Left on Labrador

's Ship.-We hold a Hasty Council.-In the Jaws of the British Lion.-An Armed

out a cable's length from the island, to the east of the ice-island. The weather had held fine. The roadstead between the island and the main was not at present much choked with ice. It was safe, to all appearance. We wanted rest. Turnin

cried he. "Sun's been

e," yawned Raed. "I can sit up with him a

t, Weymouth came down to

t him come a

" said th

the nonce!" cried Kit. "Here, Palmleaf, set an

," laughed the captain: "the Huskie

l as dey do, sar!" excla

then opinions differ, you know. The

, to make de best of dem. I wouldn't he

ack of niggers," remarked Wade provokingly; at w

egroes will pop you over o

t niggers vote!-why, they are no more fit to have a voice in the making of the laws than so many hogs! You have done us a great wrong in setting them free: you've turned loose among us a horde of the most indolent, insolent, lustful beasts that ever made a hell of earth. You can'

rather one-sided vie

only side

re is another sid

as heard, and Weymouth came dow

chief, boss, sachem, or whatever they call it, of

want?" the c

s to

between the fat billows of his cheeks; his eyes were much drawn up at the corners, and very far apart; and his mouth, a very wide one, was fringed about with stiff, straggling black bristles. The cast of his countenance was decidedly repulsive. Kit made signs for him to drink his coffee; but he merely eyed it susp

f, rushing forward from the galley

shelf, and made a bolt for the stairway. We called to him, and followed as quickly as we could: but, before we were fairly

ng to below the islands, at a distance of about three miles. A thrill of apprehension stole over us. Without a word, we went for our glasses. It was

son-bay Company's sh

rse," s

anything else,"

llows may take a notion to have us ac

n catch us,

trial," continued Raed. "It's best to keep that point well in view. Nobody would suppose that, in this age, the old beef-heads would have the cheek to try t

of a man he is," said Kit. "He may be one of the high and migh

from the side of the ship, followed

ase," remarked Capt. Mazard, attach

nt to the peak of the bright-yellow ma

h anchor!" orde

cried Kit. "Let's ans

ing, the schooner

pretty heavy charge; for

nd put in a ball this time

island under which we had been lying and the ice-field, passed slowly along the latter at a distance of a hundred and fifty or two hundred yards. We thus had t

t a ship-of-war?" W

it is probably an armed ship. All the

Kit. "They're let

de. "They're going to

their heavy-laden ship up here am

o, three, four, five!-why, there are not less than

e side, the sun flashed brightl

aimed Raed, turni

on the rail, with the glass to his eye, evidently at his wits' end, and in no little trepidation. Very likely at that moment he wished our expedition had gone to Jericho before he had undertaken it. Raed, I think

us-if we let them," he said quietly. "Tha

t did, decidedly," C

we shall all be close prisoners, in irons perhaps, and down in the hold of that ship. We shall be carried out to Fort York, kept there a month in a dungeon likely as

r!" cri

imed Donovan. "We

for England. But there's no need of giving her up to them. That's not a ship-of-war. We've got arms, and can fight as well as they. We can beat off that boat, I'll be bound to say: and as for their ship, I don't believe they'll care

n!" exclaimed the

up the channel to the north of t

tand away to the north of t

how this roadstead ends

a trap, where they would only have to follow us to be sure of us. We might abandon the scho

e captain. "My plan is to keep their ship on the opposit

their boat?"

f!" exclaimed the c

e the howitzer to the stern.-Kit, you and Wash and Wade get up the muskets

schooner was kept moving gradually along at about the same distance from the ice. Bonney was stationed at the wheel, and Corliss at the sheets. Old Trull stood by the howitzer. The rest of us took each a musket, and formed in line along the after-bulwarks. Palmleaf, who in the midst of these martial pr

le. With cutlasses flashing, and oars dipping all to

in a hundred yards of us," sa

taking the speaking-trumpet, whi

hing nor flinching from the encounter which seemed imminent. We could see the faces of the men in the boat, the red

mmanded Capt. Maza

with our rifl

l boa

ght our pieces to bear over the rail, the

outed Raed thro

red-faced man in the stern.

alk: nevertheless, Raed ans

yacht 'Curlew'

What are you

ay!" responded Raed coolly; "for

an't fool us so! You're in here on a trading-voyag

th our muskets covering them, in silence. They had stopped rowing. an

commander of the boat. "I must look at you

plied Raed. "No objections to your examining our papers; but we'

me without lettin

rull holding a blazing splinter over the howitzer, was a l

er," shouted Raed, slow and distinct

vil you

we w

officer thundered out a torrent of oaths and abuse; to all of which Raed made no reply. They did not ad

Rosamond.' and I'll knock some of the impudence out of you, you young filibusters!" And with a parting malediction, which sho

hree cheers

ig groan; at which the red face in the ste

field, and now has got to row back for his pains! Thought he was going

probably taken a drop before coming off. His men knew it. When he g

It ain't as if 'The Curlew' was loaded down, and lay low in the water. It's about as much as a man can do to get from a boat

of us?" said Wade. "That means that we shall hear a noise

t wonder,

d the captain. "The distance across the ice-islan

orth or an Armstrong, they may send s

Southern fellows a few Armstrongs o

ght to have had more of them. I tell you, if they have a good twenty-four-pound Armstrong rifl

of a mile," remarked Kit, "by standing off fro

the captain. "Port

back to the ship. It was nearly an hour getting around the ice-island. Finally it ran in alongside, and wa

ing going on the

d. "They are pointing a gun! I can see

ht have been four seconds, though it seemed longer, when we saw the ice fly up rapidly in three or four places half a mile from the schooner as the ball came skipping along, and, boundin

thin three hundred y

said Wade. "I don't believe that was an Armst

med Raed. "They are goi

y bound twenty or thirty feet, and, describing a fine curve, struck spat upon the water; a

"They are creeping up to us!

ld twenty-four-pounder," said Wade. "Bet th

uld just make them get out of that quick! Wouldn't it be fun to chase th

in!" shouted the c

d our breaths again as it came whirling down with a quick thud

ruck on the deck, it would have gone d

he captain. "That heap of sand-ballas

ink

, y

fourth shot come roaring down a cable's length forward, and beyond the bows, and, a few seconds afte

earer than the fourth had done. Then they tried another at a less elevation, which str

it us awfully, though! If he hadn't a loaded ship, bet you, we should see

d this ice-island till he got sick of it," remarked the captain. "'T

s well go about his busi

uess," said Donovan, who had borrowed my glass f

she goes!" e

rough the channel to the west

rked Capt. Mazard. "Nothing would su

off the entrance of the channel; but she h

enty-four hours! I pity the sailors! He will have two or three of them 'spread-eagle

little bombardment!" exclaimed Wade, looking off

'sachem' that saw Palmleaf to vis

the south-west for several hours,

ou are not going to let this a

e, I think we had better keep a sharper lookout, not to let an

o closely after the company's ship, we beat back to our anc

inued on during the whole day, keeping the mountains of the mainland to the northward well in sight a

w miles to the south,-a score of black, craggy islets. Even the bright light of the waning sun could not enliven their utter desolation. Drear, oh, how drear! with the

taken in, and double reefs put in the mainsail. The weather had changed, with heavy lowering clouds and a rapidly-falling thermometer. Nevertheless we boys turned in, and went to sleep. Expe

sked Kit, sitting up on

nfronted with each other. The schooner had been hove to in the lee of an ice-field engirdling one of the smaller islets, with all sail taken in save the jib. Weymouth was at the wheel; the captain stood near him; Hobbs and Donovan were in the bow; Bonney stood by the jib-halliards. On the port side the ice-field showed like a pavement of alabaster on a sea of ink, contrasting wildly with the black, rolling clouds, which, like the folds of a huge shroud, draped the heavens in darkness. On the starboard, the heaving waters, black as night, were covered with pure w

f-past two

ly grand scene!

hat, by common consent, was accorded unutterable. An hour later, the blackness of the heavens had ro

breeze from the north lifted it. The schooner was put about, and, under close-reefed sails, went bumping through the interminable ice-patches which seem ever to choke these straits. The mountains to the no