106 JOIN THE WHALERS. Chap. VIII. 



her side, when she would instantly have filled and sunk ! 

 The dogs, after repeated ineffectual attempts to lie upon the 

 deck, quietly coiled themselves up upon such parts of the 

 lee gunwale as remained above water and went to sleep. 



To me the moments seemed lengthened out beyond any- 

 thing I could have imagined ; but at length the water began 

 to rise, and the ship to resume her upright position. Boats, 

 anchors, hawsers, &c, were got on board again with the 

 utmost alacrity, and the ship floated off unhurt after having 

 been eleven hours upon the reef. We had grounded during 

 the day tide and were floated off by the night tide, which 

 upon this coast occasions a much greater rise and fall, — so 

 far we were favoured, but the poor little ' Fox ' had a very 

 narrow escape ; as for ourselves, there was not the slightest 

 cause for apprehension, three steam whalers being within 

 signal distance. 



To-day we are steaming along after the three vessels which 

 passed us last evening and disappeared round Cape Shackle- 

 ton during the night. The contrast between our prospects 

 yesterday and to-day fills one with delight, — to be afloat and 

 advancing unobstructedly once more, is indeed charming. 



nth. — On the afternoon of the 8th we joined the steamers 

 ' Tay,' Captain Deuchars ; ' Chase,' Captain Gravill, sen. ; 

 and ' Diana,' Captain Gravill, jun. After repeated ice- 

 detentions, we have reached Duck Island. Captain Deuchars 

 says there is every prospect of an early north passage. We 

 have had several conversations about the Pond's Bay natives, 

 and their reports of ships, wrecks, and Europeans ; but there 

 appears to be not only great difficulty, but also uncertainty, 

 in arriving at their meaning ; to form an idea of the time 

 elapsed since an event, or the distance to the spot where it 

 occurred, is a still harder task. I look forward to our visit 

 at Pond's Bay with greatly increased interest. 



In August, 1855, when Captain Deuchars was crossing 





