I9II] THE SHIP STRANDED 93 



Wc spent the day measuring our provisions and fixing up 

 clothing arrangements for our journey; a good deal of progress 

 has been made. 



In the afternoon the ship returned to the northern ice edge; 

 the wind was still strong (about N. 30 W.) and loose ice all 

 along the edge — our people went out with the ice anchors and 

 I saw the ship pass west again. Then as I went out on the floe 

 came the report that she was ashore. I ran out to the Cape 

 with Evans and saw that the report was only too true. She 

 looked to be firmly fixed and in a very uncomfortable position. 

 It looked as though she had been trying to get round the Cape, 

 and therefore I argued she must have been going a good pace 

 as the drift was making rapidly to the south. Later Pennell 

 told me he had been trying to look behind the berg and had been 

 going astern some time before he struck. 



My heart sank when I looked at her and I sent Evans off 

 in the whaler to sound, recovered the ice anchors again, set the 

 people to work, and walked disconsolately back to the Cape to 

 watch. 



Visions of the ship failing to return to New Zealand and 

 of sixty people waiting here arose in my mind with sickening 

 pertinacity, and the only consolation I could draw from such 

 imaginations was the determination that the southern work 

 should go on as before — meanwhile the least ill possible seemed 

 to be an extensive lightening of the ship with boats as the tide 

 was evidently high when she struck — a terribly depressing 

 prospect. 



Some three or four of us watched it gloomily from the 

 shore whilst all was bustle on board, the men shifting cargo 

 aft. Pennell tells me they shifted 10 tons in a very short 

 time. 



The first ray of hope came when by careful watching one 

 could see that the ship was turning very slowly, then one saw 

 the men running from side to side and knew that an attempt 

 was being made to roll her off. The rolling produced a more 

 rapid turning movement at first and then she seemed to hang 

 again. But only for a short time; the engines had been going 

 astern all the time and presently a slight movement became 

 apparent. But we only knew she was getting clear when we 

 heard cheers on board and more cheers from the whaler. 



