THE ORDER CETACEA. 7^ 



two immense icebergs, upon which the wind was vio- 

 lently driving his vessel. He endeavoured, by spreading 

 all his sails, to penetrate between them; but in this 

 attempt the ship was borne against one with so terrible 

 a shock, that it was soon found to be sinking. By cut- 

 ting away the masts, the mariners enabled her to pro- 

 ceed; yet, as she continued to take in water, several 

 boats were launched, which, being overcrowded, sunk, 

 and all on board perished. Those left in the ship found 

 their condition more and more desperate. The fore-part 

 of the vessel being deep in the water, and the keel rising 

 almost perpendicular, made it extremely difficult to avoid 

 falling in the sea ; while a mast, to which a number had 

 clung, broke, plunged clown, and involved them in the 

 fate of their unfortunate companions. At length the 

 stern separated from the rest of the vessel, carrying with 

 it several more of the sailors. The survivors still clung 

 to the wretched fragments, but one after another was 

 washed off by the fury of the waves, while some, half 

 dead with cold, and unable to retain their grasp of the 

 ropes and anchors, dropped in. The crew of eighty-six 

 was thus reduced to twenty-nine, when the ship sud- 

 denly changed its position, and assumed one in which 

 they could more easily keep their footing on board. The 

 sea then calmed, and, during the respite thus afforded, 

 they felt an irresistible propensity to sleep ; but to some 

 of them it was the fatal sleep of extreme cold, from 

 which they never awoke. One man suggested the con- 

 struction of a raft, which was framed according to the 

 captain's advice ; happily, no sooner was it launched 

 than the waves swallowed it up. The remnant of the 

 crew encountered the next night another severe gale ; 

 and the sufferings of the crew, from cold, hunger, and 

 burning thirst, were so extreme, that death in every 



