2J6 BLOWS A GALE. [CHAP.V. 



so loud. March 15th. — The ship seemed suffer- 

 ing much below, though again no motion was 

 perceptible from the deck on the surface of the 

 ice. The leak also had slightly increased. 



In the morning the weather was still thick and 

 misty with the same sort of small snow, resem- 

 bling the sort of spray or congelated vapour ex- 

 perienced when to leeward of open water; the 

 gale continuing to blow hard in squalls. That 

 we should make some advance, therefore, was not 

 surprising ; but, considering the extreme closeness 

 of the ice, no one certainly had expected to see 

 the ship not far from the low point which formed 

 the eastern extreme of yesterday. Such, how- 

 ever, was the irresistible power urging the entire 

 body forwards, that we were now actually within 

 four miles of the low land on the beam ; and 

 from 8 h a. m. the ice drove rapidly along this 

 shelving beach, composed, apparently, of coarse 

 gravel and stones. No rocks were seen. It was 

 of importance to get soundings, but after a fore- 

 noon's trial, and with the loss of ice chisels, &c, 

 the utter impossibility of cutting through the 

 underlayers of ice, compelled us to abandon the 

 attempt. Near the shore the ice was thrown up in 

 some places from twenty to thirty feet ; and the 

 mural line, which had for a space disappeared, 

 here began again and stretched out to another 



low point almost ahead. As we rounded the 



12 



