Left on Labrador - or, The cruise of the Schooner-yacht 'Curlew.' as Recorded by 'Wash.'

C. A. (Charles Asbury) Stephens

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• Publié par: nesheng
• Publié le: 08 décembre 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 47
• Langue: English

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The Project Gutenberg eBook, Left on Labrador, by Charles Asbury Stephens This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org Title: Left on Labrador or, The cruise of the Schooner-yacht 'Curlew.' as Recorded by 'Wash.' Author: Charles Asbury Stephens Release Date: January 1, 2007 [eBook #20242] Language: English Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 ***START OF LABRADOR*** THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LEFT ON E-text prepared by Bruce Albrecht, Jeannie Howse, and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net/c/) Transcriber's Note: Inconsistent hyphenation and unusual spelling and punctuation in the original document have been preserved. Obvious typographical errors have been corrected in this text. For a complete list, please see the end of this document. LEFT ON LABRADOR OR THE CRUISE OF THE SCHOONER-YACHT "CURLEW" AS RECORDED BY "WASH" BY C. A. STEPHENS AUTHOR OF "LYNX-HUNTING," "FOX-HUNTING," "CAMPING OUT," "OFF TO THE GEYSERS," "ON THE AMAZONS," ETC. Illustrated NEW YORK HURST & COMPANY PUBLISHERS [3] CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. Sequel to the "Graphite Lode."—The Fifteen Thousand Dollars, and how it was invested.—About the Yacht.— The Schooner "Curlew."—Capt. Mazard. —Guard.—The Gloucester Boys.—"Palmleaf, Sar." —Getting Ready for the Voyage.—Ship-Stores. —The Howitzer.—The Big Rifle.—A Good Round Bill at the Outset CHAPTER II. Up Anchor, and away.—What the Old Folks thought of it. —The Narrator's Preface.—"Squeamish."—A Northeaster.—Foggy.—The Schooner "Catfish."— Catching Cod-Fish on the Grand Bank.—The First Ice.—The Polar Current.—The Lengthening Day. — C a p e Farewell.—We bear away for Cape 9 Resolution.—Hudson's Straits.—Its Ice and Tides CHAPTER III. Cape Resolution.—The Entrance into Hudson's S tra i ts .— The Sun in the North-east.—The Resolution Cliffs— Sweating among Icebergs.—A Shower and a Fog—An Anxious Night.—A Strange Rumbling.—Singular Noises and Explosions —Running into an Iceberg.—In Tow.—A Big Hailstone drops on Deck.—Boarding an Iceberg. —Solution of the Explosions.—A Lucky Escape CHAPTER IV. The Fog lifts.—A Whale in Sight.—Craggy Black Mountains capped with Snow.—A Novel Carriage for the Big Rifle.—Mounting the Howitzer.—A Doubtful Shot.—The Lower Savage Isles.—A Deep Inlet.— "Mazard's Bay."—A Desolate Island.—An Ice-Jam.—A Strange Blood-red Light.—Solution of the Mystery.— Going Ashore.—Barren Ledges. —Beds of Moss.—A Bald Peak.—An Alarm.—The Schooner in Jeopardy.—The Crash and Thunder of the Ice.—Tremendous Tides CHAPTER V. A Dead Narwhal.—Snowy Owls.—Two Bears in Sight.— Firing on them with the Howitzer.—A Bear-Hunt a m o n g the Ice.—An Ice "Jungle."—An Exciting Chase.—The Bear turns.—Palmleaf makes "a Sure Shot."—"Run, you Black Son!" CHAPTER VI. The Middle Savage Isles.—Glimpse of an Esquimau Canoe.—Firing at a Bear with the Cannon-Rifle.—A Strange Sound.—The Esquimaux.—Their Kayaks. — T h e y come on board.—An Unintelligible Tongue.—"Chymo." CHAPTER VII. The Husky Belles.—We-we and Caubvick .—"Abb," she said.—All Promenade.—Candy at a Discount.— "Pillitay, pillitay!"—Old Trull and the Husky Matron. —Gorgeous Gifts.—Adieu to the Arctic Beauties CHAPTER VIII. The Husky Chief.—Palmleaf Indignant.—A Gun. —Sudden Apparition of the Company's Ship.—We hold a Hasty Council.—In the Jaws of the British 28 45 [4] 69 93 106 125 Lion.—An Armed Boat.—Repel Boarders!—RedFace waxes wrathful.— Fired on, but no Bones Broken CHAPTER IX. A Barren Shore, and a Strange Animal, which is captured by blowing up its Den.—Palmleaf falls in with the Esquimaux, and is chased by them.— "Twau-ve! " — " A Close Shave."—An Attack threatened.—The Savages dispersed with the Howitzer CHAPTER X. The Dip of the Needle.—The North Magnetic Pole.—A Kayak Bottom up, with its Owner Head down.— IcePatches.—Anchoring to an Ice-Floe.—A Bear-hunt in the Fog.—Bruin charges his Enemies. —Soundings.— The Depth of the Straits CHAPTER XI. "Isle Aktok."—A Sea-Horse and a Sea-Horse Hunt.—In High Spirits.—Sudden Interruption of the Hunt.—A Heavy Gun.—The Race to the Ledge-Tops.—Too Late.—A Disheartening Spectacle.—Surprised by the Company's Ship.—The Schooner in Peril. —Capt. Mazard bravely waits.—The Flight of "The Curlew" amid a Shower of Balls.—The Chase.—Left on the Islet.—A Gloomy Prospect.—"What shall we have for Grub to ate? " — Wild-Geese. —Egging.—"Boom!"—A Sea-Horse Fire CHAPTER XII. The "Spider."—Fried Eggs.—The "Plates."—"Awful Fresh!"—No Salt.—Plans for getting Salt from SeaWater.—Ice-Water.—Fried Goose.—Plans to escape.—A Gloomy Night.—Fight with a Walrus.— Another "Wood-Pile."—Wade Sick.—A Peevish Patient and a Fractious Doctor.—The Manufacture of Salt CHAPTER XIII. More Salt.—Some Big Hailstones.—A Bright Aurora. —The Lookout.—An Oomiak heaves in Sight.—The Huskies land on a Neighboring Island.—Shall we join them?—A Bold, Singular, not to say Infamous, Proposition from Kit.—Some Sharp Talk.—Kit's Project carried by Vote 140 [5] 162 186 200 226 [6] 250 CHAPTER XIV. We set up a Military Despotism on "Isle Aktok."—"No Better than Filibusters!"—The Seizure of the Oomiak.—The Seal Tax—A Case of Discipline.— Wutchee and Wunchee.—The Inside of a Husky Hut.—"Eigh, Eigh!"—An Esquimau Ball.—A Funeral.— Wutchee and Wunchee's Cookery.—The Esquimau Whip CHAPTER XV. Winter at Hand.—We hold a Serious Council.—"Cold! o h , how Cold!"—A Midnight Gun.—The Return of " T h e Curlew."—"A J'yful 'Casion."—A Grand Distribution of Presents.—Good-by to the Husky Girls.—A Singular Savage Song.—We All get Sentimental.—Adieu to "Isle Aktok."—Homeward Bound.—We engage "The Curlew" and her Captain for Another Year 267 291 [7] INTRODUCTION. Those of our readers who may have read "Camping Out," the first volume of the "Camping-Out Series," will probably recall the circumstance of the graphite lode, and the manner in which it was left to Raed to dispose of. As the reason was too far advanced at the time of his negotiations with the unknown gentlemen to permit of a trip to Katahdin that fall, the whole affair was postponed till the following spring. On the 27th of April, Raed set out for Bangor. At Portland, Me., he was joined by the gentlemen (their names we are not at liberty to give); and at Bangor Kit met the party. Thence they went up to the mountain, where they had no difficulty in rediscovering the lode. That the examination was satisfactory will be seen from the first chapter of young Burleigh's narrative, which we subjoin. It is an account of their first yacht-cruise north. The schooner "Curlew," with the party, sailed from "Squam" (Gloucester, north village) on the 10th of June. On the 7th of July they made Cape Resolution on the north side of the entrance of Hudson Straits. Thenceforward, till their escape from that icy passage in August, their voyage was one continued series of startling adventures amid some of the grandest and most terrible scenery the earth affords. Of the plan of self-education adopted and acted upon by these young ToC [8] gentlemen we may remark, that it is singularly bold and original in its conception. If persevered in, we have no doubt that the result will fully justify their expectations. Unless we are much mistaken, it will be, as they modestly hope, a pioneer movement, looking to a much-needed revolution in the present sedentary programme of collegiate study. [9] LEFT ON LABRADOR. CHAPTER I. Sequel to the "Graphite Lode."—The Fifteen Thousand Dollars, and how it was invested. —About the Yacht.—The Schooner "Curlew." —Capt. Mazard.—Guard.—The Gloucester Boys.—"Palmleaf, Sar."—Getting Ready for the Voyage.—Ship-Stores.—The Howitzer.—The Big Rifle.—A Good Round Bill at the Outset. Raed got home from Katahdin on the night of the 15th of May. Kit came with him; and together they called on Wade and the writer of the following narrative early on the morning of the 16th. Brown enough both boys looked, exposed as they had been to the tanning winds for more than a fortnight. "Jubilate!" shouted Raed, as I opened the door. "Latest news from Mount Katahdin,—graphite stock clean up to the moon!" Wade came looking down stairs, nothing on but his gown and slippers. At sight of his tousled head both our callers gave a whoop of recognition, and set upon him,—shook him out of his slippers, and pulled him down the steps on to the sidewalk barefoot; thereby scandalizing a whole houseful of prim damsels across the street, who indignantly pulled down their curtains. Such a handshaking and back-patting as ensued! All the hardships and discouragement we had endured on our last season's expedition seemed to bear an exultant harvest in this our final success. "But you haven't been to breakfast!" exclaimed Kit. "So they haven't!" cried Raed. "Well, can't do business till they have their breakfast. We'll leave 'em to guzzle their coffee in peace. But hurry up! We must hold a council this morning,—have a grand pow-wow! Come round at nine sharp." They were off. We ate breakfast, and went down to Raed's, where we got into the back ToC [10] parlor, shut the doors, and proceeded to pow-wow. Wade was chosen president of the meeting; Kit, secretary. "First," said Raed, "allow me to give an account of my stewardship. No need of going into details. We went up to Katahdin; found the lode. Messrs. Hammer and Tongs were well satisfied. The fifteen thousand dollars was paid without so much as winking. Might have had twenty thousand dollars just as well; but I didn't know it when I made the offer. Hope you won't be dissatisfied with me. Here's the money; two checks,—one on the First National Bank for nine thousand dollars, the other on the Maverick National Bank for six thousand dollars." "I move we accept the gentleman's statement, and tender our sincere thanks for his eminently successf