The Field of Ice

for there is no going out for many long mon

the hut as they became damp with the heat inside, and emptying out the snow which drifted into the long passage leading to the inner

w yards off, it was found necessary to lay in enough provisions for the day, as

o pieces by the silent, irresistible pressure around her. Still the Doctor was always hoping enough planks might be su

ess. Hatteras lolled on his bed absorbed in thought. Altamont smoked or dozed, and the Doctor t

gave them dissertations on history, geography, or meteorology, handling his subject in an easy, though philosophical manner, drawing lessons from the most trivial incidents. His inexhaustible memory was never

He longed ardently for the breaking up of the frost to resume his excursio

better mind, but to reconcile an American and an Englishman was no easy task. He and Johnson had many a talk on the subject

estion. Day and night they were pent up in these glittering ice-walls, and time hung heavily on thei

t worth having. We might as well be some of those reptiles tha

r; "unfortunately we are too few

e were more of us, we s

have wintered here, they have mana

vast amount of ingenuity to extract anything amusing out of

roduced the press

newspaper?" excl

a comedy?"

ered at Melville Island, he started both amusement

have been there," returned Johnson; "for

e theatre manager, and Captain Sabina chief editor of the newspaper

les," sai

and hunting parties, and accidents, and adventures, and published amusing stories. No doubt the articles were not up to the 'S

t. "I should like to re

, you shall judg

u repeat them

board the Porpoise, and I can read

that the Doctor fetched the book forthwit

" he said, "addres

test satisfaction. I am convinced that, under your direction, it will be a great

ffect of your announcement on my comrades, and I can testify, to use

een tablecloth was deluged with snippings and parings of quill-pens, to the injury of one of our servants, who got a

d not made their appearance for a couple of months, and judging by the reams of

no later than last night, I saw an author bending over his desk, holding a volume of the "Spectator" open with one hand, and thawing the frozen ink in his pen at the lamp with the other. I need not w

a good deal of clever humour in that wr

an amusing catalogue

e moment you put your foot outside the ship, f

reindeer, take aim, and find your gun has gone o

pocket, and discover, when you want to eat, that it has frozen so ha

ted that a wolf is in sight, and on coming

absorbed in profitable meditation, and sudd

, "to almost any amount, for there is a sort of pleasure i

Winter Journal' is an amusing affai

start one,"

y; "we might do for editors, but

h, if we tried to get up

in Parry's theatre," said John

ce a fortnight, this repertoire was soon exhausted. Then they had to improvise fresh plays; Parry himself

confess, if I had chosen such a subject, I sh

Bell; "who can say w

on well. Leave all that to Providence, friends; let us each play our own r?le as perfectly as we can, and since the déno

said Johnson, "for it's getting late, and

hurry, old fellow,"

always have such good dreams. I dream invariably of hot countries, so that I mig

aid Altamont, "to be blessed wit

am," repli

o keep our good friend pining here," said the Doctor,