Adrift in the Ice-Fields

by William Henry Giles Kingston

  CHAPTER XVI.

  THE BREEDING-GROUNDS OF THE SEAL.--A CURIOUS SIGHT.--A SHARPENCOUNTER.--ICE CHANGES.

  Early the next morning the breakfast was hurried over, and a survey ofthe ice disclosed little change from the conditions of the day before,except that the natural attraction of floating bodies for each other wasevidently slowly closing the pools and intervening channels.

  Leaving Carlo to guard their dwelling, and tying the black "McIntosh"blanket to the signal-staff, the four stepped into the somewhat narrowquarters of their clumsy boat, and using the oars as paddles, set offthrough a channel which led, as nearly as they could judge, in thedirection of the field of seals seen the day before, and whose constantwhining still gave evidence of their close proximity.

  Scarcely two miles of tortuous winding through channels of perfectlycalm water, led them into a pool in which hundreds of large seals weredisporting themselves, but which, on seeing the boat, scattered in alldirections, after a moment of stupidly curious exposure to the fire ofthe intruders.

  "How lucky it is that these animals don't know their own power!" saidWaring. "If they chose they could soon upset the boat, and tear us inpieces."

  "Not without losing at least half a dozen of their leaders, and that isgenerally sufficient to deter hundreds of men, whose reasoning powersare much superior to these amphibia," said La Salle.

  Passing into a narrow channel, in which at every turn they came closeupon swimming and sleeping seals, they suddenly swept up to the verge ofa vast and heavy field, on which thousands of the young of these animalslay in helpless inability to move. Most of these were what are called"white-coats,"--fat little things, covered with a thick coat of woollyfur,--but a few had attained their third week of existence, and woretheir close-laid fur, whose silvery, sword-like fibres, when wet, lieflat and smooth as glass.

  Among the smaller fry were many adult animals, both male and female--thelatter being generally engaged in suckling their young.

  The landing of the hunters was the signal for a general stampede, andthe monotonous whining of the "white-coats" was almost lost in the deepbarking of the mothers, and the hoarse roars of the large males.

  The floe on which the young seals lay was a thick field of ice, whoseclear, greenish sides showed that it was the product of some Greenlandglacier. Years ago, when first detached from the ice-river of sometortuous fiord, it had perhaps measured its depth in hundreds of yards;and even now, judging from its height above the surface of thesea,--about eight feet on the average,--it must have drawn nearly eightfathoms of water.

  The party had landed on a kind of sloping beach, probably worn by theaction of the sun, and what is even more destructive, the wash of thesea-waves, and ascending found that the floe was nearly level for anarea of at least half a square mile, forming a kind of ice-meadow,surrounded on three sides by sloping hills twenty feet higher. In thesheltered valley thus formed lay at least a thousand seals, old andyoung, of several species, and all ages.

  There were, here and there, pairs of the small Greenland seal (_PhocaVitulina_), weighing from forty to sixty pounds, and marked on the backwith beautiful mottlings of black, shaded down to the silvery white ofits spotless breast. These, when disturbed near the edge of the floe,slid noiselessly into the water, going down tail foremost into thedepths. Most plentiful of all were the "springing seals," (_PhocaHispida_),--known sometimes from its markings as "the harp,"--lessbeautiful in form, and with hair of a dusky yellow on the under side.These, when near the slope, sprang headlong into the water, and, divingwith a splash, came up in shoals, darting forward with a springingmotion, and emerging and disappearing much like a shoal of porpoises.

  Larger, coarser, and with crested heads, long bristles, and harsherhair, the "bearded seal" (_Phoca Barbata_),--the noblest quarry of theNewfoundland sealer, who always speaks of him as "the old hoodsile,"--crawled with uncouth but rapid shuffling motions to the brink,and with splashings that threw the spray high in air, dived at once,only emerging when almost beyond rifle range, where rolling, andsplashing like whales, the uncouth monsters would turn to inspect thestrange intruder.

  "Come, Charley," said Waring, "let us shoot. See, they will all be inthe water before we begin."

  "No hurry," said Regnar, phlegmatically. "Steamer almos' load here."

  "There is no heed of haste," said La Salle, pointing to the upper end ofthe ice-valley. "We have the seals in a _cul-de-sac_, and can take ourpick, as they pass by us to the water. We want ten of the largest hoodsat first, and we have about that number of bolts with us. After we getthem, each can kill what small seals he needs for boots and clothing.Now for the old hoods. Fire at close range, and don't miss. Come, let usbegin the battle, for they are coming down upon us."

  By this time the alarm had become general, and finding their retreat cutoff, about five hundred seals, leaving behind their helpless young, camein a disordered but solid body down towards the hunters, the smallerGreenland and "harp" seals on the wings, and evidently wishing only toescape; but in the centre a small band of the more savage "beardedseal," their coarse bristles quivering with rage, the loose skin oftheir heads distended with air, and the white teeth of their yawningjaws threatening wounds and death to the invaders, came on with hoarseroarings, which rose above the weaker cries of the uncouth host like thethunder of artillery over the rattle of musketry in battle.

  The usually impassive Indian now seemed in his element. His sullen eyeslit up with a true hunter's love of the chase, when the danger is notall on one side, and only the confidence of greater skill and superiorweapons overcomes the sense of personal peril. Leaping forward, he ledthe attack, running for some forty yards towards the advancing monsters,followed by the others, who came close on his tracks, but quite unableto charge in line.

  Raising his gun, he suddenly halted scarce ten paces from the front ofthe sea-wolves, and, without hesitation, two of the largest shuffledahead of their comrades, knitting their brows, and roaring with a furywhich might well try the nerves of any man exposed to such an attack.One fell a little behind as Peter brought his gun to his shoulder. Thefirst rushed forward, but as he lowered his huge head to attack, thearrow-point, hardened in the fire, shot forth in a sheet of flame, andburied itself to the feather in the brain, passing through the thinwalls of the top of the skull.

  At the unwonted sound, reverberated again and again from the cliff, eventhe forlorn hope retreated a little; but not so with the second seal.Throwing back his head until his yawning jaws almost hid the rest of hisbody, he came straight at the destroyer of his mate, roaring withredoubled fury. The heavy gun again poured forth its contents, but tothe horror of the advancing friends of the Micmac, the huge animal,vomiting torrents of blood, was seen, amid the smoke, to strike down theIndian, who was at once lost to view under the ponderous animal, whichinstantly rolled over dead.

  In a second La Salle and Orloff were on the spot, but their aid wasneedless. Bruised and sore with the fall and compression, but nototherwise injured, Peter sprang to his feet, and placing his gun betweenhis knees, proceeded to reload.

  "_H_old seal die hard. Spose me miss 'em at first. Arrow hit all light.Me plenty wet blood though."

  He was, in truth, a fearful spectacle, being covered with gore; but aglance at the dead beast revealed the cause. The arrow had passed intothe mouth, transfixing the large arteries and the base of the brain, andthe blood was still deluging the ice in a crimson tide, from which thehot vapors and sickening odor rose, maddening the remaining "hoods" toanother charge.

  Quite a number of the smaller seals on the flanks had got by, and as thepressure lessened, the array of the centre partook more of the "openorder" of advance. To a party as well armed as the four friends, thischange assured a bloodless victory. Each missile, fired point-blank, didits work, and the huge monsters, unable to seize the agile hunters, asthey eluded their ponderous charge, received the fatal shot at suchclose range that the fur around the wound was often scorched by theburning powder.

 
; Every barrel had been discharged, nine hooded seals had fallen, and thesurvivors had already reached the open water; but frightened by theunwonted sights and sounds, many of the smaller seals still remained atthe upper end of the valley, or with awkward speed were climbing thesloping ice-hills which sheltered it. Drawing an axe from his belt,Regnar started forward in pursuit. Peter and Waring, with clubs of hardwood, followed, and La Salle, reloading his ponderous weapon, brought upthe rear.

  A massacre of helpless and beautiful animals followed, for the next fewmoments, for Regnar, with a single tap on the nose, killed two Greenlandseals; and following his example, Peter and Waring disposed of as manymore. Suddenly a loud cry from the latter broke the silent butchery.

  "AND THE NEXT SECOND THE GLITTERING TEETH WERE ABOUT TOCLOSE UPON HIS HELPLESS VICTIM." Page 237.]

  "Look! Stop that old hood! That makes ten. My goodness! I never see suchseal! That's right, Peter, head him off. Hit him again, Waring! Takethat, you old bladder-nose!"

  The seal, a monstrous one, a veteran male, had attempted to scale thehigher mounds, but surrounded by his more agile enemies, halted andshowed fight. In vain Waring and Peter showered tremendous blows uponhis head with their beechen clubs, and even the heavy axe of Orloff fellupon his natural helmet of air-distended skin, with a violence whoseonly effect was to increase the anger of the enraged amphibia, and fillthe scene of the strife with hollow sounds, like the hoarse booming of abig drum.

  At last Waring missed his aim, and his club, which was slung at hiswrist by a kind of sword knot, was seized in the jaws of the seal, andhis succeeding rush jerked the frightened lad from his footing beneaththe fore-flippers of the animal. It was only the work of an instant forthose terrible jaws to grind the club into splinters, and the nextsecond the glittering teeth were about to close upon his helplessvictim. At that juncture a huge rusty tube was thrust past Regnar's headinto the very face of the seal; a tremendous concussion threw him uponthe ice, stunned and deafened; and the monster, rearing into the air,seemed to be fairly dashed to the ice, shivering with the tremor ofdeath.

  "Are you hurt, George?" asked La Salle, breathless with haste andrestrained emotion.

  "No, Charley; I am safe, thanks to you."

  And the lad, still weak with his previous illness, fear, and excitement,rose, threw his arms around his preserver's neck, and burst into apassion of tears.

  "Better look, Regnar. Guess blow him head off too," grumbled Peter, witha strange mixture of vexation, pleasure, and humor in his tone, for heloved Regnar, disliked to see men or boys cry, and knew that Regnar'smisadventure was more unpleasant than dangerous.

  In a moment or so Regnar arose, holding his head with both hands, and anevident feeling of uncertainty as to his whereabouts.

  "Well, you call that gun Baby! I don't want her crying anywhere near me,after this. I say, La Salle, you _sure_ my head all right on shoulders?"

  La Salle hastened to assure him that all was correct, but Regnar gave agrim smile, and continued:--

  "It no use; I can't hear, not if it thunder. I've no doubt you sayyou're sorry, but I no hear your 'pology, and I don't think I ever shallagain. Well, never mind. No time then to say, 'By your leave, sir,' andI glad George got clear all right."

  Drawing their knives the party commenced the less pleasant and excitingtask of flaying and butchering their victims. The ten "hoods" wereenormous fellows, averaging eight feet in length, and nearly six incircumference, and weighing from five to six hundred weight each. Onlytwo were eviscerated for the sake of the heart and membranous vessels;but the heads of all were struck off for the sake of the brains, and thelarge sinews were extracted for "sewing thread." It was noon when thefirst load was sent off, under the care of Regnar and La Salle, to thehome berg, and, two hours later, when they returned to the floe, theyfound, with pleasure, that the distance between the two points hadmaterially lessened.

  Climbing the highest point of the floe, La Salle looked down upon astrange spectacle. Reaching away a mile or two to windward was asuccession of floes, similar to the one on which he stood. Upon them allthe seals were gathered in hundreds, and beyond the last of the chain ahuge iceberg--a perfect mountain of congealed water--rose nearly ahundred feet into the air. From its sides, resplendent with prismaticcolors and reflected light, flashed more than one cascade of pure freshwater, and the light breeze, as it blew against its vertical walls, orperhaps some currents deep down below the surface, was impelling thehuge mass, and the line of floes pushed before it, down the lane of openwater, which led to the floating home of the wanderers.

  "We shall have but a short distance to row this load," said La Salle, ashe descended to the party; and indeed at that very moment the discoloredmound, surmounted by its dusky banner, appeared in sight, and beforelong only about a quarter of a mile separated the two. At this point theundetermined cause which had produced this change ceased, and the partyrowed homeward with their last load, just in time as the pack closed in,and the channel through which they had rowed, in the morning, over aglassy expanse of nearly a mile in width, narrowed, until, with a shockwhich was wholly unexpected, so gradual and gentle seemed the motion,the opposing borders were again united, and the waves of the sea were nolonger accessible.

  That evening the party supped off fried seal liver and heart, and foundthem fully up to the standard of excellence expressed by Regnar, whosaid,--

  "Reindeer steak good beef, ptarmigan good beef, brent good beef, sealliver best beef of all."

  Before going to bed La Salle cut into the ice-hole, which had beenfilled some days before with salt water. After much cutting, he came toabout two quarts of water, which seemed thick and heavy. Baling this,with a rude spoon, into their only iron utensil, it was placed amid theembers, and left to boil away for the evening, while the adventurers,gathering around their fire took counsel as to what step was to be takennext.

  "Let us make a tent," said Waring. "First thing we know this old floewill split in two in a storm, and we shall have no house."

  "Spose 'em lose house, we want clo'es. Need good boots too," said Peter,who was indeed but poorly provided in this respect, compared with therest of the four adventurers.

  "If we have a good boat, we have shelter on land or water," said Regnar,sententiously.

  "Regnar is right, and we must enlarge the capacity of our boat. She hastoo little standing room, and we four should have little chance in herin a heavy storm at sea. To-morrow we will make her into a life-boat atonce, for this pleasant weather cannot last long."

  All agreed with La Salle in this decision, and accordingly the eveningwas spent in preparing the seal-sinews, and in cutting thongs ofseal-hide from one of the largest skins. These, when soaked in water,were capable of considerable extension, but in drying contracted, makinga lashing of the hardness and nearly the strength of iron.

  The sinews were, many of them, a yard in length, and at least thediameter of a large goose-quill. These split readily into threads of anyrequired firmness, and before the party retired, quite a bundle of largeand small thread was prepared. For the first time they worked by theglare of their Esquimaux lamp, which, besides its shallow bowl ofsoapstone, consisted of a top of thin sheet-iron pierced for six wicks,each of which was flat, about one sixteenth of an inch thick, and aninch wide. That evening all six were lighted--five of them being ofcotton thread, and the sixth cut from the brim of an old white feltsummer hat, used by Waring instead of his fur cap, when the sun shonetoo warmly at noon. The top was made loose, so as to rest on theblubber, and the heat tried out the oil as fast as it was wanted.

  The heat produced was quite sufficient for this narrow room, and thesoft light afforded by the seal-oil, lit up the hut with a mild yellowradiance, far more cheerful than the red glare of the wood-fire, and theold stove suspended above the flame carried off the smoke, and refractedthe heat more perfectly into the lower part of the hut.

  The day's hunt had afforded all the blubber which they could burn in amonth; and their stock of meat, "c
ached" in another hillock of theirberg, was nearly sufficient food for the same period. But long beforethat time should elapse the young leader knew that relief must come, orthat in some grand convulsion of the warring elements, amid the crash ofcolliding ice-fields and the sweep of resistless surges, the unequalconflict between human weakness and the tireless forces of nature mustend, and to him and his comrades "life's fitful dream" would be over.

  Therefore, as he made the seventh brief entry in his pocket diary, hewatched jealously the faces of his companions, lest they should read inhis face the reflection of his misgivings, as he traced these lines,--

  "A week has elapsed since we left St. Pierre's; and as yet we have beensafe in the centre of the pack. It is scarcely possible that anotherweek will be as favorable to us as this has been, and no risk mustprevent us from reaching the first sail in sight."