xample, and also added to our
store of valuables. As he was hunting about, almost out of sight, among
the rougher parts of the berg, we heard him sing out, "A prize! a
prize!" and, standing up, he held aloft an iron pot with the cover on.
The cover had been jammed tightly down, so that it had floated like a
buoy.

"There is something in it, though," he observed, shaking it; and, on
getting off the cover, we discovered a piece of beef ready for cooking.
It had evidently floated out of the cook's galley.

"I quite forgot, though, that we had no means of lighting a fire; so,
after all, it won't be of any use," sighed Terence, after we had all
four collected again on our raft.

"Don't be so sure of that," said Andrew. "I have seen a fire kindled by
means which few people would think of, but I am not quite certain that I
can manage it; however, I'll try. It's worth the experiment; for if we
can light a fire, we may make some soup, which will do us all good."

Saying this, he climbed some way up the berg, where he knocked off a
pure piece of ice from one of its sparkling pinnacles. We all sat
round, wondering what he was going to do. With the boarding-pike he
carefully chopped the lump, till he had made it into a thick circular
cake; then he pared away the edges, and afterwards commenced operations
with his knife, scraping away, till he had formed both sides into a
perfect convex shape. Lastly, he took it between his mittens, and
rubbed it round and round till he turned it out with a fine polish.

"There," he said, "there is a fine burning-glass for you."

"A burning-glass!" I answered, laughing. "A piece of ice shaped like a
burning-glass; but you will never get anything like fire out of that, I
should think!"

"I should think not," said Terence, but not in the same positive way
that I had spoken; for he had, justly, a great respect for everything
Andrew did.

"Give me your hand here, then," said Andrew to me. I took off my mitten
and gave it him willingly. He looked at the sun, which was shining
brightly, and held the ice between it and my hand. I saw a little
bright spot appear on my hand; but I thought nothing of that, till,
feeling an acute sensation of burning, I snatched my hand away in a
hurry, to the amusement of my companions.

"I thought it would answer," exclaimed Andrew triumphantly. "I saw the
master of a whaler I was once on board make several like this, and play
the same trick to his peo