260 THE ONLY ROUTE BY WHICH 



certainly appeared to me an unusual occurrence, that a 

 vessel under full but easy way, should be at once arrested 

 in her progress by causes not obvious to common view ; 

 yet such was the case whenever the ship's course lay through 

 an extent of nascent ice. 



It has been also observed, that the water surface in the 

 vicinity of field-ice is usually tranquil, and therefore 

 dangerous to ships in case of a strong wind pressing on 

 the distant extremity of the field, or any other cause, 

 such as currents, projecting rocks, or heavy bergs urging 

 forward the mass. In such a case, it must be obvious the 

 danger chiefly arises from the apparent security, as the 

 inexperienced would consider the tranquillity of his station 

 to be indicative of the absence of danger ; but should 

 the ice begin to move, a vessel so circumstanced must 

 drift before it, and have to encounter the hidden dangers 

 of the deep, or, in the event of a gale, to meet the awful 

 consequences of the ice becoming packed, when, if sur- 

 rounded by those heavy fragments, there is scarcely a 

 chance of escape. The sailors accustomed to those 

 situations are very expert in determining the course of the 

 packed ice, and measure with singular accuracy the 

 physical pressure of each piece likely to come in contact 

 with the ship. Where an open space in the pack appears 

 sufficiently large to admit of manoeuvring the vessel, it is 

 usually entered, until some opening is observable. Such 



