Argosy, Vol. 1 (1882) — page 125: what you’re looking at

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

116 unseated pinnacle showed hard and raw in the evening light. From the dip between the snow caps ‘a thin column of smoke was rising into the still windless air, commencing straight as a lance, but mushrooming out over our heads a few hundred feet up as if in weariness of its own weight. It poured out of some new hewn chimney in the rock relentlessly slow indeed, and lazily, but with a very busi- ness-like steadfastness. A few smuts were wafted to us, falling upon our clothes and faces. : From that moment a very large lum of despair began to settle upon my heart and stayed there. I began to fully real- ize the nature of the trap we were in. It must take days, work as we would, to get the boat up the slopes, put it to- gether again on the top—even provided we didn’t break it in the process—and drop it in safety down the cliffs. Waller might with very great luck get to the Falklands in three weeks. There might possibly be a ship there which would come to our rescue; very probably there might not. Giving everything the very best possible chance of suc- ceeding, we couldn’t get away from this horrible place under six or eight weeks. On the other hand, Waller might never reach the Falklands at all. Every hazard of sea and ice would be against him. If he got there he might never get back, for the berg might close. Our provisions might fail; the birds and the sea lions would depart. The ship might sink further into the cleft and take our home and stores with her, for it was of course no more than likely that an- other earthquake shock would ensue. And above all this, there was the hor- ror of the canon prowling around, ready fo interrupt our proceedings at anv moment. So beneath my breath I cursed the race of Maya, my besotted old ancestor, Crum, Gerry, Lessaution, and many other animate and inanimate influences that had brought about this disastrous expedition, and had landed us in this unspeakable plight. THE ARGOSY. When I had thus softly vented my feelings upon the smut filled air, for- bearing open complaint as a bad exam- ple for the men, I turned to see what the others were thinking in the matter. There was a grim look on Gerry's face. He, too, [ gathered, was begin- ning to understand what was meant by that black cloud which now rolled 'be- tween us and the sun like some mon- strous umbrella. Denvarre was looking at Gwen, and she, I gathered from the sudden mo- tion of her face as I turned towards her, had but lately been staring at me, try- ing, I suppose, to understand what I thought of it. Garlicke eyed the phe- nomenon through his eyeglass, view- ing it as if it was some second rate per- formance which had to be endured, but equally to be depreciated. Lessaution gaped up at it open mouthed; he nodded like a mandarin, showing by his expression his complete satisfaction with these arrangements for further volcanic demonstrations. V1 looked on with placid astonish- ment, being by now used to vagaries in this strange land of topsy turvydom, and not wishing to appear unneces- sarily surprised. The members of the crew made unanimous use of the com- mon adjective to opine that the smoke was sanguinarily droll, and at that they left it. ° Waller’s lips were compressed, though moving now and again in what I took to be sotto voce swearings, shar-. ing no doubt with me a silent uneasi-. ness that he preferred not to express. An earthquake is no joke. One has absolute belief in the stability of the ground beneath one’s feet—a_ belief which it takes much to destroy. When therefore you see the land shake like an ill made jelly, when it grins and grim- aces at you like a third rate comedian, .the traditions of a lifetime are under- mined. That upon which you have planked the whole of your confidence deceives you. Faith is no longer a rock. Relizf. eo