Arctic Land Expedition. 63 



she was violently hurried by the current, towards a ridge of broken 

 rocks, which in a short time would have torn the stoutest vessel 

 to pieces. The heavy swell which prevailed caused the ship in 

 her passage to beat against various rocky ledges which projected 

 under water. One of the blows she thus sustained, drove the rud- 

 der out of its place; but it fortunately hung suspended by tackling 

 which had been employed to secure it on coming amongst the 

 ice. At this instant, when all human exertions seemed perfectly 

 fruitless, the current eddied offshore, the land-breeze sprang up, 

 a boat that we had put overboard succeeded in taking us in tow, 

 and — what appeared almost miraculous — one of the last thumps 

 the ship received caused the rudder to fall back into its place. By 

 this combination of favourable circumstances, we succeeded in 

 getting round the point we so much dreaded ; and, setting all 

 sail, we steered from the land. Upon the first alarm of danger, 

 the women and children, of whom we had a large number on 

 board, going to Lord Selkirk's colony, rushed upon the deck 

 much terrified. The officers, hower, succeeded in calming their 

 fears, and prevailed on them tp go below out of the wav of the 

 sailors : but scarcely had this been effected, when the current 

 carried us against a large iceberg which had grounded upon a 

 ridge of sunken rocks that lay at some distance from the shore. 

 The crash of the masts and yards, together with the grinding of 

 the ship's side against the ice, terrified them more than ever j 

 but we speedily got clear of the second danger without receiving 

 further damage. Our troubles, however, were not at an end ; 

 the ship had received so much damage whilst on the rocks, that, 

 on examination, a great deal of water was found in the hold. All 

 hands were instantly set to the pumps ; but, to our mortification, 

 we found that the water rushed in faster than we could, with 

 every exertion, discharge it. Affairs now wore a gloomv aspect; 

 the water in the hold increased to upwards of five feet, and the 

 men were getting tired at the pumps, when fortunately the 

 weather cleared up a little, and we saw the Eddijstune, one of 

 the vessels that accompanied us, at no great <listance: we bore 

 down, and informed them of our situation. Every assistance in 

 their power was promptly supplied ; they sent 20 men and two 

 carpenters. The services of the latter were invaluable, as our 

 own carpenter had died in the earlier part of the voyage. With 

 this fresh accession of strength, we kept the leak from gaining 

 upon us ; and after some time the carpenters succeeded in disco- 

 vering and patching up the broken parts so as sensibly to dimi- 

 nish the influx of water. Their operations were however slow, 

 and it was not till the evening of the second day that wc suc- 

 ceeded in getting all the water out of the ship. During the whole 



of 



