Time unmeasured by either passed without speech.
"They tell't me," said Alec at length, "that you and Curly had made it
up."
"Alec!" exclaimed Annie, and looked up in his face as if he had accused
her of infidelity, but, instantly dropping her eyes, said no more.
"I wad hae fun' ye oot afore a day was ower, gin it hadna been for
that."
Annie's heart beat violently, but she said nothing, and, after a
silence, Alec went on.
"Did my mother ever tell ye about how the barque was lost?"
"No, Alec."
"It was a terrible snow-storm with wind. We couldn't see more than a
few yards a-head. We were under bare poles, but we couldn't keep from
drifting. All in a moment a huge ghastly thing came out of the gloamin'
to windward, bore down on us like a spectre, and dashed us on a
floating field of ice. The barque was thrown right upon it with one
side stove in; but nobody was killed. It was an awful night, Annie; but
I'm not going to tell you about it now. We made a rough sledge, and
loaded it with provisions, and set out westward, and were carried
westward at the same time on the floe, till we came near land. Then we
launched our boat and got to the shore of Greenland.
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