234, THE WORLD OF ICE.

Tom Singleton, in particular, entertained the men with
songs and lively tunes on the flute, and told stories, as
one of them remarked, “like a book.” Joseph West,
too, was an invaluable comrade in this respect. He
had been a studious boy at school, and a lover of
books of all kinds, especially books of travel and
adventure. His memory was good, and his inventive
powers excellent, so that he recalled wonderful and
endless anecdotes from the unfathomable stores of his
memory, strung them together into a sort of story,
and told them in a soft, pleasant voice that captivated
the ears of his audience; but poor West was in deli-
cate health, and could not speak so long as his mess-
mates would have wished. The rough life they led,
and the frequent exposure to intense cold, had con-
siderably weakened a frame which had never been
robust, and an occasional cough, when he told a long
story, sometimes warned him to desist. Games, too,
were got up. “ Hide and seek” was revived with all
the enthusiasm of boyhood, and “fox-chase” was got
up with tremendous energy. In all this the captain
was the most earnest and vigorous, and in doing good
to others he unconsciously did the greatest possible
amount of good to himself; for his forgetfulness of self,
and the activity of his mind in catering for the wants
and amusements of his men, had the eftect of impart-
ing a cheerfulness to his manner, and a healthy tone
to his mind, that tended powerfully to sustain and
invigorate his body. But despite all this, the men
grew worse, and a few of them showed such alarming