CHAPTER XIX. 



LIEUTENANT DANENHOWER'S NARRATIVE. 



(CONTINUED.) 



A T six o'clock on the morning of the 14th, I gave orders 

 to prepare breakfast, and a few minutes later we were 

 surprised by the boat taking ground in two feet of water. 

 We backed off, and I recommended standing to the eastward. 

 J had reckoned that when we rounded to we were about fifty 

 miles off Barkin, our destination ; that we had drifted at 

 least fifteen miles to the southwest during the gale, and that 

 we had run about twenty-five miles during the night, so that 

 we were on the shoals north of Barkin. I said that if we 

 stood to the west we would have no show; but that if we 

 went east until dee}) water was reached, and then stood due 

 south to the highlands of the coast, we would find plenty of 

 water and a good landing place. Melville was of course in 

 command, but he relied on my judgment, as he did in all 

 emergencies. 



Bartlett thought he saw a IOW T beach with logs upon it. I 

 told him to take another good look, and then he said he 

 thought he was mistaken. It was only a smooth patch of 

 water among the shoals. We noticed that the water was 

 only brackish, and that there was a thin skim of young ice 

 near us. We stood to the eastward, occasionally feeling our 

 way south, but always touched the ground quickly when 

 moving in that direction. I noticed there was a very strong 

 easterly set here. The winds were light and southerly ; we 

 stood all night about east-southeast, and early next morning 

 U'ot nine fathoms. I then recommended steering due south, 

 but Melville wanted to go southwest, because that was the 

 captain's course ; so I assented and shaped a southwest 



course, which wo continued to steer until the morning of 



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