FAST IX THE TCE. 183 



all this trouble and yet have seen nothing. What one 

 can see, he can to some extent prepare for ; but it is the 

 unseen danger that strikes the most terror to the heart. 

 A man must be a hard unbeliever who does not recog- 

 nize a divine hand in these wonderful escapes. 



A most beautiful effect was created to-night by the 

 moonlight reflected or refracted from the floes. A pure 

 golden light was thrown around and above the ice, 

 making one believe he w^as looking into fairyland. 



Novemher 2Qth, Wednesday. — My suspicions at the 

 sudden rise of the barometer yesterday were correct, 

 for to-day we have had and are having a snorter from 

 the S. E. The day opened calm, and so continued until 

 four A. M., when a light S. E. wind came up. This 

 slowly freshened, until at noon it was blowing with a 

 velocity of eight miles an hour, and at one p. m. the 

 gale burst upon us, blowing twenty-one miles the first 

 hour and reaching twenty-nine miles before midnight. 

 The barometer rose to 30.27 until the wind freshened, 

 when it beo;an to fall, reachino; 30.28 at midnio-ht. 



O C5 O 



The weather had a hard and angry look, and I see we 

 are in for a screamer. The temperature began at mi- 

 nus 9°, but rose to plus 10° as the day ended. 



The ship held fast in the young ice in which she 

 ran last night, but shook from truck to keelson as the 

 heavy gusts took her. A few \vater holes were in our 

 neighborhood, and the main solid pack could be seen 

 in all directions. This bay will no doubt close as soon 

 as the ice takes up its motion again, which I have ob- 

 served occurs when there is little or no wind. The 

 heavy winds pack up the large masses, and in the calms 

 and light winds, the pressure being removed, every- 

 thing struggles to get back again to its old condition, 

 and openings and races occur. Sounded at noon in 



