The Argosy — page 229: what you’re looking at

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

210 Caterina. I must keep my own place. She said I presumed. She said she was mistress.” “Tf you meddle with her you ruin my child. Have mercy, Truda,” and tremblingly Vrow Steen followed the angry woman soma to. she basement story. Caterina continued to make mesmeric passes over the fai of Teresa. Several times already since anxiety began to consume her about her husband, she had summoned Teresa to her, and thrown her into a trance. In this manner she had seen the Ovange hemmed in by ice floes, plunging and straining to shake herself free from her prison—now making a little way, then blocked up again, now rearing on end like a live creature, as the huge icebergs drove against her ; again plunging into free water. Then she had _ painted the’ ghastly scene thus impressed on her mind, with the cold Arctic sunshine over all.. It had been a kind of relief to her gnawing anxiety to portray the scenes that Teresa caused her to see. She could not speak of them to mortal ; Art, the beloved, must be the confidante. | In her absorption she had not heard the creaking of the beahdes as “the women crept to the keyhole, nor their whisperings and hard -breathings. She was so bent upon catching every syllable uttered by ‘her medium that she was deaf to other sounds. ‘Tell me,” she said, letting her arms drop languidly by her side, ‘‘ dost thou see the ~ Orange now 2?” ) | Teresa sighed deeply, then spoke like one ina dream... ‘‘ The ship -is deserted: she lies sealed up in the ice; a large bear is on her . deck.” ‘And he, my Jacob—dost thou see him ? ” AY ‘“‘ Ay, he is there, and Jan too, and Van Rennen, the carpenter. . I -see them well. They have built a hut near the ship. . The Skipper comes out at the door; he is dressed in white fur; he hasia aig -spike in his hand. He beckons to Jan—my Jan—-Qh—-ats” ? “What seest thou, Teresa? In God’s name, what seest’ thou now?” “Tan brings out a tub of salt meat, and lays it on the ice near thee hut. A bear comes to smell it. The Skipper throws the pike ati the bear; it leaves the meat to bound after the pike; it catches. itiin its ‘mouth and plays with it like a dog... The other white bear. clambers -down from the ship and runs at our men. Jan throws.another: pike, .and the bear: bounds after it: "They: have no gun. Van Rennen drags the Skipper and Jan into the house and shuts the door... ‘The bears overturn the meat.” Cue ‘‘ Where are the rest of the crew? Are the three men deserted ?’’ “T do not know—I cannot see them,” replied ‘Teresa, speaking faintly ; “‘ but it 1s cold—it freezes the marrow in their bones.:; ‘The bleak sunshine cannot warm them—even the Meat skins have-.little heat—they suffer horribly—horribly ss af Her voice died away—her eyes closed and teh lina ssiana ' \ «d GEomichbooks.co