tion, near and far, the black water of the ex- 

 posed sea seething and foaming up in the open- 

 ing cracks. In the fast gathering darkness we 

 saw men and women at a distance, loaded with 

 seal meat, all hurrying to escape being carried 

 out to sea, for the ice, under pressure of the 

 strong wind, was moving away from the shore. 

 Tlie noise was like continuous thunder ; and al- 

 ready a driving gale of snow was setting in. It 

 seemed to me that all who had not reached the 

 shore must be crushed or drowned. 



As I stood straining my eyes in the gloom and 

 snow, my wife ran down to the shore, sobbing as 

 if heart-broken. She had heard the crashing of 

 the ice and feared that I was lost. The thought 

 of being left alone there must have been terrible 

 to her. 



The people farthest out, when they saw that 

 the ice-field had left the shore, turned and ran 

 for the cape, a mile farther to the west. The 

 ice-field was turning and doubling about this 

 headland and remained jammed against it for an 

 hour or more, so that all the villagers got ashore 

 there, except five. These were cut off by a great 

 crack which suddenly appeared between them 

 and the land. Among those were Kannakut and 

 Angeit, who had started on the hunt behind the 

 others, and had gone farther along the crack, in 

 pursuit of a walrus. We heard them shouting 

 dolefully, far off in the storm. It was pitiful to 

 think that we could do nothing. The ice was 

 mostly afloat now, and it had grown very dark. 



The Mahlemiuts who had escaped said little. 

 They are hardened to accidents of this kind. 

 Many turned away stolidly and went home with 

 their packs of meat. 



Thinking that the unfortunates might be 

 helped if enabled to keep their bearings on the 

 ice, I lighted my best oil-lantern and hoisted it 

 to the top of the flagstaff on the schoolhouse. . 

 Mrs. Gambell, too, began tolling the large school 

 bell, which was hung on the roof. Heard in the 

 storm of that wild, sad night, the strokes were 

 most melancholy. After a time I begged her to 

 desist ; for I believed that she was fatiguing her- 

 self needlessly, and that the bell could do no 

 good. 



"Oh, but it may cheer them," she said. "And 

 it is all I can do for them ! " 



After every five minutes she resumed the task 

 and continued it through the long, mournful 

 night. At times I relieved her; but she did 

 most of the ringing, and sat watching our little 

 clock during the intervals of silence. 



At daylight nothing could be discerned out at 

 sea, save a waste of stormy water and white ice- 

 cakes. But as the light increased, we saw that 

 a large " field " had grounded, three or four miles 

 to the eastward; and within an hour Kannakut 

 and three of the others came plodding wearily 

 to the village. They had succeeded in getting 

 ashore at daylight, but were badly frost-bitten, 

 and had come near to perishing. 



Angeit, — poor little Swipes ! — while trying to 



