86 FORCE OF THE ICE-FIELDS. 



another quarter ; and over the sea around us these 

 pulsating lines of uplift, which in some cases reached 

 an altitude of not less than sixty feet, — higher than 

 our mast-head, — told of the strength and power of 

 the enemy which was threatening us. 



We had worked ourselves into a triangular space 

 formed by the contact of three fields. At first there 

 was plenty of room to turn round, though no chance 

 to escape. We were nicely docked, and vainly hoped 

 that we were safe ; but the corners of the protecting 

 floes were slowly crushed off, the space narrowed little 

 by little, and we listened to the crackling and crunch- 

 ing of the ice, and watched its progress with conster- 

 nation. 



At length the ice touched the schooner, and it ap- 

 peared as if her destiny was sealed. She groaned like 

 a conscious thing in pain, and writhed and twisted as 

 if to escape her adversary, trembling in every timber 

 from truck to kelson. Her sides seemed to be giving 

 way. Her deck timbers were bowed up, and the 

 seams of the deck planks were opened. I gave up 

 for lost the little craft which had gallantly carried us 

 through so many scenes of peril ; but her sides were 

 solid and her ribs strong ; and the ice on the port 

 side, working gradually under the bilge, at length, 

 with a jerk which sent us all reeling, lifted her out of 

 the water; and the floes, still pressing on and break- 

 ing, as they were crowded together, a vast ridge was 

 piling up beneath and around us ; and, as if with the 

 elevating power of a thousand jack-screws, we found 

 ourselves going slowly up into the air. 



My fear now was that the schooner would fall over 

 on her side, or that the masses which rose above the 

 bulwarks would topple over upon the deck, and bury 

 us beneath them. 



