intent his
occupation, that he took no heed of the person who was busy at the
camboose, until the man appeared at the side of his berth, holding a tin
pot in his hand. It was Stimson, up and dressed, without his skins, and
seemingly in perfect preservation.

"Here's some hot coffee, Captain Gar'ner," said the provident
boat-steerer, "and then turn out. The wind has shifted, by the marcy of
God, and it has begun to rain. _Now_, I think we may have summer in
'arnest, as summer comes among these sealin' islands."

Roswell took six or eight swallows of the coffee, which was smoking hot,
and instantly felt the genial influence diffused over his whole frame.
Sending Stephen to the other berths with this timely beverage, he now sat
up in his berth, and rubbed his feet and legs with his hands. The
exercise, friction, and hot coffee, soon brought him round; and he sprang
out of his berth, and was quickly dressed. Stimson had lighted a fire in
the camboose, using the very last of the wood, and the warmth was
beginning to diffuse itself through the building. But the change in the
wind, and the consequent melioration of the temperature, probably alone
saved the whole of the Oyster Pond crew from experiencing the dire fate of
that of the Vineyard craft.

Stephen got man after man out of his berth, by doses of the steaming
coffee; and the blood being thus stimulated, by the aid of friction,
everybody was soon up and stirring. It was found, on inquiry, that all
three of the blacks had toes or ears frozen, and with them the usual
application of snow became necessary; but the temperature of the house
soon got to be so high as to render the place quite comfortable. Warm food
being deemed very essential, Stephen had put a supply of beans and pork
into his coppers; and the frost having been extracted from a quantity of
the bread by soaking it in cold water, a hearty meal of good, hot, and
most nourishing food, was made by all hands. This set our sealers up, no
more complaints of the frost being heard.

It was, indeed, no longer very cold. The thermometer was up to twenty-six
above zero in the house when Roswell turned out; and the cooking process,
together with Stephen's fires and the shift of wind, soon brought the
mercury up to forty. This was a cheering temperature for those who had
been breathing the polar air; and the influence of the north-east gale
continued to increase. The rain and thaw produced another deluge; and the
cliffs