Chap. XIII. BACK'S ATTEMPT TO REACH REPULSE BAY. 503 



was again perfectly compact. Seven men were on 

 the sick list. On the 15th of June the ice still stuck 

 to the ship in such a manner, that Back says, " it 

 looked as if the ship had been placed in a bed of 

 some plastic composition, which time had indurated 

 into the solidity, and almost the substance, of lime- 

 stone rock." On the 20th they had been drifting 

 near to Charles's Island ; and from this day till the 

 8th of July the crew were employed in endeavouring 

 to release the ship from her icy cradle ; but she still 

 remained impenetrably close. 



On the 1 1th of July, as the crew were busy extri- 

 cating calves* and cutting a trench, Captain Back 

 says — " Scarcely had I taken a few turns on deck 

 and descended to my cabin when a loud rumbling 

 notified that the ship had broken her icy bonds, and 

 was sliding gently down into her own element. I 

 ran hastily on deck, and joined in the cheers of the 

 officers and men, who, dispersed on different pieces 

 of ice, took this significant method of expressing 

 their feelings: it was a sight not to be forgotten." 

 For three or four days after this the ship had re- 

 mained, as it were, on her beam-ends, so that "no 

 one could move about the deck without holding on 

 by the ropes to windward ;" when, on the 14th of 

 July, " suddenly, and before a word could be spoken, 

 the liberated ship righted entirely ;" and " I know 



* Masses of ice below the surface of the sea, projecting from 

 the main body above it. 



