The Frozen Crew Of The Ice-Bound Ship; Or, Terrors Of The Arctic Region — page 89: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE FROZEN **Zoe sly —debilish sly,’ chuckled the ebony maiden, in whose laughing eyes there was all the knavery, and more than all the drollery of the Spanish Picaroon. ‘‘ Me go to de spot where de snow drift and not fall. Dere me see de trace of footsteps, one, two, forty. ‘* Ah, ah, me say !’”’ continued Zoe, after stopping to laugh, “me got scent where nasty fox hide hiself. Me creep and creep, where de snow lie thick, and find more footstep.”’ The speaker having successfully delivered herself of another cachinnation, proceeded— “Presently me come upon some smoke, which come out of top of house; me smell fire, me hear voice; especially cat nigger fellow you call, Caesar.’’ “ Maiden, you must guide us to this spot,” said Paul Jones, grasping the hand of Zoe with the fer- vour of friendship. ‘Through your ingenuity we need no longer abandon ourselves to despair. “Tet us at once,” he continued, turning to his companions, ‘‘ apply immediate means to circumvent the artifices of the destroyers of my happiness.” ‘‘We will instantly depart in search of them!’’ ex- claimed his associate, ‘‘since their track has been disovered in the snow which they have traversed.” “ Humph ! then Fergus Blake no longer hesitates to put faith in the prophecy of the Valkyra,” cried Sumach, as she observed him advance to carry out its completion. : CHAPTER XXIX. -FOOTSTEPS IN THE SNOW. The artic sun shone brightly as the little party issued from the abode of the Valkyra, and wound its way among the waving ice-fields that surrounded it. Zoe, as scout, led in the van, while her armed companions followed in the track she pursued, which was indicated by the footsteps she had discovered in the snow. There was asolemnity in the scene that might have called forth other and more sombre feeling even than those which the assemblage possessed. The country into which they were plunging was of a grand and gloomy character, The wilderness of ice lifted their pillars ever and anon over head, and formed a series of domes and arches without end, that had for ages overshadowed the sterile soil. Gigantic blocks formed fences, as singular as they were, for the most part, impenetrable. At times open glades were visible, broken only by colossal icicles hanging from the neighbouring glacier-like cables, or arms of an oriental banyan. The vague prospect opened by scenes such as these, stirred the imagination and produced a feeling -of solitude in the mind of Paul Jones, greater than would have been under circumstances different from the present. The gait of the travellers over the road, if such it could be called, was at first rapid and cheery. By-and-bye, having penetrated deeper into the ice- block, they found their progress impeded by a thou- sand unseen difficulties. These interruptions promised to make the journey longer than anticipated. Zoe, at intervals, caught the fresh foot-prints of the pirates and her comrades, with pleasure, reflected that before long they must reach the place where they expected to find them encamped. They had proceeded some distance, when Zoe turned into a bye-way, leaving the direct path they had pursued. ‘We are glad of your guidance,” said Paul CREW AND IO0E-BOUND SHIP. 79 Jones, observing the action, “but are you not wrong in diverging from the road that sweeps before us,” “No, follow me,’ said the girl, though in some trepidation. “‘T am convinced by the footprints in the snow, that the road we are traveling is the one for our purpose,” “And yet,” said Fergus Blake, ‘‘ somewhat alarmed at a difference of opinion, where unanimity was so much more desirable.” “Zoe ought to know best, as she has been here before us.” ‘Tt is the safest way,’ she replied; “at all events for the present.” “My good girl,” said Paul Jones, kindly, but positively. ‘*Hereis the road as plain as day, and we must follow.”’ “You will repent you ever took it.” “What do you mean?” ‘* Tt is dangerous.” “Sometimes all roads are so,’ said Paul Jones, his patience failing when he found Zoe could give no better reason for her opposition. ‘ Let us con- tinue; Emona is awaiting us, and we must lose no further time by delay.” The animation, which had a few minutes before beamed forth on every look and gesture of Zoe, now gave way to a deep dejection. She seems as anxious now to linger in the rear, as as she had been before, to preserve a bold position in the front. Her eyes wandered timourously on every object around her, as though they concealed a lurking enemy. Suddenly a stifled cry aroused Paul Jones, as ho proceeded onward with his little party. A thousand strange and appalling conceits crept into their mind. In a moment, they remembered the hints of Zoe. “’ Tis the man I saw,’ she exclaimed. “ Foolish girl, why did you not tell us at once of this.” ‘Me no want to frighten Missie.” ‘Your concealment of facts may lead us to de- struction.” Paul Jones had scarcely uttered these words, when an exclamation from Zoe drew the attention to a figure stalking through the ice-blocks at a dis- tance. In the growing twilight,it looked like that of some gigantic demon. At first it appeared as if this solitary being was approaching in a direct line. But presently Paul Jones perceived that he was bending his course away to the left. He paused for a moment, and regarded the stranger. “Friend or enemy,” exclaimed Paul Jones, dash- ing forward, and followed, though not without hesi- tation, by his companions. At the sound of his voice, the addressed started and looked up. Without betraying surprise, or a disposition to beat a retreat, he advanced to meet Paul Jones com- ing towards him. He walked rapidly, waving his hand all the while with an impatent gesture, as if to command a halt. A. command at once obeyed by the silent ob- servers. It was now that as the spectral figure drew nigh, its stature appeared to grow less and less, The wild lineaments with which fancy had in- vested it, faded trom sight, leaving the phantom of a a