[Illustration: DOC]
The wind was steadily driving me now toward the open sea, and I could
expect, short of a miracle, nothing but death out there. Somehow, one
scarcely felt justified in praying for a miracle. But we have learned
down here to pray for things we want, and, anyhow, just at that moment
the miracle occurred. The wind fell off suddenly, and came with a
light air from the southward, and then dropped stark calm. The ice was
now "all abroad," which I was sorry for, for there was a big safe pan
not twenty yards away from me. If I could have got on that, I might
have killed my other dogs when the time came, and with their coats I
could hope to hold out for two or three days more, and with the food
and drink their bodies would offer me need not at least die of hunger
or thirst. To tell the truth, they were so big and strong I was half
afraid to tackle them with only a sheath-knife on my small and
unstable raft.
But it was now freezing hard. I knew the calm water between us would
form into cakes, and I had to recognize that the chance of getting
near enough to escape on to it was gone. If, on the other hand, the
whole bay froze solid again I had yet another possible chance. For my
pan would hold together longer and I should be opposite another
village, called Goose Cove, at daylight, and might possibly be seen
from there.
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