120 TRENT PREPARES TO TAKE THE ICE. 



and spray of the sea, which were carried up to 

 a great height. Thus circumstanced, our first 

 impulse was to run our own ship into the ice 

 by the side of our consort, in the hope that by 

 so placing the vessels they might be of service 

 to each other ; but, calling to mind that the frame 

 of the brig was weak in comparison with that 

 of the Dorothea, we did not think it pro- 

 bable that we could render her any assistance ; 

 and, consequently, as the wind at the moment 

 favoured an expectation of our own vessel being 

 able to reach into smoother water, we held on 

 our course a little longer. 



We, however, soon found that we had nothing 

 left but to follow the example of the Dorothea, 

 and began to make every preparation in our 

 power to withstand the encounter. It evidently 

 appeared that we should have most to appre- 

 hend from the first concussion ; and, in order 

 to avert the effect of this as much as possible, 

 a cable was cut up into thirty-feet lengths, and 

 these with plates of iron four feet square, which 

 had been supplied to us as fenders, together 

 with some walrus's hides, were hung round the 

 vessel, especially about the bows. The masts, at 

 the same time, were secured with additional 

 ropes, and the hatches were battened and nailed 

 down. By the time these precautions had been 



