VIII.] « TO NOR ROW AY, OVER THE FA E Air 135 



into the scrape. One thing was very certain, — Northing or 

 Southing might be an even chance, but whatever Easting 

 we could make must be to the good ; so I determined to 

 choose whichever vein seemed to have most Easterly direc- 

 tion in it. Two or three openings of this sort from time to 

 time presented themselves.; but in every case, after following 

 them a certain distance, they proved to be but cul-de-sacs, 

 and we had to return discomfited. My great hope was in a 

 change of wind. It was already blowing very fresh from the 

 northward and eastward ; and if it would but shift a few 

 points, in all probability the ice would loosen as rapidly as 

 it had collected. In the meantime, the only thing to do 

 was to keep a sharp look-out, sail the vessel carefully, and 

 take advantage of every chance of getting to the eastward. 



It now grew colder than ever, — the distant land was 

 almost hid with fog, — tattered dingy clouds came crowding 

 over the heavens, — while Wilson moved uneasily about the 

 deck, with the air of Cassandra at the conflagration of Troy. 

 It was Sunday, the 14th of July, and I had a momentary 

 fancy that I could hear the sweet church bells in England 

 pealing across the cold white flats which surrounded us. At 

 last, about five o'clock p.m., the wind shifted a point or two, 

 then flew round into the south-east. Not long after, just as 

 I had expected, the ice evidently began to loosen, — a pro- 

 mising opening was reported from the mast-head a mile or 

 so away on the port-bow, and by nine o'clock we were 

 spanking along, at the rate of eight knots an hour, under a 

 double-reefed mainsail and staysail — down a continually 

 widening channel, between two wave-lashed ridges of drift 

 ice. Before midnight, we had regained the open sea, and 

 were standing away 



" to Norroway, 

 To Norroway, over the faem. " 



In the forenoon I had been too busy to have our usual 

 Sunday church ; but as soon as we were pretty clear of the 

 ice I managed to have a short service in the cabin. 



