CHAP. V.] DREADFUL COMMOTION. 311 



powerful rush of the seaward ice, which, thrust- 

 ing us close to the tidal wall so as to cause 

 almost a dead pressure, began to grind and 

 plough up the edges on every side. Fre- 

 quently during the process there were brief 

 intervals of cessation in one part or another, 

 followed by a quick repetition, in a direction 

 perhaps exactly opposite. Again, there would 

 be a general pause, not unlike the silence which 

 succeeds a heavy crash of thunder ; but sud- 

 denly, when hope was beginning to whisper 

 that all was over, on it came again with a burst 

 of deafening roar, destroying every thing in 

 its furious course. Wherever our eyes were 

 turned they were met by rising waves of ice 

 rolling their burdens towards the ship. One in 

 particular, not more than thirty paces away, had 

 reared itself at least thirty feet on our inner 

 floe-piece, which, strong as it was, gave way 

 under the accumulated weight j and a mass of 

 several tons being thus upturned and added to 

 the original bulk, the whole bore down slowly 

 upon our quarter. The ship herself was high 

 out of the water on the ice, but this over- 

 topped her like a tower. Meantime we were 

 getting nearer and nearer to the land ice : large 

 rents were showing themselves in the ice, at 

 right angles, on each side of the fore chains : the 

 ship unable to right herself began to complain, 



x 4 



