CHAP. V.] HEAVY WEATHER. Tj5 



This was more particularly felt in the after cock- 

 pit and bread-room ; and four more shores, with 

 diagonal bracings from the stringers to the orlop 

 beams, were fixed up. The ice was too close to 

 get soundings, and the weather too misty from 

 small snow to allow the land to be seen, or 

 observations to be got. We seemed, however, 

 very little nearer the mural edge. At noon the 

 w r ind was N.N.E., squally, and at times blowing 

 a gale. The thermometer (air) 3° — . Almost 

 immediately after there was a visible motion 

 ahead of the ship, and the ice then began to 

 set slowly to the westward. At 2 h 30 m p. m. 

 the weather cleared enough to allow of our see- 

 ing the land, a point of which bore S. 22° E., 

 while the centre of the blue buff was S. 62° W. 

 The gale continued unabated, blowing very hard 

 in squalls, with occasional lulls. A little after 

 7 h p. m. the advancing ice began to press hard 

 upon and underneath the stern and quarter, 

 causing considerable cracking fore and aft. No 

 motion, however, could be detected at the surface, 

 For the following four hours the pressure at times 

 was alarmingly severe, lifting up the lower-deck 

 beams three-eighths of an inch, and twice throw- 

 ing down all the upright shores. After this had 

 passed, the ice was forcibly driven to the east- 

 ward, and though we were never entirely free 

 from pressure, yet the cracking sounds were not 



t 2 



