AFLOAT AGAIN! 413 



winged butterfly, and — who would believe it ? — a 

 mosquito. And these I add to an entymological col- 

 lection which already numbers ten moths, three spi- 

 ders, two humble-bees, and two flies, — a pretty good 

 proportion of the genus Inseda for this latitude, 78° 17' 

 N., longitude 73° W. 



July 10th. 



A heavy swell is setting into the harbor from the 

 southwest. There has evidently been a strong south- 

 erly wind outside, although it has been blowing but 

 lightly here. The ice has been breaking up through 

 the day, and crack after crack is opening across the 

 harbor. If it lasts twelve hours longer we will be 

 liberated. It is a sort of crisis, and may be a danger- 

 ous one. The crashing of the ice is perfectly fright- 

 ful. The schooner still holds fast in her cradle. 



July nth. 



We have passed through a day of much excitement, 

 and are yet not free from it. The seas continuing to 

 roll in, more cracks opened across the harbor, until 

 the swell at length reached the vessel. Late this 

 afternoon, after more than thirty-six hours of sus- 

 pense, the ice opened close beside us, and after a few 

 minutes another split came diagonally across the ves- 

 sel. This was what I had feared, and it was to pre- 

 vent it that I had sawed across the harbor. The ice 

 was, however, quickly loosened from the bows, but 

 held by the stern, and the wrenches given the schooner 

 by the first few movements made every timber of her 

 fairly creak again ; but finally the sawed crack came 

 to the rescue, and, separating a little, the schooner 

 gave a lurch to port, which loosened the ice from un- 

 der the counter, and we were really afloat, but grind* 

 ing most uncomfortably, and are grinding still. 



