I thought you might like to see some ice on this sultry August evening. Here are a couple of paintings of the young Nelson’s (almost certainly) mythical duel with a polar bear.
The encounter may dwell in the realms of historical fantasy (I’m pleased to say), but it’s a fact that Horatio was part of a generally ill-fated expedition to the North Pole as a boy. Below is a teeny extract from my Nelson biography, Lamented Hero, about the crew’s arrival somewhere towards the top of the earth. I hope it cools you down…
“At one point, the expeditionary crew alighted on a drift of ice and played games on it, sliding around and drinking cupfuls of fresh water scooped between the cracks. This was no London winter. Rather than powdery mulch, handfuls of this fallen snow revealed that it was visibly crystallised and jagged, composed of chunky star-shaped flakes.
The sun didn’t set until close to midnight, colouring the mist golden and casting violent prisms on the landscape; then, when it fell, the sky warped itself almost wholly purple, painted with green twisting wisps. The sailors may have been forgiven for thinking that they were drifting somewhere towards the edge of heaven.”
Until next time, follow Baz Luhrmann’s chart-topping advice. Wear sunscreen,
Ryan
Nelson The Sailor 