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YARN V.

T was on the 12th of May, in the year '28, that I got the Priscilla out of her moorings behind the island and clear off into the sea-way, as last described. It was early of a Saturday morning, with a long day before me; the weather, though it was cold, was clear, which was a great thing. The spring-tide, as I said, favoured well, and what there was of the wind was northerly, the best for the purpose. This was as near as possible two years from the time of first sighting the whaling-ground; so, what with the troubles the ship had gone through in the ice, and the length of time she had been. locked up off the Labrador coast, still more the lonesome days after the doctor's death, you may well believe I was wild for escaping anyhow. Mad as it looked, I thought I had a chance. The fishing season was just about on, consequently, some or other of the whalers ought to make those latitudes shortly. The truth was, however, to make surer of this, I should have held on a week or two more, if I could have had the patience. I wasn't in a mood to wait longer, though. Over and above what had come of counting on others for help, here

had I managed to get through an amount of work by myself, with the use of tackle and such, that I couldn't have believed beforehand. Then, as to the benefit I had got out of the dogs, it quite put me up in the buckle; besides which, I was above a couple of years older than at starting from home, a deal heavier, and found it tell at a pull.

I soon found we should be all the better of more canvas to take the good of the wind and shove her along. What she had already was the jib on the bowsprit, a small stunsail upon the fore to'gallant mast, and the spanker over her stern. This last helped to make the steerage easy, as she was barque-rigged, though a three-master. By lashing the helm amidships, with three or four spokes of the wheel free, I could leave her safe enough to steer herself between times, so as to get a turn now and then at other matters. With a craft of this size, well over 350 tons, the great point was to get more sail aloft, and save leeway; this was so far done by now setting my main piece of canvas which had taken me so long to get up, yard and all, by means of the ship's winch. In addition, I soon triced up an old sail below it, with a tarpaulin or two for wings on each side, hauled them taut toward deck, and got a fairish draught, though noway shipshape to see. As to handling these in case of a shift, it was easy enough, and no fear about a blow of wind, seeing it would carry them away pretty quick. All aloft above the stumped

to'gallant masts, the upper spars had been struck to house on deck, or else carried away. The mizen topmast had been smashed when the Priscilla beam-ended in the ice, and most of the yards that were crossed at the time had been nipped short, or else fouled beyond our power to set right. However, with what she had she went ahead wonderfully; meantime, the breeze rather freshened than . otherwise, heeling her a little at a time. Every surge she gave, the better I liked it, and listened to the ripple along her bends as if it had been running water. I began to think again of old Redriff wharf, when by the afternoon there was nothing to be seen of the land astern except a white peak or two.

The ice trended out far to leeward, and I could see bergs both aground and afloat that way. Up to windward it was all twinkling and blinking in the sun, but ahead it was as clear as a bell, with the line of the sky free.

A long afternoon it proved, no doubt, still there was gain with every knot made direct east. This thought kept me up, steering careful; it was seldom a rope needed touching, and for the rest I had seen beforehand to have everything handy by, to get my meals. I was all right, so long as the wind held in the same quarter; then when it shifted nearer nor'-west, I managed with the help I had to get sails trimmed, so as to meet it for a time. After that there was no danger in holding down for the Atlantic, both according to what

I saw, and the chart likewise; the Labrador ice being out of sight to leeward before long. Whatever sou'-westing I was forced to in the meantime, why, there could be no great harm done. I calculated to put her fair before the wind toward the end of the first night-watch, if I could keep up so long; then to square sail, let her make a fair swim of it, and get some sleep for myself. The dogs were sound long before that. As to Kanyok, he was no use for a watch when wanted; but it was very different with Tweed, as she would stay wherever I stationed her, and never close an eye. With regard to noticing anything wrong, or for smelling ice, or seeing aught in the shape of life, she was better than half a dozen look-outs.

Every now and then I had caught myself dropping off as I sat with one arm on the wheel, but as long as I felt anxious, the least jolt one way or another would wake me. One thing that had kept me up was the cold, for it had got most desperate. It was nigh-hand as bad as up Davis Straits or Pond's Bay about the end of the fishing; owing, in great part, no doubt, to the wind, more especially as it shifted west. Still it somehow struck me strange. For all I knew, the summer might have made one of the false starts it does in a backward season, in which case it would turn out I had risked it too soon. This really proved to be so, but there was something worse behind. I had noticed during the day that the ship was harder to steer

for an hour or two, and apter to fly up in the wind; the same thing commenced again at night, the helm jerking, and the fore canvas on the shiver, so as I couldn't leave her a moment. By the lapping of the eddy to her lee counter, right under me, all at once I began to put that and that together. It was the time of the spring-tides, as I said before; I knew they ran always stronger at night-in the North Seas, at any rate. The consequence was, when it made flood, it would sweep me fast up, and here was I all the time helping it so long as I pressed her sharp to windward. ing the other way when I thus got no benefit of it. for that, with the little canvas I could spread; and the longer this lasted, the worse for sending me up on the Greenland coast. I at once kicked up the dogs, and tried to put her before the wind, which was the best way. It was no use, though, whilst the flood ran. I had to give it up for the time, stick close to the helm, and make the best of it.

Instead of the ebb telltide turned, of course The wind was too light

I thought I should have frozen, keeping by it as I had to do, notwithstanding the wheelhouse I had luckily put up. After freshening up the fire in the stove, and brewing myself a hot pot of coffee, I shoved myself into the bear's skin, hair in, and you may easily know what came next. Off I dropped, sound. My arm being in the wheel, whenever it worked extra uneasy, I would start awake, with an eye into the binnacle compass, and seeing nothing

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