378 REPAIRING THE SCHOONER. 



worthy ; but I was forced to agree with my sailing- 

 master, that to strike the ice again was sure to sink 

 her. 



The stern of the schooner had been dry-docked in 

 the same manner as the bows ; and it was found that 

 the severe wrench which she had got off Littleton 

 Island had started the stern-post, upon which hangs 

 the rudder ; and the rudder itself had been twisted 

 off, — the pintles having been snapped asunder as if 

 they had been made of pipe-clay. This accident to 

 the rudder had been quite unavoidable, for we were 

 so situated at the time of its occurrence that we could 

 not avail ourselves of the facilities with which we 

 were provided for unshipping it. 



McCormick had succeeded in getting in some stout 

 screw-bolts, and had managed, by an ingenious device, 

 in hanging the rudder in such a manner that we 

 could rely upon it to steer the schooner; but it would 

 not bear contact with the ice, or another wrench, and 

 it could not be unshipped. The schooner's sides were 

 much torn and abraided, but no material damage 

 seemed to have been done which was not repaired 

 with some additional spikes to secure the started 

 planks, and a general calking to close the seams. 



I felt much disappointment at the turn of affairs. 

 It seemed very probable that, in view of the crippled 

 condition of the schooner, the project of getting into 

 Kennedy Channel and of navigating the Polar Sea 

 with her would have to be abandoned for the present, 

 and that I had now no chance for another year but 

 with boat and sledge. In this direction there was 

 nothing to give encouragement. To transport a 

 boat across such ice as that of Smith Sound was 

 wholly impracticable, and I was now more poorly off 



