DISCOVERY OF THE NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 427 



the ship had been secured, and, to the horror of those 

 an board, such was the enormous power exerted that 

 the mass slowly reared itself on its edge close to the 

 ship's bows, until the upper part was higher than the 

 fore-yard ; and every moment appeared likely to be the 

 Investigator's last, for the ice had but to topple over to 

 sink her and her crew under its weight. At the criti- 

 cal moment there was a shout of joy ; for the mass, 

 after oscillating fearfully, broke up, rolled back in its 

 original position, and they were saved. 



Hardly, however, was this danger past than a fresh 

 one threatened ; for the berg to which the ship was se- 

 cured was impelled forward by the whole weight of the 

 driving pack toward a low point of land, on which with 

 frightful pressure the great floes were breaking up, and 

 piling themselves tier upon tier. The Investigator had 

 no power of escape ; but every hawser was put in re- 

 quisition, and hands stationed by them. An attempt 

 to blow up a grounded berg, upon which the ship was 

 driving, only partially succeeded ; the nip came on, the 

 poor ship groaned, and every plank and timber quivered 

 from stem to stern, in this trial of strength between her 

 and the ice. '* Our fate seemed sealed," says M'Clure ; 

 and he made up his mind to let go all hawsers. Tho 

 order was given, and with it the wreck of the Investi- 

 gator seemed certain : all the leader hoped for was to 

 use his own words "that we might have the ship 

 thrown up sufficiently to serve as an asylum for the 

 winter/' If she should sink between the two con- 

 tending bergs, the destruction of every soul was inev- 

 itable. 



But, at the very moment when the order to " let go 

 all hawsers" was given, and even before it could be 

 obeyed, a merciful Providence caused the berg, which 

 most threatened, to break up, and the Investigator was 



