142 THE WHALEMAN ; OR, 



then, being torn away from their fastenings, 

 either by the winds, or by their own weight, or 

 by the action of the sea beating against their 

 bases or undermining them, are swept into the 

 ocean, where they continue to accumulate by the 

 falling of snow and frozen water, and finally re- 

 semble great islands." 



Large masses of ice, which take the form of 

 bergs, are formed along the rocky-bound coast 

 of the Arctic. 



On the fall of the tide, after the ocean has 

 been frozen over, the localities of the rocks and 

 ledges are clearly observable. When the tide 

 rises, the superincumbent mass is lifted up, and 

 a new layer is formed underneath. This process 

 goes on with the rise and fall of the tides and 

 the accumulation of ice, until vast ridges, broken 

 and dislocated, assuming every variety of ap- 

 pearance, are thus pressed up to a great height. 



We observed the gradual rise of one of these 

 immense piles of ice not far from our winter 

 quarters. It appeared to be more than twenty- 

 five feet above the ordinary ice around it. 



The cliffs upon whose sides we have seen ice- 

 bergs form rise to the enormous height of two 

 to four hundred feet. And the shore was so 

 bold, and the depth of water so great at their 

 bases, that a ship would probably strike her yards 



