A Winter Amid the Ice

empty casks for firewood, when he was suddenly suffocated by a thick smoke. At the same instant the snow

of snow careered around, and it was so exceedingly cold that the helmsman felt his hands

that our house may withstand it, for, if the

hed away noisily, and fell upon one another; the wind blew with such violence that it seemed sometimes as if the whole house

Penellan, seizing th

bad case!"

ether we shall esc

s snow-house!" s

The cold outside is terrible; perh

hermometer," d

. Vasling raised the canvas which covered the opening, and pushed it aside hastily; for he would have

, "will you go out, then? You

we must use every effort to stren

rrible danger menace

" aske

re propped, just as it has that of the promontor

is freezing hard enough to ice over all liquid

y found the thermometer again, in the midst of the snow; but he at

w zero! It is the coldes

aid Vasling, "and the

lence followe

to give an escape to the smoke, which the wind had several times repelled into the hut. The sailor wrapped his clo

nd succeeded in plunging it into the compact mass; but terror froze his blood when

tain, who had come up to him, "

u?" cried Je

and frozen around us and over u

his mass of snow away,

re than five feet thick, and had become literally a part of the house. Jean could not suppress a cry, which awoke Misonne and Vasling. An oath bur

ne. "The pipe of the stove

could scarcely be seen; then he tried with his staff to clear out the orifice, but he only encountered a rock of ice! A frightful end, preceded by a terrible a

pair, imparted some courage to Penellan. He said to himself that it

e made too much fire. Th

" stammere

or it is not cold, and it is long

d to tell h

ld to go out. Here is the chafing-dish, the spirit, and the coffee. Come, you o

stirred up h

Penellan, "and then we sha

, and then drank a cup of boiling coffee, which somewhat restored their spirits. Then Jean

sling no

obable, we must be buried ten feet under t

ced it into the four walls of ice, but he could find no issue in either. Cornbutte then resolved to cut out an opening in the door itself. The ice was so hard that it was difficult for

had but little, would be wanting when needed to prepare the meals. Nevertheless, the idea was welcomed on all hands, and was put in execution. They first cut a hole three feet deep by one in diameter, to receive the water which would result from the melting of the ice; and it was well that they took this precaution, for the water soon dripped under the action of the flames, which Pe

ive feet deep, the points of the staff

n in such abundance. It must have been gathered on this point by the w

ke of not discouraging our comrades, we ought to continue to pier

irit fail us?" a

dispense with coffee and hot drinks. Be

it, then,

oil, and we are fast exhausting ou

Vasling, who was vigorously wor

e; but look out well, I beg of you, for every tendency of

n had added one more foot to the opening, he