THE LAST OF THE JEANNETTE. 561 



work of both whenever one is sick, and I am not sur- 

 prised, therefore, to see the cook calmly cook for all 

 hands and look out for the cabin and ward-room, and 

 wait upon the table; and just now, with extra things 

 like arrow-root, beef-tea, etc., for the sick, and the 

 serving of one sick officer's meals in his room, he has 

 no easy time of it. But it is all done, and Ah Sam 

 nurses Charles Tong Sing meanwhile. My respect and 

 admiration for these two men are boundless. Every- 

 thing about the ice seems to have come to a stand 

 again. Ice has formed over all openings. 



June od, Friday. — Nothing yet to be seen of Mel- 

 ville and his party. Taking all things into considera- 

 tion, I do not expect him before to-morrow night or 

 Sunday morning; but though neither of these times are 

 here yet, I cannot help the constant uneasiness which 

 I experience. Henrietta Island was in plain sight all 

 day, and we are assuredly closing in on it. Bearings 

 of the south end, S. 52° W. (true), and of the north 

 end S. 61° W. (true). I fix our position to-day in lati- 

 tude 77° 13' N., longitude 158° 12' E. ; and by the 

 change of bearing since May 24th I fix the south end 

 of the island in latitude 77.8° N., longitude 157° 43' E., 

 and that makes it eight miles distant. Our drift since 

 May 25th has been S. 74° W. nineteen miles. 



We discovered this morning that the ice under the 

 stern was domed up and cracked, and we came to the 

 conclusion that the ship was trying to rise in her bed. 

 To facilitate this operation, and to prevent too much 

 strain being brought on her keel which prolongs under 

 the rudder, the men were set to work digging away 

 the ice. It was a tough job, for it is as hard as flint, 

 and clings like an old and tried friend. Here and there 

 the mark of the fibre of the wood shows in the attached 



36 



