CHAP. VI.] officers' opinion. 399 



conclusion. Unwilling, however, to admit a 

 thought so destructive of all my fondly-cherished 

 hopes and wishes, I demanded the written opi- 

 nion of the three Lieutenants and Master. These, 

 in separate communications, and for various rea- 

 sons, decided that nothing was left but to get the 

 ship to England without delay ; and my own 

 sense of duty finally concurring in this opinion, 

 the resolution was most reluctantly adopted. 



In the afternoon we got the saw to work, 

 and by 5 h p. m. had cut to within a few 

 feet of the ship's side, when, the ice being 

 closer ahead, sail was reduced. We then drifted 

 alongside of a floe, round a point of which we 

 contrived to pass about midnight, and saw much 

 open water to the south-east. 



July 13th. Though there was ice in every 

 direction, we continued to drift about a quarter 

 of a mile an hour. Some small calves found 

 their way from beneath our clog, and it was with 

 great satisfaction that we contemplated the in- 

 creased breadth of the saw line — a satisfaction 

 not lessened by the discovery that the ship had 

 settled more down, her draught now being abaft 

 thirteen feet eight inches, and forward twelve 

 feet eight. Neither, with the incessant workin 



cr 



of one pump, had the water accumulated in the 

 well beyond eleven inches. At 9 h a.m. there 

 was a moderate breeze from the westward with 



