Part 6 (2/2)

Your feelin's take to freezin', so likewise takes your brain; You go about grump-and-wheezin', like a wretched dog in pain; You long for wings, or some such things, But they're not to be had--oh! no-- For there you are, Like a _fixed_ star, In the world of Ice and Snow.

If you wished you could--you would not, for the very wish would die.

If you thought you would--you could not, for you wouldn't have heart to try.

Confusion worse confounded, Would aggravate you so-- That you'd tumble down On the frozen ground In the world of Ice and Snow.

But ”never-give-in” our part is--let British pluck have sway And ”never-say-die,” my hearties--it's that what wins the day.

To face our fate in every state, Is what we've got to do, An' laugh at our trouble Till we're all bent double-- In the world of Ice and Snow.

Now all ye sympathisers, and all ye tender souls; Ye kind philanthropisers, who dwell between the poles, Embrace in your affections Those merry merry men who go-- Where your toes are froze, An' the pint o' your nose, In the world of Ice and Snow.

It almost seemed as though the world of ice and snow itself had taken umbrage at Macnab's song, for, while we were yet in the act of enthusiastically prolonging the last ”sno-o-ow,” there sounded in our ears a loud report, as if of heavy artillery close at hand.

We all leaped up in excitement, as if an enemy were at our doors.

”There it goes at last!” cried Lumley, rus.h.i.+ng out of the house followed by Spooner.

I was about to follow when Macnab stopped me.

”Don't get excited, Max, there's no hurry!”

”It's the river going to break up,” said I, looking back impatiently.

”Yes, I know that, but it won't break up to-night, depend on it.”

I was too eager to wait for more, but ran to the banks of the river, which at that place was fully a mile wide. The moon was bright, and we could see the familiar sheet of ice as still and cold as we had seen it every day for many months past.

”Macnab's right,” said I, ”there will be no breakup to-night.”

”Not so sure of that,” returned Lumley; ”the weather has been very warm of late; melting snow has been gus.h.i.+ng into it in thousands of streams, and the strain on the ice--six feet thick though it is--must be tremendous.”

He was checked by another cras.h.i.+ng report; but again silence ensued, and we heard no more till next morning. Of course we were all up and away to the river bank long before breakfast, but it was not till after that meal that the final burst-up occurred. It was preceded by many reports--towards the end by what seemed quite a smart artillery fire.

The whole sheet of ice on the great river seemed to be rising bodily upwards from the tremendous hydraulic pressure underneath. But though the thaws of spring had converted much snow into floods of water, they had not greatly affected the surface of the ice, which still lay hard and solid in all its wintry strength.

A greater Power, however, was present. If the ice had been made of cast-iron six feet in thickness, it must have succ.u.mbed sooner or later.

At last, as Macnab said, ”She went!” but who shall describe _how_ she went? It seemed as if the mighty cake had been suddenly struck from below and shattered. Then the turmoil that ensued was grand and terrible beyond conception. It was but an insignificant portion of G.o.d's waters at which we gazed, but how overwhelming it seemed to us!

Ma.s.s rose upon ma.s.s of ice, the cold grey water bursting through and over all, hurling morsels as large as the side of a house violently on each other, till a mighty pile was raised which next moment fell with a crash into the boiling foam. Then, in one direction there was a rush which seemed about to carry all before it, but instead of being piled upwards, some of the ma.s.ses were driven below, were thrust deep into the mud, and a jam took place. In a few minutes the ice burst upwards again, and the ma.s.ses were swept on to join the battalions that were already on their way towards the distant lake amid noise and crash and devastation. It seemed as if ice and snow and water had combined to revive the picture if not the reality of ancient chaos!

Thus the drapery of winter was rudely swept away, and next morning we had the joy of seeing our river sweeping grandly on in all the liquid beauty of early and welcome spring.

CHAPTER SIX.

AN EXPRESS AND ITS RESULTS.

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