180 Mr. H. Seebohm on the Ornithology of Siberia. 
of the river, across only a mile of open water, was a haven 
of perfect safety. But, alas! when the ice had passed us, 
before we could get up sufficient steam, the river suddenly 
fell three feet, and left us aground by the stern, and immo- 
vable as a rock. Nor was it possible, with a current running 
up the river at the rate of four knots an hour, to swing the 
ship rourd so as to secure the rudder against any further 
attacks of the ice. Half a mile ahead of us, as we looked 
down the river, was the edge of the Yen-e-say’ ice. The river 
was rising again; but before the stern was afloat we discovered, 
to our dismay, that another large field of ice had broken up ; 
and the Koo-ray’-i-ka was soon full of ice again. In the 
course of the night the whole of the ice on the Yen-e-say’, 
as far as we could see, broke up with a tremendous crash, 
and a dense mass of ice-floes, pack-ice, and icebergs backed 
up the Koo-ray’-i-ka, and with irresistible force drove the 
Koo-ray’-i-ka ice before it. When it reached the ship, we 
had but one alternative, to slip the anchor and let her drive 
with the ice. For about a mile we had an exciting ride, 
pitching and rolling as the floes of ice squeezed the ship, and 
tried to lift her bodily out of the water, or crawl up her sides 
like a snake. The rudder was soon broken to pieces, and 
finally carried away. Some of the sailors jumped onto the 
ice and scrambled ashore, whilst others began to throw over- 
board their goods and chattels. Away we went up the Koo- 
ray’-i-ka, the ice rolling and tumbling and squeezing along- 
side, huge lumps climbing one on the top of another, until 
we were finally jammed in a slight bay, along with a lot of 
pack-ice. Early in the morning the stream slackened, the 
river fell some five or six feet, and the ice stood still. The 
ship went through the terrible ordeal bravely. She made no 
water, and there was no evidence of injury beyond the loss 
of the rudder. In the evening the ship was lying amidst 
huge hummocks of ice, almost high and dry. The Koo-ray’- 
i-ka, and right across the Yen-e-say’, and southward as far 
as the eye could reach was one immense field of pack-ice, 
white, black, brown, blue, and green, piled in wild confusion 
as close as it could be jammed. Northwards the Yen-e-say’ 
[8] 
