200 THE JEANNETTE ARCTIC EXPEDITION. 



of course, could not proceed, being hemmed in on all sides 

 by almost limitless masses of ice in close contact, and having 

 only a small pool in which she could bathe her sides. The 

 starboard half of her old cradle remained, so she was hauled 

 into it and secured with ice-anchors on the bow and quarter, 

 to await her chance to escape. The rudder had been pre- 

 viously shipped, and the screw propeller had been found to 

 be undamaged, so every preparation was made to move at a 

 moment's notice. On June llth Henrietta Island was seen 

 for the last tirile, to the southeast of us. 



I will now describe the supreme and final moments in 

 the life of the Jeamiette. At this period of the cruise I was 

 able to spend one hour on deck, three times a day, for exer- 

 cise, the last relapse of my left eye having taken place a 

 month previous. I went on deck at one o'clock in the after- 

 noon, and saw the hunters start out. The day was clear 

 and beautiful, there was a light wind from the northeast, 

 and in some quarters of the horizon it was misty and very 

 much as in the trade-wind regions of the Pacific. A large 

 party was sent out to get seals and guillemots, if possible. 

 My hour was up, but I still lingered on the quarter-deck, for 

 the ice on the port side, some twenty-five yards distant, had 

 commenced to move toward us, and I was fascinated by the 

 dangers of the situation. 



The captain was on deck, and immediately hoisted the 

 hunters' recall, which was a big, black cylinder, at the main 

 truck. They began to come in, one by one, and the last 

 ones were Bartlett and Anequin, who were dragging a seal 

 with them. At the time of their arrival the ice was in con- 

 tact with the port side of the ship, and she was heeled 

 about twelve degrees to starboard, with port bilges heavily 

 pressed. The two hunters approached on the port side, 

 passed their guns to me, and came up by a rope's end that 

 I had thrown to them. The pressure on the ship was terri- 

 ble, and we knew that she must either lift and be thrown 

 up bodily upon the ice, or be crushed. During the whole 

 cruise, provisions, tents, and boats with sleds, were kept 



