734 THE VOYAGE OF THE JEANNETTE. 



squalls. After running two or three miles Chipp sud- 

 denly took in sail, and coming near me reported no 

 passage ahead. Turned about and made the two other 

 boats tow me in line ahead for about three hundred 

 yards to windward, and then went through an opening 

 into the shallow channel, and ran along to the west- 

 ward, as before, in about four feet of water. To my 

 surprise, the ice seemed packed in close to the land in 

 all directions, and I began to think we were in for 

 another night in the boats, or a hazardous camp on small 

 grounded ice lumps. Water enough was on our N. E. 

 hand, but that led towards the reef or sand bank, and 

 was, therefore, not desirable. By hugging the grounded 

 lumps close on our port hand, we worked ahead rapidly, 

 so much sea having got up that I ran away ahead of 

 the other boats, and kept the lead thus obtained, though 

 the risk of grounding was thereby increased. At one 

 time we were actually running N. E., at another N. 

 (being forced to bring nearer the wind on the star- 

 board tack by the long streams of grounded ice making 

 out from the land), but finally, at five p. m. I thought I 

 had got clear of the last piece and could run N. W. 

 To my surprise I had then on the port hand, or S. to 

 S. W., a stream of grounded ice, and right ahead, or 

 N. W., a low sand bank with one end seemingly raised 

 six or eight feet above the sea. Naturally avoiding the 

 sand bank, I attempted to hug the grounded ice, and 

 suddenly shoaled my water too rapidly for any doubt 

 as to our soon sticking fast. Rounded to at once, and 

 made fast to a grounded floe piece. When the whale- 

 boat came up I unloaded her people (except four) on 

 an ice lump, and sent her in towards the raised sand 

 bank to sound, and the second cutter was ordered to 

 follow her slowly and carefully. 



