1 82 LETTERS FROM HIGH LATITUDES. [XI. 



succeeded in getting more than about 120 miles further 

 north than we ourselves had already come ; and to entangle 

 ourselves any further in the ice — unless it were with the 

 certainty of reaching land — would be sheer folly. The only 

 thing to be done was to turn back. Accordingly, to this 

 course I determined at last to resign myself, if, after stand- 

 ing on for twelve hours longer, nothing should turn up t3 

 improve the present aspect of affairs. It was now eleven 

 o'clock ; p.m. Fitz and Sigurdr went to bed, while I 

 remained on deck to see what the night might bring forth. 

 It blew great guns, and the cold was perfectly intolerable ; 

 billow upon billow of black fog came sweeping down 

 between the sea and sky, as if it were going to swallow up 

 the whole universe ; while the midnight sun — now com- 

 pletely blotted out — now faintly struggling through the 

 ragged breaches of the mist — threw down from time to 

 time an unearthly red-brown glare on the waste of roaring 

 waters. 



For the whole of that night did we continue beating up 

 along the edge of the ice, in the teeth of a whole gale of 

 wind ; at last, about nine o'clock in the morning, — but two 

 short hours before the moment at which it had been agreed 

 we should bear up, and abandon the attempt, — we came up 

 with a long low point of ice, that had stretched further to 

 the Westward than any we had yet doubled ; and there, 

 beyond, lay an open sea ! — open not only to the Northward 

 and Westward, but also to the Eastward ! You can ima- 

 gine my excitement. " Turn the hands up, Mr. Wyse ! ,; 

 " 'Bout ship ! " " Down with the helm ! " " Helm a-lee ! " 

 Up comes the schooner's head to the wind, the sails flap- 

 ping with the noise of thunder — blocks rattling against the 

 deck, as if they wanted to knock their brains out —ropes 

 dancing about in galvanised coils, like mad serpents — and 

 everything to an inexperienced eye in inextricable confusion ; 

 till gradually she pays off on the other tack — the sails stiffen 

 into deal-boards — the staysail sheet is let go — and heeling 

 over on the opposite side, again she darts forward over the 



