan all, the tide continued to rise, and when it reached half-way totheir knees, they found it dangerous to advance for fear of steppinginto rents and fissures which were no longer visible.

  "What's to be done noo?" enquired Saunders, coming to a full stop, andturning to Buzzby with a look of blank despair.

  "Dunno," replied Buzzby, with an equally blank look of despair, as hestood with his legs apart and his arms hanging down by his side--thevery personification of imbecility. "If I wos a fly I'd know wot to do.I'd walk up the side o' that cliff till I got to a dry bit, and thenI'd stick on. But, not bein' a fly, in coorse I can't."

  Buzzby said this in a recklessly facetious tone, and Tom Green followedit up with a remark to the effect that "he'd be blowed if he ever wos insich a fix in his life;" intimating his belief, at the same time, thathis "toes wos freezin'."

  "No fear o' that," said the second mate, "they'll no' freeze as lang asthey're in the water. We'll just have to stand here till the tide goesdoon."

  Saunders said this in a dogged tone, and immediately put his plan inforce by crossing his arms and planting his feet firmly on the submergedice and wide apart. Buzzby and Green, however, adopted the wiser planof moving constantly about within a small circle, and after Saunders hadargued for half an hour as to the advantages of this plan, he followedtheir example. The tide rose above their knees, but they hadfortunately on boots, made by the Esquimaux, which were perfectlywaterproof; their feet, therefore, although very cold, were quite dry.In an hour and three-quarters the ice-belt was again uncovered, and thehalf-frozen travellers resumed their march with the utmost energy.

  Two hours later and they came to a wide expanse of level ground at thefoot of the high cliffs, where a group of Esquimaux huts, similar tothose they had left, was descried.

  "They're all deserted too," remarked Buzzby. />
  But Buzzby was wrong, for at that moment a very small and particularlyfat little boy in a fox-skin dress appeared at the mouth of one of thelow tunnels that formed the entrance to the nearest hut. This boylooked exactly like a lady's muff with a hairy head above it and a pairof feet below. The instant he observed the strangers he threw up hisarms, uttered a shrill cry of amazement, and disappeared in the tunnel.Next instant a legion of dogs rushed out of the huts, barking furiously,and on their heels came the entire population, creeping on their handsand knees out of the tunnel mouths like dark hairy monsters issuing fromtheir holes. They had spears and knives of ivory with them, but aglance showed the two parties that they were friends, and in a fewmoments Awatok and his comrades were chattering vociferously round thesailors, and endeavouring by word and sign to make themselvesunderstood.

  The Esquimaux received the three visitors and the rest of thesledge-party, who came up a few hours later, with the utmosthospitality. But we have not space to tell of how they dragged theminto their smoky huts of snow, and how they offered them raw seals'flesh to eat; and how, on the sailors expressing disgust they laughed,and added moss mixed with oil to their lamps to enable them to cooktheir food; and how they managed, by signs and otherwise, to understandthat the strangers had come in search of food, at which they (theEsquimaux) were not surprised; and how they assured their visitors (alsoby means of signs) that they would go a-hunting with them on thefollowing day, whereat they (the sailors) were delighted, and shookhands all round. Neither have we space to tell of how the visitors wereobliged to conform to custom, and sleep in the same huts with men,women, children, and dogs, and how they felt thankful to be able tosleep anywhere and anyhow, without being frozen. All this, and a greatdeal more, we are compelled to skip over here, and leave it unwillingly,to the vivid imagination of our reader.