THE MARCH OVER THE FROZEN OCEAN. 641 



looseness of the ice, led us to infer that we were near 

 open water. As a good clear horizon would decide this 

 question beyond doubt at any time, our foggy weather 

 is all the more deplorable before camping. 



And now occurred the first serious breach of disci- 

 pline among the crew since our commissioning, over 

 two years ago, and on the part of a man whose con- 

 duct has been so uniformly beyond reproach as to make 

 it the more surprising. It appears that Melville had 

 placed a pair of soles in the stern of one of the boats, 

 and the shaking of the boat in dragging had shifted 

 them on the sleeping-bag of Ed. Starr (seaman). Upon 

 halting to camp, Starr went to the boat, picked up the 

 soles, and flung them some distance on the ice, in a tem- 

 per. Melville informed him they belonged to him, and 

 ordered Starr to pick them up, at the same time saying, 

 " Don't do that again." To the order Starr paid no at- 

 tention, but growled something about wet soles and his 

 sleeping-bag, and he did not care whose they were. 

 Hearing Melville repeating his order, and Starr making 

 argumentative and sulky replies, I went to the scene, 

 and to my surprise found Starr showing no intention to 

 pick up the soles, but continuing to speak in a surly and 

 disrespectful manner. I at once ordered him to stop 

 talking, and to obey Mr. Melville's order. He paid no 

 attention to either order, but continued his rummaging 

 in the boat ; and his growl continued, " A nice place to 

 put wet boot soles," etc., etc. And it was only upon 

 my three or four times repeated order to pick up those 

 soles that he did so. But to my order to keep silent 

 he paid no obedience till he apparently had no more to 

 say. I ordered him to stand apart from everybody, 

 and in a few moments asked him if he had anything to 

 say in explanation of his conduct, — disobedience of Mr. 

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