156 THE WORLD OF ICE.

edges of his hood and the breast of his jumper with
hoar-frost.

“Tt’s quite purty, it is,’ remarked O’Riley, in refer-
ence to this wreath of hoar-frost, which covered the
upper parts of cach of them; “it’s jist like the ermine
that kings and queens wear, so I’m towld, and it’s
chaper a long way.”

“T don’t know that,” said Joseph West. “It has
cost us a rough voyage and a winter in the Arctic
Regions, if it doesn’t cost us more yet, to put that
ermine fringe on our jumpers. I can make nothing
of this knot; try what you can do with it, messmate,
will you?”

“Sorra wan o’ me’ll try it,” cried O'Riley, suddenly
leaping up and swinging both arms violently against
his shoulders ; “I’ve got two hands, I have, but niver
a finger on them

 

leastwise I feel none, though it és
some small degrae 0’ comfort to see them.”

“My toes are much in the same condition,” said
West, stamping vigorously until he brought back the
circulation.

“Dance, then, wid me,” cried the Irishman, suiting
his action to the word. “I’ve a mortial fear o’ bein’
bit wid the frost—for it’s no joke, let me tell you.
Didn’t I see a whole ship’s crew wance that wos
wrecked in the Gulf o’ St. Lawrence about the be-
ginnin’ o’ winter, and before they got to a part o’ the
coast where there was a house belongin’ to the fur-
traders, ivery man-jack ©’ them was frost-bit more or
less, they wor. Wan lost a thumb, and another the