478 WHALE-FISHERY. 



deck, to prevent the pressure of the water from 

 forcing the planks from the timbers. 



On the 10th, spoke the Valiant and the Phoenix. 

 The latter ship furnished us with a spare pump, 

 which we considered a great acquisition to our means 

 of security. We had now in readiness four pumps, 

 two of which were placed in the casks that we had 

 fitted as pump-wells, in the bilges of the ship. We 

 saw the last ice on the 11th. To this period, we 

 had generally half of the John's crew on board. 

 We now had twelve men, selected for our service, 

 whom we classed along with our own crew. 



In the morning of the 121th, the wind increased 

 from the east ; the sky became dark and threaten- 

 ing ; and a heavy swell rolled from the south-east- 

 ward. The violent agitation of the ship, together 

 with her increased velocity, very soon tore away 

 many of the fastenings of the fothering-sails, which 

 we soon perceived towing astern of the ship. This 

 circumstance occasioned a considerable alarm. We 

 had not before ascertained how far the contrivance 

 of swimming the ship by the ceiling could be de- 

 pended on : the experiment was therefore made at 

 a very critical moment, when the sea was so con- 

 siderable, that it would have been a matter of much 

 uncertainty, whether we could have escaped on 

 board the John, in the event of the ship founder- 

 ing. What added to our apprehensions was, that 

 the leak appeared to increase, whilst the main pumps 



