534 FINDING OF THE RESOLUTE. 



climbed over the broken ice, and stood on deck. Every 

 thing was stowed away in order spars hauled up and 

 lashed to one side, boats piled together, hatches calked 

 down. Over the helm, in letters of brass, was inscribed 

 the motto " England expects every man to do his duty." 

 But there was no man to heed the warning. 



The whalemen broke open the companion-way, and 

 descended into the cabin. All was silence and darkness. 

 Groping their way to the table, they found matches and 

 candles, and struck a light. There were decanters and 

 glasses on the table, chairs and lounges standing around, 

 books scattered about everything just as it had been 

 last used. Looking curiously from one thing to another, 

 wondering what this deserted ship might be, at last they 

 came upon the log-book. It was endorsed, "Bark Res- 

 olute, 1st September, 1853, to April, 1854. " One entry 

 was as follows: " H. M. S. Resolute, 17th January, 

 1854, nine A. M. Mustered by divisions. People tak- 

 ing exercise on deck. Five p. M. Mercury frozen. ?; 



This told the story. It was Captain Kellett's ship, 

 the Resolute, which had broken away from her icy 

 prison, and had thus fallen into the hands of our Yan- 

 kee whalemen. 



While the men were making these discoveries, night 

 came on, and a gale arose. So hard did it blow that they 

 were compelled to remain on board, and for two days 

 these four were the whole crew of the Resolute. It 

 was not till 19th September that they returned to 

 their own ship, and made their report. 



All these ten days, since Captain Buddington had 

 first seen her, the vessels had been nearing each other. 

 On the 19th he boarded her himself, and found that in 

 her hold, on the larboard side, was a good deal of ice. 

 Her tanks had burst, from the extreme cold ; and she 

 was full of water, nearly to her lower deck. Everything 



