FAST m THE ICE. 169 



fore all these broken floes can become cemented together, 

 the whole mass will get in motion again and our floe 

 may split up, set us adrift, and plenty of trouble be 

 ahead of us. However, we must wait and see. Humaii 

 foresight is of but little avail. Aid from above is all 

 that can prevail, when a ship is drifting in an ice-floe. 



Sighted high land between S. and S. S. W. for a few 

 moments about eleven a. m., but too indistinctly to rec- 

 ognize it as anything we have seen before. 



November 10th, 3Ionday. — A large water hole to 

 the E. S. E. giving oft' vapor upon coming in contact 

 with colder air. Sounded at noon in 17 1-2 fathoms. 

 At noon sighted again the land seen on October 29th 

 and on the same bearing. At three p. m. grinding and 

 pressure began again, our floe this time cracking and 

 breaking up to within one hundred feet of our star- 

 board beam and quarter. From eight p. m. to midnight 

 a fine auroral display, beginning with swirling tails 

 from N. to E., and ending with radiating bands extend- 

 ing from a central point at N. to N. E. and N. W. 



November 11th, Tuesday. — A day of great anxiety. 

 At 6.10 A. M. I was awakened by the trembling and 

 creaking of the ship, and almost immediately the man 

 on watch came in my room to inform me that the ice 

 was again in motion. Hastily tumbling out and dress- 

 ing I went out on the ice. The grinding and crushing 

 flow of ice to the westward had again commenced, and 

 the jamming of large pieces from time to time, splin- 

 tering our floe, caused breaks and upheavals to wdthin 

 about seventy-five feet of the ship. The ship groaned 

 and creaked at every pressure until I thought the next 

 would break her adrift. The pressure was tremendous, 

 and the noise was not calculated to calm one's mind. 

 I know of no sound on shore that can be compared to 



