NAllHATIVE OF A VOYAGE TO SriTZBERGEN. 451 



planks. As it likev/ise would require the water to 

 be wholly extracted, it was therefore impracticable. 

 And, 



V. To tu7m the ship keel upward, — This plan, 

 being a kind of desperate experiment, 1 was de- 

 termined to adopt, in the event of all others fail- 

 ing. To effect this, it would be necessary first to 

 discharge the cargo, and to unrig the ship, then, let- 

 ting her fill with water, after securing the cabin- 

 windows and hatches, to turn her keel up, and re- 

 pair the damage ; and, lastly, to return her back 

 to her proper position, and pump out the water. 

 In performing these operations, the aid of some 

 other ship to assist in heaving the Esk down, and 

 returning her back, v/ould probably be indispens- 

 able. 



With the 2fZ and 5th plans particularly in view, 

 we now set about unrigging the ship, and dischar- 

 ging the cargo and stores upon a flat place of the floe 

 against which we had moored. 



As there was a chance that a bunch of rope-yarns, 

 straw or oakum, might enter some of the larger 

 leaks and retard the influx of water, if applied near 

 the place through the medium of a fothering sail, 

 we, in the mean time, prepared a lower studding 

 sail, by sewing bunches of these different materials 

 all over it, which, together with large shreds of old 

 thin canvas, whalebone-hair, and a quantity of ashes, 

 fitted it well for the purpose. Thus prepared, it 



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