CHAP. VI.] MASS BREAKS OFF. 375 



very deep bays. The last twenty-four hours, 

 the leak had increased twelve inches. By a sud- 

 den change, the weather had become sultry, the 

 thermometer in the sun being 62°. A very few 

 birds, but not a fish or animal was seen. The 

 ice merely opened and closed with the flood and 

 ebb tide, without further effect. 



On June 23d, the crew were employed in cut- 

 ting away the outer mound on the starboard side 

 of the ship, and made such rapid progress in their 

 early labour, that the edge of the floe rose two 

 feet six inches out of the water, and this was 

 immediately followed by the appearance of a 

 transverse crack between them and the ship. At 

 10 h 15 m a. m., while steadily occupied at their 

 work, the disconnected body of ice was observed 

 to run with considerable velocity past the stern 

 of the ship, directly towards the part they were 

 reducing, and an enormous piece coming in sud- 

 den contact with a projecting point, that had been 

 purposely formed by cutting away the ice about 

 it in the morning, the whole mass broke off with 

 the concussion, and rolled partly over in conse- 

 quence probably of the upshooting of several im- 

 mense calves from underneath it and the floe. 

 At the very moment of disruption a number of 

 men were working on the separated piece, the 

 rocking of which placed them for the time in a 

 perilous situation. From this, however, they 



