The World of Ice

World of Ice, The

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Title: The World of Ice
Author: Robert Michael Ballantyne
Release Date: March 16, 2004 [eBook #11602]
Language: English
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THE WORLD OF ICE
OR

The Whaling Cruise of "The Dolphin"
AND
The Adventures of Her Crew in the Polar Regions
By
Robert Michael Ballantyne
Author of "The Dog Crusoe and his Master," "The Young
Fur-Traders," "The Gorilla-Hunters," "Ungava," "The Coral Island,"
&c.
1893

PREFACE
Dear Reader, most people prefer a short to a long preface. Permit me,
therefore, to cut this one short, by simply expressing an earnest hope
that my book may afford you much profit and amusement.
R.M. BALLANTYNE.

CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
Some of the "dramatis personæ" introduced--Retrospective
glances--Causes of future effects--Our hero's early life at sea--A
pirate--A terrible fight and its consequences--Buzzby's helm lashed
amidships--A whaling-cruise begun.
CHAPTER II.
Departure of the "Pole Star" for the Frozen Seas--Sage reflections of

Mrs. Bright, and sagacious remarks of Buzzby--Anxieties, fears,
surmises, and resolutions--Isobel--A search proposed--Departure of the
"Dolphin" for the Far North.
CHAPTER III.
The voyage--The "Dolphin" and her crew--Ice ahead--Polar
scenes--Masthead observations--The first whale--Great excitement.
CHAPTER IV.
The chase and the battle--The chances and dangers of whaling
war--Buzzby dives for his life and saves it--So does the whale and loses
it--An anxious night, which terminates happily, though with a heavy
loss.
CHAPTER V.
Miscellaneous reflections--The coast of Greenland--Upernavik--News
of the "Pole Star"--Midnight-day--Scientific facts and fairy-like
scenes--Tom Singleton's opinion of poor old women--In danger of a
squeeze--Escape.
CHAPTER VI.
The gale--Anchored to a berg which proves to be a treacherous
one--Dangers of the "pack"--Beset in the ice--Mivins shows an
inquiring mind--Walruses--Gale freshens--Chains and cables--Holding
on for life--An unexpected discovery--A "nip" and its terrible
consequences--Yoked to an iceberg.
CHAPTER VII.
New characters introduced--An old game under novel
circumstances--Remarkable appearances in the sky--O'Riley meets with
a mishap.

CHAPTER VIII.
Fred and the doctor go on an excursion in which, among other strange
things, they meet with red snow and a white bear, and Fred makes his
first essay as a sportsman.
CHAPTER IX.
The "Dolphin" gets beset in the ice--Preparations for wintering in the
ice--Captain Guy's code of laws.
CHAPTER X.
Beginning of winter--Meetuck effects a remarkable change in the men's
appearance--Mossing, and working, and plans for a winter campaign.
CHAPTER XI.
A hunting-expedition, in the course of which the hunters meet with
many interesting, dangerous, peculiar, and remarkable experiences, and
make acquaintance with seals, walruses, deer, and rabbits.
CHAPTER XII.
A dangerous sleep interrupted--A night in a snow-hut, and an
unpleasant visitor--Snowed up.
CHAPTER XIII.
Journey resumed--The hunters meet with bears and have a great fight,
in which the dogs are sufferers--A bear's dinner--Mode in which Arctic
rocks travel--The ice-belt.
CHAPTER XIV.
Departure of the sun--Effects of darkness on dogs--Winter
arrangements in the interior of the "Dolphin."

CHAPTER XV.
Strangers appear on the scene--The Esquimaux are hospitably
entertained by the sailors--A spirited traffic--Thieving propensities and
summary justice.
CHAPTER XVI.
The Arctic Theatre enlarged upon--Great success of the first play--The
Esquimaux submit, and become fast friends.
CHAPTER XVII.
Expeditions on foot--Effects of darkness on dogs and men--The first
death--Caught in a trap--The Esquimau camp.
CHAPTER XVIII.
The hunting-party--Reckless driving--A desperate encounter with a
walrus, etc.
CHAPTER XIX.
The northern party--A narrow escape, and a great
discovery--Esquimaux again, and a joyful surprise.
CHAPTER XX.
Keeping it down--Mutual explanations--The true
comforter--Death--New-Year's day.
CHAPTER XXI.
First gleam of light--Trip to welcome the sun--Bears and strange
discoveries--O'Riley is reckless--First view of the sun.
CHAPTER XXII.

The "Arctic Sun"--Rats! rats! rats!--A hunting-party--Out on the
floes--Hardships.
CHAPTER XXIII.
Unexpected arrivals--The rescue party--Lost and found--Return to the
ship.
CHAPTER XXIV.
Winter ends--The first insect--Preparations for departure--Narrow
escape--Cutting out--Once more afloat--Ship on fire--Crew take to the
boats.
CHAPTER XXV.
Escape to Upernavik--Letter from home--Meetuck's
grandmother--Dumps and Poker again.
CHAPTER XXVI.
The return--The surprise--Buzzby's sayings and doings--The
narrative--Fighting battles o'er again--Conclusion.
CHAPTER I.
_Some of the "dramatis personæ" introduced--Retrospective
glances--Causes of future effects--Our hero's early life at sea--A
pirate--A terrible fight and its consequences--Buzzby's helm lashed
amidships--A whaling-cruise begun._
Nobody ever caught John Buzzby asleep by any chance whatever. No
weasel was ever half so sensitive on that point as he was. Wherever he
happened to be (and in the course of his adventurous life he had been to
nearly all parts of the known world) he was the first awake in the
morning and the