FLOEBERG BEACH 251 



jecting points of each passing floe which grounded near 

 the shore in about ten fathoms of water would be at 

 once wrenched off from its still moving parent mass ; 

 the pressure continuing, the several pieces, frequently 

 thirty thousand tons in weight, would be forced up the 

 inclined shore, rising slowly and majestically ten or 

 twelve feet above their old line of flotation. Such 

 pieces quickly accumulated until a rampart-like barrier 

 of solid ice-blocks, measuring about two hundred yards 

 in breadth and rising fifty feet high, lined the shore, 

 locking us in, but effectually protecting us from the 

 overwhelming power of the pack." The land had 

 already assumed a wintry aspect, and the ship soon 

 put on a garb of snow and ice, each spar and rope 

 being double its ordinary thickness from the accumula- 

 tion of rime. Around her everything was white and 

 solemn ; no voice of bird or beast was heard ; all was 

 still and silent save the gathering floes ; and in two 

 days the men were able to walk on shore over the new 

 ice. 



For eleven months she stayed here, secured by cables 

 to anchors frozen on to the shore to protect her from 

 gales on the landward side. With the ship housed in 

 awnings of tilt-cloth, with snow a foot thick laid on 

 the upper deck and banked up on each side as high as 

 the main-chains, with skylights and hatchways carefully 

 covered up, except two hatchways for ingress and 

 egress constructed with porches and double doors so as 

 to prevent the entrance of the bitter air, the crew here 

 passed the long Polar night. On the llth of October 

 the sun disappeared, and then began those entertain- 

 ments, lectures, lessons, games, not forgetting the 



