THE GRISTS DRAWING NEAR. 



north-northeast, where I hope it will remain. The 

 weather still disagreeable, full of rain squalls and cloudy. 

 Living nearly on raw bear meat. Everything wet, but 

 brighter days coming soon. It cannot last much longer. 

 Here we are surrounded with the miserable pack ice and 

 cannot get free. All well. 



"April 24. Wind north-northeast; sometimes hauls 

 around to north. Raining all night and to-day. Every- 

 thing wet for some days past, and no chance of drying it. 

 Saw a large school of ducks at four A. M., and another 

 later in the day. Cannot be far from laud ; we have 

 been allowed to see it sometimes, but were driven off ao-ain. 



' O 



There was a fine lead of water last -night. I thought we 

 were going to have a change, but it soon closed up again. 

 Another lead to-day, but farther off." 

 . The crisis seemed to be rapidly drawing near. Their 

 little ice-cake, already too small for the erection of a hut 

 on it, was wasting away hourly, and at last, on the 25th, 

 the gale reached them, and they were compelled at great 

 risk to embark again in their boat. There was fearful 

 hazard in this, but it was safer than attempting to ride 

 out the gale on their reduced ice-cake. But, as the 

 darkest hour is just before dawn, a glimmer of hope on 

 the 26th was succeeded by a brighter promise on the 28th. 

 They had reached the sealing grounds, and might hope to 

 meet a deliverer if they could but weather it out a little 

 longer. On the 28th, a sealer actually came in sight and 

 aroused high hopes, only to be dashed by her disappear- 

 ance soon after. Then two other sealers hove in sight. 

 But none of these rescued our friends ; the first saw them 

 and bore down for them, but appeared unable to get 

 through the ice ; the other two seemed not to have seen 

 the anxious party. At last, however, on the night of the 

 29th, the Tigress, without having seen them, was directed 

 by the Providence Herron had so long and so faithfully 

 trusted, so that she almost ran over them. The joy of 



