Adrift on an ice-pan . joy had often sent mesprawling on my back; Jack, ajet-black, gentle-natured dog, morelike a retriever, that always ran nextthe sledge, and never looked back buteverlastingly pulled straight ahead,running always with his nose to theground. [ 3 ] ADRIFT ON AN ICE-PAN It was late in April, when there isalways the risk of getting wet throughthe ice, so that I was carefully pre-pared with spare outfit, which in-cluded a change of garments, snow-shoes, rifle, compass, axe, and oilskinoverclothes. The messengers wereanxious that their team should travelback with mine, for they
Adrift on an ice-pan . joy had often sent mesprawling on my back; Jack, ajet-black, gentle-natured dog, morelike a retriever, that always ran nextthe sledge, and never looked back buteverlastingly pulled straight ahead,running always with his nose to theground. [ 3 ] ADRIFT ON AN ICE-PAN It was late in April, when there isalways the risk of getting wet throughthe ice, so that I was carefully pre-pared with spare outfit, which in-cluded a change of garments, snow-shoes, rifle, compass, axe, and oilskinoverclothes. The messengers wereanxious that their team should travelback with mine, for they were slowat best and needed a lead. My dogs,however, being a powerful team,could not be held back, and thoughI managed to wait twice for theirsleigh, I had reached a village abouttwenty miles on the journey beforenightfall, and had fed the dogs, andwas gathering a few people for pray-ers when they caught me up. During the night the wind shiftedto the northeast, which brought infog and rain, softened the snow, and[ 4 1. ON A JOURNEY ADRIFT ON AN ICE-PAN made travelling very bad, besidesheaving a heavy sea into the drive next morning would besomewhat over forty miles, the firstten miles on an arm of the sea, onsalt-water ice. In order not to be separated toolong from my friends, I sent themahead two hours before me, appoint-ing a rendezvous in a log tilt that wehave built in the woods as a halfwayhouse. There is no one living on allthat long coast-line, and to provideagainst accidents—which have hap-pened more than once — we builtthis hut to keep dry clothing, food,and drugs in. The first rain of the year was fallingwhen I started, and I was obliged tokeep on what we call the ballica-ters, or ice barricades, much farther [ 5 ] ADRIFT ON AN ICE-PAN up the bay than I had expected. Thesea of the night before had smashedthe ponderous covering of ice rightto the landwash. There were greatgaping chasms between the enor-mous blocks, which we call pans, andhalf a mile out it
Size: 1319px × 1894px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookauthorgrenfellwilfredthomas, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900
