i 4 4 LETTERS FROM HIGH LATITUDES. ~ [IX. 



captain, therefore, made her a signal that she was to take 

 her own course, to try and reach Jan Mayen ; and if she 

 could not succeed, to direct her course on Onundarfiord, 

 and there to wait for us. The English vessel fell rapidly 

 astern, her hull disappeared, then her sails, and in the even- 

 ing every trace of her smoke had faded from the horizon. 

 •* * * # * 



In the evening, the temperature grew gradually colder ; 

 that of the water underwent a more rapid and significant 

 change. At twelve at night it was only three degrees centig. 

 (about 37 Fahr.). At tliat moment the vessel plunged into 

 a bank of fog, the intensity of which we were enabled to 

 ascertain, from the continuance of daylight in these latitudes 

 at this time of the year. There are tokens that leave no 

 room to doubt that we are approaching the solid ice. True 

 enough : — at two o'clock in the morning the officer on watch 

 sees close to the ship a herd of seals, inhabitants of the 

 field ice. A few minutes later the fog clears up suddenly ; a 

 ray of sunshine gilds the surface of the sea, lighting up mil- 

 lions of patches of sparkling white, extending to the farthest 

 limit of the horizon. These are the detached hummocks 

 which precede and announce the held ice ; they increase 

 in size and in number as we proceed. At three o'clock in 

 the afternoon we find ourselves in front of a large pack which 

 blocks up the sea before us. We are obliged to change our 

 course to extricate ourselves from the ice that surrounds us. 



This is an evolution requiring on the part of the com- 

 mander the greatest precision of eye, and a perfect know- 

 ledge of his ship. The ' Reine Hortense] going half speed, 

 with all the officers and the crew on deck, glides along be- 

 tween the blocks of ice, some of which she seems almost to 

 touch, and the smallest of which would sink her instantly if 

 a collision took place. Another danger, which it is almost 

 impossible to guard against, threatens a vessel in those 

 trying moments. If a piece of ice gets under the screw, it 

 will be inevitably smashed like glass, and the consequences 

 of such an accident might be fatal. 



