The cinema : 1952 (1952)

110 THE CINEMA to sleep, we could hear it more. We wondered how far we were still from the big island. ' It is strange that with all this wind we can hear nc growling in the sea the ice now must be very strong,' I said. But someone else said : ' Even if the ice is strong there still could be growling of the sea.' We did not talk another word for sleep was heavy in our eyes. I slept near the door so that I could be the first out in the morning. I was deep in sleep. Then I awoke why I do not know. I could hear the fierce roaring of the wind. But even now though I listened hard I could hear no growling from the sea. Then I wondered why I had wakened fool, I called myself. I looked at Annunglung and his wife and his children asleep. I looked at my wives and my children — asleep. I was trimming the moss wicks of our seal-oil lamp before lying down again, and then I heard it. Far out at first, then quick like the wind it began coming towTard me one long, louder and louder roar! And now under me I could feel trembling. I knew what it was it was the ice, it was parting, and it cut our igloo in two. The lamp fell there was no light. 'Hold on to each other!' I yelled to everyone in the darkness. ' Hold on to each other or we are lost!' The dogs were howling, the children crying, and there were screams from our wives. I could not see it, but open water was at our feet. 'Hold together!' I yelled. I could not hear. 'Are we all together?' I cried. 'No, we are not together, we are not together! ' It was my head wife. 'Don't you hear, don't you hear?' she wras shrieking. 'Stop,' I cried, 'then I shall hear.' Even so they were already far I could barely hear them my young wife, Annunglung's wife, one of his and two of my young children and my second oldest son. Then their calling died away. We called - we listened we called again, but we could only hear the roaring of the storm and the growling of the sea.