A TKHUIBLE SHTAT1ON. 229 



not much ice at the time, and it was decreasing. One day, 

 about noon, we ran through a line of drift ice, and the whale- 

 boat struck on a tongue that was under water. She began 

 to fill rapidly, and we had to haul her out, but not before she 

 was two-thirds full could we reach a suitable ice piece. The 

 plug had been knocked out, but she had sustained no other 

 damage. That afternoon we passed through a large water 

 space several square miles in area, with a heavy sea running. 

 We were steering dead before the wind, having to follow in 

 11 ic wake of the captain, and it was very difficult to keep 

 from jibing. 



About three P. M. the coxswain let her jibe, and she was 

 brought by the lee by a heavy sea on the starboard quarter. 

 The sheet was not slacked in time, and the boat was hove 

 almost on her port beam ends. A heavy green sea s\vepi 

 over the whole port side and filled her to the thwarts; she 

 staggered and commenced to settle, but every man with a 

 baler in hand quickly relieved her, and she floated again. I 

 was never frightened before in a boat, but it was a most 

 dangerous and terrible situation. There was no chance for 

 the captain or Chipp to have assisted us, and had another 

 sea boarded us not a man of our party would have been 

 saved. 



The weather was very cold. Two hours afterward we met 

 the ice, among which we made our way. Chipp' s boat was 

 still astern and in the water hole, and we were very anxious 

 about his safety. The captain hauled up about seven P. M., 

 and camped with us. The next day the gale was still blow- 

 ing, and Chipp's boat still missing, so about six P. M. the 

 captain hoisted a black flag. 



On the following day Bartlett reported that the ice was 

 closing around us, and that if we did not move we would be 

 shut in. Two hours afterward all outlets were closed. 

 Land was also in sight at this time, being Kotelnoi Island. 

 Erickson was the first to see Chipp's boat, and presently we 

 saw two men making their way over the floe and jumping 

 across the obstructions. It was Chipp, with Kuehne. His 



