rbour, in the
immediate vicinity of Cape Horn. It is true, that is an inhabited country,
if the poor degraded creatures who dwell there can be termed inhabitants;
and has its trees and vegetation, such as they are. The difference between
Orange Harbour and Sealer's Land, in this respect, must be something like
that which all the travelling world knows to exist between a winter's
residence at the Hospital of the Great St. Bernard, and a winter's
residence at one of the villages a few leagues lower down the mountain. At
Sealer's Land, if there was literally no vegetation, there was so little
as scarcely to deserve the name. Of fuel there was none, with the
exception of that which had been brought there. Nevertheless, the
experience of a winter passed at such a place as Orange Harbour, must
count for a great deal. Cape Horn is in nearly 56 deg., and Sealer's Land--we
may as well admit this much--is, by no means, 10 deg. to the southward of
that. There must be a certain general resemblance in the climates of the
two places; and he who had gone through a winter at one of them, must have
had a very tolerable foretaste of what was to be suffered at the other.
This particular experience, therefore, added to his general knowledge, as
well as to his character, contributed largely to Stephen's influence in
the consultations that took place between the two masters, at which he was
usually present.

"It's useless to be playing off, in an affair like this, Captain Gar'ner,"
said Stephen, on one occasion. "Away from this spot all the navies of the
'arth could not now carry us, until God's sun comes back in his course, to
drive the winter away afore it. I have my misgivin's, gentlemen, touching
this great floe that has got jammed in among these islands, whether it
will ever move ag'in; for I don't think its coming in here is a common
matter."

"In which case, what would become of us, Stephen?"

"Why, sir, we should be at God's marcy, then, jist as we be now; or would
be, was we on the east eend itself. I won't say that two resolute and
strong arms might not cut a way through for one little craft like ourn, if
they had summer fully afore 'em, and know'd they was a-workin' towards a
fri'nd instead of towards an inimy. There's a great deal in the last;
every man is encouraged when he thinks he's nearer to the eend of his
journey a'ter a hard day's work, than he was when he set out in the
mornin'. But to undertake sich an expedition at t