ENCAMPED ON THE FLOE. 205 



took us till eleven P. M. to effect the removal. We also had 

 three boats, namely, the first cutter, second cutter and 

 the whale-boat. As soon as Dr. Ambler had looked out for 

 Chipp, he relieved me at my post, and I went to work with 

 No. 3 sled party, which I had been detailed previously to 

 command. The order was given to camp and get coffee ; so 

 we pitched our tent abreast of the whale-boat, and I set 

 about fitting out for the retreat. 



While waiting for coffee I walked over to the ship to take 

 a final look at her, and found the captain, Boatswain Coles, 

 and Carpenter Sweetman on the port side looking at her 

 under-water body, which was hove well out of water. I 

 observed that the ship's side between the foremast and 

 smokestack had been buckled in by the pressure, and that 

 the second whale-boat was hanging at the davits, and also 

 that the steam-cutter was lying on the ice near by. Coles 

 and Sweetman asked the captain if we could lower the second 

 whale-boat, and the captain said ' No.' The three boats, 

 however, were considered enough ; and while journeying on 

 the ice we afterward found Chipp's boat to be the favorite 

 with all hands, because she was considered short and handy, 

 with sufficient carrying capacity for eight men. I then sug- 

 gested to the men to return to camp, for the captain doubtless 

 wished to be left alone with the Jeannette in her last mo- 

 ments. 



We three returned to the camp together, having to jump 

 across numerous wide cracks and from piece to piece, and 

 soon after the watch was set and the order given to turn in. 

 Most of us obeyed the order promptly, and were just getting 

 into our bags when we heard a crack, and a cry from some 

 one in the captain's tent. The ice had cracked immediately 

 under the captain's tent, and Erickson would have gone into 

 the water but for the mackintosh blanket in which he and 

 the others were lying the weight of the others at the ends 

 keeping the middle of it from falling through. The order 

 was immediately given to shift to another floe-piece which 

 Mr. Dunbar selected for us. This was about three hundred 



