FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77  
78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   >>   >|  
al again. "I don't feel as though I'd ever been an angel, and I don't look it, do I?" And he squared his shoulders and laughed his good-natured, infectious laugh, in which Jimmy joined, and the two returned to camp. There was no floe ice on the coast now, but the sea was dotted with many icebergs, children of the great northern glaciers, drifting southward on the Arctic current. Some of them were small and insignificant. Others towered in massive majesty and grandeur high above the sea, miniature mountains of ice. Some were of solid white, but the greater part of them reflected marvelous blues and greens and were a riot of beautiful color. One of the smaller icebergs lying a half mile or so from Itigailit Island attracted Bobby's attention as he and Jimmy walked back from the cairn. "See that berg, Jimmy?" he asked. "The little one close in?" "Yes. Do you know, I've got an idea. That bear meat won't keep long unless we pack it in ice or salt it, and I'd rather have it fresh than salted, wouldn't you?" "Of course I would!" said Jimmy. "Then let's take your skiff--it's bigger than ours--and go for a load of ice." "It's dangerous to go digging on icebergs. They're like to turn over," suggested Jimmy. "Oh, don't be afraid, now. Come on. There isn't any danger," said Bobby, with impelling enthusiasm. "We can get enough ice to keep the meat fresh until it's all used up. Come on." And Jimmy, as was his custom when Bobby urged, agreed. Skipper Ed's skiff lay at the landing, and arming themselves with an ax the two pulled away unobserved. It was a small iceberg, perhaps sixty feet in diameter, and rising not more than twenty feet above the water. Its surface was irregular, and there were several places where excellent footing could be had. The boat was directed toward one of these. "You stay in the boat," said Bobby, seizing the ax, "and I'll go aboard her and cut the ice." "Be careful," cautioned Jimmy. "Oh, there's no danger," said Bobby, climbing to the iceberg. Bobby began chopping off as large pieces as he thought he could conveniently handle. The ice was exceedingly hard and brittle. It had frozen centuries before, under the extremely low temperatures of the Arctic regions. It had its beginning, perhaps, in snow deposited in some far-off Greenland valley. Other snows had come upon it, and still other snows, until a tremendous weight of snow pressed it, as it froze, into a glass-like ha
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77  
78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

icebergs

 

danger

 
iceberg
 

Arctic

 

tremendous

 

pulled

 

unobserved

 

regions

 

landing

 
arming

twenty

 
temperatures
 
rising
 
diameter
 
deposited
 

Skipper

 

impelling

 

enthusiasm

 

beginning

 

custom


agreed

 

weight

 

pressed

 

chopping

 

Greenland

 

climbing

 

cautioned

 

careful

 
pieces
 

thought


frozen

 

centuries

 

brittle

 

conveniently

 
handle
 
exceedingly
 

aboard

 
excellent
 
footing
 

places


surface
 
irregular
 

afraid

 

valley

 

seizing

 

directed

 

extremely

 

greater

 

reflected

 

marvelous