344 MAIL SERVICE 



ing able to jump across. To his despair it was 

 more than thirty feet wide and gradually getting 

 broader. He could not swim a stroke, so there 

 was no possibility of his getting over. To the 

 westward the lane of water seemed to be gradual- 

 ly narrowing, till, in the distance, the pieces ap- 

 peared to join. He ran in that direction for two 

 miles, only to find that it got wider as he ap- 

 proached. Then he realized that he was adrift, 

 but that there was no immediate danger, as the 

 ice was strong enough to bear him, though how 

 long he might be on it he could not tell. As there 

 was no wind he had some hopes that he might be 

 rescued from shore in the morning. He knew 

 nothing about the action of the strong tides in 

 that vicinity, or he would have known that the 

 ebb was then carrying the ice out and that the 

 flood would bring it back if a strong wind did not 

 intervene. He kept pacing up and down to keep 

 warm and luckily for him it was not very cold. 

 How far out he drifted he could not tell us, but 

 from what I know of the place, he must have gone 

 nearly two miles. With the strong flood tide the 

 ice set back again and joined the firm and fast 

 shore ice. As soon as possible he made for shore, 

 the lights we had placed out guiding him. I 

 think he learned a good lesson, because although 

 I had occasion to guide him on two more trips, I 

 never heard any more suggestions of short cuts. 

 During the first winters in which we had a 



